She had to return to the military camp on Sunday.
Knowing that Lisa would leave in the afternoon, Qi Yuefeng dragged her son to help pick out clothes for Lisa.
Gu Hong had matters to attend to at the company, so he couldn’t accompany his family.
Seokjin was reluctant at first. Like most men, he didn’t fancy shopping, much less shopping with women.
Coincidentally, Lisa didn’t like shopping either.
She didn’t fear training, but shopping for clothes from shop to shop was a form of torment for her.
While other girls were delighted with the choices before them, Lisa didn’t at all feel the same way.
Hence, the two of them were the type to get it over and done with as fast as possible.
When Qi Yuefeng picked out a piece of clothing, the two of them would nod their heads vigorously beside her. “It looks nice, Mom. Let’s just buy this, there’s no need to look at others!”
When she picked up another piece, they said the same thing. “It looks nice.”
How could Qi Yuefeng not tell they were being perfunctory?
But there wasn’t anything she could do about that.
The good thing was that after Lisa slimmed down, it was much easier for her to buy clothes, and most ordinary designs looked particularly nice on her.
This was because she was pretty and had exquisite features, and even without makeup on her face, it was so fair that it glowed.
When she was trying on clothes, other girls looked at her with envy.
Within an hour, they had picked out several sets of clothes.
Because Lisa had to buy new sizes for all her clothes because those at home no longer fitted her, they naturally had to buy more at one go.
With bags of clothing in hand, Qi Yuefeng and the group found a cafe in the mall and sat down for a drink.
Going through the items bought, Qi Yuefeng said, “Lisa, Mom bought you these for the time being. You can wear them in rotation at the army. If you don’t wish to wash your clothes, you can send them back every weekend, Mom will wash them for you.”
“Mom, I’m not so delicate. There’s a washing machine in the military, I can just use that.”
Every dormitory had their own allotments. If it wasn’t for the fact that the usual training was really tough, the living conditions in the dormitory were actually better than many communal living places.
“Seems like the living conditions in the military are not too bad.” Seokjin found it surprising.
Seokjin had seen many news articles and reports that the living conditions were tough in the military, but hearing Lisa clarify otherwise naturally surprised him.
Lisa smiled and was about to speak when her phone rang.
She looked and much to her surprise; it was Commander Huo.
The last time the Chief Instructor asked her to call Commander Huo, considering that Commander Huo’s identity was special, she saved his number in her phone. But she hadn’t expected to receive a call from him.
Lisa stood up instantly and went to a secluded spot to answer the call.
At the back, seeing Lisa go away to answer her phone, Qi Yuefeng and Seokjin began murmuring between themselves.
“Hello, Commander Huo?”
“Eh, Lalisa?”
Jimin sounded even more shocked than Lisa.
Lisa paused. “You called the wrong number?”
“Not really. I saw that this number looked unfamiliar, so I called. Lately, several commanders called me, but I didn’t save their numbers, so I got them mixed up.”
Lisa was speechless.
“Heh, heh. I will save your number for later. Right. I wanted to ask, did the Chief Instructor look for you to help him buy some things?”
Lisa felt surprised to hear Jimin only mentioning this now. “Weren’t you the one who said it? The Chief Instructor asked me to replace you. It turned out that when you hung out with the Chief Instructor all the time, you had to double as his nanny?”
When Lisa spoke with Jimin, she didn’t feel the same way as when she was talking with Jungkook. Her tone was relaxed and happy.
Jimin ignored her teasing and instead inhaled a breath of cold air. “He really went to look for you?”
Just as Lisa replied with a hum, his tone suddenly became lewd. “Lalisa, go for it!” ‘Beep beep… beep beep…’
He hung up the phone.
Lisa was speechless.
Go for what?
Jimin’s words, which Lisa couldn’t make heads or tails of, made her baffled.
She returned to her seat to see her mother and her older brother murmuring between themselves.
Once Lisa reached the table, the two of them stopped murmuring.
Lisa felt awkward all of a sudden.
“Mom, what are you two talking about?”
It was clear they were talking about her.
“Nothing.” Qi Yuefeng shook her head, a slight smile on her face. “But Lisa, Mom feels that you ought to be careful now that you entered the military. You’re only eighteen.”
