Chapter 30, First Update

"Is this the handkerchief Yaoyao gave you? With only two of these, you’re just an ordinary friend to her, right?" Gu Cheng, with lightning speed, snatched the handkerchief from Zhou Fangyu’s hand. The corners of his eyes lifted, brimming with provocation, like a majestic general riding a horse, looking down arrogantly at the defeated kneeling before him.

His features were exquisitely handsome, and his usual cold expression was like the icy cold of a snow-capped mountain, making people hesitate to approach.

At this moment, his brows were raised, his expression full of pride, like a spirited and arrogant young man, exuding a defiant arrogance. His disdainful tone could raise one's blood pressure, making him the epitome of someone asking for a beating.

"Yaoyao has only known me for a few months and has given me ten handkerchiefs, each embroidered with my name by her own hand," Gu Cheng said, playing with the two handkerchiefs wrapped around his fingers.

As if casually, he asked Qin Yao, "Is he also your matchmaker?"

"No," Qin Yao denied, "I’m not familiar with him. He’s a neighbor I grew up with in a large courtyard. Our families live far apart."

"Oh," Gu Cheng responded, putting his arm around Qin Yao’s shoulders, firmly holding her by his side like a protector. He extended his right hand, "I’m Yaoyao’s boyfriend, Gu Cheng. Nice to meet you."

"Zhou Fangyu," Zhou Fangyu reluctantly stretched out his hand to shake the man in front of him.

Gu Cheng wasn’t polite; he applied pressure, causing Zhou’s bones to creak.

"Ah!" The excruciating pain made Zhou Fangyu scream out.

Gu Cheng sneered, his mouth curling into a smile with a hint of evil, making him look like a rogue soldier in his neat and straight military uniform.

He let go of Zhou’s hand, who stepped back two paces, his forehead breaking out in a cold sweat. Realizing they were in front of the hospital, he felt a deep sense of humiliation.

What surprised him even more was Qin Yao’s reaction; she had the audacity to laugh out loud, "Pfft."

Just moments ago, she was a cold and aloof beauty, but now she laughed mischievously, her eyes looking at Gu Cheng with immense warmth. A bit of sunlight fell on her hair, dyeing it a moving light golden color.

Zhou Fangyu’s face burned with embarrassment, feeling as if he had been stripped bare, his everything laid bare for all to see.

The not-so-clever "scheme to create discord" didn’t anger Gu Cheng but instead made Zhou look like a clown.

"Doctor Zhou, Yaoyao is my girlfriend. I hope that aside from her family and close friends, others won’t call her ‘Yaoyao.’ It’s crossing the line. Next time, please refer to her as ‘Comrade Qin Yao,’ thank you for your respect."

Gu Cheng politely nodded, wrapping the two handkerchiefs together into a tight knot, and slowly walked a few steps forward before tossing them into the medical waste bin.

Qin Yao smiled, turning to Zhou Fangyu, "Doctor Zhou, I’d rather you repay me with money than with a hand."

"If we’re going to be clear about it, you’ve eaten quite a bit of meat cooked by my father. Now, with the harsh conditions on the island, if you’re willing to repay me fifty dollars, I’ll pretend we’ve never met."

Zhou Fangyu’s breath hitched: "..."

His monthly salary was only seventy yuan, and fifty yuan was more than half his wage. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it, but it felt like cutting off a piece of his flesh.

Hadn’t Qin Yao been infatuated with him before? How was it that she had cut ties with him so cleanly now?

Gu Cheng took Qin Yao and left.

Zhou Fangyu, with a dark expression, walked upstairs to the second floor. A nosy male military doctor who had witnessed the scene earlier, filled with gossipy curiosity, quickly came over, eyes wide with interest. "Doctor Zhou, are you interested in Nurse Xiao Qin too?"

"She used to like me," Zhou Fangyu said slowly, word by word.

The male military doctor snorted with laughter, "You’re just boasting. I don’t believe you."

"Doctor He is a much better catch than you. Nurse Qin didn’t even fancy Doctor He, so how could she possibly fancy you? You’re being overly confident." The male military doctor patted Zhou Fangyu on the shoulder, a look of "you’re being too full of yourself" on his face.

Zhou Fangyu and Doctor He looked somewhat alike. Women might find Doctor He lacking because of his dull mouth and introverted personality, but in the eyes of men, Doctor He was the ultimate marriage prospect.

Zhou Fangyu’s face turned red with embarrassment, "She gave me handkerchiefs!"

"Handkerchiefs? My female classmates in middle school gave me handkerchiefs too. Isn’t it common to exchange gifts at graduation? Just because she gave you a handkerchief means she likes you? Why don’t you say the whole class of girls liked you?"

"Did you ever date her?"

Zhou Fangyu: "I had a girlfriend."

"A girlfriend? Are you crazy? You had a girlfriend, and just because she gave you a handkerchief, you think she liked you? Doctor Zhou, you’re not just overly confident; you’re beyond that." The male military doctor, raising his voice, laughed mockingly.

Zhou Fangyu’s liver ached with anger, but he couldn’t find any words to refute.

*

In the seedling box, dense green shoots began to appear, initially just a few scattered points, now forming a green canopy like an umbrella street after rain.

Qin Yao and Gu Cheng walked to the vegetable field. Gu Cheng stood with his arms crossed, his face cold and silent.

Qin Yao had intended to say something to him, but seeing her little seedlings thriving, she immediately forgot about the older man.

The seeds had been sown densely, and the first to sprout in the seedling box were the bok choy, followed by radishes, cilantro, and tomatoes.

From now on, they would need to select the strongest seedlings from the box and transplant them into the field.

She turned to look at Gu Cheng, who was still standing with his arms crossed, a bad expression on his face. Anyone who saw him would know that Captain Gu was throwing a tantrum, surrounded by cold air.

