Chapter 39: Long Time No See (Revised)

Chapter 39: Long Time No See (Revised)

Secretary Zhang, who usually stayed late working overtime in his office, wasn't there. Lin Zhijin then went to find Secretary Yang, who was indeed still there, but in a meeting with no time to see her.

Just as she was about to leave, she spotted Yang Su, whom she hadn't seen in ages, striding toward her.

Seeing Lin Zhijin, a flicker of delight flashed in Yang Su's eyes. "Comrade Lin, long time no see."

"Regiment Commander Yang." Lin Zhijin felt a brief jolt at the sight of Yang Su. Counting the time, it had been several months. If he weren't so handsome, she'd have forgotten him long ago.

"Are you here to see Mayor Yang, Comrade Lin?" Seeing her about to leave, he quickly added, "It's already dark. Let me walk you back."

"I came to see the mayor about something." Lin Zhijin glanced at the darkening sky outside. Walking home alone at this hour was honestly a bit scary, and since she had a bit of a thing for Yang Su, she decided to go with the flow. "Then... I'll take you up on that, Regiment Commander Yang."

The two of them walked their bikes side by side. Yang Su hesitated for a moment before explaining, "The mission was pretty demanding, and I never had a chance to rest. Comrade Lin, about that meal from last time—can we still do it?"

Lin Zhijin pursed her lips and said half-jokingly, "I thought I'd save myself the cost of a meal, but I didn't expect Regiment Commander Yang to still be holding onto that. Fine, you pick the place."

Yang Su understood from Lin Zhijin's words that she was willing to have a meal with him. He was thrilled inside—willing was good, it meant he still had a shot.

"How about tomorrow at noon? At Rong Ji. I heard their braised pork belly and steamed fish are both amazing." Yang Su's tone held a hint of anticipation.

Lin Zhijin smiled lightly and nodded. "Sure, I'm at my place now. See you tomorrow."

Li Yue, worried about Lin Zhijin, had been waiting by the door the whole time and naturally saw Yang Su. Her gaze darted between the two of them, then she pulled Lin Zhijin back inside and asked with a serious expression, "Spill it, what's going on? Are you two a thing?"

"What are you talking about? I went to see Secretary Zhang about something, but he wasn't there, so I went to find Mayor Yang, but he was tied up in a meeting. Just as I was about to leave, I ran into Yang Su, who'd just wrapped up his mission. It was getting dark outside, so he walked me back." Lin Zhijin explained.

Li Yue let out an "oh" and then smirked teasingly. "You let him walk you back—does that mean you've got a little thing for him too?"

Lin Zhijin didn't deny it. Yang Su's height, looks, and personality were all her type. In that case, there was no harm in seeing where it goes.

"The Women's Federation has put together several matchmaking dinners. You've seen all kinds of men—good-looking, good family, capable, responsible, and into you." Li Yue counted off each virtue on her fingers, then spread all five and waved them in front of Lin Zhijin's face. "Zhi Jin, you absolutely cannot let this one get away."

The next day, Lin Zhijin first checked in at the Women's Federation, let Su Jianhong know, and then headed straight to see Secretary Zhang.

"You think there's something off about that man? You even think he's one of those little Japs?" A flicker of hatred and disgust flashed in Secretary Zhang's eyes at the mention. "I'll have someone look into it right away. Xiao Jin, the Chen family's waters run deep. Don't go digging for information on your own."

"I get it. I only found out by accident." Lin Zhijin nodded obediently.

Professional matters should be left to the pros. Compared to truly smart people, her little bit of cleverness was nothing to brag about and could even backfire. So Lin Zhijin wouldn't be dumb enough to take matters into her own hands.

With the message delivered, Lin Zhijin headed back to the Women's Federation feeling light. After finishing her work, it was already time to head out, so she quickly packed up and got ready to head to Rong Ji.

"Zhi Jin, you're not eating at the cafeteria?" Wang Xiaoyao asked curiously, holding her lunchbox.

