The auntie in charge of cooking glanced at her, then continued with her work without looking up. "That's all. Today's meal is for the heroes."
"Are you trying to starve us by not giving us food?" A hint of resentment flashed in Wang Zhizhi's eyes as she raised her voice, "I'll tell everyone that the Heilongjiang Provincial Military Command mistreats people, not even giving them a full meal!"
"Alright, alright, give her some." Another auntie next to her waved her hand impatiently, as if dismissing a beggar, and pulled out two leftover dark-colored steamed buns from yesterday, throwing them onto her counter with a clatter. "On such a holiday, what bad luck!"
"You've gone too far!" Wang Zhizhi said angrily, her eyes reddening.
Even when she was looked down upon before, at least she could have a hot, proper meal. But now, everyone else is inside gnawing on ribs and chewing on braised pork belly, their mouths dripping with oil, while she's only allowed to eat hard, leftover steamed buns. Why?
"We're still military personnel! Whatever they eat, we should eat too!"
The auntie completely lost her patience, shoving the spoon into the pot. "This meat was bought with Comrade Xu's own money! He said everyone in the army can eat it, except you and Li Xingzhou! You're not happy about it? Go argue with the political commissar, don't cause trouble here!"
Wang Zhizhi clutched the frozen, hard steamed bun tightly, then turned and left.
Just as she reached the door, a young soldier caught up with her and stuffed a warm paper package into her hand. Inside were several pieces of braised pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, along with half a steamed bun. "Take this and eat it quickly, don't let anyone see."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Wang Zhizhi was both surprised and delighted, her fingers trembling.
Instead of going back to her room immediately, she found a sheltered spot against the wind and quickly swallowed the meat and steamed bun. She wiped the grease from the corners of her mouth with her sleeve, grabbed a handful of snow, put it in her mouth to rinse away the meaty aroma, and then hurried back to her lodgings.
"Xingzhou, all we have left are steamed buns today." She slammed the dark steamed buns on the table, her voice trembling with tears. "Xu Xinghe is such a scoundrel! So much meat and vegetables, and he didn't leave us a single bite! Have you made up your mind yet? If you're going to do it, hurry up, or we'll really miss our chance!"
"Yes, but I need a helper." Li Xingzhou looked at her with a gloomy face. Without his glasses to hide it, the sinister look in his eyes was like poisoned ice, piercing straight at her.
Wang Zhizhi hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze, her voice trembling, "I...how can I help you?"
"Didn't someone give you meat and steamed buns?" Li Xingzhou's voice was low and seductive. "Go find that soldier, find a way to hook him up, and then use that to blackmail him into bringing the person here. I've found out that Jiang Linchuan is going out on a mission tomorrow; that's our last chance. So, you have to complete the mission tonight!"
"What?" Wang Zhizhi looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief. "You... how did you know?"
She hid it so well, she even rinsed the oil off her mouth with snow, but he still found out!
Li Xingzhou didn't explain, but just stared at her with his eyes, now free of glasses, deliberately maintaining a sense of mystery.
He wanted Wang Zhizhi to think he was unfathomable, so that he could firmly hold onto this piece.
If even she runs away, I will truly be isolated and helpless in this Heilongjiang province.
The plan has been finalized, and someone needs to take the blame.
Even if the plan fails, someone still needs to take care of his food, clothing, and lodging on the way back to Shanghai.
"Go do it." His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable sense of pressure.
"I'm not going!" Wang Zhizhi refused so firmly for the first time, her voice trembling. "I won't seduce other men!"
She and Li Xingzhou had at least been intimate; if she were to have any dealings with another man, even if it didn't go all the way, it would still be considered dirty.
No man in the world can tolerate being cuckolded, unless he has some kind of shameful fetish!
Li Xingzhou extended his uninjured hand and gently placed it on the back of her hand, his tone suddenly softening, "Zhizhi, you're afraid I'll dislike you, right? I won't.
