Chapter 255 - 234: A Man and a Woman Alone
Chapter 255: Chapter 234: A Man and a Woman Alone
After dinner, Xiao Man returned to school with Guan Ailan and Mo Linghui for a self-study session. Gu Shaojun also went downstairs with Zheng Shaolian, telling him to head back to Wancheng early. Zheng Shaolian protested, "Why aren’t you leaving? How can you stay here? It’ll be just the two of you, an unmarried man and woman. Once you’re gone, people will start gossiping about Manman!"
Gu Shaojun, in high spirits, slapped him lightly on the back of the head. "You don’t need to worry about that. Just drive carefully and be safe! Come back on Saturday afternoon—the day after tomorrow—to pick up Xiao Man and me. We’re going to the village to visit our two elders. The morning after that, I’ll return to the Provincial Military District. After I’m gone, I’ll have to count on you to look after things here. Thanks for everything, brother!"
Zheng Shaolian snorted. "This is my responsibility. It has nothing to do with you!"
Gu Shaojun said no more, simply standing by the road and watching the jeep kick up a cloud of dust as it sped away.
A little after nine in the evening, Xiao Man came back from her self-study session. When she learned that Zheng Shaolian had already returned to Wancheng, she wasn’t surprised. He was always like that—arriving during the day and leaving at night.
With just her and Gu Shaojun left in the apartment, she suddenly felt a bit awkward.
This twenty-three-year-old Gu Shaojun was different. He lacked the maturity, the profound depth, and the faint melancholy she remembered, the one that only appeared when they were alone. Gone was the complex, heavy gaze she could never quite decipher. Right now, his eyes were as bright and brilliant as the stars in the night sky, and his handsome face wore a comforting smile. He had taken off his military jacket and, in just a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, effortlessly lifted a full bucket of water. Xiao Man was delighted to see this version of Gu Shaojun—strong, fit, and radiating masculine vitality—yet for some reason, she found herself struggling to adjust.
Of course, Gu Shaojun had no idea what was causing Xiao Man’s inner turmoil. He had already prepared two buckets of hot water for her and told her to go wash up.
Xiao Man said, "The weather’s warm enough. I can just use cold water."
"Absolutely not!" Gu Shaojun’s expression turned serious. "I admit I don’t know much about ’girl things,’ but I’ve heard Grandma and Second Aunt tell Gu Shaoling not to wash her hair or bathe with cold water. Grandma won’t even let Third Aunt wash her hands with cold water. Elders have seen and experienced a lot, so there’s usually some truth to what they say. Out here in the mountains, there’s a big temperature drop between day and night. Plus, it’s autumn now, so it gets quite cool. It’s especially important for girls not to use cold water—you’re a medical student, you should be conscious of your health. Also, I noticed the balcony off your room only has wooden doors and no screen. Mosquitoes can get in and bite you. You need a mosquito net, so I bought one today and already hung it up for you."
Xiao Man was speechless. ’Wasn’t this just about whether to use hot or cold water? Did he really have to say so much?’
She suddenly remembered—this man might look cool and distant, but he was actually quite a nag. In her past life, he had lectured her just like this for going to bed with her hair wet. It didn’t just end with a scolding, either. He had arranged for a health professional to give her a private lesson on women’s wellness, which he then sat in on...
Seeing Xiao Man pout, Gu Shaojun reached out and scooped up her shoulder-length braid. He stroked it affectionately, then held it up to gauge the distance to her neck before carefully laying it back down. "What? Am I not allowed to say anything now?"
"You’re as bad as my grandma."
"I wouldn’t dare compare. Grandma is definitely more authoritative than I am."
They looked at each other and smiled. It was a warm, gentle smile, filled with indulgent affection. In her previous life, Gu Shaojun would give her that exact same smile whenever she came to him to show off her good grades. Xiao Man had always seen it as her reward.
"Xiao Man, am I staying here tonight, or should I get a room at a hotel?"
Xiao Man glanced at the two bedroom doors. "Why go to a hotel? I’m not short on beds or blankets. I have two folding cots, for goodness’ sake. My grandma and dad from Beijing, and even Secretary Tang from Wancheng, they all stay here when they visit. You can sleep in Hao Hao’s room."
Gu Shaojun was speechless.
’Secretary Tang from Wancheng? What kind of way is that to refer to someone?’ But now wasn’t the time to get into that.
"Okay, I’ll stay in Hao Hao’s room. Now go wash up. I’ll make us a late-night snack."
Xiao Man was so open and fearless about it all. Gu Shaojun was secretly delighted and wisely decided not to bring up Zheng Shaolian’s concerns about gossip.
When Xiao Man came out from washing up, Gu Shaojun had two bowls of egg-drop noodles ready. They looked decent and tasted pretty good. Xiao Man then brought out a glass jar of shredded mixed pickles, which were the perfect accompaniment for the noodles.
Gu Shaojun loved the shredded pickles. "These are so much better than the ones from the old, established shops in Beijing!"
"My grandma made them. I know how, too!"
"Is that right? My Xiao Man is so talented!" Gu Shaojun laughed. "When I leave, can you pack some for me to take? My comrade-in-arms, Wei Zhenqing—you remember him, right? The one who came to Wancheng with me the year before last? That old, established pickle shop in Beijing was originally his maternal grandmother’s family business. It’s supposedly their family’s secret recipe. His family sends him jars all the time, and I get to have some now and then. This time, I’ll bring some for him. Let him taste our family’s delicious pickles!"
"Of course. I’ll give you a few extra jars to make him jealous."
Xiao Man couldn’t help but chuckle as she imagined the look of surprise on Wei Zhenqing’s face when he tasted her homemade pickles. The funny thing was, the pickling method she used was the very one his own mother had taught her.
In her past life, Wei Zhenqing and Gu Shaojun were sworn brothers who had faced life and death together. They had enlisted in the same year and undertaken countless dangerous missions. After Gu Shaojun was crippled, Wei Zhenqing also retired from the military and took over a company in his family’s enterprise. But he had no interest in business, and the company constantly lost money. He never married and preferred to just hang around at Gu Shaojun’s home. His mother, Mrs. Wei, would often come to visit and, during those visits, taught Xiao Man a few of her cooking skills. Later, when Xiao Man entered the culinary industry, she also made pickles and sauces. She tweaked the recipe slightly based on her own insights, and her multi-flavored creations became a huge hit with diners. People wanted to buy her pickles in bulk, but Xiao Man always refused. It was Mrs. Wei’s family’s secret recipe, after all. She felt lucky enough to be able to use it for herself; how could she possibly exploit it for profit?
After they finished their snack and washed the dishes, Xiao Man went to unpack the large bundle with the quilt, ready to make the bed for Gu Shaojun. However, he took the bundle from her and nudged her aside. Soldiers really have a system for making beds. In just a few swift moves, he was finished. The sheet was stretched taut without a single crease.
Xiao Man blinked. She quickly turned and ran back to her own room. Just as she’d suspected, her own bed had been completely made over...
Gu Shaojun followed her in. "Your quilt-folding was subpar. Do it my way from now on. As for the sheet... I changed it. The old one’s been washed."
"What are you doing? A girl’s bed is a private space, don’t you get it? How could you just mess with my things!" Xiao Man, on the verge of tears from sheer frustration, gave him a shove.