As Ye Wenshu wrote, she imagined what it would be like to be with Jiang Linchuan in the future. The corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, completely unaware that Lin Wanqiu was secretly letting out a sigh of relief in the corner.
On the other side.
Military headquarters courtyard.
Xu Xinghe was nestled on the kang (a heated brick bed) reading the newspaper Jiang Linchuan had brought back for her, completely unaware that her fiancé had already been set in stone by someone else.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's the Lantern Festival, the last day of the Lunar New Year. Only after this day will the New Year truly come to an end.
As soon as it was light, Xu Xinghe got up and joined the military wives in the canteen to prepare dumplings for the Lantern Festival.
In Shanghai, people eat tangyuan (glutinous rice balls), but in Northeast China, people are more accustomed to making yuanxiao (glutinous rice balls for glutinous rice balls). The two are quite different.
Tangyuan are large and have a soft, chewy texture. They are mostly filled with black sesame or red bean paste.
The glutinous rice balls are small and compact, and instead of delicate fillings, they are filled with crushed sugar cubes or a hard core made of candied winter melon and crushed peanuts, which gives them a chewy texture when cooked.
Busy until noon, the glutinous rice balls were finally cooked, and the canteen suddenly became lively, with the sweet aroma filling the room.
Commander Wang, holding a bowl of glutinous rice balls, smiled and led Zhang Cishu into the crowd, "Come on, let me introduce you all, this is Comrade Zhang Cishu, who has just arrived at our military headquarters. Please take good care of him in the future!"
Given Zhang Cishu's background and status, it's always good to befriend him.
In addition, he was handsome and fair-skinned, clearly a scholar, and the wives of Northeastern soldiers were naturally outgoing, so they surrounded him and started asking him a barrage of questions.
"Wow, this young man not only has a nice name, but he's also very handsome! How old is he?"
"You look to be in your early twenties at most, right? Have you been set up with anyone yet? If not, your auntie can introduce you to a few. They're all top-notch girls from the surrounding villages, capable and honest!"
"Exactly! She's fair-skinned, delicate, and cultured. Whoever marries you will definitely be living a life of luxury!"
The military wives became more and more enthusiastic as they talked, and Zhang Cishu's usually indifferent face showed a rare hint of helplessness, his eyes subconsciously glancing towards Xu Xinghe.
She was sitting in the corner, enjoying a bowl of glutinous rice balls, completely oblivious to the commotion around her.
After Xu Xinghe finished her bowl of food, she looked up and met Zhang Cishu's gaze. He immediately walked over quickly and said, "Xinghe, could you please do me a favor?"
"What's wrong?" Xu Xinghe put down the bowl and licked the sugar water off her lips.
"Please tell the aunties for me that I don't want to find a partner for the time being, and I don't need them to introduce me to anyone..." Zhang Cishu rubbed her temples, her voice full of exhaustion, "They're too enthusiastic, I can't handle it."
Those laughs, so lively, sounded like a noisy cacophony to him, hurting his ears and making his head feel heavy.
"Okay, I'll go tell them."
It was rare for Zhang Cishu to ask her for help, so Xu Xinghe readily agreed. She walked up to the military wives and smiled as she tried to smooth things over, saying, "Aunties, please stop teasing Cishu. He doesn't even know how long he'll be able to stay in the military. Besides, he's from the South, and he'll probably have to go back to his ancestral home eventually. If you introduce him to potential partners now, aren't you just delaying his future?"
The military wives laughed shyly upon hearing this.
"Oh dear, we had completely forgotten about that. It's just that we rarely see such a fine young man, and we didn't want the good stuff to go to outsiders, so we couldn't control ourselves!"
As they spoke, they very consciously stopped talking and changed the subject to something else.
Not far away, Lian Xiao saw all of this and felt a tightness in his chest from anger.
When Xu Xinghe stood up for Zhang Cishu, Zhang Cishu's eyes were practically glued to her!
Isn't that obvious enough?
Zhang Cishu definitely has feelings for Xu Xinghe!
Why ask Xu Xinghe for help of all people?
People who don't know the situation might think they have some kind of special relationship!
He grew angrier the more he thought about it. Once Xu Xinghe and Zhang Cishu had gone to the other side to talk, he quickly approached the military wives and said, "Aunties, don't listen to Zhang Cishu. He's just shy and embarrassed to say it. Actually, he's willing to meet them, but he's just too shy to say it!"
