Little Octopus - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

His money was earned at the risk of his life. While a million yuan seemed like a lot now, what about five or ten years down the line?

By then, that amount probably wouldn’t even cover a down payment within the Third Ring Road of Rong City.

The High-Tech Zone is a hot market right now, and since I happened to be eligible to buy property, I purchased a sub-new apartment.

I rented it out for over four thousand yuan a month and put the money back into his salary card. If he ever truly needs money in the future, even if we don’t count on the property making a massive profit, at least the principal of that million will be preserved.

I moved out of my shared rental and into the small studio apartment he bought for me. I deposited 2,000 yuan into his card every month as rent.

This was the safest way I could think of to manage his finances.

That way, when he eventually retires from the military, he won’t be struggling to make ends meet.

I’ve seen too many people who dedicated their entire lives to their country only to end up in poverty, living out their days in hardship. I didn’t want that for him.

When I was moving, a friend came over to help.

“Didn’t you say you have a super handsome boyfriend? He’s not even here to help you move?”

“My boyfriend is a soldier. He can’t just leave the base whenever he wants.”

“Oh, a military wife. You’re truly noble.”

“I can’t help it. He’s just too handsome.”

“I figured as much.”

“?”

“Otherwise, why would you be so content living like a ‘living widow’?”

The apartment wasn’t far from my office-only a ten-minute drive.

The parking space had also been rented for me in advance, right under the building.

When I returned to the apartment, the lights were on. I thought I had forgotten to turn them off when I left that morning.

As I walked into the small living room, I heard a pleasant male voice humming a tune.

Realizing it might be him, I quickened my pace to search the rooms. I didn’t dare call out, fearing it was an illusion and that no one would answer.

I finally found him in the kitchen.

He was cooking, looking at me with a face full of smiles.

“Little Octopus, it took you over twenty seconds to find me.”

I threw myself into his arms instantly.

Tears poured out like a fountain.

“There, there, don’t cry,” he said, gently patting my back. “I made dinner. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

I looked up at him with a pouting face. Usually, being alone didn’t feel like much, but the moment I saw him, I felt an overwhelming sense of grievance.

He carries his country in his heart; he is one of the most beloved people, and he gives me every second of time he can spare.

How could I still be unsatisfied? I’m such a loathsome, greedy person.

We kissed.

The kiss was salty, a kiss soaked in tears. Even his signature, pleasant scent of lime couldn’t neutralize the salty bitterness in my mouth.

“Dinner first, or inspect the goods first?” he asked.

“I can eat dinner three times a day, but how many times a year can I see you?”

He let out a couple of hearty laughs. “Little Octopus, I like you so much.”

He carried me to the bathroom.

It was almost funny-because his time was so precious, we didn’t even have time for the feigned shyness of a first intimate encounter. We went straight to the point, our body language racing against the clock to pour out our love.

As the waves of passion rose and fell, he whispered in my ear, “Little Octopus, I love you.”

By the time we actually sat down to eat, it was three in the morning.

His cooking was good, but I still thought he tasted better.

“Are you working overtime tomorrow for the weekend?”

I shook my head. Even if I had to work, I would take leave now that he was back.

“Will you come home with me tomorrow?”

“…”

“Don’t worry, they’re all very easy to get along with.”

I knew his family members were all upright, lovely, and approachable people, so I nodded.

The next day, we went to his house. He had prepared a trunk full of gifts, claiming they were from me.

His mother held my hand and asked if he treated me well, when it would be convenient to meet my parents, and if there were any specific customs regarding the bride price on my family’s side.

They said they had wanted to visit me before but were afraid a sudden visit would disturb me.

When we left, his mother gave me a large red envelope. It was as thick as a brick.

I mentioned that I wanted to get a dog so I wouldn’t be too bored when I was alone.

That afternoon, he adopted a retired military dog for me.

When it stood up on its hind legs, it was almost taller than me.

I named it Dayu.

Yu Chenghuai was a bit dejected. “If it’s called Dayu, what am I called?”

I said he was called Taiyu.

He told me to stop making dirty jokes.

What? In Sichuan dialect, ‘Tai’ just means even bigger than ‘Big.’ He was the one overthinking it, yet he blamed me.

In the end, I made a compromise. Dayu the military dog was renamed Dog Dayu.

But he seemed even more dejected.