Chapter 70.3

Around ten o’clock, the city secretary and several leaders arrived. Jiang Nian was surprised to see Gu Shizhou among them.

He was dressed in an army-green uniform, with short, neat hair, and a handsome face that exuded a stern seriousness. When his dark eyes met Jiang Nian’s, the coldness in his expression softened a bit, and he gave her a slight nod as a greeting.

Jiang Nian smiled faintly.

The city secretary appeared to be about the same age as Ge Mei, with graying hair on both sides of his temples and eyes that had weathered many hardships. He had an air of authority that commanded respect without needing to be stern. Ge Mei, rarely this tense, stood with several leaders behind her as she explained the shop’s profits and scale over the past year.

A leader nearby said, “Secretary Zhu, please have some water.”

Secretary Zhu waved his hand. “No need.”

At that moment, everyone stood outside the cubicle. Dong Shu and the others noticed Gu Shizhou and remembered that he was associated with Jiang Nian’s partner. Now that he was with the city secretary, they all looked at Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian: ???

She was stunned for a moment, not understanding what Dong Shu and the others were looking at.

Ge Mei succinctly explained the profits and scale of the shop over the past half year and mentioned some overseas cooperation matters. Secretary Zhu said, “Not bad.”

There was an official tone in his voice, and it sounded very formal.

Secretary Zhu stood up, and the other leaders followed suit. Just when they thought the leaders were leaving, Secretary Zhu suddenly walked towards the embroiderers and stopped in front of Jiang Nian. “Are you the new Comrade Jiang?”

Jiang Nian was taken aback and looked up at the elderly man in front of her. “Yes.”

Everyone saw Secretary Zhu’s stern face break into a faint smile. “Not bad.”

And then he left.

Jiang Nian: ???

She instinctively looked at Gu Shizhou, who simply nodded at her and then walked away.

Jiang Nian was bewildered.

Not only was Jiang Nian confused, but Ge Mei also seemed at a loss. As she went to see the leaders off, Shu Xue and Su Na crowded around Jiang Nian, asking excitedly, “Jiang Nian, do you know the secretary? Are you related?”

Jiang Nian: …

She quickly shook her head. “No, I don’t know him.”

Fearing that if she didn’t deny it quickly, rumors would spread.

Fan Shan remarked, “I think you must know each other. Political Commissar Gu who was with your partner before is with the secretary and the others. I don’t believe it if you don’t know each other.”

Jiang Nian: …

After the city secretary’s inspection, Jiang Nian noticed that the other people in the shop looked at her differently, especially Jia Yuan. Previously, Jia Yuan’s eyes had held a bit of hostility when she looked at Jiang Nian. Now, even that trace of hostility had vanished.

Jia Yuan naturally didn’t dare to provoke Jiang Nian anymore.

Initially, Jia Yuan had flaunted her good in-laws everywhere. Since Jiang Nian arrived, she realized that her bragging couldn’t compare to Jiang Nian’s background.

Jia Yuan thought back to when Jiang Nian had threatened to report her for provocation. She had dismissed it at the time, thinking Jiang Nian was powerless. But now, seeing Jiang Nian’s connections, she realized that Jiang Nian could probably bypass several supervisors and report her directly to the city secretary. 

If that happened, not only would she be in trouble, but the entire Tong family would suffer, making her the scapegoat. The more Jia Yuan thought about it, the more frightened she became, feeling grateful she hadn’t continued to antagonize Jiang Nian.

At lunchtime, Jiang Nian took her lunchbox to the cafeteria. As she stepped out of the shop, she ran into Gu Shizhou coming from the opposite direction. He was tall and quickly closed the distance between them. Standing a head taller than her, he looked down at her with a slightly softened expression. “Is it convenient for you to go to the Red Star Hotel?”

Jiang Nian was surprised, her eyes lighting up with joy. “Is Lu Yu here?”

Gu Shizhou replied, “No, he’s busy these days.”

Jiang Nian hugged her lunchbox and responded with a disappointed “Oh.” Seeing the joy in her eyes fade, Gu Shizhou said, “Someone wants to meet you.”

Jiang Nian immediately thought of Secretary Zhu. She told Shu Xue and Su Na, “I’m going out for a bit. You two go ahead to the cafeteria.” 

She put her lunchbox back in the shop and followed Gu Shizhou. When they arrived at the Red Star Hotel, just as she expected, it was Secretary Zhu who wanted to see her. They chose a secluded spot, with Secretary Zhu and his secretary already seated. Gu Shizhou pulled out a chair for Jiang Nian to sit by the window.

Jiang Nian pressed her lips together and took a seat. Gu Shizhou sat next to her, and she could sense a faint, cool aura from him.

“Comrade Jiang,” Secretary Zhu smiled like an old fox, looking nothing like the stern figure he had been at the shop. “Where’s your hometown?”

Jiang Nian: …

Was this an interrogation?

Seeing her silence, Gu Shizhou reassured her, “Just tell Secretary Zhu, it’s fine.”

Jiang Nian glanced at Gu Shizhou, meeting his dark eyes. He nodded and smiled. “Secretary Zhu means no harm.”

The man next to Secretary Zhu stood up and said, “Secretary Zhu, I’ll go check on the food.”

Secretary Zhu nodded. “Alright.”

After the man left, Secretary Zhu continued to smile. “If you don’t want to say it, I’ll say it for you. Are you from Honggou Village, the second Commune, Feng County, Yun City?”

Jiang Nian’s eyelids twitched, and her heart skipped a beat. She nodded. “Yes.”

