Chapter 36 – First Update

Chapter 36 - First Update

"Nurse Xiao Qin, someone is looking for you." After knocking on the door, male nurse Xiao Zhang revealed a rather peculiar smile and winked.

Qin Yao was helping out in the Traditional Chinese Medicine therapy room today. She was learning cupping, which was considered a valuable skill. In the army, those who knew acupuncture and massage techniques were regarded as lifesavers.

It was extremely useful for relieving fatigue and pain.

She was learning from a female doctor, Wu Mengyao, along with two other nurses. It was said that Wu Mengyao came from a family with generations of medical practice and was very skilled.

Just as she finished and took off her white nurse uniform, putting on her regular clothes to go downstairs, Qin Yao finally understood the strange smile on Xiao Zhang's face.

The man in military uniform stood straight like a cypress, exuding a righteous aura. By his legs was a red enamel washbasin, and on his right, a red thermos. Apart from these, the washbasin contained many items: women's soap, shampoo, pillowcases...

Qin Yao walked over, her expression indescribable. She glanced at Gu Cheng's cold face, then at the double happiness symbol on the enamel basin and thermos.

Enamel basins and thermoses were considered luxury items at this time, costing several yuan to buy, equivalent to one-third of Qin Yao's monthly income.

Ordinary families wouldn't buy these items on regular days. Mostly, they were purchased during weddings. To cater to the needs of newlyweds, most of them were adorned with large red double happiness characters.

Pfft, Gu Cheng in this setting, with these items, looked completely out of place no matter how you looked at it.

Of course, if he had an enamel cup in his hand and his hat covering his face, he would look like a typical "veteran cadre."

Qin Yao walked over, holding back her laughter. Gu Cheng sighed in relief when he saw her. Heaven knows how much pressure he had endured standing there, with everyone passing by treating him like a gorilla, each giving him a second look. Even Gu Cheng, who had seen many big scenes, felt immense pressure.

Was it really that strange?

Yesterday, Political Commissar Zhou had suspiciously suggested that he was "making do" with his relationship. Wasn't that nonsense? The more Gu Cheng thought about it, the more he felt insulted.

He clearly liked Qin Yao and was eager to marry her. Why didn't anyone know that?

—He had hidden it too well.

Gu Cheng had asked around today about what ordinary young couples gave each other when dating. He had received many answers: "Fountain pens, notebooks, enamel basins, thermoses... In short, it's all about practicality. Our generation is pragmatic."

"These items are used daily. If you give them to a young girl, she'll see your face every morning when she uses the basin you gave her and write with the pen you gave her. It's about being inseparable."

...

Gu Cheng reflected on what he had given Qin Yao: sugar, chocolates, canned food, afraid she would be hungry. He had given her plenty of food and had written her many love poems...

Love poems weren't practical; sugar and chocolates were gone once eaten. Overall, what he had given in the past wasn't very practical.

So today, Gu Cheng went to buy a bunch of "practical" items and decided to give them first.

Qin Yao picked up the enamel basin and the thermos, a smile on her face. She was quite happy; these items were exactly what she needed.

"Do you like them?" Gu Cheng asked stiffly. Technically, they were still in a "cold war."

Qin Yao honestly replied, "I like them. Thank you."

Gu Cheng had a savings passbook in his pants pocket. In his understanding, he thought giving these items wasn't sincere enough, and it was better to give a savings passbook and various tickets, letting the girl buy whatever she wanted.

Hearing Qin Yao's words, he felt it would be better to give her more in the future.

What if there's another cold war?

"Let me take these. I'll walk you back." Gu Cheng took the items from Qin Yao's hands, and they headed towards the dormitory together. Walking side by side, they hadn't spoken yet when a woman's voice called out to them.

"Captain Gu! Xiao Qin! Wait for me."

Xu Yun, having just shaken off a few young nurses learning embroidery from her, caught up, panting. Seeing Gu Cheng and Qin Yao, she quickly stepped forward to stop them.

Qin Yao asked, "Nurse Xu, is there something you need?"

"Nothing major, just wanted to chat with you young ones." Xu Yun smiled gently, appearing approachable. Her eyes swept over Qin Yao and settled on Gu Cheng. "Captain Gu, are you and Xiao Qin in a relationship?"

Gu Cheng nodded, his eyes scrutinizing Xu Yun.

"This Xiao Qin of yours is good-looking, but she's a bit impulsive and extreme in character, not very proactive, loves to eat, and is lazy. You'll have to be more tolerant. It took her a long time to lose weight to this point; she needs to maintain it well. When two people get married and are in a relationship, they need to understand each other well before marriage. Can they get along after marriage? Or will they be like some people, showing two different faces before and after marriage?"

After saying this, Xu Yun covered her mouth as if realizing she had misspoken. "Oh, I'm just saying, Xiao Qin, Head Nurse Ge also told you to change more. Don't dismiss it."

Qin Yao coldly replied, "Head Nurse Ge didn't say that."

Xu Yun gave a tolerant smile. "Xiao Qin, you should be more open-minded and realistic."

"Captain Gu, don't you agree?" Xu Yun said with a slight smile, looking at Gu Cheng.

This crude method of stirring up emotions might be rough, but it was effective. She didn't believe the two wouldn't argue over this.

As an officer, Gu Cheng would have to give her some face and not make things too ugly. As for Qin Yao, she would probably hate her, feeling wronged, and the man would blame her for not being open-minded.

"Nurse Xu is right." Gu Cheng said with a sarcastic smile. "Some people indeed have two faces, one in front of others and another behind their backs."

