Chapter 5

“Comrade…”

The sentry called out as he saw Song Chunzhi shove something into his hands and then turn to run. He quickly called after her, worried that if Company Commander Gu refused to accept it, he would have to return it. But instead of stopping, his voice only made Song Chunzhi run faster. Helpless, he glanced at his comrade nearby, who was watching with a teasing look in his eyes, and carried the items into the station.

Gu Huaishan had just finished the day’s training. His sharp and aloof face showed signs of impatience. Sweat had soaked through his uniform, leaving him thoroughly uncomfortable. He was about to head to the bathhouse when he heard someone call out. Turning his head, he saw Sentry Xiao Tian running toward him, a lunch tin in his hands and an anxious look on his face.

“Commander Gu, I finally found you!”

Xiao Tian reached him, took a moment to catch his breath, and held out the aluminum lunch box along with a blue handkerchief wrapped around a couple of eggs. “Commander Gu, someone asked me to deliver this to you. Please take it.”

“For me?”

Gu Huaishan eyed the items suspiciously. Who would send him food and a handkerchief? The handkerchief clearly belonged to a woman. He had only just arrived and didn’t know any women here. Besides, accepting such a thing would be inappropriate. He looked at Xiao Tian and asked, “Are you sure you’ve got the right person?”

“No mistake.”

Seeing his hesitation, Xiao Tian quickly pushed the items into Gu Huaishan’s arms with a grin. “She mentioned your name specifically: said it was for Commander Gu Huaishan. No way it’s wrong. Please take it. I’ve got to deliver something to the leadership now.”

“Do you know who sent it?”

Gu Huaishan grew even more puzzled. He continued to resist taking the items. He couldn’t accept anything from an unknown source. If there was any potential risk, it would cause a lot of trouble.

“It’s that pretty young woman you rescued on the mountain this morning. Don’t you remember? Word of you killing that wild boar has spread all over camp. Everyone’s looking forward to some meat in tonight’s meal.”

Xiao Tian explained when he saw that Gu Huaishan still refused to take it. “She said it was to thank you for saving her life.”

“Her?”

At those words, Gu Huaishan immediately recalled the scrawny, disheveled girl he had rescued on the mountain. His wariness faded slightly, but he still told Xiao Tian, “Take it back to her. Just tell her I appreciate the gesture, but I can’t accept it.”

“She already left a while ago. The food’s here now, and I need to get to the office.”

Xiao Tian didn’t linger. He shoved the items into Gu Huaishan’s arms and left in a flash. There would be meat at dinner tonight, and he didn’t want to waste time. But honestly, the soup in that box smelled amazing. Looked like Commander Gu was in for a treat.

Left with no choice but to catch the items before they dropped, Gu Huaishan accepted them. He stared at the lunch tin and the blue handkerchief, his usually cold features looking rather helpless. Just as he was wondering what to do with the food, a hand reached from behind and snatched the lunch box. He turned quickly to grab it back and saw that it was Ma Xiangfeng.

“Commander Gu, so this is what Xiao Tian was delivering to you? I saw you two talking for a while.”

As Ma Xiangfeng spoke, he opened the lunch box. A rich aroma wafted out, and he took a deep sniff. “Commander, this soup smells amazing. Who sent it? Let me have a bowl, will you?”

The savory scent drifted to Gu Huaishan’s nose. He froze for a second, then snatched the lunch box back and shut the lid with a snap. He shot Ma Xiangfeng a sharp glare and said coldly, “Did I say you could touch it?”

He then opened the blue handkerchief in his hand. Inside were two perfectly white boiled eggs, still warm. His lips involuntarily curved upward. That scrawny little girl actually brought him eggs.

“Boiled eggs too? Come on, Commander, give me one. I followed you up that mountain this morning and nearly passed out. I could really use a little boost.”

Ma Xiangfeng joked around. Though Commander Gu had only been here for a few days, the battalion leader had tasked Ma with helping him get familiar with the base, so naturally he was working on building rapport.

“She brought it. I just don’t know what to do with it.”

Gu Huaishan knew Ma Xiangfeng had a casual personality, so he didn’t take offense at the teasing. Still, his stern face looked a bit troubled. Technically, he ought to return everything to Song Chunzhi, but he had no idea where she’d gone.

When Ma Xiangfeng heard it was from the girl who had been rescued, his eyes lit up. “Then you should definitely eat it. It’s summer; this stuff won’t keep. By the time you track her down, it’ll have spoiled. If you feel bad, just trade something back next time.”

Just thinking about the smell made him swallow hard.

“Take this to the comrades who got injured yesterday. Share it among them.”

Gu Huaishan handed the lunch box to Ma Xiangfeng with a brief order.

That wild boar looked big, but when divided up, there wouldn’t be much meat for everyone. The sick needed the nutrition. Mushroom and egg noodle soup was perfect. He even gave both boiled eggs to Ma Xiangfeng. The blue handkerchief, however, he folded and tucked into the chest pocket of his uniform.

“Commander, I was just kidding. You should eat it yourself. The canteen has eggs too, you know.”

Gu Huaishan’s words made Ma Xiangfeng freeze. When Gu handed him the eggs, he quickly refused. Those were clearly a token of gratitude from the girl to Commander Gu. It was one thing to give the soup to the injured soldiers, but the eggs should be kept for the commander.

The golden afterglow of sunset spread across the land, and crimson clouds painted the horizon. Song Chunzhi walked along the path back home. Though the injury on her leg slowed her steps, her face carried a contented smile. She had no idea about the storm brewing at the Song household.

