Chapter 20: Careful Thoughts

After a long time away from his bed, Major Gu honoured the occasion by waking up with a stiff neck.

He twisted his sore neck and reached under his pillow to feel a note, then tilted his head to look at the person beside him.

The sky was still dimly lit, and the moonlight fell on her face, outlining her delicate features.

Major Gu pressed his lips together as he observed Su Nianmei’s tightly closed eyes, her eyelashes casting faint shadows on her cheeks, rising and falling with her breath.

His breathing suddenly tightened, and his gaze moved upward in a fluster, noticing that her small earlobes appeared even rounder and cuter in the light.

Gu Xichao swallowed hard and leaned down slightly—

He gently placed a kiss on her.

“Good morning!”

Su Nianmei felt a chill by her ear, furrowing her brow and unintentionally letting out a muffled grunt tinged with annoyance.

Her eyes barely opened a slit, showing signs of waking up.

Major Gu pulled back slightly, one long leg stepping down onto the floor.

Su Nianmei lifted her hand again.

Major Gu held his breath, his other long leg hanging in the air, suddenly retracting it.

The wooden edge of the bed let out a dull thud, causing a slight change in Major Gu’s otherwise composed expression, his ears turning a shade of red.

The woman on the bed scratched her ear, turned over, and fell back asleep, her mouth slightly parted, her lips looking delicate and rosy.

Major Gu covered his leg, a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth like a cat that had just stolen a treat.

When Su Nianmei got out of bed early in the morning, Gu Xichao had already left. She noticed the neatly folded blanket beside her and reached out to touch its corners; a small part of it sank down, and her slender fingers smoothed it out.

She gently sniffed the blanket, her heart racing a bit, her eyes darting around in annoyance. How had she really—

Slept in the same bed as him?

Her cheeks flushed, unsure if it was from embarrassment or anger. The tips of her fingers, which brushed against the blanket’s edge, felt slightly warm, as if she had touched his body and sensed his warmth.

Suddenly, her fingers retracted, a hint of a cool, bitter smile playing at her lips. How could he possibly love her?

They were merely in a formal marriage. Their bodies had turned eighteen, and they had truly become eighteen years old, forgetting all the genuine and false faces they had once seen.

Su Nianmei thought of Major Gu’s handsome face, the determination beneath his military uniform, and sighed.

She was Su Nianmei but no longer the original Su Nianmei. She was herself, and her life would be decided by her!

When Su Nianmei opened the door, she found Gu Xiaobao hesitating at the entrance.

Curious, she squatted down and picked Gu Xiaobao up into her arms. “Baby, why don’t you go inside?”

Gu Xiaobao looked up at her, blinking his big eyes with a hint of grievance. “Dad said that if I randomly went into your room, there wouldn’t be a little sister for me anymore, little Bao—” As he spoke, his tears began to well up.

Seeing Gu Xiaobao’s pitiful expression reminded Su Nianmei of her own past, softening her heart. The idea of a little sister was still just a wish; this little guy kept babbling about wanting one.

She hugged Gu Xiaobao into the room, opened the second cabinet, and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a small box of wedding candies.

It was the kind of early fruit candy that had been left over from her wedding.

She opened the lid and took out a piece, placing it in Gu Xiaobao’s palm.

Sitting next to him, she wrapped one arm around Gu Xiaobao and gently scratched the tip of his nose. “Baby, if you get a little sister in the future, she will want to snatch your candy.”

Gu Xiaobao looked up seriously. “Then I’ll share half of my candy with her. Dad said good things should be shared.”

Su Nianmei glanced at Gu Xiaobao, rubbing his little face, which was soft to the touch.

She took Gu Xiaobao to the old cultural troupe building. Today, Shen Qingrou was absent, so Su Nianmei practiced her dance alone for a while before returning to Gu Xiaobao, who was at home and heading to find Ma Fang to pick up her clothes.

She had previously asked Ma Fang to help borrow a set of clothes from the cultural troupe.

Ma Fang worked in the military compound committee, which usually had little to do. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, meetings were held several times a day, mostly with familiar faces, and after some serious discussion, they quickly shifted to other topics.

They chatted about everything under the sun.

At one moment, they would talk about the Ma family and the next moment, the Shi family.

Everyone sat around a round table. Speaking loudly, the woman in the center held a handful of sunflower seeds.

As she talked, she spat out the shells. “I think that Gu family’s daughter-in-law is not a good person! That Shi family kid just pushed Xiaobao a bit, and now there’s a commotion in the hospital. You all think this matter has something to do with Shi Aijun being investigated lately?”

The skinny woman sitting next to her nudged her arm. “Hey, Shi Aijun can’t even clear his own mess, so how can you blame the Gu family? What about the little sister he brought home? It’s all muddled. The Gu family’s daughter-in-law is doing the right thing. If anyone dares to bully my kid, I would take a rolling pin to her house!”

The woman in the middle said, “In my opinion, the Gu family’s daughter-in-law has no sense of propriety. She’s just a country girl with a narrow mindset. Not long ago, she was timid and meek, always making a fuss, yet still as pliable as tofu, easily manipulated. Now, she suddenly has the courage to step up, as if someone has given her the guts to represent the military compound in a competition against the cultural troupe. It will ruin our military compound’s reputation if she makes a fool of herself!”

As she was about to say more, she looked up and met Su Nianmei’s gaze, her mouth full of sunflower seed shells, unsure whether to spit them out or swallow them.

