In the height of summer in Beijing, cloudy days were rare. Clusters of clouds encircled the blazing sun, dulling half of its scorching heat.  

Xiuzhu sat upright at the dining table, leisurely eating breakfast while listening to her cousin outline the day’s plans.  

Her elder cousin sister worked at a newspaper office and could only spare time to accompany her on weekends.  

These past few days, she had been hanging out with Lin Yaowen, along with Dahu and his younger sister Xiaowei. The four of them had been idly wandering around the military compound every day.

They had formed a bit of a flimsy friendship.

Lin Yaowen took a sip of vegetable porridge and said, “After breakfast today, let’s go bird hunting.”  

Hearing that he wanted to take her bird hunting again, Xiuzhu paused the hand holding her spoon.  

The first time they went a few days ago, she had been extremely curious. She followed them to a small grove near their home and ended up scrambling around on the ground trying to catch birds with them.  

Of course, she didn’t catch a single one—her participation was purely symbolic.  

Later, kind-hearted Dahu, his face flushed red from the heat, stammered as he handed her a few birds.  

Then, under her reluctant yet disdainful gaze, she watched as the two boys roasted *her* birds—and then… it turned out to be delicious.  

On the way home that day, countless people stared at her, their heads turning in her direction with unusual frequency.  

She even wondered—had eating the bird meat made her even prettier?  

As soon as she got home, she rushed to the mirror, only to let out a horrified scream.  

Good grief—her mouth was ringed with black soot from the roasted birds, smeared across half her face.  

The neat braids she had left home with were now a tangled mess, her hair littered with leaves. The back of her white short-sleeved shirt was streaked with patches of grass stains.  

She remembered—she had copied Xiaowei, lying under a tree to cool off.  

Recalling the strange look Lin Yaowen gave her after eating the birds, Dahu and Xiaowei’s hesitant silence…  

She had thought they were judging her for eating too much.  

After all, there were six birds for four people, and she had eaten three.  

Turns out, that little brat had been holding back laughter—he must have deliberately kept it from her to get back at her for bossing him around these past few days.  

She immediately handed the dirty shirt to her “servant” to wash.  

Xiuzhu quickly cut off Lin Yaowen’s enthusiastic planning.  

With a sudden thought, she generously offered, “Going bird hunting every day is exhausting. To thank you all for roasting the birds for me, I’ll treat you to a movie today.”  

Aunt Lin knew Xiuzhu had money to spare, and their family wasn’t short on a few yuan either.  

So she didn’t stop them, though she couldn’t help but worry. “Don’t get into any fights at the cinema. Yaowen, you have to protect your cousin sister.”  

Though patrols were out every day catching *liumang* (hooligans), hidden dangers still existed—especially with Xiuzhu’s striking looks.  

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, but she didn’t want to ruin their fun. She could only repeat, “Make sure you wear your scarf when you go out.”  

Xiuzhu nodded obediently. “Don’t worry, Auntie, I always wear it when I go out.”  

Truthfully, she only wore it to avoid getting a tan.  

The moment Lin Yaowen heard they were going to the movies, he immediately held up four fingers and loudly assured his mother,  

“Mom, don’t worry! Dahu and I will stick to Lin Xiuzhu’s side the whole time, left and right!”  

Aunt Lin had little faith in her youngest son’s promises, but Dahu was a reliable kid. Besides, the cinema wasn’t far. She let them go.  

Lin Yaowen was so excited he stopped eating. Grabbing half a coarse-grain bun, he bolted out the door in a hurry.  

Before leaving, he turned back to tell Xiuzhu, “Cousin, I’m heading to Dahu’s place. Get ready—we’ll come pick you up soon.”  

Hearing him call her *cousin*, Xiuzhu shot him a disdainful glance and sneered, “Yeah, yeah, got it!”  

*Seriously, it’s just a movie. So pathetic.* She even considered taking them to a state-run restaurant next time.  

