Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Qu Siyu asked intuitively: "Do you have...
He glanced at Su Yan, then turned away and looked behind her: "Comrade, my name is Qin Zhanwu, from the 29th Army. May I invite you to dance with me?"
Su Yan curled her lips awkwardly: "Of course, it's my honor." Su Yan gently placed one hand on his shoulder, and saw that he had one hand on her waist, but it was just a weak lean, as if it was only slightly rubbing against the skin of Su Yan's skirt.
His right hand did not take the initiative to hold Su Yan's hand, and his whole body was very stiff.
Su Yan smiled: "Haven't you ever danced with a girl before?"
Qin Zhanwu held his breath unconsciously, but the fragrance of gardenia seemed to have grown hooks, and even his own breath seemed to have the scent of gardenia. At first he remembered not to stare at the girl, but later he forgot everything.
Su Yan has a small face and fair skin. When she smiles, even her eyes are curved. There is a small mole between her right eyebrow, which makes her look more sad.
Seeing him in a daze, Su Yan couldn't help but laugh: "What did you see? You were stunned?"
Qin Zhanwu finally came to his senses and looked away: "Comrade, I'm not very good at dancing, so let's forget it."
This was the first time Su Yan had seen a man like this: "It doesn't matter, I don't dance well either, let's not look down on each other." After saying that, she took Qin Zhanwu's hand and walked into the center of the dance floor.
When Su Yan was little, her mother enrolled her in countless interest classes, but dance was the only one she studied seriously for seven or eight years. Teaching a student was no problem at all. She patted Qin Zhanwu's shoulder and said, "Relax, don't be nervous!"
Qin Zhanwu retorted: "I'm not nervous, I just can't dance!"
Being so close, the fragrance of the gardenias became even stronger. Qin Zhanwu hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Comrade, I still don't know your name?"
Su Yan said subconsciously: "Su... Oh, my last name is Lu, Lu Yingzi, and I work at the Jiangzhou Machinery Factory."
Qin Zhanwu nodded and continued, "I'm 28 years old, from Jiangxi, and I serve in the 29th Army. I have an older brother, and my parents are also in Jiangxi."
Su Yan looked at him, taking a closer look. Just as Sister Wang had said, he was indeed good-looking, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a slightly thin face. She said, "We're just dancing, there's no need to tell each other about our family situations!" Then she thought again. Lu Yingzi's family situation was too much to bear, so it was better to tell her. "My father and brother died in an accident. My mother was devastated and has been in the hospital for over three months. My sister-in-law has returned to her parents' home, and now the only ones at home are my brother's two children, only five or six years old. It's better for me to tell you about these situations!"
Qin Zhanwu nodded. "Don't worry. With my salary and allowance, I can still afford to raise two more children. The commander of the Third Battalion raised six children and still managed to make a living. Two more children would just be an extra pair of chopsticks."
This sounded helpful, but Su Yan had a feeling that something was wrong. She stopped and frowned: "Comrade Qin, we are just dancing. I will take care of my nephews and nieces myself. You should keep your salary and allowance for yourself! I'm tired and need to rest for a while." After that, she turned around and walked to her seat and sat down.
Qin Zhanwu was confused and chased after him: "It's only been ten minutes, how come you're tired? You don't have the stamina, you need to run five kilometers every day to exercise."
Su Yan rolled his eyes and said unkindly, "Yeah, my physical fitness is too poor to compare to yours!" Perhaps realizing that he had said something wrong, but not knowing that his words were wrong, he stood there for a while before finally saying, "Actually, not exercising is not bad either. Exercise is only fun if you enjoy it. If you're tired, just take a break."
There was a row of tables in front of the rostrum, and at this time there were some printed enamel plates with some melon seeds, peanuts and so on on them. However, it was a difficult time at that time, so they were just put there for show.
Qin Zhanwu walked over, thinking of getting some sunflower seeds and peanuts, when the leader next to the podium immediately stopped him and said, "Zhanwu, that's great! You're usually quiet, but now you've got the most beautiful girl in the room. How's it going? Did it work?"
Qin Zhanwu laughed: "Commander, we only danced for ten minutes and talked for more than ten sentences, and now you ask me if it's successful? Why don't you ask me when I plan to have a baby?"
The division commander burst into laughter and punched Qin Zhanwu. "Why not? When I first entered the city, your sister-in-law was a member of the propaganda team. She played the waist drum at the city gate, and her red silk was swaying beautifully. I fell in love with her at first sight and immediately dismounted to ask her if she would be my wife. If I hadn't asked directly, she would never have become my wife."
Qin Zhanwu tilted his head and chuckled twice: "Commander, your experience is outdated. Times are advancing, and your experience is not suitable for me."
