Qin Yuanzheng and Yang Wenyan usually drank a bit of alcohol.
Qin Yuanzheng's alcohol tolerance was quite good, honed during his time in the military.
Seeing the liquor Wang Huiping brought out, Yang Wenyan immediately said, "Oh, this is Fenjiu? Not bad, quite hard to get, isn't it?"
Wang Huiping smiled and said, "It's alright. I had some saved-up liquor ration tickets, so I could buy a jin at the supply and marketing cooperative. It just so happens there's heavy snow today, let's have some drinks to warm ourselves up."
As she spoke, she placed four cups on the table and began pouring. "I've already warmed the wine. Let me pour for you."
Deng Xiaozhen and Yang Wenyan looked at Wang Huiping, genuinely thinking she was a good person.
Although her looks were somewhat plain, she was virtuous and capable. The key point was she already had a son; raising him to adulthood, the boy would eventually call Qin Yuanzheng 'Dad' too. That seemed pretty good, didn't it?
Wang Huiping handed them the wine, one cup each. The wine was warm and mellow.
It was indeed good liquor, usually hard to come by, and Yang Wenyan was particularly fond of it.
He said to Qin Yuanzheng, "Come on, Yuanzheng, it's been a long time since we brothers drank together. Let's take advantage of today and have a few more cups."
Qin Yuanzheng nodded and downed the wine in one gulp.
He turned to look out the window. Outside, heavy snow was swirling down. The windowsill and the distant scenery were instantly blanketed in a vast whiteness.
The view outside was beautiful, but it was bitterly cold. He wondered what that young girl was doing now?
Was she leaning by the bed watching the snow?
Wanting to go out and play in it, yet afraid of the cold, then sitting by the window with a conflicted expression?
Thinking of this, Qin Yuanzheng smiled again.
He felt he must be drunk, his mind always wandering to Qiao Lanshu.
That young girl was only eighteen. He mustn't make a mistake.
With this thought, Qin Yuanzheng took another sip of wine.
The more they ate, the warmer it got. Qin Yuanzheng took off his jacket, wearing only a dacron shirt.
He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular, veined forearms.
Yang Wenyan, while drinking, told them about Sun Mingyong.
He said, "That scoundrel Sun Mingyong, he sure can spin a tale! An orphan, yet he claimed his father was a department store manager and his mother a primary school teacher! If he had just properly married his fiancée, it might not have counted as such a big lie. The key is, he actually dumped his fiancée and then married Wei Zhengye's daughter. What a bastard."
Deng Xiaozhen sighed with feeling. "So you see, when finding a partner, it's best to know their background. For those coming from other places, how would we know their family situation? It's so far away, we can't exactly verify it, can we?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Qin Yuanzheng.
Wang Huiping also asked curiously, "How did I hear that Sun Mingyong's fiancée came all the way from Guangzhou to look for him? Otherwise, he might not have been exposed."
Yang Wenyan snorted coldly. "Exactly. I heard the young girl waited at the station with no one to pick her up, then went to the headquarters. An officer from our unit even took her to the hospital."
Deng Xiaozhen asked curiously, "What does that southern girl actually look like? Was she not pretty? Otherwise, why would Sun Mingyong abandon her?"
Hearing this, Qin Yuanzheng said in a low voice, "The young girl is quite pretty. Sun Mingyong is the ugly one."
Everyone: "..."
Deng Xiaozhen asked curiously, "Yuanzheng, you've seen that girl? I heard she's only eighteen, is that true?"
Wang Huiping also stared at him.
Qin Yuanzheng didn't want to say more on the subject and simply said, "This wine tastes good, very mellow."
Wang Huiping smiled, stood up, and poured another cup for Yang Wenyan and Qin Yuanzheng, saying, "Regiment Commander Qin, Director Yang, please drink more. There's plenty of wine."
Seeing Qin Yuanzheng's reluctance to talk, Yang Wenyan changed the subject. He asked Wang Huiping, "Comrade Wang, it's been over two years since your divorce, right? Hadn't you thought about finding someone again before?"
Wang Huiping's smile turned somewhat bitter. "I was a bit afraid before. Afraid of finding someone who would hit me. I could endure it, but Xiao Yuan is still young, he couldn't take it."
Hearing this, Qin Yuanzheng looked up at her, thinking this woman had it tough too.
He despised men who bullied women, let alone those who hit their own wives and children. Were they even human?
Deng Xiaozhen sighed. "The child is the real pity. Xiao Yuan is still so little."
The two women chatted for a while longer. Deng Xiaozhen thought that since Wang Huiping's situation was so pitiful, Qin Yuanzheng might soften.
However, Qin Yuanzheng kept staring at the heavy snow outside, lost in thought.
Of course, Qin Yuanzheng's attitude was already quite clear. Wang Huiping had initially wanted to ask something, but now she didn't dare.
The meal lasted over an hour. Outside, the north wind howled, rattling the windows.
The snow was falling heavier too.
Yang Wenyan, his face flushed from drinking, hooked his arm around Qin Yuanzheng's shoulder and said, "It's snowing heavily outside. Stay and sleep here tonight, don't leave. The bed in the room you used before is still there."
When Qin Yuanzheng first arrived in Longcheng, he had stayed at Yang Wenyan's place for a while.
Back then, he wasn't a regimental-level officer yet, and Yang Wenyan wasn't married either.
In the blink of an eye, several years had passed.
He nodded and said, "You all take your time eating. I'll go back to the room and lie down for a bit."
He hadn't drunk for a long time. Having accidentally had a few extra cups today, he felt hot all over and a bit dizzy.
His body temperature was naturally high, and he usually didn't wear much even in cold weather.
Now, after drinking, he felt unbearably hot and restless.
He returned to the small room he had stayed in before and first opened the window for ventilation.
The howling north wind, carrying cotton-like snowflakes, blew in through the window.
The cool breeze cleared his head a little.
He then closed the window again, leaving only a narrow crack.
He was too hot, unbearably restless all over, feeling as if he were lying on a steamer, heat emanating from his entire body.
He took off his shirt, wearing only a camouflage-colored tank top.
Closing his eyes, his mind grew hazy. Comrade Xiao Qiao's smiling face lingered persistently in his thoughts.
Qin Yuanzheng tugged at his trousers, feeling some discomfort.
He pressed his hand against the black leather belt, thinking about unfastening it and taking off his pants to sleep, which would be more comfortable.
But then he remembered this wasn't his own dormitory.
Better not.
Enduring it, he tugged at his trousers again, feeling very uncomfortable.
It was strange. He usually had good self-control and hadn't felt this kind of desire for a long time.
But this time, the urge was particularly strong.
And at a time like this, the image of Comrade Xiao Qiao's smiling face he had seen outside the guesthouse two days ago grew clearer and clearer in his mind.
