Chapter 2: White Moonlight Nangong Ye

Lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, Zheng Qingning pondered how to outwit her parents’ schemes and how to earn enough for the fare to the military base a thousand kilometers away.

She also needed money for food on the journey and resettlement expenses upon arrival.  She had to resolve these issues before leaving.

Her stomach rumbled.  She hadn’t eaten dinner last night, and only had a sip of rice soup this morning.

Zheng Qingning closed her eyes, self-hypnotizing herself to sleep so she wouldn’t feel hungry.

Half-asleep, she smelled a delicious aroma.

Was she hallucinating from hunger?

“Wake up and eat something.”

Seeing her eyelids flutter, Nangong Ye brought out the food and placed it on the bedside table.

Zheng Qingning opened her eyes and saw braised lion’s head meatballs, sparerib soup, stir-fried cabbage, and a bowl of white rice.

Having never eaten white rice before, Zheng Qingning was captivated by the glistening grains and couldn’t help swallowing.

“Is this… is this for me?”

Zheng Qingning cautiously looked up at Nangong Ye.

Meeting her apprehensive gaze, Nangong Ye pursed his lips. “If it’s not enough, I’ll buy more.”

Zheng Qingning’s eyes lit up. She sat up, picked up the food containers, and ate voraciously.

Delicious!

This was the taste of white rice?

Tears fell into the rice, adding a slightly bitter taste, but Zheng Qingning didn’t mind.  For her, rice was the most delicious thing in the world.

In the Zheng family, everyone except her ate white rice and meat. She wasn’t even allowed to lick the oil from the bowls, let alone eat her fill.

Nangong Ye, a third-generation military family member, whose grandfather was a veteran of the Long March, his father and uncles held important positions in various military units, and he himself had risen to the rank of battalion commander, had never seen anyone eat like this. He was initially shocked by Zheng Qingning’s ravenous appetite.

Then he thought, a person suffering from long-term malnutrition would naturally find it hard to control themselves when faced with such abundant food.

Zheng Qingning, who had been hungry since childhood, didn’t know the meaning of “full.”

Today, she learned that being full wasn’t so difficult, thanks to a stranger.

Looking at the four empty food containers, a wave of embarrassment washed over her. She didn’t dare look at Nangong Ye, fearing he would see contempt and disdain in his eyes.

Nangong Ye put away the containers. “I’ve paid for five days. Stay here comfortably.”

“Thank you.”

Remembering the cryptic message stating he was Ye Yunzhou’s superior, she knew that if Zheng Jiaojiao found out she’d been accepted into the military art troupe, she would lose her position.

She didn’t have the money to report to the art troupe yet, so she had to hide the acceptance letter.

This man seemed like the perfect solution.

“Could you keep an important letter for me?”

Fearful of his refusal, she added, “I’ll collect it soon.”

“Who is Ye Yunzhou to you?”

Nangong Ye didn’t answer her question but asked something unrelated.

Zheng Qingning remembered the message saying he was Ye Yunzhou’s superior, and immediately hung her head.

“He… he’s my fiancé.”

Nangong Ye, “Why not entrust the letter to him? I think he’d be more suitable.”

Zheng Qingning couldn’t tell him that if the letter reached Ye Yunzhou, she’d never get it back.

“Forget it.”

She could bury the letter and retrieve it before leaving.

But would he tell Ye Yunzhou about the letter?

She regretted her haste.

“If you trust me, I’ll keep the letter for you.”

Zheng Qingning looked up sharply at Nangong Ye, trying to discern the truth from his expression.

But considering his help, she had nothing to offer in return. If he gave the letter to someone else, she’d consider it repayment.  Besides, people generally respected soldiers.

Zheng Qingning took the letter from her pocket and handed it to him, her eyes fixed on it.

“This is my acceptance letter to the military art troupe. If… if you want to give it to someone else, consider it repayment.”

She forced herself to look away, reluctantly releasing the letter.

Nangong Ye looked down at the letter, recalling a girl in patched clothes, thin and sneaky, lurking at the entrance of the base half a month ago.

It was a rainy day, and he was returning from leave when he saw her. He asked the guard, but they didn’t know who she was looking for or if she was someone’s relative.  She was gone when he came out again.

He next saw her covered in blood.

He remembered Ye Yunzhou’s disgusted expression when he mentioned Zheng Qingning.

And that girl clinging to Ye Yunzhou, crying and stirring up trouble.

It must have taken immense courage to survive in such a hostile environment.

“Why aren’t you going now?”

Zheng Qingning shook her head. “It’s not time yet.”

She didn’t want to expose all her vulnerabilities to him.  Even though he already knew some, she wanted to keep some things private.

Nangong Ye left after Zheng Qingning finished her IV drip. Before leaving, he found the nurse in charge of Zheng Qingning, gave her a dollar, and asked her to buy dinner from the cafeteria if he didn’t come back.

Leaving the hospital, Nangong Ye met Zhao Bing at the guesthouse.

“Battalion Commander, the train is delayed. I only got tickets for the day after tomorrow.”

Zhao Bing handed him the newly purchased tickets. “I’ve extended the room reservation for two more days.”

Nangong Ye took the tickets, thought for a moment, and took out some money. “Buy me a ticket for seven days from now tomorrow.”

Zhao Bing, “Battalion Commander, who’s going to the base?”

Nangong Ye, “A friend.”

After walking a few steps, he remembered something. “If you can get a sleeper berth, try to get one.”

He had to leave the day after tomorrow. He hadn’t considered her situation when he asked why she wasn’t leaving.

Nangong Ye rested for an hour, informed the base that they would be delayed, and was about to go to the hospital when he ran into Ye Yunzhou, who was looking for someone.

“Battalion Commander, where’s Zheng Qingning? Where did you take her?”

Ye Yunzhou hadn’t expected to meet the battalion commander on his leave, and he was even more surprised to see Nangong Ye leaving with Zheng Qingning.

Fearing Zheng Qingning would talk nonsense to Nangong Ye and jeopardize his future, he sent Zheng Jiaojiao home and immediately went looking for her.

“Where’s your precious Jiaojiao?”

“I thought you only cared about your precious sister, not your injured fiancée.”

“Ye Yunzhou, after all these years in the army, have you forgotten everything the Party taught you?”

“You hurt your fiancée for another woman. You’re something else!”

With each sentence from Nangong Ye, Ye Yunzhou’s face paled.

He became even more disgusted with Zheng Qingning.  She must have been talking nonsense to Nangong Ye, causing the battalion commander to misunderstand him.

“Battalion Commander, I only treat Jiaojiao as a sister.  Zheng Qingning has always bullied Jiaojiao since she came back from the countryside. She didn’t give Jiaojiao food or let her into the house. She…”

“Enough! As a soldier, where’s your judgment? You let a woman manipulate you. I’ll observe your capabilities for the next promotion to platoon leader.”

Nangong Ye looked at Ye Yunzhou with disappointment.

Anyone with eyes could see who was lying.

And he chose to believe the wrong person.