Chapter 14

At the military hospital, Gu Cheng walked out of the Dean's office. Before long, by the door of the clinic, he caught sight of Ge Yunxia standing in front of the file shelves. He walked up to her. His eyes shifted to the round clock on the wall. It had been seventy-two hours since the day of the matchmaking, three whole days.

Head Nurse Ge was a very busy person. She was flipping through files in her hands. A person was standing right in front of her, but she still thought it was Nurse Little Ma. "Little Ma, go get Tingting for me."

She looked up, and Gu Cheng's gaze shifted to her face. Their eyes met.

The smell of disinfectant permeated the air. He stared straight into Ge Yunxia's eyes, calm and composed, and said, "Is there nothing you need to tell me?"

The ticking of the second hand drowned out the creaking of the old fan overhead. Gu Cheng's inner turmoil was far from the calmness he displayed on his face. Heaven knew how many laps he had wandered around the hospital before finally bumping into Head Nurse Ge.

"Oh, Captain Gu, thank you for your timely assistance the other day. Little Ma told me all about it." Mentioning this, Ge Yunxia smiled. Today was the day Qin Yao and Doctor He were set up on a blind date.

On usual days, she was busy with work, and setting people up was a leisurely diversion from her hectic schedule.

"Although there was an accident midway, everything is proceeding smoothly. Today, Xiao Qin is meeting Doctor He. Once they are official, I'll make sure Doctor He gives you a pack of wedding candies."

The ticking of the second hand disappeared, and Gu Cheng's heart felt like it had stopped. All the blood in his body rushed to his head.

After a long while, he found his voice and asked coolly, "Did she say anything about me?"

"Her? You mean Xiao Qin? It was all a misunderstanding that day. Fortunately, Xiao Qin understood. There's quite an age gap between you two, twelve years. Xiao Qin said that at your ages, there's not much common ground. I thought to myself, she's right. The girl is quite smart."

"She might see you as an elder in her heart, Captain Gu. You're not young anymore. I have nothing to say about your marriage prospects. Xiao Qin is undergoing training, so please help Doctor He take good care of her."

Gu Cheng's expression turned icy, and all the emotions from the past three days of waiting welled up in him—anxiety, anticipation, sweetness, joy—all turning into shame and anger.

That chattering mouth of hers said there was no common ground with him.

The Yao-yao sister who called him 'little brother' thought he was too old for her.

……

Now she realized he was too old and was afraid. But when she was ten years younger and called herself 'big sister,' why wasn't she afraid then?

A cold smile tugged at the corners of Gu Cheng's mouth, his sharp brows exuding a cold arrogance. Take care of her?

Ha, throw her into the sea to feed the fish.

Ge Yunxia watched Gu Cheng stride away, his posture as neat and straight as a guard of honor. The young nurses who had just entered the room couldn't help but glance back at him.

Ge Yunxia lowered her head to look at the medical records. A female nurse glanced up at her, then returned to the doorway, just in time to see Gu Cheng's profile as he turned the corner. She quickly averted her gaze when she met Ge Yunxia's serious expression.

The female nurse lowered her head to look at her toes.

Ge Yunxia said nothing. She shook her head, thinking that a girl as smart and aware as Qin Yao was a rare find.

After the female nurse left, Head Nurse Ge touched her nose, recalling Gu Cheng's cold expression. Her lips couldn't help but curl upwards.

She remembered how he used to be indifferent and aloof when she tried to set him up with someone. It served him right to be put in his place this time.

Ge Yunxia had guessed the man's thoughts. Young, from a distinguished family, handsome, with a bright future ahead of him, thinking all the young girls would be smitten with him.

Even if he didn't necessarily appreciate Qin Yao, the chubby city girl, he still wanted to hear what she thought of him. Was she fond of him and wanted to continue their relationship? Let him coldly reject her for being too chubby?

Ha, men.

Before Gu Cheng could say anything, Ge Yunxia rejected him first. It was the young girl who said it wasn't a match.

She had heard Gu Cheng's cold remarks too many times, and this time, she felt satisfied.

She felt compassion for Qin Yao, the eighteen-year-old girl. Her parents were ordinary workers; her father was a cook. As the only daughter in the family, she was cherished and raised with care. There was no need for her to suffer.

