Chapter 53
It took less than half an hour to drive from Cultural Street, and by the time they arrived, night had fallen. Xuan City’s streets were brightly lit, with neon lights filling the sky.
Their destination wasn’t a high-end restaurant but a small eatery along the moat, where tables and chairs made of bamboo and rattan were set up under umbrellas by the riverbank, cooled by the river breeze.
Many people were dining at these small stalls at night, but Yu Le immediately recognized the table at the back near the river—those were the people they were meeting tonight.
They were all tall, rugged men with neatly trimmed hair. Even though they were dressed casually, they exuded a distinct presence that set them apart from ordinary people.
Lu Yao led Yu Le over and, sitting at the innermost table, one of the men saw him first, broke into a broad smile, and waved, “Brother Lu! Over here!”
The other two men turned around as well, standing up with friendly smiles to greet Lu Yao, their curious eyes naturally falling on Yu Le.
“Zuo Feng, Xiao Wu, Lao Mao.”
Lu Yao introduced them one by one to Yu Le, then continued, “Yu Le—”
“We know, we know!” Lao Mao flashed a wide grin, showing his teeth. “We heard it on the phone already! Family member, right?”
Yu Le looked at Lu Yao.
The latter, sensing the situation, quickly corrected himself, “Not a family member, but a date.”
“…Huh?”
“???“
“A, a date?”
The three burly men looked stunned, their expressions frozen in a comically bewildered manner.
Lao Mao’s gaze shifted between Lu Yao and Yu Le, his expression mixed, “So, Brother Lu, you’re on a date today?”
Lu Yao nodded.
Lao Mao exchanged glances with Zuo Feng and Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu scratched his head, unable to contain his confusion, “Oh, we didn’t know. If that’s the case, are we interrupting?”
“No,” Lu Yao said. “We’re just finishing up.”
Lao Mao’s eyes darted around, “So, did you hit it off?”
Zuo Feng knocked his head, “Of course, otherwise, would he have brought you along?”
Just as Lao Mao was about to laugh, Lu Yao contradicted him, “No, I like him, but he’s not interested in me.”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Yu Le turned his head and cleared his throat, trying to hide his amusement.
“Well, it’s okay! No big deal! If it doesn’t work out as a match, we can still be friends!”
Lao Mao tried to break the awkwardness and gestured for them to sit, “Come on, let’s see if there’s anything you want to eat or drink. Let’s fill our stomachs first, hahaha.”
They had already ordered most of the specialties. Lu Yao glanced through the menu, noting that most of the dishes were spicy, so he ordered a bowl of cold sweet jelly for Yu Le.
As their old comrades caught up, Yu Le sat quietly next to Lu Yao, eating the cold sweet jelly and listening to their conversation without interrupting.
“Not going to have a drink?” Lu Yao asked.
The table was filled with big men, but there wasn’t a single bottle of alcohol. Instead, there was a large bottle of vitamin E.
“Xiao Wu and I have to return to the army early tomorrow,” Zuo Feng explained. “Lao Mao didn’t want to drink alone, so he didn’t order any.”
“Hey, it’s not just one person now.”
Lao Mao looked at Lu Yao, “Brother Lu, how about we have a few drinks? If two get drunk, so be it!”
“I’ll drink with you,” Lu Yao said, signaling for the waiter and casually adding, “He can’t handle alcohol, so he won’t be drinking.”
“Wow, wow, wow.” Xiao Wu squinted, his words laced with implication, “You already know he can’t drink just from a date. Impressive.”
He quickly turned to Yu Le, “See how considerate my brother is? If he had a boyfriend, he’d definitely go out of his way to take care of him. Little brother, think about it?”
Yu Le felt as though the entire world was rooting for Lu Yao’s matchmaking effort today. Besides Lu Xingxing, now his three comrades were also involved. It felt like they were trying to sell Lu Yao at a discount to him.
“He’s shy, don’t tease him.”
Lu Yao changed the subject, asking Xiao Wu, “How come you’re in Xuan City? I thought you’d be training on the coast at this time.”
Xiao Wu, “We were originally going to Nan City, but we got orders to come here for a small task. We won’t be staying long, probably leaving before next week.”
Such tasks were usually confidential, so Lu Yao didn’t inquire further. He steered the conversation towards safer, everyday topics.
He asked Lao Mao, “How many days off do you have?”
Lao Mao raised his glass, “Half a day today, half a day tomorrow, so it’s barely a day and a night.”
Lu Yao clinked glasses with him, “Not going to see your girlfriend?”
It was well-known that Lao Mao had a girlfriend. They had been childhood sweethearts, dating since high school.
Later, when Lao Mao joined the army, he would always rush to see his girlfriend during leave, and if he didn’t have time off, his girlfriend would bring him food.
Sometimes, she would even make small gifts for him, which Lao Mao proudly showed off to his comrades, making the single guys envious.
