At the end of September, Yuncheng had already entered deep autumn, with the ginkgo leaves turning yellow, scattering across the streets and alleys with the wind.
In a few days, it would be the National Day holiday, with a long seven-day break.
On this night, Ruan Nianchu finished her shower and lay in bed, playing with her phone while poking Li Teng with her foot, asking him, “Any plans for the National Day holiday?”
Li Teng held her bare foot in his palm, frowning. “Your feet are so cold. You should wear more clothes.”
His palm was covered with calluses, thick layers that made Ruan Nianchu’s feet itch. She laughed and dodged, pulling her feet back under the covers and saying, “I’m not cold. Come on, tell me, how are we spending the National Day holiday?”
“We’re going back to the northern mountains,” Li Teng replied. Glancing at her wet hair dripping onto the floor from the edge of the bed, he got up to grab a dry towel to wipe her hair.
Ruan Nianchu shifted her body, resting her head on his thigh, slightly surprised. “Your hometown?”
“Yeah.”
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“Rpd’v vbyvā¦ vs xllv uswa xsx?”
“Rv’p ycswv vkxl.” Nk Mldt’p lmralppksd alxykdle dlwvayz yp bl oayrrle vbl vsolz yaswde bla zsdt czynj byka yde vokpvle kv vktbvzu, vbld wple y bykaeaula vs czso-eau kv. Tkp vsdl oyp nypwyz. “G eywtbvla-kd-zyo byp vs xllv bla kd-zyop pssdla sa zyvla. Zsw nyd’v yhske kv.”
“ā¦,” Swyd Lkydnbw pdsavle psqvzu yv bkp osaep, alynbkdt swv vs rkdnb bkp pvasdt oykpv. “Ebs yal usw nyzzkdt y eywtbvla-kd-zyo?”
Nk Mldt pokqvzu tayccle bla oakpv, zsolakdt bkp blye vs tlv nzspl vs bla, byzq-nzspkdt bkp lulp yde prlyjkdt kd y pzktbvzu plakswp vsdl. “Rp kv sjyu qsa y xyd’p oykpv vs cl vswnble nypwyzzu?”
Swyd Lkydnbw aykple yd lulcaso, qllzkdt wdfwpv cwv yzps lxcszeldle. “Zsw nyzz xl wtzu, yde R fwpv rkdnb usw sdnl. Ebyv’p oasdt okvb vbyv?”
Nk Mldt jkpple bla byde. “Yu cye.”
“Gx R alyzzu yd wtzu eywtbvla-kd-zyo?”
“Ebs lzpl nswze byhl pwnb y clywvkqwz okql yp xl?”
“You’re very practical, Captain Li.” She smiled sweetly, pouting, and her lips brushed against his. “We only have a few days left before the holiday. We should book our flight tickets early.”
“Already done,” Li Teng said as he sat up. “9 a.m. on the first day.”
Ruan Nianchu was stunned. “Shouldn’t you tell your mom first? What if she’s planning to travel during the National Day holiday?”
“I already told her.”
She was surprised. “When did you tell her?”
” The night we slept together.”
“ā¦,” Ruan Nianchu was taken aback by this blunt “Li Teng style” of expression, quiet for a moment before asking again, “How did you tell Auntie?”
Li Teng smirked. “I told my mom that her son had made it and was bringing a little fairy back for her.”
“Hahaā¦” Ruan Nianchu couldn’t help but laugh, giving him a thumbs up with a flushed face. “Captain Li speaks the truth.”
He casually replied, “That’s true.”
In the following days, Ruan Nianchu suddenly became busy. During the day, she had rehearsals with the performance troupe, and at night, she would sit at home with her computer, looking serious and focused, engrossed in her work.
At first, Li Teng didn’t pay much attention. When she was on her computer, he would sit nearby and do his own work. When the time was right, he would close her laptop and take her to bed to spend time together.
Once, when they were about to get into a serious conversation, Ruan Nianchu suddenly shouted to stop and asked him seriously, “Do you know what kind of girl your mother likes?”
Li Teng sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand. “Why do you ask?”
Without hesitation, Ruan Nianchu said, “I’m just curious.” According to her mother, nowadays in-laws like virtuous, diligent daughters-in-law, while she was far from meeting that standard.