Immediately, Lisa knew that it was the nosy Seokjin who had said something.
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Mom, don’t listen to Brother’s nonsense. He knows nothing at all. I don’t even know any boys at the military…”
Right after those words came out of her mouth, she felt what she said wasn’t quite right.
Actually, Commander Huo, Chief Instructor, and Doctor Nan should be considered people she knew?
But they were already men, so her words were still technically correct!
“Pff, Mom don’t listen to her lies. When I went to look for her in the troops last time, there was this commander or something that defended her!”
Seokjin reached out to strangle Lisa. She was glaring at him, thinking that he only knew how to make up things and create havoc.
Seeing Lisa’s reaction, Qi Yuefeng laughed out loud. “Lisa, Mom won’t interfere in your matters. I believe you’re able to distinguish things for yourself. If you really find someone you like, it’s okay to date. After all, you’re no longer a kid.”
Lisa felt helpless at this teasing. “Mom…”
However, in front of her family, she always felt more relaxed, instead of feeling tensed like she did in the military.
“Haha. Mom, don’t you feel that Lisa had undergone a big transformation?”
Seokjin suddenly said this while he was laughing.
Qi Yuefeng didn’t think too much about it. On the other hand, his words made Lisa’s heart skip a beat.
“She did change a little. My daughter is prettier than before now, and also more lively. It seems like the training in the troops has some effect.”
Qi Yuefeng smiled gently at Lisa. Hearing her mother attribute her change to her days in the troops, Lisa suddenly felt a mix of emotions in her heart.
Only the smiling Seokjin had a deep glint flash across his eyes as he gazed at his younger sister’s weird expression.
After they were done resting in the mall, they found a place to settle for lunch.
Considering the fact that Lisa could only return next month, Qi Yuefeng took Lisa for a good meal.
After the meal, Lisa felt stuffed.
Taking with her the clothes Qi Yuefeng gave her, she went to the bus terminal in the afternoon.
There was a direct bus from the city proper to the military zone, mainly to cater to family members visiting the military.
For those like Lisa, so long as they had an identity card, they could go together.
Since it was the last day of the weekend, there weren’t many people on the bus. Only a handful of them occupied the seats.
Lisa sat on the bus, and with her earphones plugged in, she watched the scenery outside as the bus passed them by.
She felt a sort of fulfillment in such a life.
Just as the bus was about to reach the military zone in Dayi City, it started raining.
The bus stopped outside the military zone since it couldn’t go further in. Lisa, who was carrying a lot of things with her, couldn’t go in straight away. Hence, she called Rosé to pick her up.
While she was dodging the rain at the bus terminal outside the military zone, a few soldiers suddenly walked over from the distance.
“Younger Sister Lalisa, are you waiting for someone to pick you up here? Do you need us to help you?”
Lisa felt quite disgusted being addressed as ‘Younger Sister Lalisa.’
Amidst the fog, a man walked out.
It was the same person who had fetched Lisa when Seokjin came to the barracks.
He was Seokjin’s classmate.
He smiled and looked at Lisa. After saying those words, he stepped forward to help Lisa with the bags in her hands.
His friends behind him began to wolf-whistle and teased him about their interactions.
Without a word, Lisa avoided him.
“It’s fine. I’m waiting for my roommate. I don’t want her to make a wasted trip.”
The man clearly heard her cold words.
Upon hearing those words, any other normal person would have been able to sense that they were rejected.
Perhaps the man felt embarrassed that his friends were right behind him. He persisted and said, “The rain isn’t that heavy now, and you don’t even know how long your roommate will take to come here. Let us help you.”
Lisa finally looked at him. With an adequately gentle tone, she answered, “No, thank you.”
At least she still thanked him for his offer.
Having been rejected so directly, the man’s face turned sour.
His friends burst out laughing at him.
Surprisingly, he didn’t leave.
Instead, he walked over to Lisa and a small frown appeared on her face.
The rain wasn’t heavy, but the fog was thick. It was as though the Heavens had enveloped everything in a thin veil. She couldn’t even make out his expressions that clearly.
“I have yet to tell you my name, right? I am your Older Brother’s classmate, Song Wei. You can call me Older Brother Song Wei.”
His words sounded as though he was hinting at something else.
