Chapter 86.4

Shu Xue didn’t expect him to say this so directly and pressed her lips together without responding.

Seeing this, Chen Yao continued, “Did my behavior scare you that day when Commander Lu and I came to fetch the bride?”

He had also recalled their first meeting over the past few days, where he had kicked open the dormitory door in front of Shu Xue. Indeed, his first impression might not have been very good.

Shu Xue looked down at her feet, thought for a while, and added, “And impolite.”

Chen Yao: ???

Shu Xue continued, “You kept staring at me during the meal.”

Chen Yao: …

He rubbed his face and smiled sheepishly, “I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Shu Xue wanted to retort: You still think there will be a future?

But she didn’t say it out loud. Instead, she heard Chen Yao say, “Do you have time at noon? I’d like to treat you to a meal at the Red Star Hotel. Don’t rush to refuse. Let’s have a meal and get to know each other better. If you still think I’m not suitable, I promise I won’t bother you again.”

His straightforwardness made it difficult for Shu Xue to refuse.

She glanced at Jiang Nian, who smiled back at her, then at Commander Lu, who looked calm. Finally, she looked at Chen Yao, who was still smiling, though she could see his smile was becoming strained. So, she nodded, “Alright.”

Chen Yao visibly relaxed, “I’ll come to pick you up at noon then.”

He quickly turned and ran off, as if afraid she would change her mind.

Chen Yao went to find Lu Yu, and Jiang Nian accompanied Shu Xue back into the embroidery shop. Shu Xue told Jiang Nian about her conversation with Chen Yao, and Jiang Nian reassured her with a smile, “It’s alright. I can vouch for Chen Yao’s character.”

The conversation between Shu Xue and Chen Yao outside the shop was overheard by Su Na and Jia Yuan. When Shu Xue came back in, they started teasing her. Jia Yuan said, “Captain Chen seems nice. You can give it a try.”

Yu Xia added, “Captain Chen is an officer in the military. That’s a rare find. You should seize the opportunity.”

Su Na sighed, “It’s a pity I’m already married. Otherwise, I would have asked Jiang Nian to introduce me to a soldier. Having a soldier as a husband is wonderful.”

Everyone chimed in, making Shu Xue feel embarrassed. Initially, she had a bad impression of Chen Yao, but under their influence, she began to look forward to meeting him at noon. However, she was still too nervous to meet him alone and asked Jiang Nian and Lu Yu to accompany her. Finally, Jiang Nian and Lu Yu bought tickets for a six o’clock train and agreed to join them for lunch.

Jiang Nian originally planned to visit Ning Xiu, but Su Na told her that Ji Xiaoting had taken Ning Xiu out with a drawing board early in the morning. Su Na also mentioned that Ning Xiu had called her “aunt” the previous night. Hearing this, Jiang Nian felt that meeting Ji Xiaoting was the biggest opportunity in Ning Xiu’s life.

At noon, Lu Yu and Chen Yao came to pick up Jiang Nian and Shu Xue, and they went to the Red Star Hotel together.

Chen Yao chose a small booth by the window. Jiang Nian sat next to Lu Yu as soon as they entered, leaving Shu Xue no choice but to sit next to Chen Yao. Chen Yao first asked Jiang Nian what she wanted to eat, then turned to Shu Xue and, in a gentle voice, asked, “What would you like to eat?”

Jiang Nian lowered her head to drink water, suppressing a smile. It was the first time she had seen Chen Yao so reserved.

Moreover, she noticed that Chen Yao was much more careful and gentle in his speech. As Lu Yu’s hand covered hers under the table, squeezing her fingers, Jiang Nian looked up at Lu Yu, who had a smile in his eyes. She realized that Lu Yu was genuinely happy for Chen Yao.

During the meal, Chen Yao observed Lu Yu picking out fish bones for Jiang Nian and serving her food. He tried to do the same for Shu Xue, quickly piling up her bowl with food.

Shu Xue: …

Seeing that Chen Yao was about to give her more food, Shu Xue quickly waved her hand, blushing with embarrassment, “I can’t eat that much. It’s too much.”

Jiang Nian lowered her head to laugh, almost choking. Lu Yu whispered, “Slow down.”

Shu Xue felt this was the most filling meal she had ever had. When they left the Red Star Hotel, she felt stuffed. Her initial prejudice against Chen Yao had disappeared, and she no longer thought he was so fierce. After lunch, Jiang Nian and Lu Yu left to visit the department store to buy some local specialties for Zhang Xiao, while Chen Yao took Shu Xue back.

It was rush hour, and the streets were crowded.

Chen Yao glanced at Shu Xue and cleared his throat, “Shu Xue, can we get to know each other better?”

Shu Xue stopped, looking at their shadows on the ground. After a while, she nodded lightly, “Okay.”