"I'm going out to eat." Lin Zhijin smiled at her and left with her bag.

Rong Ji was famous in the south part of town, but this was her first time there. It wasn't that she couldn't afford it—she just never got the chance.

"Comrade Lin..." Yang Su paused. "Do you mind if I call you Zhi Jin or Xiao Jin?"

"Call me Zhi Jin." Xiao Jin felt too intimate, but "Comrade Lin" all the time was too formal. Zhi Jin felt just right.

"Then you can just call me Yang Su too." Yang Su took Lin Zhijin's scarf and coat, then asked casually, "Where is Zhi Jin's hometown? My ancestors were also from the south. They fled north to escape famine. When my grandfather was on the verge of starving to death, a passing Red Army soldier saved him, and he joined the Red Army to fight. Both my parents are also soldiers, usually very busy, with almost no time to look after me and my younger siblings. We basically grew up being fed by the whole neighborhood."

"Thank you. Your parents didn't really look after you?" Lin Zhijin sat down and asked just as casually.

"No, they didn't." Yang Su handed the menu to Lin Zhijin. "I've already ordered the braised pork belly and steamed fish. See what else you'd like."

She knew Rong Ji's prices were high, but she hadn't expected them to be this high—a single squab dish cost five silver dollars. Good thing she'd brought enough money.

"Do you still have squab?" Lin Zhijin turned to ask the waiter.

"I'm sorry, but squab requires advance reservation." The waiter said politely.

"Then let's have the braised prawns, a stir-fried seasonal vegetable, and for soup, this jade and white jade soup." Lin Zhijin looked at Yang Su. "Is that alright? Anything else you'd like?"

"Let's start with that. We can order more if needed." Yang Su handed the menu back to the waiter.

Once the waiter left, Lin Zhijin said, "My hometown is Anping Township, quite far from the city. If it weren't for my birth chart being able to ward off bad luck for Master Chen, I probably would never have come to the city in my whole life."

She saw no change in Yang Su's expression and knew he was already aware of her background.

Yang Su's fingers on his leg twitched slightly. "A loss may turn out to be a gain. Zhi Jin is a fortunate person; everything will be smooth and safe from now on."

Lin Zhijin curved her lips into a smile. "I'll take your word for it. Here, I'll toast you with tea in place of wine. Thank you for helping me before. I should have treated you to a meal long ago, but it kept getting delayed until today."

"I'm the one who should apologize. We had already made plans, but I didn't show up." Yang Su apologized.

"You had an urgent mission. I understand." Lin Zhijin truly wasn't angry. She knew where to draw the line on matters of principle.

"All the dishes are served. Please enjoy your meal." The waiter bowed and left.

Seeing that she liked eating shrimp, Yang Su quietly peeled them for her. "Now that this mission is over, I can rest for a few days. A comrade-in-arms gave me two tickets to the theater. Would you like to go?"

"I'll have to see if I'm free that day." Lin Zhijin didn't agree outright, but she didn't refuse either.

After the meal, when Lin Zhijin went to settle the bill, she discovered Yang Su had already paid. She looked at him in confusion—he hadn't left his seat the entire time. When had he paid?

"I'll cover this one. You can treat me next time." Yang Su handed Lin Zhijin her coat and scarf. "It's a bit cold outside. Come on, I'll walk you back."

"I said I was treating." Lin Zhijin muttered under her breath.

When they arrived at the Southern City Street Office, Su Jianhong spotted Yang Su from a distance, speaking softly and laughing with Lin Zhijin. A smile flickered in her eyes. So this was why the young man had been so eager to leave the hospital—it was to see the one he had his heart set on.

"Xiao Su, how's your recovery? Why did you leave the hospital so soon? The doctor said your injury was quite serious and you need more rest." Su Jianhong walked toward them, looking at him with concern.

Yang Su was puzzled when he saw Su Jianhong. His arm had been hit by a bullet, but it was basically fine now. Why was his aunt-in-law making it sound so serious?

