Chapter 213 - 213 212 Joyfully Sprinkling Sweet Dog Food (7)

Chapter 213: Chapter 212: Joyfully Sprinkling Sweet Dog Food (7) Chapter 213: Chapter 212: Joyfully Sprinkling Sweet Dog Food (7) Tang Zelin thought for a moment and said, “There is an old saying that for one’s mother, one must be strong. There must be some truth in old sayings.”

Qu Guo’an agreed, “When pushed to the brink, women truly should not be underestimated.”

Tang Zelin shook his head helplessly and turned around, “Old Qu, let me ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

Qu Guo’an held out his liquor bottle, and Tang Zelin reciprocated with his own in a clink.

“What’s wrong with me that I always want to be near her as soon as I see her?”

Qu Guo’an almost choked on his drink and asked, “What do you mean by being near? How close?”

Tang Zelin stared at his bottle, gently shook it and said indifferently, “Just that kind of close.”

“Which kind is that?” Qu Guo’an, this big oaf.

Tang Zelin’s dark eyes narrowed, “You’ve never been with a woman?”

“No, what’s up?”

“…Never mind.”

“No, you clearly have something on your mind.”

“Asked the wrong person.”

Qu Guo’an persisted, “Are you talking about that kind of thing?”

Tang Zelin’s face turned embarrassingly dark.

At that moment, Qu Guo’an seemed to remember something, and his tone turned deep, completely unlike himself.

“Before I joined the army, back home I had a girl I was fond of, who was particularly pretty, not a bit less so than Miss Su Shu. We grew up as childhood sweethearts, the kind where in a crowd of people, I could spot her from afar. Back when I was a new recruit, she made the long trip from home to visit me. We both didn’t have much money then, not like you officer’s children with your romance and wealth. So we would just simply walk along the streets.”

Tang Zelin had known Qu Guo’an for many years, but this was the first time he heard him tell such an old story, and he was drawn in by it.

“Walking the streets, you know, occasionally holding hands, draping an arm over each other’s shoulders—stuff like that made this kid so excited. Back then, I really had the intention, but not the courage; thinking about it now makes me wonder how I could have been so timid.”

“What happened?”

Qu Guo’an sighed and looked down, fiddling with the liquor in his hand, “I only found out later, she had run away from home to come see me at the base; her family didn’t approve of her marrying a soldier, and my family was not well-off, so they found her a local suitor with better conditions. By the time she came to see me, I figured out that it was her way of clutching at straws, wanting to see what I really thought.” As he spoke, Old Qu took a deep breath, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying.

After a few seconds of silence, he looked up at Tang Zelin and said earnestly, “For people like us, it’s not easy to come across a girl we fancy. Once you miss the chance, it’s missed. Don’t be like me.”

Tang Zelin extended his arm and draped it around Old Qu’s shoulder, patting it firmly, “Don’t worry, I won’t, I’ve actually taken quite a shine to this girl.”

“If you’re interested, then go after her!”

Withdrawing his arm, Tang Zelin felt a profound sense of powerlessness when it came to her.

“You don’t understand, every time I touch this girl, something feels off in me.”

“Are you having a fit?”

“You’re the one having fits.”

“Not having a fit, what’s wrong then? Oh, right, you were asking me earlier if always wanting to be near her meant something was wrong with you, weren’t you?”

Tang Zelin was speechless, “I really should dig that last sentence out of your damn skull.”

Qu Guo’an laughed out loud, “It’s not easy to pick up a joke from you, let me have my fun.” After his laugh, he continued, “This business between men and women, isn’t it always that old story? There’s nothing wrong with it. Who doesn’t act like that with a girl they like? If you don’t believe me, go listen outside the warriors’ barracks tonight. Those young wolves are all full of energy at night, and just mentioning women fires them up.”