Chapter 8

“Nian Nian, Cheng Jingmo!”

As soon as Yu Xiangnian turned her head, she saw a man in green military uniform carrying a bag of rice on his shoulder. One hand supported the bag of rice, while the other held five candied haws. He also carried a bucket of oil, a slab of pork belly, and a bag of brown sugar.

Cheng Jingmo walked out and took the bag of rice off the man’s shoulder. “Buying more things again?”

“It’s not for you. It’s for my sister and Xiao Jie.”

This man was none other than Yu Xiangnian’s third brother, Yu Xiangyang.

Speaking of Yu Xiangnian’s marriage with Cheng Jingmo, it was all thanks to Yu Xiangyang’s doing!

Both Yu Xiangyang and Cheng Jingmo were elite soldiers in the military, though Cheng Jingmo surpassed Yu Xiangyang in many respects.

Being proud and competitive, Yu Xiangyang naturally couldn’t accept this. He compared everything with Cheng Jingmo and frequently mentioned him at home, which caught the attention of the Yu family, especially Yu Xiangnian.

During a military competition, Cheng Jingmo’s outstanding performance caught Yu Xiangyang’s attention. Upon inquiring with his subordinates, he found out who Cheng Jingmo was.

Yu Xiangyang began secretly observing Cheng Jingmo, and the more he observed, the more he liked him. He even had Yu Xiangnian’s parents arrange for Cheng Jingmo to come to their house for dinner.

Thus, this arranged marriage began.

Thinking about this frustrating marriage, and looking at these two men in front of her, Yu Xiangnian’s suppressed anger flared up even more. She spoke with a blunt tone, “What are you here for?”

Her attitude didn’t raise any suspicions from Yu Xiangyang.

Her brother was used to her arrogance and rudeness!

“Tsk! Haven’t seen you in over a month, can’t I come to see you?” He handed the candied haws to Yu Xiangnian. “Hawthorn and jujube flavors, your favorites. Leave two strings for Xiao Jie.”

“Who likes candied haws?” She wasn’t a child!

However, seeing Yu Xiangyang sweating profusely, she reluctantly took the candied haws.

Yu Xiangyang then handed the other items to Cheng Jingmo. “Nian Nian likes shredded pork with green peppers, and I like braised pork with potatoes. Stew them together!”

Cheng Jingmo gave him a look. “You’re cooking?”

Yu Xiangyang said, “I need to talk to my sister and see how she’s been bullying you!”

Cheng Jingmo didn’t say anything more and went into the kitchen with the oil and meat. Sounds of chopping vegetables echoed from the kitchen.

Yu Xiangnian ate a string of candied haws. “You should go help him. He’s injured and yet you’re making him cook.”

Yu Xiangyang pulled up a chair and sat down casually. “He just got stabbed with a knife. Back then, he chased the criminal for hundreds of meters and subdued him. It’s been over ten days; there’s nothing to fear about cooking!”

“He’s bleeding again from his wound.”

“So what? Even if he gets stabbed again, cooking a meal is no big deal!”

Seeing Yu Xiangyang unmoved, Yu Xiangnian reluctantly let it go. “Next time you get stabbed, don’t be such a baby. Just do what needs to be done.”

Yu Xiangyang: “…”

Truly, his sister’s words!

But why did it feel like he was biased towards Cheng Jingmo?

After finishing a string of candied haws, Yu Xiangnian felt much better.

She put the remaining four strings into an enamel jar and stood up to help in the kitchen.

But just as she reached the kitchen door, Yu Xiangyang stopped her. “You’re pregnant. How can you do these things?”

Yu Xiangnian rolled her eyes. “Who said I’m pregnant?! Cheng Jingmo and I are perfectly innocent!”

Yu Xiangyang was stunned, his lips moved for a while before stuttering out a few words, “Is… is it Ding Yunfei’s?”

Then, his face changed, and he clenched his fist, hitting his other hand. “I’ll go kill him!”

With that, he turned to leave and find Ding Yunfei!