Qin Yao silently withdrew her gaze, and unfortunately, the "able-bodied man" had rebelled, so she had to bury herself in work.

She carefully pulled out the seedlings, using a small shovel to dig holes, and soon, she had planted a row of crooked bok choy.

Gu Cheng’s eye twitched.

Qin Yao knew she had planted them poorly, but growing vegetables wasn’t like growing flowers. Vegetables relied on "inner qualities" to stand out, not looks. Planting them in a staggered manner would help them better absorb sunlight.

Gu Cheng couldn’t stand it anymore and walked over, pulling out the bok choy Qin Yao had planted and replanting them.

Qin Yao got angry, "If they don’t grow, it’s your fault!"

"Have you learned 'The Biography of Tree-Planting Guo Tuo'? Once it’s planted well, don’t pull it up again!"

Gu Cheng turned his head, and Qin Yao squatted beside him, complaining while digging. Her hair was in a loose bun, and from the side, her round, slightly puffed cheeks and her cute, upturned nose were visible. Her hands were busy working, and her mouth was grumbling, making her look adorably charming.

"If it doesn't grow, I'll take you to the squad to steal vegetables," Gu Cheng said, working more swiftly than her, picking up a tomato seedling.

Qin Yao looked at him with an especially astonished expression. "Is this really something you, Captain Gu, would say? Using the word 'steal'? Be careful you don't end up in prison."

"Then let's change the word to 'coordinate,'" Gu Cheng replied.

Vegetables weren't worth much, just a few cents per pound. One person couldn't even finish a pound of vegetable leaves in a day. Different squads grew different vegetables and often exchanged them by 'coordinating.'

After finishing his sentence with a smile, Gu Cheng blinked, belatedly remembering that he was still angry.

What's there to laugh about? I'm still mad!

He deliberately snorted, his expression changing in an instant like the weather in June.

Qin Yao: "..."

She advised, "Don't be so angry. Getting angry makes you age."

Gu Cheng's expression stiffened. The words 'aging' hit a sore spot.

Qin Yao stifled her laughter and glanced at the trellis of loofahs in the neighboring vegetable field. At this moment, she and Gu Cheng were crouching on the ground, like two pigs in front of a feeding trough. Even if they secretly stepped their paws into the trough, no one would notice.

So she quickly gave someone a kiss on the cheek.

A fleeting kiss, like a dragonfly touching water.

Gu Cheng turned his head. The first time was awkward, but the second time was smoother. His ears had accumulated enough experience that this level of intimacy was no longer enough to make them red.

Suppressing the corner of his mouth that was eager to rise, Captain Gu said with disdain, "These are old tricks. Don't think that just because you did this, I'll forgive you."

"Not sincere at all. My mouth is on the front."

Someone shamelessly hinted, blatantly indicating that people are inherently greedy.

Qin Yao barely resisted the urge to stomp on him with her foot. The next second, like a clam spitting out sand in water, she quickly pecked Gu Cheng's mouth and immediately retracted.

Her cheeks slightly flushed, she buried her head. "Alright, alright. Don't push your luck. If you go too far, I'll extend the evaluation period."

Gu Cheng stared into her eyes. "Can the evaluation period be shortened?"

Qin Yao: "..."

Captain Gu's eyes sparkled with insight, and a new continent appeared before him. "You gave another man two handkerchiefs. That should shorten the evaluation period by at least a month, right?"

"I'll extend it by a month!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

...

The two of them argued loudly in the field, and in their anger, Qin Yao smeared mud on Gu Cheng's face, who retaliated by smearing mud on hers. They were planting vegetables but almost buried themselves in the process.

Behind the loofah trellis, a person stood quietly. Head Nurse Ge had heard about Zhou Fangyu and, frowning, she knew Qin Yao was planting vegetables. She sneaked over to check on the situation and pick a few cucumbers.

After all, she had introduced Gu Cheng and Qin Yao, hoping they would end up together.

Hearing the voices, had they started arguing?

"Xiao Qin? Did you two have a fight?"

The two mud-smeared individuals froze. Qin Yao looked back in disbelief, while Gu Cheng slightly bowed his head, frantically wiping his face with the back of his hand.

Qin Yao, with a face smeared with black mud, looked like she had just returned from coal mining.

Head Nurse Ge burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha, Xiao Qin, what happened to you?"

"Captain Gu, why don't you turn and look at me?" Head Nurse Ge finished laughing and stared intently at the man in front of her.

Gu Cheng clapped his hands and stood up nonchalantly. Even though he was covered in mud, his calm expression made him seem untouched by it.

Head Nurse Ge clicked her tongue twice. "One of you has fair skin, and the other's clothes are white. Now, neither of you is innocent."

"I've never seen a couple act like this."

Not going to the movies, not strolling in the park, not discussing literary classics or the stars and moon. Instead, they're in the vegetable field, arguing and smearing mud on each other.

The two of them combined were almost fifty years old, yet they acted like five-year-olds. It was embarrassing to watch.

Hadn't she asked Xu Yun to teach Qin Yao how to please a man? How did it turn out like this?

Seeing Captain Gu's behavior, fighting and bickering, it didn't seem like he was truly angry.

Qin Yao took the initiative. "Nurse Ge, the evaluation period has been extended."

Nurse Ge was stunned and glared at Gu Cheng with an unfriendly look, wishing she could throw a handful of mud at him. "Extending the evaluation period, Captain Gu, that's going too far."

Gu Cheng, with a dark expression, said, "Nurse Ge, you came just in time. If the evaluation period is shortened by half, I'll submit our marriage report tomorrow."

Qin Yao: "No way!"

Nurse Ge: "?"