The division commander scolded him, "What do you mean by unsuitable? I think you're just a coward. You're good at fighting and have blood in your veins, but why are you such a coward when it comes to getting married? Last time, that girl from Political Commissar Yang's family fell in love with you, and she wasn't bad looking either, so why didn't you agree?"
Qin Zhanwu turned sideways and saw Su Yan talking to a girl. Su Yan didn't say anything, just listened quietly, a faint smile on her face. She was wearing a light green floral dress that fell to the ground, and a pair of solid-colored high heels. Her toes were tapping, and looking up, he could see her hands, intermittently fastening her shoelaces, her hands next to her ankles. He didn't know what was going on. Everything around him was quiet, and all he could hear was his own heartbeat, thump, thump. The more he listened, the faster it beat.
Qin Zhanwu quickly looked away and replied nonchalantly, "Commander, you have to like your wife before you can marry her. No matter how good the girl from Political Commissar Yang's family is, she is not the same type as me."
The division commander, on the other hand, felt that this remark was in line with his temper and burst into laughter. After he finished laughing, he said, "Okay, this time you should find someone you like and marry him, or you will be punished by military law!"
Qin Zhanwu immediately stood at attention and saluted: "Yes, Commander, I promise to complete the mission!"
Su Yan and Sister Wang inquired about the unusual girl. Her name was Qu Siyu. Her father was an old-fashioned country gentleman who once owned over a thousand acres of land. Neither of her parents worked, and only her two daughters worked as nurses in the hospital. Food was scarce, and the district authorities frequently used her parents as negative examples, criticizing them and making life difficult for them.
Sister Wang shook her head as she spoke, "Don't get too close to her. I saw you talking to her for so long just now. Look around her, is there anyone talking to her that much?"
At the same time, he inquired, "How is it? What does the officer think of you?"
Su Yan shook her head: "Not very good, Sister Wang!"
Sister Wang didn't believe it: "How can it be not good? I just asked around. Qin Zhanwu, the deputy commander of the 29th Army, is only 28 years old. He has high standards and doesn't even like the daughter of a military leader. If he didn't like you, why did he come over to dance with you just now?"
Su Yan said, "Sister Wang, didn't you invite them to come dance? Maybe they didn't want to refuse. You said it yourself, they have high standards." Then she picked up her bag and said, "Sister Wang, I'm really traumatized today, okay? I can't stay any longer, I have to go back. Please tell Dayan, I'll walk back by myself."
After saying that, without waiting for Sister Wang to react, she quickly walked out. Seeing Qu Siyu limping in front, Su Yan walked over and said, "Don't wear shoes if they rub your feet. There are no gravel on the road. Just walk back barefoot!"
Qu Siyu looked at Su Yan, a little surprised: "Why did you come out?"
Su Yan smiled and asked back, "I got out the same way you did!"
After hearing this, Qu Siyu took off her shoes and held them in her hand. As she walked, she said, "I'm sorry. I just thought you came from a landlord family like me. Later I asked and found out I was wrong. I was just dragged here to make up the crowd. No one would want to marry a girl from a landlord family. After we dance once, I can leave. It's the same every time. How did you get out?"
Seeing her speak frankly, Su Yan calmed down a lot, unlike at the beginning. "What's there to be sorry about? Sister Wang from our union is easy to talk to. I'll talk to her and she'll get out."
If you turn right after walking out of the Friendship Hotel, you will see a big river. There is a stone railing on the river bank. Su Yan leaned on it. A full moon hung over the river. She said, "Life is endless from generation to generation, and the moon over the river looks the same every year." I wonder if Su Yan's mother was also looking at the moon at this moment, missing her daughter.
Qu Siyu looked at her for a while and asked, "Are you missing your relatives?"
Su Yan smiled but didn't answer: "I just heard Sister Wang talk about your family. I heard that your family is not having enough food right now?"
Qu Siyu asked instinctively, "Do you have food?"
Su Yan nodded: "I have a little extra, I wonder what you can use to exchange it? I don't want money!"
Qu Siyu didn't doubt whether Su Yan really had food. Even if it was fake, she couldn't help but hope it was true.
She remembered the poem Su Yan had just recited: "Paintings? Do you want them? From the Ming Dynasty?" Keeping those paintings at home would also be a nuisance. One day, people would accuse them of being attached to feudal paintings and calligraphy. And those ancient books, Qu Siyu's mother tried to throw them away several times, but her father went after her and snatched them back every time.
She thought, if she could exchange them for food, her father would probably agree! She could get rid of these unsafe things and exchange them for some food, killing two birds with one stone.
Su Yan thought about it. She didn't know how to authenticate ancient paintings and books, but in this era, there were few fakes. She nodded and said, "Okay?"
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