Chapter 18

After leaving the post office, Ye Huan went to the bank to deposit most of the money she had brought, keeping only a small amount for daily expenses. With her errands completed and plenty of time to spare, she decided to explore Qingshi Town.

Though small, Qingshi Town had all the essentials: a post office, a supply and marketing cooperative, a vegetable shop, a non-staple food store, a pickled vegetable shop, a clinic…

The streets bustled with activity: women carrying vegetable baskets, children playing by the roadside, and an elderly woman hobbling along with a cane, her feet remarkably smaller than her hands…

Everything felt new and exciting to Ye Huan. With no urgent matters to attend to that day, she strolled along, peering into every shop she passed.

When hunger struck, she conveniently found a restaurant by the roadside. Having brought her ration coupons, Ye Huan went inside for a meal.

It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was crowded.

The menu hung on the wall. Ye Huan ordered a small bowl of Three-Delicacy Noodles, found an empty seat, and waited for her order.

The noodles arrived quickly, brimming with shrimp, diced meat, and magnolia petals. The fragrant broth, likely chicken-based, was garnished with chopped cilantro.

The noodles looked appetizing, and after taking a bite, Ye Huan found the taste equally satisfying.

A bowl of noodles cost eight fen, and the amount of grain coupons required matched the weight of the noodles. Ye Huan ordered two liang of noodles, so she paid with two grain coupons.

For eight fen plus two grain coupons, Ye Huan considered the delicious bowl of noodles well worth the price. She thought she might come back occasionally for a treat.

……

Gu Cheng drove out of the town government building.

He had come to discuss militia training with Minister Fang of the Armed Forces Department, and by the time their meeting concluded, it was lunchtime.

The town government didn’t have a cafeteria, and Minister Fang and Gu Cheng were well-acquainted, their interactions casual and informal. As they gathered their materials, Minister Fang suggested, “Why don’t you come to my place for lunch? I’ll have my wife cook a couple of dishes, and we can share a few drinks.”

Gu Cheng glanced at his watch. “No, thanks. I need to get back to the unit. Maybe next time.”

In truth, he wasn’t in a hurry to return to the unit, he simply didn’t want to intrude on the family’s mealtime.

“Alright, then,” Minister Fang replied. “Next time, you’ll have to try my wife’s cooking.”

Minister Fang escorted Gu Cheng out of the office. After Gu Cheng drove away, he headed home for lunch himself.

Gu Cheng turned the steering wheel and headed straight for the town’s only hotel, the state-run establishment on Benliu Road.

….

After dropping Ye Huan off at the post office earlier, he’d brought a wild rabbit to Director Qian, who managed the restaurant kitchen.

“Could you cook this for me? I’ll come pick it up later,” he had said.

Director Qian hefted the rabbit. “Wow, this is a plump one! Where did you get it?”

“It ran right into me,” Gu Cheng replied, recounting the incident. Director Qian’s envy was palpable. “What luck! Like waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump.” He weighed the rabbit again. “Let’s make it spicy. Spicy rabbit meat is incredibly fragrant.”

Gu Cheng hesitated. Ye Huan didn’t seem like someone who could handle spicy food. “No spice, please,” he said.

“Then we’ll braise it,” Director Qian suggested. “Braised meat keeps well for two or three days.”

Gu Cheng emphasized again, “No chili peppers.”

Director Qian chuckled. “I thought you loved spicy food. Why the sudden change?” He noticed Gu Cheng’s repeated reminders, as if afraid he’d forget and add chili peppers anyway.

“It’s not for me,” Gu Cheng said. “Marinate it first, and I’ll pick it up at noon.”

After giving Director Qian his instructions, he headed to the town government office.

….

The rabbit had been braising all morning and should be fully flavored by now.

Gu Cheng parked his car by the roadside and had just stepped into the restaurant when he spotted Ye Huan.

