The Snail Girl
The eighth day of the Lunar New Year was indeed a good day. Even if you observed the stars the night before, you could tell that the weather would be good the next day. Before the sun rose, there was a bit of morning mist, and the streets were faintly populated.
Gu Sheng climbed up the stairs in two or three steps, knocked on the door, but received no response.
He frowned and said, “Zhan Aiping, open the door!”
Outside, the knocking on the door continued. Zhan Aiping, still wrapped up in her blanket, groggily reached out a hand from under the covers. She had a messy bedhead, opened her sleepy eyes, not quite sure what day it was. The room was dimly lit, and she pulled the curtains. The sounds from outside continued.
Zhan Aiping checked her watch and, upon seeing the time, she rubbed her temples while lying on the bed.
—Is this ancient general here to wake me up at the break of dawn?
Disturbing dreams so early in the morning.
Zhan Aiping wrapped herself in a military coat and went to open the door for him. As soon as she opened it, she saw Gu Sheng’s disgruntled face, as if someone owed him a lot of money. She let him in, and Gu Sheng glanced at her, saying coldly:
“You’re not properly dressed. Minus points.”
Zhan Aiping: “…” Deduct as many points as you want, even down to zero.
“Come in and have a seat.”
Zhan Aiping invited him into the room, telling him not to stand outside in the cold.
Gu Sheng didn’t come empty-handed. He handed her a bag, and Zhan Aiping had already smelled the fragrance. She opened it and found freshly steamed meat buns, chocolates, and a few pastries.
—Forgive him, at least for the meat buns.
Gu Sheng looked around her room, raising an eyebrow. “Do all retired female soldiers live like this?”
Well, it’s your fault for coming at the wrong time.
Zhan Aiping glanced at the scattered books on the table, the messy bed sheets, the bundled-up quilt, and the pile of things near the door. Yesterday, a teacher’s husband had just grown new hair, a head full of shiny black hair. The couple had come to thank her and brought a lot of New Year’s sunflower seeds and dried fruits. However, the bag had torn, and most of it had fallen on the floor, and she hadn’t had the chance to clean it up yet.
“I’ve brought shame to the reputation of retired female soldiers. I’m embarrassed,” Zhan Aiping said. She hadn’t expected Gu Sheng to come so early in the morning. She wasn’t truly a lazy person; it was just that when no one was around to supervise, she occasionally had a bit of procrastination syndrome and enjoyed the thrill of the “countdown to death.”
Besides, it was the New Year; couldn’t she indulge in being a lazy bum for a while?
Additionally, Zhan Aiping had a little hobby: she liked deliberately making her home messy and then tidying up the chaos all at once. This process was genuinely stress-relieving and gave her a sense of accomplishment.
Zhan Aiping put down the meat buns and casually said, “Leave it as it is; I’ll tidy up later.”
Gu Sheng: “…”
He glanced at Zhan Aiping and said, “You should tidy yourself up first.”
Zhan Aiping: “…”
“Eat the meat buns while they’re hot,” Gu Sheng said. He took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and immediately made the still-warm bedsheet neat and tidy, folding the blanket into neat blocks.
Her cozy little cocoon of warmth turned into a cold, firm bed in an instant.
Zhan Aiping: “…”
If she had a bit of early-stage procrastination syndrome, then Gu Sheng was in the advanced stage of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Sigh…
She didn’t actually like it when he folded her blanket into neat blocks. Although it looked neat and beautiful, it didn’t seem very warm.
Not every soldier enjoyed folding blankets neatly, and many of those who had been discharged for a long time vowed never to fold blankets again. You could understand it as their way of rebelling after being disciplined for so long.
Zhan Aiping now preferred to shake the blanket out and spread it directly on the bed, which was similar to how hotel rooms were done. It looked cozy and comfortable while being convenient.
Plus, it was suitable for winter. If it got cold, she could just roll into the blanket.
Gu Sheng’s hands and feet were nimble, and he worked as quickly as he ate, doing everything neatly and efficiently. By the time Zhan Aiping had changed her clothes and fixed her hair, Gu Sheng had already cleaned up the room, leaving it spotless.
Although he had a stern face, looking as if he were ready for a fight at any moment, he did… well, he was quite handy with household chores.
For a moment, Zhan Aiping felt like she had brought home a diligent “country girl.”
It would be even better if this “country girl” didn’t have such a menacing expression.
Zhan Aiping picked up a hot meat bun and felt a bit guilty from the bottom of her heart. She wasn’t shedding crocodile tears, but she thought, “Gu Sheng helped her out, spent so much money, and even cleaned up her house….” She beat him to it, saying, “I’ll handle the household chores from now on.”
After saying that, her cheeks turned red, and Little Zhan Comrade felt like a guy who promised empty words.
Always getting things cleaned up ahead of her, even though Zhan Aiping claimed she wasn’t lazy, who would believe her?
“Really, I don’t want to become a lazy daughter-in-law in the future.”
“I’ll strive to be an excellent daughter-in-law!”
Gu Sheng: “…Hurry up and eat, talk less, don’t choke.”
“Mmm.” The meat bun in her hand was still warm, freshly steamed and just out of the steamer, giving off an exceptionally enticing aroma – the fragrance of the dough, the savory meat, and the scent of green onions. When she pulled it apart, there was a rich broth inside, making it even more tempting.
Zhan Aiping took a bite, closed her eyes comfortably, and squinted like a lazy little cat.
Gu Sheng watched her, and his lips twitched. He felt a slight itch in his hands.
Zhan Aiping took a few more bites, realizing it wasn’t good to eat alone. She pulled apart another bun and reached it towards Gu Sheng’s mouth, whispering softly, “Try it.”