About forty minutes later, the four-person squad finally assembled. Lin Yaowen had been waiting downstairs impatiently.  

He couldn’t understand why Lin Xiuzhu always took so long. Xiaowei never kept anyone waiting.  

But his cousin had money *and* a bad temper—he didn’t dare say it to her face.  

He could only complain privately to Dahu, but every time, Dahu would look at him disapprovingly and say, “Xiuzhu is a girl. So what if she’s slow? Why are you so petty?”  

After hearing that, it made him so angry he wanted to cut ties. *Who’s even your real friend here?*  

Xiuzhu wore a light-green *bulaji* (a Soviet-style dress) with a peter pan collar and a fitted waist that perfectly accentuated her figure. Her hair was tied into two modified braids.  

She walked downstairs charmingly and said, “Sorry for keeping you all waiting.”  

In reality, her expression showed not a hint of genuine apology—it was clearly just a perfunctory remark.  

“N-no, not at all! We just got here too,” Dahu stammered, his face flushed red as he looked at Xiuzhu.  

Xiaowei blinked her big eyes and said earnestly, “Fairy sister, you’re treating us to a movie. We should be thanking *you*!”  

Xiuzhu felt immensely pleased being called “fairy sister.” *Mhm, that’s right—I* am *the fairy herself!*  

Xiaowei, a 12-year-old girl, had already won Xiuzhu’s favor with her sweet talk, securing the second-highest position in their four-person squad.  

Seeing the two beside him acting so pathetically, Lin Yaowen secretly curled his lip in disdain.  

Unfortunately, Xiuzhu happened to turn her head and caught him.  

Without hesitation, she shoved the green-checkered cloth bag she was holding toward him. “Carry this for me.”  

Lin Yaowen obediently took it with both hands. *What else could he do?* He who takes favors owes returns.  

***  

They went to the West District Cinema, about a 20-minute bike ride away.  

Lin Yaowen rode with Xiuzhu, while Dahu carried his sister. Chatting and laughing, they arrived at their destination in no time.  

Since it was a weekday, the cinema wasn’t too crowded.  

The display case at the entrance sold sodas, melon seeds, peanuts, and other snacks.  

After parking their bikes, Xiuzhu bought four movie tickets, four bottles of soda, and some peanuts and melon seeds.  

The total came to **1 yuan and 40 fen**. She told Yaowen to take the money from her bag to pay.  

At this time, a pound of premium pork cost **7 fen**. For a group of kids—none older than 15—to spend so much at once was quite extravagant and eye-catching.  

Dahu and Xiaowei felt a little embarrassed, but after spending these past few days together, they knew Xiuzhu disliked hesitant refusals, so they accepted graciously.  

Though Xiuzhu had a scarf wrapped around her head, her fashionable outfit and slender figure still drew attention.  

Since she was 14, she had grown accustomed to strangers’ gazes, so she paid them no mind now.  

Without a care, she led her little entourage inside, found their seats, and settled in.  

The film they watched was *Battle on Shangganling Mountain*, its war scenes depicted with striking vividness and realism.  

The movie immersed the audience in the smoke-filled, artillery-ravaged battlefield.  

When the scene showed the soldiers in the tunnels suffering from severe thirst, Xiuzhu felt her own throat go dry.  

She quickly loosened her scarf, took a sip of soda, and then refocused on the film.  

A man and woman sat a few rows ahead. The man kept turning around, which puzzled the girl beside him.  

Annoyed, she asked, “What’s wrong? Do you know someone here?”  

The man awkwardly rubbed his nose. “It’s nothing. Let’s just watch the movie.”  

But after a while, he couldn’t resist glancing back again.  

His companion grew suspicious.  

Narrowing her eyes, she followed his line of sight.  

In the dim lighting of the cinema, she spotted an exceptionally striking girl among the crowd.  

Under the flickering shadows, her features appeared even more exquisitely defined, her eyes brimming with an indescribable liveliness and charm.  

Li Yurou, observing the man’s repeated glances, felt her expression darken.