Chapter 36

Cheng Jingmo didn’t understand what a picnic was, so Yu Xiangnian explained it to him.

He thought no one would want to join them, but he decided to give it a try and went to ask Dong Minghao.

Dong Minghao had joined the army the same year as Cheng Jingmo, and they had always been in the same regiment, getting along well. Dong Minghao had two sons about the same age as Xiao Jie, and they often played together.

Cheng Jingmo arrived at Dong Minghao’s house and invited his family to go for a picnic in the mountains, explaining what a picnic was.

Dong Minghao frowned and looked at him skeptically. “Are there goblins in the mountains? Are you addicted to going there?”

Cheng Jingmo honestly replied, “Yu Xiangnian was upset she didn’t get to eat rabbit meat. I’m going to catch a rabbit tomorrow, and she wants to go to the mountains to play.”

“So what happened to your rabbit?”

“I met Comrade Wu at the entrance of the family quarters and gave it to her.”

Dong Minghao scolded, “Why didn’t you give her the chicken? Don’t you know that when your lady at home gets angry, the whole family quarters tremble?”

“I didn’t know she wanted to eat rabbit.”

Dong Minghao said, “Let me ask my wife if they want to go. I doubt they will. Who would want to play with your lady?”

After a while, Dong Minghao came out and told Cheng Jingmo, “My wife and the kids also want to go. When are we leaving?”

Cheng Jingmo thought for a moment and said, “Nine o’clock.”

After Cheng Jingmo left, Dong Minghao asked his wife, Wang Hongxiang, “Why did you agree? What if that shrew causes trouble tomorrow, and you end up suffering?”

Wang Hongxiang, who was mending the children’s pants, said, “Deputy Regiment Commander Cheng personally invited us. Shouldn’t we give him face? Besides, I’ve seen that Yu Xiangnian has been very good to Xiao Jie these past few days, cooking and washing his clothes every day. She doesn’t seem the same as before.”

“But why would they want to go to the mountains?” she asked.

Dong Minghao explained the reason.

Wang Hongxiang laughed, “Yu Xiangnian doesn’t just want to eat rabbit; she’s jealous!”

Dong Minghao was skeptical, “You think she’s more likely to eat someone than be jealous!”

Wang Hongxiang said, “What do you know? Think about it. Given the previous relationship between Cheng Jingmo and Dr. Wu, he gave the rabbit to her. Of course, Yu Xiangnian is upset!”

Dong Minghao said, “She’s upset? Dr. Wu is better than her in every way!”

Wang Hongxiang countered, “Is Dr. Wu better looking than her?”

Dong Minghao couldn’t deny that Yu Xiangnian was indeed very pretty, “What’s the use of good looks for living together?”

Cheng Jingmo, standing at his doorstep, thought about asking Commander Xiao next door. With a hopeful heart, he knocked on the door.

Commander Xiao had two daughters and a son, all about Xiao Jie’s age.

Surprisingly, Commander Xiao’s family also agreed to go.

Cheng Jingmo never slept in, so he got up at his usual time the next morning.

He cooked rice and packed two large lunch boxes, fried ten eggs, and made a cucumber salad.

There wasn’t much else at home, so he did his best to prepare as much as he could.

Then, he started cooking noodles for breakfast before waking up Yu Xiangnian and Xiao Jie.

He mixed the leftover braised chicken from the previous day into the noodles. Xiao Jie had eaten one drumstick yesterday, so he put the remaining one into Yu Xiangnian’s bowl.

Yu Xiangnian took the drumstick out and gave it to Xiao Jie, eating a bowl of noodles herself.

Cheng Jingmo thought she was still angry, but Yu Xiangnian had already cooled down. She just didn’t want to eat the chicken.

Cheng Jingmo packed everything into a basket, filled a military canteen with cool boiled water, and Yu Xiangnian added all the remaining milk candies from home and a clean white cloth.

Thus, three families—six adults and six children—set off on foot for a picnic, carrying their prepared items.

Except for Yu Xiangnian, no one had ever been on a picnic before.

Liu Zhen asked her husband, Xiao Tuanjie, “Old Xiao, is this picnic like when we took meals to the fields while doing farm work back in the countryside?”

Xiao Tuanjie said, “Probably something like that.”

The children were excited and played around, laughing and shouting along the way.

After walking for over an hour, they found a flat area and decided to have their picnic there.

Yu Xiangnian took out the cloth and spread it on the ground, asking everyone to place their items on it.

Liu Zhen, feeling sorry, said, “Comrade Yu, using such good cloth for this is a waste.”

Yu Xiangnian, unconcerned about the cloth, smiled and said, “As long as it serves a purpose, it’s not wasted.”

The children had already run off to play. The adults drank some water and rested for a bit while the three men went to catch some wild game.

The kids from Commander Xiao’s family had heard that there was wild game at Cheng Jingmo and Dong Minghao’s homes, and they were eager to have some too.

Cheng Jingmo saw several rabbits but didn’t catch any. Dong Minghao and Xiao Tuanjie each had already caught two rabbits.

Dong Minghao scolded him, “Are you picky about which rabbit you catch?”

Cheng Jingmo replied, “I have to catch a rabbit just like the one from yesterday.”

At this, Dong Minghao remembered what Wang Hongxiang had said yesterday and told him, “My wife said Yu Xiangnian isn’t just after rabbit meat; she’s jealous.”

Cheng Jingmo paused for a moment. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Dong Minghao laughed, “You must be secretly happy! I remember the first time you saw Yu Xiangnian, you were completely smitten!”

That was almost two years ago.

One day, they were just getting off work when they saw Yu Xiangnian waiting for Yu Xiangyang at the army gate.

They often heard Yu Xiangyang boast about how beautiful his sister was, and everyone thought he was exaggerating.

But when they saw her in person, they realized Yu Xiangyang wasn’t exaggerating at all. She was stunning, like a fairy!

That day, she wore a red dress with her hair braided into two pigtails hanging in front of her chest. Her oval face was fair and delicate, with rosy lips and white teeth. Her eyes were the most captivating, filled with charm, capable of stealing anyone’s soul with just a glance.

Everyone was stunned, especially Cheng Jingmo, who usually didn’t pay attention to girls but was now completely mesmerized.

Proudly, Yu Xiangyang introduced them, “This is my sister, Yu Xiangnian.”

Everyone greeted her, but Yu Xiangnian only glanced at them haughtily and said perfunctorily, “Hello.” Then she pulled Yu Xiangyang away.

Cheng Jingmo said, in his usual tone, “Don’t make things up. I had seen her before.”

After a while, he finally spotted a suitable rabbit. Moving swiftly, he quickly caught it.

Thinking for a moment, he decided to catch a chicken as well.

Yu Xiangnian hadn’t eaten any of the chicken from yesterday.

The three men returned to the picnic area carrying their game.

Yu Xiangnian was lying on the grass under a tree, hands behind her head, one leg stretched out, the other bent, a blade of grass in her mouth as she hummed a song Cheng Jingmo didn’t recognize.

Cheng Jingmo presented the rabbit to her, “Here’s a rabbit just like the one from yesterday.”

Yu Xiangnian hadn’t expected Cheng Jingmo to take it so seriously and actually catch a rabbit identical to yesterday’s.

She hadn’t seen the rabbit from yesterday, so any rabbit would have sufficed to fool her.

Seeing Cheng Jingmo’s earnest expression, Yu Xiangnian felt like teasing him.

Still lying on the ground, she lazily asked, “Didn’t you say you would catch the twin brother of yesterday’s rabbit?”