"It's nothing, I just... I just miss home."
Jiang Wanqing sniffed and made up an excuse to brush it off. She didn't want to reveal her sentimentality about the kindness others showed her, because in this era, human relationships are easily exploited.
"I'll find some time in a couple of days to go back with you," Cheng Ran replied, bending down to put down the towel.
"Okay, I'm going to take a shower now."
"Um."
Cheng Ran sat in the living room listening to the radio, but he could still hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. It was a strange feeling.
The sound of the radio couldn't drown out the sound of the flowing water. He was used to being alone, and now that there was someone else around, he couldn't help but feel distracted.
He found something to do: he unwrapped the gifts that everyone had given him on the table.
The first box he opened was the one from Hung Hing. Inside was a small bottle and a string of English words that he didn't recognize, but it looked like alcohol.
Drinking alcohol is prohibited in the military, but... he hesitated, thinking that a small sip wouldn't hurt.
This wine was surprisingly good; it wasn't as strong as baijiu, but had a hint of sweetness. Cheng Ran was persuaded to drink almost half a bottle, even though he was only supposed to take one sip.
Twenty minutes later, the sound of running water in the shower room stopped, and a while later Jiang Wanqing came out, carrying a bit of dampness.
The pajamas were a little too big for her, and her hair was damp at the ends. Standing in front of him, she looked rather pitiful.
"Comrade Cheng, do you have any slippers left?"
He came to his senses and saw that she was barefoot, so he took a new pair of shoes from the shoe cabinet and gave them to her.
The moment he leaned closer to her, she smelled the sweet scent of alcohol on him. As he lowered his head, she asked a question.
"Have you been drinking?"
"Yeah, it was a gift from Hung Hing and my brothers. I drank some, but it shouldn't have any alcohol content."
Is that so? Jiang Wanqing's eyes were slightly amused. This wine smelled unusual to her. She glanced at the bottle on the table, where the English text indicated it was for entertainment purposes.
"Then I hope you get a good night's sleep."
She slipped on her slippers and nimbly slipped into the room like a rabbit. Even the serious man couldn't help but be charmed by her liveliness.
For some reason, his head felt a little stuffy and hot. He closed his eyes, shook himself, unbuttoned two buttons, turned off the light, and went to sleep.
His large body was curled up in the small sofa. It would be a lie to say he wasn't uncomfortable. In the middle of the night, even with a thin blanket, he was still hot. Half asleep, he simply took off his shirt and slept with his back open.
Jiang Wanqing wasn't sound asleep. Hearing rustling sounds outside, she opened her eyes, got up, and went out to check, worried that something might have happened to him.
As soon as I came out, I saw a rather savory scene on the sofa!
The night was hazy, and moonlight streamed in through the window, revealing Cheng Ran's well-endowed figure.
He seemed unwell, his breathing was a little labored, and the alcohol had indeed taken effect. She sighed softly and squeezed a cold towel to cool him down.
She crouched down beside him, and just as she placed the towel on his forehead, he suddenly woke up and grabbed her hand.
"who!"
It is in a soldier's nature to remain vigilant even in his sleep. However, Jiang Wanqing was quite frightened by him and was pulled forward by his weight, supporting herself on his chest with her hands.
"It's...it's me." She swallowed hard. "I guessed you were feeling unwell, so I came out to see you."
How did you know?
"Hmm...didn't you read the English on the label before you drank it? This wine has that kind of effect."
Cheng Ranmei's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly opened her eyes wide: "You know English?"
"Have you forgotten what my grandma used to do? She taught me some things."
Of course, she wouldn't say that she was reborn; she could only use her grandmother as a cover. But her grandmother was indeed a top student of this era, so it wasn't surprising that she had some knowledge that others didn't.
Cheng Ran sat up from the sofa, and Jiang Wanqing's hand slid down. She was so focused on observing his condition that she forgot her hand was still on his body. She felt the sudden change in the temperature of her palm and quickly pulled it back.
It's just a bit of a shame about the feel of it...
"Cough cough... I'm going to get some cold water."
As he got up to pour water, something occurred to him, and he excitedly asked her, "You just said you understand English?"
“Yes, how come…” She blinked and immediately explained, “I absolutely didn’t have any other intentions!”
Given the special circumstances and location, her ability to do things that others don't might not be entirely a good thing; she might be misunderstood. Therefore, she hurriedly explained herself.
"That's not what I meant, don't worry. I just wanted to ask how much you know?"
After drinking a glass of cold water and having other topics to distract him, Cheng Ran felt his temperature drop a bit.
Jiang Wanqing's eyes darted around. Her intuition told her that saying she knew a lot would sound like bragging, while saying she didn't know much might mean she would miss some opportunities.
"Why don't you test me?"
She smiled confidently at him, knowing that in her previous life she had helped Yuan Zhong publish in many international journals, and that mere English was nothing compared to the dry and difficult experimental data.
Cheng Ran held the empty cup in his hand, squinted his eyes as if considering something, and nodded a few seconds later.
"Wait a minute."
He went to the room, took out a booklet, and handed it to her.
This is the instruction manual for imported equipment from a state-owned factory several years ago. It took a lot of effort to find someone to translate it, but even so, the machine was still not easy to use and is now gathering dust in the warehouse.
"This is very simple, this is the instruction manual." She recognized it at a glance just by looking at the yellowed words on the cover.
A look of surprise flashed in Cheng Ran's eyes, and he unconsciously sat down next to her.
"continue."
"oh."
She carefully unfolded the brittle paper, reading sentence by sentence, just like speaking her native language. Her fluency and clarity of meaning were superb!
Cheng Ran's surprise gradually turned into shock, and finally into joy and excitement. He had also studied this booklet in his spare time by looking it up in the dictionary, but after so many years he only had a superficial understanding of it. He didn't expect her to finish it so quickly, and he immediately grabbed her hand.
"Comrade Wanqing, you're amazing! You've solved a huge problem!"
His palm was large enough to envelop her slender hand, and Jiang Wanqing's ears burned.
"Is...is that so? Actually, I have more, if you need it," she tentatively asked.
Her talents shouldn't be wasted, but fully utilizing them can't be done in just a few words. He should plan things out for her after they get married.
He sighed and said, "Go to sleep first."
She bit her lower lip and looked down. He paused in confusion, then realized that he had been holding her hand for a while. He quickly let go and moved to the side.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, Comrade Wanqing..."
"Stop calling me 'Comrade Wanqing' all the time. Just call me Wanqing. Do you want us to keep calling each other so formally after we get married? I don't want my husband to only see me as a comrade-in-arms."
Cheng Ran's lips twitched, his heartstrings were touched, and the violent heartbeat that had been suppressed began to fluctuate again. His fingers clenched white from restraint.
"Wanqing." His voice was slightly hoarse.
"Cheng Ran."
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