Su Hongxia stared blankly at the small pile of green powder in her palm, then looked up at Lu Huaizhou. His face remained expressionless. After saying that sentence, he leaned on his cane and turned to walk back into the house. His figure seemed somewhat lonely under the moonlight, yet his steps were steadier than before.
Su Hongxia stood there, her heart in turmoil. What… did he mean by that?
He clearly had caught the irrefutable evidence of her going to the black market, yet he didn’t expose her, didn’t question her, and even… helped her “destroy” the evidence?
“Next time, don’t drop it.”“It’s expensive.”
Those two sentences, like two feathers, lightly brushed across the lake of her heart, sending ripples over and over.
Was he caring about her? Or was it a subtle warning in disguise?
Su Hongxia couldn’t figure it out. This man’s mind was as deep as the ocean, impossible to read.
She looked down, blew the remnants in her palm into the wind, and silently walked into the house.
The light in the east room was on. Lu Huaizhou sat at the table, reading a book. He was so absorbed that he didn’t even look up when she came in.
After washing up, Su Hongxia climbed into bed and lay on the outer side. A fist’s distance separated them. Neither spoke, yet the tension that had been present before was gone.
Su Hongxia could feel that although Lu Huaizhou was reading, his mind wasn’t on the book at all. His breathing was heavier than usual.
She closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, while internally planning what pastries to make for the Commanding Officer’s wife tomorrow. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—she had to seize it firmly.
..
The next day, Su Hongxia woke up early. She peeled the mung beans she had bought yesterday, steamed them, and mashed them into fine mung bean paste. She then stir-fried it with lard and sugar, filling the kitchen with a sweet fragrance.
She made not only mung bean cakes but also Sachima. Using eggs and flour, she formed dough, cut it into strips, fried them golden in oil, coated them in syrup, and sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds and colored strands. The process was tedious, but she was already skilled and practiced.
Lu Huaizhou exercised in the yard. The sweet aroma drifting from the kitchen made his expression more complicated.
At breakfast, Su Hongxia placed a small plate of freshly made, still warm, mung bean cakes and Sachima in front of him.
“Try it, I just made it,” she said, presenting it like a treasure.
The mung bean cakes were perfectly square, tender green, and looked refreshing. The Sachima was golden and glossy, rich in egg fragrance.
Lu Huaizhou picked up a piece of mung bean cake and ate it.
The delicate cake melted in his mouth. The fragrance of mung beans combined perfectly with the richness of lard—sweet but not greasy, with a dense, soft texture. This was the taste—the same as the powder he had crushed in his palm last night.
Looking at Su Hongxia’s face, smiling so earnestly, he felt a swirl of emotions. He had thought about it all night.
He admitted, when he first discovered her sneaking to the black market, he had been very angry. Not because she was “speculating and profiteering,” but because she had put herself in danger.
But when he saw her agile movements climbing over the wall, and then her panicked, deer-in-the-headlights expression when caught, his anger inexplicably dissipated.
He didn’t want to expose her.
A subtle feeling told him that if he did, this woman full of secrets might disappear like the wind. He didn’t want her to disappear.
He even found that he didn’t dislike this sense of being “deceived” and kept in the dark by her. Instead… he found it novel and… thrilling. He wanted to see how many more secrets she had, and what surprises she might bring him.
“Delicious?” Su Hongxia asked eagerly.
“Not bad,” Lu Huaizhou said lightly, but his hand honestly reached for another piece of Sachima.
Su Hongxia rolled her eyes—men always say no with their mouths but are honest with their bodies.
..
In the morning, Su Hongxia, carrying a basket covered with cloth, went to a small grove at the back gate of the military district, as arranged with Old Li. Old Li was already waiting.
He took the basket, opened it, and his eyes widened in surprise. Inside were two neatly stacked layers wrapped in greaseproof paper. The top layer was pale green mung bean cakes, and the bottom layer golden Sachima. The appearance and aroma were even better than those from a state-run bakery!
“All… this is your own work?” Old Li asked incredulously.
“Yes,” Su Hongxia nodded.
Without another word, Old Li took ten yuan, some grain coupons, and sugar coupons from his pocket and handed them to her. “Here’s the final payment. The lady said, if you want to make more in the future, can we come to you?”
“Sure,” Su Hongxia agreed happily. A steady “meal ticket”—who wouldn’t want that?
Back home, she carefully hid the twenty yuan and coupons she had just received, feeling delighted. This was the first earnings she had made using her own skills in this world! Truly meaningful.
..
Family members gathered in small groups, chatting and pointing at Su Hongxia with amused smiles. She was puzzled when Wang Sao approached, swaying her hips.
“Ah, Hongxia, congratulations!” Wang Sao’s voice came before she even reached, the fake cheer making Su Hongxia’s skin crawl.
“Congratulations for what?” Su Hongxia asked blankly.
“You don’t know?” Wang Sao covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise. “Oh my, you’re so out of the loop! The army will hold a family gathering next week. Each officer’s family must perform a program. I thought, since you’re so talented, I signed you up!”
She spoke while smugly raising her chin, her eyes filled with malice. Let a fool perform at the gathering? Clearly meant to embarrass her and make Lu Huaizhou look bad.
The surrounding family members egged her on.
“Yes, yes, Wang Sao is just looking out for you, giving you a chance to show off in front of everyone.”“Hongxia, what will you perform? Tell us!”“Can you sing? Dance?”
The teasing and mocking stung like needles.
Su Hongxia realized it—this was Wang Sao’s revenge after being scolded last time. A cold laugh formed in her heart. Want me to look foolish? Dream on!
On the surface, she acted terrified and repeatedly waved her hands. “I… I can’t! I can’t do anything!”
“Oh, how can you say that?” Wang Sao grabbed her hand enthusiastically. “You can imitate a dog’s bark, right? Just go on stage and bark a few times, and everyone will be entertained!”
“Ha ha ha ha!” Everyone laughed uproariously.
Su Hongxia’s eyes reddened, tears welling, looking pitiful and helpless.
Just then, a cold voice came from behind her.
“Who said she’s going to imitate a dog?”
Everyone turned. Lu Huaizhou stood at the doorway, his expression dark and terrifying, his gaze like a knife, sweeping Wang Sao and the mocking family members.
The courtyard fell silent.
Lu Huaizhou stepped beside Su Hongxia, shielding her, and asked Wang Sao, word by word, “Wang Sao, did you sign her up?”
“I… I…” Wang Sao stammered, unnerved, “I just… thought Hongxia should participate in the group activity…”
“You don’t need to worry about what she performs,” Lu Huaizhou interrupted coldly. “We provided the program. But what will be performed is up to us.”
He then took Su Hongxia’s hand, turned back to the yard, and firmly closed the door, shutting out all ridicule and gossip.
Inside, Su Hongxia kept her head down, shoulders trembling, as if crying.
Lu Huaizhou looked at her, feeling frustrated but also a pang of tenderness. He wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how.
“Don’t mind them,” he finally said.
Suddenly, Su Hongxia lifted her head. There were no traces of tears on her face; her eyes sparkled with excitement and mischief.
“Lu Huaizhou, are they all waiting to see me make a fool of myself?”
Lu Huaizhou was momentarily stunned and nodded.
“Then I’ll let them have a proper ‘laugh’!” Su Hongxia clenched her fists, a cunning smile like a little fox spreading across her face. She looked at Lu Huaizhou, eyes shining.
“You have to help me on the day of the gathering.”
“What help?”
“Help me… borrow a stove.”