My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

"Oh, Shi Nian. You\'re here again. Not with your mother this time?"

Shi Nian gave the middle aged uncle a wide smile in greeting. [My mother has been busy lately.]

Because of her recent job transfer, Qiang Fei needed to put in more effort to integrate with the work environment. It really wasn\'t easy for her to work hard everyday.

The middle aged uncle named Peng Cheng was the one who selled oriental dishes in one of the stalls in the cafeteria. Shi Nian liked to eat his food and because she was unable to speak, people remembered her easily. Peng Cheng, this kind hearted uncle, treated her like normal and always gave her a bigger portion.

Peng Cheng cooked his dishes in the back kitchen. When he went out, his forehead was shiny with sweat as he asked. "What do you want to eat today?"

After Shi Nian placed her order, she waited by the side counter. Peng Cheng had a part time worker called Song Yongzheng. He was a student in the Sangzhe University affiliated to Shi Nian\'s school-to-be. He had a skinny built, clean cut hair with a face full of freckles and pimples.

Shi Nian detected early that Song Yongzheng didn\'t like her. She had felt it ever since the first few times she went to Uncle Peng\'s stall. Even though he would politely take her order, he would always ignore her afterward and give her condescending glances when he thought that Shi Nian wasn\'t looking.

Toward this kind of person who discriminated against people with disabilities, Shi Nian claimed that she didn\'t want to have anything to do with him.

"Good afternoon!" A familiar female voice sounded beside her and Shi Nian instinctively lifted her eyes to find Jiao Jiaying there. She was truly a very charming woman with a sweet and tender look. When she smiled, it looked like flowers were blooming by her side. "Hello there, Song Yongzheng. Can you take my order?"

Song Yongzheng\'s face reddened with a speed visible to naked eyes. "S—Sure. Uncle Peng is in the back kitchen. W—What do you want to eat?"

Jiao Jiaying lowered her head to read the menu. Her lips coated with lip gloss pouted subtly as she pondered. Song Yongzheng discreetly glanced at her, his eyes dotted with fascination.

Jiao Jiaying wore casual sportwear like when Shi Nian first saw her before, the tight legging hugged her long and slender legs, highlighting the curve of her hips and bust. "Then, I will have meal set B. Thank you."

Song Yongzheng hurriedly lowered his head and entered the order. "Y—You\'re welcome. You can sit first, I will bring it to you later."

Jiao Jiaying smiled sweeter until her eyes crinckled. "That\'s very kind of you."

The blush on Song Yongzheng\'s face travelled to his neck but because of his dark skin and face full of red pimples, it didn\'t look as conspicuous.

Shi Nian waited by the side, trying to make herself as small as possible. Alas, her wish was deemed unfulfilled when Jiao Jiaying turned to her with a smile. "Hello, I remember you. You\'re the one with Brother Xu last time, right?"

Shi Nian really wanted to ignore her, but her principle didn\'t allow her to do so. Thus, she could only smile and reply. [Yes, hello to you too.]

Jiao Jiaying\'s eyes widened in surprise. "You…can\'t talk?"

Shi Nian nodded, still with a smile that wasn\'t really a smile.

"Oh, I am sorry." Jiao Jiaying covered her mouth, embarrassed. Her cheeks were tinged in a light blush, making her eyes look brighter and more sincere. "My name is Jiao Jiaying. I am Brother Xu\'s childhood friend."

[My name is Shi Nian.] She and Xu Binchen…she pondered for a while. [He is my elder.]

"E—Elder?" Jiao Jiaying almost choked on her breath. "What do you mean by that? Oh I am sorry if I seem too eager, but Brother Xu hasn\'t returned here for more than a year and Granny Zhang—you know, the grandmother that was with me back then—missed him so much." She lowered her eyes bashfully and added. "I…miss him quite a lot too."

Shi Nian was rendered speechless.

If you miss him, why not say it to him directly? Why to me?

Fortunately, Peng Cheng rescued her from the awkward predicament by bringing out her meal. "Here you are, Shi Nian. I added some lean pork belly to your stir fry vegetables. You\'re too thin and it\'s only right to eat more. You don\'t mind, do you?"

