When Lian Xiao woke up, it was already broad daylight. His head felt like it had been hit by a heavy hammer, and it was buzzing.
He stumbled to his feet, supporting himself on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and rushed to the table to get some water.
The icy water poured down my throat, barely managing to calm my head which felt like it was about to explode, and I finally came back to life.
He slumped into a chair, rubbing his throbbing temples, trying to recall what happened last night.
His memory stopped at the moment he clinked glasses with Zhao Feng; everything after that was a blank.
He actually drank himself into oblivion!
Lian Xiao sat up abruptly, a sudden wave of panic washing over him.
Did you not say anything you shouldn't have while you were drunk?
He doesn't care about losing face himself, but he's afraid of letting slip his feelings for Xu Xinghe, which would be the end of everything!
He grabbed the cotton-padded jacket draped over the back of the chair, put it on haphazardly, and ran towards the office building with his messy hair.
When the door was opened, Zhao Feng was organizing documents at his desk.
Lian Xiao coughed lightly, feigning composure, "Um... I drank too much last night, but I didn't act crazy, did I?"
Zhao Feng looked up at him, his gaze sweeping over his wrinkled clothes, and paused in his hand holding the pen.
If it weren't for that photo, he might have told the truth, but now he simply said, "No, you're not a bad drinker. You just pass out when you're drunk, and it took me a lot of effort to carry you back. What, do you usually act crazy when you're drunk?"
"No, no, I was just asking." Lian Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease.
Zhao Feng isn't a liar; he didn't act drunk or say anything inappropriate, so that's good.
He scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and added, "Thank you for drinking with me yesterday. I'll treat you to braised pork at the state-run restaurant later."
"No need for dinner." Zhao Feng pointed to his hair, his tone slightly teasing. "You should go back and tidy yourself up before going out. If the military wives see you like this, who knows what they'll say."
Lian Xiao then realized how unkempt he had been, quickly smoothed his hair, and turned to leave.
Only after his footsteps had completely disappeared did Zhao Feng take out the small black and white photo from the drawer.
He spent half the night thinking about it, but still couldn't figure out why he brought the photo back. Maybe... he just wanted to keep it as a memento.
When I leave Heilongjiang Province in the future, seeing this photo will remind me of the days I spent here.
Anyway, he'll be transferred soon, and it's just an old photo; it won't cause any trouble.
Zhao Feng stuffed the photo back into his inner pocket, then lowered his head and continued working on the documents on the table, as if everything last night was just an ordinary interlude.
February 14th arrived in the blink of an eye.
This is Valentine's Day in the West, which few people know.
But Ye Wenshu knew.
She started rummaging through drawers and cabinets to pack things up early in the morning.
The bundle contained fruit candies, shortbread, and jujube cakes that she had asked the villagers to bring from town, as well as a brand-new piece of blue cloth that the village chief had given her as an apology last time. She was going to give all of these things to Jiang Linchuan.
Lin Wanqiu had been observing for a long time, and only after seeing her tie the bundle tightly did she approach, forcing a smile, "Wen Shu, are you going to deliver something?"
"Mmm!" Ye Wenshu nodded, her face full of undisguised happiness, even her eyes were filled with a shy smile. "Do you know what day it is today?"
Lin Wanqiu shook her head. She never cared about holidays, so how would she know?
"It's Valentine's Day!"
"Oh, what's the big deal? We have Qixi Festival, but we don't celebrate Western holidays."
Ye Wenshu lowered her voice, a hint of boasting in her tone, "You don't understand, this is a very romantic day. In foreign novels, the male and female protagonists all pledge their lives to each other on this day. They dance the tango together and lie in the rose garden talking!"
She was too lazy to say more to Lin Wanqiu; she knew Lin Wanqiu wouldn't understand this kind of romance anyway.
Ye Wenshu picked up the heavy bundle and turned to walk out.
"Are you going now?" Lin Wanqiu quickly grabbed her, her heart filled with anxiety.
If Ye Wenshu really goes to find Jiang Linchuan, and brings up the matter of sending the gift last time, wouldn't her embezzlement be exposed?
Moreover… she glanced at the bulging bundle, a glint of greed flashing in her eyes.
Recently, she has become close to a male educated youth with a good family background. If she can use these things to please him, she might be able to use her connections to return to the city sooner.
After spending the winter in Heilongjiang Province, she had long lost her initial enthusiasm, and now all she could think about was how to escape this harsh and cold place and return to the city to live a peaceful life.
But she had no money or tickets, so she could only try to get her hands on Ye Wenshu's things.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Ye Wenshu looked at her, puzzled. "Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. I have to get there before Commander Jiang finishes his training at noon."
"No, it's nothing." Lin Wanqiu let go of his hand and forced a smile. "Then be careful on the road, it's windy outside."
Ye Wenshu smiled and agreed, then quickly walked out of the educated youth settlement with her bundle in her arms.
Despite the biting wind outside, she didn't feel cold at all.
Lin Wanqiu bit her lip, staring at Ye Wenshu's departing figure, and finally made up her mind.
If Ye Wenshu goes by herself, she might not get any benefit at all, and she'll easily be exposed. The best way is to take her place.
She quickly caught up with him, her eyes landing on the pile of firewood in the corner. She casually pulled out a piece and threw it onto the road in front of Ye Wenshu.
Ye Wenshu happily carried the bundle forward, but not paying attention to her footing, she stepped right on firewood, cried out in pain, and fell heavily to the ground.
The fall was extremely hard, and warm liquid immediately gushed from the tip of his nose, its bright red color soaking into the snow on the ground.
Lin Wanqiu hid in the corner, so frightened that she quickly covered her mouth to keep from screaming.
She quickly retreated back into the house, pretending nothing had happened.
After about a minute or two, Lin Wanqiu slowly walked out the door. When she saw Ye Wenshu lying on the ground, she immediately looked panicked. "Oh dear, Wenshu! What happened to you? You fell so hard!"
"I...I stepped on a piece of firewood and fell..." Ye Wenshu cried, tears welling in her eyes, and covered her bleeding nose with her hand. "I don't know who threw the firewood here."
"Someone must have dropped it while carrying firewood. You're so careless." Lin Wanqiu stepped forward to help her up, deliberately exclaiming, "Look, your nose is all bruised, and the bleeding won't stop! Why don't you skip it today and wait until it heals?"
"No way!" Ye Wenshu immediately shook her head, her tone incredibly firm. "It's Valentine's Day, I have to go! Even if I can't make it in person, I have to deliver the gift!"
This is Valentine's Day, which only comes once a year in the West. How can we treat it like any other day?
She gritted her teeth and shoved the bundle in her arms into Lin Wanqiu's hands. "Take this to Commander Jiang at the military headquarters. Make sure he accepts it. And don't forget to tell him there's a letter I wrote inside!"
"Okay, okay, I'll go right now!" Lin Wanqiu suppressed her excitement, took the bundle and ran out, then turned back to remind her, "Quickly apply cold water to your nose, don't let the blood flow any further, too much bleeding will harm your health!"
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