Chapter 13

Chapter 13: She Had Always Thought a Man’s Adam’s Apple Was His Most Seductive Feature
Inside the bamboo house, Uncle Kan Yong watched the two from afar—a truly pleasing sight. A smile of contentment graced his lips as he gently set down the hammer he had just picked up; this was not the moment for the sound of forging.
It might scare them.
At Yi Ying’s small restaurant, Liang Youyun chose a refined seat by the window and sat down.
This was her favorite spot; whenever it was unoccupied, she would always choose to sit here, as from this window one could see the Nanla River shimmering with silver light.
After ordering several specialty dishes, Youyun asked Jiang Muhe if he wanted to add anything and recommended the sour soup rice noodles to him. He agreed, so she ordered a portion for him.
The waiter took the menu away.
Sister Yiying, standing behind the counter, spotted Liang Youyun but didn’t recognize the man sitting opposite her; Manle Village certainly had no such handsome fellow.
She pulled a pitcher of chilled mint lemonade from the refrigerated display case and brought it over.
“Secretary Xiao Liang!” Sister Yiying smiled. In her late thirties and still single, she boasted a slender figure that looked best in a tube skirt, forming a perfect S-curve. “Bringing a friend to dine?” Her gaze shifted to the handsome man. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“Oh, no, no!”
Youyun quickly denied it, knowing that Sister Yiying liked to tease her, and hurriedly explained, “Just a friend; he’s from the neighboring village.”
Then she turned to Jiang Muhe and said, “This is Sister Yiying, the shop owner. We’re close friends. Uh… her cooking is really delicious; you should try it later.”
“Hello,” Jiang Muhe nodded, offering a polite greeting.
“Hello, you’re so handsome. This is the first time such a good-looking customer has ever come to my shop.” Yi Ying’s eyes could hardly tear themselves away. “Oh, I mean, the kind of handsome that’s truly masculine.”
Muhe hesitated slightly, caught off guard by her candid compliment: “Thank you, boss. You look great too.”
“Really? Then tell me, where exactly do I look good?” Yi Ying placed her hands on her hips and struck a pose.
“Alright, sis, you’re going to scare him like that,” Youyun whispered, pressing her palms together in a gesture of pleading surrender.
Yi Ying covered her mouth and laughed. “I think I scared you! Your face is all red!”
Youyun fell for the trick and instinctively reached up to touch her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Muhe smile softly.
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.” Yi Ying poured the mint lemonade into both their glasses. “On the house! Enjoy your meal!”
“Thank you, sister!”
After seeing Yi Ying off, with the dishes yet to arrive, the two fell into a brief silence.
Liang Youyun clasped her hands together, unsure of what to say or which topic to broach first. She looked up to see Jiang Muhe turn his face toward the window, gazing at the distant Nanla River.
His face was taut and lean, with a smooth jawline and a neck of just the right length. In profile, his nose stood out prominently—not sharply upturned, but defined by a perfect arc between the bridge and the tip, with nostrils subtly narrowed, lending his features a striking three-dimensional quality.
Liang Youyun couldn’t help but observe him. The first time they met, his face was covered in dirt, so she couldn’t make out his features clearly. The second encounter happened at night; with the limited lighting inside the car, she could only discern his general silhouette.
She had only heard about Jiang Muhe’s good looks from others. Yuxiang said he was handsome, and Sister Yiying agreed.
Now, seeing him in person, she realized everyone was right; he truly possessed striking features.
The sun slanted in, casting its light upon his side. His skin wasn’t fair, but it looked healthy, glowing with a faint pink hue under the sunlight.
He leaned back casually, propping himself up on his right arm, while his right thumb and forefinger instinctively traced the contour of his Adam’s apple.
Perhaps it tickled, for faint red marks from scratching appeared on the skin there; or perhaps he was simply toying with it, as his fingers followed the movement of his Adam’s apple, catching it then releasing it, only to catch it again.
Youyun watched, utterly captivated.
She had always considered a man’s Adam’s apple his most sensual feature—fragile and sensitive, concealing within its subtle movements those thoughts too difficult to put into words.
Jiang Muhe withdrew his gaze from the window and turned to look at her.
His eyes were crystal clear and bright. The double eyelids had slightly folded and receded with age, leaving only a lingering charm at the outer corners. He possessed beautiful under-eye bags, which prevented his eyes from appearing as deeply set as his nose, cheeks, and brow bone, instead revealing a hint of kindness.
