(5) Husband
The warmth brought by the winter sunshine is not enough to offset the cold. So I pressed my hands against the city wall, but my fingers still felt numb from the cold. The city wall may have been built hundreds or even thousands of years ago, and it is no longer complete. The section we are in is half rotten, with only a section of about ten meters left, filled with various wild grasses that have long turned yellow. Yes, it's not just me, it's both me and Zhu Xiangxiang. We are standing in front of the city wall in a rather rare posture. Zhu Xiangxiang's back is pressed against the wall, and her body is standing straight. As for me, I am on the opposite side, pressing my hands against the wall, with my arms stretched out and my body standing straight. The place where my hands are pressed is on both sides of her head, that is to say, her whole person is within my arms, and the distance between our noses is not more than twenty centimeters. It is a very enjoyable thing to gaze at each other with the opposite sex you like in this way. I don't know what she thinks, but she must also feel happy, otherwise, she could have escaped from my arms, and she wouldn't occasionally raise her eyes, look at me for a few seconds with her clear eyes, and then lower her eyelids, her eyelashes trembling. If it weren't for being rejected twice before, this would be a good opportunity to kiss her. At this moment, my thoughts were quite chaotic: I kissed her, I really kissed her! Although it seems like a dream when I think back, the feeling at that time was so real, and she, like me, also had this experience, which means that the experience really happened! At that time, not long after my "first kiss," I couldn't accurately understand the truth of this matter. It wasn't until several years later that I suddenly realized that it was a very real out-of-body experience. It wasn't just me, it was both me and Zhu Xiangxiang, two people simultaneously out of body, meeting and being intimate! Although I still don't understand why such a situation occurred, because although humans have been actively studying the soul, we still know very little about it! On that winter morning, Zhu Xiangxiang and I stood in this posture for a long time, neither of us moving nor speaking. In the eyes of others (especially adults), we seemed boring, but we knew how much we were enjoying ourselves. Suddenly, in one of the cracks in the city wall, a four-legged snake, perhaps deceived by the brilliant sunshine, thought that spring had already come, so it half-exposed its body. However, it was still in hibernation and couldn't move properly, so it fell down in an instant and landed on Zhu Xiangxiang's head. She reached out to brush it off, and I also reached out to brush it off. Our hands met, and both of our actions stopped. Naturally, she looked at me, and I looked at her. I brushed away the snake that appeared at the right time, and Zhu Xiangxiang didn't pull her hand away. So I held her hand tighter. She sighed softly, and I hurriedly said, "Even if you were engaged, even if you have a husband, it's okay to talk to a good friend!" Zhu Xiangxiang's voice sounded calm: "Talking to you is just constantly accepting your interrogation!" I sighed softly (at that time, it was popular for teenagers to sigh without reason, this was the realm of "struggling to find new words to express sorrow," times have changed, nowadays teenagers rarely sigh): "When there are doubts in the heart, you always have to ask, good friends should not have secrets!" Zhu Xiangxiang suddenly widened her eyes: "No, even between the closest two people, there are still secrets. The way people communicate with each other is indirect, so there are bound to be secrets!" Zhu Xiangxiang's words sounded very profound, and I had to think carefully to understand. I thought about it for a while before accepting it, and I agreed with it very much. Zhu Xiangxiang suddenly smiled again (her laughter was really pleasant): "And, you have too many questions you want to know!" I naturally sighed again, indeed, this beautiful girl is a mystery. A few days ago, I said to her, "You have a face like a poem, a life like a mystery!" Zhu Xiangxiang's reaction was a continuous minute of shallow laughter, which was very delightful to see. Although she repeatedly told me not to ask too much, I had a very strong curiosity (this character has never changed, and has even become stronger), so I still said, "There is a puzzle that must be solved because of you." Zhu Xiangxiang is very smart, and she immediately said, "I won't say!" I raised my voice: "You have to say, because you made me lose my master!" Zhu Xiangxiang had asked me to take her to see my master, and then something unexpected happened after we met. Since then, my master has disappeared, and the whole thing started because of her. Naturally, I had a reason to ask her what exactly happened. Zhu Xiangxiang still tightly pursed her lips and shook her head, indicating that she wouldn't say. I held her hand tighter and tried to pull her closer. But don't be fooled by her slim figure, she has quite a bit of strength, thanks to rigorous martial arts training. I took a roundabout tactic: "You don't have to say, my martial arts master is gone, your martial arts foundation is good, introduce your master to me, I want to continue practicing!" Zhu Xiangxiang heard this and seemed to find it extremely funny. She shook her head even more and had a playful smile on her pretty face. I pretended to be angry: "This won't work, that won't work!" Zhu Xiangxiang stopped shaking her head and looked at me with a hesitant expression. I felt a surge of joy because I knew that when a person showed this kind of expression, it meant they were ready to reveal a secret, especially for girls. When they have this kind of expression, you can learn their secrets from their mouths. I didn't urge her any further with words, as that would only hinder the process. I just encouraged her with my eyes to speak up and reveal the secret, no matter what it was. It would be a breakthrough, and many mysteries surrounding her might be unraveled! She slightly opened her mouth and said five words: "You can't marry me." She was obviously prepared to continue, but suddenly, a very strange sound came from a distance, like a series of thunder, rising from