Time
The family compounds are mostly single-story houses with a small courtyard in front. Some households are separated by bamboo fences, while others are not. Gu Sheng’s allocated courtyard is in a corner, not very large, adjoining another household.
The courtyard is about ten square meters. Inside the house, three rooms are connected. The first room is the main room with a window and a stove underneath it. The first room is connected to the second room by a space without a ceiling, effectively creating a skylight, allowing rainwater to fall through. A trench is dug in the corner for the drainage of rainwater and domestic water. There’s a small wooden cabin of about one or two square meters on the side, which can be used as a bathroom. It’s used for daily washing and rice washing, and there’s also a tap installed.
The outermost room serves as the kitchen and living room, with two small bedrooms inside. One of the bedrooms contains only a large bed, while the other room is furnished with a desk and bookshelves, to be used as a study room in the future.
Gu Sheng helped her move all the medical books into the study. While Zhan Aiping was wandering around the house, Gu Sheng took the opportunity to take a quick cold bath and left his clothes in an enamel basin, coolly stating, “You wash the clothes later, I’ll watch you do it.”
Zhan Aiping: “…” She regretted it, wishing she hadn’t challenged him.
Zhan Aiping made a fire to heat some water, washed her hair, and then took a bath. She sat on a small stool, drying her hair with a white towel.
Her clothes were piled on top of Gu Sheng’s. As Zhan Aiping was drying her hair, she pondered how to entice him.
Before she could figure out a strategy, Gu Sheng had already taken the basin of clothes and started washing them under the tap.
Zhan Aiping rubbed her face, thinking to herself how she loved his tough exterior and soft heart.
After finishing the laundry, Gu Sheng asked her to take it outside to dry. Zhan Aiping happily ran outside to hang the clothes. She was quite content, only regretting the lack of a smartphone to capture the moment and share it on her social circle.
—This was her first step towards earning a reputation for being “virtuous” in the family compound.
Although she had never succeeded in being a “good wife and mother” in either of her lifetimes, someone who is not virtuous still enjoys being praised for it.
Even a few insincere compliments could make her happy.
Unfortunately… after waiting for a long time, there were no onlookers, and Zhan Aiping felt a chill in her heart as she finished hanging the clothes.
Gu Sheng watched her from behind with his arms crossed: “You’re taking longer to hang the clothes than I took to wash them?”
“If you take any longer, the clothes will all be dry.”
Zhan Aiping: “It’s your fault for washing too fast. Did you even wash them properly? Next time, I’ll supervise you with my own two eyes.”
“Like a drill sergeant.”
Gu Sheng chuckled: “Next time, you’ll be the one washing, and I’ll supervise you.”
“You can’t supervise me; it has to be me supervising you. When you’re really busy, I’ll still end up washing for you.”
Gu Sheng walked over and high-fived her: “Men and women working together makes the job easier. When I’m home, I’ll help you out; when I’m busy, it’s up to Comrade Zhan to take the strain.”
“Hungry? I’ll go to the cafeteria to get some food. Wait here.”
“Okay.”
Zhan Aiping stayed in the courtyard pulling weeds, waiting for a certain “food delivery brother” to bring takeout. The courtyard had been unoccupied for a while and was overgrown with weeds, needing careful attention.
Observing the courtyards of other households, she noticed some had fruit trees, while others grew vegetables, with almost every household cultivating some green onions. Many also grew flowers, as Yunnan Province is renowned for its thriving flower industry, where just scattering some seeds can result in a lush bloom.
Of course, only heat-tolerant varieties could be grown, as those requiring vernalization wouldn’t thrive.
Before her rebirth, she and Old Gu had also maintained a garden, cultivating vegetables and numerous flowers. Particularly, there was a period when Zhan Aiping became fascinated with growing roses, which turned out to be a rather addictive hobby.
