[Huo Xiaoyu]
In the weedy jungle, Xie Xiang was lying motionless on the ground. Gunshots sounded in the forest just ahead, and Shen Junshan went to check it until now and he hasn't come back. In the dark, people's fear will be infinitely magnified, but at this time, Xie Xiang's heart is more firmly occupied with worry than fear.
"Wait for me to come back."
These are the last words Shen Junshan said to her when he left. For some reason, it always reminds Xie Xiang of the sunny noon. Xie Liangchen said to Xie Xiang when he walked out of the gate carrying the box, "Xiang Xiang, wait for me to come back."
But Xie Liangchen will never come back. A fresh life stays in Shunyuan forever. His blood and his grand ideals are buried in Shunyuan like him, and can never reach Arsenal Military Academy. That year, Xie Xiang was sixteen and Xie Liangchen was nineteen. Today, Xie Xiang is eighteen years old, but Xie Liangchen stayed at nineteen forever.
There was another gunshot in front of her. Xie Xiang wiped the sweat from her forehead, loaded her pistol, and dragged her injured ankle out step by step.
The smell of rust was floating in the air, and a masked assassin's corpse was lying quietly on the ground. Red blood slowly flowed from his forehead, staining the ground below him with blood. Killed with one shot, thought to be Shen Junshan's handwriting,* but the shooting sound just now can never have only one killer, it seems that Shen Junshan is in danger.
[T/N: 手笔, shou bi, written or done with one's own hands; btw my Chrome is working okay now tehee～]
She searched along the road, and soon heard the sound of fighting. At this time, another assassin was riding on Shen Junshan's body, his hands firmly strangling Shen Junshan's throat, Shen Junshan's arm was still bleeding, it should have been just now. The assassin's strength became stronger and stronger, and the veins on Shen Junshan's neck were violent.
After a bullet accurately shot into the killer's heart, blood spurted out, and all spilled on Shen Junshan's face.
Xie Xiang's gun hand trembled slightly, luckily catching up, Shen Junshan sat up, took a deep breath for a while, and wiped the blood from his face.
He got up and walked towards Xie Xiang, but she threw herself into his arms. Xie Xiang hugged him tightly, her voice was already crying: "Fortunately, you are all right."
"Xie Liangchen," Shen Junshan patted his back lightly and called out. The person in his arms did not respond, still shaking uncontrollably.
"Xie Liangchen!" Shen Junshan raised his voice, "We must leave here. Just now I saw the flare fired by Ji Jin. They are not far ahead. We are going to meet them."
Xie Xiang was awakened by him, and lowered her arms. This was her first murder, but it was not the murder that frightened her, but the appearance of Shen Junshan just now, which reminded her of Xie Liangchen for no reason.
That day, Xie Liangchen must have fought such bloody battles, but he did not have the good luck of Shen Junshan. He was greeted by a cruel death...The road back was still bumpy, Xie Xiang sat in the car with her head down slightly in a daze. Next, the dark green helmet covered a pair of wet red eyes.
After yesterday's thrilling battle in the field, the training that Xie Xiang hated the most in the past has also become easier, and even the cold icy face of Instructor Song is also very kind at night.
Resting at noon, sitting in the dining hall biting the buns, Xie Xiang's eyes floated to Shen Junshan's body at the next table from time to time. She wanted to go forward and ask Shen Junshan whether the wound on his arm was serious yesterday, but she was afraid that the two of them would be embarrassed. Had to sit here and watch from afar.
"Liangchen, what are you looking at?" Huang Song followed her gaze and looked into the distance, but only saw a dark crowd of overwhelming people.
"Nothing." Xie Xiang lowered her head and drank a big mouthful of porridge, and quickly changed the subject, "By the way, have the results of this exercise come out?"
"It's all posted, Shen Junshan was injured and was deducted points, only ranked second."
"What? That's unfair! It's already nice that we could come back alive." Xie Xiang stirred the porridge in the bowl with a spoon, "Then I, the last one."
"No, you are second to last, and Gu Yanzheng is the last one. He left the war zone without observing the command and was captured by the common people. The instructor was so angry that he directly gave him zero points."
"Who is first, Ji Jin?"
Huang Song smiled, showing white teeth, "I, I am first."
Xie Xiang rolled both her eyes at him without mercy.*
[T/N: literally gave him a pair of white eyes without mercy]
Because of her ankle injury, the instructor gave Xie Xiang a week off. Seven days later, Xie Xiang's injury was completely healed, and she resumed training.
In this class, the instructor asked the trainees to do sit-ups in pairs. Xie Xiang was unlucky and put in a group with Gu Yanzheng, so he had to kneel and sit on Gu Yanzheng's feet, pressing his legs with both hands.
