"Hey, Xiao Zou, you're here. Oh my, what did you bring this time?"

Zou Cheng smiled and handed over the meat in his hand: "Brother Shu specifically asked me to buy this. He got a lot of meat coupons last time, but there's nowhere to use them in the army. They'll expire if we don't use them soon. I bought you some pig's head and pork belly."

"Oh, thank you so much. Come in, come in. We'll have dinner here tonight. I'll make braised pork, Zhang Shu loves it. Auntie will make it for you to try."

"No, Aunt Zhou, my mom is waiting for me to come back."

Zou Cheng refused, took the things inside without even drinking a sip of water, and turned around and left through the gate.

Aunt Zhou called after her, but couldn't stop her. She stamped her foot at the top of the stairs: "Hey, you child..."

Zou Cheng went down the stairs and bumped into Xue Fu, who was returning from outside, just as he stepped out of the building.

Xue Fu had just finished lunch when her mother called her to go to the guardhouse outside to get something.

They forgot to take today's newspaper when they came back from outside.

Ji Yazhi told her to take a good look at the format and layout of official documents these days, and to read more newspapers to learn how to write news releases for this time of year.

Ji Yazhi works at Haicheng Daily. Besides Haicheng Daily, she also inquired at several other newspapers for temporary jobs for Xue Fu. She decided to give them all a try and go wherever she could get the job.

Xue Fu received today's Haicheng Daily, as well as several other newspapers, such as Southern Weekly, Today Haicheng, and so on.

On the way back, she spotted him before Zou Cheng did.

She was surprised at first, then greeted him with a smile: "Hi, are you Comrade Zoucheng? What a coincidence."

Having met just two days ago, Xue Fu naturally still remembered his name.

"It's you!" Zou Cheng's eyes flickered as he stared at Xue Fu with surprise and delight. "What are you doing here, Comrade Xue Fu?"

Knowing deep down that opportunity knocks but once, Zou Cheng didn't let it slip by this time. He decisively inquired, "Do you live around here?"

His biggest thought was, what a coincidence!

They are so destined to be together.

He must cherish this connection.

Even God is playing matchmaker for him!

At this moment, Zoucheng, a materialist, began to believe in destiny and fate in marriage.

He instinctively moved closer and stared directly at her, his eyes locked on her.

His gaze didn't look away, and he expressed his affection for her rather bluntly.

Xue Fu tightened her body almost imperceptibly, clenched her hands, and avoided his burning gaze.

She wore a polite smile, but realized something and felt a little helpless.

"Yes, that's right. And you, what brings you here?"

Zou Cheng grinned and frankly explained the 'coincidence': "My comrade's home is here. He has a mission this year and can't take leave to go home, so he asked me to come and check on him."

Xue Fu's heart skipped a beat, her eyelids twitched, and she had a guess in her mind.

No, this is too much of a coincidence.

Among the people in the Xue family building who are the same age as Xue Fu or a little older, it seems that only the Zhang family downstairs has joined the army.

I haven't heard of anything else.

Xue Fu swallowed hard, chuckled twice, and didn't follow up on Zou Cheng's question, nor did she ask what his 'comrade-in-arms' was.

She laughed it off, ready to skip the topic and say goodbye to him.

"Oh, what a coincidence. I'll go first then..."

Got up...

Before she could finish speaking, Zou Cheng interrupted her.

He was being extremely enthusiastic at that moment.

Like a traveler who sees an oasis in the desert, they have no time to distinguish whether what appears before them is a real oasis or a mirage.

"My comrade-in-arms is named Zhang Shu, you know him, right?" Zou Cheng thought. They lived in the same building, so they should know each other, right?

What if it's someone you know?

That would be even better!

If Xue Fu and Zhang Shu were on good terms, he would have gone to Zhang Shu to ask for information as soon as he returned to the army. They're buddies, so what's wrong with helping him find a wife?!

At this moment, Zou Cheng was having a wonderful time, and the smile on his face grew even brighter. He became quite carefree, not noticing that Xue Fu's expression stiffened for a moment after he asked the question.

Xue Fu felt as if she had a fishbone stuck in her throat, and didn't know how to respond.

Tell him that she knows him, or that he was her previous blind date?

That's so embarrassing.

But to say I don't know him would be a lie.

Xue Fu was speechless and helpless, thinking that Zou Cheng was too good at asking questions; leaving people speechless was a kind of talent.

However, Xue Fu understood, because Zou Cheng knew nothing about it.

Ignorance is no excuse.

She sighed and answered the question: "We know each other, but we're not very close."

To avoid him saying anything more embarrassing, Xue Fu quickly said, "I have to go upstairs. My mother is waiting for me to give her the things."

She waved the rolled-up newspaper in her hand, then raised her other hand and waved at him: "Goodbye! Oh, and Happy New Year!"

After she finished speaking, she saw Zou Cheng subconsciously raise his hand and wave as well, his face still smiling. She breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and went upstairs.

As Xue Fu climbed the stairs, she prayed that there would never be a next time they met.

She understood as soon as she saw Zou Cheng's expression.

This person must have feelings for her.

Her damn luck with women.

Xue Fu silently began to admire herself.

However, she also hopes for fewer romantic encounters. Ideally, none at all.

She's already chosen her own big tree from that vast forest! She can't possibly hang herself on two trees at once!

Zou Cheng watched Xue Fu leave from where he stood, and she never turned back to look at him once.

It's a bit of a pity about Zoucheng; he should have gotten his contact information.

He didn't have much time left, so he couldn't just squat downstairs and wait to run into her again.

He scratched his brow and looked up at the clear, cloudless sky.

Fortunately, fate intervened and gave him guidance, ensuring that this connection would not be severed.

His good comrade-in-arms and good friend, Zhang Shu and Xue Fu, have lived in the same building since they were children, so they know each other!

Once he returns to his unit, he'll go and ask Zhang Shu about it!

Zou Cheng chuckled to himself twice, feeling quite pleased with himself, and returned home with a smile on his face.

On New Year's Eve, Xue Fu started cleaning the house early in the morning with her parents.

Although we had already cleaned it once a couple of days ago, we cleaned it thoroughly again on New Year's Eve. We swept, wiped, and mopped everything inside and out, and the tables, chairs, and windows were all sparkling clean!

It looks like a new home.

The couplets were also put up, and Ji Yazhi even brought back two red lanterns from the newspaper office, saying they were New Year's gifts from the newspaper.

Xue Mingcheng's workplace received two rounds of firecrackers, and he can set off one round of firecrackers during the New Year's Eve dinner today.

Once midnight on New Year's Eve, the new year begins, and another round of firecrackers is set off.

After cleaning the house, Xue Mingcheng put on an apron, held a spatula in one hand and tossed the wok with the other, and in two hours prepared a table full of delicious dishes.

Their family doesn't have that luxury; they don't have a TV and can't watch the Spring Festival Gala.

However, this had no impact whatsoever, and the family of three remained as lively as ever.

The three of them sat around the table, chatting occasionally, clinking glasses to exchange blessings over tea instead of wine, and that's how the New Year passed.

Xue Fu had some reflections before falling asleep.