He paused, as if making a huge decision, and said, "I can write you a guarantee that no matter what happens, I will marry you. And you don't have to actually do anything with him, just let him think that he has succeeded."
He suddenly leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear, which sent shivers down Wang Zhizhi's spine.
"Remember, find something you can use to threaten him. If he doesn't obey, say he's stronger than you."
Which soldier could bear such a charge?
In order to protect their future, they will inevitably obey her every word!
Wang Zhizhi bit her lip hard, twisting her fingers around the hem of her dress, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Then...I'll try."
Seeing that she was still hesitant, Li Xingzhou, fearing that it would ruin the plan, took out a red cloth bag from the bottom of his luggage, opened it, and inside was a heavy gold bracelet, which gleamed coldly in the dim light.
"This was left to me by my mother as my eldest daughter-in-law. Now I'm giving it to you." He placed the bracelet in her hand. "Now you should believe me, right?"
Wang Zhizhi's eyes lit up instantly. She quickly put the bracelet on her wrist and looked at it over and over, her fingertips trembling.
Looking at her greedy expression, Li Xingzhou felt a flicker of disgust in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant, and his tone softened again. "Jiang Linchuan will leave early tomorrow morning. We'll make our move at noon. The soldier who gave you the meat looked at you with unusual eyes; he's definitely interested in you."
"Okay, I understand." Wang Zhizhi stroked the gold bracelet on her wrist and finally relented.
Night gradually fell.
The soldiers sang and danced around the campfire, while their wives chatted about everyday life. Even the cold wind felt warmer from the lively atmosphere.
A bonfire was lit in the middle of the military compound, with sparks crackling and shooting high into the air.
Xu Xinghe, wrapped in a maroon cotton-padded coat, was pulled into the dancing crowd by Wang Chunmei.
She was clearly not yet familiar with those steps, and she almost stepped on her own shoes every time she twirled around, like a clumsy little sparrow, but she smiled brightly.
The firelight fell on her face, making her already fair skin glow, and the tip of her nose was covered with a few glistening specks of sweat.
The wisps of hair at her temples curled slightly from the heat, swaying gently with her movements. Occasionally, they would brush against her cheeks, and she would instinctively turn her head away. That unintentional charm was more scalding than a flame.
Jiang Linchuan stood motionless in the crowd, gazing tenderly at the figure in the firelight.
His usually cold and hard features were softened by the firelight, and his eyes drooped slightly, concealing most of his emotions, leaving only his gaze fixed on her.
There's an undeniable possessiveness in there, a desire to hold someone close in one's arms!
Zhao Feng, rarely joining in the fun, nudged his arm and joked, "Commander Jiang, why don't you go dance with Comrade Xu?"
Jiang Linchuan's Adam's apple bobbed, but his gaze remained fixed on the person. "No."
He can't go there.
Now, she should be smiling in the light, being watched by everyone.
This is her home turf; if I go there, it will become a different kind of excitement.
As long as he can stand here and guard this light, that's enough.
Xu Xinghe tiptoed and turned around in rhythm.
When it was her turn to turn around with Wang Chunmei, the two bumped shoulders. She looked up and laughed, her eyes curving into crescents, the light within them brighter than the campfire.
That smile, like a fine needle gently pricking Zhao Feng's heart, made him suddenly startled.
Another image suddenly flashed into my mind—Xu Xinghe crying in the hospital, as fragile as a flower wilted by the rain, making one feel sorry for her.
That day, he handed me a clean handkerchief.
But now, in the firelight, she is as vibrant as a flower facing the sun, so bright that it's impossible to look away.
Zhao Feng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly felt that these two appearances together were like an invisible thread gently wrapped around his heart.
The noise around him continued, but in his eyes, it seemed that only that smiling figure in the firelight remained, and the image of her holding back tears in his memory.
The overlapping objects made him somewhat dazed.
The first day of 1968 slowly came to a close amidst laughter and joy.
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