Chapter 17

By the time Su Xi returned, she was carrying a pile of things, and the sky had already darkened. 

The evening glow outside stretched, indicating good weather for the next day.

“Why did it take so long?” If Xi Yannan didn’t know his sister’s strength, he would have been unable to sit still and gone out to look for her.

As he reached out to take the snake-skin bag slung over his sister’s shoulder, a pair of slender and large hands appeared next to him, and that hand took the lead in taking the bag from Su Xi’s hands.

“Thank you!” Su Xi raised her delicate little face and smiled at the man.

“You’re welcome! I should be thanking you; you’ve worked hard,” Xie Zhen said with a slight smile, expressing his gratitude to the girl.

Su Xi waved her hand awkwardly and said, “No need to thank me. You provided the money and the tickets, and I just ran the errand.”

“You’ve been a great help.” Xie Zhen carried the items to the kitchen, taking them out one by one. He seemed eager to consume the things that were inside the bag.

There were quite a few items, enough for several grown men to survive for about a week. It was unclear how this slender girl managed to gather all these things in such a short time.

At this moment, Xie Zhen had already forgotten the fierce demeanor of Su Xi from before. The only image he could remember right now was the fragile and delicate figure of the young girl in his mind.

The young girl had courage; she must have gone to the black market. However, not wanting to pry, he didn’t voice his questions. Everyone had their own privacy. He thought that, when they became familiar with each other in the future, he would ask her.

??!!

What? 

Why do they still have to interact in the future?! 

Xie Zhen, with his handsome face twitching, maintained a stoic expression, appearing even more stern. No one could tell that beneath his calm exterior, emotions were surging and churning, far from the outward appearance of ‘motionless as a mountain.’

Xi Yannan leaned against the kitchen doorframe, his gaze fixed on Xie Zhen’s face for quite some time. He never knew their captain could talk so much with a girl. That was not normal.

Perhaps his gaze was too obvious, because when Xie Zhen turned to look at him, Xi Yannan casually averted his gaze, looking towards his younger sister.

“Where are Cao Liang and the others?” Su Xi took out a bag of sweet potatoes and placed them in the cupboard, curious about the whereabouts of Cao Liang and the rest.

“They went to rest. Me and your brother are on duty for the first half of the night, and they’ll take over for the second half,” Xie Zhen replied while sprinkling salt on the meat. The weather was still a bit hot, and without salt, it would spoil by tomorrow.

“They really need a good rest!” Su Xi nodded in understanding. Their faces were covered in dust, so it must have been a while since they had a proper break.

Watching his sister and the captain exchange items in an organized and harmonious manner, occasionally engaging in small talk… 

The scene was too serene and natural. 

Why did he suddenly find it hard to stand by his battalion commander?

If he’s not happy, it’s okay, he can just destroy this atmosphere.

Xi Yannan waved to his sister. “Xixi, come over here. I’ve got something to ask you.”

Without turning her head, Su Xi handed a small bag of candies to Xie Zhen. This was to supplement their sugar levels when they were too busy with missions to eat. “Are you going to ask about the situation outside? I went around, and there’s no sign of suspicious people.”

Xi Yannan: “…..”

“No, you come with me,” Xi Yannan said before heading upstairs.

Su Xi glanced at the neatly arranged things in her hands and said to the man beside her, “I’ll go first; you take care of these.”

“Yeah, go ahead!”

Upon hearing this conversation, Xi Yannan’s footsteps paused, his tongue pressing against his cheek, but he didn’t turn back. He continued walking upstairs, taking long strides.

Su Xi hasn’t been here for several months, and a lot of dust has accumulated both upstairs and downstairs.

Unexpectedly, during the time she was out buying things, the group of soldiers had tidied up the room spotlessly.

The two reached the Shi bedroom, and Xi Yannan stood by the window, asking, “You’re not going back to school tonight?”

“I took a 2-day leave. Tomorrow, I’ll check on Wang Kun’s condition. If he’s recovering well, I’ll go back.” Su Xi finally had the chance to pay attention to her brother after not seeing him for half a year. She noticed that he had matured, shed his slender figure, and become stronger in build.

In October 1964, with the night sky hanging high and stars filling the sky, unlike the present era, many cities had long lost sight of this mysterious and beautiful starry sky.

Su Xi also stood by the window, her little head looked at the countless stars in the sky, feeling a bit relaxed.

Xi Yannan asked, “How much did you spend to buy this house? Wasn’t the money we gave you not enough?”

Last year, Su Xi suddenly called home, saying she wanted to buy a house near her school.

Although Su Dong and Xi Yannan didn’t understand why their younger sister would buy a house in such a distant place, they decided not to inquire further. They understood that she didn’t plan to settle in the G Province permanently. Instead, they treated it as providing a foundation for the young girl and sent her a substantial amount of money each.

Whenever Su Xi recalled the generous gifts from her brothers, her heart would still feel warm. She lifted her chin and declared, “I’m not short of money. When I went to study, Mom and Dad’s pension was all given to me. The family savings also contributed significantly, and in recent years, I’ve published articles in many newspapers and translated some materials. Don’t underestimate your little sister; I’m quite well-off.”

One thing Su Xi didn’t mention was during winter break when she didn’t go home. With a total vacation of one month, the round trip by car took almost the entire period. Finding it too troublesome, she seized the opportunity during the Chinese New Year to sell a considerable amount of peach liquor on the black market. After some time, her peach liquor became scarce and fetched high prices in the black market.

Of course, there were those with ill intentions, but every time, she concealed her appearance and deliberately revealed a few tricks, so no one dared to mess with her.

Xi Yannan looked at her sister’s proudly playful demeanor and chuckled. “Buying a house makes you so happy?”

Su Xi nodded. “Definitely! I also want to buy one in Beijing and preferably in Shanghai too.” This way, she would be a wealthy woman with houses in major cities. After a few decades, when she retired, she would be a well-off grandma.

“Oh, by the way, brother, I bought a house for you and big brother too, not far from my place.”

Xi Yannan was astonished. “You earned so much money? It’s not some speculation or illegal dealings, right? In recent years, the crackdown has been severe outside; you can’t just rely on your skills to do as you please.”

Su Xi: “I know. That house I bought for you guys wasn’t bought with my money; it’s the money sent by Big Brother. Of course, I put a little bit of my money in there, but that’s a small thing and not something I need to discuss with you in detail.”

Seeing her Brother Nannan’s expression of ‘I’m ready to interrogate,’ Su Xi quickly changed the topic: “By the way, Brother, how did you end up joining a mission with Xie Zhen? Didn’t you just graduate?”

“I was about to ask you the same. How do you know our company commander?” Xi Yannan lightly tapped the little girl’s head.

Su Xi pretended to be in pain, grinning, “I met him a few years ago at Big Brother’s hospital. He was the soldier entangled by Su Sanya at the time, and he seemed to be a company commander back then.”

Xi Yannan didn’t expect such a coincidence, so he explained, “The company commander was our instructor during freshman training. His main task was to pick out promising talents. In our sophomore year, he thought your brother had excellent performance in all aspects, so he has been taking us on missions ever since.”

Su Xi suddenly realized, “No wonder sometimes you don’t come back even when you’re on break. I thought you were avoiding Big Brother.”

Xi Yannan’s eyebrow twitched. “What did you say?”

Su Xi… messed up, she accidentally spilled the beans.

When it comes to shipping characters, having wild thoughts like galloping horses in one’s head is fine. But if the people involved find out, it becomes awkward.