The two of them had been together for a long time and were even discussing marriage.
Thinking of this, Lu Yao asked, “Did you get married?”
The atmosphere suddenly grew quiet. Zuo Feng and Xiao Wu exchanged worried glances.
“No,” Lao Mao said after a pause, finishing his drink. His tone was light, “We broke up a while ago.”
Lu Yao paused for a moment, “Why did you break up?”
Lao Mao, “If we didn’t, it would just drag on. I’m hardly ever home, so why delay things for her?”
Hearing this, Yu Le couldn’t help but look up at Lao Mao.
The facade of calmness couldn’t fool anyone. Lao Mao spoke casually, but his eyes were glued to the table, obscuring his true feelings.
Yu Le felt a pang of discomfort.
Lu Yao asked, “Did you bring it up?”
Lao Mao, “Yeah, I did. Otherwise, she’d have to wait for me until I’m thirty.”
Zuo Feng sighed heavily, and Xiao Wu patted Lao Mao’s shoulder, struggling to find the right words of comfort.
“What’s with the expressions? I’m fine,” Lao Mao said, trying to brush off their concern.
Lao Mao wiped his face and put on a hearty smile, “It’s been a long time since that happened. I haven’t thought about it much, so why are you all so worried?”
Lu Yao leaned back in his chair, “If you didn’t want to hold her back, why didn’t you mention it when you first joined the army?”
Lao Mao was taken aback.
Lu Yao continued, “Since you’ve already held her back for so long, why are you so sure she wouldn’t be willing to wait for you?”
Lao Mao frowned, “I know, but I…”
Lu Yao, “What?”
Lao Mao couldn’t articulate it. The calm facade he maintained seemed to be cracking.
Yu Le felt uncomfortable watching this and subtly tugged at Lu Yao’s sleeve under the table, hoping he would stop talking. Instead, Lu Yao gently squeezed his hand in reassurance, as if to say it was alright.
Lu Yao, “This is your personal matter, and I’m not here to judge. But from a brother’s perspective, I hope you won’t regret it later.”
The table next to them was celebrating a birthday, with cheers and whistling, providing a stark contrast to their silence.
Lao Mao poured himself another drink and downed it in one go.
“Hey! We rarely get together, so why focus on Lao Mao?” Xiao Wu tried to lighten the mood. “How about we talk about Brother Lu?”
Lu Yao, “Sure, what do you want to know?”
“Let’s talk about your… your…”
Xiao Wu’s mind couldn’t keep up with his words, and after a pause, he asked, “What should we talk about?”
“Of course, we should talk about Brother Lu’s past glorious deeds!”
Zuo Feng came to the rescue, looking at Yu Le, “Xiao Yu, let me tell you, your date isn’t an ordinary guy. Since we joined the army, he’s always been the toughest among us. No matter what training project, he always ranked first. We even doubted if he had practiced beforehand to crush us newbies!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Xiao Wu added, “And back then, Brother Lu was really something. He always had a stern face, like everyone owed him money. He was ready to fight at the drop of a hat. If I remember correctly, Lao Mao once got beaten up pretty badly by Brother Lu for provoking him.”
He nudged Lao Mao, who was drinking quietly, “Isn’t that right?”
Lao Mao, somewhat absent-minded, managed a small smile, tacitly agreeing.
Yu Le gathered another piece of Brother Lu’s legendary past.
After learning about Lu Yao’s reckless behavior in high school, Yu Le thought it was all quite understandable for the Lu Yao of the past—it was just part of his character.
Lu Yao, “I was quite immature back then.”
When young men from different places gather together, with various personalities, it’s inevitable that some friction will occur.
But sometimes, the friction that arises isn’t just a minor issue; it might signal the start of a deep and enduring friendship.
“Who isn’t?” Zuo Feng remarked. “It’s only later, when you face more significant challenges, that you realize your own small problems are insignificant compared to the greater good and the well-being of the nation.”
“And when it comes to your brothers, you’ve weathered many storms together, supporting each other. You wish you could stay together forever. No one would care about minor squabbles.”
Xiao Wu expressed his frustration, “Since we started out, Brother Lu has always been the cornerstone. Everyone decided to follow him for life. Who would have thought… If only I had been faster and caught that person, or just let me—”
“Alright,” Lu Yao interrupted him. “Does getting hurt make your injuries any less painful? Who taught you that?”
“Not what I meant,” Xiao Wu sighed. “It’s just hard to accept. Among us, you’re the most persistent and capable. You could have gone further…”
“There’s nothing to regret. I’m just fulfilling my mission.”
Lu Yao filled Yu Le’s glass and moved the spiciest dish away, replacing it with a milder one, “If we were to worry about every little thing every time we went on a mission, what would be the point of us doing this?”
“Don’t lament over things that can’t be undone. Just walk your own path and do your best next time.”
