Chapter 047

The afternoon passed quickly while they chatted during the lunch break.

In the afternoon, Meng Xucheng went back to work, while Meng Li stayed home, fanning herself and zoning out.

The weather was too hot to go outside and play under the scorching sun.

Even if she didn’t mind the heat, there was no real entertainment to be found these days, and she had no friends. There was no fun in being alone.

Thinking of her brothers, Meng Li couldn’t help but wonder how Zhuo Xi and the others were doing now.

She had written letters to them the year before, but slowly, communication had dwindled. It had become a reality she couldn’t ignore.

After thinking about Zhuo Xi and the other three, her mind wandered to Ji Chen.

She wondered if he had thought about her after she left.

He was quite popular with the girls. There were many young women at their military hospital who liked him.

She didn’t know if he had changed his heart or if he had started flirting with other girls again.

Her thoughts were making her restless. Meng Li flipped over on the bamboo mat, fanning herself harder and faster with the banana leaf fan, causing loose strands of hair to fly around her face.

The wind from the fan made it easier to breathe, but she still felt a bit uneasy inside.

As she tossed and turned on the mat, there was a sudden knock on the door.

When Meng Li opened the door in the morning and saw Gu Huijuan, she was already on edge. Now, hearing another knock, her nerves tensed involuntarily.

She got up from the bed and walked to the door, calling out, “Who’s there?”

If it was Gu Huijuan coming to apologize, she wasn’t planning on opening the door.

But this time, the voice that answered wasn’t a woman’s. It was a man’s voice, saying, “It’s me.”

Meng Li instinctively felt that the voice was familiar, but she couldn’t place it through the door. Hesitating, she opened it, only to find Ji Chen standing outside.

She froze for a moment, blinking her eyes, unable to say a word.

Ji Chen stood at the door, smiling at her. “What’s wrong? Only a month apart, and you don’t recognize me?”

Meng Li blinked twice more, her voice a little stiff. “I… I thought I was dreaming…”

She had just been thinking about him, and now, he appeared…

…

Ji Chen was still smiling. “I took half a day off to take you out. Are you coming?”

Of course, she had to go. Meng Li immediately lifted her foot to leave the room.

But then she looked down and realized her clothes were not suitable, so she quickly returned to change into a different outfit and shoes.

After changing her clothes and shoes, she came out, her hair neatly styled, carrying a small bag. She left a note on the coffee table and followed Ji Chen out the door.

Ji Chen had driven a military four-wheel jeep, which was parked under the staff building.

Meng Li fastened her seatbelt, then turned to ask him, “How did you know I was here?”

Ji Chen started the car and began driving. “Isn’t it easy to find out something like that?”

Meng Li glanced at him, then turned her gaze away, choosing not to say anything more on the matter.

The two of them discussed where to go for the remaining half of the day. In truth, they had already explored nearly every corner of Beijing when they were in school, and there was no place they hadn’t been to.

They finally decided to go boating at Beihai Park.

As they paddled on the lake reflecting the White Pagoda, it was natural to recall the nursery rhyme—”Let’s Paddle Our Oars.”

When their boat drifted close to another, they could even hear others singing it.

The world had already started to change. It was no longer like before, where children in military uniforms could be found everywhere.

Now, studies had become a serious matter, and most children were focused on their education.

Meng Li and Ji Chen spent the evening at Beihai Park, and later, they went to Lao Mo for dinner.

Lao Mo, officially known as Moscow Restaurant, was one of the most famous Western restaurants in old Beijing. When Meng Li and Ji Chen were still young and hanging around the Fourth Ring Road, they would come here to spend any extra money they had saved up.

This place could be considered a collective memory for people from the 60s and 70s.

Meng Li and Ji Chen sat at a table covered with a white cloth in the restaurant. In front of them was a silver candleholder, with several white candles flickering gently, their slender flames swaying in the air.

Meng Li dipped a piece of toast into some beetroot soup, took a bite, and said, “This place is too extravagant. We don’t have much money, and we’ve only been here twice, never daring to order too much. You guys used to come here often, didn’t you?”

Ji Chen, holding his knife and fork, appeared relaxed and content, looking in a very good mood. “We didn’t come here too often either. This place isn’t like the mess hall in the compound; you can order whatever you want. But every time we came, there was always someone causing trouble, stealing the knives and forks.”

Hearing Ji Chen’s words, Meng Li’s memories of her past life began to surface.

She looked at the knife and fork in her hand, realizing they were made of silver. No wonder someone would steal them.

She smiled and, recalling the memories of her past life, said, “We were the same.”

After speaking, she raised her head and looked at Ji Chen, asking, “How are your buddies doing? Xiao Jianguo and the others?”

Ji Chen finished chewing his French fried pork chop and swallowed it. “They’re all in the army. A few years ago, the conditions were tough. None of them had gone to school or studied. I’ve never heard of anyone being discharged to take the college entrance exam. Most likely, they knew they couldn’t get in, so they’re just hanging on in the army.”

Then he asked Meng Li, “What about you? What about Zhuo Xi and the others?”

Meng Li picked up a little crab meat salad with her fork, holding it in her hand without putting it in her mouth. “Zhuo Xi is in Guangzhou, Wei Dong is in Nanjing. Both of them are in the army. Zhou Nan and Jin Bei went to the mountainous areas in Sichuan. I went to their homes to look for them, but they haven’t come back from the countryside.”

Due to the reinstatement of the college entrance examination, many of the sent-down youth had been finding ways to return to the city over the past two years.