The irony in Gu Cheng's smile was like a knife, piercing straight at her. Xu Yun's smile stiffened.

Gu Cheng said calmly, "Yuan Li is your niece. I was there the day she stole money. She cried pitifully on the surface but was a black-hearted thief. How shameless."

Xu Yun's face turned pale. Gu Cheng knew? He knew everything clearly.

After all her calculations, she had forgotten that Gu Cheng had reviewed the profiles of all of them. He remembered!

"Yaoyao, you need to be careful of those who are one way in front of you and another behind your back." Gu Cheng advised the girl next to him.

Qin Yao almost laughed out loud and indeed did. "Captain Gu, I'll listen to you."

No wonder Xu Yun had malicious intentions; she was related to Yuan Li.

This family is absolutely crazy. The one who stole the money was Yuan Li, the one who lost the money was Li Fangfang, and the one who was wrongly accused was Tian Shuyun. Why are they hounding her like mad dogs? What's their problem!

With her facade of benevolence exposed in public and her relationship with her niece Yuan Li revealed, Xu Yun could no longer muster a smile and couldn't stay any longer. She turned and left.

Gu Cheng and Qin Yao continued walking forward. Passing by the vegetable field, Qin Yao asked Gu Cheng to wait, as she needed to water the field before heading back. Gu Cheng was quite dissatisfied: “That basin I gave you is for washing your face!”

Qin Yao: “...” Is there a problem using the basin to water the field?

“It’s for washing your face.”

Qin Yao responded with an “Oh,” thinking this man was too stingy.

Gu Cheng's eye twitched. After spending some time with Qin Yao, he knew that the young girl must be secretly mocking him in her mind. “Alright, alright, go ahead and water the field.”

“When you water the field, you need to think of me.”

Qin Yao: “...” Puzzled.

Gu Cheng took the enamel basin to fetch water. Nowadays, besides enamel and aluminum basins, most people used wooden basins and buckets. Farmers typically used wooden buckets, which Qin Yao had also used to water the field before.

Walking beside him, Qin Yao thought the enamel basin was sturdy and beautiful. Though it might sound rustic to call it enamel, referring to it as “cloisonné” made it sound more sophisticated, even though they were essentially the same thing.

The enamel basin Gu Cheng bought had a golden fish at the bottom, its robust tail raised like the shape of a crescent moon, encasing a large red double happiness character.

After planting the vegetables, Qin Yao hoped for nightly rain so she could skip the watering.

Fortunately, she could still delegate the task to someone strong.

Gu Cheng’s efficiency in work needed no further mention. He was quick and capable, keeping her little seedlings fresh and vibrant.

The bok choy grew fast and would be ready to eat in no time.

Qin Yao smiled: “In a while, I’ll stir-fry a plate of greens for you to eat.”

Gu Cheng: “...”

Seeing Gu Cheng’s silence, Qin Yao asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Cheng frowned: “You’re going to eat them?”

Qin Yao blinked: “Aren’t vegetables planted to be eaten?”

Gu Cheng felt a pang in his heart: “...”

He looked at the ground beneath him. He had tilled this land himself, planted the seedlings with his own hands, and watered and fertilized them. Yet, this ruthless woman was ready to pull them out and eat them.

Only after working did he realize the hardships of being a farmer, tending to the crops daily, which weren’t worth much.

Seeing Gu Cheng’s still cold and expressionless face, Qin Yao had a terrible guess. Was it possible this guy was still childish and couldn’t bear to eat them?

Thinking of this, Qin Yao smiled. “Captain Gu, in the future, if we get married and have a yard, we’ll raise some chickens in the yard. No roosters, just a few hens for eggs.”

Perhaps Gu Cheng would be like a child, reluctant to eat the eggs laid by their own hens.

She was truly curious about what Gu Cheng would be like as a father. Surely, he wouldn’t be more “innocent” than the child.

Gu Cheng: “With me around, you just keep ordering me.”

“Nurse Xu said you love slacking off, and she wasn’t wrong.”

“Aren’t these vegetables my effort?”

Qin Yao clicked her tongue: “You men only see yourselves, only recognizing your own effort, but not others’ efforts. How many times have you even come to the field?”

“I’ll take more care of the vegetable garden in our future yard, alright?” With a slight smile at the corners of his mouth, Gu Cheng became more and more eager for the future.

“We’ll raise more hens, and when you have children and sit the month, I’ll personally kill a chicken and make soup to nourish you.”

Qin Yao’s mouth twitched. This wasn’t what she had imagined. He was reluctant to eat the vegetables but willing to kill the chickens. How brutal.

She had just mentioned marriage, but this guy was already thinking about having children and sitting the month.

Gu Cheng: “You don’t eat enough meat, Yaoyao. You’ve lost so much weight since coming to the island. In the future, when I accompany you home to meet your parents, your future mother-in-law will blame me for not taking good care of you.”

“Have you not been eating properly in the canteen?”

Qin Yao was speechless: “I’ve eaten, I’ve eaten. I won’t starve myself, and I’ll continue slacking off, don’t worry.”

Gu Cheng said: “In a few days, when we go to the Gao family, let’s buy some meat. I’ll cook for you.”

Qin Yao: “... What do you want to do?”

“Doctor He was praised to the skies just for cooking a dish at someone’s house. How come I’ve never heard Chen Baozhen praise me in front of you? It’s just cooking. I can do it too.”

Qin Yao was full of questions: “???”

What exactly were these men thinking?