A social gathering was being held in the auditorium of the Workers’ Cultural Palace in the Huyang District of Anping City. This event was jointly organized by the Anping garrison troops and the textile and garment factories, aiming to address the personal issues of older single soldiers.

However, as soon as the gathering started, Lin Jing found herself alone, hiding behind the auditorium.

It wasn’t that Lin Jing didn’t value this social event, but as soon as she sat down in the auditorium, a female colleague sitting next to her, drinking tea from an enamel mug, splashed tea all over her. The tea poured down her right shoulder, quickly soaking the clothes on her chest. What was worse, she was wearing a white dacron shirt, and the thin, breathable fabric became almost see-through when wet, revealing the color of her skin underneath.

Lin Jing immediately hunched over and, under the cover of her colleagues, left the auditorium and went to a secluded spot in the back. Now, nearly twenty minutes had passed since her colleague went back to borrow clothes for her.

As the sky gradually darkened, Lin Jing couldn’t help but feel a little agitated.

Because of the earlier incident, she was already regretting attending this social gathering and even wanted to leave immediately.

However, before they came, the factory committee member had taken a headcount. Since the event had just started, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to leave without saying goodbye. But returning to the auditorium as she was wasn’t suitable either. Although her clothes had dried, the white shirt was still stained with tea, which was not presentable.

But as time ticked by and her colleague still hadn’t come, Lin Jing had to make a decision. She braced herself and prepared to slip out. However, after taking only two steps, she heard footsteps coming from outside.

Lin Jing’s first reaction was that her colleague had arrived. She stopped and poked her head out, calling, “Ya Lan, you’re finally back.”

As soon as she spoke, Lin Jing paused slightly.

Although the person was backlit, she could tell from the silhouette that it was a man, and he was wearing a military uniform. Clearly, he was a military officer attending the social gathering, not her colleague Fang Ya Lan.

While Lin Jing was stunned, the man stopped, put the cigarette he had taken out back into the cigarette case, tucked the case into his military pocket, and asked, “What are you doing back here?”

Lin Jing stepped out from behind the wall and said, “My clothes got wet.”

Hearing Lin Jing’s words and seeing her white shirt, the man quickly realized what had happened. He turned his head, coughed, and said, “You’re hiding here all alone?”

“My colleague is here too, but she went inside to borrow clothes for me,” Lin Jing honestly explained.

“How long has your colleague been inside?”

“Almost half an hour.”

“Half an hour and she’s not back yet?” The man frowned and turned back to ask, “Your clothes aren’t dry yet?”

“They’re dry, but my clothes were soaked with tea, and there are stains on them.”

Light shone from the windows on the side of the auditorium. Although the light was dim, it was enough for the man to see the stains on her front. He could see them, but after so many years as a soldier, going through mud and rain, he didn’t think these stains were worth hiding behind for half an hour. He didn’t know whether to say she was particular or just too silly.

During his hesitation, his eyes swept to her eyes, almond-shaped, wide open, with clear black and white, revealing a bit of innocence, like the rabbit he had kept a long time ago.

He sighed silently in his heart, took off his military jacket, and handed it to her: “If you don’t mind, you can wear mine first.”

Looking at the clothes being offered, Lin Jing hesitated slightly, but this hesitation didn’t last long. She thanked him softly, reached out and took the clothes, draped them over her shoulders, and pinched the collar, saying, “I’ll go in and tell my colleague, and then come out and return the clothes to you.”

“Okay.”

With the other party’s consent, Lin Jing nodded slightly to him, turned around, and quickly walked around to the front entrance of the auditorium.

The social gatherings now were not quite the same as in earlier years. Before the major movements started, life wasn’t as strictly controlled, and the gatherings were called social dances. It was common for young men and women to dance together. Now, they didn’t dare do that. These “social gatherings” looked more like tea parties, with chairs arranged around the perimeter facing the center, leaving an open space in the middle for performances.

At first, men and women sat separately according to their work units, but as time passed, bolder comrades gradually left their seats and actively sought out young people they liked to talk to. However, the female comrades were more reserved, mostly staying in their original seats, just shifting them so there were more men in military uniforms in between.

After Lin Jing went inside, she walked towards the garment factory’s seating area, craning her neck to look for someone. Before she could find anyone, she was stopped by Wang Aifang, the union cadre, who strode up to her: “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you.”

Although this social gathering was mainly based on individual wishes, and the factory hadn’t set any hard targets, Wang Aifang, who was in charge of the event, naturally hoped that as many people as possible would find matches. In this situation, Wang Aifang couldn’t help but place high hopes on Lin Jing. After all, she was the most beautiful woman in the garment factory, and her chances of success were naturally higher than others. As a result, Lin Jing disappeared as soon as the gathering started, and Wang Aifang couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

Lin Jing was just about to tell her that she was going back when she pulled open the military jacket she was wearing and said, “My clothes got wet.”

Seeing the stains on Lin Jing’s clothes, Wang Aifang frowned slightly. She was about to say, “You’re too careless,” when she heard Lin Jing ask, “By the way, have you seen Fang Ya Lan? She said she was coming in to borrow clothes for me?”

“Fang Ya Lan? I didn’t hear her say anything about borrowing clothes.” Wang Aifang was slightly stunned and reflexively looked up.

Following Wang Aifang’s gaze, Lin Jing saw Fang Ya Lan sitting on the military officers’ side. She was tilting her head, looking at a military officer next to her with a smile. Although she didn’t want to speculate maliciously, considering the cause and effect, Lin Jing couldn’t convince herself that Fang Ya Lan hadn’t done it on purpose. She pursed her lips and said, “My clothes are dirty, so I probably can’t continue to participate in the social gathering.”

