Volume One, Chapter 19: Bai Yuwei

“Hello, my name is…” Xia Nannan was about to introduce herself when Gu Nanzhou suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the car. “It’s cold outside. Let’s talk in the car.”

Bai Yuwei saw this and remained silent, obediently following behind. They had all planned what to say to Gu Nanzhou once inside the car, when suddenly there was a loud bang—the car door slammed shut.

“Let’s go.”

A single, light word, and Wang Hu pressed the accelerator, speeding off.

Bai Yuwei stood frozen, unsure of what had just happened.

“Your comrade hasn’t gotten in the car yet!” Xia Nannan hurried to remind them. For some reason, she felt that woman looked very familiar, but she couldn’t place where she had seen her before.

The car drove all the way to the family quarters and stopped beneath the building. Gu Nanzhou led Xia Nannan upstairs to the second floor and opened the door. She was completely dazed.

“Sit down for a bit. I’ll be right back,” Gu Nanzhou said as he settled her inside, then turned and left the room.

After he left, Xia Nannan’s mind was full of questions. She had just sat down on the sofa when there was a knock at the door.

Calmly, she got up and opened it, only to find not Gu Nanzhou, but the woman in military uniform they had encountered earlier outside.

Her face was flushed, and she was panting heavily, clearly having run all the way.

Bai Yuwei stared daggers at Xia Nannan, looking as though she wanted to tear her apart.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Xia Nannan stepped aside. “Captain Gu just stepped out, he’ll be back soon. Please come in and have a seat.”

She suddenly remembered—this woman was the nurse she had seen at the hospital that day.

Xia Nannan thought perhaps her presence had caused some misunderstanding with Gu Nanzhou’s girlfriend, so she quickly poured her a glass of water.

Just as she was about to explain her relationship with Gu Nanzhou and that Wang Cui had sent her to apologize, the door was opened from outside.

Seeing Gu Nanzhou holding two lunch boxes, Bai Yuwei promptly stood up to take them.

But Gu Nanzhou seemed not to notice, stepping around her and striding over to the coffee table. He set down the food and urged Xia Nannan to wash her hands and eat.

Two meals for three people. Xia Nannan froze on the spot.

This wasn’t quite what she had expected. Having lived through a second life, this was the first time she’d encountered a couple quarrelling and dragging her into the middle of it.

She glanced at the tear-filled eyes of the woman in uniform, feeling awkward. She quickly raised her foot to leave. “I need to go buy something for my sister. I’ll go first… ah!”

Before she finished, Gu Nanzhou grabbed her arm, pulling her close until she stumbled into his embrace.

“Eat first. Afterward, I’ll take you to the county town.” He then glanced at Bai Yuwei, who was still standing stiffly like a post. “Nurse Bai, is there anything else you need?”

Hearing this, Bai Yuwei dared not say a word. She covered her mouth and swiftly excused herself.

“Hey, hey! Brother, your girlfriend ran off! Aren’t you going to chase after her?” Xia Nannan was anxious, wishing she could run out after her, but when she looked back at Gu Nanzhou’s face, dark as a pot bottom, she quickly covered her mouth and retreated to the sofa.

“She’s not my girlfriend. She has nothing to do with me. We’ve never been in a relationship.”

Why was he telling her this?

Xia Nannan was bewildered but nodded foolishly, indicating she understood.

Seeing how obedient the young girl was, Gu Nanzhou looked down at her hands and softly asked, “Did you wash them?”

Before she could answer, he grabbed a kettle, poured water into the basin, and led her to the sink, pretending to want to wash her hands himself. Xia Nannan quickly withdrew her hands, rinsed them roughly, and used Gu Nanzhou’s towel to dry them.

“She seems to like you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have cried!” Xia Nannan tried to analyze the situation for Gu Nanzhou.

In the military, finding a good woman was rare, especially when she was a nurse at the military hospital with a stable job—that made it even more special.

“She looks pretty too. Surely, many male comrades like her. She has feelings for you. Why not try getting to know her? Maybe she’s exactly the kind of person you like!”

Having heard her uncle advise soldiers to attend social gatherings many times, Xia Nannan was quick to offer such encouragement.

When she finished speaking, Gu Nanzhou’s face darkened. “What are you going to buy?”

Xia Nannan hadn’t expected him to remember the excuse she gave to give them some space. “The New Year is coming soon. I’m going to buy some things for the celebration.”

Though she didn’t know what was needed for the New Year here, she thought since she had left home with plenty of money from Xia Guoan, she could just buy whatever others bought. It wouldn’t be wrong.

Gu Nanzhou nodded, then glanced around his room before looking at Xia Nannan, who was quietly eating. “Can you also help me pick up some items? This place is too plain.”

Hearing this, Xia Nannan had wanted to refuse, but remembering that he had saved her and was now treating her to a meal, she felt it would be impolite not to agree.

She nodded. Indeed, the room was not just plain—it felt like they had just moved in. Apart from the sofa and coffee table, there was nothing else, no trace of a home.

It was even colder and emptier than a model apartment.

After the meal, Gu Nanzhou led her on a tour of the house—bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen—leaving no corner unchecked.

“See what’s missing. We’ll buy it later.”

Xia Nannan nodded but felt little hope, knowing things were quite simple in this era.

The house was newly built on the first floor, with renovations done about six months ago. It had two bedrooms, two living rooms, one kitchen, and one bathroom, facing north-south, with the east side being the unit.

The master bedroom, minus the wardrobe, was about thirteen or fourteen square meters—not small. The secondary bedroom was roughly ten square meters, suitable as a guest room.

The balcony, measuring two meters by five meters, truly captured Xia Nannan’s heart.

Seeing her staring at the balcony in a daze, Gu Nanzhou smiled faintly and leaned in closer. The subtle fragrance she wore lingered in his nostrils, stirring his thoughts.

“This layout isn’t bad, right?” he asked casually.

Xia Nannan responded with a hum and turned to point at the smaller room. “That small room would make a nice study.”

Gu Nanzhou nodded in agreement.

After their conversation, Xia Nannan no longer thought Gu Nanzhou was overly stern; instead, she found him quite approachable.

The market was held on a vast wasteland outside the county town. Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, the crowd was exceptionally large. As far as the eye could see, there were seas of people, packed so tightly that one could easily lose their companions.

Gu Nanzhou shielded Xia Nannan in front of him and managed to squeeze their way to a stall selling sweet potatoes, finally catching his breath.