Chapter 277: Winter

Chapter 277 Winter

Jiang Leyin came back clearly in a bad mood.

Meanwhile, in the military base, Lu Hanchuan was in a meeting, preparing for a major crackdown on local crime rings.

Lu Hanchuan aimed to wrap up all operations before leaving.

The meeting ran until 6 p.m.

When Lu Hanchuan and Zhou Shengyang stepped out, they saw Jiang Leyin and Yang Juan talking at the training camp entrance.

Zhou Shengyang grinned. "Are Yang Juan and Jiang Leyin an item now? Are we going to have a wedding celebration at the base?"

Lu Hanchuan brushed it off.

Zhou Shengyang, however, pressed on. "Speaking of which, when are you getting married? Your girl even tracked you down at base—aren’t you in a hurry?"

Lu Hanchuan replied, "You think I'm not trying?" His voice took on an edge. "Once we return to the capital, I’ll invite you to the wedding."

Zhou Shengyang chuckled. "That’s too far away. How about we have a good drink tonight and pretend it’s your wedding celebration?"

Drinking was against regulations, and Lu Hanchuan hardly ever drank.

"We'll celebrate after the job's done."

Lu Hanchuan was extremely cautious and wouldn’t drink casually before finishing his mission—even though he could hold his liquor.

Zhou Shengyang had only mentioned it casually and wasn’t disappointed by Lu Hanchuan’s response. He chuckled again.

"Deal. Let’s wait for our victory."

Naturally, Lu Hanchuan intended to find Ye Xiaoxiao. When Jiang Leyin saw him at the entrance, she looked uncomfortable.

Yang Juan also noticed Jiang Leyin’s reaction.

He asked, "You've got feelings for Regiment Commander Lu? But he's taken, and they’re about to get married."

Jiang Leyin knew it was true, but she still wanted to argue. "Who told you they're getting married? Did Ye Xiaoxiao say so?"

Yang Juan shook his head. "Dr. Ye keeps to herself. It was Regiment Commander Lu who mentioned the wedding."

Because Ye Xiaoxiao worked at the medical office, Lu Hanchuan was always dropping by.

And since he made sure everyone knew, now no one at the base questioned that Ye Xiaoxiao was his fiancée.

Yang Juan had been happy about Jiang Leyin’s recent change in attitude toward him.

But seeing her expression just now, his heart sank.

"I… If I can get into graduate school, would you be willing to be with me?"

After working up his nerve for a long time, Yang Juan finally asked the question.

Jiang Leyin glanced at him. "Worry about acing your exams first. And… cut the crap. There's nobody."

Yang Juan wasn’t the right match for Jiang Leyin.

Jiang Leyin was twenty-five, and Yang Juan was older than her. He didn’t own a car or a place here, and other than his devotion to her, he didn’t bring much else to the table.

What Jiang Leyin kept to herself was her long-held dream of leaving the northwest.

That’s why she had chosen Lu Hanchuan before—not only because he was handsome but also because she knew he wouldn’t stay here for long. She’d gotten word from the commander that Lu Hanchuan was just on a temporary stint.

As she watched Lu Hanchuan walk away, Jiang Leyin felt she still had a chance to make a play for him.

Yang Juan had no choice but to walk away, crestfallen. He and Lu Hanchuan showed up at the medical dorm nearly back-to-back.

Ye Xiaoxiao motioned for Lu Hanchuan to sit first, then glanced at the downcast Yang Juan. "What’s up with Dr. Yang?"

Yang Juan waved his hand. "I’m fine."

With that, he went back to his room, dove into his books, and studied hard.

Lu Hanchuan: "Got shot down."

"He went after Dr. Jiang?" At this, Ye Xiaoxiao glanced at Lu Hanchuan.

"What’s wrong…"

Lu Hanchuan caught the faintest hint of disapproval in Xiao Xiao’s eyes.

"Any admirers come your way while you’ve been here?"

Ye Xiaoxiao trusted Lu Hanchuan, so she had never asked about such things.

Lu Hanchuan, however, was quite pleased. "Getting jealous?"

He ruffled Xiao Xiao’s hair. "Relax, there’s no one else—just you, Xiao Xiao."

"You still haven’t answered my question."

Xiao Xiao wasn’t buying it.

Lu Hanchuan sighed. "A few, but honestly? I don’t even remember."

He really hadn’t bothered to remember—and yeah, there were plenty.

"And Dr. Jiang?"

Lu Hanchuan hesitated.

"Turned her down."

Xiao Xiao reached out to pinch both his ears. "Damn right you did. Were you actually considering it?"

Lu Hanchuan just scooped her up by the waist.

Xiao Xiao instantly released him.

"Put me down—someone might see us!"

There weren’t many people in the yard, but the desks inside faced the windows, so anyone inside could easily see the yard.

Lu Hanchuan reluctantly let her go and instead took Ye Xiaoxiao’s hand. "Let’s go eat at the canteen. Don’t be angry—you’re the only one for me."

He hadn’t even fully won her heart yet, so Lu Hanchuan was treading carefully, afraid to misstep.

...

Ye Xiaoxiao believed she had already warned Jiang Leyin, and the other woman knew Lu Hanchuan had a fiancée.

As an intellectual, Jiang Leyin shouldn’t cross any boundaries.

At the end of November, Nalan Base was blanketed in snow.

Though the area received little annual precipitation, winter temperatures dropped low enough for occasional snow—though snow was a rarity.

More often, winter brought howling winds and choking dust storms.

The clinic had stoves, but the dormitory conditions weren’t as good.

Stoves were scarce now, but without one or a heated brick bed (kang), you wouldn’t last the winter.

Zhao Chunhua had already discussed it with Ye Xiaoxiao.

"Yang Juan and Li Zhen both have kangs in their rooms. You can bunk with Li Zhen during winter and share the bed."

Li Zhen had no objections—her room had space for three or four.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Is it really okay?"

Li Zhen: "You’ll freeze your toes off—since when do you care about convenience?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Alright, alright. I’ll stay with you then."

Lu Hanchuan, however, scrounged up a stove for Ye Xiaoxiao.

Though they weren’t impossible to find, they were still hard to get.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Put it in Li Zhen’s room. I’ll be sharing the kang with her in winter."

This way, the room would be even warmer.

And after she left, the stove would remain with Li Zhen—no need to relocate it later.

Lu Hanchuan: "Sounds good. I’ll bring more coal and firewood tomorrow. Just keep the room ventilated—don’t seal it too tightly, or you’ll gas yourselves."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I know."

After Lu Hanchuan left, Li Zhen threw her arms around Ye Xiaoxiao excitedly.

"We have a stove now!"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "You’re that happy about it?"

"Of course! With a stove, we can roast sweet potatoes, make toast, boil water—no more chomping on ice chunks!"

Li Zhen had lived through tough winters and knew just how brutal they could be.

Now that winter had arrived, food kept longer in the cold.

Ye Xiaoxiao brought homemade cured meat to Li Zhen’s room.

"Do something with this, or I’ll just give it to the cafeteria lady to deal with."