"Hey, don't you think that Hua Mulan* has been in the army for so many years and no one has discovered that she is a woman. How did she pretend?" Gu Yanzheng took a look at her thin body and thought that there is little hope of thinking about letting her take the initiative to confess, but it is still necessary to casually tease.
[T/N: Hua Mulan is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as a man. I'm pretty sure that almost everyone who will read this already knows her
^ - ^]
Xie Xiang's face changed slightly, her expression became a little unnatural, and she just bowed her head and ignored him.
Xie Xiang ignored it, and naturally Huang Song rushed to talk, "Maybe her teammate is too stupid."
Gu Yanzheng immediately retorted vocally, "Do you think everyone is as stupid as you? This is unscientific."
Instructor Song came over and kicked Gu Yanzheng fiercely, "Do it well, what's the matter with you!"
Gu Yanzheng had a pain in his calf and sat up abruptly, ignoring that Xie Xiang was right in front of him.
Two pair of lips met, Xie Xiang was stunned, and leaned back and sat on the ground. When she reacted, her heart throbbed so hard, her cheeks burst red, and she kicked Gu Yanzheng's calf fiercely, looked around for a while, and ran out with her mouth in a panic.
"Xie Liangchen, what are you going to do, is the training over yet?" Instructor Song was about to catch up, but was pulled by Gu Yanzheng. Gu Yanzheng looked like he had gotten a big deal at this time. "Instructor, Instructor, I just kissed her and Xie Liangchen ran away because of her thin skin and embarrassment."*
[T/N: Gu Yanzheng was indeed using 'her' here. It's just that both he and her in Chinese sound the same, so they didn't know]
"What are you doing as a big man kissing him?"* Instructor Song glanced up and down at Gu Yanzheng, shook his head, and turned around to ignore him.
[T/N: now I'm confused ಥ_ಥ, the instructor used her but I don't think he knows Xie Xiang is a girl, so probably it's just a typo]
"Instructor! What is with your look!"
The students all laughed, only Li Wenzhong was looking at the direction Xie Xiang was leaving.
The kissing incident in the morning hit Xie Xiang quite a bit, and she was depressed all day. As soon as the sky darkened, Huang Song took Xie Xiang out to play, claiming to take her to relax, but in fact he was a drunkard. Xie Xiang knew it, but didn't tell it. With this friend by her side, her heart doesn't seem to be so uncomfortable anymore.
Arsenal Military Academy is located in a remote area, there are no recreational places within a few miles, there is only Shannan Tavern. The proprietress of the tavern is Xie Xiang's old acquaintance. Because Tan Xiaojun works here, Xie Xiang always came to her, and became acquainted with the people in the tavern.
The name of Shannan Tavern's owner is Huo Xiaoyu. She is still in her early forties. She has a pair of slightly raised peach eyes and a mole at the corner of her eyes. She is very attractive. She is also well-maintained, exquisite, and elegant. The strange thing is that such an all-powerful resource is not matched by unscrupulous people.
Listening to Xiaojun, there is a box of costumes and tiara in Huo Xiaoyu's warehouse. When she was young, she should have been a famous character. If you don't talk about it, she will definitely be sought after because of this figure, not to mention that she still has one. Good voice, but have never heard her sing for so many years.
Could it be a love story between an actor and an officer? Xie Xiang once heard such a passage in a teahouse, saying that it was a Peking actor who admired a young officer who admired her back. The officer promised that he would marry her when he came back from the battlefield. However, this return trip never happened again. Since then, the actor only sang the play "The Peony Pavilion".* I heard that this was what she sang when she met the officer for the first time. In this way, in the endless waiting and suffering, the actor passed away suddenly.
[T/N: 牡丹亭, The Peony Pavilion, also named The Return of Soul at the Peony Pavilion, is a romantic tragicomedy play written by dramatist Tang Xianzu in 1598, and the plot was drawn from the short story Du Liniang Revives For Love.]
The authenticity of which is unclear, but I always feel distressed when I read it. Fortunately, Huo Xiaoyu is not a well-known actor in Peking, and the existence of that officer is not known.
Although the decoration of Shannan Tavern is not as exquisite and luxurious as Palimo, it wins in being approachable. The price here is not expensive and the wine is good, which has greatly attracted some ordinary people. The pub was crowded with people, pushing cups and changing cups, singing and dancing, and the laughter of the guests filled the room. Xie Xiang liked this relaxed atmosphere more than those magnificent banquets.
"Xie Xiang, why are you here?" Xiao Jun saw Xie Xiang enter the door and immediately greeted her.
Huang Song was stunned for a moment, and then asked: "Liangchen, why did she call you Xie Xiang?"
"Uh...that's my nickname. My parents and friends used to call me that, but because this name is too feminine, I won't need it when I grow up." The lie came easily when her mouth opened and Xie Xiang admired fiercely in her heart for herself, "By the way, Xiao Song, I forgot to introduce you, this is Xiao Jun, my good friend."