Shi Nian looked at the dish in front of her and her appetite diminished by half. She forced herself to smile and nodded. [Thank you, Uncle Peng.]

Not giving Jiao Jiaying any chance to talk, she grabbed her tray and nodded perfunctorily at her. Then, she found another seat on the other side of the room. Here, they wouldn\'t be able to see her.

Shi Nian looked at the pieces of pork in her plate, her mind churning. Actually, it didn\'t look very much like…like the bloody raw meat in her memory. She gripped her spoon and fork tightly and tried to eat half a piece. The meat was cooked nicely into a deep brownish color, emitting warm vapor and delicious fragrant.

Shi Nian took a deep breath and brought it to her mouth. I can do this. I can\'t always keep myself from eating red meat or else people will get suspicious. Especially Qiang Fei. She could fool everyone else but her. Only Qiang Fei knew how much she loved barbeque, pork belly and all kinds of meat. But since she returned from the hospital, she hadn\'t touched even one bite of it.

Qiang Fei thought that it was due to the near death experience which changed her tastes. But…how long could she pretend? What if someday, people discovered her secret that what she ate back then was possibly…raw human flesh?

"Shi Nian?"

Shi Nian\'s hands trembled and her grip on the fork loosened. The meat fell back to the plate with a clang.

"Are you okay?" Jiao Jiaying put down her tray opposite her, worry tinged her voice. "Your complexion is so pale."

The tip of Shi Nian\'s fingers trembled faintly and her lips felt numb. She looked up at Jiao Jiaying and saw the coldness that was hidden beneath the fake worry she showed. Her hands clenched atop of the table as she pursed her lips tight..

"Are you uncomfortable?" The woman asked again. "By the way, may I sit here? I really want to talk with you more."

Shi Nian nodded stiffly. [Sorry, my stomach is just a bit uncomfortable.]

Contempt flashed through her eyes which was quickly covered by a concern inquiry. "Is that so? Autumn will be here soon and the weather has started to change. Many people have caught a cold nowadays, so you should take care of yourself more."

Shi Nian nodded and separated the meat from her plate full of vegetables. After that, she started to stuff herself mechanically. To be honest, after going through the scare, Shi Nian couldn\'t taste anything again. But it wasn\'t that Jiao Jiaying would care anyway.

They started to eat in silence.

Jiao Jiaying chewed her rice and spoke casually. "Right, do you know where Brother Xu lives now? He has so many houses that it\'s kind of hard to find him, you know."

Shi Nian blinked, her eyes lowered as she pondered.

This woman…she must have approached Shi Nian just to ask about Xu Binchen. If they were close like she said they were, then Xu Binchen must have told her his address, right? Now that he didn\'t, the only possibility was: she must have delusions regarding Xu Binchen.

Furthermore, Shi Nian sensed that Xu Binchen didn\'t seem too happy when he saw them last time. If she gave out Xu Binchen\'s address just like that, then wouldn\'t she be condemned by the man later on?!

For the sake of her survival, Shi Nian chose to lie. [I am sorry. Actually, I am not very close to him.]

"Oh? But he said that you\'re under his care."

[Right, he\'s quite close to my mother. My mother is busy so he occasionally checks up on me.] Sorry, mother. You ought to carry this blame for now, Shi Nian grimaced silently.

"Y-Your father?" Jiao Jiaying was surprised for real this time.

[My father...he has passed away even before I was born.] Shi Nian showed a sad puppy doe eyes.

"You…how old are you?"

Shi Nian gave her an innocent look. [I am already 16 but Uncle Xu still treats me like a child.]

Jiao Jiaying choked and coughed.

Shi Nian smiled triumphantly. First, she said that Xu Binchen was close with her mother, and then she called Xu Binchen \'uncle\'. Wouldn\'t everyone who heard it have a certain kind of conclusion?

As she expected, Jiao Jiaying\'s face turned green and she ate her meal quietly, her whole body shrouded in confusion as if she didn\'t want to see reality. The corner of Shi Nian\'s lips curled up and her mood brightened so much that she wanted to hum.

She must told Xu Binchen later when he\'s back! See if the man would give her some reward for warding off this rotten peach blossom[1] for him!

[1] Rotten peach blossom = romance but not the kind you want :)