The air suddenly fell silent, except for the sound of a shell being spat out.

Su Nianmei remembered that the woman in the middle was Niu Caihui, the city’s representative in the family compound. The original owner had seen her a few times when she first arrived but had ignored her, thus creating a grudge between them.

Su Nianmei smiled at Niu Caihui and politely called out, “Sister Niu.”

Niu Caihui’s face turned ashen. Everyone in the military compound knew she had not given birth to a son or daughter for her husband, Zhang Jianguo, over the years. As the ancients said, “Among the three greatest unfilial acts, having no descendants is the worst.”

She was particularly sensitive about being called “Sister Niu.” Anyone in the military compound would have to address her as “Sister Zhang” with deference. Su Nianmei calling her “Sister Niu” was a clear jab at her.

Niu Caihui’s expression darkened. “Oh, it turns out our busy little bee has arrived. How’s the program preparation going? I hope you won’t embarrass us all later.”

Su Nianmei thought, “If you can do it, then go ahead.”

The corners of Su Nianmei’s mouth curved up slightly. “Sister Niu, you can rest assured about my abilities. If you feel that I’m not capable, I can step aside. After all, Big Sister Fang asked me to take this on. With the time we have being so short and the tasks being heavy, we need to do our best.”

She wanted to clarify her point; otherwise, these people would continue conspiring against her.

There was no need to show mercy to those who bullied Xiaobao. Sometimes, giving too much face to others only encouraged them to overstep their bounds.

Ma Fang noticed that the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward and stepped in to ease the tension. She came out from the inner room holding a small bag and handed it to Su Nianmei. “Xiaomei, I have complete trust in your abilities. This is a dress I’ve borrowed for you; try it on and see if it fits. If it doesn’t, we can always exchange it. You’re our military compound’s pillar, so you must perform well.”

Su Nianmei took the bag. “I can perform, but I’m worried about embarrassing myself and becoming a laughingstock,” she said, glancing back at Niu Caihui. “Isn’t Sister Niu still worried about me?”

Niu Caihui, holding sunflower seeds in her hand, sneered, “Sister Zhang has impeccable taste, so there won’t be a problem. Even if there is, with Major Gu’s status, there shouldn’t be an issue.”

Su Nianmei tightened her grip on the bag’s edge. “Then I’ll take your words as good luck, Sister Niu.” She turned back to Ma Fang. “The kids are still at home, so I won’t stay long. Sister, let’s chat next time we meet. I’ll be leaving now.”

She looked at the other women seated around. “Sisters, enjoy your conversation. I’m heading out.”

Ma Fang walked Su Nianmei to the door. “Xiaomei, I apologize for not picking a better time to bring this up. Don’t mind their words. During this period, try not to clash with them. I’ve heard from the higher-ups that Major Gu is being transferred soon; we can’t afford any issues right now.”

Su Nianmei felt puzzled; she hadn’t heard anything about Gu Xichao’s transfer.

She looked at Ma Fang with a questioning gaze, sensing an unusual undertone, and nodded a few times before leaving.

She had originally thought Ma Fang was honest, but now it seemed she was shrewder than anyone else.

Su Nianmei didn’t particularly dislike such people; many were in the workplace. However, dealing with them could be exhausting.

After Su Nianmei left, Niu Caihui glanced at the woman beside her. “You talk so much, and you think you’re so clever. When she arrived, why didn’t anyone remind me?”

The thin woman smiled but didn’t reply.

She had already nudged her just now—how could that be anyone’s fault but your own?

—o—o—o—

When Su Nianmei returned home, she entered her room and took out the dress. Since no one else was at home except Xiaobao, she didn’t bother to lock the door.

Excitedly, she pulled out the dress, which was a royal blue cheongsam. The slit was positioned just right—not overly conservative, yet not too revealing either.

A pair of plum blossom buttons accentuated the lines of the upper part of the cheongsam, giving it an elegant and refined look.

The collar was embroidered with a branch of white plum blossoms, and there were no superfluous patterns. The modernized cheongsam had a zipper cleverly hidden at the back.

The entire clothes exuded an air of elegance.

Su Nianmei changed into the cheongsam, but when she reached back to pull up the zipper to her shoulder, she found she couldn’t get it up.

She called out a few times for Xiaobao but received no response.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Gu Xichao stood in the doorway, looking at Su Nianmei.

She had her back to him, and the cheongsam accentuated her graceful figure.

The royal blue fabric added a touch of maturity while her hair was casually pinned up, with a few strands falling playfully around her face, giving her a youthful charm.

Her long neck and fair skin were illuminated by the sunlight.

Major Gu felt a flutter in his heart.

Su Nianmei heard the sound of the door opening and assumed it was Gu Xiaobao coming in. She called out, “Baby, can you help Mom with the zipper?”

Gu Xichao paused in his tracks, unsure whether to move forward or step back.

Su Nianmei urged a bit more, “Baby, Mom is a bit cold.”

In that moment of hesitation, Major Gu quickly strode forward.

Still worried that Gu Xiaobao might not be able to handle the zipper, Su Nianmei gently explained, “Sweetheart, the zipper is on Mom’s back; can you help me pull it up—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the zipper on her back was expertly pulled up, and she felt a layer of fabric wrapped around her.

Feeling that something was off, Su Nianmei turned her head to look back, only to see Gu Xichao standing directly behind her, his expression serious. “If you’re cold, just wear something warmer. What will you do if you catch a cold?”