Chapter Fifteen: A Brand New Day

"Alright, everything's packed up. Now we can go ask about that truck." Yang Hui glanced at Yang Yue, who was still standing to the side, looking a little embarrassed, and couldn't help but laugh. Years of resentment from being bullied by Yang Yue melted away in an instant.

Ha, who could have imagined it! Back then, Yang Yue, just a few months older, had given him quite a hard time. She probably never expected a day like this would come. Yang Hui's smile bloomed across his face as he thought about it.

"What are you laughing at? Hurry up. Who wants to live with you anyway?" With that, Yang Yue was the first to walk out the door.

Shaking his head, Yang Hui closed the door and hurried after her.

"Auntie, where are the transport crew in Liyang Factory? I need to find them for something," Yang Hui braced himself to ask, facing the strange gaze of the guesthouse matron.

"Haha, you're looking for Captain Zhang, wanting to hitch a ride, aren't you? Go on, their quarters are right at the entrance of Liyang Factory," she replied, still smiling as she pointed the way to Yang Hui.

"Hurry up, that girl has already gone ahead," she added.

"Thank you," Yang Hui called out his thanks and ran after Yang Yue without looking back.

Young people these days! Seems the old generation still needs to add a spark here and there. Love may be free, but one must open their heart to it. Why worry so much? The guesthouse matron shook her head and chuckled.

Yang Hui finally caught up. "Hey, Yueyue, why are you walking so fast?"

"I'm hungry. I need to find something to eat. Aren't you hungry?" she replied.

So that's it—she was hungry. Only now did Yang Hui realize he should eat, too.

"Alright, let's eat first, then go ask this afternoon," he said.

The two headed toward the cafeteria they'd passed when they first arrived.

...

The food in the cafeteria couldn't compare to Yang Yue's cooking, but when you're hungry, you just have to eat.

"Alright, now we can go to the transport crew's quarters," Yang Yue urged after lunch, eager to see if they could hitch a ride to Anshun.

They were both from Base 0011, and from the Second Institute at that. After explaining their purpose, the Liyang Factory security let them through.

They walked past Workshop One, arriving at a row of garages where a group of people were servicing vehicles.

"This is the transport crew's quarters. Let's ask," Yang Hui said, approaching a young man changing oil. "Excuse me, is Captain Zhang here?"

"I am. What do you need?" answered a middle-aged man nearby, dressed in an old military uniform.

He seemed to be helping with maintenance, his hands stained black with used oil. From his practiced movements, he must have been an army vehicle mechanic.

"Hello, Captain Zhang. I just reported to the Second Institute today, and my companion here needs to report to the First Institute in Anshun. I wanted to ask if there's a truck heading that way tomorrow."

Captain Zhang put down his rag and walked over to Yang Hui. "Hmm, there's a trip tomorrow, but you know this is confidential work. If you want to come along, just bring proof of your identities."

Indeed, military men are straightforward yet principled. Asking for documentation to prove identity was the perfect solution. Soldiers stick to their principles and can endure hardship. If only most retired soldiers had more education, their spirit alone would achieve great things.

"Oh, that's wonderful. No need to squeeze onto the bus tomorrow. Thank you so much."

"No need to be so formal. We're all here working for the Third Front; helping our own is only right. Get your things ready, we leave at nine in the morning," Captain Zhang said, turning back to continue the vehicle maintenance.

Faced with such decisiveness, Yang Hui and Yang Yue exchanged glances. Captain Zhang was indeed efficient—said what needed saying, then went straight back to his work without an extra word.

"Yueyue, let's go. We'll come back tomorrow. It should be settled," Yang Hui boldly took Yang Yue's hand and led her away.

...

"Miss, there really aren't any rooms. No one checked out all afternoon, and even the new arrivals have nowhere to stay. You'll just have to squeeze in!" As Yang Hui expected, the guesthouse matron still had no rooms available and kept urging them to share. Whether there was a room or not, only she really knew.

"What should we do? Yueyue, it's hard to find another place to stay out here. We're in the suburbs," Yang Hui looked at Yang Yue, waiting for her answer.

Yang Yue was conflicted. What to do now? With others around, should they just spend the night in the same room? She was still too shy to agree.

Just then, the guesthouse matron conveniently went into the inner room, leaving the lobby.

Yang Yue, seeing there were no outsiders, hesitated and muttered, "Well... well..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but she headed toward the room.

"Um... Yang Hui, you sleep on that bed. No wandering around at night," she said once inside. Though still shy, she managed to say it aloud.

But her words were amusing—who would wander around the room at night anyway?

Yang Hui took out his toiletries and headed to the communal washroom. In those days, dreaming of a private bathroom was pure fantasy. Seeing Yang Hui go out to wash up, Yang Yue followed with her own things.

...

"Yueyue, aren't you going to sleep?" Yang Hui asked, seeing Yang Yue sitting on the bed, lost in thought.

How was she supposed to answer that? "Um... I'll wait a bit."

"Alright, I'll sleep first. You should get some rest too," Yang Hui understood why Yang Yue was lingering.

Knowing was one thing; he couldn't dispel her doubts, so he simply went to bed. Later, Yang Yue could wait until she was sure Yang Hui was asleep before going to bed herself.

He took off his clothes and lay down. Why overthink?

...

Half an hour later, hearing Yang Hui's soft snoring, Yang Yue quietly walked over to check if he was really asleep. Once she was certain, she relaxed. She undressed and got into bed—after all, they'd spent days on trains, and having a bed to sleep in was a rare luxury. With Yang Hui asleep, she could finally rest.

The night grew deep...

...

At dawn, the first rays of sunlight filtered through the glass onto Yang Hui.

Awakened, Yang Hui turned to look at Yang Yue. The sight made his blood boil. Last night, once she was sure Yang Hui was asleep, Yang Yue had relaxed and slept as she always did, enjoying the rare comfort of a bed. She calculated that Yang Hui wouldn’t see her at night, but forgot about the morning! She’d kicked off her covers during the night—this was...

Yang Hui shook his head, forcing himself to turn away and steady his emotions. He carefully got up and dressed.

Glancing again at Yang Yue sleeping soundly, Yang Hui wondered if he should cover her with the blanket. March in the south was far from warm, and there was no heating.

He walked over to cover her, but as soon as his hand touched the blanket, Yang Yue seemed to sense something and suddenly opened her eyes.

"Ah... Yang Hui, what are you doing?" Indeed, when a woman wakes up to find a man nearby, screaming is inevitable—a historical certainty.

"You kicked off your blanket, I was just trying to cover you. I had no other intentions," Yang Hui replied righteously.

After a long silence, she said, "Then you go wash up first. I'm getting up."

Yang Hui grabbed his things and went out to wash. "Why be embarrassed? One day I'll see everything anyway," he muttered under his breath, but some people were extra sensitive at this moment.

"Yang Hui, what did you say? Get out, now!" she shouted, angrily hurling her pillow at him.

Yang Hui heard her angry voice and immediately ran out, luckily dodging the pillow.

... When Yang Hui returned, Yang Yue was already dressed and ready to wash up.

"You go ahead, I'll pack your things. We'll leave soon," Yang Yue said.

When she got back, Yang Hui had already packed her things and picked them up. "Let's go, grab a bite downstairs, and we'll head over at eight thirty," Yang Hui scheduled.

In the lobby, the guesthouse matron was already at her counter, watching Yang Yue carefully and secretly wondering—how could this be? Did this Yang fellow really behave like a saint? No one explained, and the matron would spend her day puzzled.

Bathed in morning sunlight, the two walked toward the cafeteria.