On a Mid-Autumn night beneath the bright moon, on the hillside by the river, under the gaze of many onlookers...
Grandma Yuemei held the bouquet of osmanthus in one palm, gripping it tightly. She looked somewhat dazed and confused. Her other hand unconsciously reached forward, fumbling, and soon took a firm hold of Han Qingyu's right hand hovering in the air.
"Grandma."
"This is Major Qing, Grandma Yuemei."
"..."
The nearby nurses and doctors hurriedly spoke up to remind her, some among them visibly anxious and tense.
For the vast majority of them were unfamiliar with Major Qing. During this stay at No. 15 Field Hospital, Han Qingyu had not mingled and fooled around with the medical staff and the wounded the way Wen Jifei did.
Furthermore, his reputation as a "dead iron straight man" had always been widespread, not something that gave people an approachable impression. Lately, his expression had also been cold and stern most of the time.
Thus, aside from the two young nurses in charge of his ward, in the eyes of almost everyone, he was still nothing more than the terrifyingly powerful "The King" on the Dome Leaderboard.
He was the "terrifying, violent, and distant Major The Qing"—the man who had once faced tribunal judgment, chosen to break away from Azure as a fugitive, and then returned to kill a first-generation Starlight without any proof.
"Grandma Yuemei must have had a moment of confusion. Taking his hand like that—what if Major Qing takes offense..." They felt tense and at a loss.
Yet Han Qingyu did not pull his hand away. Instead, he slowly crouched down beside her chair so the elderly woman would not have to strain to twist her body to hold his hand.
Not knowing what to say, he did his best to smile at Grandma Yuemei, even though she could not actually see it.
At this sight, the surroundings fell quiet.
"I—I know." Grandma Yuemei had indeed lost herself in thought just now. Coming back to her senses, she hurriedly let go and withdrew her hand.
Yet unlike the doctors and nurses beside her, she was not nervous, much less afraid.
Though she had heard many rumors about Major Qing, in the old woman's eyes, whether he was powerful or not, whether he had thrown a tantrum over some grievance or not, Han Qingyu had once been a soldier of Azure all the same. And based on what she had heard of his age, to her, he was still just a child.
"Look at me... I didn't scare you, did I, Major Qing?" Grandma Yuemei lifted the osmanthus in front of her chest and said, "Thank you for the flowers, Major Qing. They smell wonderful."
"N-no, not scared at all. It's nothing, Grandma, don't worry. Grab anytime," Han Qingyu hurriedly grinned and replied.
In this moment, his expression and tone were gentler than anyone could have imagined. This was such a rare Han Qingyu.
People were a bit taken aback, and then felt like laughing: "What does he mean, 'grab anytime'? Haha."
Major Qing was still terrible at conversation, and in such a warm, sentimental atmosphere, he looked rather embarrassed and at a loss. It was an unexpectedly endearing sight.
Muffled laughter rippled across the hillside.
"That's good." Grandma Yuemei smiled as well, thought for a moment, and said, "By the way, Major Qing, are you from the south or the north?"
Because she always asked such questions, she had grown adept at minding boundaries; she never asked for specific locations.
"South," Han Qingyu replied. Unlike ordinary people who knew to ask back, he offered just two words, nothing more.
"Oh, is your family doing well? With this war going on..." the elderly woman continued to ask. True to the rumors, Grandma Yuemei was not good with words either, repeating the same few remarks back and forth.
"Good. They're all good."
"Mm, when you find time, remember to go back and visit them. They must be worried and thinking about you."
"Yes, will do."
...
And so Grandma Yuemei said a sentence, and Han Qingyu answered a sentence. There was no real substance to it, just an elderly woman's homely chatter and a young man's patient responses.
"Oh, right, just now right here, Xiao Lin was telling me that you're very handsome, Major Qing," Grandma Yuemei said with a sudden smile after finishing her homely banter.
"Ah," Han Qingyu flustered in confusion. After a brief pause, he managed, "Yeah... very handsome."
"Hahahahaha..." Led by Wen Jifei and the others, the whole crowd finally let loose and laughed their hearts out.
"So, is Major Qing married yet?" Grandma Yuemei laughed too, but undeterred, pressed on.
