Wen Yan really wanted to ask, ‘Can’t you tell if I’m lying or not?’
But on second thought, this was an era where you could get married just by looking at a photo.
Feelings were simple and sincere; many people only met for the first time on their wedding day and then spent a lifetime together.
Joking about relationships between men and women was a “style problem” and would get you criticized.
Jiang Baizhou was a good comrade.
He’d already said he wanted to spend a lifetime with her; he was clearly serious and pure-hearted.
‘And listen to that wounded voice.’
Wen Yan felt a little guilty.
Coaxing an advisor and coaxing someone in a relationship were, fundamentally, two different things.
Her thoughts raced for only a few seconds before Wen Yan, feeling guilty, changed the subject.
“I’m here to build a good life with you.”
The moonlight was dim.
A smile spread across Jiang Baizhou’s lips, and his voice, filled with a pleased satisfaction, said, “Mm, I believe you!
I’ll write you back as soon as I get home.”
‘A reply?’
‘A reply to those twelve divorce telegrams?’
Wen Yan pursed her lips.
‘What if, while he’s writing, he gets all worked up and angry and decides he wants a divorce?’
Wen Yan immediately grabbed the corner of Jiang Baizhou’s jacket.
He turned to the side and stopped, the end of his syllable rising slightly like a hook.
“Hm?”
Back in the office, when he heard Wen Yan mention love letters, he’d felt a tickle of anticipation.
That’s why he wanted to tease her a bit now that they were outside.
Seeing her so seriously “coaxing” him made him want to laugh.
He was quite happy.
“Wait for me to write you a better one before you reply.
Those first few…
they weren’t my best work.”
Jiang Baizhou tried hard to suppress his laughter.
He bent down, bringing his gaze level with Wen Yan’s, his eyes shining brightly in the darkness as if overjoyed.
“Okay!
I’ll be waiting.”
Wen Yan gave a robotic smile in return.
‘He’s too easy to coax.
How does he believe everything?’
‘How on earth did he become a camp commander?’
‘He’s even easier to handle than my advisor, Master Extinction.’
‘Could it be that my “coaxing” skills have improved?’
Jiang Baizhou straightened up, turning to block the northwest wind for her.
His heart was brimming with delight.
He was going to receive his first love letter!
‘Written by my wife.’
The two of them walked all the way back to the family courtyard in the East District.
Wen Yan’s luggage had already been delivered.
There were four large canvas bundles in total.
The room wasn’t large to begin with, and with the four bundles brought inside, it instantly felt like there was no room to even set one’s foot down.
“This bundle is my bedding.
I’ll unpack the rest myself tomorrow.”
As soon as Wen Yan finished speaking, Jiang Baizhou sprang into action.
He held Wen Yan’s bedding and stood by the edge of the kang, asking with seeming nonchalance, “Do you want to sleep on the left or the right?”
He completely skipped over the matter of going to sleep at his comrade’s place.
His wife was here to build a life with him now.
There was no way he was leaving.
Wen Yan hadn’t even considered the question.
She took a look and said, “The right side.”
With quick and nimble movements, Jiang Baizhou laid out both sets of bedding on the kang.
The kang wasn’t large, so the two bedrolls ended up right next to each other.
One was army green, the other sky blue.
‘They look surprisingly good together, don’t they?’
Jiang Baizhou’s throat suddenly felt a little dry.
He knew nothing would happen tonight, but for some reason, it felt like he had swallowed a branding iron.
His chest burned with the hot, restless feeling of a greenhorn.
Wen Yan was completely oblivious to Jiang Baizhou’s inner turmoil.
She had been through a long, tiring day and just wanted to sleep.
She couldn’t risk pulling another all-nighter and dying from exhaustion again.
“Jiang Baizhou, I want to wash up.
Where’s the water?”
Jiang Baizhou turned, quickly bent down to pick up his washbasin, and said, “We usually use melted snow to wash our faces.
I’ll go get some.
You eat these crackers first, and then I’ll cook some noodles.”
Wen Yan was told to sit down and warm herself by the fire, eating the crackers she held in her hands while watching Jiang Baizhou bustle in and out.
She watched until she started yawning.
Before long, Wen Yan was eating dried noodles that had been cooked in an enamel mug.
They only tasted of salt, but there was an egg.
After she finished eating, Jiang Baizhou had already melted the snow and mixed in a little hot water to make it lukewarm.
The two of them washed up together.
While brushing his teeth, Jiang Baizhou used a little extra tooth powder and brushed for two minutes longer than usual.
With his back to Wen Yan, he secretly breathed into his cupped hand and sniffed.
‘Minty.’
The kerosene lamp in the room wasn’t lit; their only light came from the temporary fire pit in the center.
Jiang Baizhou’s heart began to race.
