The 60s Island: The Daily Life of a Capitalist Young Lady with the Army - Chapter 57: Beachcombing?

Chapter 57: Beachcombing?

Bai Rumeng’s disturbance had completely chased away Xu Xiangsi’s drowsiness.

She simply brought out a rattan lounge chair from the house, placed it under the eaves, crossed her legs, and squinted while continuing to read her unfinished novel, living more comfortably than anyone else.

When a military family wife passing by saw her so relaxed and carefree, she still felt a sour, uncomfortable sensation in her heart.

But remembering how Xu Xiangsi had helped Li Xiujuan expose a human trafficker with just a few words a few days ago, that sharp resentment faded considerably. She merely nodded from a distance, no longer pointing fingers as she used to.

As lunchtime approached, Long Peiye’s tall, straight figure appeared punctually at the courtyard gate.

He carried two aluminum lunchboxes in his hand, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, his military uniform collar slightly open, exuding a masculine vigor.

They set out the dishes and sat at the small table.

Xu Xiangsi picked at the fragrant braised pork in brown sauce in her lunchbox, suddenly looking up: “Hey, I’ve been thinking.”

Long Peiye placed a piece of meat in her bowl, glancing up at her: “Hmm?”

Xu Xiangsi blinked, half-joking and half-serious as she asked: “Now that you’ve suddenly married me, have I… blocked a lot of your romantic opportunities?”

Long Peiye paused while picking up food.

His deep black eyes rested on her face, his brow slightly raised, a hint of barely perceptible amusement in his gaze.

“I’m already married,” his voice was low and pleasant, carrying an undeniable certainty, “why would I need romantic opportunities?”

Xu Xiangsi stopped her chopsticks, raising those mesmerizing peach-blossom eyes to look at him with a teasing smile.

“Romantic opportunities don’t matter,” she said leisurely, picking up a glistening, springy piece of braised pork in brown sauce and putting it in her mouth, squinting contentedly.

“What I’m really worried about is whether you have any romantic entanglements out there.”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment at her words.

Xu Xiangsi played with her chopsticks, her tone carrying obvious disdain.

“I’m a very lazy person.”

“I don’t want to deal with the hassle of someone crying and showing up at my door every other day, claiming I stole their sweetheart.”

Long Peiye’s handsome brows immediately furrowed, his gaze sharp as an eagle’s: “Absolutely impossible.”

His voice held not a trace of hesitation: “I, Long Peiye, have no ambiguous emotional entanglements.”

“Oh?” Xu Xiangsi drew out the syllable, a playful curve at the corner of her mouth.

“That’s strange then.”

“Why did someone come looking for me today?”

Long Peiye’s expression instantly darkened, the atmosphere around him dropping several degrees.

“Who?”

He asked in a deep voice, a hint of barely concealed coldness in his tone.

“Who came to see you?”

Xu Xiangsi pretended to think seriously.

“I didn’t ask for names.”

“But judging by her appearance, she should be from your Arts Troupe.”

She tapped her chopsticks on the table as she described: “Wearing a brand new dress, with two long braids, big round eyes – just… seemed like she was about to cry at any moment.”

“Oh, right, she has a mole on the back of her hand.”

Long Peiye’s frown deepened.

“Bai Rumeng.” He matched the description almost immediately.

He did know about the mole on her hand – after all, he’d shaken hands with her before.

He looked at Xu Xiangsi and explained in a serious tone, “I’m not close with her.”We’ve only met a few times when the Arts Troupe came to our camp for a performance, and at most we’d exchange greetings when running into each other in the military compound.”

“We’re not even friends.”

“Is that so?” Xu Xiangsi let out a mocking laugh, clearly not easily fooled. “If that’s really the case, why would that young girl specifically run to our doorstep, point at my nose and say that someone like me isn’t good enough for you?””

With a sharp “smack,” Long Peiye slammed his chopsticks down on the table.

His face, usually wearing a somewhat cynical smile, was now dark enough to drip ink.

“What right does she have to judge you?The man’s voice was suppressing a terrifying rage.

“Who I, Long Peiye, marry, whether my wife and I are well-matched—what does that have to do with Bai Rumeng!”He turned his head, his deep black eyes locking tightly onto Xu Xiangsi, his gaze unprecedentedly serious and tinged with heartache.” “If any more blind people come to our door like this in the future, don’t hold back.”Whatever she says to you, you double back at her.””Don’t let yourself suffer even the slightest bit of grievance.”Hearing this, Xu Xiangsi was amused.

She raised an eyebrow, that lazy yet brilliant energy returning.

“Do you even need to tell me that?”Do I, Xu Xiangsi, seem like someone who would let herself suffer injustice?””

She shot him a look that said “you’re underestimating me.”

“I was just giving you a heads-up in advance.”

Xu Xiangsi leaned closer, lowering her voice, her breath seeming to carry hooks.

“In case… just in case, she really is someone you hold dear to your heart, and I end up chasing her away with my words, don’t come complaining to me later.Looking at her sly appearance like a little fox, the hostility on Long Peiye suddenly dissipated.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and a low, magnetic laugh escaped from his chest.

“If I had someone I held dear to my heart…He looked at her, his gaze hot and focused, as if wanting to draw her in.

“I would have married her directly.”

As these words fell, the air seemed to heat up by several degrees.

Even Long Peiye himself felt that the meaning behind his words was too straightforward and too passionate.

His Adam’s apple moved again, a faint blush creeping up to the tips of his ears, and he was about to say something to remedy.

But Xu Xiangsi nodded deeply in agreement.

Wearing an expression of “I see,” she lightly tapped her chopsticks on the edge of her bowl. “What you said makes sense.Her tone was calm and sincere, as if discussing some academic question. “If there really was someone you liked, why would you need to find me for a fake marriage?””

“…” The words that had just reached Long Peiye’s lips got stuck in his throat.

He felt as if his chest was blocked by a ball of water-soaked cotton, unable to move up or down.

He closed his eyes in frustration.

Well, that was a waste of breath.

His little wife probably didn’t have that string in her brain related to romance at all.

Long Peiye even thought that if he were to lean close to Xu Xiangsi’s ear right now and clearly say “I like you” a hundred times.

She would probably just frown, look at him with disdain, and ask.

“Long Peiye, did you take the wrong medicine? Are you trying to disgust me on purpose?”

At this thought, the faint romantic notions that had just risen in Long Peiye’s heart instantly dissipated without a trace.

He silently finished the last bite of rice from his lunchbox.

“I’m done eating.”

The man stood up and walked back into the yard.

He picked up the hoe from the corner and began methodically turning over the newly cultivated soil.

The soldier’s sturdy arm muscles bulged with each movement, radiating raw strength.

Sweat trickled down his firm jawline and dripped into the soil.

Xu Xiangsi sat under the eaves, watching his working figure, finding it rather pleasing to the eye.

After working diligently for a while, Long Peiye suddenly remembered something and spoke without turning his head: “I’ll come back early this afternoon. After dinner, we’ll go to the seaside.”

Xu Xiangsi, who had been dozing off, suddenly brightened up at these words.

“What are we going to do at the seaside? Go beachcombing?”