Doctor He didn't mind her being chubby and even found her pretty. Their conditions were well-matched, and they would have a good, stable married life.

Doctor He, though quiet, was more at home compared to other officers and didn't mind doing household chores. Xiao Qin didn't seem like someone diligent, and marrying Doctor He might even make other wives envious.

Suitable people should be together. Head Nurse Ge listed their conditions again and nodded in satisfaction.

Gu Cheng walked out of the hospital building. Not far from the entrance, there were several baskets of medical waste. A young officer was about to lead a few medical staff to incinerate them. Under the scorching sun, there was a rather unpleasant smell.

Gu Cheng took out the handkerchief from his pants pocket, clenched it in his hand. The pink handkerchief, which once smelled faintly of lilacs, was now stained with a bitter stench. With just a slight toss, it could be burned to ashes, buried in the ground, never to be seen again.

Gu Cheng raised his hand several times, but the damned handkerchief felt like it was glued to his palm.

"Captain Gu, do you have any instructions?"

"No," Gu Cheng replied, retracting his hand and clutching the pink handkerchief in his palm. He thought of the starry night by the sea and, in the end, couldn't bring himself to throw it away.

Qin Yao met Doctor He at the same place.

Doctor He was a gentle and handsome doctor, not tall, with a weak demeanor. He spoke with a slight nervousness, his right hand trembling as he drank tea. After chatting for an hour or two, he went to the bathroom several times.

Qin Yao found Doctor He quite adorable. To be honest, Doctor He Guangzhi was indeed a good marriage prospect. Marrying him would mean a peaceful and cozy married life.

However, it was a pity that despite Doctor He's excellent qualities, her body's reaction told her she felt nothing for him.

It was harder to find a reason to reject Doctor He than to reject Gu Cheng.

From any perspective, Doctor He was an excellent match, and there was no reason to refuse him. Say he was too quiet? This time, he was very proactive in front of Qin Yao, chatting and even buying candy and snacks afterward, and he bought vegetables, offering to cook for Qin Yao and Chen Baozhen.

Chen Baozhen praised Doctor He's cooking. "Doctor He, your cooking is much better than our old man's."

Dr. He smiled shyly.

Dr. He had prepared a lot of meals, and the three of them couldn’t finish it all. Tian Shuyun, who lived next door at her cousin’s house, learned about Dr. He’s blind date with Qin Yao. She rushed over to Chen Baozhen’s house to cook and prepare dishes, all the while seething with jealousy.

"Yaoyao, Dr. He is a really good match," Chen Baozhen advised her best friend Qin Yao, who had already been won over by Dr. He.

Dr. He was handsome and genteel. Although he didn’t talk much and was a bit introverted in personality, he was diligent and hardworking. He didn’t have the bad temper of male chauvinism and had excellent culinary skills.

If Qin Yao and Dr. He were together, with one as a doctor and the other as a nurse, their families would live close to each other after marriage. They could visit frequently and remain best friends for life.

Qin Yao helplessly said, "It's not a good fit. I don’t feel a spark with him."

Qin Yao apologized to Dr. He and then spoke to Head Nurse Ge, "Head Nurse Ge, I’m about to start training soon. I want to seriously learn some skills. I’m only eighteen, still too young. After thinking about it, I don’t want to talk about relationships or marriage for now."

Head Nurse Ge smiled kindly and didn’t push, "Just get to know each other slowly. No rush. Marriage is a big decision and should be made carefully."

"If you run into any problems in the future, talk to Dr. He more. You might change your mind."

"Feelings can be cultivated over time."

After Qin Yao’s blind date with Dr. He, Gao Jianguo felt quite uneasy. Qin Yao and Chen Baozhen were old friends and close confidants. Ever since Qin Yao came, Chen Baozhen had a best friend and was happy every day, which greatly improved their marital relationship. Gao Jianguo was quite satisfied with his current married life.

Therefore, he sincerely hoped Qin Yao could stay on the island.

However, he wasn’t too keen on Qin Yao successfully dating Dr. He. As a man, Dr. He was too attentive. Chen Baozhen kept praising Dr. He, saying that a woman who married a man like Dr. He would be the happiest on the island. He was hardworking, could cook, was genteel, and a doctor with a good temper.