Most rose enthusiasts easily progress from thinking, “I’ll just grow three or four pots of roses,” to “Well, maybe twelve pots,” then “Oh, I have fifty pots now?” and finally, “Damn, I’ve ended up with over a hundred varieties of roses…”
Indeed, she eventually grew over a hundred varieties of roses. Watering, fertilizing, caring for, and pruning them became a hassle, especially since Zhan Aiping also had to leave home to practice medicine. She had no choice but to ask Comrade Gu for help with the roses.
Retired and with no fixed occupation, Old Gu had no choice but to dutifully take care of those thorny plants for her.
He would complain to her, “You medical folks never retire, always toiling away.”
Zhan Aiping teased him, “You, on the other hand, can only reminisce about your past bravery. For us in medicine, the older we get, the more in demand we are.”
Old Gu was quite skilled at gardening, and he also had a knack for propagating plants. Every cutting he planted thrived, leading to them often giving away plant seedlings to others.
Their friends suggested they sell the seedlings on Taobao to create a new job for Old Gu.
As she reminisced about these memories, a smile appeared on Zhan Aiping’s face. Before long, Gu Sheng returned with a food container, calling her to eat, “Little glutton, I got you quite a lot of meat.”
Zhan Aiping joked, “The worst is being a glutton without realizing it.”
Gu Sheng laughed, and the two of them brought out small stools to sit side by side in the courtyard to enjoy their meal. Gu Sheng had a good eye for selecting dishes, serving her plenty of carrots, which she had loved since childhood.
He teasingly called her a “bunny spirit” for her fondness for carrots.
Gu Sheng, on the other hand, preferred potatoes. Just as Zhan Aiping could eat carrots every day, he could eat potatoes every day, favouring stir-fried shredded potatoes.
Indeed, their meals together were like a combination of carrots and potatoes, both staples of their time due to their ease of storage and longevity, making them essential items for canteen cooking.
Zhan Aiping grew up eating canteen food, finding her parents’ cooking less appealing than the canteen’s offerings. This led her to remain silent when others complained about the poor quality of canteen food, deeming it fit only for pigs, because she actually found it quite tasty.
Gu Sheng shared this sentiment, as his parents’ cooking was no better, making the canteen a preferable option. Their common practice was to devour the “pig food” in the canteen with great gusto.
There was a month when Zhan Aiping would eat stir-fried carrots with chili and a vegetable dish at every meal, while Gu Sheng would opt for stir-fried potatoes and tofu. They would glance at each other’s plates with a “you’re eating that again?” look.
Thus, neither of them was picky about food; as long as it wasn’t too unpalatable, they could stomach it.
So… that’s why Gu Sheng would think it’s quite alright to eat canteen food for a lifetime.
Why wouldn’t he eat the meals she cooked?
It’s because when they were kids, Gu Sheng was kicked out of his house by his parents, left without food. Zhan Aiping, feeling unusually charitable, invited him into her home and cooked him a meal… which ended up sending him to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Back then, she was young and fascinated by the idea of “playing with fire,” finding a sense of achievement in cooking. She remembered an aunt in the courtyard who cooked Sichuan cuisine and would add some spices and powdered seasonings.
Zhan Aiping didn’t know what kind of powder the aunt added, but in an attempt to show off in front of Gu Sheng, she added a few types of “powder” herself. Fortunately, she didn’t add much, and Gu Sheng was saved.
—Gu Sheng was quite forgiving.
The meal she cooked for him was practically a “take your medicine” situation.
Despite almost being poisoned by her, he still liked her and was willing to marry her.
After that incident, when Gu Sheng was saved and the adults didn’t blame her, Aunt Qin even stopped her mother from scolding her. Gu Sheng bounced back, lively as ever, and was discharged from the hospital. Because of this event, Zhan Aiping felt guilty and, after apologizing, didn’t want to see or interact with Gu Sheng much. However, Gu Sheng would always take the initiative to provoke her, argue with her, and as a result, their relationship deteriorated even further.
They all refrained from mentioning that incident in front of her. Despite appearing carefree on the surface, she always kept it in her heart.