As if stung, Youyun hastily turned her face away, refusing to meet his gaze.
Her mouth dry and throat parched, she lifted her cup and took a sip of mint lemon water.
Slightly startled by that gaze again, she quickly covered up, saying, “It’s my fault. I’ve been too busy these past few days and didn’t schedule a meeting with you in time, but I haven’t forgotten. This time, I definitely won’t.”
Jiang Muhe lowered his eyes and smiled faintly. “Let’s drop the ‘you’—it makes me feel old.”
Youyun felt awkward. “Oh, no, you’re not old at all. You’re very young, at least you look it.”
Though she didn’t know his actual age, her attempt to cover up only made things more obvious. Embarrassed, she looked down with a smile. “Then I won’t be so formal with you from now on.”
Jiang Muhe relaxed his arms, clasping his hands together, and said to her, “The scenery here is truly beautiful. Come to think of it, this is actually my first time visiting Manle Village.”
Youyun smiled and teased, “Perhaps it just wasn’t on your route!”
Her ability to pick up and immediately use what she’d just learned was unmatched. She saw Jiang Muhe nod with a smile, affirming her response.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you. Do you have any other plans for the weekend?” he asked.
“Not at all,” Youyun said. “I’ve just been resting at home these past two days, not going anywhere. I was exhausted from the last couple of weeks, so I needed a break.”
Jiang Muhe didn’t ask anything further. Instead, gazing out the window at the Nanla River, he remarked, “I heard there’s an RV resort camp over there, as well as the Wangtianshu Scenic Area. Have you been to either?”
Youyun nodded. “Yes, mostly for work reasons—flood prevention during the rainy season, equipment maintenance, things like that.”
After a moment’s thought, she added, “Both places are really enjoyable. The camp sometimes hosts small concerts, and the Wangtianshu Scenic Area is vast, featuring a suspension bridge 36 meters above the ground. It’s also a famous spot for photos.”
Jiang Muhe: “Did you go walk on that suspension bridge?”
“No, I was too scared; I have a bit of a fear of heights. But I really wanted to try it. Maybe because I’m leaving soon, it would be a pity not to see it.”
Mentioning her departure made Jiang Muhe slightly uneasy. After a pause, he asked, “Is there any possibility that your organization has projects here in Xishuangbanna, you know… the kind that could allow for long-term work?”
Youyun had indeed considered this question: “There probably will be in the future. After all, Zhang He has been waiting here for many years. He doesn’t want to return to Beijing; he wants to stay in Yunnan to care for his aging parents, so he’s always hoped the company would put him in charge of projects in the Yunnan region. But for now, that seems rather unlikely. Let’s just say the future holds promise!”
Muhe nodded, lifted his glass to sip the iced mint lemon water. The chill reddened his lips, both upper and lower full and plump; as they parted slightly, glimpses of his white teeth could be seen.
“So, even if there’s a project, Director Zhang will be the one handling it?” he asked again.
Youyun wasn’t sure and couldn’t fathom why he was so fixated on the question, so she hesitated before replying, “Most likely, yes.”
She also recalled that Zhang He needed his help, so she seized the moment to add, “Actually, Zhang He is a good person. He’s not the type to play tricks.”
Jiang Muhe raised an eyebrow. “Have you known each other for long?”
“Hmm, it’s been over ten years.”
“…That long.” He lowered his head, twirling the cup with his fingers.
“We graduated from the same school and later worked at the same organization. I joined two years before him, and I’m also older.”
“He looks older than you.”
Youyun chuckled softly. “Thanks!” She explained, “Maybe it’s because I’ve gained some weight here. When you put on a little weight, the wrinkles on your face fade, making you look younger!”
“Fat?” He leaned back slightly, his brows furrowing as if carefully examining her. “I think you’re just right.”
It was at that moment Liang Youyun noticed his expression—the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, the horizontal lines on his forehead, and his perpetually tense lips and cheeks. Suddenly, she began to understand what Sister Ying had meant earlier by “masculine charm.” She also felt ashamed of her own insensitivity toward men, realizing she had wasted all those previous relationships with boyfriends.
“When I was in Beijing, I weighed less than 100 jin. You can imagine what my face looked like when it was two sizes smaller,” she explained. “Besides, when you carried me on your back that day, didn’t I feel heavy?”
