To Get Married - Chapter 23.1

Chapter 23.1

The week-long military training, while fast-paced, was mostly spent under the scorching sun, exposed to the heat all day long, save for one instance of rain.

There was no hot water in the dorm, so if you wanted to wipe your body with hot water, you had to bring your thermos bottle to the hot water area and fetch the water yourself.

Zhang Ziyun had little strength. Fetching water was guaranteed to make her cry out in exhaustion. Even climbing to the fifth floor, she’d manage a few steps and then gasp for breath.

Whenever Lu Yudong couldn’t bear to watch, she would take the thermos bottle from Zhang Ziyun, carrying one in each hand, and bring the hot water back to the dorm amid Zhang Ziyun’s thanks.

One evening while fetching water upstairs, Zhang Ziyun looked at the two thermos bottles in Lu Yudong’s hands and was so deeply touched that she couldn’t help but exclaim: “Lu Yudong, you are so kind! In the past, only Zhang Hao would help me carry the water out of the dorm building; after that, I had to carry it myself. That’s why I hated fetching water in junior high—it was just too tiring.”

“If you didn’t fetch water, did you use cold water?”

“In the summer, I used cold water directly. In the winter, I just bought an extra thermos bottle. I’d fetch two bottles at once. By using it sparingly, it could last two days.” Zhang Ziyun was very experienced.

“Can this thing keep water warm for two days?” Lu Yudong couldn’t help but be curious.

“It’s certainly not as scalding hot on the second day, but it still has some warmth. It’s better than ice water, right?” Zhang Ziyun shrugged.

Lu Yudong said: “Then just accompany me to fetch water every day. You carry yours on flat ground, and I’ll help you carry it up the stairs.”

Zhang Ziyun spoke flirtatiously: “Why don’t you help me carry it the whole way? I’m so delicate.”

Lu Yudong refused: “No way. If I helped you carry it the whole way, you’d find it troublesome even to come downstairs with me. I don’t want to fetch water alone.”

Zhang Ziyun paused for half a second, clutched her chest, her eyes smiling but feigning deep remorse: “Lu Yudong, you’ve changed! You weren’t this calculative before!”

Lu Yudong raised an eyebrow proudly: “It’s all thanks to your good teaching!”

Zhang Ziyun was a clever little imp who never let herself suffer a loss. Lu Yudong had been playing with her for so long that even a blockhead should have smartened up. How could she still be the silent, self-conscious girl who didn’t know how to refuse others?

“Fine, then I’ll accompany you to fetch water once a day.” Zhang Ziyun stretched languidly, adopting a provoking expression that seemed to say, “I’m making a huge sacrifice, hurry up and thank me!”

Lu Yudong instantly lifted her knee and nudged her butt: “It’s just accompanying me downstairs for a walk. I’m the one doing all the heavy lifting. Your sacrifice is truly immense, Your Majesty!”

Zhang Ziyun covered her butt and scampered up a few steps, then turned back with a smile to beg for mercy: “I was wrong, is that not enough? Have mercy, valiant hero!”

The momentary burst of dramatic acting drew curious stares from several passing girls. The two immediately controlled themselves, stifled their laughter, and returned to the dorm.

The moment they walked in, Wang Yan, who was wiping herself down in front of the sink, suddenly turned her head. Her narrow eyes glanced at the two of them, and she casually asked: “Zhang Ziyun, did you let Lu Yudong carry the water for you again?”

Zhang Ziyun chuckled sheepishly, took her thermos bottle, and walked to the sink.

Wang Yan then said: “I’m so envious. You two have such a good relationship.” Her tone was somewhat strange.

Lu Yudong smiled without saying anything. She just carried her thermos bottle to Zhang Ziyun’s side, brought out her washbasin, mixed in some cold water, and started wiping off her sweat.

Soon, Zhao Wen and Wu Anan also returned with water. They locked the door, wore little vests, fanned themselves with small fans, and discussed in the dorm who got the darkest tan in the past few days and whose color difference was the most significant.

After washing up, Lu Yudong changed into her nightgown. She didn’t strip down like her roommates to keep cool, nor did she join their discussion. She just climbed onto her bed, rubbed the little white dog’s head, pulled out her phone from under her pillow, and started texting Manzhu.

Lu Yudong: “Sister, the instructor is leaving tomorrow noon. I can go home after military training ends. Remember to pick me up.”

