Back To The 80s-Chapter 381 - 391: Woman’s Scent_1

Old Man Jin nodded in satisfaction and asked Ji Xiangdong, "Let’s have lunch here. I’m going to catch a couple of fish in the river."

Ji Xiangdong nodded and smiled, "Sure, when you get back, I’ll cook your favorite braised fish."

The river next to Old Man Jin’s house is filled with a type of cold-water mountain fish called Joeltai. The fish is succulent, with few bones, and its meat is shaped like garlic cloves. Locally, it’s known as garlic clove fish or dogfish.

Old Man Jin took his fishing gear and went out, asking Ji Xiangdong to wait at home; he’d be back shortly.

Once Old Man Jin left, Bai Xiaolan curiously asked Ji Xiangdong, "You can cook? Why didn’t you show off your skills when we were in the provincial city?"

Ji Xiangdong playfully pat her head and said, "My mom would definitely prefer me eating her dishes. Next time we go back, I’ll cook for them."

Bai Xiaolan nodded, not fully understanding, as Ji Xiangdong asked, "I’ll wash some grapes for you. Which kind do you want to eat?"

Bai Xiaolan looked around and pointed to a bunch of russet-colored grapes, "I want to eat those; they look good."

Ji Xiangdong gave Bai Xiaolan a meaningful look. He moved a high stool from inside the house, got a pair of scissors, stepped onto the stool, and cut off the bunch of grapes Bai Xiaolan had pointed to. He then went to the kitchen to rinse them and handed them over to Bai Xiaolan who had followed him into the kitchen.

Bai Xiaolan popped a grape into her mouth and bit down gently. She instantly tasted the sweet juice that filled her mouth, rich and sweet. After devouring a few, she spoke, "These are really good, do you want one?"

Ji Xiangdong watched Bai Xiaolan with a dark gaze, suddenly leaned in and kissed her. His tongue gently pried open her lips, savoring the taste of grapes on her lips.

Bai Xiaolan was shocked, wide-eyed, wondering why he had suddenly kissed her. After Ji Xiangdong pulled away, he gently leaned on her forehead and laughed, "Silly girl, do you know what these grapes are called?"

Still in shock, Bai Xiaolan shook her head and asked, "What are they called?" She wondered how the name of the grapes could possibly relate to the kiss.

Ji Xiangdong whispered in her ear, "These grapes are called ’Woman’s Scent.’ It’s said that when dried, they feel soft and sweet in the mouth, just like a woman’s body scent. I just tasted it, and it’s indeed true."

Bai Xiaolan’s face turned beet red. She realized that, out of all the grapes, she’d unknowingly picked the one with such an implicit name.

Ji Xiangdong couldn’t resist pecking her lips once more, "Alright, enough teasing. I’m going to pick some vegetables in the courtyard. You can sit under the grape trellis; it’s about to get hot."

Old Man Jin returned an hour later with two foot-long Joeltai fish. Bai Xiaolan curiously looked at the fish. They were silver and slender, but the eyes looked quite intimidating.

Old Man Jin laughed and said, "The fish is delicious. The only thing is, just don’t look at its eyes while eating."

Bai Xiaolan looked at Ji Xiangdong who was preparing the fish and mumbled, "The eyes are pretty scary, it makes me hesitate to eat it."

Ji Xiangdong gave her a glance but didn’t say anything. Once the fish was cooked, Bai Xiaolan found that the fish’s eye areas were all covered with slices of ginger, so she didn’t have to worry about eating it.

After tasting a bite, Bai Xiaolan couldn’t stop eating. The fish was tender and delicious. Seeing her enjoying it, Ji Xiangdong kept serving her more and more.

Old Man Jin laughed when he saw this and said, "If you like the fish, I can catch some more in the next few days and make fish jerky. It’s also delicious when cooked into a stew in the winter."