Ye Huan was slurping noodles when she heard someone call her name. She looked up and saw Gu Cheng. Quickly swallowing the noodles in her mouth, she said, “You’re here for lunch?”

Gu Cheng nodded. A waiter happened to be walking by, so he flagged them down. “I’ll have a bowl of three-delicacy noodles, too—make it eight taels. And could you ask Director Qian if the thing I brought in this morning is ready?”

He had originally planned to take the braised meat back to the Zhiqing camp for Ye Huan. But since she was already here, she could eat it fresh, and whatever was left could be taken back and finished later.

Braised meat keeps well, and with the weather still cool, it could last two or three days.

The waiter nodded and left. Gu Cheng sat down opposite Ye Huan.

Soon, Director Qian himself brought over a large, steaming basin of braised rabbit meat. The aroma filled the air, making mouths water.

Someone familiar with Director Qian called out, “Director Qian, what’s that you’re carrying? It smells amazing! Can I have some too?”

Director Qian replied, “Sorry, it’s a special batch brought by the Battalion Commander. I just helped prepare it.”

He placed the large basin of braised rabbit meat in front of Gu Cheng. “Five-spice flavor. Try it and see how it tastes.”

Do you even need to taste it? Ye Huan thought. The aroma alone tells me it’s delicious!

She and Gu Cheng were on decent terms—maybe she could get a piece to try?

Her eyes couldn’t help drifting to the bowl of rabbit meat—then suddenly, a rabbit leg was placed in her bowl.

“It’s the rabbit we hit this morning,” Gu Cheng explained. “I asked Director Qian to braise it. See if you like the flavor.”

Ye Huan’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, she grabbed the leg and took a bite. The meat was rich, tender, and left a lingering fragrance on her lips.

“It’s delicious! If it were a little spicier, it’d be even better.”

Gu Cheng was surprised. “…You like spicy food?”

Ye Huan nodded. “Yeah, I prefer strong flavors.”

Afraid Gu Cheng might think she was being picky after he had treated her to the meat, Ye Huan quickly added, “Everyone has different tastes. You don’t like spicy food, do you?”

No wonder this braised rabbit meat has no spice at all.

Gu Cheng replied, “I actually love spicy food. I thought you couldn’t handle it, Director Qian. Can we add some chili peppers to this?”

Director Qian realized the rabbit meat had been specially braised for Ye Huan. Gu Cheng had repeatedly instructed him not to add any chili peppers, assuming she didn’t like spicy food. Little did he know, she was a spice enthusiast.

What a misunderstanding!

Director Qian said, “We can add some, but it won’t taste as good as if it had been braised in the original spicy broth. How about I bring you some chili oil to dip it in?”

Gu Cheng turned to Ye Huan. “Want some chili oil?”

“Yes,” she replied.

Director Qian poured a small bowl of chili oil and brought it over. Gu Cheng’s noodles arrived as well—a massive bowl overflowing with noodles.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, both focused on their meals.

Ye Huan actually enjoyed spending time with Gu Cheng. He was handsome and tall, and he wasn’t just a pretty face with no substance. He seemed genuinely reliable.

Li Mingjie wasn’t bad-looking, but he seemed untrustworthy. His character was terrible; he even faked illness to deceive people, preying on women and children. Gu Cheng would never stoop to such tactics.

Gu Cheng wasn’t much of a talker, and quiet people generally dislike chatter, especially during meals. Afraid of annoying him, Ye Huan focused intently on her food.

Gu Cheng actually wanted to make conversation with Ye Huan, but he didn’t know what to say.

He had no sisters at home. At school, he hadn’t interacted much with female classmates. After joining the army, most of the women he met were female soldiers—and they were all afraid of him, avoiding him like the plague.

He had no experience interacting with girls Ye Huan’s age in private settings. He couldn’t exactly discuss the capacity and range of the Type 54 pistol, or share stories about surviving in the wilderness by catching rats or digging up earthworms for food.