As soon as Zhao Wanmiao returned from work, she was clung to by Song Chunhua, who burst into tears. The moment Zhao saw Chunhua’s face clearly, she panicked and, heart aching, asked with concern:

“Chunhua, didn’t you go to the county? What happened to your face? Who hit you? Tell Mom! How dare someone lay a hand on my daughter? I’ll rip them apart!”

“It was Song Chunzhi!”

Hearing Zhao Wanmiao’s concern, Song Chunhua’s tears flowed freely. She cried and complained in a choked and pitiful voice, “Song Chunzhi not only beat me up, she also took a bunch of my clothes and forced me to sleep in her room. There’s nothing in there, not even a proper bed. Mom, I don’t want to sleep in that place. I don’t want to…”

She tilted her head to better show the bruises on her face, hoping Zhao Wanmiao would feel even more distressed and give her money for medicine. But when she saw Zhao Wanmiao’s own face, she froze. Both of Zhao’s cheeks were red and swollen with slap marks.

“Mom, your face… who hit you?” She regretted the question as soon as it left her mouth.

Who else in this house but their father, Song Xingguo, could’ve done that? Though their grandmother also bullied their mom, it was usually verbal or emotional. She didn’t hit her. The thought of Song Xingguo’s violent temper made Chunhua shudder.

“I’m fine.”

Zhao Wanmiao patted Chunhua’s head with deep affection in her eyes. Her precious daughter had suffered too much. After being mocked all afternoon for her own injuries, she then found out that Song Chunzhi had dared to steal her sweet daughter’s clothes and room. Her anger flared instantly, and she shouted:

“She’s gone too far! She dared to hit you and steal your things? Just wait and see how I deal with her. I won’t let you stay in that shabby room. Not my precious girl!”

Seeing her mother’s rising fury, Song Chunhua was inwardly delighted. She wanted Song Chunzhi to suffer a hundred times worse than she had.

She had never been humiliated like this before and would never let it slide. She would take all of Chunzhi’s labor points for this year, and even next year, to exchange for clothes and good food as compensation. She even exaggerated and claimed that Chunzhi had stolen food as well.

“What?!”

Zhao Wanmiao immediately let go of Chunhua and stormed into the kitchen, only to find it a mess.

Used bowls and chopsticks had been tossed casually on the counter. The pot lid was on the floor, and the wok on the stove had crusted over from dried soup. She trembled with rage. When she checked the bamboo basket and found six eggs missing, she nearly exploded.

Six eggs! How dare she?

“Mom, Song Chunzhi’s back.”

Originally planning to ask Zhao Wanmiao for money to buy medicine while no one else was home, Song Chunhua quickly alerted her when she saw Chunzhi slowly entering the house. With everything Chunzhi had done, if she didn’t get her legs broken today, she’d at least be beaten until she was black and blue. Chunhua’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “You better teach her a lesson, or she’ll keep pushing next time.”

Song Chunzhi gave Chunhua a glance: her face red and swollen, gloating shamelessly like a villain savoring victory. She looked nothing like the kind, gentle heroine described in the book. Clearly, not everything written in that novel was true.

Just then, Zhao Wanmiao charged at her with a fierce look, holding a fire poker. Chunzhi met her glare with icy calm and casually remarked, “Mom, what are you doing with the fire poker? It’s not going to move on its own. Is dinner ready? It’s getting dark. Dad will be home soon.”

“Of course I’m going to hit you!” Zhao snapped.

Chunhua was a bit surprised that Chunzhi didn’t flinch as she used to. Still, she grinned, thinking about the many times Chunzhi had been beaten bloody in the past.

“You… You took Chunhua’s clothes and her room? Give them back now, and I won’t press charges.”

Zhao Wanmiao suddenly hesitated. The scene from the kitchen earlier flashed through her mind. She threw the fire poker aside and looked at Song Chunzhi’s face; it was nothing like the pale, ghostly expression she’d seen at noon. But deep down, fear gnawed at her. After all, when the haunting happened in the kitchen, Chunzhi hadn’t even been there.

She tried to stay calm and muttered her demand.

Chunhua, still expecting to see Chunzhi get whipped, immediately grew upset.

“Mom, how could you let her off like this? You should beat her to death!” She picked up the fire poker from the floor and tried to shove it back into her mother’s hands, but was suddenly pushed away by Zhao Wanmiao, leaving her stunned.

“Take it away! Hurry, get it away…”

Zhao Wanmiao shoved the person next to her and babbled incoherently. Her legs trembled violently as images of the “haunted” kitchen flashed through her mind. Then, just as she saw Chunzhi reaching for her ear, she collapsed to the ground in fright.

Waving her arms wildly, she screamed, “Stay back! Stay away! Don’t come near me!”

“Mom, what’s wrong with you?!”

Even Chunhua snapped out of her daze. She rushed over to help Zhao Wanmiao and shouted at Chunzhi, “Are you blind? Can’t you see Mom fell down? Hurry up and help her!”

Chunzhi rolled her eyes at Chunhua and walked toward Zhao Wanmiao, only to see her mother panic even more. Zhao immediately scrambled backward across the floor, screaming louder than ever.

“Don’t come any closer! Stay away from me! Ahhh!”

“What now? You’re screaming so loud they can probably hear you two miles away! Aren’t you ashamed?!”

Song Xingguo entered the house, grumbling. But when he saw Zhao Wanmiao thrashing around on the floor with Song Chunzhi and Song Chunhua standing nearby, his fists clenched. He was already exhausted from work, and now he couldn’t even have a moment of peace at home.