Chapter 21 : Shopping

After a while, Qi Shaoqiang arrived on his bicycle, sweating profusely. When he saw Jiang Li, he apologized, “Lizi, I’m sorry I’m late. I got delayed today.”

Jiang Li smiled and handed him her handkerchief, saying, “What’s the rush? You’re sweating so much, wipe it off.”

The handkerchief, scented with soapberry, landed in Qi Shaoqiang’s hands, and for a moment, he seemed lost in the fragrance of Jiang Li.

Reluctant to use her handkerchief, he gently touched his forehead with it, folded it, and tucked it into his jacket pocket.

“I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

“I left home early this morning to deliver death benefits to the widow of my former comrade in Zuojiawan. Her son happened to be sick, so I helped take him to the hospital.”

“Your comrade-in-arms passed away?”

Jiang Li was a bit shocked. In the time she lived, death was not something she encountered often.

“Yes,” Qi Shaoqiang said, his face clouded with sadness as he spoke of his comrade.

He pushed his bicycle forward, and Jiang Li followed him without realizing it.

“While on a mission, he was shot in the chest by the enemy and died heroically. In that mission, eight of the ten comrades were injured. One is still in a coma, and only Sun Jianguo died.”

Jiang Li, sensing his sorrow, realized the grief wasn’t just about the loss of his comrade, but also about the regrets he had left unspoken.

“What about you? Did you retire because of your injuries?”

“Yes. But even after I left the army, I’ve realized that i can contribute to your country in many ways, not just in the military.”

Jiang Li looked up and saw Qi Shaoqiang’s wind-blown hair, revealing his broad forehead. His handsome profile was full of determination and ambition, and her heart skipped a beat, her pulse quickening.

She had been idle for many years, only learning dance, piano, and reading novels, but she had never figured out what she truly wanted. It was rare to see someone as clear about their purpose as he was.

“Comrade Qi Shaoqiang, what is your dream?”

“My previous dream was to defend my country and fight until the last moment. Now, I hope to do a good job and serve the people. Wherever you take root, there you will bloom!”

Jiang Li was deeply moved.

If given the chance, she would also like to do something meaningful.

…

The department store wasn’t crowded, and the environment was far better than the supply and marketing cooperative, but of course, the prices were higher.

“Salesperson, could you show me the white floral bra in the middle and the red plaid one?”

Qi Shaoqiang had picked these two pieces as soon as they entered. The salesperson smiled at the young couple the handsome upright man and the beautiful girl.

“Girl, your boyfriend has good taste. The two clothes he chose will look amazing on you!”

“Please bring over that blue polka dot blazer and white shirt.”

The salesperson, delighted to meet a big spender, quickly complied.

Jiang Li chose a few more items she liked and then picked up two scarves and a headband.

“That will be 127.38 yuan, 56 feet of cloth coupons.”

After paying, Qi Shaoqiang’s eyes fell on the white leather shoes with heels on the counter.

He picked them up and felt the soft leather and stable heels. “I want both this pair and the lace-up flat ones.”

When he was in the army, the girls in the propaganda team wore shoes like these.

Jiang Li would definitely look great in them.

“Lizi, try on the shoes and see if they fit.”

“Here, girl, sit down and change.”

Jiang Li changed into the new white shirt, blue pants, and black leather shoes.

Her waist-length black hair was tied back with a gauze scarf. Her figure was slender, her legs long and straight, giving her a youthful and lively look.

“Girl, you are so beautiful. Look, your boyfriend is stunned.”

Teased by the salesperson, Qi Shaoqiang coughed to cover his embarrassment and took out the leather shoe ticket from his wallet.

The two left the department store together, and a gentle voice called out, “Comrade Shaoqiang, it’s you. What a coincidence. I didn’t have time to thank you for what you did earlier, and you left in such a hurry.”

It was Zhang Qiaohui, holding a net bag with an aluminum lunch box inside.

She was of medium height, her figure slim but not frail. Her black hair partially covered her face, giving her a delicate appearance.

There were a few wrinkles between her brows, and the corners of her mouth turned down, giving her a slightly sorrowful expression.

“Mrs. Zhang, is Junjun okay?”

Zhang Qiaohui forced a smile and said, “Fortunately, he was sent to the hospital in time. They gave him two bottles of medicine, and his fever went down. But when he woke up, he kept asking for you to take him to fight on horseback.”

Thinking of the mischievous boy, Qi Shaoqiang smiled slightly and said, “Tell him to take good care of himself and listen to the doctor,” but didn’t agree to visit him.

After all, Zhang Qiaohui was a woman, and she was only in her early thirties.

It was fine to help in an emergency, but he didn’t want people to misunderstand him, and he didn’t want to upset Jiang Li.

Zhang Qiaohui felt a pang of disappointment but continued, “That naughty child is difficult to control, and it’s hard for me, a woman, to manage him. Only when Jianguo was around could he be kept in line. We didn’t dare tell him about Jianguo’s death he wouldn’t understand, and he would just cry for his father.”

Seeing her eyes red as she wiped her tears, Qi Shaoqiang felt sympathy but kept his distance.

“Shaoqiang, if it’s not too much trouble, could you come visit when you have time? This child likes you a lot.”

Jiang Li realized that this was the wife of Qi Shaoqiang’s deceased comrade-in-arms.

When Qi Shaoqiang spoke about his late comrade, his heart softened as he thought about Junjun’s face, which resembled Sun Jianguo’s so much.

“Next time, Liu Lixin and I will come with you to see him. This child misses Junjun too.”

“Shaoqiang, are you worried about gossip?”

Zhang Qiaohui’s voice trembled as she said, “My sister-in-law knows that widows attract gossip. It’s understandable if you want to avoid any suspicion.”

Qi Shaoqiang was a little unhappy. He had personally brought Sun Jianguo’s ashes home and helped with the funeral, even adding an extra two hundred yuan to the donation from his team for Sun Jianguo’s parents.

Now, after all his efforts, Zhang Qiaohui was implying he was avoiding gossip?

Jiang Li stepped forward with a smile, saying, “Sister-in-law, men aren’t always good with words, don’t take it the wrong way.

If he were heartless and ungrateful, he wouldn’t have been willing to help. He’s just concerned about your reputation. Men and women are different, we can stand upright with nothing to hide, but we’re afraid that some foolish people might slander us or gossip behind our backs, which could hurt your feelings.”