Lian Xiao rarely spoke to the wives of military personnel, but this time he suddenly opened his mouth and spoke so convincingly that many people believed him.
One of the aunties' eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Really? That's wonderful! I happen to have a niece who went to high school and now teaches at the town's elementary school. She's pretty, but she's been wanting to find an educated man, which is why she hasn't found anyone yet. If Zhang Cishu is willing, I'll contact my niece right away and have them meet tomorrow. If it goes well, the matter can be settled!"
"Of course I'm willing." Lian Xiao nodded, wishing it could be done as soon as possible. "Tomorrow it is. I'll talk to Zhang Cishu and tell him to go on time."
The auntie beamed from ear to ear, clapping her hands. "Great! This is wonderful news! No wonder I heard magpies chirping in the yard this morning; it really is good news on the way!"
Lian Xiao curled the corners of his lips, but there was no smile in his eyes.
If Zhang Cishu has a boyfriend, he shouldn't have time to keep an eye on Xu Xinghe, right?
Or if Xu Xinghe knew that he was focused on finding a partner, she definitely wouldn't treat him any differently.
After the Lantern Festival, life at the military headquarters returned to its usual tranquility.
The year-end passed quietly like that.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the military wife hurriedly knocked on Lian Xiao's door, "Comrade Lian! My niece has arrived. When is Zhang Cishu going over?"
Lian Xiao opened the door, wearing a military overcoat. "I know, I'll go get him now. You go back and wait."
"Okay! That's what I've been waiting for!" The military wife smiled broadly, then added, "It's the old wonton shop right outside the military compound. I'll go grab a seat first!"
Lian Xiao nodded, turned around, and walked quickly towards Zhang Cishu's courtyard.
Zhang Cishu had just woken up and was standing outside the courtyard washing up. The cold water splashed on his face made him more awake.
Hearing the noise at the door, he looked up and saw that it was Lian Xiao, and paused for a moment.
“Zhang Cishu,” Lian Xiao said, standing at the gate of the courtyard without going inside, trying to sound as natural as possible, “Xinghe and I wanted to eat wontons this morning. Go to that old wonton shop outside the military headquarters and bring us back two bowls, extra spicy.”
Zhang Cishu didn't think much of it. Helping Xu Xinghe was a way to connect with people. He put down the towel, wiped his face, and said, "Okay."
After washing up, he changed into a clean cotton-padded coat, put on the money, and went out.
The wonton shop near the military base is not close; it takes about ten minutes to walk there.
Pushing open the door of the wonton shop, a wave of heat and aroma wafts towards you.
There weren't many people in the shop; most were villagers from the neighborhood, engrossed in eating their wontons.
Just as Zhang Cishu was about to call out to the boss, he heard a familiar voice, "Oh, Cishu's here!"
He looked in the direction of the voice and saw the military wife from yesterday sitting at a table in the corner, waving to him warmly, "Come over here, your auntie saved a seat for you!"
"Auntie?" Zhang Cishu was taken aback for a moment, but out of politeness, he still went over.
Besides the military wife, two other women were sitting at the table.
One of them looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old, with two thick braids, wearing a faded floral cotton-padded jacket, with delicate features, but rather tall and with a sturdy build.
Another man in his thirties, wearing a dark blue cotton-padded jacket, was looking him up and down with a scrutinizing gaze and a smile on his lips.
The military wife grabbed Zhang Cishu's arm and pressed him into a chair, not giving him a chance to speak. "Cishu, this is my niece, Shufen. She went to high school and now teaches at the town's primary school. Just like you, she's an educated person! You two have a good chat. I have something to do, so I'm going back now!"
After saying that, she winked at the two of them, then turned and walked away quickly.
The moment Shufen saw Zhang Cishu, she couldn't help but blush, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.
This man is so handsome!
He had fair skin, delicate features, and a pleasant voice; he was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life.
Even if he doesn't look like someone who can do farm work, and can't lift heavy things, that doesn't matter.
Just seeing that face every day gives her motivation!
She secretly glanced at Zhang Cishu, then quickly lowered her head and whispered, "Comrade Zhang, what kind of wontons would you like? I'll treat you."
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