Yu Xiangnian couldn’t help but admire his thought process and quickly grabbed him. “I’m not pregnant!”

“Huh?!” Yu Xiangyang’s expression changed instantly, going through a myriad of emotions. “Then why did I hear early in the morning that you were pregnant?”

“Cheng Jingmo, is my sister really pregnant?” Yu Xiangyang asked, leaning against the chopping board with the calmness of an old dog, indifferent to the matter, as Cheng Jingmo was slicing meat.

“I don’t know,” Cheng Jingmo replied.

Yu Xiangyang could only turn to Yu Xiangnian, his eyes filled with puzzlement and confusion.

Yu Xiangnian simply couldn’t stand seeing those two acting lovey-dovey in front of her, so she wanted to throw them off a bit. She hadn’t expected the gossip from these family members to spread so quickly. In just one day, even Yu Xiangyang, who rarely stayed in the family compound, knew about it.

She stated seriously, “She’s really not pregnant.”

Unseen by them, Cheng Jingmo’s eyebrows relaxed upon hearing those words.

“Then why is everyone saying you’re pregnant?” Yu Xiangyang asked.

Yu Xiangnian pulled Yu Xiangyang into the main hall and detailed what had happened the previous night.

Yu Xiangyang nodded in sudden realization. Yu Xiangnian could tell he now understood. Apparently, Yu Xiangyang also knew Dr. Wu and was surely aware of the relationship between Cheng Jingmo and Dr. Wu.

It seemed the rumors from the family members were true.

But why didn’t the original owner’s memories contain any information about Dr. Wu?

“Tell me about Dr. Wu,” Yu Xiangnian said emotionlessly.

Scratching his head, Yu Xiangyang said, “I don’t know much about this person. I heard her name is Wu Xiaomin, a sent-down youth to the countryside and also the niece of our political commissar’s wife. Because she knows a bit of medical skills, when the family compound’s clinic lacked a doctor, she made arrangements with the village and temporarily took up the position to treat minor illnesses for the family members.”

Yu Xiangnian wanted to gauge the family’s attitude, so she asked, “Brother, what if I divorce Cheng Jingmo?”

Yu Xiangyang widened his eyes in horror and shook his head vigorously. “That won’t work. Cheng Jingmo is our father’s carefully chosen son-in-law. If you try to divorce him, he’ll break your legs. Have you forgotten what he said before you got married?”

Yu Xiangnian felt distressed.

It seemed impossible to return home after a divorce, and she would have to avoid her father.

At that moment, Xiao Jie returned and threw himself into Yu Xiangyang’s arms. “Uncle Xiangyang!”

Yu Xiangyang hugged him and spun around a few times before setting him down. “Haven’t seen you in a month, and you’ve grown taller.”

“I’ve been eating well every day!”

Yu Xiangyang patted his head. “Good job. Go help your uncle in the kitchen.”

Yu Xiangnian said, “Why don’t you go? You’re making a child do the work.”

Yu Xiangyang smiled. “Then I’ll go too!”

And so, the three men busied themselves in the kitchen, while Yu Xiangnian sat dejectedly on a chair, waiting for dinner, contemplating what to do after a divorce.

When the meal was ready, there were four dishes on the table: braised pork, shredded pork with green peppers, cold cucumber salad, and a vegetable soup.

The chili peppers and cucumbers were grown in their own small courtyard, so they were very fresh.

The meat was brought by Yu Xiangyang, estimated to be about four catties (around 2 kg).

Nancheng was a coastal city in the south with relatively high temperatures. If the meat wasn’t cooked today, it would spoil by tomorrow morning.

Cheng Jingmo braised all the meat into a generous pot of red-cooked pork.

In those days, meals weren’t just plain rice; they were often mixed with corn or other grains like sweet potatoes, potatoes, or sorghum.

In this era where many families only ate meat once every few months, such a meal was considered luxurious.

But just as they were all ready to eat, they realized there weren’t enough bowls in the house.