Manzhu: “Around what time?”

Lu Yudong: “Probably 11:30, no later than 12:00?”

Manzhu: “Your Sister Xiaozhi said there’s a chili shrimp restaurant near the school with good flavor. How about we go try it?”

Lu Yudong: “Okay!”

Having not eaten shrimp for a long time, Lu Yudong couldn’t help but feel a craving.

She held her phone and thought for a while, then typed another line.

Lu Yudong: “Sister, I’m a little coal ball now QAQ”

Manzhu: “Little coal balls are also very cute.”

Lu Yudong: “o(////▽////)q”

The cute “little coal ball” put her phone back by her pillow, hugged the puppy, and happily played with it until the dorm lights went out. Only then did she close her eyes and fall asleep peacefully.

On the last morning of military training, students from every class took a large group photo with their instructor on the football field stands.

When the instructor announced he was leaving, several girls in the class started crying and were comforted by the homeroom teacher and the instructor for a good while.

After the instructors all left, the homeroom teacher, Teacher Hu, took all the students back to the classroom of Freshman Class Five. After a long-winded summary and encouragement, he told everyone to remember to write a weekly journal about their feelings on the military training and hand it in on Sunday evening.

The entire classroom instantly erupted in groans upon hearing about the journal.

“Don’t sigh; you still have to write it. You persevered through a week of military training, so what is a few hundred-word journal? Alright, class dismissed.” After saying this, Teacher Hu turned and walked out of the classroom.

Lu Yudong looked at the classroom clock. Seeing it was already 11:30, she quickly ran back to the dorm.

She packed her things in just a few quick movements, shoved them into her backpack, stood up, and dashed out of the school gate, with astonishing speed.

Zhang Ziyun felt that she was talking to Lu Yudong one second, only to lower her head to drink a glass of water, and when she looked up the next second, Lu Yudong had vanished.

During the military training, only freshmen and senior students preparing for exams were on campus. Since the level of garrulousness varied among the homeroom teachers after the training ended, students began trickling out of the school gate starting at 11:20, preventing any crowding.

Manzhu had arrived early outside the school gate. Holding a sun umbrella that looked out of place with her Hanfu attire, she stood quietly not far from the school, waiting for half an hour. Passersby nearby would inevitably glance at her.

As soon as Lu Yudong stepped out of the school gate, she spotted Manzhu.

After a week apart, her steps were light, and she jogged all the way, her eyes full of joy.

“You’ve gotten so dark.” Manzhu reached out to help carry the backpack, but Lu Yudong agilely spun around with a smile, dodging the attempt.

“I’ll carry it myself. There are no books, so it’s not heavy.”

Manzhu shook her head and smiled. She had to admit, this child was truly becoming more cheerful.

She took Lu Yudong’s hand and led her towards the chili shrimp restaurant they had discussed last night.

Lu Yudong skipped alongside Manzhu, talking loudly about some funny incidents during military training. Finally, she pulled up the short sleeve on her shoulder, pointed at the distinct black and white skin, and mumbled: “Sister, look, I’m so much darker!”

Then, she pointed at her slightly peeling face due to the sun: “It’s peeling!”

Hearing this, Manzhu subconsciously adjusted the sun umbrella a bit more towards Lu Yudong, and laughed: “It’s fine. A winter will bring it back.”

Lu Yudong nodded: “Mhm!”

Manzhu asked: “Are you getting along well with your roommates?”

Lu Yudong nodded again: “The roommates are all quite nice.”

Manzhu was relieved: “If anyone bullies you, you must tell me.”

Lu Yudong lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and smiled. She then looked up and asked: “And then ask Uncle Mu to come and scare them?”

Manzhu hadn’t even thought of that. Hearing Lu Yudong bring it up now, she couldn’t help but chuckle and went along with Lu Yudong’s words: “An old trick is fine as long as it works. But high school kids might not be so easily scared. If there’s a next time, I’ll have him prepare some scary props.”

“Props?” When Lu Yudong heard the word “props,” her mind filled with images of knives and guns. Although she knew it was impossible, she couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.

Manzhu thought for a moment and said seriously: “For example, giving him two walnuts to crush bare-handed. That should be quite effective.”

Lu Yudong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, looked up, and said seriously: “But Dad said that it’s easy to crush two walnuts together, and crushing one is the hard part.”

“Is that so?” Manzhu said, “Then let him crush one.”

