As Shen Man helped Xu Yueyun up from downstairs, she raised her hand to show Jiang Chengzhou the bracelet on her wrist. “Grandma gave it to me.”
Linlin let go of Grandma’s arm and made room for Jiang Chengzhou on the other side.
Jiang Chengzhou supported Xu Yueyun and said with a smile, “It looks great. Grandma, how come I don’t have one?”
“You?” Xu Yueyun replied affectionately. “I’ll reward you with a taste of my hammer later.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
Jiang Chengzhou had a month of leave this time. Xu Yueyun asked him how he planned to spend it. “Your aunt and uncle must have missed you. And you should also pay a visit to Manman’s family.”
Now that was what it meant to show proper respect.
Jiang Chengzhou picked up a banana from the coffee table, peeled it, and handed it to Xu Yueyun. Then he gestured toward Shen Man and Linlin. “I was planning to go back, but later my aunt called and told me that she and my uncle were going to Guilin for a few days. They’d already made the arrangements and told me not to come back.”
Lin Zhilan and Su Lang supported the children going out to have fun, but because of work, they themselves had been more or less “trapped” on the island.
The island was especially hot this summer, so they discussed it among themselves and decided to go out for a change of scenery.
Lin Zhilan hadn’t known in advance that Jiang Chengzhou would be coming back; the trip had been arranged ahead of time.
They were still young, and Jiang Chengzhou had also returned to the Yingtian Military Region. If they missed him, they could always visit him there.
Rather than have Jiang Chengzhou return to the island—making him waste several days traveling back and forth by car—it would be better for him to stay in the capital and spend time with the older generation.
Xu Yueyun nodded. “As for Manman’s family… Should your grandfather and I accompany you to the island and pay them a visit?”
At that, Jiang Chengzhou looked at Shen Man with a smile.
Shen Man smiled back. “No need, Grandma. My parents went with Auntie as well.”
Lin Zhilan and Shen Changshan were colleagues and had originally needed to take turns going on leave.
But over the past few years, the military hospital had expanded, and the department of traditional Chinese medicine had become increasingly well-known. The hospital also placed great importance on it.
In addition, there was a medical university nearby that could directly provide the hospital with new talent, and several interns had been assigned there.
Lin Zijun and Qin Qing were now capable of handling things on their own and even treating patients independently.
Originally, Lin Zhilan had only made plans to travel with Wang Rou. Shen Changshan, however, had thought of Kong Baozhu, who had spent so many years on the island without ever going out, and had pleaded to join them.
The more friends on a trip, the merrier, of course, so Lin Zhilan agreed without hesitation.
Even now, she still had no idea that Jiang Chengzhou and Shen Man were together.
Thinking about how his aunt would react when she found out, Jiang Chengzhou’s lips curved upward without him realizing it.
Xu Yueyun nodded, then remembered something. “What about Li Li? Is he going with your aunt and uncle?”
Yan Yuan, who had remained silent until then, smiled and said, “Li Li said he wanted to come over, so I’ve already sent someone to pick him up.”
Su Li wanted to go out and have fun, but he also wanted to come to the capital to see his brother and sister.
He had wrestled with the decision for a long time before finally choosing the capital.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t resist running his mouth, saying that traveling with his parents would be no fun. Su Lang gave him a beating, and only then did he settle down.
The moment they heard Su Li was coming, even Su Bingcheng became excited.
Older people all loved lively, energetic children like Su Li. They made the house feel warm and full of life.
“Then I’ll go get his room ready. When will he arrive?”
Jiang Chengzhou smiled. “Grandpa, there’s no need to trouble yourselves. He can stay with me at the villa. There are plenty of rooms there, and Linlin has already prepared one for him.”
Xu Yueyun and Su Bingcheng were currently living at a military cadre rest center. The room downstairs belonged to the two of them, while the upstairs was used as a study.
Preparing another room would be far too much trouble.
