Chapter 39: What Counts

Gao Yuan woke up in the middle of the night, overheated and covered in three layers of blankets while still in his clothes.

Luo Xingyu was sleeping soundly, and after some thought, Gao Yuan decided to sleep by himself. He quietly got out of bed and moved to the adjacent bed to sleep alone.

The blanket was cool and needed to be warmed up again, but Gao Yuan felt much more comfortable.

However, when he woke up the next morning, Luo Xingyu's expression was very unpleasant.

It had been a long time since he had slept so comfortably. Gao Yuan woke up later than usual and, upon opening his eyes, saw Luo Xingyu sitting on the bed, wrapped in a blanket, watching him.

"What time is it? It's so late," he said.

Gao Yuan quickly sat up, then said to Luo Xingyu, "You're awake but not saying anything. I'll go and cook. What would you like to eat, meat or pancakes?"

Luo Xingyu turned her head away and rolled her eyes. She then lay down and covered her head with the blanket, saying, "Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you."

How absurd.

Luo Xingyu actually had a good temperament and was not a spoiled young lady prone to inexplicable fits of anger, but today, for some reason, she was behaving oddly.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Mind your own business! Don't talk to me!" she replied.

Gao Yuan was somewhat annoyed and said, "What are you going crazy for?"

Luo Xingyu suddenly threw off the blanket and glared at Gao Yuan, retorting, "So what if I am going crazy, huh?"

Luo Xingyu got out of bed and walked away, leaving a bewildered Gao Yuan behind.

Xiang Weiguo had woken up even earlier. When Gao Yuan went out to wash up, Xiang Weiguo had already prepared breakfast.

"For breakfast, there are steamed buns, rice porridge, and pickles," he said.

Gao Yuan was taken aback and asked, "There are pickles, too?"

"Found them in the canteen's kitchen. There isn't a cooking squad that doesn't pickle vegetables. Everything else has spoiled, but there's still a lot of rice and flour left, enough for us to eat for quite a while," Xiang Weiguo explained.

Gao Yuan once again felt it was such a pity, what a shame that they couldn't move it or take it back with them.

"Where's Xiaoyu?" he asked.

"I don't know, she got cranky all of a sudden, acting all crazy," Gao Yuan replied.

Xiang Weiguo looked at Gao Yuan and asked, "Are you really clueless or just pretending to be?"

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Gao Yuan responded.

"You really don't understand what Xiaoyu means?" Xiang Weiguo pressed.

Gao Yuan was stunned for a moment, then, with a conflicted expression, he said, "It's not that I totally don't understand, but I really don't feel it, Uncle Xiang. I can't bring myself to do it... and talking to you about this feels really weird."

"What's so weird about it? What don't I know?" Xiang Weiguo replied dismissively, and then he sighed and said, "You're just like the other clueless rookies I've trained. They're all soldiers, but while some rookies understand everything, things I don't even get, others are dimwits like you who truly understand nothing, blockheads."

"Oh, come on. What don't I know?" Gao Yuan said irritably. "The thing is, I really see Xiaoyu as a sister, honestly, I really do!"

"Forget it, I'm not getting involved."

Gao Yuan lowered his voice and said, "Do you really think I'm dumb? There are some things I'm embarrassed to say to you. Forget it, even if I did, you wouldn't get it."

There were indeed things that were too embarrassing to mention, like Luo Xingyu being in her dangerous period—how could he talk about that with Xiang Weiguo?

Gao Yuan was naive but not living in ancient times; who's foolish in this day and age?

Xiang Weiguo decided to let it be; he stepped out of the cafeteria and called out loudly, "Xiaoyu, come and eat!"

Just a shout and Luo Xingyu came scurrying over, not just for food, for the environment didn't allow for tempers; calling without response might signal danger.

Luo Xingyu never really wanted to speak to Gao Yuan, but with only three people around, it was impossible to stay silent, yet she always felt awkward.

After the meal, Xiang Weiguo said, "You two clean up here, I'm going to look around nearby. Don't fire a single shot until I'm back, understand? Just wait."

Xiang Weiguo left, leaving only Gao Yuan and Luo Xingyu behind.

Luo Xingyu was seething, and eventually, she couldn't hold back. While washing dishes, she slammed one down and yelled at Gao Yuan, "Are you even a man, making me say it, huh!"

Gao Yuan was taken aback, then he lowered his head and said, "Uh, that's not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean! I've been so obvious and you, what do you want me to do!"

Luo Xingyu ended up crying, and Gao Yuan immediately became flustered, then he quickly said, "You, don't be like this, damn it, what's this supposed to mean?"

"What do I mean, that's right, what am I! Are you even a man? Can't you be a bit more responsible!"

Luo Xingyu cried in frustration, and if Gao Yuan didn't say something then, he would truly let Luo Xingyu be the one to confess.

But, note this, Gao Yuan genuinely didn't want to do anything, because he really felt too close to Luo Xingyu, so close that he had psychological barriers, and he couldn't make a move.

"Don't cry, I... see you as a little sister," he said.

Luo Xingyu looked at Gao Yuan in utter disbelief, "In your family, does a sister who's turned eighteen still sleep with her brother? Can you stop giving me the runaround? Are you treating me like an idiot?"

Gao Yuan coughed lightly and said, "Well, uh... the timing's off; it's really not the right moment. Your 'relative' left just a few days ago, this... ugh!"

Luo Xingyu thought for a moment, then her face turned red as she said, "Oh, then..."

Both of them were at a loss for words, but after a while, Luo Xingyu broke the silence, "So, what does this mean?"

"What do you mean what does this mean?"

"Does this count as a confession?"

"I guess it does..."

"Oh, then say you like me."

This was something Luo Xingyu said with all the courage she had, and Gao Yuan was truly helpless; he thought seriously for a long time, then whispered, "I definitely like you, there's no question. But now's not the right time, let's talk about it later... after a while."

"How long will that be?"

Gao Yuan was somewhat scratching his head, he thought about it and said, "It depends, we'll see."

Luo Xingyu felt embarrassed to pry further, she continued washing dishes with a flushed face, but the conversation seemed to have come to a standstill.

What does this tell us?

It means that those who are shy are doomed to be single.

So, regardless of gender, if you want to flirt, you must have thick skin.

It was noon by the time Xiang Weiguo finally came back. He looked pleased, commandeered a couple of guns, and then happily told Gao Yuan, "Get some boxes of ammunition, both rifles and machine guns, we can freely shoot around here."

Gao Yuan cheered and went to fetch the ammunition, while Luo Xingyu sheepishly said to Xiang Weiguo, "Uncle Xiang, actually, I..."

Xiang Weiguo smiled slightly, "You don't need to explain; I understand everything, Uncle Xiang does. Xiaoyu, Gao Yuan is just someone who's shy, but he really is a good guy. Don't miss out on him. Also, if we have set a goal, we should take the initiative to strike. Don't be embarrassed; seize the moment, strike decisively, then achieve a resounding victory!"