So the sudden leap in topic Han Qingyu had assumed it to be was actually still on the established track of an elderly woman's homely rambling; she had merely laid the groundwork.
Naturally, once everything else had been asked, what else was an elder to care about if not marriage?
"N-no, not yet," Han Qingyu stammered.
"What about a girlfriend? Seeing anyone?"
"...Not that either."
"A sweetheart?"
"...No."
"Aiyoh..." The old woman sighed with worry.
"Um, I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait until we win before going home for matchmaking." Not wanting to be looked down upon by so many onlookers, Han Qingyu tried hard to explain.
"That won't do!" With an expression and tone identical to an ordinary village elder, Grandma Yuemei said, "How could you wait? Who knows when this war will ever end? The world might turn upside down. When you come across someone suitable, you should seize the chance! Don't let it slip by."
Eh? What's going on here? Han Qingyu froze on the spot, feeling as if he were suddenly seeing the way the elders back home used to nag his older cousin. After some thought, he said:
"Mm, all right, I'll seize the chance... but I haven't met anyone suitable yet."
"Then go on a blind date!" Grandma Yuemei said, suddenly turning her head as she continued, "Major Qing, what do you think of our Xiao Lin? Get to know each other. Even if it doesn't work out, you can just be friends—no harm done. Xiao Lin, what do you say? I always hear you talking about Major Qing..."
The young nurse beside her was stunned.
Han Qingyu was dumbfounded too.
They finally realized the old woman was setting up to play matchmaker.
What could one say? It was truly rustic, and quite "positive and optimistic."
"I..." The young nurse stammered, at a loss for words, but her big eyes fluttered as she cast an excited glance at Han Qingyu.
At this moment, it was not just her; even the other female doctors and nurses present felt inexplicably excited.
Before them stood Major Qing! To those who knew him, he was Han—the dead iron straight man destined never to find a wife. But to them, he was someone worth going on a blind date with even if nothing came of it.
The girls of Azure were hardly that timid or bashful.
Glowing gazes turned toward him one pair after another. It felt as if a mass matchmaking convention was about to begin on the spot. Major Qing panicked. His face blushed... no, darkened.
He could hack a Red Shoulder to death, but he could not handle this. At his wit's end, Han Qingyu hesitated, then turned helplessly toward Wen Jifei and the others.
Wen Jifei and his clique avoided his eyes, chuckling into their hands.
The situation continued to "deteriorate"...
"Aiya, why are you just standing there watching? You know he can't deal with this kind of thing... Help him out, won't you? Plague Chicken, Little Prince..." Rusty Sister stepped over and whispered.
Wen Jifei turned his head to look at her, staring steadily.
"If you don't help him, look for yourselves—he might actually end up in an on-the-spot blind date!" Rusty Sister turned her head in embarrassment, gesturing toward the hillside filled with eager, expectant faces.
"Oh... well, alright." Wen Jifei pondered for a moment, agreed, stood up, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "No way! Han Qingyu can't go on blind dates, date, or get married right now!"
Every eye in the audience turned toward him.
All their gazes seemed to ask: "Why not?!"
Even Han Qingyu himself, while grateful to Plague Chicken for coming to his rescue, felt rather confused: Why can't I? Because of the war? But you're in a relationship yourself!
"If you date and get married now, then five years ago on the truck to test our degree of fusion, when you told me you'd protect me forever—what was that supposed to mean?!"
"..." Han Qingyu was losing his mind.
Rusty Sister was losing her mind.
Right up until the entire hillside burst into uproarious laughter.
Amid the laughter, suddenly—"Ah!"—the crowd sitting along the riverbank screamed.
They had been gazing at the moon reflected in the river.
The moon in the river had suddenly turned red, a blood-red moon...
Then, the river water began to boil.
A person whose body was as blood-red as molten magma suddenly appeared on the opposite bank.
*Whoosh!* Han Qingyu, who had drawn his blade and vaulted into the air at the sound of the scream, froze his gaze, sheathed his sword midair, and dropped to the ground. Standing at the water's edge, he spoke:
"General Ivan?"
Chapter 652