"Bro, is there a ghost chasing you or something? You’re running and sweating buckets." He Zhilan poked her head out of the kitchen upon hearing the door open, then, carrying a freshly cooked dish, she came out and waved it in front of He Teng’s nose, laughing, "How is it, does it look and smell as good as it tastes?"
He Teng scratched his neck and then rubbed his nose, glanced at the dish on the plate, nodded, grunted in agreement, and then said, "I’m gonna take a shower first!"
A simple exchange, but the joy on their faces was unmistakable.
After taking a shower and changing into his casual clothes, He Teng came out to find He Zhilan had already set the bowls and chopsticks on the table, waiting for him. As he walked over, He Zhilan started dishing out rice for him while asking, "Bro, did you wash the pajamas I left here last time I was over? Thanks, bro! Oh right, I just noticed while I was tidying the bedroom that the wardrobe door is missing. What happened? It was fine the last time I was here. I didn’t accidentally knock it and break it, did I?"
He Teng’s hand paused slightly with the bowl when He Zhilan asked her question. His deep eyes glanced at He Zhilan and then swiftly moved away before he replied, "It’s broken. I was in a hurry to get something that day and accidentally broke it with a thrust, so I just went ahead and took it off."
"You’ve got to put it back! There are other seasonal clothes of yours in there! Without a door, all sorts of insects and cockroaches can crawl in," He Zhilan said with clear disapproval. "Especially this season, it’s when cockroaches are most rampant."
"There aren’t those things in the new building. Even if there were, a door wouldn’t help; they’d squeeze through any crack," He Teng said in a muffled voice, then urged He Zhilan to eat without talking.
"I can’t swallow my food without talking," He Zhilan retorted directly, then went on, "I think the room is too bare. How about I get you some Devil’s Ivy and cactuses to plant when I go out to buy groceries tomorrow? Oh, and, we need to buy some curtains, especially for the two bedrooms; both need curtains. When you first moved in here, why didn’t you fix things up a bit, instead of just living with everything so rough?"
"As long as it’s liveable, it’s fine. What’s the point in fixing up so much stuff? Besides, don’t bring me cactuses or Devil’s Ivy, I don’t know how to grow them, if they die I won’t comfort you if you cry!" He Teng pondered for a moment, "If you want curtains, just put them in the room you’ll be sleeping in, I can sleep with or without curtains!"
He Zhilan rolled her eyes at He Teng, "Forget it, let’s pretend I never asked you! Tomorrow, I’ll just go out with the commissar’s wife and the others from the troop who are going grocery shopping!"
"Suit yourself," He Teng responded and then lowered his head to eat his rice, taking big bites. He had to admit, the food He Zhilan cooked really did smell good; ever since he got back from S Province, he had been longing for this taste.
After finishing the meal, He Zhilan cleared up the bowls and chopsticks. In a short while, Chen Ya’nan came to grab He Zhilan for a post-dinner walk. He Zhilan left He Teng at home and went out the door with Chen Ya’nan.
On the way, they ran into Kang Xing and others, and He Zhilan was quickly surrounded by Kang Xing and the new recruits who had just enlisted this and last year.
"Sister-in-law, we finally found you!" With an intimate hop and a skip, Kang Xing moved up right next to He Zhilan and asked, "Why didn’t Dongxue come this time?"
"She’s already started her internship at the hospital," He Zhilan replied, thinking to herself that after all these years, Kang Xing still couldn’t let go of his love at first sight.