Lisa merely acknowledged him quietly. “Okay.”
It was clear that she was annoyed.
She had always been a straightforward person who didn’t conceal her feelings. Naturally, she wouldn’t want to give a half-hearted reply.
If this man were more tactful, she would have behaved in a more polite manner.
However, it was apparent that this man wasn’t.
Lisa’s cold responses made this man feel rather awkward. Nevertheless, he continued to ramble incessantly.
His friends laughed even louder, too.
As he continued to speak, Lisa didn’t say a word in response at all.
Song Wei’s expression was glum as he tried to lift the atmosphere of the conversation. “I am your Older Brother’s classmate. You don’t have to be so cold towards me.”
Lisa raised her head and looked at him with indifference. Her eyes were filled with coldness.
Shortly after, Lisa saw Rosé amidst the fog.
She lifted her hand and waved. “Rosé!”
Upon seeing her, Rosé held a pink umbrella and ran over.
“Wow, the weather is so cold. If you didn’t call me, I would still be bundled up in my blanket.”
Rosé scurried over and shook the rain off her body. When she saw Song Wei there, she felt rather surprised.
However, she didn’t greet him either. Picking up Lisa’s things, the two of them left.
Being completely disregarded, Song Wei’s expression grew glum.
After they had left, his friends came up to him and teased. “Song Wei, that was a horrible attempt! We thought you knew her, but she didn’t even acknowledge your presence!”
Song Wei shrugged off his friend’s hand on his shoulder and scoffed coldly, “Why is she even pretending to be so aloof?”
“If I heard those words, I wouldn’t talk to you either. If this is how you’re going to pick up girls, you should just stop. You’re too shameless and persistent. Right from the start, she didn’t want to talk to you. You shouldn’t have continued to force her.”
Not everyone was idiotic as Song Wei. Some of them still had common sense and knew better.
Having trained in the military for a long time, their mindsets also became more mature.
Seeing how dejected Song Wei looked, his friends left him with arms around each other’s shoulders.
...
When Lisa returned to her dormitory, Umji and Eunbi were both around.
Nowadays, Lisa had already grown used to ignoring the two of them.
Placing her things on the bed, she took out the clothes one by one and folded them.
As Rosé observed her, she felt a little surprised.
“Did you go back just to buy these items? They look pretty. I’m sure you’ll look good in them.”
Hearing Rosé’s compliments, Lisa flashed a faint smile.
Suddenly, Rosé added in a hushed voice, “How did you get special permission to return to Dayi City?”
According to the rules for new recruits, they were allowed to return to Dayi City. However, they had to specify their reasons for doing so. It could be because of urgent matters like a family member passed away or fell ill.
Otherwise, they would never be granted permission to go back.
Usually, the new recruits could only go to Mountain Village to let loose.
Hence, Rosé was curious about how Lisa managed to do it.
Lisa smiled faintly, and she whispered, “Have you forgotten that I went there with the Chief Instructor yesterday? He agreed to it.”
Rosé’s eyes widened immediately as they glinted. Pointing at Lisa, she giggled at her jokingly.
She then raised her head and said, “I will not compare myself to you.”
Lisa smiled in response and tidied her things before placing them in her closet.
Besides placing cups and pillows at the head of their beds in the dormitory, they could not have any other items in the barracks.
They allowed not even a single strand of hair.
While they trained in the day, there will be people doing spot checks.
After she had cleaned and tidied everything, it was almost time for dinner.
Rosé and Lisa went to the cafeteria together.
Every weekend, the cafeteria would offer something extra. That day, there was pear boiled in syrup for dessert. Lisa thought it should taste pretty delicious.
Rosé looked at how Lisa ate with relish and offered her own share.
Lisa was rather shocked. “Why aren’t you eating this? It’s pretty yummy.”
Rosé shook her head in disapproval and said, “It’s too sweet. I don’t want to put on weight.”
Lisa almost burst out laughing. “Why are you still worried about that? We train so much every day and would definitely burn all these calories off!”
Their daily training was tough and this dessert shouldn’t even be a cause for concern.
“Moreover, why didn’t you say the same thing when you bought the snacks in the village?”
Lisa exposed Rosé.