When they first met, Li Teng’s impeccable acting skills had impressed her parents. So, following the principle of reciprocity, Ruan Nianchu felt that she should also win over Li Teng’s mother.
These days, she had been browsing forums on her computer, gathering tips on “how to win the favor of a mother-in-law.” She even took notes in a little notebook.
Ruan Nianchu gained a lot from her research. The final step of the technique was called “know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.” So she thought of asking Li Teng for help.
After a moment, he picked up the little notebook she had been jotting notes in and flipped through it casually. Within a few seconds, he tossed it aside.
His tone was vaguely indifferent as he said, “What’s with all this pretending?”
Ruan Nianchu frowned slightly, feeling a bit uneasy. “If your mother doesn’t like me, what should I do?”
Li Teng stared at her. “Why wouldn’t she like you?”
“I’m lazy, slow-witted, not very smart, not in the military, and I don’t know how to do housework,” she confessed. She felt overwhelmed by her numerous shortcomings, especially when compared to her flawless man.
He lowered his gaze for a moment, then reached out to stroke her forehead and cheek, his voice soft and half-joking: “Ruan Nianchu, you don’t need to pretend or act. You’re like a flower that everyone loves. Do you know that?”
How could there be anything wrong with his girl?
Ruan Nianchu swore by her conscience that this was the first time she had heard someone praise her so highly. She couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re exaggerating. I’m not that likable.”
“You are,” he said, his lips brushing against her cheek lightly.
She playfully brushed his nose with a smile. “Who says?”
“I do.”
~
The day before going to the north of the mountain, Yang Zhengfeng called Li Teng and said he was on a business trip to Yuncheng. He asked Li Teng to bring Ruan Nianchu along for dinner.
The location for dinner was chosen by Yang Zhengfeng, a mid-range restaurant called “Four Seasons View”.
On this evening, Ruan Nianchu put on a light makeup and went to the appointment, arm in arm with Li Teng. As soon as they entered the private room, Yang Zhengfeng was struck by their appearanceāa handsome man and a beautiful woman, their contrasting styles of cool toughness and gentle laziness made them stand out.
Li Teng smiled, “Brother Yang, this is Ruan Nianchu.”
“Alright, you little rascal, you’ve got some skills to snatch such a beautiful girl,” Yang Zhengfeng teased, punching Li Teng’s shoulder with his fist before turning to Ruan Nianchu, “Hello, younger sister. I’m Yang Zhengfeng, Li Teng’s comrade-in-arms.”
Ruan Nianchu’s smile was gentle and generous as she recognized him as Li Teng’s superior, an Air Force Colonel of the Logistics Department. She greeted, “Hello, Chief Yang.”
Yang Zhengfeng frowned, waved his hand, “None of this ‘chief’ or ‘sir,’ we’re all comrades here, just call me Brother Yang.”
“Brother Yang.”
“That’s more like it,” Yang Zhengfeng smiled and gestured for them to sit down. The three of them took their seats.
During the meal, the two men were the main focus of conversation. They chatted about Yang Zhengfeng’s son who had just entered high school, and the new recruits in the Falcon Battalion, reminiscing and chatting aimlessly. Ruan Nianchu remained quiet and obedient, sitting beside Li Teng with a smile on her face, focused on eating, occasionally helping him pick up dishes.
Seeing this, Yang Zhengfeng teased, “Brother, you’re lucky. Your sister-in-law has never been so nice to me.”
Li Teng replied casually, “Brother Yang is joking. Your wife is a sharpshooter, capable in both work and household chores. We can’t compare to her.”
“That’s right,” Ruan Nianchu chimed in with a smile, “It would be a waste for my sharpshooting wife to use her hands for picking up dishes.”
Yang Zhengfeng chuckled, “Alright, I’m no match for you two in witty banter.” With that, he took out a box of cigarettes, tapped the table with his lighter, and said casually, “There’s a lady present here, it’s not convenient to smoke. Tengzi, let’s go outside.”
Li Teng nodded, touched Ruan Nianchu’s face, “Eat well, sweetheart.”
“Mm.”
Then, the two men got up and left the private room.
Once the door closed, Yang Zhengfeng’s expression turned serious, completely different from his previous light-hearted demeanor. He glanced around, noting that the restaurant corridor wasn’t clean, with waiters passing by with dishes from time to time. He said, “Let’s talk over there.”