If one’s family didn’t have any reliable connections and they couldn’t find a way back on their own, it was considered normal not to return.

After all, up until now, the movement of sending youth to the countryside hadn’t officially been stopped, and there hadn’t been any announcement that the youth could return to their hometowns.

Ji Chen looked at Meng Li, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. “Things were more fun back then. Brotherhood and loyalty meant everything. Your brothers were your whole world.”

Meng Li sighed softly. “Who’s to say otherwise?”

The older they got, the more the simplicity and sincerity of the past faded. Everyone was caught up in the struggles of their own lives.

After dinner, Ji Chen didn’t take Meng Li out again. Instead, he drove her straight home. She no longer had the carefree, tomboyish ways she once did.

Her father was still waiting for her at home, and it wouldn’t be good for her to return too late.

When they reached the bottom of Meng Li’s building, Ji Chen brought the car to a stop.

Meng Li didn’t get out immediately. She stayed in the car and chatted with Ji Chen for a while longer.

The two of them were bathed in the night’s darkness, their faces barely visible to each other.

During the day, when they had been laughing and having fun, they had avoided anything heavy—sticking to reminiscing about the past or swapping stories from their time in the military.

But now, perhaps it was the stillness of the night, or the weight of unspoken thoughts, that made the conversation take a different turn. Before they knew it, they had drifted into discussing their troubles

Meng Li leaned back in her seat and began venting to Ji Chen about her mother, Gu Huijuan.

She recounted her mother’s actions in detail and said, “How could there be a mother like that in this world? So harsh toward her own daughter, scolding her like she’s worthless. And in the end, when things backfire, she starts talking about mother-daughter love.”

Ji Chen had never heard her talk about her family before, let alone these painful matters. Hearing her now, he suddenly realized that the success she had achieved over the past few years had been forced. Beneath that strong exterior, she was just a girl who had never truly been loved by her parents.

She was different from them. They had all been out there, fighting their own battles, but for them, it had been more about chasing excitement, filling the void of boredom.

Their group of friends had never lacked love. If anything, they sometimes found their parents too present. If their parents worked locally, they would actually prefer it if they were temporarily reassigned to another city.

Because once their parents were gone, they could finally live freely—without rules, without supervision.

But when their parents were around, life was different. They had to be constantly managed, always mindful of the consequences—whether it was the sharp sting of a leather belt or a hard slap. It was never pleasant.

Ji Chen reached out and gently ruffled Meng Li’s hair. “I didn’t expect you had it so tough.”

Meng Li let out a long sigh and looked at him. “Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. Zhuo Xi and the others treated me well. I just didn’t dwell on it too much.”

As Ji Chen reflected on the past, he realized that he really shouldn’t have treated her the way he did back then.

He and Meng Li had often clashed—constantly at odds, always seeing each other as rivals. Of course, he had lost more times than he cared to admit. Meng Li was a fierce fighter.

Sensing the mood growing heavier, Meng Li quickly changed the subject. She straightened up and said with a grin, “Let’s not talk about it anymore. It’s all in the past. Besides, those years were pretty glorious and carefree. I made some great brothers, and I have no regrets.”

Ji Chen withdrew his hand and nodded. “Mm, from now on, you’ve got me. Everything will get better.”

After saying that, Ji Chen changed his tone back to the previous somber one and suddenly asked Meng Li, “It’s been half a day now, haven’t you noticed anything different about me?”

Meng Li glanced at him. Her view was obscured by the night, and she couldn’t see anything unusual.

She had only been away from the military for a month, so she didn’t notice any difference in Ji Chen compared to before.

After a moment, she shook her head. “I didn’t notice anything. What’s up with you?”

Ji Chen straightened his posture. “Take another good look.”

Meng Li scanned him from head to waist again, but still didn’t see anything different.

So, she shook her head again. “It’s too dark, I can’t see anything.”

Ji Chen didn’t insist. He looked at her through the night for a moment, then beckoned her with a finger. “Come here, I’ll tell you.”

Meng Li hesitated for a moment, feeling like there was no good reason for him to be asking.

But after a brief pause, she decided to move a little closer, leaning toward him.

When Ji Chen saw her come closer, he moved toward her ear.

He stopped right next to her ear and lowered his voice, saying, “How about we file a love report?”

Before Meng Li could react, he lightly bit her ear.

Meng Li was startled, and her face immediately turned red. She quickly pushed him away and covered her ear. “Pervert!”

After saying that, she suddenly remembered something and looked at his military uniform again.

This time, she noticed that his uniform no longer had just two pockets, but four.

She understood now and looked at Ji Chen with wide eyes. “You got promoted?”

Ji Chen nodded. “Otherwise, how could it be so easy for me to take time off to see you?”

Meng Li was still covering her ear, the warmth on her face lingering. She stammered and asked, “So… does that mean… you’re qualified to be in a relationship now?”

Ji Chen didn’t nod or shake his head, and he didn’t respond verbally either.

Meng Li, having been a volunteer soldier for two years, was well aware of the intricacies of the military system.

She didn’t wait for Ji Chen’s answer. In a fluster, she reached for the car door, opening it while saying, “Let me think about it. This is a matter of a lifetime, I can’t make a hasty decision. Don’t you think so?”

After speaking, she opened the car door and was about to get out.

But before she could, Ji Chen grabbed her arm.

He looked at her seriously, his tone full of tenderness. “I’ll wait for you.”

Meng Li froze for a moment, instinctively pausing. She didn’t rush to get out of the car. After a moment, she nodded at him seriously. “Mm.”