"This..."
Xu Yueshan's expression froze in awkwardness. He didn't know how to explain the scene that had just unfolded; it was simply too embarrassing. He had come to the Lu family to take Lu Jinse home, never expecting Lili to suddenly rush out and catch him completely off guard.
"That girl is just acting up, Second Brother. You go on inside, I'm leaving first," he muttered evasively, turning on his heel and hurrying away without even asking about the details of the car accident.
Watching Xu Yueshan disappear past the bluestone porch, Lu Jinse turned her gaze to Gu Yuncheng beside her. Yesterday, in the dark and rainy weather, she hadn't seen his face clearly. Today, standing close to him in the sunlight, she saw his sword-like brows, dark eyes, high nose bridge, and thin lips. His facial features were three-dimensional and sharply defined, as though meticulously carved by a master sculptor.
He was just as valiant and handsome as she remembered.
A surreal sense of displacement welled up inside her, and a faint mist of tears blurred her clear eyes. It was truly wonderful that he was alive. If she remembered correctly, Gu Yuncheng would die in a border conflict three years from now. Lu Jinse made up her mind: in this lifetime, regardless of whether they could be together, she would never let him leave this world so early.
Suddenly, a soft voice murmured beside her, "Miss Lu?"
Gu Yuncheng noticed she had zoned out.
"Hmm?"
Lu Jinse fluttered her eyelashes and the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly. "I'm sorry, the house was in such a mess just now. I've let you laugh at me."
"Don't mention it," Gu Yuncheng said. "Yueshan was just here looking for you, wasn't he?"
"Yes."
Lu Jinse turned and walked into the house. "He came to ask me to get back together, but I refused. Come on in, we just have concrete floors inside, no need to change your shoes."
"Okay."
Gu Yuncheng followed behind her.
Lu Jinse deliberately feigned a slight difficulty in her movement. The injury on her backside had been rinsed with Spirit Spring Water last night, and the pain had eased considerably, no longer affecting her normal stride. But she couldn't recover too quickly—a patient needed to look the part.
Noticing her awkward gait, Gu Yuncheng asked, "Miss Lu, is your injury feeling better?"
"Much better."
Lu Jinse walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa closest to her. "The medicine prescribed by the doctor is very effective. Brother Gu, please have a seat too."
"Alright."
Gu Yuncheng placed the two red mesh bags he was carrying onto the glass coffee table. They were filled with colorful fruits, canned goods, biscuits, and pastries.
Lu Jinse looked surprised. "Brother Gu, why did you buy so many things?" *Two whole bags?*
Gu Yuncheng sat down opposite her. "It's not that much. I wasn't sure what you liked to eat, so I bought a few different things to formally apologize to you. I was too careless yesterday."
Hearing him say this, Lu Jinse felt a bit sheepish.
"Brother Gu, you don't need to apologize. It was my fault yesterday. I was in a rush to escape the rain, didn't see the red light, and just bolted across the street. It had nothing to do with you." She had been in a bad mood yesterday, which was why she had yelled at the driver.
She had to admit, Gu Yuncheng's apology made her warm up to him quite a bit. She hadn't expected that beneath his cold and haughty exterior, he possessed such a kind and forgiving heart.
The corners of Gu Yuncheng's mouth twitched slightly. "If the traffic police had come out for yesterday's accident, they still would have ruled it as my responsibility."
Lu Jinse smiled. "If the traffic police ruled it that way, I certainly would have explained the truth. I wouldn't let you take the blame."
With a soldier's vigilance, Gu Yuncheng noticed someone eavesdropping behind the tightly closed door across the living room. "Miss Lu, is that girl from just now your sister?"
"Yes." Lu Jinse nodded. "My stepsister. Her name is Lu Lili."
Gu Yuncheng's brow furrowed slightly. "Why is she so close to Yueshan?" He couldn't understand it.
"Oh, that thing? Ha." Lu Jinse gave an awkward laugh and touched her nose. "I think you'd better ask Yueshan yourself. It's a bit complicated, but I'm sure he'll give you a satisfactory answer."
"Alright." A faint trace of a smile flickered in Gu Yuncheng's deep eyes.
Lu Jinse raised an eyebrow. "Brother Gu, may I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"I heard you were stationed in the Capital," Lu Jinse asked. "How is it that you're back in Rongcheng?" In her memory, Gu Yuncheng only returned to Rongcheng for the Xu family gatherings in June and July, spending the rest of his time at the military base.
Gu Yuncheng's gaze deepened. "You know where I'm stationed?"
"Of course. I heard my mo— oh, I heard Auntie Gu mention it." Lu Jinse almost slipped up; "mother-in-law" was what she used to call her after marriage in her past life, but they weren't married yet.
Gu Yuncheng explained, "I came to Rongcheng for a training course, and I came home last night to visit my parents."
*A training course?*
Lu Jinse asked again, "When does the training course end?"
"Soon." Gu Yuncheng raised his wrist to check the time. "Miss Lu, I should be heading back. I only took leave to come out today, so my time is limited. Take good care of your injuries, and I'll come check on you another day."
He stood up to leave.
*Huh? He's coming back?*
Before Lu Jinse could overthink it, she said, "I'll walk you out."
Gu Yuncheng turned back and declined, "No need to see me out, your injury..."
"I'm fine," Lu Jinse interrupted. "It's just bruises and scrapes, nothing touched the bones. Besides, I wanted to go out for a stroll anyway; staying cooped up at home is too stuffy. Let's go."
Her tone was sincere.
"Alright," Gu Yuncheng nodded. "Walk slowly."
...
After they had both left, Lu Lili finally emerged from her room, walked into the living room, and looked through the window at Gu Yuncheng's tall, upright figure. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, and her heart was a tangled mess.
That's right. At this time, Gu Yuncheng hadn't died yet.
How was he Xu Yueshan's second brother? And he knew Lu Jinse? Their relationship... seemed pretty good?
Gu Yuncheng...
Lu Lili's nose stung, and her mind uncontrollably plunged into a hidden memory.
...
It was a day in May 1976.
Lu Lili had taken her sister's place to go to college in the Capital, a hundred kilometers away from Rongcheng. During the brief journey on the train, she met a soldier.
It all started when a burly, vicious thief was pickpocketing in the train carriage and got caught by the victim. The thief had even arrogantly threatened the victim with a knife. Not a single person in the entire carriage dared to step forward to stop the thief's atrocities.
With a single "White Crane Spreads Its Wings" move, the soldier easily subdued the man, twisted his arm, and handed him over to the train's railway police.
Lu Lili was captivated. It was love at first sight.
Not only was he tall, mighty, and handsome, with eyes as deep as ancient pools, but even his stern, unsmiling expression hit every single note of her aesthetic preferences.
She left her seat, sat down across from the soldier, and took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
During the chat, Lu Lili was thrilled to discover that their destination was the same: the Capital.
That soldier was Gu Yuncheng, the very same man who had just come to the house to visit Lu Jinse.
His appearance was like a torch igniting a young girl's heart, blazing fiercely with her yearnings for love and marriage. The vague image of a future husband she once held in her mind suddenly crystallized into concrete form.
Yes! It was him!
Lu Lili began a fierce pursuit, following him all the way off the train and finding the military unit where he was stationed in the suburbs of the Capital...
She went to find him at the base whenever her school schedule allowed...
Gathering all her courage, Lu Lili expressed her affection to a man for the very first time in her life.