Li Teng nodded expressionlessly, his eyes calm and cold.
At the end of the corridor was the entrance to the corridor, pitch black, with no one around.
Yang Zhengfeng stopped, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and then said in a deep voice, “We found the missing informant.”
Li Teng looked at him without saying a word.
“He’s dead,” Yang Zhengfeng lowered his head, flicking away the ashes from his cigarette.
There was a moment of silence in the entire lounge.
Li Teng leaned against the wall, his expression unreadable, his gaze unfocused. He slowly clenched his fists.
After a moment, Yang Zhengfeng took a deep breath and exhaled, “The body was thrown into the Mekong River. It was only retrieved by our people three days ago.” He paused, then turned to Li Teng and continued, “On the informant’s body, we found a voice recorder sealed in a waterproof bag tied to his waist.”
“Where is it?” Li Teng asked.
Yang Zhengfeng lowered his gaze and took the voice recorder out of his jacket pocket, pressed the play button, and handed it to Li Teng.
After a buzzing sound, a man’s voice came from the recorder, deep and slow, speaking in Khmer, “Lee, long time no see, my dear old friend. Duan Kun’s shot didn’t kill you. I’m genuinely glad you’re still alive. As long as you’re alive, we can continue our game.”
“I know what you want, and you know what I want. Seven years ago, you defeated my father, quite splendidly. This time, I’m curious to see if you can defeat me.”
“May God bless you.”
The recording ended.
Li Teng closed his eyes, furrowing his brows, then suddenly punched the wall hard.
Yang Zhengfeng sighed deeply, patted his shoulder, and after a while, said, “Da En is here to settle the score for what happened seven years ago. You’re his number one target. He wants your life, so you must be careful in everything you do.”
Li Teng opened his eyes wide, his gaze chillingly dark, “Da En doesn’t want me dead at all.”
Yang Zhengfeng was taken aback, “Then what does he want?”
“He wants me to suffer.”
Yang Zhengfeng frowned, pondering for a few seconds, “I’ve already submitted an application to the Ministry of Public Security, and Washa and Duan Kun are wanted nationwide. Once they are captured and provide some information, the problem will be solved.”
Li Teng said coldly, “But now that the informant is dead, we are completely blind in Cambodia. Things will only get harder in the future.”
“Don’t think too much for now,” Yang Zhengfeng smiled and patted his shoulder, “You have your sister-in-law by your side, and I have arranged for people to protect your family in secret. Da En won’t touch them. We’ll deal with whatever comes our way. Even if the sky falls, we’ll have my back.”
Li Teng: “This is a personal grudge. I don’t want to involve anyone else.”
“What personal grudge?” Yang Zhengfeng gave him a tap on the back of his head and scolded, “Da En still holds our national secrets, the things that Doctor Qi, Doctor Gao, and Doctor Xia risk their lives to protect. Until we get them back, we have to confront him head-on.”
Li Teng closed his eyes, furrowing his brows, without saying a word.
After a moment, Yang Zhengfeng chuckled, “Alright, stop frowning. Let’s go back to our private room. If you don’t go back soon, your little wife might think we’re having a homosexual affair.”
Li Teng glanced at him, “They call it ‘getting laid’ these days.”
This term was something Ruan Nianchu had educated him about. Despite her lack of knowledge in many areas, she seemed to be well-versed in some peculiar fields. Occasionally, when she found something he didn’t understand, she would happily enlighten him. Silly and naive.
Of course, Yang Zhengfeng had never heard of this term before. He cleared his throat and muttered, “Whatever you call it, it’s all the same. Where did you pick up these strange words from?”
When the two men left, Ruan Nianchu was gnawing on pig trotters. By the time they returned, the pig bones in front of her had piled up into a small mountain. She rubbed her round belly and burped.
Li Teng looked at her, then at the mountain of bones on her plate, pinched her face, and asked, “Are you full?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, pointing to his bowl, “I also helped you with a lot of dishes. Come and eat.”
Li Teng replied indifferently, “I’m full.”
Ruan Nianchu narrowed her eyes slightly, “But you didn’t eat much.”
He said, “Just by looking at you, I’m full.”
What did he mean? She was a little puzzled. After thinking for a moment, she blurted out, “Because I’m delicious to look at?”