Facing away from the kang, he listened to the rustling sound of clothes being taken off behind him.
The rims of his ears turned red, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
A thought popped into his head: ‘Men really are no good.’
‘But I’m her legal husband, right?’
The little figures in his head were fighting.
He tried to distract himself by saying, “The fire has to be put out at night, or it’s easy to get carbon monoxide poisoning.
It’ll be a bit cold, so you should put your cotton-padded jacket on top of the quilt.”
“Put the clothes you’re going to wear tomorrow under the mattress pad too, otherwise they’ll feel like blocks of ice in the morning.”
On the kang, Wen Yan took off her padded jacket and pants, quickly pulled the quilt over herself, shivered, and flopped onto the pillow.
In a drowsy daze, her voice was soft and muffled, “I’ve already put them away.”
Her voice made Jiang Baizhou’s heart itch again.
He let out a slow breath and got up.
The only light left in the room was the faint glow from the stove pit.
His limbs felt a little stiffer than usual.
He took off his slippers, got onto the kang, removed his clothes, and slipped under the covers.
All in one smooth motion.
Jiang Baizhou was hesitating, wondering what to say, when he turned his head.
‘She’s asleep?’
Jiang Baizhou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He was, after all, a virile, red-blooded, legal husband.
His soft, fragrant wife was right next to him.
She had just whispered a bunch of sweet nothings to him, and now she was out like a light.
Was he that unattractive, or was it this damn sense of trust she had in him?
Jiang Baizhou sighed and turned on his side, his gaze landing softly on Wen Yan.
‘She’s really sleeping soundly!’
*
「The next morning.」
A rousing bugle call jolted Wen Yan’s eyes open, leaving her momentarily dazed, unsure of what year it was.
“You’re awake?
Don’t rush to get up.
I’m going to the mess hall to get breakfast.
I’ll bring some back for you.
You can walk around the camp during the day, but don’t leave the grounds.
It’s all wilderness outside, so it’s easy to get lost.”
“We have a land reclamation assignment, so I won’t be back for lunch.
You can go to the mess hall to eat; just ask anyone and they’ll tell you where it is.
I’ve already filled the thermos with hot water.”
Jiang Baizhou rattled off a string of instructions, then looked at Wen Yan, still feeling a bit worried, and froze.
Wen Yan, who had just woken up, had messy, fluffy hair, but her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were covered in a hazy, misty film as she lay on her stomach on the pillow, staring at him without blinking.
‘What was I about to say?’
‘My wife is so pretty.’
‘No, wait, I think I was going to say…
my wife is so cute.’
Jiang Baizhou’s train of thought jumped back and forth before he finally asked, “Did you remember all that?”
His feet moved uncontrollably as he walked over, slowly squatted down, and placed his palm on Wen Yan’s head.
‘So soft.’
‘Even better to touch than I imagined.’
Wen Yan’s brain was still booting up.
The tip of her nose and her forehead were cold from just waking up.
She wrinkled her nose, and her pupils gradually came into focus.
Jiang Baizhou nonchalantly withdrew his hand, rubbing his palm.
Then he pretended to be busy, picking up Wen Yan’s cotton-padded shoes and placing them by the charcoal fire.
“I’ve lit the fire.
Warm up your shoes so they won’t be cold when you put them on.”
After giving his instructions, Jiang Baizhou went out to get food.
When he returned, Wen Yan was already fully dressed, and the clarity had returned to her eyes.
A flicker of regret passed through his eyes.
He took out the lunchbox he was holding against his chest and placed it on the table.
Wen Yan glanced over: dark-colored steamed buns, a piece of salted fish, and a small lump of pickled vegetables.
“This is all they have at the mess hall.
In a few days, I’ll go to the city and buy you some finer grains.”
“Okay!
Finer grains are tastier, but I can eat this too.”
Jiang Baizhou’s smile deepened.
He liked Wen Yan’s directness; if she wanted something, she said so.
He praised her, “That’s great,” couldn’t resist patting her head again, and then ran off with hurried steps as soon as he was done.
Wen Yan narrowed her eyes at Jiang Baizhou’s retreating back.
‘What’s he running from?’
‘Is it because I haven’t washed my hair?’
Wen Yan, single by her own sheer merit, muttered to herself, ‘I’ll wash it when I get back tonight.’
Having made her decision, Wen Yan huddled by the fire and gnawed on a steamed bun.
It didn’t taste good and was scratchy on her throat.
‘I have finer grains in my space.
I can use my luggage as an excuse to take some out.’
Before she knew it, she had finished the steamed bun, pickled vegetables, and salted fish.
Wen Yan organized her luggage and prepared to go for a walk.
She was sure a lot of people would be curious about her today.
She was going to take the initiative.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Wen Yan?
Are you home?
I’m…
Bai Shanshan.”