Gu Yi was busy in his hometown, while a certain military unit in the suburbs of B City was in an uproar because of a letter.
The unit's communication room received a letter, addressed to Ye Hao, the company commander of the Second Company of the First Battalion.
This wasn't particularly unusual, but the sender was Gu Yi rather than Ye, the commander's sister. This news was like pouring water into boiling oil, causing an instant uproar.
Ye Hao was extremely capable in his work, whether leading troops or individual combat, everyone in the company respected him.
However, he seemed naturally dense in matters of emotion, and everyone in the unit could see that Yang Lin, Doctor Yang from the military hospital, was interested in him.
She often found various excuses to get close to him, but it was unclear whether he was feigning ignorance or truly clueless.
Every time, he would treat her with a businesslike attitude, immediately leaving once the issue was resolved.
Yang Lin maintained a girl's modesty, and was afraid of being rejected by Ye Hao, so she never dared to confess her true feelings to him.
This made those with a burning gossip spirit in the unit restless with anxiety, wishing they could step in and break the window pane between the two.
Now, with an unfamiliar person writing a letter to the company commander, and the handwriting looked like a girl's according to the communication room's staff, everyone was itching to open the letter to see what was written inside.
The communication room delivered the letter to Ye Hao after the morning training, and Ye Hao stared at the name on it in a daze for a moment.
After saying thank you, he slipped the letter into his pocket, and those who were on good terms with him in the company gathered around to tease him.
"Commander, I heard a girl wrote you a letter, is she the future sister-in-law?"
"Not future, she is."
Ye Hao left this cryptic remark and strode towards the cafeteria, leaving a group of confused people behind.
"Did the commander mean that the letter was from our sister-in-law?"
"Not future, she already is our sister-in-law now."
"The commander got married?" This news was a bit too overwhelming, and as they processed it, they sprinted to the cafeteria.
They quickly grabbed a couple of dishes, took some bread, and sat at Ye Hao's table. Those who came a bit later stood around holding their bowls since they couldn't find a place to sit.
"Commander, commander, when did you and sister-in-law get married, did you file the marriage report, you kept it under wraps so well, not a word leaked out."
Jiang Wen, the deputy company commander of the Second Company, was unanimously pushed forward to represent them.
"When I went home after the New Year, I filed the marriage report." Ye Hao didn't plan on keeping it a secret from them, and after he said this, he walked off with his meal tray.
Back in his room, Ye Hao took out the letter and stared at the envelope for a long time.
His impression of Gu Yi was that she was simple and a bit shy.
Because the wedding was rushed, certain pre-wedding tasks that required the groom's presence were omitted since he was in the army. The two families decided to simplify whatever could be simplified.
For things that couldn't be simplified, a representative would just go through the formalities, so they first met on their wedding day. Ye Hao neither particularly liked nor disliked Gu Yi, but regardless of feelings, the fact remained that they were married.
She, like the rest of the Ye Family, was his responsibility. That night, he gave her all his allowance for the month after deducting transportation and living expenses, to comfort her through his actions.
The letter was very short, mainly asking him to buy some five-spice powder and send it back. Ye Hao felt the writing style clashed with what he knew of Gu Yi's personality.
The letter felt straightforward and crisp, completely different from the image in his mind.
Though not sure why she needed the five-spice powder, as he had time off the day after tomorrow, he decided to go into the city that day to buy it.
A native of the neighboring town in Ye Hao's company was going back to visit family, and he could take it back for him.
After the afternoon training, Ye Hao found the local guy from the company and asked if he could take something home for him, and he gladly agreed.
On his day off, Ye Hao got up early, waiting at the roadside for the earliest bus to the city.
"Commander Ye, are you going to the city too?"
A slightly surprised voice came from behind him, Ye Hao turned around to see Yang Lin, nodded as a form of greeting, and focused back on waiting for the bus.
Looking at Ye Hao in this state, Yang Lin couldn't help but feel disappointed.
She heard yesterday that he got married, and was completely stunned. She always believed that, given Ye Hao's slowness in love, no other girl would have more patience than she did, so she kept approaching him at her own pace, hoping he would eventually notice her charms.
The last time she deliberately went to his home, intending to let his parents see her, believing she would win them over more than the girls from the village.
But now, Yang Lin didn't know that her visit to his home made his parents decide to arrange a village girl for Ye Hao.
If Yang Lin knew, she would be kicking herself with regret.
"Commander Ye, I heard you're married, is that true?" Yang Lin was still unwilling to give up.
"Yes." Ye Hao replied blandly.
"Do you like her? Did you willingly marry her?"
She was convinced Ye Hao must have been forced. Nowadays, it's common in the countryside for marriages to happen before a couple gets to know each other, their parents would arrange it, she thought Ye Hao was in such a situation.
"The bus is here, let's get on."
Ye Hao didn't want to answer her question. Although he wasn't willing, now that he was married to Gu Yi, she was his wife, his responsibility, which wouldn't change for a lifetime. Why say something that might cause others to look down on her?
The bus arrived in perfect timing, so Ye Hao shifted the topic.
Despite being the earliest bus, due to the few rides, the bus in the morning was quite crowded. There were only a few seats left, none adjacent, but Ye Hao found one and sat down.
Yang Lin had no choice but to sit in a later seat, and she couldn't find a chance to talk to Ye Hao until they reached the city.
Once they arrived, Ye Hao got off first, striding briskly away.
When Yang Lin got off, she only saw him far in the distance heading east. In frustration, she stamped her feet on the spot.
Her house was south of the station, not in the same direction as him, so she had to turn around and go home.
After getting off the bus, Ye Hao headed straight to the market. He didn't know how much Gu Yi needed, but figured buying more was better than less, so he bought three pounds, and seeing fennel and cumin, he bought some as well.
Having finished shopping early, and with a department store nearby, he decided to take a look and see if there were any suitable items he could buy to take home.
He browsed through it, buying a red scarf for both Gu Yi and Ye Qian, and a pair of liberation shoes each for Ye Fu and Ye's mother.
After buying enough things, he carried them to the station to wait for the bus home. Once the bus was on its way, he was secretly relieved not to see Yang Lin.
He knew Yang Lin was interested in him, but perhaps due to her family or a lack of strong feelings, he never thought about pursuing anything with her.
Now, he felt marrying Gu Yi had its advantages, eliminating some unnecessary hassles right away.