Shen Man watched Jiang Chengzhou disappear into the night.
She slid the bolt into place, then touched her lips with her fingertips.
How ridiculous. Who was afraid of the dark?
Jiang Chengzhou returned to the dormitory as well.
His quarters were even worse than Shen Man’s—a single large bunkroom shared by more than a dozen men.
At night, their snores rose and fell in uneven waves, one after another.
No one had gone to sleep yet. When they saw Jiang Chengzhou return with a grin all over his face, they immediately began teasing him.
Jiang Chengzhou was in too good a mood to bother arguing with them.
He walked over and sat down beside his bunk, unconsciously raising a hand to touch his lips.
Afraid of the dark?
Who was he kidding?
The more Jiang Chengzhou thought about it, the funnier it seemed. His shoulders began to shake. His muffled chuckle gradually turned into a suppressed laugh, and finally he simply fell backward onto the bed, one arm draped across his forehead, laughing so hard that his entire chest trembled.
Everyone else had already climbed into bed, but the commotion made them sit up one after another.
“What happened to the platoon leader?”
“No idea. He’s been like this since he came back.”
“Could he have gone outside and been possessed by some wandering ghost?”
Jiang Chengzhou’s laughter stopped abruptly. He threw a pillow at them. “Stop talking nonsense. Go to sleep!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Everyone burst out laughing. It was rare to see him like this.
Jiang Chengzhou pulled the blanket up to cover half his face, though his shoulders were still shaking.
The others didn’t dare laugh out loud, but they were holding it in so hard their stomachs hurt.
He couldn’t sleep…
Jiang Chengzhou tossed and turned all night. As soon as he finally made it to dawn, he got up, washed, and went to bring Shen Man breakfast.
The borderlands had no traditional four seasons—only a rainy season and a dry season.
It was winter now, the most difficult period, when the heavy fog brought damp, bone-chilling cold.
When Shen Man got up and opened the door, a gust of cold wind carrying thick white mist rushed inside.
Someone stood outside. A fine layer of frost had settled on his shoulders, and tiny droplets of moisture clung to his eyebrows and eyelids.
“I brought you congee and steamed buns.”
Jiang Chengzhou was so cold that even his speech was slightly slurred. “I’ve been waiting for a while, so they might be a little cold.”
Idiot, Shen Man cursed inwardly.
She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside, then shut the door behind him.
The room was hardly any warmer than outside.
She hurried to bring over the stove, then went looking for dry kindling to start a fire.
Jiang Chengzhou set the breakfast on the windowsill and crouched down to help her.
He was much better at starting fires than Shen Man. Before long, he had the coal burning.
Shen Man quickly placed a briquette on top of the glowing coals.
She had bought the briquettes with her own money. She had a scholarship, and Kong Baozhu sent her money every month. On top of that, she now had her own salary and allowances, so Shen Man was hardly short of money.
She fetched a dry towel and began rubbing his hair.
His hair was damp from the mist, and his face was red from the cold.
“Don’t you know how to knock?” Shen Man scolded lightly. “Why did you come looking for me so early?”
With her hand holding his head, Jiang Chengzhou bent slightly to match her height. “I only got here a little while ago. You were still asleep, so I didn’t call out to you.”
Shen Man brushed aside the loose hair over his forehead. “Are you stupid?”
Jiang Chengzhou smiled but said nothing.
Shen Man looked up and happened to meet his lowered gaze.
She couldn’t suppress the smile at the corners of her mouth. Rising onto her toes, she leaned over and quickly kissed the corner of his lips before pulling away at once.
Before Jiang Chengzhou could react, Shen Man had already turned around to deal with breakfast.
The congee and steamed buns had gone cold.
The briquette was burning now, so Shen Man placed the kettle on top of it, then set the bowl of congee and the buns beside the stove to warm slowly in the heat.
Jiang Chengzhou could only sit on the little stool, looking utterly aggrieved.
The sight amused Shen Man, but it also tugged at her heart. She crouched beside him, pulled both his hands into hers, and rubbed them between her palms.
When his hands had finally warmed up, she began mischief—running her fingers over the hard calluses and cracks in his palms, occasionally brushing her fingernail lightly across the center of his hand.
Jiang Chengzhou flinched and drew his hand back a little. “Shen Man, stop bullying me.”
Shen Man smiled, looking up at him. “Jiang Chengzhou, I only have one stool in my room. If you sit there, where am I supposed to sit?”
Jiang Chengzhou coughed lightly and looked away. “You… you can sit on the bed.”
“I’m wearing outdoor trousers. I’ll get the bed dirty.”
With that, Shen Man stood up and wrapped both arms around his neck. “Then hold me. We can squeeze together.”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Jiang Chengzhou choked, but Shen Man had already settled onto his thigh.
“That’s not appropriate.” The tips of his ears turned red.
Shen Man rested her hands loosely against the back of his neck. “Jiang Chengzhou, don’t be so unreasonable. This is my room. I can’t even sit here for a while?”
He couldn’t argue with her. Resigned, he slipped his uninjured arm around her waist to keep her from losing her balance and falling.
Shen Man took advantage of the situation, resting her forehead against his shoulder and pressing her cheek against the hollow of his neck.
Jiang Chengzhou went stiff as a board. His hand stayed at her waist, not daring to move, while the skin on his neck visibly turned red.
“Why are you so nervous?” Shen Man thumped him lightly on the chest. “It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”
Jiang Chengzhou turned his head slightly, his lips brushing the top of her hair. He muttered softly, “Who knows?”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. Aren’t the buns warm yet?” Jiang Chengzhou changed the subject.
Shen Man shot him an exasperated glance before getting up to fetch the buns.
The bowl holding the congee had grown hot from the charcoal. Jiang Chengzhou carried it while the two of them shared the meal, taking turns with each bite.
After breakfast, Shen Man glanced at her watch. “I have to go to the hospital. What about you…”
Jiang Chengzhou washed the bowls. He would have to return them to the mess hall later.
“I have to teach the recruits. Shall we have lunch together? You go to the hospital first.”
Shen Man nodded. “Then let’s leave together.”
“You go ahead. That stool of yours doesn’t look very sturdy. I’ll find a nail and fix it for you.”
Shen Man had already reached the door, but at his words, she turned and came back.
Jiang Chengzhou took a step backward. “What are you doing?”
Shen Man advanced one step at a time until she had backed him against the wall, leaving him nowhere else to go.
“Shen Man…”
Before he could finish, Shen Man rose onto her toes and kissed him.
This time, it was no brief peck like the one that morning. She hooked both arms around his shoulders, pressed her lips firmly against his, and lightly tested his lower lip with the tip of her tongue.
Jiang Chengzhou’s entire body went rigid. Then he clasped her lower back, pulled her into his arms, and turned the tables, taking control of the kiss.
He was a little rough. Shen Man was kissed until she had to arch backward, her fingers tightening around his collar as her breathing grew ragged.
Only when they were both struggling to breathe did Jiang Chengzhou finally let her go. “Shen Man, don’t start things you can’t finish.”
“…”
Her chest heaved. Her lips were flushed and slightly swollen from the kiss, and a sheen of moisture glimmered at the corners of her eyes.
Talk about turning the tables!
Shen Man laughed in exasperation and pushed him away. “Here are the keys. Next time, don’t stand outside waiting like an idiot.”