If Qin Yao married Dr. He, would he still have a good life?

In secret, Gao Jianguo planned to help Qin Yao find another match. This man didn’t have to be a soldier, just someone on the island whose conditions were "slightly worse" than his.

On a whim, he asked around for young, unmarried men and even inquired about Gu Cheng.

"Captain Gu, you have a wide network. Can you help me ask around? If you know any suitable young men, just make a note."

Gu Cheng replied coolly, "Isn’t she already on a blind date with Dr. He?"

"You heard about that too?" Gao Jianguo hadn’t thought much of it himself. There was nowhere to vent about it. Knowing Gu Cheng wasn’t much of a talker, he shared a bit of his true feelings, "I wasn’t home that day. I wasn’t home... This guy cooked a great meal for my wife. Now my wife can’t stop praising him."

"If Xiao Qin really ends up with Dr. He, it’ll actually be a good thing. Dr. He is a great marriage candidate. In the future, when I’m not home, Baozhen has a place to freeload. But somehow, I feel a bit uneasy about this."

"Fortunately, Xiao Qin didn’t take a liking to him." Gao Jianguo rubbed his hands together and squinted his eyes at the dark flock of seabirds circling ahead, a smile forming on his lips.

The scene of the seabirds circling over the sea was quite picturesque. Of course, this was only in the eyes of outsiders. In the eyes of the navy, it was a different story. In the past, when such a large group of seabirds circled a warship, what do you think was left behind?

—Bird droppings.

Dense bird droppings.

Gao Jianguo had been unfortunate enough to experience this a few times, unable to prevent it. Maybe because he was "fortunate" now, he even found the seabirds more pleasing to the eye.

"Didn’t take a liking?" Gu Cheng’s tone rose three degrees. As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the unconcealable joy in his voice. The next moment, he tightly pressed his lips together and turned to look at the seabirds in the distance.

Captain Gu, not useful at all!

Gu Cheng scolded himself inwardly. What’s there to be happy about? How cheap!

He bit his lip hard, but even though it hurt, he still smiled.

"She didn’t take a liking. I guess Xiao Qin is still young. She’s only eighteen, not in a hurry, and hasn’t experienced much. She’s a city girl. In the countryside, an eighteen-year-old girl is considered quite grown up. By traditional age, she’s already twenty. In the village, they would have already started looking for a match, and some would even be mothers by now. Xiao Qin, like Baozhen, grew up in the city and still feels she’s too young. People in the city advocate for late marriage."

Gao Jianguo continued talking, not noticing Gu Cheng’s reaction. What reaction could Captain Gu have? He probably would lose patience after a while.

Only the deputy captain, standing on the watchtower in the distance with a pair of binoculars, accidentally caught Gu Cheng’s smile. His eyes almost popped out, and he nearly dropped the binoculars.

But in the next moment, the scene was gone, as if it had been an illusion.

Gu Cheng had already noticed his gaze and gave a cold glance back. The deputy captain coughed and didn’t dare to look anymore.

"If Xiao Qin were twenty-five or twenty-six, she would probably start to feel anxious. If she met a good marriage candidate like Dr. He, wouldn’t she want to seize the opportunity?"

"Young girls still prefer men who are good with words, who know how to say sweet nothings. There was a very beautiful sister in our village. When she was young, a local troublemaker had a good voice. Whenever she passed by, he would sing some flirtatious words to her. Even though she knew this troublemaker was poor and had nothing, she still desperately married him. They didn’t live a good life after all, just love sustaining them..."

Gao Jianguo sighed a few times. A few birds flew overhead, and he continued, "Men like Dr. He, who come to my house to cook, are the really scary kind. My wife now keeps praising him in front of Xiao Qin. Women can hardly resist that."

"Sigh, Captain Gu, look at me—how did I end up talking about this today?" After finishing, Gao Jianguo suddenly realized that the person next to him was Gu Cheng. He was afraid that Gu Cheng had already lost patience but was just being polite by not interrupting.

Gu Cheng seemed to be deep in thought, "Oh, I’ll make a note of it."

Gao Jianguo was stunned, "?"

Gu Cheng glanced at him, his arms crossed, and said calmly, "I’ll keep an eye out."