Gu Xingdong tutted, his narrow eyes narrowing dangerously. "Are you giving me the negatives or not?"
"No," Zhao Kang said, reaching out to snatch the photo from his hand. Gu Xingdong's shoulder shifted slightly, and he raised his arm, clamping down on Zhao Kang's wrist.
Zhao Kang's fingers strained against Gu Xingdong's, but no matter how hard he tried, Gu Xingdong remained as steady as a mountain.
Zhao Kang's face turned red.
"It's just two photos, I'll give you two yuan," Zhao Kang said, unwilling to back down, trying to persuade him with money.
Gu Xingdong remained unmoved. "I said no."
Zhao Kang was choked with anger.
"Er Mao, San Mao, damn it, someone's here to cause trouble!"
Zhao Kang yelled towards the back room, and soon two young men came out.
One was in his twenties, as thin as a stick, with a chrysanthemum hairstyle. The other was seventeen or eighteen, with large glasses that looked like the bottoms of beer bottles.
The young couple who had been waiting to have their photo taken saw that the situation was wrong and immediately slipped out of the shop along the wall.
"Are you the one causing trouble?" Er Mao, who looked like a skinny monkey, held a wooden stick and gestured towards Gu Xingdong.
Gu Xingdong sneered, noncommittal.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and get him!" Zhao Kang said frantically.
His wrist was still clamped in Gu Xingdong's hand, held by his vise-like grip, and he could already feel his wrist about to break.
Er Mao and San Mao exchanged a look and charged towards Gu Xingdong.
Chen Lishu stood by the door. Seeing the weapons in their hands, her heart leaped into her throat.
Gu Xingdong paid them no mind. He hooked his long leg and flicked it, sending a stool nearby flying towards the two of them.
Er Mao and San Mao were caught off guard and stumbled to the ground, tripped by the stool.
Feeling Zhao Kang squirming in his hand, Gu Xingdong poked the back of his knee with his toe and pressed his knee into Zhao Kang's back. Zhao Kang's body collapsed, and he knelt on the ground.
All the movements were clean and efficient, done in one go.
The three of them were stunned. They had run into a tough opponent this time.
"Comrade, brother, let's talk it over. This younger brother was blind and didn't recognize you. You can have the negatives and the photos for free."
Zhao Kang had been doing business for a long time and was very adaptable. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, he immediately softened.
Gu Xingdong let go, and Zhao Kang brushed off his clothes and stood up. He went behind the counter and obediently handed the negatives and photos to Gu Xingdong.
"Brother, you've got great skills. We've had our differences but now we're friends. Come back for photos anytime, it'll be free for you and your wife," Zhao Kang said respectfully.
Although he said that, Gu Xingdong wasn't interested in saving money on photos. He placed a yuan on the counter and then led Chen Lishu out of the shop.
"Brother, I think we've offended someone we shouldn't have," San Mao said, pushing his beer bottle bottom closer.
Zhao Kang frowned. "What do you mean?"
San Mao said, "Didn't you see? His military uniform had four pockets."
Because the rank system had been abolished and to promote unity between the army and civilians, officers could only be distinguished by the number of pockets on their uniform jackets.
At the time, he was solely focused on getting the photos back and didn't pay attention to anything else. Zhao Kang immediately got angry and hit San Mao on the head. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
San Mao said aggrievedly, "I'm always in the back developing photos and I hardly see any officers all year. It's pretty good that I even remembered."
Zhao Kang looked at the two figures walking away through the glass window and could only sigh to himself.
Chen Lishu accompanied Gu Xingdong all the way to the train station. As she watched him board the train, she waved goodbye to him reluctantly.
Watching the green-skinned train gradually recede, Chen Lishu felt as if her heart had been carried away with it. It felt empty.
She stood alone in the same spot for a while before turning to leave.
Since she had come to town, she hadn't made the hair ornaments she'd ordered with Zhou Bin while accompanying Gu Xingdong these past few days. After leaving the train station, Chen Lishu went to the Qingshan Garment Factory.
Liu Xiaoting was happy to see her. Her gaze inadvertently swept behind her. Not seeing the tall figure, a hint of disappointment flickered in her eyes. She casually asked, "I haven't seen your uncle these past few times. Isn't it too heavy for you to carry so much by yourself?"
Chen Lishu thought she was concerned about her and smiled. "My uncle has to work at the unit and can't get away. I have to take leave every time I come."
If it weren't for the fear of attracting too much attention, Chen Lishu really wanted to go directly to the unit to get a work stoppage. Anyway, it was all piece-rate work now. If she didn't work, everyone else would get more grain, and no one would say anything.
Unfortunately, the situation didn't allow it. Although things were much looser in private, speculation and profiteering were still crimes. It wouldn't be until next year that speculation and profiteering would be officially abolished.
Since she was alone, Chen Lishu only took twenty catties this time as usual. Including the fifty catties she and Chen Mantun picked up last time, it would last for a while.
After waving goodbye to Liu Xiaoting, Chen Lishu returned to the village with the twenty catties of fabric scraps.
It was only mid-afternoon when she got home. She organized the fabric scraps and started working on the sewing machine. In less than an hour, she had made dozens, just waiting to be threaded with elastic and tied.
Seeing that it was getting late and Li Xiulan and the others would be back from work soon, Chen Lishu tidied up and started preparing dinner.
Dinner was simple: sorghum rice, braised radish, and a plate of pickled vegetables mixed with sesame oil.
After dinner, she cleaned up the kitchen. Zhang Qin, Li Xiulan, and Gu Xingping, who had finished her homework, all gathered around to work together.
For the next period of time, Chen Lishu was as busy as a spinning top. She worked during the day and sewed in her spare time at night. After everyone else had gone to sleep, she still had to read for two more hours.
Meanwhile, as soon as Gu Xingdong returned to his unit, he submitted a marriage report to his superiors. This speed once stunned Wu Zheng and several other acquaintances.
"No way? Even a dried-up tree can bloom?" Wu Zheng said jokingly while eating in the cafeteria.
"He's met his true love. You yourself settled your lifelong affairs after going home once," said Battalion Commander Zhou Liang of the second battalion nonchalantly.
"Is that the same?" Wu Zheng mumbled, swallowing the steamed bun in two bites. "I'm lovable. He always has a cold face. Girls who are timid will probably be scared to tears by him."
Wu Zheng became more animated as he spoke, raising his eyebrows and looking at the others across from him. He put down his chopsticks, straightened his back, and cleared his throat in imitation of Gu Xingdong, "You are now soldiers of the Tiger Regiment, and you will be carrying out special missions in the future. If your physical fitness is not good, you are playing with your lives... Run twenty laps around the field. Whoever cannot complete it within the specified time will not eat!"
Wu Zheng was getting carried away. Seeing everyone opposite him blinking incessantly, and two of them practically burying their faces in the rice bowls, he asked confusedly, "What's wrong with you all? Are your eyes twitching?"
Zhou Liang patted Wu Zheng on the shoulder. "These guys must have residual trauma from Old Gu's tutoring. Seeing you imitating him so closely..."