Chen Yao was overjoyed and, seeing a vendor selling cold soda, ran over to buy two bottles, handing one to Shu Xue, “Have a drink.”

“Thank you.”

When Shu Xue reached out to take the soda, her fingers accidentally brushed against the back of Chen Yao’s hand. Blushing, she quickly grabbed the soda and turned to look ahead, her cheeks turning rosy. Chen Yao’s ears also turned red as he rubbed his fingers together, then took a big gulp of the cold soda, feeling somewhat better.

As they reached the embroidery shop, Chen Yao said, “I’ll call you when I have some free time. I have the whole day off next Sunday, so I’ll come by the embroidery shop then.”

Shu Xue softly replied, “Okay.”

Chen Yao smiled, “You can go in now. I’ll head back to the base.”

He then waved at the few people peering from the window and walked away briskly.

Shu Xue was momentarily stunned. When she turned around, she saw Su Na and the others grinning at her from the window. Blushing, she entered the shop, where Su Na, Jia Yuan, and Fan Shan gathered around, asking how her conversation with Chen Yao went. The embroidery shop soon filled with cheerful laughter.

At six in the evening, Lu Yu and Jiang Nian boarded the train.

Lu Yu had bought two sleeper tickets. As soon as they got on the train, he told Jiang Nian to lie down and rest. He took his military thermos to fetch hot water. After a while, a young couple with a baby boarded the train. The woman looked at the lower berths on both sides, then at the sleeping Jiang Nian. She tugged at her husband’s hand and said, “Why don’t you ask?”

The man replied, “Let’s wait a bit. She’s sleeping. We’ll ask when she wakes up.”

He placed a burlap bag on the rack by the side of the carriage, put the valuable items on his body, and then returned to the carriage, taking the baby from his wife’s arms. “You go up first,” he said.

The baby, separated from its mother, started crying loudly, waking the drowsy Jiang Nian. She opened her eyes to see the woman climbing onto the upper berth and the man soothing the crying baby. She got up and said, “Let’s switch places. You can sleep here.”

The couple was taken aback. The man quickly thanked Jiang Nian, and the woman, halfway up, jumped down happily, “Thank you so much, comrade.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “It’s nothing.”

She picked up her small cloth bag and sat on Lu Yu’s berth. The woman sat in Jiang Nian’s original spot, feeding the hungry baby discreetly by the window.

Jiang Nian turned her head just in time to see Lu Yu returning with the thermos. She was about to call out to him when he averted his gaze, placed the thermos down, and said to her, “I’ll sit in the corridor for a while.”

With that, he left.

Once the baby was fed and asleep, Jiang Nian called out, “Lu Yu.”

Lu Yu returned, and the couple gratefully thanked him. The man smiled, “Comrade, thank you.”

Lu Yu replied, “It’s nothing.”

The baby, full and no longer crying, turned to look at Jiang Nian with big, round eyes and smiled. Jiang Nian bent down to tease the baby, who giggled, revealing four tiny teeth, looking extremely cute. Jiang Nian’s heart melted.

She thought of Li Fangda and Wu Ying’s child, who had lost their parents at a young age, and wondered what the future held for them.

The woman noticed Jiang Nian staring at the baby and glanced at Lu Yu. She smiled and asked, “Are you newlyweds?”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Yes.”

The woman asked again, “What do you do?”

Judging by their clothes, the couple seemed to work in the city. The woman’s husband handed her a corn pancake to snack on while Jiang Nian replied, “I work at an embroidery shop. My husband is a soldier.”

Hearing the word “husband,” Lu Yu turned to look at Jiang Nian. It was the first time he had heard her refer to him as such, and it felt different from anyone else saying it.

The woman across from them, chewing on her corn pancake, said, “An embroidery shop, huh? There’s an embroidery shop not far from our factory. The director of the shop often visits us to inspect the embroidery cloth. Do you know Director Ge? She used to come to our textile factory often. Everyone liked her. They thought she was very easy to get along with. But ever since Director Peng took over, every visit feels like we’re working under her cold gaze. No one likes her.”

Jiang Nian hadn’t expected such a coincidence, meeting someone familiar with the same embroidery shop. She nodded, “I know both directors. Director Ge was transferred to Yuan City, and Director Peng is now in charge.”

The woman felt a sense of camaraderie, considering them acquaintances, and shared some funny and interesting stories from her factory. She mentioned a major scandal involving their factory’s director, Director Sun. “A few months ago, Director Sun’s family was involved in a huge scandal, and he was dismissed from his position.”

Jiang Nian knew him. Sun Chao, the director of the textile factory, was Sun Ying’s father.

She glanced at Lu Yu, who was pouring some water into the lid of the thermos, and handed it to her. Jiang Nian took the lid and smiled, listening as the woman continued to talk about the scandal in Director Sun’s family.