Chapter 23.1

The Zhiqing Residence was right next to the military family compound, separated by only a wall. But getting there wasn’t exactly close. One had to walk across the entire military district compound, exit through the main gate, cross a road, reach the entrance of the farm, and then walk another ten minutes or so to finally arrive at the youth point.

Even at a brisk pace, the round trip would take over half an hour.

It was the twelfth of the month today, and the moon was already out. Although it wasn’t a full moon, it still cast a bright light on the road.

Ye Huan said to Gu Cheng, “Commander Gu, if you’re busy, you don’t need to walk me back. I know the way, and it’s not really dark—I can see just fine.”

She had already said she didn’t need to be escorted when they left. Although the road was a bit long, it was safe. No one would dare do anything wicked at the gates of a military compound.

Besides, even if she did run into trouble, who knew who’d actually come out on top?

It was Ye Yongzhen who was worried and insisted on sending her.

If it were Ye Yongzhen walking her back, she wouldn’t have minded—it was her aunt, after all. But Gu Cheng was an outsider and had business at the company headquarters. She didn’t want to delay him.

Gu Cheng replied, “It’s nothing urgent. Walking a bit after dinner helps with digestion.”

Since Gu Cheng insisted, Ye Huan didn’t argue further and let him walk with her.

At first, neither of them spoke. After a while, Gu Cheng looked up at the moon and remembered what Fang Hui had told him: If you don’t know what the other person’s interested in, just talk about the weather. Can’t go wrong.

Gu Cheng said, “The moon looks nice tonight.”

Ye Huan looked up as well—it really was nice. The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight, and the bright moon hung high, casting silvery light all around them.

Ye Huan said, “In a few days, it’ll be the fifteenth.”

Gu Cheng added, “The army will be showing a movie soon. This time it’s The Female Pilot. I heard it’s pretty good.”

They happened to pass an open field. Gu Cheng pointed and said, “They’ll show it here. If you want a good spot, you’d better come early. If you come late, there won’t be any space left.”

Every time they showed a movie, people came from all over—villages ten miles away or more. It would be packed. If you came late, you’d be stuck in the back, crushed in a sea of people, unable to see the screen—just the backs of other people’s heads.

Although the movie wouldn’t be shown for another week, Zhao Pingtao had already mentioned it several times in front of Ye Huan.

There wasn’t much entertainment around, so these two movies a month were something everyone looked forward to.

Ye Huan definitely planned to go. She’d heard Zhao Pingtao talk about movies, but had never actually seen one herself.

The original Ye Huan had, but she wasn’t the original Ye Huan.

Ye Huan said, “We’ve already agreed—we’ll go watch it together.”

After chatting a bit, Ye Huan realized that Gu Cheng wasn’t as quiet as she had thought. They’d interacted a few times, and she found that he wasn’t nearly as strict as the rumors made him out to be. He was quite amiable, spoke slowly and steadily, and had a deep, pleasant voice.

So, rumors weren’t always reliable. It was better to judge someone based on firsthand experience. First impressions weren’t always accurate either—it took real interaction to understand a person’s nature.

Once the conversation started, it flowed easily. They chatted casually, drifting from the movie to Nanzhou.

Ye Huan had the original host’s memories, and Gu Cheng had grown up in Nanzhou, so both of them were familiar with it. They talked about landmarks, scenic spots, pastries, snacks… and before long, they had arrived at the camp.

It felt a little too quick—almost as if they hadn’t talked enough.

Ye Huan said, “We’re here. Commander Gu, you can head back now.”

Gu Cheng replied, “Alright, go on in.”

……

Xu Aixian came out to use the toilet and happened to overhear that part of the conversation. She looked toward the gate and saw Gu Cheng standing there. He only turned to leave after watching Ye Huan go inside.

She knew Ye Huan had gone to eat at Ye Yongzhen’s place that evening, but she hadn’t expected that Gu Cheng would be the one to walk her home.

She didn’t even bother going to the toilet anymore. She lifted the curtain and went back inside. “Guess who I just saw?”

Bai Yin and Gao Qinggui ignored her. She hadn’t expected them to respond anyway, so she kept talking to herself, “I saw Gu Cheng- Commander Gu from the military compound. He walked Ye Huan back, right to the gate. Only after she went inside did he leave. Ye Huan’s got some real skills. She’s only been here two days, and she’s already gotten close to Ye Yongzhen. Now she’s managed to latch onto Commander Gu too.”

Bai Yin didn’t like what she was hearing and said coldly, “Mind your words. Ye Yongzhen and Commander Gu both live in the family compound. I heard their homes are right next to each other. Maybe he just happened to be heading the same way and walked her back. How did that turn into Ye Huan clinging to him in your mouth?”

She refused to believe Ye Huan could actually win over Gu Cheng.

That kind of luck would be heaven-defying.

So she was convinced Gu Cheng had just happened to be passing by and brought Ye Huan along. There was no way he’d go out of his way to walk her back—let alone be interested in her.