the ground and rolling towards us rapidly. This sudden change was really annoying, interrupting Zhu Xiangxiang's words. We both turned to look in the direction of the sound, but for a moment, we didn't know what had happened! Not far from the city wall, there was an ancient road. At this time, about a mile away, along with the "thunderous" sound, dust rose up, looking like a gigantic monster that could produce thunder, rushing towards us with the momentum of ten thousand horses. It was imposing and awe-inspiring! The "monster" came very fast. When the raised dust reached nearby, I finally saw clearly that it was a group of more than ten motorcycles. Motorcycles, also known as motorized bicycles or "electric donkeys," were not very common at that time, so when the dust rose, I couldn't immediately understand what these strange things were. Suddenly, a group of motorcycles came speeding by. Although the situation was unusual, I never expected it to have anything to do with me. I watched as the convoy raised a cloud of dust and passed by, but after driving for only a few dozen meters, I heard a whistle from the middle of the convoy, and all the vehicles suddenly turned around and came back. When the convoy turned around together, it raised a column of dust, which looked very spectacular. After the convoy turned around, it immediately stopped on the road less than ten meters away from us. I immediately felt that this imposing convoy might be coming for us! I glanced at Zhu Xiangxiang first, and saw her biting her lower lip, her face turning pale, showing a very unhappy expression. I turned my head to look at the convoy, and was surprised by what I saw! Except for one person, the rest of the group, including the person I was facing, were all wearing uniforms made of yellow cloth. They had shiny military insignias on their caps and shoulder patches, and each one looked extraordinary. Plus, they all wore windproof goggles, which added to their air of mystery. The only person not wearing a military uniform wore a leather hat, a shiny black leather jacket with the collar half raised, jodhpurs, and tall leather boots. He looked extremely handsome, the kind of outfit that most teenagers dream of. He was the first to get off the motorcycle, and when he got off, he just casually pushed the bike to the ground. He walked towards us, and as I saw his two pistols at his waist, I felt Zhu Xiangxiang move behind me, indicating that she needed protection. Without thinking, I took a half step forward, showing my determination to protect her. My character can be classified as sanguine. In other words, I tend to act impulsively and rarely think things through, I just act quickly. People with this kind of character may suffer in some situations, but they can also take advantage in others. In reality, nothing is perfect, and the same goes for people's various personalities. At that moment, the other party's imposing manner was so powerful that even though I could see that the person walking towards me was not much older than me, just the two pistols at his waist were enough to make me no match for him. If I had thought about it, I would have pulled Zhu Xiangxiang, turned around, and fled. How could I dare to think that Zhu Xiangxiang needed protection and step forward? That young man (at most a young man) who was dressed like a mighty general took big strides towards me, and I also stepped forward without fear. Zhu Xiangxiang followed closely behind me, which gave me even more courage. When we faced each other, I realized that his posture was quite exaggerated, with his body slightly leaning back, looking arrogant and unruly. He also wore windproof goggles, so I couldn't see his face clearly, but I could feel that his gaze only glanced at me before turning to Zhu Xiangxiang! I was just thinking: It really is because of her! I heard that person shout in a very arrogant voice, "Xiangxiang, I've been looking for you everywhere, why are you here?" Zhu Xiangxiang didn't answer, but I heard her take a deep breath. I immediately said loudly, "Why can't she be here? I invited her out!" That person shouted angrily and pointed at me, "Who do you think you are?" As we were talking, several military officers who were originally on motorcycles had gotten off and were rushing towards us. That person reached out with his left hand to grab the gun at his waist, and his movements were surprisingly fast. Seeing that I couldn't stop him, a small hand that was frozen red reached out from the side and grabbed the gun in his hand. That person shouted again, his hand froze at his waist, not knowing what to do. I saw that Zhu Xiangxiang had taken his gun, and I couldn't help but feel overjoyed. I hurriedly shouted, "Catch the thief, catch the leader!" At this moment, the officers shouted and rushed forward, but a few of them rushed too quickly and fell to the ground, looking very embarrassed. That person was both shocked and angry, shouting, "Xiangxiang, are you joking? Come with me!" I held him tighter and said, "Even if you were engaged, even if you have a husband, it's okay to talk to a good friend!" Zhu Xiangxiang's mother's voice sounded calm: "Between them, they got engaged." Although I had a good impression of her, I couldn't suppress my anger, and my actions became rude. I pointed at her abdomen and said sharply, "How could you do something so foolish? Do you know what era it is now? You adults are simply... simply..." She interrupted me, "I also think this is a foolish act for adults. It wasn't my decision, it was Xiangxiang's father's decision!" I couldn't help but say something rude, "He's an idiot! He has no right to make such a decision." Zhu Xiangxiang's mother pressed her hand on my shoulder and said softly, "Young man, what right do you have? Can you be her husband?" I was stunned, and a cold wind blew into my mouth. It was too difficult for someone my age to answer such a question! So, I couldn't answer at all! Zhu Xiangxiang's mother sighed, and her expression at this moment made my heart race even more! I had seen her before! The woman who appeared on the ghost bamboo branch looked just like her! It must be her! Things were getting more and more bizarre! Also, that guy asked me if I dared or not, obviously challenging me. Without thinking, I said "I dare." What kind of challenge did I accept?