Chapter Ninety-Nine: Hold My Waist

“Battalion Commander!”

Lin You looked up and saw Li Guoxiang waving at him as he rode toward him on a brand-new old-fashioned bicycle.

“Xiao Li, what brings you here?”

“The regiment sent me to deliver the bicycle to you.”

Lin You pointed at the bike in front of him. “This is for me?”

“Of course. Not just you—Battalion Commander Jiang and the others got one too. I heard they were handed out for New Year’s this year. The soldiers at our garrison even got some meat coupons.”

Li Guoxiang’s face was bright with delight. This was the first time since he had come to the garrison that he had been given so many coupons.

He planned to mail them all back home so his family could have a proper New Year.

Lin You rested a hand on the handlebars. Truth be told, he had indeed been thinking of buying a bicycle to keep at home for Xia Yan to ride. It would make trips to the supply cooperative and other errands much more convenient. He just did not know whether that girl knew how to ride one.

He glanced up at the sky and only then remembered there was still more than a month before New Year’s. In years past, he had spent the holiday on duty at the garrison and never gone home; the three children had kept him company, and even the New Year’s Eve dinner had always been simple.

This year would be different. With Xia Yan here, and his parents and younger sister coming over as well, it ought to be lively.

“Thank you for making the trip.”

“It’s no trouble, Battalion Commander. Your health is better now, right? The soldiers all miss you terribly, and those raw recruits go without saying. After hearing about your exploits, they look up to you a great deal.”

“I’ve almost recovered. I’ll go back to the battalion tomorrow, and when I do, I’ll introduce you to the new political instructor.”

Hearing Lin You’s answer, the stone in Li Guoxiang’s heart finally fell away. “That’s great. Battalion Commander, I’ll head back now and tell those boys the news.”

After seeing Li Guoxiang off, Lin You pushed the bicycle into the yard. Remembering something, he turned the bell a few times.

Inside the house, Xia Yan was dressing Lin Nuannuan. When she heard the bicycle bell from the yard, she called out loudly, “Lin You, go see who’s here.”

But there was no response for quite a while, only the bell ringing now and then.

Xia Yan picked up Lin Nuannuan and went outside. “Lin You, go take a look.”

Seeing that Lin You was not in the house, she could not help muttering, “Where did this man run off to without even telling me?”

Just as she reached the doorway, she saw Lin You sitting astride that old-fashioned bicycle, looking at her.

When Lin Nuannuan saw the bicycle, she ran over happily and reached out for Lin You to hold her.

“Whose bicycle is this?”

“Whose else could it be? I’m riding it, so naturally it’s mine...”

Lin You rang the bell again.

The bright jingle made Xia Yan roll her eyes at him. She shot off a string of questions: “When did you buy this bike? How much did it cost? Where did you get the money?”

“I didn’t buy it. It was issued by the army. My money has long since been given to you, hasn’t it?”

Lin You scooped up his daughter and set her on the front bar of the bicycle. The little one immediately copied him, reaching out to ring the bell.

“Issued by the army?”

“Of course. What, do you think I’d lie to you?”

“I’d like to see you try.”

Xia Yan laughed as she walked over. One had to admit, the army’s benefits were really quite good. They were issuing bicycles already... impressive.

She plopped down on the rear seat and patted Lin You on the shoulder. “Come on, take Nuannuan and me out for a ride. I happen to need to go to the supply cooperative to buy a few things.”

“Then you’d better sit tight.”

At that, Xia Yan nodded and gripped the fabric of Lin You’s jacket.

But Lin You had only ridden a few meters when Xia Yan flashed a mischievous little devil’s smile and quietly slipped her hand straight inside his clothes.

Lin You only felt a patch of ice-cold chill at his navel, so cold it made his whole body stiffen, and even his expression changed.

Sensing that Lin You had suddenly gone rigid, Xia Yan asked as if she knew nothing at all, “What’s wrong?”

Lin You stopped the bicycle, one foot braced on the ground.

Those long legs instantly caught Xia Yan’s attention.

Goodness, his legs really were long.

On such a tall bicycle, her own legs swung back and forth like she was on a swing, whereas Lin You could actually reach the ground with the soles of his feet.

“You still ask me what’s wrong? Where are your hands? Take them out now.”

“I’m cold, that’s all.”

Xia Yan bared her little tiger teeth. Not only did she not pull her hand out, she hugged him even tighter.

“If you’re cold, you can put them in my pockets. Why stick them inside my clothes?”

“Lin You, do you not like me anymore?”

“...Huh?”

Lin You was left baffled by the sudden question.

“A great man once said that in winter, if a man is unwilling to let his wife put her hands inside his clothes, it means he doesn’t like her,” Xia Yan said with total seriousness, spouting nonsense with a straight face.

“Which great man? I’ve never heard of that!”

“That great man is me.”

Smiling, Xia Yan finally drew her hand back. It was not that she was afraid of her hand being cold; the main thing was that if she kept it inside, Lin You’s clothes would be stretched open and wind would get in. Catching a chill would not do.

As soon as her hand left, Lin You actually began to regret it. If only he had let her keep “feeling around.”

He adjusted his seat and said to Xia Yan, “Why don’t you hold onto my waist? That way both your hands can stay in your sleeves.”

Then he added, “The road isn’t very smooth. If you fall off, it’ll be bad.”

Of course, even he felt a little guilty saying that.

Xia Yan was not as shy as he was. Since the two of them were going to be married anyway, what was the big deal about hugging his waist? Besides, Lin You had such a good figure; she had long wanted to wrap her arms around that lean, masculine waist and give it a proper hug.

Thinking it, she did not stop moving her hands. She reached around from behind and hugged Lin You’s waist tightly, resting her head against his back.

With her holding him like that, Lin You felt as though he could hardly breathe. That close contact between a man and a woman made him so tense he did not know what to do.

“What are you standing there for? If we’re late, what if the supply cooperative closes?”

“Alright.”

Lin You’s reply was so soft it was almost like a mosquito’s buzz.

He lifted his long leg, gave a light push, and the bicycle rolled forward.

The wind in his face scattered the heat rising inside him, and only after a long while did his heartbeat finally return to normal.

When they reached the entrance of the supply cooperative, Xia Yan loosened her hold on Lin You’s waist.

Although there were not many people around, eyes were eyes. Even if they were husband and wife, men and women rarely held hands in this era, let alone hugged each other by the waist so boldly.

She did not want to become a topic of gossip for those chatty military wives.

Lin You only felt the pressure around his waist ease. Looking down, those fair little hands were no longer there, and his heart suddenly felt empty... In fact, his mind had already started wandering. How wonderful it would be if she held him like that at night...