His hair was shaved very short, short enough to see his blue scalp, he put on his military uniform, sat straight and straight like everyone else, his eyes were like torches, he listened intently to the lecturer on the stage, he took notes seriously, no more croaking, no more laughing, no more noisy. He changed the style of being pampered and beautiful in Peking University, he became very low-key, very silent, very introverted, except for the necessary communication between classmates, most of the time, he studied alone, delved into it, wrote his experience, or asked the instructor for advice. His physique has grown strong through a lot of practice, his mind has become wise through constant practice, his will has become strong in the hard life, and he has only one dream in his heart, which is to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy.

Not long after, the Japanese army bombed Shanghai, approached Nanjing, and the military academy was transferred to Wuhan.

Cheng Jiawei did not apply for the military academy in the end, but helped the military academy do some procurement work in the periphery. Jiaqi joined the medical team, learning all kinds of medical skills, she studied seriously, hoping that one day she could save those young lives on the battlefield, of course, she also had a deep fear in her heart, maybe one day, Ruikang, who killed the enemy on the front line, would need her treatment, maybe she could save his life.

None of them knew about the changes in Beiping, the train was suspended, and the family letters could no longer connect the flesh and blood, only endless thoughts and worries surging in each other's hearts.

On weekends, Ruikang would always take two hours to visit the Cheng siblings' residence, and he was very surprised and grateful to them for the long journey to accompany him, but he was not happy that they left their homes to run for themselves.

There is a small yard surrounded by a half-person high fence in front of this simple village house, in which a few chickens are raised, clucking in the yard to feed, pushing open the bamboo door, a smell of burnt food comes to the nose, the yard is full of smoke, as if it has just experienced a war, Cheng Jiaqi is constantly waving her hands, trying to wave away the thick pungent smoke in front of her, the iron pot on the briquette stove does not know what is burning, keeps smoking smoke, she was choked tears and snot flowed out, couldn't help but cover her mouth and nose, and ran away.

In the smoke, he bumped into Zhou Ruikang, who was rushing in as a firefighter, the two people who were smoked couldn't speak, Ruikang squinted, quickly rushed to the house, picked up two rags, grabbed the handle of the pot, and quickly threw it on the ground in the yard, and then from the side of the water tank, scooped a scoop of cold water and poured it on the pot, "Huh--" sound, and a thick white smoke rose, the two waited until the smoke dispersed, calmed down, looked at each other, Ruikang shook his head and smiled: "Are you going to burn the house?" ”

"Well, last time you said I wasn't cooked, and this time I want to cook it a little longer......" she coughed a few times, wiping her smoky eyes with the back of her hand. Cheng Jiaqi's face was covered with several gray marks, and when he wiped it with the back of his hand, he suddenly became a big flower face, and Ruikang couldn't help but smile, and said with a smile: "Go and wash your face, otherwise Jiawei will laugh at you again when he comes back." ”

Sure enough, before the words fell, a bicycle came riding outside the door, Cheng Jiawei parked the car next to the fence, looked at the smoke in the sky, fanned it left and right with his hands, and walked in with a croak: "Alas, is this a Japanese soldier*?" What are you doing? ”

As soon as he saw Cheng Jiaqi's flowery face, the pot on the ground, and the blazing briquette stove, Jiawei shook his head exaggeratedly and sighed: "Alas, needless to say, it must be the masterpiece of our eldest lady, is tonight's braised pork in the soup?" As he spoke, he squatted down and lifted the lid of the pot, and the three of them covered their noses with a pungent burning smell, where was there any braised pork in the pot, the water had long been boiled dry, and only a few lumpy objects that had turned into black charcoal adhered to the bottom of the pot.

The three of them couldn't help but laugh when they looked at this black thing.

"Hey, you just boil the meat into carbon, you look at your face, you don't need makeup to sing Li Kui." Jiawei pulled Jiaqi and laughed while watching.

Jiaqi didn't squirm, slapped Jiawei, laughed with them, Ruikang walked to the water tank, scooped a basin of water for her, and said with a smile: "Come and wash your face." ”

Jiaqi went to wash her face, and Jiawei smiled on the side: "I, I have long expected that she can't eat the food she cooked, the green vegetables last time were raw, and I forgot to put salt in the fish last time, cough, so ah, I bought some cooked food on the road." Jia Wei untied two packets of cooked vegetables from his bicycle.

Jiaqi wiped her face, looked up and said, "If you don't say it earlier, I won't do it if you say it earlier." If it hadn't been for Ruikang, I guess even this house would have burned down. ”

"I'm asking you to exercise more, otherwise how will you get married?"

The two of them talked and laughed, Ruikang laughed on the side, he felt that he had really changed a lot, if it was two years ago, he would definitely joke with Jiaqi with Jiawei, and maybe even have a few lyrics of "Li Kui Descending the Mountain", everyone will have fun together.

But now he is bound by too many memories, too many stories, too much pain in his heart, or maybe because he loved too thoroughly and burned too thoroughly before, his heart is like braised pork that has been burned into charcoal in this pot, no longer fresh and colorful.

In fact, the Cheng brothers and sisters have also noticed the changes in him, and they often tell some jokes, hoping to tease him more and make him happy, but unfortunately it has little effect.

"Let's go, let's eat." Jiawei pulled him, and the three of them walked into the hut.

