Setelah makan malam, Xiao Man kembali ke sekolah bersama Guan Ailan dan Mo Linghui untuk belajar mandiri. Gu Shaojun juga turun dengan Zheng Shaolian, memintanya untuk pulang ke Wancheng lebih awal. Zheng Shaolian protes, "Kenapa kamu tidak ikut pulang? Bagaimana kamu bisa tinggal di sini? Ini hanya kamu dan aku, seorang pemuda dan wanita yang belum menikah. Setelah kamu pergi, orang akan mulai beredaftar tentang Manman!"
Gu Shaojun, dalam keadaan gembira, menepuk kepalanya dengan ringan. "Kamu tidak perlu khawatir tentang itu. Jangan lupa mengemudi dengan hati-hati dan aman! Kembali pada hari Sabtu—besok—untuk mengambil Xiao Man dan aku. Kami akan pergi ke desa untuk berkunjung kepada dua orang tua kami. Pagi setelah itu, aku akan kembali ke Distrik Militer Provinsi. Setelah aku pergi, aku harus mengandalkan kamu untuk mengurus urusan di sini. Terima kasih atas semuanya, saudaraku!"
Zheng Shaolian mendengkur. "Ini tanggung jawabku. Ini tidak ada kaitatannya dengan kamu!"
Gu Shaojun tidak berkata apa-apa lagi, hanya berdiri di pinggir jalan sambil menyaksikan jip mengangkat awan debu saat melaju cepat.
Sedikit setelah pukul sembilan malam, Xiao Man kembali dari sesi belajar mandirinya. Saat dia mengetahui bahwa Zheng Shaolian sudah kembali ke Wancheng, dia tidak heran. Dia selalu seperti ini—hadir di siang hari dan pergi di malam hari.
Dengan hanya dia dan Gu Shaojun yang tersisa di apartemen, tiba-tiba dia merasa sedikit gugup.
Gu Shaojun berusia tiga puluh tiga tahun ini berbeda. Ia kekurangan kedewasaan, kedalaman yang dalam, dan sedikit melankolia yang dia ingat—yang hanya muncul saat mereka sendirian. Hilanglah tatapan yang kompleks dan berat yang tak pernah benar-benar bisa dia pahami. Sekarang, matanya bersinar seperti bintu-bintang di langit malam, dan wajahnya yang tampan tersenyum dengan hangat. Ia telah mengganti jaket militernya dan, hanya dalam kemeja putih dengan lengan yang tergulung, dengan mudah mengangkat sebuah ember penuh air. Xiao Man senang melihat versi Gu Shaojun ini—kuat, sehat, dan bersinar dengan vitalitas maskulin—namun, suatu alasan yang tidak bisa diajelaskan, dia kesulitan untuk beradaptasi.
Tentu saja, Gu Shaojun tidak menyadari apa pun tentang gangguan psikologis Xiao Man. Ia telah menyediakan dua ember air panas untuknya dan memberitahu dia untuk pergi mencuci diri.
Xiao Man berkata, "Cuaca cukup hangat. Aku bisa menggunakan air dingin saja."
"Tentu tidak!" ekspresi Gu Shaojun menjadi serius. "Aku mengakui aku tidak tahu banyak tentang hal-hal perempuan, tapi sudah mendengar cerita Nenek dan Bibi Kedua memberi tahu Gu Shaoling untuk tidak mencuci rambut atau mandi dengan air dingin. Nenek bahkan tidak mengizinkan Bibi Ketiga untuk mencuci tangannya dengan air dingin. Para orang tua telah melihat dan merasakan banyak hal, jadi biasanya ada kebenaran di balik apa yang mereka katakan. Di sini di pegunungan, suhu turun drastis antara siang dan malam. Plus, sudah musim gugur jadi cukup sejuk. Terutama untuk perempuan, tidak boleh menggunakan air dingin—kamu seorang mahasiswa kedokteran, kamu harus memperhatikan kesehatanmu. Juga, aku memperhatikan balkon di kamarmu hanya memiliki pintu kayu tanpa kawat gigi. Nyamuk bisa masuk dan membiting kamu. Kamu perlu kelambu, jadi aku sudah membeli satu hari ini dan menggantungnya untukmu."