Rosé giggled in embarrassment and tugged playfully at Lisa. “I’m quite full, and I don’t like pears, especially this kind of dessert…”
She had only said those words because she didn’t want to eat it and didn’t want Lisa to feel uncomfortable.
If they didn’t finish their food, they would be punished.
Lisa looked at Rosé and helplessly shook her head before eating the extra portion.
It wasn’t even a large portion, to begin with, but since Rosé didn’t like it, she wouldn’t force her to eat it.
After finishing all the food on their plates, Lisa and Rosé returned the utensils to the designated areas.
Shortly after they left, a few men who had been sitting beside them discussed quietly.
“Those two girls are quite pretty! I will woo the one with the pale skin!”
“That’s Gu Lalisa. I heard that when she joined the military a month ago, she was a chubby girl. After losing weight, she’s completely a goddess!”
“Da Qi, you have to put in a lot of effort! That girl belongs to Chen Haoyang’s team. You cannot let him find out you’re targeting one of his recruits!”
“I have nothing to be afraid of!”
...
Lisa had no idea that someone was interested in wooing her.
The allergy on Rosé’s wrist had yet to quell, but her friends had taken the medication away from her. So, after dinner, she went to look for Doctor Nan again at the infirmary after they finished their dinner.
They usually couldn’t visit Doctor Nan, but since they had time now, Lisa packed a huge bag of items from Dayi City to pass to Doctor Nan.
It was preserved peaches made by her own mother and they were delicious.
Since she was a child, Lisa never enjoyed eating snacks, but the only thing she enjoyed was the preserved peaches her mother made.
Even her neighbors frequently dropped by their house to ask her mother to make some for them, too. It just shows how delicious the peaches were.
There were only slightly over ten exquisite bottles and Rosé had already consumed three of them.
Lisa packed two bottles and then prepared two other bottles for the Chief Instructor.
If Commander Huo didn’t leave, he would have gotten a share too.
But she couldn’t help but wonder whether a fussy person like him, who needed new cutlery for each meal, would like the type of food that commoners like her ate.
When they arrived at the infirmary, Sehun was eating.
Lisa and Rosé entered the room and greeted. “Doctor Nan.”
Seeing the two of them come in, Sehun flashed a warm smile. “Why are you here?”
Lisa stepped forward and smiled as she answered, “Doctor Nan, Rosé used up all her medication. We’re here for more. Oh, this is for you. My Mom made some preserved peaches, and I brought some for you.”
As she spoke, Lisa peeked at the food that Sehun was eating, only to realize that he was eating the same things they ate in the cafeteria.
She couldn’t help but feel respect for Sehun.
“Oh?” Sehun raised his brows gently. He graciously accepted the bag and stood up to retrieve Rosé’s medication. He added, “Am I the only person receiving this?”
His words sounded as though he was teasing her.
Rosé popped up from behind, and she quipped, “How can it be? Lisa will never forget about the Chief Instructor!”
Lisa giggled, and she also explained, “I don’t know many people in the military well. Commander Huo and you treat me very well, and since I have some delightful treats, I wanted to offer some to all of you.”
“Okay.” Sehun nodded as he retrieved the medication and noted it in his file. “You wrote Commander Jeon’s name for all the orders you placed with him yesterday. He called me and asked me to pick up all the items. Were you startled after seeing the quantities of cutlery and daily items?”
Hearing Sehun’s words, Lisa felt incredulous again. “I wasn’t startled, but I just felt that it was unimaginable.”
Rosé was rather confused. “What are you talking about? Lisa, I haven’t even asked you about what happened yesterday. What did the chief instructor ask you to buy?”
Sehun pursed his lips. He pondered for a while before replying. “When he used to live back at his home, Commander Jeon led a rather elite lifestyle. Though he toned down here. To him, this is a rather terrible environment to live in.”
It reminded Lisa of how Jungkook had spoken about putting up with what he had now and nodded in agreement. “Yes, I can tell. He seems rather delicate to me…”
If his lifestyle at home had been so lavish, perhaps it was understandable that he behaved like how he did.
Right after finishing her words, Lisa heard a cold voice from outside the door.
“Did you say I am very delicate?”
Upon realizing who it was, Lisa shuddered.
How did this person appear without a sound each time?