#45: Child

Lu Zhou successfully obtained permission from Commander Feng to leave the military camp with Shen Yihuan. Although it came with a good scolding, Commander Feng had initially wanted to send someone else with Shen Yihuan.

However, he understood Lu Zhou’s temperament, which was exceptionally stubborn. Moreover, all of his subordinates both respected and feared him, so who would dare to take on such a task for him?

In the afternoon, they arrived at a small town alongside the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway.

Shen Yihuan gave up on photographing the already very famous internet-famous restaurants. She sifted through a lot of data and videos and asked many people before selecting a few target locations.

They weren’t famous, had few tourists, and you didn’t have to queue during peak hours, yet their business was still good, with plenty of customers.

These shops had an excellent reputation, many repeat customers, and quite a few who came from afar through friends’ recommendations.

Shen Yihuan hadn’t brought warm clothes when she initially came, so she wore one of Lu Zhou’s padded jackets. The sleeves were very long, capable of covering her entire hands. The collar was stood up, and the zipper pulled all the way to her neck, covering half of her face, leaving only her eyes and forehead exposed.

A few cars were parked at the shop entrance. The weather was dry and dusty, so the cars were quite dirty.

“Once we’re out of the military camp, don’t wander off. Stay close to me,” Lu Zhou said before getting out of the car.

Shen Yihuan didn’t take it seriously: “Where are there so many bad guys?”

“I’m not sure if I’m their target. If you get separated from me, I’m worried they might go after you.”

Shen Yihuan paused, then nodded: “Got it.”

Lu Zhou had stayed here for many years and was indeed familiar with the area. He quickly ordered, all Xinjiang signature dishes.

Shen Yihuan sat on a backless wooden bench. The table was also wooden, brown, not expensive mahogany, and had nicks and dents, revealing a creamy white interior.

Lu Zhou returned after ordering, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured two cups of coarse tea.

He then pulled out two napkins to wipe the table himself. After wiping, the white napkin had a black stain.

There were no waiters in this shop, and the storefront wasn’t large, looking quite dilapidated, which made it hard to reconcile with the highly positive reviews Shen Yihuan had received.

She picked up her teacup and took a sip.

It was bitter and astringent, but very refreshing, as if she could taste the aged flavor of the tea leaves inside.

Soon, the dishes arrived, a golden yellow expanse. Most contained beef or lamb, primarily prepared by stir-frying, grilling, boiling, roasting, braising, and steaming, with a rich flavor profile.

And the portions were very large, much more than typical restaurants in other cities.

“You ordered so much,” Shen Yihuan said, a little surprised.

Lu Zhou said, “Aren’t you going to take photos?”

“Then we won’t be able to finish it all. Didn’t you say we shouldn’t waste food?”

Lu Zhou: “This is for your work.”

Shen Yihuan first photographed each dish, then took close-ups. For items like nan bread and roasted buns, she bit into them before taking pictures.

She usually photographed people and landscapes more, and this was her first time doing a food feature. She hadn’t seriously picked up a camera for commercial work in a long time. It took her a lot of tinkering and time to finally get the right feel.

Lu Zhou watched her the whole time, waiting for her to finish.

Shen Yihuan was afraid he was hungry, so she pointed to the dishes she had already photographed: “You can eat first.”

Lu Zhou: “No rush.”

“I reckon it’ll still be a while,” Shen Yihuan said, holding her camera, “Are you hungry?”

“No, take your time.”

The lighting inside the restaurant was yellowish, but the tones captured in the photos were beautiful, very appetizing.

Finally finished with the photos, Shen Yihuan scrolled through them from beginning to end, then retook a few unsatisfactory ones, and only then was she done.

She started eating, and also pulled out a small notebook, jotting things down as she ate.

This was the first time Lu Zhou had seen her work so seriously. The young girl’s fingers were slender and bony, her nails beautiful—a hand shape that clearly indicated a life of comfort. He had never seen her write so diligently back in school.

“What are you writing?” Lu Zhou asked.

Shen Yihuan didn’t lift her head: “Just pictures aren’t enough for the magazine; I need to record the flavors.”

Lu Zhou ate quickly. After finishing his own meal, he served food for Shen Yihuan.

Shen Yihuan looked more serious than she had in the last month of high school. Lu Zhou rested his chin on his hand, his gaze lightly fixed on her, finding it quite novel.

Shen Yihuan noticed his expression, tilted her head to look at him, and asked, “What are you laughing about?”

“Hmm?” Lu Zhou leaned back in his chair and smiled, “I haven’t really seen you like this.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“No.”

Shen Yihuan “hmph”-ed, jotted down a few more words, and closed her notebook: “You should be glad that if I had studied this hard in high school, you wouldn’t have gotten first place.”

Lu Zhou calmly raised an eyebrow and nodded, “Mm.”

Shen Yihuan, emboldened, wanted further affirmation. She asked, “You think you couldn’t beat me in exams, don’t you?”

Lu Zhou said, “Yes.”

He pulled out a tissue and handed it to Shen Yihuan, then added, “If you wanted first place, I definitely wouldn’t compete with you for it.”

Shen Yihuan put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth. Hearing that, she glanced at him: “Who wants you to let me win? I mean, based on pure ability.”

Lu Zhou: “Even with pure ability, I couldn’t beat you.”

