Chapter 41.1

Since things had already come to this, Su Xi did not hide anything and said openly, “100 yuan per pound.”

She then met Xie Zhen’s astonished, wide eyes.

“Why are you so surprised?” Su Xi asked, tilting her head with amusement.

Xie Zhen hesitated, considering the effects of the wine. He felt that the price was actually quite cheap.

He suddenly felt a bit pressured.

By this calculation, the jar he took, along with what he wanted to send to his father, would be almost equivalent to his annual salary. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but was interrupted by Su Xi.

“Don’t mention paying me; if you do, I’ll be upset. Actually, the raw materials are very cheap.” She was speaking the truth; aside from using some sugar, there were no other costs.

Hmm… Maybe add the cost of buying the jar?

Xie Zhen rubbed his forehead and chuckled, deciding not to say anything further, but he thought to hand over his savings when he got back.

“You made so much wine at home. Do you plan to keep selling it?” Xie Zhen asked again.

Su Xi nodded. “Yes, but I won’t sell it carelessly. I need to find a reliable channel this time.”

After all, the ten-year period was approaching. She still needed to be discreet; survival was the priority. If necessary, she would not sell it and would wait until after ten years.

Xie Zhen gently stroked the girl’s silky black hair: “If you trust me, how about letting me handle it?”

Su Xi’s eyes brightened. “Of course I trust you.”

Xie Zhen smiled; he felt a warm, strange heat rising in his chest at her wholehearted trust in him. After being indifferent for 28 years, he craved this kind of warmth: “I have a childhood friend who is very reliable. He has some connections. How about we wholesale it to him directly?”

Su Xi’s eyes sparkled. “That’s a good idea, but since my peach wine is so expensive, you should send him a bottle to try first! Even the best product needs to be tested to show its quality.”

Xie Zhen agreed, acknowledging the importance of this step.

The two continued chatting, displaying the affection of a young couple until the sound of her second brother’s cough echoed in the courtyard.

Only then did Su Xi glance at the time on her watch and urge Xie Zhen, “It’s late. You should go back now. Remember to drink a cup of peach wine every day.”

Xie Zhen nodded, understanding that she had his best interests at heart, so, naturally, he had no objections.

Su Xi was very pleased with her boyfriend’s obedience. She wanted to pat his head but, due to the height difference, found that she couldn’t reach even when standing on tiptoe.

It was quite awkward!

Su Xi was now 164 cm tall. Although she wasn’t as tall as she had been in her previous life at 172 cm, she wasn’t short either, right? 

She awkwardly tilted her head up, looking into the man’s eyes, and hesitated before asking, “How tall are you? ”

Not knowing what his lover was up to, Xie Zhen bent down slightly and lowered his head for her. “192 cm.”

Su Xi realized she was nearly 30 cm shorter than him. No wonder she appeared so petite. 

She refused to admit that she was short; it was just that he was too tall. 

‘Yes, that must be it!’

However, his willingness to bend down for her made her feel even happier. Thus, she decided to reward him. 

Su Xi raised her delicate hand, cupped her boyfriend’s handsome face, and attempted to give him a kiss while standing on tiptoe. 

“Little Brat, what are you doing again? ”A familiar, angry voice sounded behind Su Xi.

But this time, Su Xi was not frightened. She had known that her two brothers were hiding nearby, watching.

Since they already considered her a female hooligan, she figured she might as well live up to the title. With a mischievous smile, she kissed her boyfriend’s face and deliberately made a “mwah” sound.

After the kiss, Su Xi quickly handed the flashlight she was holding to the now-stiff Xie Zhen and pushed him out the door, then closed it with a smile.

Before closing it, she playfully winked at him and said, “See you tomorrow! ”

Xie Zhen stood outside, dazed, barely noticing the mosquito bites. All his attention was on the spot where Su Xi had kissed him. 

He only felt that the place where the girl had kissed him earlier was growing hotter and hotter, eventually becoming like a burning fire, almost making him feel like he was about to explode.

Xie Zhen finally came to his senses. He turned his gaze towards the courtyard gate. He turned his gaze towards the courtyard gate, staring intently as if trying to see through the old wooden gate to catch a glimpse of the playful, carefree-like girl hiding inside.

The girl who had giggled at her brother’s roar…

The girl who made him happy…

Taking a deep breath, Xie Zhen’s eyes were dark and intense—they were filled with fiery affection. 

His dark eyes, once shadowed with embarrassment, were now consumed by an almost uncontrollable, fiery emotion, like a raging flame.

After a moment, he curled his fingers and, with a hoarse voice, murmured in a slow and gentle tone, “See you tomorrow.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Days passed, one by one.

Over the next few days, Xie Zhen accompanied Su Xi almost constantly. They went to and from work together, and when Su Xi was busy, he would quietly sit alone in the office, reading.

This behavior surprised many who knew his character—it revealed an unfamiliar side of him. 

In front of Su Xi, the usually stern and unfeeling Commander Xie was not at all the same as he was during training. Though he still spoke little, his every action showed his care for Su Xi.

His attention was solely on her, and he never interacted with other women. 

This led the nurses to agree with the head nurse’s assessment that Xie Zhen was the ideal partner.

