Chapter 10

When the door opened, a fresh scent of jasmine wafted in, the white curtains fluttered, and right on the table facing the door, a pot of jasmine was in full bloom.

The fragrance… it was coming from there.

As Lu Weiguo stepped into a woman’s room for the first time, it was different from the masculine scent of the male soldiers’ dormitory.

Shi Tingyu’s room exuded delicacy and fragrance everywhere, much like her.

Lu Weiguo didn’t sit by her bed but pulled out a chair in front of the desk and sat facing her.

A week ago, they were strangers meeting for the first time; a week later, they were a family in the household register.

This kind of transformation made both of them feel inexplicably different yet subtly indescribable.

They sat there in silence for a while.

Lu Weiguo felt he had to say something, his gaze fell on the plaster bust placed on the desk, sparking his curiosity.

“Is this a foreigner?”

Shi Tingyu was momentarily stunned, almost not reacting in time.

Setting aside the David plaster bust that was common in later generations and often seen by those studying art, even the three-meter-high sculpture of David was occasionally seen on certain items.

Prompted by Lu Weiguo’s question, she remembered what era it was now.

At this time, let alone the statue without clothes, very few people had seen this bust sculpture.

“This is David, um, a sculpture by Michelangelo.”

Lu Weiguo looked puzzled.

Shi Tingyu thought for a moment and said, “It’s a prop I use for drawing.”

Now Lu Weiguo understood.

“You can draw?” He quickly found a way into the conversation.

Most of the people he encountered who could draw were from the propaganda office; they would write big-character posters on the walls and draw propaganda pictures.

They usually depicted the heroic image of the red-faced and great figures in military or worker’s clothing.

“Yes, drawing is my profession.”

Lu Weiguo had never thought that Shi Tingyu’s profession was drawing. Could she be an artist?

Many thoughts flashed through his mind for a moment.

She knew about art, while he knew about leading troops into battle.

Two people with completely different backgrounds were now tied together. Would there be problems in their future interactions?

Perhaps because Lu Weiguo had been silent for a long time, Shi Tingyu pondered their recent interaction and made a guess.

“Drawing is a thing of the past before returning to the country. If you have time, I’ll draw a portrait for you.”

For some reason, Lu Weiguo’s heart relaxed instantly.

What did it matter if their interests and professions were unrelated? His comrades had married female soldiers from the cultural troupe, teachers, or hospital doctors and nurses, and their professions were also unrelated, yet they lived very well.

Seeing Lu Weiguo nod, looking visibly more relaxed, Shi Tingyu expressed her opinion, “It’s good for both husband and wife to be in different fields; it can create a sense of admiration for each other, which is beneficial for…”

She wanted to say it was beneficial for harmony in the relationship.

But considering the current atmosphere, she stopped herself.

Even though she didn’t say it, Lu Weiguo understood the meaning behind her words. A fleeting blush crossed his face, caught by Shi Tingyu’s keen eyes.

She didn’t claim to be able to read minds like a psychology student, but she enjoyed observing others.

Artistic creation was not done in isolation; in modern times, she liked to go to crowded parks or streets to watch people come and go.

At that time, she felt that each flower created a world, each tree a universe, and the fleeting figures all had their own life stories.

Joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, bitterness and sweetness, were all playing out every moment.

So her character drawings are very vivid and lively.

She also enjoys observing animals, plants, landscapes, and weather. As long as it can be depicted in a painting, she enjoys studying it.

Sensing the other’s discomfort, Shi Tingyu brought up another topic.

“Do we need to go back to your parents’ place?”

Talking about family, Lu Weiguo’s expression softened even more. “I don’t have much time off now, it’s too tight, so let’s not go back for now.”

“Do you have any annual leave this year?” Shi Tingyu asked. “If you do, we can go back for the New Year.”

“It depends on the year-end arrangements,” Lu Weiguo said, then reached into his pocket and pulled out something.

Shi Tingyu focused and realized it was a bankbook.

Lu Weiguo handed the bankbook to her. “This is the money I’ve saved over the years in the military. Apart from the 120 yuan I give my parents every year, there’s also the betrothal money and household expenses I’ve set aside for you. The rest is all here.”

Shi Tingyu took it without any pretense, opened it, and was shocked by the numbers on it.

It amounted to over 8,000 yuan.

Their family could save so much money because three people were earning, and his parents had high salaries, but the other party did not.

Based on his monthly salary of 101 yuan, it would be over 12,000 yuan in ten years, but he didn’t start as a company-level officer from the beginning.

From their previous conversations, she knew he had been promoted to company-level three years ago.

To be honest, Shi Tingyu was surprised that Lu Weiguo could save this much money.

Both families didn’t discuss the betrothal money or dowry. Shi’s parents had given all their belongings to their daughter, so the money was entirely under her control.

They were not short of money, nor did they care about the amount of the betrothal money, so naturally, they didn’t mention it.

But Lu Weiguo took note of it.

He didn’t quite understand the marriage customs and procedures, but he knew about the betrothal money and the need to buy things before marriage.

Recently, one of his comrades was getting married, and he heard them talk about the customs. He thought that he could afford these things and wouldn’t let Shi Tingyu go without.

“Do you have time later? The military housing comes with the marriage report. I’ll take you to see it later and see what needs to be added. I’ll take you to buy it.”

When Shi Tingyu heard that the house was ready, her eyes lit up.

“What kind of house did you apply for?”

“A two-bedroom, one-living room with a yard,” Lu Weiguo said, then added, “Originally, we could have gotten an apartment, but we have to wait for that.”

Shi Tingyu was very satisfied. “A small yard is great, spacious place, you can grow some vegetables in the yard, and you don’t have to share the toilet with others. The kitchen won’t be cramped in the corridor, it’s really nice.”

In the current cylindrical buildings, the corridor was continuous, and everyone liked to put the coal stove in front of their own door. Looking down the corridor, each family had a stove, and when cooking, there was no room to move in the corridor.

Not to mention the public washroom at the end of the corridor, which was a shared clean place for the whole floor. Queuing for washing up in the morning was normal, and even going to the toilet required waiting in line.

After listening to her words, Lu Weiguo’s brows relaxed a bit.

He was worried that she might prefer to live in an apartment like other military wives.

After chatting for a while, they set off for the military family housing area.

The Research Institute’s family housing area was not far from the military family housing area. Shi’s father worked at the Weapons Research Institute under Jinling Military Region, right next to the military region, so the family housing area naturally wasn’t far away.

They walked there and it took about twenty minutes.