Noticing Su Jianhong glance at Lin Zhijin, Yang Su immediately caught on and frowned, saying, "It's not serious. I'm already much better."

Lin Zhijin looked at Yang Su in surprise. "You were injured?"

From last night until just now, Yang Su had acted completely normal—she hadn't noticed any sign of injury at all.

"It's not serious. Just got grazed by a stray bullet." Yang Su said nonchalantly.

"What do you mean not serious? If you hadn't dodged in time, that bullet would have hit your heart. And then you lost too much blood chasing after the enemy and were unconscious for a day and a night. Don't be reckless just because you're young. Zhi Jin, you should talk some sense into him too." Su Jianhong said with a stern face, feigning anger.

"Aunt-in-law, I'm really fine." Yang Su understood Su Jianhong's intention—to play up his suffering to stir Lin Zhijin's sympathy and bring them closer. But he didn't want to deceive Lin Zhijin.

"What do you mean fine? Sigh, I'm busy with work, and I'm really not a good cook, or I'd stew some soup to nourish you." Su Jianhong turned her gaze to Lin Zhijin. "Zhi Jin, Li Yue and Chunhua both say you're an excellent cook. How about you help stew some soup for him? You have no idea—if Yang Su hadn't been lucky this time, he might not have made it."

Lin Zhijin immediately understood. So this was what all the circling around had been leading to.

She looked at the handsome and upright Yang Su. It wasn't out of the question.

She pretended not to see through it. "If Regiment Commander Yang doesn't mind."

"Not that I mind, I just don't want to put you out," Yang Su said apologetically.

"Don't worry about that—I've gotta cook anyway," Lin Zhijin said with a soft smile, lowering her eyes.

Su Jianhong, having gotten what she wanted, gave Yang Su an encouraging look before turning to head back to the Women's Federation, leaving them alone to get to know each other.

After work that afternoon, Lin Zhijin went to the butcher's stall and bought a decent amount of meat and bones, along with some peanuts, red dates, and vegetables.

Peanut and pork rib soup, braised pork, and a simple stir-fried greens—that was dinner taken care of.

Since they were both single, to avoid any gossip, Lin Zhijin didn't have Yang Su come to her place. Instead, they agreed to meet near a ginkgo tree.

When she arrived, Yang Su was already waiting there. She quickly opened the thermos lunchbox and took out two sets of bowls and chopsticks. "You're hurt, so I kept it light—no spicy stuff. Here, grab the chopsticks and give it a try."

Yang Su looked at the young woman, who was smiling brightly, and felt a warm glow in his chest.

"Thank you." Yang Su had a small bowl of soup—it was delicious. The braised pork and greens were tasty too, better than anything any chef could whip up.

"How does it taste?" Lin Zhijin asked.

In her past life, after her mom died and her stepmom moved in, she had to do all sorts of chores, and that was when she honed her cooking skills.

"It's really good—I've never had such delicious food before," Yang Su said in a gentle tone.

"You're full of it—how could I stack up against the chefs at Rong Ji?" Even as she said that, Lin Zhijin couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.

They chatted as they ate, slowly opening up about themselves to get to know each other better.

"My mom isn't much of a cook—she's mostly busy. My younger brother and sister and I either ate at the cafeteria or mooched meals off the neighbors. With skills like yours, you must have started cooking at a very young age, right?" Yang Su asked, feeling a pang of sympathy as he thought of Lin Zhijin's background.

"It's not that bad—all the girls in the village were like that, so I never really felt it was hard." Lin Zhijin herself had only done chores during those two years of middle school; once she boarded at high school, she was free.

As for the original owner of this body, she'd really had a rough life, but back in those days, few in the countryside weren't.

After the meal, Yang Su handed Lin Zhijin the theater tickets. "Tomorrow evening at seven—I'll come pick you up then."

"Sure!" Lin Zhijin looked at the tickets in her hand and nodded in agreement.

Author's note:

None