It was like a crack between them.
Zhan Aiping tossed a chopstick-full of carrots to Gu Sheng: “Do you know why I chose to study medicine?”
Gu Sheng threw a chopstick-full of potatoes back at her: “Who can tell what goes on in your head? One moment you want to be a doctor, the next a teacher.”
Zhan Aiping said solemnly, “I studied medicine to treat pigs.”
Gu Sheng: “…”
“Because pigs eat too much and always munch on the wrong things.”
Gu Sheng: “If you want to treat pigs, you should study veterinary medicine.”
Gu Sheng pinched her face: “Stop talking nonsense and eat your food.”
“Once we get to the military hospital, you can slowly treat your pigs.”
Zhan Aiping couldn’t help but chuckle, giving his arm a pat. Some people, it seems, can really “put themselves in the story.”
She took a few bites of her food, staring blankly at the clouds in the sky.
She had once pursued medicine because of Gu Sheng, and later, also because of him, she gave up. After a failed surgery where the patient died under her scalpel, she knew the operation was done correctly and the death wasn’t her fault, just an accident. Yet, she was haunted by nightmares where she dreamed of Gu Sheng dying that year.
Outside of her dreams, they would comfort her: “It’s not your fault.”
Facing death for the first time is a challenge many new doctors go through, leading to psychological discomfort. They all understood and tried to console her.
But the feeling of almost being responsible for someone’s death haunted her, causing her to constantly doubt herself.
She blurred the lines between her dreams and reality.
They said: It’s not your fault.
In her heart, she replied: But it is my fault.
…
“What are you daydreaming about? Don’t want to eat anymore? Is it not tasty?” Gu Sheng nudged her, bringing Zhan Aiping back to reality.
Gu Sheng sighed, “How about we start cooking at home from tomorrow? You can just steam some potatoes for me.”
Zhan Aiping blinked, holding back tears at the corners of her eyes, her voice slightly hoarse, “Don’t worry, I’m really good at cooking potatoes now.”
Gu Sheng: “…”
“Really.”
Zhan Aiping smiled and ruffled his hair.
“Let’s raise a couple of ducks in the yard from now on.”
One named Sheng Sheng, and the other, Ping Ping.
She says Gu Sheng is as stubborn as a mule, but isn’t she just as stubborn?
To put it sentimentally, in those youthful days, who doesn’t have a hidden crush, an unspoken love for someone?
Photos can be stolen, but memories remain forever. Her heart was given to someone very early on.
She studied medicine because of him, wanted to learn cooking for him, and wished to be a good wife all because of him… It’s just unfortunate that they met too early. By the time they realised their feelings, everyone, including themselves, thought it was impossible for them to be together.
He Mingzhang doesn’t eat spicy food, but she always adds a few chili peppers to her dishes, cooking what her beloved enjoys… Even the hasty decision to set a wedding date was driven by the fact that the one she loved was in Shanghai.
It was as if her mind had gone awry, perhaps as a way to completely give up hope. She stubbornly and crazily decided to do such a thing, wanting him to see her marry someone else. She wanted to see his reaction, wondering if there was even the slightest chance he might like her.
—”In the past, carriages were slow, letters took long to arrive, and one lifetime was only enough to love one person.”
In her lifetime, she truly loved only one person.
But Zhan Aiping didn’t like this saying much. What if, instead of slow trains, there were high-speed railroads, instead of letters, there were video calls? If space and distance were no longer obstacles, could everything from the past have been different?
A moment missed could mean half a lifetime lost.
Leaning against him, away from Shanghai, shedding their heavy winter clothes for lighter attire, their closeness allowed them to feel each other’s body heat distinctly. She cherished this sensation, and it was also why she loved Yunnan Province.
Such warmth felt real and intense.
“Gu Sheng, I am your wife now, and we will have a home.”
“Should we plan out the courtyard? What do you think we should plant?”
—Fifty years to start anew, everything begins afresh.
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