Chapter 48 Do you like your brother?

A low laugh came from above her head. Song Yiyi snapped back to reality. Cen Yue had already stepped back, holding up the ointment box and slowly tugging at the corner of his lips, “Thank you, sister.”

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door. Gu Chengze returned with the cleaned lunchbox and heard the words, “Thank what?”

Song Yiyi quickly grabbed the lunchbox and stuffed it into the net bag, casually replying, “It’s nothing. Brother, I’m heading back now.”

As she left, Gu Chengze looked toward Cen Yue. Cen Yue’s lips curled into a meaningful smirk, “Sister said that since I helped her, she wants to help me apply the medicine.”

Gu Chengze’s smile froze for a moment.

Cen Yue’s tone was light and dismissive, “I refused.”

…

News in the military family compound was still stuck on Cen Bowen’s apology letter. Song Yiyi had been relaxing at home for a couple of days, knowing she was alone, and from time to time the older sisters-in-law and aunts in the courtyard would come visit. They would sit in the small yard, chatting while cooling off. These sisters-in-law and aunts mostly had something to do with their hands—either patching shoe soles or sewing clothes. Song Yiyi usually just had a handful of sunflower seeds. When tired of seeds, she occasionally switched to dried plums. Their common topic was mostly about the military family compound, and of course, the matters involving Cen Bowen and Kang Ying were also part of the discussion.

“Yiyi, I heard the Kang family only made a fuss for one day before leaving. Did the military put pressure on them?”

Song Yiyi bit on a dried plum, “I don’t know, seems not.”

“Bah, it definitely did!”

“Right, otherwise how could the Kang family miss such a good chance?”

“I heard Deputy Battalion Commander Cen refused to show himself. The Kang family came but couldn’t find him.”

“How could they not find him? Where would a soldier be if not in the military district?”

“You don’t get it, someone’s helping him, obviously.”

Everyone exchanged looks as if saying, “So that’s how it is.” Then they sympathized with Song Yiyi—without a strong background, she could only suffer in silence.

Later, the courtyard suddenly grew quiet.

During this time, Gu Chengze came back once. He bought Song Yiyi an electric fan, cooked a meal, and reminded her to eat less cold food in the heat. Song Yiyi agreed in person.

The military was busy; Gu Chengze didn’t stay overnight but went straight back. No one else came for several days.

At first, Song Yiyi didn’t notice, thinking everyone just disliked the heat as summer intensified. Until one day when she went out to buy ice cream and met a few of the usual chatting sisters-in-law. Song Yiyi wanted to greet them, but they saw her and quickly walked away with strange looks.

Only then did she realize something was wrong.

So after buying ice cream and eating it on the way back, she ran into acquaintances again and grabbed one to ask, “Aunt Wang, are you all avoiding me?”

Aunt Wang’s eyes flickered nervously, hesitated for a long moment, then slapped her thigh as if deciding to go all out. She pulled Song Yiyi into a deserted corner and whispered, “Yiyi, you…”

Aunt Wang trailed off.

Song Yiyi bluntly said, “Aunt Wang, just say it. I did nothing wrong. Whatever it is, someone must be slandering me!” She said firmly, “Anyway, if you don’t say it, I’ll hear it sooner or later. If I find out who badmouths me, I won’t let them off.”

Aunt Wang sighed deeply and held her hand seriously, “Yiyi, do you like your brother?”

After saying this, Aunt Wang blushed and couldn’t stand still.

Song Yiyi was stunned for a second but quickly responded, “Nonsense! Who started this rumor? Who? If I find out, I’ll tear their mouth apart!”

Originally, the protagonist liked Gu Chengze. But she didn’t like him! In this era, if this kind of thing spread, let alone whether she could stay in the compound, Gu Chengze’s job would be affected.

Song Yiyi quickly thought of something, stood up, and walked away.

Aunt Wang shouted after her, “Yiyi, don’t say I told you! Hey, what kind of things are these?”

Rumors said the sister liked her brother, so she refused to leave the military family compound. The brother often came back to visit the sister. They closed the door, and no one knew what happened at home.

Others also said it was no wonder Gu Chengze was already thirty, still single and unmarried. It turned out there was someone in the family! Although they were not blood siblings, they were step-siblings. Nowadays, in the new society, child marriages were discouraged; such thoughts were unacceptable.

By the time Song Yiyi knew, rumors had spread throughout the family compound.

She walked past, seeing strange looks and whispering whenever people saw her.

Song Yiyi originally wanted to call Gu Chengze’s office, but after thinking about it, she decided to clear things up face to face and went to the military base again.

She now had completely free access to the military base.

Song Yiyi left in the afternoon. As dusk fell, just as she entered, she saw Gu Chengze leaving.

“Brother.”

Gu Chengze nodded, “Come, let’s go out.”

He had somehow borrowed a vintage two-eight bicycle and rode it with Song Yiyi toward the outskirts.

Song Yiyi grabbed the seat and asked, “Where are we going?”

Gu Chengze pedaled casually, “To eat.”

Song Yiyi: “……”

The moment she saw Gu Chengze, she knew he knew everything. But he was way too calm about it.

Song Yiyi fiddled with the underside of the seat, thinking about what might happen next.

Although Gu Chengze wasn’t like Cen Bowen, who only cared about his own future, after this incident, she probably couldn’t stay in the family compound.

Maybe Gu Chengze would send her back to the countryside.

As she lost herself in thoughts, Gu Chengze stopped the bike.

“We’re here, get off.”

Song Yiyi looked at the single house in front of her with a puzzled expression.

“This is it. Brother will go knock on the door.”

Before leaving, he stroked Song Yiyi’s hair with a gentle look in his eyes.

Song Yiyi’s heart immediately settled.

The door opened to a young man, not yet thirty, walking slowly with a limp.

Seeing Gu Chengze, the young man smiled broadly.

Gu Chengze pushed the bike back and invited Song Yiyi inside.

The three sat around a low square table. The young man quickly brought over two cups of water.

Song Yiyi looked up and smiled faintly, “Thank you.”

The young man smiled again and left.

Gu Chengze watched the young man’s retreating figure and said, “He’s deaf.”

Song Yiyi looked at Gu Chengze and heard him say, “When I was a company commander, he was my soldier. He lost his hearing in a mission explosion. He’s an orphan who knew nothing but soldiering. After injury and discharge, he learned woodworking.”

Song Yiyi nodded, “No wonder there’s so much wood outside.”

“He makes coffins,” Gu Chengze said softly.

Song Yiyi almost spat out her drink.

Actually, she wasn’t afraid of this. Mainly, it was getting dark, and the lights inside the house were flickering.

Gu Chengze kept watching Song Yiyi, his voice still gentle as ever.

“Yiyi, you heard the rumors in the compound, didn’t you?”