Through Lin Jing’s words and the expression on her face, Wang Aifang quickly guessed what had happened, but she was a little incredulous. This wasn’t a one-on-one blind date, and Lin Jing’s participation wouldn’t affect Fang Ya Lan’s marriage prospects, so why would she do that?

But looking at Lin Jing’s face, Wang Aifang felt that it wasn’t impossible. Maybe Fang Ya Lan was just narrow-minded and couldn’t stand someone more outstanding than her participating in the social gathering?

Thinking of this, Wang Aifang couldn’t help but feel a little angry. If this was really Fang Ya Lan’s doing, then she was too despicable. But these were just her personal guesses, and without evidence, she couldn’t do anything to Fang Ya Lan, even if it were true.

Moreover, the most important thing right now was whether Lin Jing would stay or leave. Wang Aifang struggled and said, “Can we borrow a piece of clothing? The social gathering has just started…”

“It might be difficult to borrow clothes.” Lin Jing glanced at her colleagues and said helplessly.

Wang Aifang followed her gaze to the seated colleagues and had to admit that Lin Jing was telling the truth. It was mid-August, and everyone was wearing light clothing. Looking around, no one in the entire auditorium was wearing two layers except for the military officers.

Ah?

Wang Aifang looked at the military jacket Lin Jing was wearing and asked, “Where did you get the clothes you’re wearing?”

Seeing Wang Aifang’s expression, Lin Jing knew she had misunderstood, and quickly explained the cause and effect, finishing by saying, “I just came in to tell you, and I have to return the clothes to him later.”

Hearing Lin Jing say this, Wang Aifang had to give up the idea, sighed, and said, “In that case, you should go back first, but it’s dark outside. Will you be okay alone?”

“It’s okay, it’s not far away anyway, I can go back by myself,” Lin Jing replied.

Wang Aifang nodded: “Then be careful on the way.”

…

Xu Yuanzhou walked around the front of the auditorium and saw Ji Mingjun leaning against the wall, smoking. He walked over and reached out, asking, “I asked you to come here to find a partner, what are you doing hiding here?”

Ji Mingjun took out a cigarette case from his pocket and handed it to him: “It’s too stuffy inside, I came out for some fresh air.”

“Listen to you, there are so many girls inside and you still find it stuffy, no wonder you’ve been single for so many years.” Xu Yuanzhou poured out a cigarette, clamped it between his fingers, and lit it with the cigarette in Ji Mingjun’s hand.

Just as he was about to put the cigarette in his mouth, Xu Yuanzhou realized something was wrong, narrowed his eyes, and asked, “Hey, where are your clothes? Were you wearing your military jacket when you came?”

“I lent it to someone,” Ji Mingjun said indifferently.

“Who did you lend it to?”

Ji Mingjun glanced at Xu Yuanzhou: “Are you the leader or am I the leader? Don’t worry about so much.”

Xu Yuanzhou chuckled, hooked Ji Mingjun’s neck, and said, “Don’t try to scare me with words. The chief said that my most important task today is to keep an eye on you and find a partner. There’s no superior or subordinate in front of the task!” He said with a wicked smile, “The person you lent your clothes to, wouldn’t it be a girl?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard someone behind him ask: “Comrade?”

Hearing the voice, Xu Yuanzhou quickly let go of Ji Mingjun, turned around, and asked with a serious expression: “Hello comrade, is there anything I can do for you?”

Lin Jing saw that he was unfamiliar and hesitated, but soon she saw Ji Mingjun behind Xu Yuanzhou, and quickly raised the clothes in her hand and said, “I’m here to return the clothes.”

Seeing the dark blue military jacket in Lin Jing’s hand, Xu Yuanzhou drawled, “Oh~ here to return the clothes.” As he spoke, he glanced at Ji Mingjun.

But Ji Mingjun was oblivious, extinguished the cigarette, walked past him, took the clothes, and asked, “Did you borrow clothes?”

“It seems like I can’t borrow any.” Lin Jing smiled and said, “I plan to go back now, thank you for tonight.”

Ji Mingjun frowned slightly, but didn’t say anything. Xu Yuanzhou interjected and asked, “The social gathering has just started, and people from your unit are already leaving?”

Lin Jing shook her head and said, “They’re not leaving, I’m going back first.”

“You alone?” After asking, before Lin Jing could answer, Xu Yuanzhou said in a suggestive tone, “It’s getting dark, it’s not safe for a young lady like you to go back alone, right?”

“It’s okay, our unit is nearby,” Lin Jing replied, and it wasn’t too late yet, the streets wouldn’t be empty.

Xu Yuanzhou’s intention was to have Ji Mingjun escort Lin Jing. Seeing him standing there without saying anything, he nudged him with his arm in frustration and said, “Anyway, you have nothing to do tonight, why don’t you escort the female comrade?”

Lin Jing didn’t expect him to say that suddenly, and quickly waved her hand, saying, “No need, no need, I can go back by myself, I have to go.”

After speaking, Lin Jing turned around and walked out, but she had only taken two steps when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned her head slightly and saw that the military officer who had lent her the clothes had already walked to her side and said concisely, “I’ll escort you.”

The same words had different weight when spoken by different people. When the smiling young man said these words, she could refuse because she was afraid of troubling him. But when the person speaking became the young man in front of her, she could no longer refuse, and could only mumble an okay.