The question caught Jiang Muhe off guard; he had never considered such a possibility. She weighed less than the load he carried during training, so how could she possibly be heavy? Moreover, this was simply how he had always operated. Before his retirement, his individual combat load sometimes reached a hundred jin, and during actual operations, with the addition of body armor, weapons, ammunition, and survival gear, the burden was even greater.
He shook his head. “No.”
It didn’t feel heavy, only hot. Oppressively hot, humid and stifling. Her body heat, her tears.
As the dishes were served one by one, Liang Youyun clinked glasses with him and said, “Thank you again!”
Jiang Muhe accepted graciously, replying, “You’re welcome.”
The meal at Sister Yi’s house was truly delicious; even Jiang Muhe, a man who runs a restaurant and often cooks himself, admitted it was hard to replicate such a refreshing “nanmi.”
“Nanmi” refers to dipping sauce, an essential condiment for the Dai people’s meals. There are many varieties of nanmi, including tomato-based, sesame-based, and sour bamboo shoot sauces. These can be stored long-term in the refrigerator and possess unique health-promoting and medicinal properties.
As they ate, they chatted. During their conversation, Youyun learned that Jiang Muhe’s father had served early in his career with local military units. After receiving a promotion, the entire family moved into a military compound in Beijing. Later, after his father retired from the army, he went into business.
“They were always busy, too busy to care for me, and still are. Since I enlisted at nineteen, I’ve rarely returned home.”
He stopped there, saying no more. He certainly didn’t mention the comrade who had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Youyun, sensible as she was, knew better than to pry into old wounds.
Moreover, Jiang Muhe hadn’t asked her any deeply personal questions about her family, past relationships, or hobbies. Instead, they simply chatted about various sights and amusing anecdotes from Xishuangbanna.
This made Youyun feel relaxed and at ease; it was just casual conversation between friends. She appreciated topics that weren’t pointed or probing, favoring this kind of gentle, steady way of connecting with others.
When it came time to pay, Sister Yiying grabbed Youyun at the counter, leaned in close, and whispered so softly it was barely audible: “Are you sure he’s not your boyfriend? Or maybe someone you’re meeting through a blind date?”
“Mm, no.” Youyun offered a bitter smile, utterly certain.
Yiying let out a long sigh of relief, her gaze drifting directly toward Jiang Muhe, who was still sitting in the private booth enjoying the view. Stroking her chin thoughtfully, she mused, “Then shall I go ask for his WeChat?”
“…Suit yourself.” Youyun shrugged, making no attempt to hide her indifference. “Or I could ask him for you.”
Yi Ying’s lips curved into a smile like a crescent moon rising; she winked at her and said, “Cai~” (Okay).
When Liang Youyun and Jiang Muhe reached the restaurant entrance, Yi Ying indeed followed. Knowing what she intended, Youyun instinctively stepped back, making room for them.
To create an opportunity for the two of them.
Jiang Muhe keenly noticed this subtle gesture. His gaze swept across Youyun’s face as he silently took half a step back.
Yi Ying, with her sharp eyes taking in everything and the clarity of an outsider, could no longer hold back upon seeing this scene and burst into giggles.
She simply put her arm around Youyun’s shoulders and said to Jiang Muhe, “Oh, handsome guy, why are you following so closely? I’m not going to eat her!”
“Huh?” Youyun didn’t understand what she meant, but seeing Jiang Muhe lower his head with an embarrassed smile, she quickly explained, “Sister Yi Ying, we’re really just ordinary friends.” Then she asked puzzledly, “Sister, weren’t you going to ask for his WeChat…”
“Alright, my dear sister! Go enjoy your date!” Yi Ying interrupted, patting Youyun on the shoulder, then turned to Jiang Muhe and asked, “So, handsome guy, did you have a good meal?”
Muhe: “Excellent.”
Yi Ying smiled radiantly: “The food is great, the scenery is beautiful, and the company even better. Do come back often!”
“Certainly.” Jiang Muhe smiled at her, a hint of discomfort at being seen through, then turned to Youyun: “Thank you for treating us.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Shall we take a walk outside?” he suggested.
“Good.”
Yi Ying waved goodbye to the pair. Watching the handsome man stroll leisurely from the window, she recalled the half-step backward he had taken earlier and chuckled to herself. This man was truly meticulous; a full step back would have seemed rude, but half a step was just right—it saved her face while clearly stating his position. Possessing both deep reserve and strong possessiveness, the straightforward Secretary Liang was likely in for a rough time.