Chapter 041

Meng Li stared at Ji Chen, blinking her eyes. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

It was Ji Chen who directly handed her the ice cream and sat down next to her, breaking the silence first: “Why do you always have a book with you, no matter where you go?”

Meng Li snapped back to reality, turned to look at Ji Chen, and instinctively replied, “Why are you always around, no matter where I go?”

Ji Chen smiled, took a bite of his ice cream, and said, “It’s fate.”

This fate was indeed quite deep. Wherever they went, they seemed to run into each other—transferring schools to become desk mates, joining the army to become comrades-in-arms.

Anyone who didn’t know them might think their paths had been destined to cross from the start.

Since male and female recruits usually trained separately, Meng Li had never met Ji Chen and didn’t know he was also in the Beijing Military District. As she took a bite of her ice cream and stared at him, many questions popped into her mind. After a moment of thought, she asked him first, “Did you join at the same time as me?”

Ji Chen casually scanned the training ground, nodded, and then looked back at Meng Li. “Yes.”

Meng Li suddenly remembered something that had been bothering her. “So, how old are you, exactly?”

Ji Chen replied casually, “Probably about the same age as Zhuo Xi.”

Meng Li: “…”

Was he not underage?

She was momentarily speechless, her thoughts in disarray. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she narrowed her eyes at Ji Chen and asked, “Hey, you’ve been lingering around the school and not leaving… Could it be that you’re waiting for me?”

Ji Chen met her gaze and answered without hesitation, “Yeah, that’s right.”

Meng Li: “…”

She stopped mid-bite, her hand even trembling slightly as she held the ice cream. Her heart felt empty.

It was clearly a somewhat ambiguous statement, but why did he answer so calmly and straightforwardly?

Meng Li’s ears began to burn uncontrollably. She bit down on the ice cream, quickly looking away and staring at the training ground, feeling that the weather had suddenly become even hotter.

With the cold red bean ice cream in her mouth, Meng Li thought about her previous guess. After a moment of awkwardness, she cleared her throat and turned back to look at Ji Chen, trying hard to appear calm. “Did you already know I was a girl?”

Ji Chen nodded directly, “Yeah.”

Meng Li: “…”

So everyone knew she was a girl, but she was the only one still trying to act?

With a few awkward things piling up, Meng Li managed to regain some composure. She looked at Ji Chen and asked, “When did you find out?”

Ji Chen recalled that time in the school infirmary, when she had been unconscious and he had acted in a rather inappropriate manner.

Some things were better left unsaid. If he spoke about them, the person in front of him might just jump up and strangle him.

So, after thinking for a moment, he said, “I forgot. Can’t remember.”

Seeing his evasiveness, Meng Li turned away again, focusing on the training ground as she ate her ice cream.

As she ate, she reflected on everything that had happened before, feeling like a big fool, treated like one by all of them.

When she was done thinking, the ice cream was also finished.

Meng Li turned back to look at Ji Chen, imitating his calm and direct demeanor. She asked, “You don’t still like me, do you?”

Ji Chen, who had been eating his ice cream, suddenly choked.

He thought he was being straightforward enough, but he didn’t expect Meng Li to be even bolder—asking such a direct question.

He coughed for a while before regaining his composure and looked at Meng Li. “Is it that obvious?”

Meng Li: “…”

Was this some kind of master-level exchange?

Wasn’t it said that people in this era were supposed to be simple and unadorned? So why was the person in front of her so direct and open?

She had originally wanted to make him feel awkward, but who knew he would just admit it outright?

And he wasn’t even embarrassed!

Meng Li realized she had dug herself into a hole and then jumped right in.

Ji Chen cleared his throat beside her, leaned a little closer, and whispered, “Don’t agree to anything right now, okay? The army doesn’t allow relationships.”

Meng Li: “…”

Damn it!

In a huff, Meng Li jumped up from beside Ji Chen, closed her book, and walked off.

After taking a few steps, she turned back, still angry, and muttered under her breath, “Even if we were allowed to date, I wouldn’t date you!”

With that, she stormed off, not looking back.

Ji Chen sat where he was, watching her walk away. He couldn’t help but smile, feeling that there was a sweet scent in the air—a hint of red bean ice cream.

…

Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei had stayed at home for another half month, waiting for Meng Li to be sent back after being stripped of her military uniform.

But after waiting for half a month, nothing of the sort happened.

They felt that the situation was incredibly unfair. With the days quickly ticking down before they would have to head to the countryside, they had been feeling increasingly frustrated. After two more days of brooding, Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei decided to take their case to the Revolutionary Committee once again, under the guise of justice and fairness.

At the committee, they met with Director Hu and politely asked him, “Has there been no investigation into the situation at Zhima Hutong?”

Director Hu, holding a pen, thought for a moment before asking Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei, “Are you referring to that Meng Li?”

Since she began reclaiming her identity as a girl, Meng Li had privately changed her name, replacing the “Li” she had used before with “Li” (梨), as a way to remind herself that she no longer had to live as a boy.

Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei both nodded. Shao Jun took the lead in speaking, “Yes, it’s her. With her identity, she should never have been allowed to stay in the army as a soldier. There must have been some misunderstanding that led to her recruitment.”

Director Hu smiled, put down the pen in his hand, and said, “It’s good that you’re actively reporting and not hiding anything or acting in self-interest. But this situation isn’t a misunderstanding from above, it’s actually a misunderstanding on your part.”

Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei were both puzzled. “We misunderstood?”

Director Hu picked up a porcelain teacup from his desk, took a sip, exhaled, and straightened up in his chair. “The Meng Li you’re talking about—her father’s name is Meng Xucheng. He made mistakes in the past and underwent reformation. But before Meng Li enlisted in the army, he had already been rehabilitated.”

Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei were both stunned, their faces filled with disbelief. “Rehabilitated?”

Director Hu set his teacup down. “This is the result of a thorough investigation we conducted after receiving your report. There’s no mistake. Meng Xucheng behaved well during his reformation and has now been cleared of charges. He’s been reinstated to his previous position for some time now.”

Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei still couldn’t believe it. “No way.”

If Meng Xucheng had been rehabilitated and reinstated, why hadn’t he gone to find Meng Li?

Director Hu stood up from behind his desk. “Do you think I’d joke about something like this? This is the truth. You don’t need to worry about it anymore. Go back to your own business. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t chat with you any longer.”

Seeing that Director Hu had effectively dismissed them, Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei, despite their lingering dissatisfaction, could only leave the Revolutionary Committee’s office with sullen expressions.

As they stepped out of the committee building, their faces remained dark with displeasure.

Luo Yongmei walked slowly, her mind filled with a whole lot of words, but she couldn’t bring herself to say a single one.

Shao Jun also had a cold expression on his face, and the frustration inside him was no less than Luo Yongmei’s.

They had no other options. No matter how dissatisfied or unwilling they were, they could only keep it to themselves.

After a few days of holding it in, they bought enough supplies and, with the last batch of educated youth, boarded the train to the countryside.

…

After adapting to life as a new recruit, the days began to repeat in a mechanical routine.

Wake up at six in the morning, wash up, and then go for a run. After the run, breakfast, and then training.

Each day was filled with exhaustion and pain, with little room for any other emotions.

Under the grueling demands of military training, there was hardly any time to dwell on other matters.

Meng Li had only disguised herself as a boy for half a year. Though she had picked up some rough, rebellious traits from spending time with Zhuo Xi and the others, it hadn’t been long enough to change her nature. With her naturally soft and endearing personality, returning to her identity as a girl felt almost effortless.

She quickly bonded with the girls in her dormitory—her current demeanor was naturally likable, making it easy for them to accept her.

On one hand, she had the softness, cuteness, and charm typical of a girl; on the other hand, she also possessed a carefree and loyal spirit that many other girls didn’t have.

Since the people around her were all friendly, Meng Li didn’t often feel the sadness of being separated from her brothers.

Life, perhaps, was just like this—constantly bidding farewell while also continuously encountering new people.

Knowing that Zhuo Xi and the others had left Beijing, Meng Li no longer had much attachment to places outside the military district.

She focused on living her life, planning to apply for discharge after completing her two-year mandatory service.

The three months of recruit training passed in a blur. Meng Li spent most of her time with her dormitory comrades and training instructors. Although she and Ji Chen were in the same military district, the intense training left little room for interaction, and they rarely saw each other.

During this period, no parents visited the recruits. It was common knowledge that the first three months were the toughest—newcomers had to endure grueling routines, pushing themselves forward with sheer determination. Seeing their families might only weaken their resolve, making them want to go home.

At last, after enduring the rigorous training and passing the final assessments, the recruits were officially assigned to their respective units.

Most of the positions available for female soldiers were relatively easier, and Meng Li was eventually assigned to the military district hospital, where she became a medic.

After being assigned to her new position, Meng Li carried her bag and belongings to her dormitory.

When she entered and pulled open the floral curtains, she saw that three people were already living there. Each of their beds was neatly made.

The three girls were not present, so Meng Li didn’t linger on them. She placed her bag down and began to arrange her own bed.

She chose an empty upper bunk, laid out her bedding, and then arranged her personal items. Finally, she placed her clothes and other belongings into the available cabinet.

As she was organizing her things, footsteps could be heard in the hallway outside, accompanied by voices and laughter.

A few girls carrying lunch boxes walked up to the dormitory door. When they saw that the door was unlocked, they smiled at each other and said, “Looks like the new recruit has arrived.”

After saying that, they pushed the door open and were about to greet her.

However, the girl leading the group froze when she saw Meng Li. Her smile, as bright as a flower, instantly vanished.

Meng Li looked at the girls entering, and when she saw the one at the front, she was also momentarily stunned.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this person was Yu Sitian from the neighboring class.

Meng Li had been at the new recruit camp for three months, and she hadn’t run into many familiar faces.

She only knew Ji Chen, but they rarely crossed paths.

She hadn’t expected to run into Yu Sitian here. She wasn’t sure if Yu Sitian recognized her, but she didn’t hesitate, standing up and greeting them, “Hello, I’m the new recruit.”

Yu Sitian stared at her, of course recognizing her, but for a moment, she couldn’t be sure.

The person she knew was a boy, but the one in front of her was clearly a girl. The loose military uniform didn’t reveal anything about her chest, but her face, demeanor, voice, and the hair that reached her ears all indicated that she was a girl.

The other two girls tried to approach and greet Meng Li, but Yu Sitian stopped them.

Her expression turned serious as she stared at Meng Li and asked, “What’s your name?”

Meng Li smiled gently, appearing soft, cute, and friendly. “Meng Li.”

When Yu Sitian heard the name, her face grew even darker. “Aren’t you a boy? How did you end up in the girls’ dorm?”

Meng Li glanced at the two female soldiers behind Yu Sitian, who both wore puzzled expressions, clearly confused by the situation. She didn’t want to bring up her past in the army, so she continued to smile and said, “I’m a girl, not a boy. The physical exam wouldn’t be wrong.”

Yu Sitian, unable to accept this at first, turned to look at the two girls behind her. Her tone became a bit anxious as she said, “She used to be a boy, and a little troublemaker. She didn’t care about fighting. In Beijing, there was no one who wasn’t afraid of her.”