Only then was Shen Yihuan satisfied.

When they left after dinner, it was already mostly dark. Streetlights dotted the area, illuminating the street. Many pedestrians were out, and food stalls had been set up, emitting white steam in the winter night, full of life.

Shen Yihuan took a deep breath, inhaling a lungful of cold air, but her mood was exceptionally good.

This place was different from big cities. Everyone moved at a leisurely pace, their hands empty, without designer bags or large shopping bags.

Shen Yihuan walked and took photos with her camera.

The blue doll she bought earlier hung on the side, bouncing with her joyful steps.

Shen Yihuan was increasingly like the old Shen Yihuan, the carefree Shen Yihuan from high school. When Lu Zhou returned to Beijing some time ago and saw her, the young girl was gloomy, her eyes empty.

Now, the young girl’s bright eyes, when they looked at him, were like a brilliant, ancient galaxy, effortlessly taking hold of one’s breath and heart rate.

Shen Yihuan took several photos of the night market. She casually flicked the doll charm with her index finger, then tilted her head and asked, “Where’s yours?”

Lu Zhou took out his keys from his pocket.

A rather ugly, girlish pink doll, certainly not something a border patrol captain should have.

Shen Yihuan wondered if she was bullying Lu Zhou.

After a pause, she said, “Will your teammates laugh at you if they see it?”

“No.”

“They had a good laugh for a long time when they saw that photo of you wearing sunglasses in my camera last time.”

Lu Zhou’s movements paused. He turned to look at her.

“...” Shen Yihuan quickly said, “Don’t scold them! They told me not to tell you. Or maybe you can give that doll back to me.”

Lu Zhou averted his gaze, raised his hand to cover her head, rubbed it, and sighed softly: “No need.”

“Didn’t you use this to exchange for my salary card? Why would you take it back?” Lu Zhou added.

“I can get you one that’s a bit more fitting for your status.”

“I like anything you give me.”

Shen Yihuan figured Lu Zhou probably really liked the doll, so she dropped the subject. Her gaze was drawn to a child in front of a small stall.

The child was only half her height, standing on tiptoes to grab a candied hawthorn, with large eyes and slightly messy bangs on her forehead, which made her look even cuter.

Shen Yihuan picked up her camera and took a photo of her.

Lu Zhou followed her gaze, without much reaction.

“So cute,” Shen Yihuan said.

The sky was full of stars. Shen Yihuan stood there, her clear features visible. The light from a small bulb at the stall swept sideways across her, revealing a fine layer of downy hair. Seeing the little girl, her pupils widened slightly, and a smile involuntarily spread across her face.

Lu Zhou tilted his head, watching her, and also hummed in agreement.

“When we were in school, Qiu Ruru used to say that any child we had would be exceptionally good-looking, like a school beauty or a school heartthrob, whether they resembled the father or the mother.”

Girls talked about many things in school. Shen Yihuan didn’t think much of it, but Lu Zhou stopped walking when he heard it.

Shen Yihuan turned to look at him: “What’s wrong?”

Lu Zhou’s gaze on her became serious.

“You guys talked about that too?”

Shen Yihuan felt inexplicably a little embarrassed, her voice lowered: “We were just chatting casually because we were bored.”

Lu Zhou took a step forward, pulled her into his arms, and asked softly, “Do you want to have children for me?”

Once a man’s breath and voice came close, especially when intentionally lowered, it became incredibly seductive, like a kind of enchantment. Shen Yihuan inexplicably heard an invitation in his question.

Although she had just thought of it suddenly and mentioned it casually, Lu Zhou’s reaction was a bit strong.

His eyes were narrow, the corners drawn together, giving him a cool demeanor, but now all of that vanished, replaced by a tender, affectionate gaze.

Shen Yihuan felt that Lu Zhou seemed quite excited now, although it wasn’t obvious.

She blinked, stood on tiptoes, leaned close to his ear, and also lowered her voice: “Don’t you want to?”

Lu Zhou said, “I didn’t before.”

Shen Yihuan paused, surprised by the answer. She asked, “Why?”

“I didn’t want to share you with anyone else.”

Shen Yihuan’s eyes widened slightly. She knew Lu Zhou was possessive, but she didn’t expect him to be so possessive that he had already listed his future children as being in the opposing camp.

“But that’s your son.”

“A son is even worse; a daughter is fine.”

“...” Shen Yihuan was a little speechless, “Then if I only have a son, are you going to make me abort him? You scumbag!”

Scumbag Lu was clearly displeased with this title. He frowned slightly and took Shen Yihuan’s hand.

“I won’t. If you like, then have one.”

Shen Yihuan angrily lifted her leg and kicked Lu Zhou: “What do you mean ‘if I like, then have one’? Who’s having one for you? I’m not having any!”

Lu Zhou smiled, kissed the exposed half of the young girl’s forehead, which was a bit cold from the wind. Lu Zhou pulled up her coat hood, covering her head.

His clothes were too big. He opened his arms and embraced her completely.

He said, “I was wrong.”

Shen Yihuan asked, “Wrong about what?”

“Both sons and daughters are fine.”

Shen Yihuan hummed, turning her head: “I don’t want to have any.”

Lu Zhou rubbed her face and coaxed softly: “Have one. I like it.”

“Then beg me.”

Lu Zhou said: “I beg you.”