Chen Yu handed Xia Anran a small white medicine box and said with a smile:

“This was given to me by a friend. His ancestors were imperial physicians, and he said this medicine helps wounds heal quickly without leaving scars.”

“Thank you.”

Xia Anran accepted the medicine box with delight. This was exactly what she needed the most right now. Medicine developed by imperial physicians surely wouldn’t have a poor scar-removal effect.

In the 1970s, scar-removal ointments had yet to be developed. The wound on her forehead was two centimeters long, and she was very worried it would leave a scar.

Although she could use bangs to cover it, thick bangs often made people look dull. Unless required for a role, she had never kept bangs before.

In her past life, she was a celebrity who relied on her looks to make a living, so she was extremely particular about her appearance. She was truly grateful to Chen Yu.

Seeing Xia Anran’s bright and happy smile, Chen Yu couldn’t help but smile as well. He said in a cheerful tone:

“You’re welcome. I’m just glad I could help.”

Xia Anran sincerely replied:

“You’ve really helped me a lot.”

Looking at her dazzling smile, Chen Yu’s heartbeat once again became uncontrollably fast. His face seemed to be heating up. He clenched his fist, placed it near his mouth, and gave a light cough to conceal his momentary loss of composure.

However, Xia Anran was so focused on the scar-removal ointment that she didn’t notice his unusual expression.

Chen Yu then took a stack of meal tickets from his pocket and handed them to her.

“Our cultural troupe has a cafeteria, but they don’t accept cash. It’s already the end of the month, and the cafeteria is running low on meal tickets. I brought you some—use them for now. If you need more, just let me know.”

“Thank you. Let me get some money for you.”

Xia Anran immediately took out her money. Aside from the 300 yuan left by Aunt Liang, she also had a little over ten yuan in her wallet.

She didn’t check the value of the meal tickets Chen Yu had given her, but she pulled out a ten-yuan bill—surely that would be enough?

Seeing her offer him ten yuan, Chen Yu declined:

“It’s just a few yuan, no need to pay me back. If you feel bad about it, you can treat me to a meal when you get your stipend.”

Since he had put it that way, insisting on paying him back would seem overly formal.

Besides, even without the meal tickets, there was also the scar-removal ointment. No matter what, she owed him a meal.

She took the meal tickets and smiled at him.

“Alright, when I get my stipend, I’ll treat you to a meal. You can’t refuse!”

Chen Yu’s smile deepened, his entire demeanor as warm as a spring breeze.

“It’s a deal.”

Just then, Liu Mei returned with a bucket of water. She saw the two of them—one standing inside the door, the other outside—both smiling and chatting happily.

She hesitated. If she went inside now, would she be interrupting them?

“Well, get some rest,” Chen Yu said.

He didn’t want to leave so soon, but he also didn’t want to overstay. In truth, he wanted to chat with Xia Anran a little longer.

She wasn’t like other girls—reserved or overly delicate. She was open, cheerful, and straightforward. This kind of personality was exactly what he liked.

Xia Anran smiled and nodded. “Alright, see you.”

As Chen Yu turned to leave, he noticed Liu Mei standing there. She was so startled that her eyes darted around nervously, as if she wished she could turn invisible.

This female soldier was always so timid. Chen Yu chuckled and greeted her,

“Liu Mei, went to fetch water?”

Liu Mei’s face turned bright red, and she stammered, “Y-yes, I went to fetch water.”

Chen Yu said to her,

“Xiao Xia just got here. You’ve been here longer, so help her get familiar with the surroundings.”

Truthfully, he wanted to show Xia Anran around himself, but places like the bathrooms and bathhouse weren’t convenient for him to take her to, so he assigned the task to Liu Mei instead.

Liu Mei stood at attention upon receiving orders from her superior. “Yes, sir.”

Chen Yu smiled and pointed at the thermos in her hands.

“Be careful with the thermos. No need to salute.”

