Chapter 19

Although during this period, Chen Suihuan had been secretly preparing meals for herself in the space, most of what she ate came from meat buns bought at the state-run restaurant.

She hadn’t had proper meat in several days.

The food cooked by those who knew better wasn’t just plain—it was downright unappetizing. Low in oil, low in salt, and sometimes not even enough to fill her up. Let alone eating any meat.

There was no shortage of chickens, ducks, fish, or pigs in the space, but Chen Suihuan’s cooking skills were lacking. What she made didn’t taste good, and most importantly, she didn’t dare kill them.

So even though she had a mountain of gold, she still had to go hungry.

If she could catch a wild chicken, Chen Suihuan could bring it back to the Educated Youth Site and ask the male educated youths to help kill it. In that case, she could share half with them and eat the other half with Qin Fei and Gao Yue.

These past few days, after drinking spiritual spring water, Chen Suihuan felt her five senses had become much sharper. When a wild chicken clucked nearby, she thought she might actually be able to catch it.

Following the clucking sounds, she quietly approached and quickly found where the wild chicken was—but her heart sank.

The chicken was caught in a trap. It was already someone else’s prey.

Looking at the fat, plump bird, Chen Suihuan swallowed hard, then resolutely turned to leave.

Because meat was rare and expensive, villagers often came up the mountain to set traps. As long as the catch wasn’t excessive, they were allowed to take it home and eat it themselves.

Just as she turned away, Chen Suihuan noticed some movement in the nearby bushes. Judging by the sound, whatever it was, it wasn’t small.

There were wild boars on the mountain this time of year—could the chicken have attracted one?

She immediately gripped her machete and began backing away, eyes warily fixed on the bushes where the sound had come from.

The bushes were pushed aside, and the person who popped out turned out to be Lu Xingyan.

“Why is it you?” When she saw it was Lu Xingyan, Chen Suihuan breathed a sigh of relief, but her brows soon furrowed again.

Lu Xingyan pointed at the wild chicken. “This is a trap I set yesterday. I came today to check and didn’t mean to scare you.”

Chen Suihuan put away her machete and gave a short grunt. “Oh. Well, you said it, so I’ll be going now.”

“Wait. I’ve been on the mountain all day today. I came to check my traps because I was hungry and wanted to see if I caught anything. Luckily, there’s this wild chicken.

There’s a small stream not far from here. Let’s take the chicken over and roast it—what do you say?” Lu Xingyan shook the wild chicken in his hand and smiled at her.

Chen Suihuan shook her head again. “No need. I’ve been up here long enough, it’s time to go back down.”

Since she had no intention of dating Lu Xingyan, it was better not to give him any hope. The less contact they had, the better.

“Your younger brother also joined the army, didn’t he? Where is he stationed?” Lu Xingyan took two steps forward and asked.

A couple of days ago, Chen Suihuan had indeed received a letter from Chen Sui’an, saying he was currently stationed in the military unit in the capital.

Thinking of how Lu Xingyan had also taken the train from the capital, maybe the two were even in the same military district.

Just as she was about to reply, Chen Suihuan suddenly frowned and stared sharply at him. “How do you know my brother joined the army? Did you investigate me?”

Lu Xingyan rubbed his nose. “Didn’t you mention it at the post office before? And then I… accidentally saw your file.”

Chen Suihuan sneered. Something that important—how could he have seen it by accident? He had clearly looked at it on purpose.

“My brother is in the Capital Military District.” Chen Suihuan said after a moment’s hesitation.

Lu Xingyan’s eyes lit up instantly. “Actually, before I went on leave, a few of my subordinates were ordered by the higher-ups to train this batch of new recruits.”

“Maybe your brother is even under my command.” Lu Xingyan said. “Also, I’ll be returning to the military unit in just over twenty days. Do you have anything you’d like to send him? I can bring it for you.”

Chen Suihuan did want to send something to her younger brother, but seeing the obvious ulterior motives in Lu Xingyan’s expression, she still shook her head.

“That’s not necessary. I can mail it directly. No need to trouble you.”

Lu Xingyan responded: “You really are hard to sway, not giving me the slightest bit of leeway. Aren’t you afraid I’ll make things hard for your brother?”

Chen Suihuan let out a light laugh. “You’re a regiment commander, such a high-ranking officer. How could you possibly have it out for a new recruit like my brother? I trust you on that.”

Looking at her smiling face, Lu Xingyan suddenly stepped closer. His eyes locked onto hers with a penetrating gaze, and in the depths of his eyes, there was a chill like a deep pool.

“Really? You trust me. I don’t trust myself.

Let’s go roast that chicken by the creek. If you don’t come, I’ll go back and make life difficult for your brother.”

Chen Suihuan was completely taken aback. She hadn’t expected Lu Xingyan to be this shameless right in front of her.

Watching his back as he walked away, she hesitated for a moment, then finally lifted her feet and followed him.

Out of her sight, a slow, satisfied smile curled at the corners of Lu Xingyan’s mouth.

It seemed Lu Xingyan had come prepared. Not only did he bring a knife, but also seasonings, and he began handling the chicken with practiced ease.

Chen Suihuan watched from the side. At first, she was trying to learn how to kill and prepare a chicken, but after observing for a while, she realized—she really couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Originally focused on the chicken, her attention soon drifted to Lu Xingyan when she lost interest in the bird.

Good-looking things always attracted admiration.

Lu Xingyan was tall, probably around 1.88 meters. Today, he wore a black cloth shirt with the sleeves half-rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms.

Higher up was his side profile—defined and masculine.

Lu Xingyan seemed to sense her gaze. He suddenly looked up and met her eyes. “Satisfied with my looks?”

Chen Suihuan smiled and nodded. “Quite satisfied. Very handsome.”

Lu Xingyan raised an eyebrow. “Handsome? What does that mean?”

“It’s a compliment. It means you look good.”

“Would you be willing to date me? If we start dating, this handsome man will be all yours.”

Chen Suihuan was speechless. She hadn’t expected a military guy from the 1970s to spout such cheesy pickup lines.

Seeing her avert her gaze and clamp her mouth shut like a clam, Lu Xingyan sighed, then took the cleaned chicken, skewered it on a branch, and set it over the fire to roast.

Before long, the rich aroma of roasting meat filled the air, and Chen Suihuan’s stomach gave an audible rumble.

She hadn’t eaten enough at lunch, and now was around the time when people at the Educated Youth Site were having dinner. Smelling the fragrance, Chen Suihuan truly felt hungry.

Lu Xingyan had sharp ears and quickly caught the sound of her stomach growling. He tossed more firewood into the flames to make the fire burn hotter.

“It’s almost done. Just wait a little longer and we can eat.” Lu Xingyan said, offering her a word of comfort.

Sitting across from him, Chen Suihuan gave a short “Oh.” then asked: “Is this mountain dangerous? Are there many wild animals? Wild boars or wolves?”