Xiao Man tak tahu bagaimana menjawab. 'Bukankah ini hanya tentang apakah menggunakan air panas atau dingin? Apakah dia benar-benar perlu berkata begitu banyak?'
Dia tiba-tiba ingat—justru wajah ini yang kelihatan cool dan jauh, ternyata dia cukup menggoda. Dalam kehidupan sebelumnya, dia pernah menggoda dia seperti ini karena pergi ke tempat tidur dengan rambut basah. Ini tidak hanya berakhir dengan sekadar kentut…"
Setelah Xiao Man datang keluar dari mencuci diri, Gu Shaojun telah menyediakan dua mangkuk mie kuah telur yang terlihat cukup baik dan terasa enak. Xiao Man lalu mengeluarkan sebuah toples mie campuran, yang sempurna untuk mie.
Gu Shaojun sangat menyukai mie campuran. "Ini jauh lebih baik dari yang di toko-toko lama yang mapan di Beijing!"
"Dibuat oleh nenekku. Aku juga tahu cara!"
"Benarkah? Xiao Manku yang cerdas!" Gu Shaojun tertawa. "Saat aku pergi, bisakah kamu mengemasnya untukku? Temanku, Wei Zhenqing—kamu ingat, kan? Orang yang datang ke Wancheng dengan aku dua tahun lalu? Toko yang lama di Beijing dulu adalah miliknya, dari keluarga ibu sekolahnya. Seimbangnya resep rahasianya. Keluarganya mengirimkan toples kepadanya setiap waktu, dan aku bisa mendapatkan sesuatu kadang-kadang. Kali ini, aku akan membawanya untuk dia. Biarkan dia mencicipi picklen keluarga kita!"
"Tentu saja. Aku akan memberinya beberapa toples ekstra untuk membuatnya iri."
Xiao Man tidak bisa tidak tertawa saat membayangkan ekspresi kejutan Wei Zhenqing saat mencicipi acar buatan tangannya. Lucunya, metode perminyakan yang dia gunakan adalah tepat yang dioenset oleh ibunya sendiri.
Dalam kehidupan sebelumnya, Wei Zhenqing dan Gu Shaojun adalah sahabat seperjuangan yang telah menghadapi kehidupan dan kematian bersama. Mereka enlist dalam tahun yang sama dan melaksanakan banyak misi berbahaya. Setelah Gu Shaojun mengenaskan, Wei Zhenqing juga pensiun dari militer dan mengambil alih sebuah perusahaan dalam kelompok usaha keluarganya. Tapi dia tidak tertarik dengan bisnis, dan perusahaan kehilangan uang setiap saat. Dia tidak pernah menikah dan lebih suka hanya berkelalang di rumah Gu Shaojun. Ibunya, Nyonya Wei, sering datang untuk berkunjung dan, dalam kunjungan-kunjungannya, mengajari Xiao Man beberapa keterampilan memasak."
Setelah mereka selesai makan cemilan dan mencuci piring, Xiao Man pergi untuk membuka bundel besar dengan selimut, siap membuat tempat tidur untuk Gu Shaojun. Namun, ia mengambil bundel itu dan mendorongnya ke samping. Tentara benar-benar memiliki sistem dalam membuat tempat tidur. Dalam hitungan detik, ia sudah selesai. Selimutnya terlipat rapi tanpa ada sehelaipun."
Xiao Man berkedip. Dia dengan cepat berbalik dan kembali ke kamarnya sendiri. Persis seperti yang dia duga, tempat tidurnya telah sepenuhnya ditata ulang…
Gu Shaojun mengikuti dia masuk. "Pengerjaan selimutmu kurang baik. Lakukan dengan cara aku mulai sekarang. Selepas itu…"
"Apakah yang kamu lakukan? Tempat tidur seorang perempuan adalah ruang pribadi, tidak begitu? Bagaimana kamu bisa hanya mengganggu barang-barangku!" Xiao Man, hampir menangis karena frustrasi, memberinya dorongan.
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.
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