Subordinate Doting - Chap 103
His family, lover, and teammates all came to see him off. On the highest snow-capped mountain, people supported each other and formed a circle. Outside the circle were colorful flags and prayer streamers fluttering in the wind, and inside the circle was a thin rosewood coffin.
There was no body in the coffin, only farewell gifts put in by people. Rosaline’s was a razor, Xiao Yang’s was a handful of candies, Meng Fan’s was a brand new pair of eye masks, and He Zhuo’s was a handful of glittering gems.
What Ji Tingyu gave was a third-class medal of honor.
He was riding on a horse, pulling a high-hanging silk thread in his hand. At the end of the thread was a kite. Under the kite hung a small cloth bag, which contained Sun Jingping’s ashes.
The sound of drums rang out from the prayer flags, Ji Tingyu pulled the silk thread tight and rode his horse wildly, the oncoming wind and snow blew the kite very high, and the ashes fell under the sky, like a cloud that would eventually leave the group.
This is a memorial service exclusively for the Press Department.
Every team member who is unwilling to leave here will disperse into the snow-capped mountains in this way. From now on, every howl of the wind and the breeze on Nivelle’s face will be the oath they recite together with their comrades who are moving forward in suffering.
-
The funeral was over and Shen Ting was about to leave.
He had been dragging his feet in returning to the military headquarters, and Howard had already sent three telegrams urging him to come, and he was almost there to come and get him himself.
Ji Tingyu still had some border defense engineering matters he wanted to discuss with Shen Ting, so he let He Zhuo lead the team back first, and he took a blueprint and squeezed in between him and Wuwu, acting like a big, shiny light bulb.
After finally asking all the questions he didn’t understand about the drawings, Ji Tingyu was already full of dog food and was about to go home when he was stopped by Shen Ting.
”Director Ji, you can actually ask Brother Zhuo about those questions. He is an expert in this area.”
”He also knows these?” Ji Tingyu was a little surprised and glanced at Shen Ting: “I heard that General Shen and He Zhuo were classmates in the military academy?”
”right.”
”Then you should know him well.”
”learn.”
”Then I want to ask Admiral Shen two questions? Is that convenient?”
”Of course it’s convenient.” Shen Ting looked like he had memorized the answers, so just come on,” and pushed up the brim of his hat. “Which one?”
Ji Tingyu: “…”
You might as well just show me the answer!
He felt it was so boring, and put on a crooked cat face: “You two have colluded, why should I ask.”
”It’s not collusion. Brother Zhuo didn’t ask me to lie to you or hide anything. It’s just that there are some things he wants to tell you in person.”
”Ha, he’s really very particular.”
Shen Ting laughed: “What do you want to ask? Is it a personal matter?”
”Whether it’s private or not… it’s hard to say.” The cat’s nose was flushed, and its ears stood up and then down, down and up again, twisted into two knots: “I just want to ask, what does his pheromone smell like.”
”Pheromone?” Obviously this question was beyond Shen Ting’s expectations. He was stunned for a second, and then said frankly: “Sorry, Director Ji, I don’t know either.”
”You don’t know? Aren’t you brothers?”
”Not only do I not know, General Howard and Brother Zhuo’s mother don’t know either. To be precise, there is only one person in the world who can know what his pheromones smell like.”
”who?”
”you.”
”I…I?” Ji Tingyu’s eyes widened in surprise, and he said a tongue twister: “How come I don’t know that I know, how do you know that I know?”
He Zhuo did say something like “Only my partner can know the smell of my pheromones” before, but after they were together, He Zhuo had no intention of telling him.
”Maybe it’s not time yet.”
Shen Ting interrupted with an abrupt remark: “Brother Zhuo spent his childhood in Country F with his mother, a lady who always carried love poems and roses with her. In her opinion, reserving a privilege for a partner was the most romantic thing in the world.”
”Privileges? Like what?”
“For example, my wife owns a flower shop by the sea, and every day she would bring in a bunch of the freshest dahlias and put them on the display, but she never sold them.”
”Is it to be reserved for someone?”
”Yes, it was a gift she left for her deceased lover. It will never be sold out as long as it is not sold.”
Ji Tingyu blinked, and a soft force slowly stirred his heart.
A deceased lover, a gift that will never sell out, these words make people sad just by hearing them.
”I guess that lover must not be that bastard He Shifeng.” Ji Tingyu said disdainfully: “Although I miss him so much that he is dead.”
Shen Ting couldn’t help laughing: “Add one.”
”Fortunately, He Zhuo’s character is more influenced by his mother. If he was like his father, he would definitely be a disaster.” Ji Tingyu felt uncomfortable all over when he thought of He Gouzei.
”That’s true.” Shen Ting said softly, “Brother Zhuo has lived with our mother for ten years, and her romance has been ingrained in him. He once said: If I am lucky enough to meet the lover of my life in the future, I must give him a gift that no one else can copy as a privilege. It cannot be a flower that can be seen everywhere, or a vulgar item bought with money, because that is not unique enough.”
”So he thought of his own pheromones?”
”Yes.” Shen Ting raised his hand and pinched Wuwu, as if he was envious: “When he entered puberty and just differentiated into an alpha, he used drugs to cover up his own smell. No one can smell it except the lover he finally recognized.”
Ji Tingyu opened his mouth and his heart trembled for no reason.
Suddenly, a scene emerged in my mind: one night when he was recuperating in the hospital. The two of them were huddled in the narrow hospital bed, discussing what true love was under the dim night light.
Ji Tingyu said that love is a container that contains all kinds of emotions, and often makes a good person look like a crazy person, like you.
He Zhuo smiled and said: Then my container must not be very big.
Ji Tingyu asked him why?
He Zhuo replied: “Because I am too stingy. When I love someone, I will give him everything I have. Even if he loses or throws it away, others cannot pick up even a single bit.”
