Chapter 12: Coffee with Sugar and Milk

Jiang Chengxiao hung up the phone directly, even imagining his mother on the other end, jumping and screaming in a frenzy.

Then, nonchalantly, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, whistled, and turned to walk away.

Suddenly, he saw a young girl dressed in simple clothes, with a small white flower in her hair. She was holding a handkerchief, looking at him with tear-filled eyes like a delicate pear blossom.

The girl looked frail, almost as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

Jiang Chengxiao frowned, and the first thought that crossed his mind was, Hasn’t the new society been around for so many years, and yet she’s still not getting enough to eat?

Of course, he also recognized her—this was the girl he had seen last night, Lin Guangshan’s girlfriend, Jiang Jingru, from the dance troupe.

“Comrade Jiang,” Jiang Jingru called out to him in a sorrowful voice.

Since their first meeting last night, Jiang Chengxiao hadn’t particularly liked Jiang Jingru.

He couldn’t quite explain why, but there was something off about her. He always felt like she wasn’t being sincere.

Compared to Lin Guangshan, it seemed that she valued the watch that Lin Guangshan had given her more than anything else.

Lin Guangshan was just an ordinary rural soldier, with little money and low allowances. That watch was something Jiang Chengxiao had seen him painstakingly save up for over a year, using his meager allowances. He had asked a comrade to buy it for him during his leave to give to Jiang Jingru.

Before the incident, Lin Guangshan would take the watch out from under his pillow every night, imagining the moment when he would give it to her, full of longing.

After the incident, the group had discussed whether the watch, as Lin Guangshan’s personal property, should be given to his parents, since he and Jiang Jingru weren’t married yet, so his parents could decide what to do with it.

In the end, Jiang Chengxiao had overruled everyone and decided to honor Lin Guangshan’s wish, bringing the watch to Jiang Jingru himself.

Since he was being medically retired and discharged from the army, he had taken care of this task.

But when he was with Jiang Jingru, he couldn’t sense the same longing or affection that Lin Guangshan had for her. Even when she heard the news of his death, she seemed sad, but Jiang Chengxiao, with his sharp observation skills, sensed a faint relief in her demeanor.

She accepted the watch without hesitation, not even asking what would happen to Lin Guangshan’s elderly parents.

At one point, Jiang Chengxiao began to question if he had made a mistake in insisting on delivering the watch to her.

Although Jiang Chengxiao didn’t particularly like it, the woman in front of him was his late comrade’s beloved, so he patiently asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Jingru turned her face towards him, gently wiping away a tear. “I just heard about Guangshan’s tragic news, and I’m feeling so sad. Comrade Jiang, you were Guangshan’s comrade, so you must know a lot about him. Can you tell me more about him?”

Jiang Chengxiao replied, “Comrade Jiang, what’s in the past is already in the past. You should accept the loss and move on. It’s time to forget the past and move forward to a new life.”

Jiang Jingru shook her head in sadness. “No, I can’t let go. Please, just comfort me. I want to hear more about him. Maybe, if I reminisce enough, I’ll be able to move on.”

Jiang Chengxiao sighed. “Alright, what would you like to hear?”

Jiang Jingru glanced around. “It’s too noisy here with so many people. Would it be possible to go up to your room?”

Jiang Chengxiao was taken aback. Was she putting too much trust in him, or was he overthinking it? How could she ask to go to a single man’s hotel room? Was she not concerned about what others might think?

“It’s not really convenient,” he said, “but there’s a café on the second floor. The environment there should be nice. How about we go there instead?”

Jiang Jingru lowered her head to hide the disappointment on her face. “Alright, Comrade Jiang, please don’t misunderstand. I just don’t want too many people to see me like this.”

“No worries, the café here doesn’t usually have many customers,” Jiang Chengxiao reassured her.

The Swan Hotel was a relatively high-end establishment in the city, often serving as accommodation for foreign guests. The café was also intended for the convenience of foreign visitors. Its prices were on the higher side, and the locals weren’t used to drinking coffee, nor were they willing to spend that kind of money. Therefore, the café wasn’t particularly crowded.

It mainly attracted a few young people who liked to stay on trend, especially those who were dating.

When they entered the café, they immediately noticed a young couple sitting there, trying to be trendy.

Jiang Chengxiao quickly recognized the red and black checkered suspender dress.

Why was the little chubby girl, who should have been at home enjoying roast goose, here drinking coffee?

For some reason, Jiang Chengxiao instinctively felt that the little chubby girl wasn’t the type to like coffee.

Sure enough, when Song Xilan took a sip of the coffee in front of her, she immediately grimaced from the bitterness.

The man sitting across from her frowned. “Can’t get used to it?”

Song Xilan smiled awkwardly. “It’s so bitter!”

“The real coffee lovers usually drink black coffee,” the man explained. “It does taste bitter at first, but after a few tries, you’ll start to appreciate its wonderful flavor. Only people with low taste will add a lot of milk and sugar to mask the coffee’s true flavor.”

Song Xilan thought to herself, I was about to add sugar and milk to it.

The problem was, she wasn’t exactly a person with refined taste. She didn’t like the flavor at all, so why should she force herself to get used to the bitterness?

At that moment, they overheard the couple at the neighboring table ordering from the waiter.

Jiang Jingru’s voice was soft and hoarse, as if she had been crying: “Excuse me, could we have two cups of black coffee, please?”

She had clearly heard the man’s comments next to her. Although she had been living and working in the city for years, deep down, she still considered herself a shy country girl.

She was always afraid that others would see her rural roots in the way she acted and spoke.

The man who had just spoken was wearing a clean white shirt, glasses, and spoke elegantly. He seemed like an intellectual, and Jiang Jingru didn’t want to be seen as someone who needed to add a lot of milk and sugar to her coffee.

So she had ordered two cups of black coffee, wanting to fit in.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Chengxiao spoke up: “Sorry, I can’t get used to black coffee. I’m just a regular person, I like to add a lot of sugar and milk. Could you please bring me extra sugar and milk?”

Jiang Jingru felt a little uncomfortable, sensing that she had been compared unfavorably to the couple at the neighboring table, but since she was trying to gain Jiang Chengxiao’s favor, she didn’t say anything.

Jiang Chengxiao continued, “Coffee is just a leisure drink. There’s no such thing as high-class or low-class. Just choose what suits your taste. Some people enjoy the bitterness, while others prefer the sweet taste of milk. Neither is wrong.”