Secretary Zhu smiled. “Come, let’s toast with tea instead of wine.”

He raised his cup, and Gu Shizhou did the same, raising his cup to her.

Jiang Nian: ???

What was going on?

Hesitant, she picked up her cup. “Secretary Zhu, can you tell me why you wanted to see me?”

All this smiling, eating, and toasting was making her nervous.

Secretary Zhu laughed. “I won’t say much. This meal is to thank you for taking care of an old friend of mine.”

He clinked his cup against hers and drank. Gu Shizhou followed suit, drinking his cup of water. Jiang Nian, filled with confusion, drank her water as well. She set her cup down and asked softly, “Secretary Zhu, can you explain?”

Secretary Zhu smiled, but before he could speak, Gu Shizhou interjected, “I’m Professor Ling’s student.”

That one sentence cleared up everything for Jiang Nian.

She looked at Gu Shizhou in shock, then at Secretary Zhu, who smiled at her.

Jiang Nian pursed her lips. She knew how dangerous these times were. Professor Ling, exiled to the countryside and living in a cowshed, had all his close contacts investigated. At this sensitive time, everyone wanted to distance themselves, but Secretary Zhu and Gu Shizhou hadn’t.

Jiang Nian suddenly remembered Professor Ling mentioning Gu Shizhou’s name to Lu Yu in the cowshed.

Gu Shizhou had risked writing and sending things to the professor, and Secretary Zhu had taken the risk to mention the professor to her. It showed how much they cared for him.

Jiang Nian hadn’t expected the professor to be a local with such powerful connections.

Feeling undeserving, she said, “I didn’t help him much.”

Gu Shizhou said, “The professor mentioned in his letters that when he was exiled, living in the cowshed, everyone avoided him. Only you brought him food late at night. He also mentioned you and Lu Yu’s care over the past two years.”

He poured another cup of water. “I can’t drink due to work, so I’ll toast you with water again to thank you for taking care of him.”

He drank the entire cup.

Jiang Nian still felt unworthy.

The person who had secretly delivered food to Professor Ling late at night was not her but the original Jiang Nian.

There were only three of them at this meal. The other man never returned. After lunch, the other man re-entered. Secretary Zhu said, “If you need anything, you can contact Wang Wei. If there’s something I can help with, I’d be happy to.”

Jiang Nian smiled and exchanged a few words with Secretary Zhu before leaving. Gu Shizhou escorted her back to the shop.

In the afternoon, Shu Xue asked a few questions out of curiosity, but Jiang Nian deflected with excuses, avoiding mentioning her meeting with Secretary Zhu. The fewer people who knew about this, the better. She didn’t want to become the center of attention at the shop.

On Lu Yu’s day off, he arrived early in the morning.

Su Na spotted him outside the dormitory and called out to Jiang Nian, who was still dressing. “Your partner is here, outside the dormitory.”

Jiang Nian hurriedly finished dressing and, carrying an enamel basin, rushed out to see Lu Yu waiting outside. She waved at him. “Wait for me.” Then she dashed into the washroom.

The door was open, and Su Na’s words reached Sun Ying’s ears.

Sun Ying paused, curious about who Jiang Nian’s partner was. She walked out, supporting her pregnant belly, and saw Lu Yu standing outside the dormitory building. Despite not having seen him for half a year, he was still as handsome as ever. However, the cold sternness in his eyes had been replaced with gentleness.

That gentleness would never belong to her.

When Lu Yu glanced her way, Sun Ying clenched her fingers tightly. But his gaze merely skimmed over her, not lingering for even a second. Her face turned pale as she watched Jiang Nian run out of the washroom, hand her basin to Su Na, and sprint down the stairs.

Sun Ying watched as Jiang Nian ran up to Lu Yu, and the two of them held hands, leaving together.

Sun Ying’s knuckles turned white. From the first time she had visited the army to find Lu Yu, she had noticed the way he looked at Jiang Nian was unusual. They didn’t seem like in-laws. It turned out her suspicions were correct!

Why did everyone prefer Jiang Nian?

She was just a widow. How could she compare to herself?

In her dream, Jiang Nian had already committed suicide by hitting a wall. The dream felt so real, real enough to make her believe that was the truth, and everything she was seeing now was false.

Wu Youshan came back from the cafeteria with food and saw Sun Ying’s pale face. Thinking she was feeling unwell, he quickly stepped forward to support her. “It’s cold outside. Come in and sit down. I bought you some meat.”

Sun Ying pursed her lips and shook off Wu Youshan’s hand and walked into the dormitory.

Jiang Nian and Lu Yu had breakfast outside. She told Lu Yu about Secretary Zhu wanting to see her. Lu Yu said, “Gu Shizhou told me. You don’t need to feel burdened. Just go with the flow.”

Jiang Nian smiled. “Alright.”

After breakfast, she went to the embroidery shop. Lu Yu stayed in the city, accompanying her for lunch and dinner. He escorted her to the dormitory building, gently squeezing her soft fingers.”I asked yesterday, the marriage report will be available soon.”

At this, a smile spread in his eyes.

They hugged outside the dormitory for a while before Jiang Nian ran back in.

She thought Lu Yu’s “available soon” meant at least half a month. But three days later, Lu Yu called. It was just getting dark, and Jiang Nian was about to finish work and have dinner with Su Na. Hearing the phone ring, Su Na said, “Jiang Nian, it’s for you.”

Jiang Nian ran to answer the phone, barely having time to speak before hearing Lu Yu’s voice. “The marriage report came through. Jiang Nian, let’s get married.”