Lu Xingzhi was satisfied as the spring breeze blew that night. When he woke up the next morning, he saw Jiang Yao glaring at him. He was even happy to help her find a scarf and clothes.
“You just need to wear a turtleneck to cover the marks on your neck.” When they had dinner at Colonel Lin’s home the previous night, Mrs Lin invited Jiang Yao to go to the city to buy some New Year’s goods that day, so she had to go out. Lu Xingzhi opened the wardrobe and said, “This brand has some new products. I prepared a few sets of clothes for you. I was worried that you wouldn’t have time to buy New Year’s clothes, and I didn’t expect you to get here so early.”
As he spoke, Lu Xingzhi picked out a turtleneck sweater for Jiang Yao. Then, he rummaged through the wardrobe. After he hesitated for a while, he took a coat and compared it with Jiang Yao’s, as if he was considering how to match it.
Jiang Yao glanced at it, and her scalp felt numb. “Put the clothes back! I’ll choose for myself!”
Lu Xingzhi held a pink high-collared sweater, and the coat was bright red. What was the hesitation? Jiang Yao immediately told him to put it back.
“You look good in pink, and you look festive in bright red; it makes your skin look pale.” Lu Xingzhi felt Jiang Yao’s dislike, so he defended his choices. “The models in the album look good in it. Chen Xuyao also said that it suits you.”
“I bet that the pink sweater in the album doesn’t go with this bright red coat,” Jiang Yao retorted. Then, she put on her slippers and went to the bathroom to refresh herself.
Lu Xingzhi nodded. “They seem to match the white ones.”
Since Jiang Yao ignored him, he put the clothes down and followed her into the bathroom. Then, he stood next to her, and they showered together.
When Lu Xingzhi went to the cafeteria to get breakfast for Jiang Yao, Mrs Lin arrived at his unit. When Jiang Yao opened the door for her, the door opposite their unit was ajar too. As they stood at the door, they could hear Old Madam He as she scolded her daughter-in-law. Then the older woman went to the door to take a look; he must have heard Mrs Lin’s voice.
She immediately smiled. “Mrs Lin! Perhaps you’d like to come and take a seat? It’s still so early; are you heading somewhere?”
When Jiang Yao heard that, her entire body trembled—that was probably the most original way of addressing the colonel’s wife in the whole military region.
“Jiang Yao and I had an appointment to go shopping for New Year’s good today,” Mrs Lin explained. “Jiang Yao knows how to drive, so she’ll drive me in her husband’s car. The weather is freezing now, so I’ll go with Jiang Yao to save time waiting for transport.”
After she answered her politely, Mrs Lin quickly pushed Jiang Yao through the door.
After they ate the breakfast that Lu Xingzhi had brought back, Jiang Yao glanced at the quiet man; he refused to go with her. Finally, she had no choice but to take her bag and go with Mrs Lin.
She met two other women downstairs. When they asked if Jiang Yao and Mrs Lin were going to the city, they got into the car together.
Mrs Lin sat in the front passenger seat. After the car drove out of the army compound, she turned to Jiang Yao and said, “When we got into the car, Old Madam He was standing on the balcony watching us.”
“She must have wanted to see what Sergeant Lu’s car looked like,” Mrs Yang replied with a snort. “Before you arrived, I went downstairs to throw some garbage, and I saw Old Madam He, who was also there to throw her rubbish. As soon as she saw me, she pulled me aside to ask about the brand of Sergeant Lu’s bike. I told her that Sergeant Lu has a vehicle with four wheels, and his son could never afford that car even if he doesn’t eat or drink for several years. She thought that I had lied to her; she said Sergeant Lu could never afford such an expensive car. Perhaps she hid on the balcony to see if I told her the truth.”