Tan Xiaojun shook hands with Huang Song, and then pushed Xie Xiang out, "Business is so good today, come back tomorrow when the guests are full."
Xie Xiang was very puzzled, but thinking that Xiao Jun must have her reason for doing this, she took Huang Song to leave without hesitation.
It's a pity that Huang Song doesn't know what she is thinking. He is tall and has a wide field of vision. He is already waving at the bar with excitement, "Gu Yanzheng! Hey, the big star is there."
That's right, Gu Yanzheng and Qu Manting are right next to the bar.
Xie Xiang looked at Gu Yanzheng and Qu Manting who were sitting on the edge of the bar, and looked at Tan Xiaojun with a sad face. Tan Xiaojun also looked at Xie Xiang with a look of lovelessness: "Shrinking his head and stretching his neck is a knife.* Why don't you just go there happily?"
[T/N: probably referring to how Huang Song's wide field of vision is such a weapon]
"Xie Liangchen, you're in a daze, why don't you come here?" Gu Yanzheng urged with his damn handsome face under the light, and a wicked smile.
Qu Manting looked at Xie Xiang with a puzzled look. She remembered this face, with long hair and short hair. The difference was this: "He called you Xie Liangchen? What about the last time I was in the Mid-Levels Mansion?"
"That's his younger sister." Before Xie Xiang could speak, Xiao Jun hurriedly covered up for her. "She has a younger sister named Xie Xiang who is studying at Xinhua Girls' School."*
[T/N: Xiao Jun is one of the people who knows that Xie Xiang is a girl so she might have accidentally used both he and she in this sentence]
"Xie Xiang?" Huang Song was a little surprised, "Didn't you say your nickname is Xie Xiang?"
This idiot! Xie Xiang cursed secretly in her heart, his mind was so awkward about other things, and his reaction was really quick when the stage was torn down.*
[T/N: refers to how she and Xiao Jun are setting up a 'stage' or a story and he was so quick in tearing it down but not in other things HAHAHAHHA]
"Mine is the Xiang of Xiangyang, and my sister's is the Xiang of fragrance."*
[T/N: 襄阳, Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province, China and the second largest city in Hubei by population. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city north–south. Her actual name is this Xiang, 谢襄. The name of her 'sister' is 香 (fragrance).]
"You still have a younger sister? Is she called Xie Xiang? I haven't heard you mention her. Make the opportunity and come bring her out to meet us." Gu Yanzheng looked at her playfully.
"She is young, lives on campus, and rarely comes out."
"Isn't the twin sister the same age as you?" Huang Song dismantled the stage again, and Xie Xiang stared at him angrily.
Gu Yanzheng smiled even more irritatingly.
Just as about she was going to be violent, Xiao Jun secretly held Xie Xiang behind, and methodically said: "Don't get agitated, don't get agitated." Then she said again: "Brothers always feels that the sister is young and ignorant and can't be brought out for others to see, haha, my brother is the same."
This time it was Qu Manting's turn to be surprised, "You still have a brother? Why don't I know."
"Cousin! My uncle's cousin!"
"No." Gu Yanzheng shook his head and participated in the discussion. "The son of the uncle's family is the cousin, and the uncle's cousin is his cousin."
Huang Song retorted: "My aunt's son is my cousin."
Qu Manting knocked on the table and said sternly: "Uncle's children and aunt's children are cousins!"
"Drink, drink." Tan Xiaojun let out a long sigh of relief, and quickly poured a few large glasses of wine to block these people's mouths.
This drink was drunk until the middle of the night, and the sky was completely dark. The guests in the tavern had already left. The bartender Xiao Liu* carried the bottle and banged and shouted: "It's closed, it's closed."
[T/N: 小六, literally Little Six, but for the sake of the story is interpreted into the above]
Xie Xiang got up and left. Because it was dark and it was not safe for the girls to go home alone, Gu Yanzheng and Huang Song took on the task of protecting the flowers, leaving Xie Xiang alone to walk back to Arsenal Military Academy.
The street lights were dim, and two drunks were singing swayingly on the road. For a moment, many legends and crime stories replayed in her head like a horse lantern, a chill pierced through her clothes. Xie Xiang rubbed her arm to comfort herself, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, what's so scary to you as a big man."
A car was rushing by, the lights were bright, and Xie Xiang couldn't open her eyes. Suddenly her body was gently pulled, she was hugged into a warm embrace, and the splashes of water when the car passed by reflected on the long hem of the man's black windbreaker, Xie Xiang looked up and saw the man's face clearly under the dim light.
.........
T/N: This is my favorite chapter so far, the conversation about cousins is chaotic fun 😂