"Ouch!" Jiaqi slapped her head, was stunned for a moment, opened her eyes and said, "I forgot to cook." ”

The three of them were dumbfounded, and after two seconds, Jia Wei Wei screamed: "Oh my God, you are really hopeless." So what now? Do we just eat vegetables? ”

Jiaqi bit her nails embarrassedly, cooking is really not her forte, although the Cheng family is not as beautiful as the Xu family, but the family is solid, since she was a child, she is also the eldest lady who does not touch the spring water. When she grew up, although her mother also tried to teach her female celebrity cooking, she always preferred to dance and ink, so she didn't learn it seriously at all.

"It's okay, I'll do it. The fire in the stove was not extinguished, very quickly. Ruikang smiled faintly, scooped some rice from the rice bowl, washed it, added water, and put it on the stove.

"Hey, I didn't expect that the second young master of the Zhou family would be able to cook?" Cheng Jiawei looked at him curiously.

Ruikang looked at him, a bitter smile rose at the corner of his mouth, he didn't say anything, his hand involuntarily reached into his pocket, took out a pack of cigarettes and lighters, lit one, leaned against the wall, and slowly spewed out clouds.

Yes, how can the second young master of the Zhou family cook? That's because Mei Ruojun taught him in the kitchen of the small attic......

That Sunday morning, he was tired of her, watching her go around in the kitchen like a fairy, and he wanted to help, but he always helped more and more, and she smiled, pinched his cheek lightly, and said, "You can help me cook." ”

"Okay, you teach me." He whispered coquettishly, wrapping his arms around her soft waist behind her and resting his chin in her shoulder socket.

She took the rice pot and taught him seriously, how much rice to put in, how much water to put in, how much fire to put in, she explained there, but he was making trouble behind her, although his eyes were looking at the pot, but his nose was behind her ears, he kept sniffing the fragrance on her body, and his lips kissed her neck hotly.

"Don't make a fuss, Ruikang, you're itching." She smiled and writhed in his arms, turned into his arms, looked at each other, and in an instant, what rice, green vegetables and mushrooms, stewed pork ribs, all were thrown out of the clouds.

They only had each other in their eyes, and in an instant it was as if they had left this small and old kitchen, as if they had gone to a prairie covered with flowers, in short, their spirits flew into a world where there were only two of them, he looked at her with an intoxicating smile, and the affection in his eyes melted her heart, she blushed, climbed his neck, stood on tiptoe, looked at his lips, the exchange of snorts, the touch of the body, made her fascinated, she took the initiative to kiss him, those two small rosy lips with the fragrance of rose petals, Like a flower looking for sunshine, gently clinging to him, making his blood boil all over his body, he hugged her excitedly, kissed her hard, and grabbed her fragrance with the tip of his tongue.

That was the only time Ruojun cooked a dish, and he learned how to cook.

As he reviewed his memories, his brow furrowed, every muscle on his face tensed, and he smoked violently, hoping that nicotine would have a pain-relieving effect. He had completely forgotten where he was and who he was with, as he often did now, except for classes and training, as long as there was a little gap, his mind swirled in the small attic of Beiping far away.

His pain and depression made the Cheng brothers and sisters shake their heads and sigh secretly. Jiawei knew about Ruikang and Ruojun because he used the elimination method to exclude the women he knew and knew Ruikang, when he talked about Mei Ruojun, Jiaqi was embarrassed, his nervous expression confirmed everything, shocked, he also sighed for Ruikang, but he hadn't experienced feelings yet, and he couldn't say anything comforting.

"Go and persuade him, I see him like this, he is about to die of discomfort." Jiawei shook his head and walked back to the room.

Jiaqi sighed helplessly, stepped forward, pulled Larikang's sleeve, and pulled his thoughts back from the small attic, he turned his head to look at her blankly, and the sadness overflowing in his eyes instantly made Jiaqi's heart cry sourly.

"Ruikang, you really can't let her go?"

He was silent, threw down the cigarette butt, stomped it out with his foot, walked to the stove, crouched down, and looked at the boiling rice water in the pot.

"You're cocooning yourself, you know it's impossible for you two." She crouched beside him and whispered.

"I know" he tried his best to squeeze out a relaxed smile and looked at her, the slightest tenderness in her eyes couldn't help but reveal him, which made him frightened and secretly gasped, his emotional world was over, he was ready to sacrifice his life for the country at any time, but Jiaqi's love was deep and meaningful, how could he ignore it? Perhaps the only way is to be silent. He turned his head away from her gaze.

"Why don't you try to love others?" She asked with concern.

He laughed dryly: "What about you?" He asked rhetorically.

"Me?" She concluded, yes, what about herself? Why did he follow him so crazily over the mountains? Why not try to love others? This sentence is clearly asking herself.

After a moment of silence, she stood up, looked at the sunset, sighed, and smiled: "If you love her, you can love her, just as I don't also love a phantom, why not?" As long as love is open, why not? Is that right? ”

He also raised his head to look at the sunset, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly: "You are a smart and intelligent woman, cheerful and open-minded by nature, it is really rare, you should meet a better man's ......"

She hurriedly interrupted him: "Hey, I don't care if you want Mei Ruojun or not, but don't interfere with who I love." She raised her eyebrows and shook her finger.

He pursed his lips and sighed, he didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, he knew that it would be fruitless to talk about it any longer, they were all infatuated people, how could he not understand what Jiaqi was thinking? From the time she followed him from Peking to Nanjing, and then to Wuhan, he knew her determination to dry up the sea.

The rice in the pot was cooked, and the thick aroma of rice wafted out, he covered the lid and brought it into the house, and after the three of them finished eating, Ruikang went back to school for evening self-study.