Chapter 273: His Anticipation

Jiang Yao nodded, she could understand these facts. Many of the military members with not-so-ideal conditions would prefer the older housing, with one family per house and a yard area. You could rear chickens and ducks in the yard, and then grow your own produce in the vacant yard. That would save quite a sum of money on buying food, and naturally that would be why people preferred those kinds of accommodations.

“I had first picked which unit I wanted in the new building, and I chose the fifth floor, but not for the reasons that others would have thought. It wasn’t because I was nice or bullied into it, but because I thought you’d want a more quiet environment. The fifth floor is a bit higher, and would be quieter, and although it’s tiring to climb five floors everyday, it’s still better than climbing seven floors. It’s also good training on the body to climb the stairs everyday.”

When Lu Xingzhi was choosing the accommodation to move in, he had placed priority on Jiang Yao’s preference. Thinking back to the tree that had been cut down in the yard of the house, he also knew that she did not like the noise during summer. That was the reason he had chosen the fifth floor, specifically the unit on the right hand side where there were no big trees. The fifth floor was too high for most people who were lazy to climb, but Lu Xingzhi thought that it was just right.

There would be too many insects and mosquitoes for units in the third floor and below, while once summer hits, those insects that made noise the entire night in the trees would contribute to poor sleep throughout the night.

At that time, Lu Xingzhi was not sure that Jiang Yao would come over and stay for the weekend while she was studying in Jindo City, but he wanted to make sure he could avoid all of the above.

What if Jiang Yao had come on the rare occasion, but was instead annoyed by the environment in the platoon?

Once he had received the accommodations, he did not rush to renovate it or make any big changes either. All he did was sort out the necessary things, and he hoped that once Jiang Yao comes, they could sort out the details in a place that could possibly be their home for a very long time in the future.

Just like how the furnishing had been done in their new home, he hoped to see her picking the curtains, furniture, and decorate every corner of this house with his own eyes. He wanted to see her shadows and belonging in every nook and cranny of the house.

Every day after he had moved in, Lu Xingzhi had always been waiting for the day that Jiang Yao would receive the admission notice into Jindo Medical University.

Jiang Yao could not hear all the bits and pieces that Lu Xingzhi had thought of in his heart, but she could understand his feelings, and her guilt inside swelled bigger.

When she had enrolled in Nanjiang Medical University without telling anyone, the one that had most anticipated her presence in Jindo City had also been the first one to stand and speak up for her, and even lied to his parents that it had been done with his blessing.

This man had always hidden his anticipation and desire within himself, never telling her or letting her know. And yet, he had been enduring the hurt that she piled on him over and over again.

“Xingzhi~” Jiang Yao sang out, her voice slightly shaky as she gently embraced Lu Xingzhi, who was still rambling, “I’m sorry.”

The word ‘sorry’ was too light, too weightless, but apart from it, she did not know what other words could be used to express her feelings.

If she had never come here, to stand in this drab and empty house, she would never be able to personally experience the depth of anticipation that Lu Xingzhi had for her. She would never have been able to feel how much Lu Xingzhi desired for her to reciprocate these feelings and this marriage.

That he yearned and longed for her to be by his side, to integrate into his life and world, to be a warm and loving couple together with him.

“What’s with the apology all of a sudden?” Lu Xingzhi said, a rare smile on his face.

When he had initially seen the admission notice thrown in her face by Lu Yuqing, it was not that he did not feel a spark of anger inside, and it was not like he was not disappointed. Only, when he saw how crestfallen she had looked, he could not bear to blame her or make things difficult for her.