Chapter 11

When Su Ye walked up the stairs to her home, holding the quilt, she vaguely smelled the aroma of food wafting from her house.

She thought to herself, ‘Tonight, I’ll finally get to eat some meat,’ a faint sense of satisfaction overflowed from her chest. But at the same time, she was puzzled. ‘Why does the smell of food seem so strong? I made sure to close the windows tightly.’

Su Ye took out her key, and a faint light leaked through the gap in the door.

Inside the house, there was a man’s shadow. Su Ye’s first instinct was that her house had been robbed—by a shameless thief!

‘Is this another one of the male lead’s uncouth brothers?’ she wondered. ‘Did they just barge in without waiting for anyone?’

The man inside the house had his back to her. He had broad shoulders, a narrow, slender waist, and a straight back, with thick black hair that was neatly combed. His legs, clad in camouflage pants, were casually stretched out, as if he were at home, completely relaxed.

The bowl in his hand was spotless, while the clay pot used to steam the rice was a mess, with remnants of food scattered inside.

Su Ye glanced at it, and her mind buzzed—her meat… had been eaten.

Gu Xiangqian had heard the noise early on. He saw Su Ye’s cautious gaze from the corner of his eye and slowly turned around.

Su Ye’s eyes widened slightly, her brow furrowed.

‘Isn’t this the cold, distant soldier I saw not long ago?’

In a flash, Su Ye remembered the last time Gu Xiangqian had helped her carry something to her house, his curious glances around the place. She started to have some unpleasant suspicions.

The two of them locked eyes, their questioning gazes meeting in the air.

Su Ye asked carefully, “You… who are you?”

Gu Xiangqian put down the bowl and utensils, sitting up straight with a serious expression, and introduced himself solemnly, “Comrade Su Ye, hello. I am Gu Xiangqian, 24 years old. I was promoted from deputy regiment commander to regular regiment commander this year. My monthly salary is 99 yuan, with 40 jin of grain and a half jin of eggs as allowance.”

He was meticulously dressed in his pine-green uniform, sitting rigidly with a serious expression, staring at Su Ye intently.

‘So it’s him, Gu Xiangqian!’ Su Ye’s pupils contracted in shock. She had never expected the man who matched her aesthetic tastes to be the male lead.

After Gu Xiangqian finished speaking, he paused, waiting for Su Ye’s response. Normally, Su Ye would have answered with something like, “Su Ye, 18 years old, a poor farmer from a rural area, working as a middle school teacher, earning 30 yuan, with 30 jin of grain.”

But Su Ye, lacking enthusiasm, merely responded with a casual “Oh.” She glanced at the empty pot and, putting on a sarcastic tone, pretended to be offended, raising her brows and asking, “So—did you really eat all my meat? Not even a single piece left?”

Gu Xiangqian never expected that his formal self-introduction would be met with such disdain from Su Ye. However, his attitude of admitting fault was good. He sincerely apologized, saying, “Sorry, I was just so hungry. I’ll be more careful next time.”

But what good was an apology? Su Ye had originally been pretending to be a diva, but when she saw that even the rice had been eaten down to the last grain, her act turned into real irritation.

She was about to shout, ‘Gu Xiangqian, sleep in the duty room tonight,’ but Gu Xiangqian, desperate to save himself, quickly interrupted.

“Su Ye, I brought back some meat. How about we cook it tonight?”

His tone was overly familiar. Su Ye followed his direction and turned to look, only to be stunned. Gu Xiangqian had brought back a lot of food—red and white meat packed into a bag.

Two pounds of pork ribs, a bag of cabbage, a bag of potatoes, and several tomatoes.

No matter how she looked at it, it all looked far more valuable than the few pieces of cured meat he’d eaten. Su Ye’s ‘roar’ got stuck in her throat.

Her stomach made a grumbled sound, and Su Ye reluctantly began washing the pork ribs.

Gu Xiangqian stared at the cured meat drying by the window. The steamed rice he’d eaten earlier had only a few thin slices of it, which he finished before he could even taste it.