Liu Mei, unsure whether she should put down the thermos to salute, let out a sigh of relief upon hearing his words.

She waited until Chen Yu had completely left the dormitory before entering the room. Seeing that Xia Anran had already locked her cabinet, she finally felt at ease.

Having been falsely accused by Zhou Yuxin before, she had since been on high alert.

She wasn’t familiar with Xia Anran yet, and since Wen Fangfang and Li Yanqiu weren’t around, she was wary—especially after seeing Xia Anran with so much money. If anything went missing, it would be difficult to explain.

Xia Anran noticed Liu Mei carrying a thermos and offered, “Liu Mei, since you fetched water today, I’ll do it tomorrow. We can also take turns cleaning the dormitory. Does that sound good to you?”

Liu Mei was taken aback. The niece of a high-ranking officer, voluntarily offering to share the chores? She didn’t know how to respond.

Then, suddenly remembering the task assigned by Instructor Chen, she quickly set down her thermos.

“I… I’ll show you around and help you get familiar with the place.”

Xia Anran, who was about to go to the restroom, smiled at the suggestion.

“Sure! That would be great. Thank you.”

Liu Mei took her duty seriously and led Xia Anran on a tour of the water room, laundry station, restrooms, and the communal bathhouse.

As they walked together, Liu Mei gradually realized that Xia Anran was easygoing. Slowly, her nervousness faded, and she spoke up.

“The dormitory lights go out at 8:30 PM. If you need to get up at night and feel scared, just call me. I’ll go with you.”

After interacting with Liu Mei, Xia Anran found her to be quite nice—just a little timid. Wanting to maintain a good relationship with her roommate, she smiled and said, “Same goes for you. If you’re scared, you can call me, too.”

Wen Fangfang and Li Yanqiu often went home, leaving Liu Mei to go to the restroom alone at night, which frightened her. Hearing Xia Anran’s words, Liu Mei happily agreed.

“Okay!”

Now knowing where the bathhouse was, Xia Anran returned to the dormitory to grab her washbasin and toiletries before heading off to take a shower.

Unlike home, where she could bathe in privacy, here, all the women shared a communal bathhouse.

Unlike civilian bathhouses, the military bathhouse had no large soaking pools—only showers.

With over thirty showerheads arranged in a circle, the place was packed during peak hours. Each showerhead had two or three people squeezed together, making the entire space feel overcrowded.

Seeing the crowd, Xia Anran considered waiting until later to bathe. But Liu Mei whispered, “The bathhouse closes at eight.”

Hearing this, Xia Anran realized she had no choice. It was already 7:20 PM—if she waited any longer, the bathhouse would be closed. So, she reluctantly squeezed in with the others.

The other girls noticed the newcomer and greeted her warmly. Xia Anran felt slightly awkward—everyone was completely naked, openly facing each other.

She also noticed that, despite how packed the bathhouse was, Zhou Yuxin had somehow managed to occupy an entire showerhead for herself. She really did behave like she ruled the cultural troupe!

Zhou Yuxin saw Xia Anran but didn’t greet her. Having a showerhead all to herself was something she took pride in—it was a symbol of her status.

After finishing her bath, Xia Anran walked outside, only to find flashes of lightning streaking across the sky.

July was the rainy season, and the weather could change as unpredictably as a child’s mood.

Just as she and Liu Mei returned to the dormitory, heavy rain began pouring down.

Xia Anran looked at the pitch-black night sky. The thunder was loud and unsettling. Lying on the narrow single bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

When she finally drifted off, she had a dream about Huo Ruiyang.

She woke up in shock, clutching her chest as she sat up in bed.

In her dream, Huo Ruiyang had been standing in the pouring rain with his soldiers, shouting something.

Then, suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the tree behind him, causing it to collapse toward him.

The dream had been so vivid that it felt as if she had been struck as well. Xia Anran broke out in a cold sweat.

Why would she have such a dream?