Besides, Jiang Chengzhou knew that Su Li would definitely prefer to stay with them.
Xu Yueyun thought it made sense. “All right, we’ll do as you say. Take good care of Li Li and have fun together for a few days.”
By the time they left Xu Yueyun’s place, it was already completely dark.
The four of them didn’t go straight home. Instead, they went to Hongqiao.
A couple of years earlier, the authorities had approved the opening of nine official night markets in the capital. At first, there had only been a handful of stalls, but now the entire street had developed into a bustling commercial district, packed with people and alive with noise.
Jiang Chengzhou had just returned from the middle of nowhere and had never seen anything like it.
There was even a dance hall nearby, and anyone who bought a ticket could go in.
As Jiang Chengzhou passed by, he was reminded of the time his grandparents had danced at home on the island. Back then, they had to do it secretly, afraid that anyone else might find out.
After returning home, Shen Man still slept with Linlin, while Yan Yuan shared a room with Jiang Chengzhou.
Early the next morning, when Yan Yuan woke up, the bed beside him was already empty.
The quilt had been folded into a neat square—the habit Jiang Chengzhou had developed in the army.
Yan Yuan sat up and glanced out the window. Dawn had only just broken, and the faint sound of bowls and chopsticks clinking drifted up from downstairs.
After washing up, Yan Yuan went downstairs. As he reached the corner of the staircase, he saw Linlin clinging to the entryway and peeking toward the kitchen.
She was still wearing her pajamas, her hair uncombed, and her bare feet pressed against the floor. She looked thoroughly furtive.
Yan Yuan lightened his steps and walked over, coming up silently behind her.
Following Linlin’s gaze, he looked into the kitchen.
The kitchen door stood open. Jiang Chengzhou was standing by the stove with Shen Man held within the circle of his arms.
Shen Man held a plate in her left hand and a pair of chopsticks in her right. She was lifting a bite of food to Jiang Chengzhou’s mouth.
The two of them were so intimate that even breakfast had turned into an opportunity to cling to each other.
Yan Yuan withdrew his gaze, raised a hand, and covered Linlin’s eyes.
Linlin let out a muffled sound and tried to pry his fingers away with both hands. “What are you doing?”
“Speak no evil, see no evil.”
His voice was calm. He covered her eyes firmly with one hand while wrapping the other around her shoulders and turning her toward the living room.
Linlin allowed herself to be pushed two steps, but she still twisted around in protest. “I was only taking a quick look.”
Yan Yuan pressed her down onto the sofa, then bent over and placed her slippers by her feet. “Looking at what, hmm?”
Linlin leaned toward his ear and whispered, “Brother and Sister Manman were kissing in the kitchen just now.”
As she spoke, her face flushed.
She had only just gotten out of bed. She hadn’t changed her pajamas or washed up, and her porcelain-pale face was completely bare.
The embarrassment spread across her features. A faint blush first warmed the tips of her ears, and her eyes took on a soft, watery sheen.
Yan Yuan’s gaze darkened. Looking up, he smiled and said, “Why are you blushing? Haven’t I kissed you before?”
Linlin punched him. “You don’t understand. It’s different.”
Yan Yuan understood exactly what she meant.
He was in the prime of youth, full of energy and passion. Of course he had physical desires toward the person he held closest to his heart.
But the two of them were not married yet, so Yan Yuan refused to cross that line.
No matter how one looked at it, the girl was the one who would suffer the consequences.
Whenever passion began to overwhelm him, he forced himself to stop after only a taste. He would restrain himself and kiss her forehead or the top of her head, but the moment he sensed that he was about to lose control, he would immediately pull away.
Jiang Chengzhou and Shen Man, on the other hand, had been apart for so long that their love spilled freely between them. They never bothered to hide it or hold back.
Naturally, Linlin couldn’t help comparing the two couples and feeling that there seemed to be something different about them.
Yan Yuan’s fingertips gently brushed over the girl’s pale, flushed cheek. “How about we get married?”