After the meal, Bai Xiaolan felt a sudden heat and took off her coat. She was only wearing a short sleeve and still felt a little hot. Old Man Jin chuckled and said, "We have a saying here, wear cotton-padded clothing in the morning, gauze at noon, and eat watermelon by the stove. The temperature difference is pretty large between day and night. Plus, the sunshine in the daytime is long, that’s why grapes and melons are especially sweet here."

After lunch, Ji Xiangdong brewed a pot of tea. He and Old Man Jin sat under the grape trellis and started chatting. Ji Xiangdong informed Old Man Jin that he had met his family and now felt more content.

Old Man Jin nodded pleased, "That’s good. That’s good. Life is fleeting, so we must not do anything that will lead to regret."

Ji Xiangdong nodded, "Yeah, I was quite stubborn in those days."

Old Man Jin laughed and nodded, then spoke to Bai Xiaolan, "It hasn’t been easy for Xiangdong these past few years. Despite his young age, he’s already the regimental commander. He has participated in countless battles, always so fierce. I knew then that he was carrying a lot of pain in his heart, hoping to die and achieve peace on the battlefield. After he arrived at the Corps in the recent years, he gradually calmed down. He might look cheerful on the surface, but he rarely opens up to anyone. This time he came back and he’s completely different. You two should live well together and now that you have a home, I can rest assured."

Tears welled up in Bai Xiaolan’s eyes after listening to Old Man Jin’s words. She looked at Ji Xiangdong sympathetically. His usual light-hearted demeanor was just to hide deep sorrow.

Ji Xiangdong gave Bai Xiaolan a warm smile, "Don’t worry about me, it’s all in the past. I’m fine now."

Old Man Jin nodded in affirmation, "And only the good days are ahead."

They took a rest for a while. When they were about to leave, Old Man Jin cut a basketful of grapes for Bai Xiaolan to take home. As Bai Xiaolan looked at the "Woman’s Scent" grapes on the basket, her face reddened again.

Ji Xiangdong glanced at Bai Xiaolan’s blushing face, an understanding smile on his face. He took the basket and hung it on the bike and cycled back to headquarters with Bai Xiaolan.

The next day, Ji Xiangdong planned to take Bai Xiaolan to the Bazaar. But a problem arose in the cotton fields. There were cotton bolls scattered everywhere overnight in one of the fields, just on the cusp of the cotton-picking season. Ji Xiangdong had to deal with the issue urgently but promised to take Bai Xiaolan to the Bazaar another day. He asked her to stroll nearby and not to go too far.

Bai Xiaolan understood the urgency of the situation, and waved him off, assuring him she would be fine staying at the base.

When Ji Xiangdong arrived at the fields, the commander of the Sixth Company was already there. There were more than four acres of cotton plants toppled over, leaves scattered all over, and partially-opened cotton bolls on the ground. The scene suggested that it had been trampled by cattle.

The commander sighed, "I don’t know which herdsman’s cattle passed by here, but they’ve trampled all over the place. These four or five acres are wasted now."

After inspecting the scene, Ji Xiangdong suggested, "We should pick up all the cotton bolls from the ground. If the cotton is dried in the sun, it will pop, and if the cotton can’t get a good price, we can use it ourselves. Also, the seeds can be used to extract oil. Now that it’s already like this, let’s try to minimize the loss. Write a report about it once you are back."

The commander nodded, "That’s the only option we have right now."

The two of them stood at the edge of the fields, surveying the nearby cotton fields. Not long after, a security guard from the Corps rode over on a bike. When he reached them, he threw his bike aside, and ran over panting, "Commander, your wife just had a fight with a group of children. She was taken away by the local Third Battalion. They are calling for their parents to fetch them."

Ji Xiangdong’s face darkened upon hearing the news. After briefly discussing with the commander, he rushed towards the Third Battalion on his bike. When he saw that the rest of the people there were parents fetching their children and he was the only one there to fetch his wife, he couldn’t help but twitch his eye.