Li Teng raised an eyebrow at her, chuckled lightly, “Not bad, not too dull either.”
The intimacy between the two was seen by Yang Zhengfeng, interpreted by Yang, and given another interpretationāLi Teng had served in the Falcon unit for so many years, known for being tough and short-tempered. But when he looked at Ruan Nianchu, there was a smile in his eyes, and in an instant, everything became warm and pleasant.
It seems this little girl is more useful than an electric heater. Amazing.
- Li Teng grew up in a rural village in the north of the mountains, climbing trees, working in the fields, and rolling in mud pits since he was a child. He was already used to the wild. Later, he served in the Falcon unit, went undercover in Cambodia, and various experiences further ingrained his roughness into his bones.
As a result, even today, after many years, although he holds the rank of Colonel and lives in a cosmopolitan city, he has not a hint of pampered or refined taste.
Ruan Nianchu sometimes teased him for fun: “Mr. Li, you’re so old-fashioned. You don’t eat Western food or drink coffee. If people knew, they’d laugh at you.”
Whenever this happened, Li Teng would casually reply, “That’s just how I am. Do you see any mountain pigs eating fine bran?”
“ā¦ā His self-deprecation was too reasonable, leaving Ruan Nianchu speechless. Indeed, there was always only this person to block her; did she even have a chance to retort to him? Nonexistent.
As the saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks.” Ruan Nianchu was genuinely curious about what kind of sacred place could nurture a peculiar person like Li Teng.
At nine o’clock in the morning, the flight from Yuncheng to the North of the Mountains took off on time.
By the time they arrived, it was close to one o’clock in the afternoon.
Today was a good day. Outside the airport, the red sun was shining brightly in the sky. Although the temperature wasn’t high, the sun on the body still felt warm. Ruan Nianchu and Li Teng collected their luggage together and left the airport to catch a taxi.
The North of the Mountains was very different from Yuncheng where Ruan Nianchu had grown up. This city was only considered third-tier, with low-rise buildings, an underdeveloped economy, and even the air was dry, without a trace of moisture.
She took out a spray bottle prepared in advance and sprayed some moisturizing water on her face with a press.
Li Teng rubbed her soft white fingers, “Feeling cold?”
“It’s okay.” Ruan Nianchu wrapped her light-colored windbreaker around herself and aimed the spray bottle at him, her big eyes shining brightly, “Do you want some too? It’s refreshing, invigorating, and wakes you up.”
Li Teng said nothing, grabbed her furry head with his big palm, twisted it, and turned her face forward.
Ruan Nianchu looked out at the street scene, seeing an old man leading a horse, dragging a cart behind him. The cart was moving fast and disappeared in an instant, and she didn’t see what was inside.
She was surprised and exclaimed, “Horses can be on the road here?”
Li Teng glanced at her, “Why can’t horses be on the road?”
“ā¦ā Alright. Ruan Nianchu had seen something new.
At this moment, Li Teng answered a phone call, with no expression on his face, making a couple of “hmms” and an “okay” before hanging up.
Ruan Nianchu stared at him and guessed, “Is it Auntie calling?”
Li Teng said, “Yeah. She’s waiting for us to have dinner.”
“I knew it.” She raised her eyebrows, “Everyone’s response to Mom’s calls is the same, ‘Mm-hmm, okay, bye.'”
Li Teng glanced at her, then pinched her chin, raised an eyebrow, “Ruan Nianchu, you seem pretty excited?”
Ruan Nianchu denied, “I’m nervous.”
“Nervous about what?”
“ā¦You weren’t nervous the first time you met my parents?”
He recalled for half a second and said, “No.”
“Why?” She was very puzzled. “Aren’t you afraid my parents wouldn’t like you?”
Li Teng didn’t answer directly but instead asked, with the same indifferent expression, “Do you like me?”
“ā¦Yes.”
“That’s all that matters.”
Li Teng, in his twenties, was once full of vigor and rebelliousness. But after so many years of military life, experiencing wind and waves, his temperament had converged, and most of his sharpness had been worn down. Now, there were very few things that could stir his emotions.
If one were to talk about being nervous, perhaps it was only that sunny afternoon when he saw Ruan Nianchu in the garden of the Liberation Army Art Palace. That girl with snow-like face and gentle features, he took one look and his heart skipped a beat.
It felt like a dream.
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