First Night with the Army: The Stoic Big Shot Is Done Pretending

"Hello, my name is Yu Qing." Yu Qing offered a faint smile.

Noticing the strong medicinal scent on Xue Chongsui, she couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Are you studying medicine too, Chongsui?"

"Yep."

Seeing the two of them chatting so happily, Xue Li lowered his gaze. He stepped between them and looked down at his younger brother, his tone flat.

"It’s the weekend. Don’t you have homework?"

"I don’t have homework," Xue Chongsui replied.

"Why not?"

"I’m a senior in high school this year."

He had just skipped grades to get into high school. High school didn’t have much homework; he just needed to review on his own. After the college entrance exams, he would officially enroll in the Qingbei Medical Department.

The Xue Family had high hopes for him.

They wanted him not only to inherit the family’s knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine but also to study Western medicine.

Mastering both would be beneficial to him, no matter what.

Xue Li fell silent after hearing this.

He carefully sized up his brother, who barely reached his knees, and spoke with a complex expression, "They let ten-year-olds take the college entrance exam now?!"

Back when he was a student, he wasn’t allowed to take the exam, which was why he joined the army.

The rules had only been relaxed a few years ago. He had only heard about them removing the age limit for older candidates; this was the first time he’d ever seen such a young one.

"I’m a special admission student."

Hearing this, Yu Qing couldn’t help but give Xue Chongsui a thumbs-up. "You’re amazing, Chongsui," she said, full of admiration. "Going to university at such a young age."

Xue Chongsui’s little face flushed red from the praise.

"Stop chatting. Your uncles are still waiting."

A woman in a qipao walked over. She beckoned to Xue Chongsui. "Come here. Don’t get in the way of your sister-in-law’s first visit."

"Oh."

Xue Li shot a guilty glance at Yu Qing, then looked at his mother, asking with some annoyance, "How did my uncles get here already? I was only gone long enough to pick someone up."

"You are the eldest son of the Xue Family. Carrying on the family line is a major event. When your uncles heard you were bringing a girlfriend home, they dropped everything to come. That’s how much face they’re giving you."

Xue Li: "..."

He was speechless.

’I’m even worried this is getting too big to handle.’

Mrs. Xue and Xue Chongsui walked ahead, while Yu Qing and Xue Li followed behind. He whispered, "Maybe we should find an excuse to slip away. I have a feeling it won’t just be my uncles, but my aunts too."

"You have a big family."

Yu Qing clutched the gift box, her heart pounding. The thought of getting to see Mr. Xue Sr. today made her expression firm. Her gaze resolute, she said, "It’s fine. I can handle it."

"Alright, then."

·

「By two o’clock.」

Wen Ci woke up and stretched lazily.

The sleeper bunk on the green-skinned train was cramped. An indescribable, foul smell wafted through the corridor, especially when passing the car where people got hot water.

She leaned against the head of the bed, wondering what she should do.

After getting up, Wen Ci went to the hospital.

She wanted to find out exactly how long Huo Jingyuan’s recovery would take. If it was going to be a while, she planned to develop her own career in Beijing. The eighties were a boom period.

It was the easiest time to make money, as the country was still in a state of rebuilding from the ground up.

Just as she was leaving the Beijing Military Region, Wen Ci saw a plainly dressed man squatting by the main gate, holding a high school math book.

There was a guardhouse at the military region’s main gate, constantly on watch. Non-military personnel and those who weren’t family of military members were not allowed to enter.

Wen Ci walked over and asked curiously, "Are you studying here? Or are you waiting for someone?"

’If I can help someone while I’m out, I should,’ she thought.

At her words, the squatting man looked up. When his handsome face registered who Wen Ci was, a hint of joy appeared in his eyes. "You’re Ah Ci?"

"Huh?"

Wen Ci blinked, a little confused. She asked tentatively, "And you are?"

The man slowly stood up, a smile in his eyes. He pointed to himself. "It’s me, Gu Che from the Shixing Society. Our families lived on the same mountain when we were kids."

"Uh..."

Wen Ci had no memory of him.

But she put on a gentle smile. "So, what were you doing squatting here?"

Gu Che sighed. He looked at Wen Ci, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then stopped. "It’s nothing. I’m just waiting for a friend."

"I see."

Suddenly, her stomach rumbled at the most inappropriate time. She hadn’t eaten anything since the instant noodles on the train last night, having only had a little water in between.

"Haven’t eaten yet? How about I treat you to a meal?"

As he spoke, Gu Che rummaged through his faded, wrinkled bag, pulling out some loose change. He laughed awkwardly. "This probably isn’t enough for a full meal, but it should cover two bowls of hot noodles."

"No, it’s okay. I have things to do."

The words had barely left her mouth when her stomach protested again.

Wen Ci couldn’t help but blush. Even though she had no memory of the man before her, anyone would be embarrassed by their stomach growling twice in a row.

At Gu Che’s enthusiastic invitation,

Wen Ci agreed.

People in the eighties were simple and honest. There was a popular saying about the four great joys in life: a welcome rain after a long drought, bumping into an old friend in a foreign land, the wedding night, and success in the imperial examinations.

’Living on the same mountain probably means we had a decent relationship,’ Wen Ci thought.

Gu Che led Wen Ci to a nearby noodle stall. At this time, large factories were laying off workers and encouraging them to start their own small businesses, contributing to a street stall economy.

The entire nearby street was filled with food vendors.

A few moments later, steaming hot noodles were served. Gu Che glanced at the fair-skinned Wen Ci out of the corner of his eye and said with a smile, "What brings you to Beijing?"

"What about you?" Wen Ci asked back.

"Our village didn’t have a middle school, so I went to the county to study," Gu Che said while eating his noodles. "Then I came to Beijing for high school. The college entrance exam is coming up soon."

"So how old are you this year?"

"Twenty-five. Two years older than you."

Gu Che was born in a poor mountain village. Even though he was a boy, he was always doing farm work at home. He didn’t start first grade until he was twelve.

Because his family was poor, he was malnourished. In his teens, he only looked a little older than a regular elementary school student.

"What about you?" Gu Che asked again.

"My husband was injured and is in the hospital, so I’m staying in Beijing for now."

"You’re married?" Gu Che’s eyes went wide. He was so shocked that his chopsticks fell to the ground. He frantically picked them up and asked:

"How could you get married so soon?"

"It’s not that soon," Wen Ci replied.

Normally, girls from the countryside would be married off in their teens. Her adoptive parents, wanting to keep her under their control, had never arranged a marriage for her.

"You... you... you..."

Gu Che opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. Finally, he let out a long sigh and said bitterly, "When we were kids, you said you were going to marry me."

"I said that?"

Wen Ci was partly convinced and partly in disbelief.

Her gaze fell on Gu Che’s face. ’Maybe the original owner of this body, who suffered from emotional abuse as a child, really did say something like that to a sunny boy like Gu Che.’

’But I’m not her.’

Wen Ci smiled and teased, "You can’t take the things kids say seriously. I heard you’re taking the college entrance exam. Which university are you planning to apply to?"

"Qingbei!"