Perhaps because the atmosphere had been so pleasant, Feng Mingshu naturally followed up with a question.

Zhou Jinshan rubbed his temples and said with a wry smile, "Comrade Feng, you know I'm just a roughneck. I didn't go to school before joining the army. Later, I learned some characters in the army, which was enough for my needs. But when I got to military academy, I not only had to read books, but also write articles and reports. My original little bit of education was no longer enough."

Feng Mingshu understood: "The requirements are different now. You do need to improve your cultural level. You can consult your teacher or a comrade who is more educated."

Zhou Jinshan shook his head: "The teacher is already very busy with classes every day, so I don't want to bother him. As for my comrades, they are all about the same as me."

In the military academy dormitory, Zhai, who had just turned two pages of a book, suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and couldn't help but mutter, "Who's slandering me?"

Lu Xiangqian retorted habitually, "You're just crazy. Go to the infirmary and get checked out."

Zhai Qingping rolled his eyes: "I don't want to go to the infirmary and keep Old Zhou company. He keeps asking me questions whenever he gets the chance, and it annoys me."

"Are you really annoyed or just upset that you think Lao Zhou stole Comrade Feng, whom you also like?" Lu Xiangqian bluntly exposed him.

Zhai Qingping's expression changed: "That's not true, so shut up."

Whether it is or not, you know it in your heart.

"I know very well, but I'm afraid you don't know your own limitations. Come on, let's give it a try."

"Let's give it a try!"

So the two roommates went from bickering to exchanging gestures, which soon attracted cheers from the neighboring dormitories. Some even wanted to join in, so the venue moved from the dorm to the training field, where the atmosphere became lively and energetic.

The bus has only one stop left.

After Zhou Jinshan finished explaining his troubles, he turned to look at the girl beside him and tentatively made a request: "I heard that Comrade Feng is a high school student and is very knowledgeable. I wonder if he could be my tutor?"

The other party's sudden request left Feng Mingshu stunned.

Zhou Jinshan observed her expression and quickly said casually, "My request is a bit presumptuous. It's okay if you don't want to. Don't worry about me. I'll just use some of my eating and sleeping time to study."

Feng Mingshu opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the bus stopped. Zhou Jinshan stood up and turned his head to say, "We've arrived at the station. Get off."

Feng Mingshu realized what was happening and quickly got up and got out of the car.

The nearby streetlights were broken again, and I could only see the dim yellow streetlight in front of the Feng family mansion in the distance, but it couldn't illuminate the road under my feet.

"I'll walk ahead, and you can follow my steps, okay?" the man asked, turning his head slightly. His clear voice seemed to carry a touch of gentleness in the night breeze.

Feng Mingshu doesn't have night blindness, but compared to walking side by side with a man and being able to feel each other's breath, she prefers to walk behind him, so she replied, "Okay."

Seeing that she agreed, Zhou Jinshan started walking forward at a leisurely pace, occasionally looking back to see if she was keeping up. If the distance between them widened, he would stop and wait.

Feng Mingshu had no choice but to follow closer. Ahead was his broad back, which blocked the cold wind from getting through.

She suddenly remembered that when she was a child, she dreamed of having an older brother who could protect her from the wind and rain and help her beat up the naughty boys who pulled her braids.

Looking back now, the image of that brother in my dream was probably similar to the man in front of me.

Just as I was thinking of this, a man's deep voice suddenly came from ahead: "This training will last about three or four months, after which I will return to my post. I don't think I'll have any more opportunities to come to Bincheng in the future."

Feng Mingshu was taken aback upon hearing this, then a sense of melancholy welled up in her heart, and she finally spoke the words she had hesitated to say: "It's not that I'm unwilling to tutor you, but you still need to recover from your injury and attend classes regularly, and it's not appropriate for me to keep going to the military academy to find you..."

Before she could finish speaking, the man in front of her suddenly turned around. Caught off guard, she almost bumped into his arms, but luckily he stepped back in time and raised his hand to steady her.

Seeing that she had regained her footing, Zhou Jinshan withdrew his hand, looked down at her, and said, "Comrade Feng, you don't need to come to the military academy to find me. I have to go to Bincheng Hospital for a follow-up appointment every afternoon, and I should be back by evening. I'll come to your house then..."

We weren't far from the Feng family mansion. A dim light shone from the streetlamp, and Zhou Jinshan, with his sharp eyesight, noticed the subtle changes in the girl's expression. He quickly changed his words: "Let's go somewhere near your house. It won't take up much of your time. I'll write down the questions I don't understand in my studies, and the words I don't recognize, in a notebook. If it's convenient for you, you can take it back and annotate it for me. You can give it back to me when I come the next day."

Upon hearing his approach, Feng Mingshu realized that he genuinely just wanted to find a teacher to improve his cultural level, and that she had been overthinking things.

So she nodded: "Okay, let's meet at that corner tomorrow."

She pointed to a corner not far away, a dead end that was rarely visited.

Zhou Jinshan glanced in that direction, confirmed the location, and asked, "Is 5 PM okay?"

Feng Mingshu nodded: "Okay."

For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw the man's eyes light up, or perhaps it was just her imagination.

Afterwards, Zhou Jinshan escorted her to the gate of the Feng family compound. After watching her enter, he turned and strode away.

The streetlights cast a long shadow of him before it quickly disappeared into the darkness.

"Sister, you're back!" The twins ran happily out of the building to greet her.

In the darkness, Zhou Jinshan saw the light on in the bedroom on the east side of the second floor of the small villa before he started walking back to the bus stop.

Upon returning to the military academy, he immediately took out Zhai Qingping's books and began writing down any unfamiliar characters.

After a good training match, Zhai Qingping and Lu Xiangqian walked back to their dormitory arm in arm. When they saw Zhou Jinshan's posture, Zhai Qingping immediately had a headache: "Old Zhou, why are you arguing with idle books again? Let me tell you in advance, I'm tired tonight and don't have the energy to teach you to read."

Zhou Jinshan looked up, a smile in his eyes: "Thank you for reminding me. I've found a new teacher, so I won't bother you anymore."

Zhai Qingping: "..."

"Old Zhou, who's your new teacher? Take me with you, I want to improve my education too," Lu Xiangqian said with a grin, joining in the fun.

"Get out!"

...

During dinner, Feng Mingshu was reminded by Wang Ma that the twelfth lunar month this year only has twenty-nine days, which means that tomorrow is New Year's Eve.

Not long ago, she made an appointment with Zhou Jinshan to meet the next evening.

Feng Mingshu: "..."