Gu Sheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his gaze flickered. “You eat it.”
“Just have a taste. It’s not good to eat alone.” Zhan Aiping rubbed the back of his arm with her hand, gently urging him.
Gu Sheng lowered his head and took a bite.
Zhan Aiping only felt a slight chill and an itch on her fingertips, as if something had passed by. She looked to the left, feeling her ears warm. Subconsciously, she tore a piece of the bun’s skin and fed it into her own mouth.
She thought, it’s just a little gesture.
To her surprise, when she turned back, Gu Sheng was staring at her intently with those peach blossom eyes, as if saying:
—Continue.
Zhan Aiping: “…”
She raised her hand to feed him again, but unfortunately, there weren’t many buns left. With each taking a bite, they quickly finished, leaving only one bun.
Gu Sheng evaluated the whole process and commented, “Women are trouble.” Eating a bun had turned into such an ordeal.
Zhan Aiping wanted to hit him. “Yes, yes, I’m trouble. Why don’t you just call me your good buddy?”
Gu Sheng didn’t respond to her, he just said, “You can eat the remaining one by yourself, and then get your things ready to go.”
Zhan Aiping took a bite of the bun and suddenly remembered something. “Oh… wait for me to finish washing the clothes.”
She had a few pieces of clothing that she had piled up and hadn’t washed yet.
It was a bit embarrassing to admit, especially since it was winter, and there was no need to wash clothes so frequently. She usually accumulated them and washed them all together. However, the weather seemed nice today, and washing them in the morning should allow them to dry quickly.
Gu Sheng asked, “Which ones are you washing?”
“The ones over there and the ones in the bucket,” she replied.
Gu Sheng gave her a look that said, “Women are trouble” and “Women have too many little things to worry about.” Then he turned and took the clothes. He was so familiar with the process that he didn’t show any hesitation.
Someone seemed to be in a good mood this time.
Zhan Aiping wrapped herself in his coat from behind, feeling warm. She smiled and reminded him, “Be careful not to catch a cold when you’re washing.”
Gu Sheng: “…”
It was still early in the morning, and no one had done laundry yet. He turned on the tap, listened to the rushing sound of water, and felt that something was off as he continued to wash.
Was he here to do laundry today?
Why was he doing laundry?
As he continued to wash, the image of Zhan Aiping’s smile from earlier reappeared in his mind, and he felt like he had been enchanted.
Chen Jiabao’s wife, Sun Airong, had been paying attention to their neighbours. She knew that Teacher Zhan next door had gotten married, and her husband was a military officer. Chen Jiabao had even made a bet with her husband about the two of them before, and when he lost, he had tried to weasel out of it. But Sun Airong insisted on paying up, just to teach her husband a lesson.
However, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable about it.
Gradually, she noticed that after Teacher Zhan got married, her military officer husband had disappeared without a trace. The only news about him was that he had been doing laundry in the hallway on the second day of their marriage, and he hadn’t been seen since. Even during the New Year, Zhan Aiping celebrated alone.
It was really unbelievable.
Sun Airong started to feel sorry for their neighbour, Teacher Zhan. She had actually married such a man. As for her own husband, although he was a bit lazy and didn’t appreciate what he had, he at least stayed by her side. She wasn’t alone during the holidays.
Chen Jiabao even suspected that Teacher Zhan next door had a “fake marriage.” He said to her, “Her husband doesn’t even cast a shadow. Marrying someone like him is no different from being a widow.”
Sun Airong felt the same way.
As a result, on the morning of the eighth day of the first month, there was activity next door. Teacher Zhan’s husband had returned and asked her to open the door. His tone didn’t sound very good. Were they going to have an argument? However, after he entered, there was a lingering aroma of meat buns in the air, a tantalizing scent.
Sun Airong continued to listen to the sounds from next door, and to her surprise, the couple next door didn’t argue, complain, or have any disputes. Before long, the man from next door came out, holding his laundry, and Teacher Zhan was smiling, cautioning him from behind to “be careful and not catch a cold.”
Sun Airong exclaimed, “Wow!”
He came back and helped with the laundry right away.
Sun Airong sneaked into Zhan Aiping’s house and found that it had been cleaned thoroughly. She had seen with her own eyes that there were nuts and melon seeds scattered all over the floor when someone came to deliver things to the Zhan family yesterday. How had it all been cleaned up so quickly?
It seemed like everything had been tidied up?
Sun Airong asked, “Did you clean up this early in the morning?”
In a building where everyone knew each other, who didn’t know their neighbours? Zhan Aiping had been waking up late every day recently, but today she had woken up early.
Zhan Aiping was at a loss for words. “Um, I tidied up a bit.”
Otherwise, she would seem like a “scumbag” waiting at home for the “girl from the countryside” to come and clean up.
Sun Airong had a discerning eye, “… Liar!”
She knew for sure that Zhan Aiping would never make her bed so neatly, and she wouldn’t have tidied up the house like this. It was obvious that the man had done all of this.
Sun Airong felt a mix of emotions, and jealousy was getting the better of her. She thought about her own husband, and then thought about Zhan Aiping’s husband. It was frustrating that people could be so different. Zhan Aiping’s husband was an officer, their family had good conditions, he was handsome, and he doted on his wife. He even did chores like laundry for her without complaint.
He probably gave her all his salary, pampered her, and allowed her to enjoy a life of leisure at home.
On the other hand, her own husband, while he stayed at home every day, was more of a burden. When he was at home, she had to cater to him like a “grandmaster,” and it was nowhere near as enjoyable as Zhan Aiping’s life next door.
It turned out there were still good men in this world…
No, she had to talk to her husband, Chen Jiabao, and make him learn a thing or two from Zhan Aiping’s husband.
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