If Ye Huan heard such things, she’d probably lose her appetite entirely.

Gu Cheng ate quickly. Despite his larger bowl of noodles, he finished before Ye Huan, devouring his meal in a whirlwind of efficiency.

The main reason was that the rabbit leg was too large. Ye Huan spent all her time gnawing on it. By the time she finished, Gu Cheng had already finished his noodles, while she still had half a bowl left. She was too full to eat any more.

Gu Cheng went to pay the bill, covering Ye Huan’s noodles and the processing fee for the braised rabbit meat.

Ye Huan had just finished the rabbit leg. When she saw that Gu Cheng had paid for her meal, she immediately took out her money and food coupons. “I’ll pay for myself—I have money.”

Since she insisted, Gu Cheng had no choice but to accept.

Director Qian, without waiting for Gu Cheng to ask, packed up the remaining braised rabbit meat and even added a jar of chili oil, handing it all to Gu Cheng.

…..

As they left the restaurant, Gu Cheng asked Ye Huan, “Are you heading back? If so, you can ride with me.”

Qingshi Town wasn’t big, and Ye Huan had basically explored the whole place by noon. She had planned to head back after lunch anyway.

She replied, “Yes.”

Gu Cheng opened the passenger door for her. Once she was settled in, he got in and drove steadily toward the farm.

Just like on the way there, neither of them spoke much during the ride.

Ye Huan finally spoke as they reached the farm gate. “Commander Gu, you can drop me off here.”

Gu Cheng drove the car to the gate. Ye Huan opened the door and stepped out, but as she turned to leave, Gu Cheng called her back. He handed her the braised rabbit meat and the bottle of chili oil.

Ye Huan was puzzled. Why is he giving me this?

“The braised meat keeps well,” Gu Cheng explained. “You can eat it slowly.”

Then he got back in the car and drove off.

Ye Huan: “…”

As she thought back over everything Gu Cheng had said at the restaurant, she finally realized—he had braised the rabbit specifically for her!

……

Back at the battalion headquarters, Gu Cheng spotted Fang Hui in the courtyard chatting with a female soldier from a distance.

He remembered the girl’s name—Liu Ruyu. She had joined the army last fall and had been under his training when she enlisted.

He remembered her well because she always confused left and right during drills—constantly turning face-to-face with others. She had earned quite a few scoldings and shed a lot of tears.

Fang Hui seemed to be saying something amusing—he and Liu Ruyu were both grinning.

At the sound of the car, Fang Hui looked up. “Our commander’s back,” he told Liu Ruyu.

The moment she heard Gu Cheng had returned, Liu Ruyu instinctively straightened her back and stood at attention like she was still on the training ground—only to remember she wasn’t his trainee anymore.

Still, Gu Cheng’s presence was intimidating.

She whispered a quick “I’m leaving” to Fang Hui and darted off like a mouse fleeing a cat, making a run for it before Gu Cheng even got out of the car.

Fang Hui was speechless. Come on, he only trained you as a new recruit—why act like he’s a monster? Is our commander really that scary?

Gu Cheng parked the vehicle and stepped out, Fang Hui trailing behind him, chattering excitedly, “This morning, the 3rd Company lost the obstacle course to 2nd Company. The 3rd Company Commander was furious and challenged the 2nd Company Commander to a one-on-one duel. He said if he lost, he’d give his lunch to the 2nd Company Commander. But he still lost! And guess what? Today’s lunch was cabbage stew with pork—huge, fatty slices of pork, so fragrant! The 3rd Company Commander could only watch, unable to eat. The 2nd Company guys even sat right next to him, eating with such gusto. The 3rd Company guys are already vowing to get revenge this afternoon…”

Just as Fang Hui was getting into his story, Gu Cheng suddenly stopped and stared intently at him.

Fang Hui felt a chill under Gu Cheng’s gaze. “What’s wrong, Commander.”