Xu Xinghe waited and waited, until after 10 p.m., when Jiang Linchuan finally arrived.
He was wearing a military overcoat with the brim of his hat pulled low. He only glanced coldly at Xu Xinghe before silently squatting down in front of the stove, grabbing firewood and stuffing it into the firebox.
The sparks from the match reflected on his fingers, which were red from the cold.
Xu Xinghe sat on a small stool to the side, resting her chin on her hands. "The Northeast is really cold, much colder than Shanghai."
"But in three to five years, they'll definitely get used to it."
Jiang Linchuan froze, pretending not to hear, and continued to pump the bellows and add firewood.
Three or five years?
Ha, how ridiculous.
They won't have much time to spend together.
After he got back, he thought about it for a long time and decided to rent a house for Xu Xinghe nearby so that she could live there.
From now on, I will give her half of my allowance for living expenses.
As for anything else, there won't be any.
From now on, their engagement will be considered as non-existent. Whether she wants to marry someone else or leave, he will no longer care.
The flames quickly blazed up, and Jiang Linchuan's profile flickered in and out of focus, his jawline taut.
Once the firewood below had charred, he smothered the fire, then picked up the stove hook next to him, covered it, and continued to smother the fire. The heat would then flow through the stove into the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) inside the house, keeping it warm all night.
Jiang Linchuan brushed the dust off his hands, got up, and left.
"Stop!" Xu Xinghe called out to him. "I want to take a shower. Could you boil some more water for me?"
Seeing that he hadn't stopped walking, Xu Xinghe could only bite her lip and add, "I twisted my ankle, and it's a little swollen. If you don't take care of it, I won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow. Do you think the people in the compound will wonder what we did tonight?"
"Shut up!" Jiang Linchuan turned around abruptly, his eyes blazing with fury. "Xu Xinghe, you really are..."
"Are you going to say I'm shameless again? That's just how I am, you know that. Are you going to do anything about it?" Xu Xinghe turned around and limped towards the room. "Fine, if you don't care about me, I won't go out tomorrow. I'll have Aunt Mei bring me food."
After saying that, she pinched her neck a few more times, and several red marks immediately appeared on her fair skin. "Tomorrow everyone in the compound will know that I can't get out of bed, and it's all your fault."
Jiang Linchuan was furious, his breathing heavy. He rushed to Xu Xinghe and looked down at the red marks on her neck. "How do you know all this? Where did you learn it?"
The thought that a man might do this to her caused him a dull ache in his heart, and he wished he could pull out a gun and kill that man!
Xu Xinghe proudly straightened her neck, like a swan, "I saw it in the book. There are foreign films in Hong Kong, and they even kiss! It's in 'Ulysses' and 'Belle de Jour'."
That was a movie she had seen in her past life.
In reality, she didn't understand any of these things.
Although she married Xu Mingli in her previous life, she was always reluctant to do so because she felt she was too young and was afraid of that kind of thing.
Not long after, Xu Mingli revealed his true colors, seized the Xu family's assets, and she was locked in the basement.
Xu Mingli also began to entangle himself with other women.
He had broken into the basement before, but Xu Xinghe had forced him to retreat each time by threatening to bite his tongue and commit suicide.
Even that wealthy businessman was physically weak and could only satisfy his desires through abuse.
So until her death, she remained pure, which was the only thing she could leave for herself.
"You're not allowed to watch that kind of stuff again!"
After saying that, Jiang Linchuan walked to another stove and started boiling water.
Xu Xinghe watched his retreating figure and couldn't help but smile.
He arranged for the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) to be lit, wasn't it because he was afraid she would get cold?
I hesitated for so long tonight, but I still came.
He even cared where she learned those things, but the look in his eyes just now seemed more like he wanted to kill her.
These are all signs that they care.
Otherwise, given Jiang Linchuan's personality, he wouldn't truly care about the lives of others.
Even if he were to freeze to death here, he wouldn't give him a second glance.
The water boiled quickly.
Xu Xinghe went to take a shower.
Jiang Linchuan felt even hotter.
He got up and went to the door, intending to go out, but stopped when he thought about the wind blowing in.
The shoulder seams of the military overcoat were perfectly straight, and the cold wind howled outside the window.
The room was so quiet that you could hear Xu Xinghe rustling as she took off her clothes, and occasionally a soft groan, which might have been from moving her ankle.
He clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on his reflection in the windowpane, while his ears began to burn uncontrollably.
This woman is worse than before.
After taking a shower, Xu Xinghe immediately crawled into the warm bed, leaving only a section of her pale, glowing calf exposed. "Look, this hurts."
Jiang Linchuan took a deep breath, squatted down, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Stretch your legs over a little."
"It hurts, I can't stretch it," Xu Xinghe said coquettishly. "Come and get it yourself."
Jiang Linchuan could only reach out and grab that little foot.
He just wanted to finish watching it quickly and leave as soon as possible.
The only reason I stayed was because I didn't want rumors to spread like wildfire tomorrow.
The swelling of her fair ankles was even more noticeable under the light.
Jiang Linchuan got up, took a glass bottle from the cabinet, poured some safflower oil into his palm, rubbed his hands together quickly until they were warm, and then placed them on his ankle, pressing down with his fingertips.
Xu Xinghe hissed softly in pain, her eyes immediately reddening. "It hurts so much."
Jiang Linchuan paused for a moment, then lightened his grip, rubbing with only his palm.
He quickly rubbed away the bruises, then abruptly withdrew his hand, ignoring the medicated oil in his palm, and strode out.
The door slammed shut.
Xu Xinghe called out a few times, but there was no response from outside. Her eyebrows curved into beautiful crescent moons, and she shrank her head further into the blanket.
The warmth of the heated kang bed emanated from beneath me, making me feel completely comfortable.
She yawned, quickly fell asleep, a lingering smile still on her lips.
...
A new day.
Xu Xinghe was awakened by the sounds of drills outside.
She stretched, slipped on her slippers to wash up, took out a Chongming cake from her spatial storage, ate and drank her fill, and then began decorating the room.
It wasn't until noon that she pulled out another set of clothes.
A red wool coat paired with a black belt, which accentuates a slender waist, is worn over a white turtleneck sweater, making it both warm and stylish.
She styled her hair in a bun, put on ankle boots, and went out shopping.
Today she is going to deliver food to Jiang Linchuan.
She can't cook it, but she can buy it; she has plenty of money anyway.
Noon.
Training is over.
A large number of soldiers rushed into the mess hall.
Jiang Linchuan had just returned to his office when he heard someone knocking on the door.
"Commander Jiang, your fiancée has brought you your meal."
Upon hearing the words "fiancée," Jiang Linchuan froze, and the pen in his hand fell to the ground.
When he picked it up, the pen tip had already been broken in two.
Before he could speak, Xu Xinghe had already pushed the door open and entered.
She stood there gracefully, holding an aluminum lunchbox in her hands. "Jiang Linchuan, I've brought you your lunch: pork stew with vermicelli and pickled cabbage with pork belly. Come and try it, see how it tastes."
at the same time.
Lian Xiao arrived at the door, his gaze fixed on the petite red figure. He felt a pang of jealousy and leaned against the wall, his thin lips curling into a sneer. "It seems I've come at the wrong time, Commander Jiang. Do I have to wait until you two, the engaged couple, finish your meal before I can sign the papers?"
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