Gu Cheng came from an extraordinary background. His grandparents and parents were all high-ranking military officers. In her previous life, she remembered that he had been awarded the rank of general.

But as for who his wife was, she couldn’t quite recall.

It seemed like no one had ever seen her. Some said he had never married; others said he had divorced and never remarried.

Either way, it was impossible for his wife to be Ye Huan.

This was the first time Bai Yin had responded to Xu Aixian, and she had said quite a bit.

Xu Aixian was a little flattered and even mustered the courage to talk back. “You never know. Commander Gu and Ye Yongzhen live next door. If Ye Huan keeps running over to her aunt’s place, she’ll probably see him often. If Ye Yongzhen plays matchmaker, something might really happen…”

Bai Yin cut her off coldly, “Don’t go spreading nonsense and ruining Ye Huan’s reputation.”

Xu Aixian was intimidated by Bai Yin. After being snapped at, she didn’t dare continue and quickly went back outside to use the toilet.

But even after Xu Aixian left, Bai Yin still felt irritated. She pulled the blanket over her head and went to sleep.

……

When Ye Huan returned, Lian Yanmei and Yao Yujun were still awake. Lian Yanmei was sitting on her bed sewing, while Yao Yujun was lying on her stomach with a pen in hand, seemingly writing something.

Lian Yanmei said, “You’re back.”

Ye Huan hummed in response and pulled some sweet potato jerky from her pocket to share with the two of them.

The jerky had been dried by Ye Yongzhen herself. She boiled the sweet potatoes, peeled them, sliced them into strips, and sun-dried them. They were chewy and sweet.

Ye Yongzhen saw that Ye Huan liked them, so she stuffed two big bags into her hands before she left.

She genuinely liked this niece of hers.

Ye Huan said, “Sister Yanmei, I heard the movie this time is The Female Pilot.”

Lian Yanmei replied, “Sounds good just from the name. We should go early or we’ll only see the backs of people’s heads—not the movie characters.”

Ye Huan leaned over to watch Lian Yanmei patching up a garment—the stitches were neat and tidy.

Ye Huan said, “Your hands are really skillful, Sister Yanmei.”

She herself didn’t know how to sew—she didn’t even know how to thread a needle.

Lian Yanmei said openly, “We were poor, and my mother wasn’t in good health. I’m the eldest, so I had to take care of my younger siblings. After doing it so much, I just picked it up. If you ever need help mending clothes, just bring them to me…”

Yao Yujun interjected, “That’s not right, Sister Yanmei. We young people should face our shortcomings head-on and strive to improve them. We shouldn’t avoid problems or shift them onto others. You should teach her how to sew, not do it for her.”

At first, Ye Huan thought Yao Yujun was reciting slogans from a textbook. But when she turned to look, she saw Yao Yujun watching them intently—with the same determined look she had when insisting on walking to the farm upon arrival.

She didn’t even need to read from a book—those phrases just poured out of her.

Ye Huan had come to understand Yao Yujun a bit. She didn’t mean any harm, so Ye Huan wasn’t angry. She simply winked at Lian Yanmei.

Lian Yanmei, however, looked helpless. Yao Yujun was great at everything—hardworking and never lazy—but she was a bit too enthusiastic, especially when it came to giving others ideological lectures.

She’d only been here two days, and already everyone at the youth point was avoiding her, afraid she’d catch them and start preaching.

Seeing that Yao Yujun was about to start another round of lecturing, Lian Yanmei quickly interrupted, “Just finish writing your letter. Liu Quangui is going into town tomorrow—he can mail it for you. If you don’t finish it tonight, you’ll have to make the trip yourself.”

Her words reminded Ye Huan that she also needed to write a letter home about reuniting with Ye Yongzhen.

She had originally planned to call, but on second thought, writing a letter seemed better.

Calling only reached Ye Yongguo’s factory, and unless she arranged in advance for Li Xiufen to wait for the call, Ye Yongguo would be the one to pick up. She didn’t feel close to him and didn’t have much to say—he’d probably hang up after a few words.

So a letter it was.

Ye Huan said, “I’ll write one too. Sister Yanmei, can you help me send it to the administrative office tomorrow and ask Comrade Liu to mail it for me?”

Lian Yanmei passed by the office every day on her way to work. For Ye Huan, it would be quite a detour.

Lian Yanmei nodded, “Sure. Clear a spot on the desk—you can write there.”

When Yao Yujun was writing, Lian Yanmei thought she looked uncomfortable lying on the bed and told her to use the desk. But Yao Yujun refused, saying that writing while lying down would help her strengthen her willpower.

Lian Yanmei truly couldn’t understand her logic. How did writing while lying down equate to willpower training?

Since she couldn’t make sense of it, she just let it go.

Ye Huan responded, tidied up the desk, cleared a space, and began writing with paper and pen.

Phone calls were too expensive. Last time she’d barely exchanged a few words with Li Xiufen before the call ended. This time, she wrote in detail about everything—her living conditions, food, work, and so on.