“It seems Doctor Su Xi knows how to choose a partner well,” the nurses remarked with starry eyes.

One day, while Su Xi and Xie Zhen were sitting in a corner of the hospital cafeteria eating lunch, Su Xi could clearly feel the burning gazes fixed on them.

She smiled at Xie Zhen, who was focused on picking fish bones and teased, “Look, in just one week, you’ve completely changed the medical staff’s impression of you. Does Commander Xie have anything to say about this? ”

Xie Zhen chuckled lightly. He never cared about how irrelevant people viewed him; as long as he had a clear conscience, that was enough. He placed a large piece of fish he had carefully deboned into Su Xi’s bowl. “Eat quickly; it will taste fishy if it gets cold.”

Without waiting for a reply, Su Xi pouted but happily ate the boneless fish prepared by her boyfriend, savoring every bite with satisfaction.

Xie Zhen watched her with a soft gaze as she enjoyed the food. The girl liked fish, shrimp, and crab, and Hongjun Island had plenty of those. 

However, she didn’t like picking fish bones, so he took on that task for her.

He never imagined that watching the little girl contentedly eat the food he had served her would bring him more joy than eating it himself.

Thinking of this, Xie Zhen quickly peeled a prawn and placed it in the little lover’s bowl, earning another sweet smile from her.

He also smiled back and was about to say something when he heard a series of sniffles from the table behind them.

Xie Zhen closed his eyes, feeling somewhat helpless, and indeed, whispers began to drift from the table behind him.

“Incredible, incredible. Commander Xie… Commander Xie is so indulgent towards Doctor Su Xi. Didn’t you see? Doctor Su Xi didn’t lift a finger; it was all Commander Xie taking care of her. It looked like if there weren’t so many of us around, he’d even feed her directly.”

“I’m a bit envious. I also want a partner like that.”

“Hehe, mere mortals, do you think everyone can get such treatment? Only someone like Doctor Su Xi deserves it.”

“…That’s right…”

“…I am not worthy! ”

“Captain Xie is really something.”

“What do you mean? ”

“I… I mean that they’re a perfect match…”

“That’s more like it. You have good taste. We’re excellent revolutionary fighters. We can’t make principled mistakes. No matter how good she is, she has a partner.”

“…..”

Su Xi clearly heard the whispers behind her. She was both amused and touched. Indeed, her partner was busy taking care of her while she had barely eaten.

Feeling sorry for him, Su Xi picked up a prawn and started peeling it.

This shrimp was something Captain Xie knew she liked. He had gone early in the morning to get it, delivered it to the cafeteria, and even paid extra to have it specially prepared for her.

Su Xi quickly peeled a prawn and didn’t put it down. Instead, she held it up to Xie Zhen’s lips, signaling him to eat it with her eyes.

Sure enough, there was another gasp behind them.

Xie Zhen met his partner’s mischievous gaze and helplessly curled the corners of his lips.

Seeing that he wasn’t eating, Su Xi knew he was concerned about affecting her reputation again.

In truth, there was no need. The environment in the army was relatively simple, and generally, people would not say much. Moreover, they were officially a couple.

In this day and age, making a relationship report is almost the same as making a marriage report.

So, she continued to offer the shrimp.

Xie Zhen had no choice but to indulge his lover. He lowered his head, slightly parted his lips, and ate the prawn meat she offered him in one bite.

At that moment, an accident occurred.

Xie Zhen’s lips touched the girl’s slender white fingers. In that instant, both of them froze.

The man’s warm breath against her fingers made Su Xi’s heart race wildly.

Su Xi awkwardly withdrew her hand and nervously pinched her ear, feeling uncomfortable as if it were burning. She took a covert glance at the man across from her, only to meet Xie Zhen’s gaze.

When their eyes accidentally met, they both looked down uncomfortably, revealing only their red ears.

Su Xi curled her fingers and sighed inwardly.

After all, she was someone who had seen the colorful world in the modern world (on TV), and her reaction just now seemed laughable.

No… It was just a touch of lips.

What was the big deal?

After steeling herself, Su Xi nonchalantly picked up a handkerchief from the table, wiped the oil from her hands, and changed the subject: “By the way, I heard from Grandma that Ge Erniu’s mother went back to her hometown. ”

Xie Zhen did not press his lover’s embarrassment, and he was still feeling the heat in his ears.

He felt that if this continued, his strong heart might not be able to endure it.

He could only say that for these young couples who had just broken through the barrier, even a single glance felt both sweet and sour, which was truly burning.

Xie Zhen quietly took a few deep breaths, tried to adjust his heart rate, and then took over Su Xi’s topic: “I have reported this to Yan An.”

Su Xi took a bite of brown rice and asked curiously, “So, did his mother agree to go back? ”

Xie Zhen replied, “I guess the political commissar of the regiment mentioned something about it being a bad influence or that it would be detrimental to Ge Erniu’s promotion.”

Su Xi asked, “Will she believe that reason? ”

Xie Zhen, clearly uninterested in Ge Erniu’s family affairs, replied, “Apparently she believed it. After all, she did go back to her hometown, didn’t she? ”

Su Xi tilted her head and thought about it. Yes, it did not matter much how it came about, as long as she had really gone back and stopped troubling those girls.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-