He didn’t ask where Su Ye had gotten the cured meat from. While Su Ye was cooking, he suggested, “Cured meat tastes great. Maybe slice a little more?”

Su Ye shot him a fierce glare and threw the knife down. “I’m so tired. I’m not cooking anymore. Gu Xiangqian, you cook. If not, you can sleep in the duty room tonight! It wouldn’t be the first time!”

Gu Xiangqian could sense Su Ye’s displeasure. Although he hadn’t done anything overtly wrong, it was clear that his attitude toward their arranged marriage wasn’t very invested.

Ever since the first time he met Su Ye, when she had unknowingly given him a package of meat, Gu Xiangqian had slowly begun to develop some expectations for their married life.

He paused for a moment, then reluctantly stood up, picked up the knife, and began cutting the meat slowly.

The clear water from the faucet flowed gently, and the man’s hands trembled slightly, causing water droplets to splash onto his clean face, trickling down to his throat. Su Ye stared with her eyes wide open, mesmerized.

She recalled the first time she saw Gu Xiangqian, when she had secretly admired his figure.

Realizing this was the male lead, Su Ye’s heart skipped a beat. Women who’ve set their sights on the male lead usually don’t have a good end.

She grabbed a book to distract herself.

Gu Xiangqian hung the pork ribs by the window. Compared to gnawing on bones, he preferred the cured meat that Su Ye had made. He cut a piece of the cured meat and, following the pattern of the earlier meal, carefully added diced potatoes, tomatoes, and mushrooms to the rice.

The two of them silently worked on their own tasks. For Gu Xiangqian, this rare moment of peace and warmth felt surprisingly comforting.

After dinner, Gu Xiangqian retrieved his luggage and clothes, looking ready to take a shower and go to bed. In this era, there wasn’t much in the way of entertainment, and after nightfall, the only thing to do was…

Su Ye swallowed hard and finished a glass of water.

After washing the dishes, she called out to Gu Xiangqian, saying, “Comrade Gu Xiangqian, I don’t think we’re suited for each other.”

Gu Xiangqian was in a fairly good mood today and was relatively satisfied with how things had been going between him and Su Ye. Although their marriage had been arranged, and they hadn’t known each other, many couples introduced by the organization in the military were less harmonious than they were.

So when he heard Su Ye’s words, he asked, “Why do you think that?”

Su Ye pressed on, “I’ll ask you—why didn’t you tell me you were Gu Xiangqian last time? You left me alone in the military for two months. I can’t go on like this. I want a divorce. I want to get divorced!”

At this moment, there was a knock at the door. It was Li Maogang and Fang Xiulian, the married couple, coming to visit.

Li Maogang, feeling sorry for his brother’s injuries, awkwardly said, “Looks like we came at the wrong time. Su Ye, Xiangqian was on a secret mission not long ago. He’s hurt now and needs to rest properly.”

Fang Xiulian coldly spoke up, “Su Ye, you have no idea what Xiangqian has done for you. What right do you have to be angry with him? Just a few days ago, he was lying in bed, unconscious. The first thing he did when he woke up was come home to spend the New Year with you. Being a military wife means enduring these things, or else, what kind of military wife are you?”

She placed a package on the table, saying, “This is a care package from the organization for Xiangqian. You two should discuss it.”

Inside the package were three pounds of eggs, a bottle of milk powder, and two meat ration coupons.

Su Ye was left stunned by the sudden criticism. She looked at Gu Xiangqian—he was injured?

Gu Xiangqian picked up a towel and simply said, “It’s not that serious.”

Su Ye’s earlier words seemed to be forgotten, as Gu Xiangqian said, “What else do you need? Tomorrow, I’ll take you to get some things.”

As he spoke, he poured some hot water from the thermos into the basin, adding a bit of cold water. He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, revealing a body covered in bandages. Gu Xiangqian simply treated his wounds.

Even though his body was mostly covered by bandages, the male lead’s physique was still outstanding.

Su Ye couldn’t help but stare, then drank another glass of water.