“Is Uncle Mu that strong?” Lu Yudong sounded slightly doubtful.

Manzhu smiled and explained: “Let alone ordinary walnuts, even an iron walnut should be nothing to him.”

“Really?” Lu Yudong’s eyes were full of anticipation, “Then I’ve seen people on TV open durians bare-handed, the kind without a crack. Can he do that too?”

“Of course. If you don’t believe it, we can buy a durian and try.”

“Really? I’ve never eaten durian before!”

“Then let’s go buy one.”

“Okay!” Lu Yudong agreed happily.

In late August, under the scorching sun, on a busy street, a certain spirit was discussing with the excited girl beside her how to “persecute” her own boss.

In the intense heat, a certain person couldn’t stop sneezing twice. He subconsciously scratched his messy hair, turned over, groggily felt for the air conditioner remote beside his pillow, and turned the air conditioner up a few degrees.

After a joyous and hearty meal, Manzhu took Lu Yudong back home.

Lu Yudong immediately jumped into the bathroom and took a comfortable hot bath.

Manzhu sat on the sofa watching TV for a while. When she saw Lu Yudong come out of the bathroom, wiping her wet long hair, she took the dirty clothes Lu Yudong brought back from school and walked into the still-damp bathroom to put them into the washing machine.

Easier-to-dry clothes like underwear, panties, and socks had already been washed and hung on the dorm window sill by Lu Yudong at school. She only brought back a few items that were inconvenient to hang in the dorm.

Having not been home for a week, Lu Yudong immediately plopped down on the bed after showering and drying her hair with a hairdryer.

She rolled around horizontally a couple of times, hugged a pillow, and took a nap amid the low sound of the TV.

When she woke up, Manzhu had already peeled and cut a plate of fruit, inserted toothpicks, and placed it on the coffee table.

After three years, Lu Yudong still remembered the first pear Manzhu peeled for her. It was so beautiful that she couldn’t bear to take a bite. However, after that, Manzhu stopped peeling fruit that way for her. One, for convenience, and two, she was afraid that if it was too beautifully peeled, Lu Yudong would be reluctant to eat it.

The pear, which looked like a little flower, was probably just meant to cheer her up back then.

Lu Yudong put on her slippers, walked to the sofa, sat down, and ate the fruits Manzhu had cut into crescent shapes.

Manzhu glanced at her messed-up hair, picked up the small wooden comb on the coffee table, and gently combed her hair.

Lu Yudong stared intently at the family drama playing on the TV. Only after Manzhu tied her hair into a ponytail did she turn slightly and ask: “When are we going out to buy the durian?”

“We can go now,” Manzhu smiled.

Lu Yudong immediately jumped up from the sofa: “Then let’s go now!”

After saying that, she thought for a moment, then sat back down, bit her lower lip, and said: “But I didn’t have a chance to practice my spells this week. If I keep boarding, I might really neglect everything Master Shi taught me. Will Master Shi be angry if he finds out?”

“No, he won’t,” Manzhu stood up and pinched Lu Yudong’s cheek. “If you can’t practice spells, you can still spend some time meditating every day. After all, spiritual qi is the foundation of cultivation. As long as the foundation isn’t neglected, it’s not considered neglect.”

“I understand!” Lu Yudong nodded seriously. “Then I’ll meditate for half an hour before bed every night!”

“Then let’s go. We’re going to the supermarket.”

“Mhm!”

Lu Yudong had never eaten durian since childhood. Back then, her family’s financial situation was always quite poor. The family of three lived in a rented one-bedroom apartment with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. How could they afford to try a fruit king like durian, which was expensive, smelly, and drew mixed opinions?

This was Lu Yudong’s first time buying durian, and she immediately bought two large ones, totaling over twenty pounds and costing more than three hundred yuan. She felt both heartache over the money and a strong craving.

In addition to the durian, Manzhu also bought many walnuts.

She said she planned to have Gou Hongjie make several jars of honey walnut kernels later so that Lu Yudong could take them to the school dorm to eat slowly.

Lu Yudong wanted to help Manzhu carry the bags, but Manzhu wouldn’t let her, insisting that children shouldn’t carry things that are too heavy, or they wouldn’t grow tall later.

Hearing this, Lu Yudong jumped up and down a few times next to Manzhu, trying hard to prove herself: “Although I was short in elementary school, I grew a lot taller in my three years of junior high!”