When the knocking sounded, Gu Zuozuo was checking Ma Liang's homework from the past few days. Ma Liang, bored while waiting, ran and skipped to open the door.

"Thank you, Uncle Xie!"

Xie Jinyu, wearing gloves, touched his short hair with his large hand, then held up the roe deer that was long dead, his smile bright and relaxed.

"Look what I brought you today?"

"Roe deer meat! Brother Xie, are we going to have roe deer meat to eat?"

Xie Jinyu nodded, her dark eyes gleaming, but then she turned her head... uh...

"What a coincidence, you're here to freeload at Grandma Ma's house too?"

Feeling too embarrassed to look at the man who was lounging cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), twirling a pen in his hand, and giving this man who had suddenly become stuttering a look of disdain, I politely nodded.

"Xiao Xie is here! Come here, let me introduce you. This is Gu Zuozuo, a former educated youth, and this is Xie Jinyu, my grandson's comrade-in-arms."

Comrades?

Wasn't he one of the "Five Black Categories" who were sent down to the countryside?

Thinking of the team stationed on the mountain, and then recalling how they had practically turned the mountain upside down in just half a month, I understood why this man had come here.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you again. My name is Gu Zuozuo."

"Hello, it's nice to see you again. My name is Xie Jinyu."

The atmosphere immediately became awkward. The two people, who were both calm and indifferent, suddenly didn't know how to start a conversation. They felt that if they said one more word, they might die of embarrassment.

Xie Jinyu wanted to scratch his head, but hesitated because of the young girl in front of him, afraid of leaving a bad impression.

He, a man who spends his days in the military, really doesn't know how to get along with girls. He also has older and younger cousins, but those girls are even more fierce than the boys, the kind who will start a fight at the slightest disagreement.

But the woman in front of him was his fiancée, well, his one-sided fiancée. Although his parents had agreed, she hadn't. He couldn't possibly treat her the way he treated his older cousins, could he?

"Zuo Zuo, eat at Grandma Ma's house today. Xiao Xie brought some roe deer meat, and Grandma will show you how to cook it."

When Gu Zuozuo faced Grandma Ma, her eyes softened instinctively, and the aloofness she exuded diminished considerably.

"No need, Grandma, I have to go back as soon as possible, I have things to do."

Even if there's nothing wrong, something has to happen; she doesn't like the way this man looks at her.

Grandma Ma sighed regretfully. She looked at Xie Jinyu's drooping head. If he had a tail, it would probably be drooping down in disappointment. Then she looked at Gu Zuozuo, who looked very awkward. His brows were almost knotted together. It was obvious that he was really uncomfortable.

"Okay, be careful on your way back, and don't go out in this cold weather."

Gu Zuozuo nodded, put on his military overcoat, patted Ma Liang's head, told him to finish the homework he had assigned, put on his hat, and turned to leave.

The snow outside seemed to have intensified, and the north wind howled, carrying snowflakes that stung people's faces. Gu Zuozuo turned around, waved, put on her scarf, and went into the snowstorm, quickly disappearing from sight.

Inside the house, Grandma Ma looked at the man whose very hair seemed to exude loneliness and smiled.

"Xiao Xie, do you know Zuo Zuo?"

Xie Jinyu pursed his lips. He wasn't sure if they could be considered acquaintances. He had lived in the Gu family for two months when he was a child and had also spent two months with Gu Zuozuo. However, judging from her reaction, she seemed to have long forgotten him.

"I don't know him."

He silently tried to cheer himself up, but the more he tried, the more aggrieved he felt. He lowered his eyes, his long, straight eyelashes obscuring the emotions in his phoenix eyes. He had forgotten the little girl who had said she would be his bride when she grew up.