Chapter 23 Kiss
His breath brushed against her earlobe: "How will you thank me?"
Nan Zhiyi understood what he meant.
In the darkness, the warmth of his body pressed against hers, his breath, and the strong presence of his arm made her heart pound like a drum.
She took a deep breath, tilted her head back by instinct, and haphazardly pressed her soft lips against his chin.
Like a dragonfly skimming the water, they part ways in an instant.
"Let's go somewhere else."
He lifted her up slightly, while using his other hand to support the back of her head and hold her still.
Nan Zhiyi struggled: "Fifth Brother..."
All that followed was cut off.
Gu Xiao kissed her lower lip, entwining himself with her.
Nan Zhiyi's whole body went limp. She instinctively tried to turn her head away to get some air, but he held the back of her head firmly, preventing her from moving.
A sob escaped from her throat, indistinguishable as either resistance or something else.
Gu Xiao's movements were imbued with a fervent restraint.
Just before she was about to suffocate, loosen the grip slightly to allow her to catch her breath.
The long-suppressed desire surged forth in this darkness, yet he restrained it, allowing it to flow only within the small space where their lips met.
After an unknown amount of time, so long that Nan Zhiyi felt she was about to melt into a puddle of water, he slowly backed away.
Nan Zhiyi gasped for breath, "I...I can't breathe..."
Gu Xiao chuckled softly: "Close your eyes and go to sleep."
Nan Zhiyi was both embarrassed and anxious, trying to crawl out of his arms: "You're uncomfortable..."
"Don't move!" He gasped.
Nan Zhiyi held her breath, not daring to move an inch, not even daring to curl her toes.
He stopped talking, just held her tighter, patting her back lightly to lull her to sleep.
The following afternoon, Xiao Chen, accompanied by two club staff members, drove a military truck and parked in front of the Gu family's courtyard.
The roar of the truck engine drew the attention of the neighbors, who all craned their necks to look out.
When Xiao Chen and the officer were carrying the television out, the tall officer loudly instructed, "Slow down, this is an important asset for our regimental club to enrich the spiritual life of our soldiers in the future."
Even more outrageous, the tall clerk produced a large red poster from who-knows-where that read, "Warmly congratulate Regiment Commander Gu Xiao and his family member Comrade Nan Zhiyi on their donation of a television set to the regiment's club."
In front of a group of military wives, the tall officer slapped the large red newspaper onto the wall of the Gu family's courtyard.
As the truck drove away, the tall clerk jumped onto the back of the truck, grabbed a tin megaphone, and shouted, "Thank you, Commander Gu! Thank you, sister-in-law! The regimental club is open tonight! Comrades are welcome to watch the revolutionary cultural performance!"
In the afternoon, Sister Wang came to find Nan Zhiyi, carrying a cloth bag in her hand, her face showing unease and apology.
"Zhiyi, this... these are homemade vermicelli noodles, they're not worth much..."
She was mortified. "It's all those troublemakers in my family's hands! I shouldn't have let them come that night! Otherwise... you wouldn't need that TV..."
She felt incredibly guilty.
For the next few nights, she kept a close watch on the boys, not letting them leave the house, just in case they caused any more trouble.
Nan Zhiyi: "Sister-in-law, please don't say that. It's really not the child's fault."
She ushered Wang's wife into the house and poured her a glass of brown sugar water. "It's perfectly normal for the children to want to watch TV. It's just that I... don't really like those programs. Donating it to the regimental headquarters so the soldiers can watch it is a good thing."
Sister-in-law Wang held the enamel mug, her mind perfectly clear.
Who doesn't love watching TV? It's just that those kids are too noisy, forcing people to give up their precious children.
She felt both sad and warm inside, but the television had already been donated, and there was no point in saying anything more.
She sighed and didn't bring it up again.
Nan Zhiyi opened the cloth bag. "Seeing the vermicelli that my sister-in-law gave me, I suddenly remembered the vermicelli buns I used to eat. How about you teach me how to make the dough?"
Sister-in-law Wang immediately perked up, casting aside her embarrassment: "What's so difficult about this! I'll teach you!"
She first went home to get the starter dough that her family had prepared.
"Add the water little by little, stirring as you go."
"Yes, knead it like that until the dough is smooth, the bowl is clean, and your hands are clean!"
Sister-in-law Wang was giving instructions.
Once the dough has formed, cover it with a damp cloth and place it in a pot of warm water to ferment.
While waiting for the dough to rise, the two began preparing the filling.
Scramble the eggs until they are a pale yellow color and crumble into small pieces.
The hard, dry vermicelli was soaked in hot water to soften it, then finely chopped. Sister Wang also contributed a handful of dried radish and dried green beans that she had dried herself, which were also chopped into small pieces.
Salt and sesame oil, mixed well, a bowl of yellow and green, oily and shiny.
Sister-in-law Wang deftly kneaded the dough to release the air, pinched off small portions, and rolled out the wrappers.
Nan Zhiyi followed her example, stuffing the filling into the dough, her fingers clumsily pinching the pleats.
The first bun was crooked and the filling leaked out a little.
Sister-in-law Wang didn't laugh at her, but instead taught her step by step: "Use a little finesse with your fingers, don't be too rigid... Yes, like that, lift the leather and turn it..."
Once Nan Zhiyi grasped the method, she actually started to look quite professional.
"Wow! You're so skillful, young lady! You learn so quickly!" Sister-in-law Wang praised.
Looking at the few steamed buns she had made in the steamer, Nan Zhiyi felt a sense of accomplishment.
"It's all thanks to my sister-in-law's excellent teaching."
When Sister Wang left, Nan Zhiyi let her take a few raw steamed buns with her, as a way of giving and receiving.
Gu Xiao returned as dusk fell and entered the kitchen, where he saw Nan Zhiyi standing on tiptoe, lifting the lid of the steamer amidst the white steam.
The heat hit her face, making beads of sweat appear on her nose and her cheeks flushed.
"Fifth Brother, you've come back just in time."
She saw him, picked up a steamed bun with her chopsticks, and said, "Look, I made this. Sister Wang taught me how!"
Gu Xiao looked into her eyes. "Very good."
At dinner, he devoured five large steamed buns, three of which were "collapsed" creations from Nan Zhiyi.
That night, the entrance to the Gu family compound was very quiet.
But not long after, a child from somewhere screamed:
Then came several crisp, loud cracking sounds of a belt whipping, followed by a woman's raised voice: "Stop wailing! Keep wailing! You think you can covet what Commander Gu donated to the public? You little brat! I'll beat you to death!"
The boy let out an even more piercing scream, mixed with the woman's furious curses.
Nan Zhiyi silently closed the window, shutting out the crying and cursing.
Life returned to tranquility, but it was different.
Since that night, Gu Xiao seemed to have torn off the seal of his pent-up emotions.
His actions became increasingly "outrageous".
He would always find an opportunity, whether it was while helping her with her hair or handing her something, to quickly peck her on the lips.
He would suddenly hug her, rest his chin on the crook of her neck, and his stubble would tickle her, making her want to run away.
Over the course of a month or two, Nan Zhiyi went from being startled and embarrassed to half-heartedly accepting his advances, and eventually got used to his intimacy.
The barriers in my heart are getting thinner and thinner.
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