Chapter 81.2

After Tian Mai and the others left, Jiang Nian looked at the notebook again. When Ning Xiu got a bit older, she wanted to use Ge Mei’s help to introduce Ning Xiu to the world of design drawing. Maybe one day, Ning Xiu will achieve great success in this field.

That afternoon, Jiang Nian planned to make a simple meal for herself. He Yue’s daughter, Fang Xia, came over to invite her for lunch. As she was hesitating, He Yue arrived and pulled her along.

He Yue had cooked an extra dish for lunch. When Captain Fang returned, he saw Jiang Nian and apologized, “I’ve been too busy to water the field lately. Sorry about that.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “It’s okay.”

She felt a bit awkward because everyone had their own responsibilities.

He Yue, fearing Jiang Nian might overthink, added, “Old Fang has been really busy. Sometimes he doesn’t even have time to come home for lunch.”

Jiang Nian knew this. Captain Fang’s returns were often noticeable, but he had indeed come back less frequently over the past half month. She hadn’t given it much thought, but the couple’s explanations and the special lunch invitation made her feel a bit embarrassed.

After lunch, Fang Xia and Fang Guo went back to school, and Captain Fang rushed back to his duties. He Yue, after washing the dishes, said to Jiang Nian, “Let’s go to the private plot. I checked a few days ago, and our plots are overgrown with weeds. We need to clear them out, or the vegetables won’t grow well.”

Jiang Nian said, “I’ll go change my clothes.”

She put on a light brown shirt and pants instead of her patched jacket, grabbed a small spade, and went with He Yue to the private plot.

Since Lu Yu left, Jiang Nian hadn’t visited the private plot for half a month.

They walked past the cafeteria, where soldiers in military green uniforms were heading towards the camp. The military district in the Yuan city was large, well-organized, and spacious. The school wasn’t far from the private plot, and the teachers were specially recruited from the army.

He Yue’s plot was a couple of plots away from Jiang Nian’s. As they approached He Yue’s plot, He Yue said, “Hey, isn’t that Political Commissar Gu?”

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment and looked up. The weather was hot, and Gu Shizhou was wearing a white shirt with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his strong arms. He was carrying two buckets of water to irrigate the vegetable field in an orderly manner.

He Yue laughed, “Commander Lu arranged everything so well before he left; you don’t have to worry about anything. Look at my old Fang, both men, but what a difference.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “I’ll go take a look.”

He Yue said, “Go ahead.”

Jiang Nian ran to the edge of the field and happened to meet Gu Shizhou coming out. The man was a bit surprised to see her there.

He was tall, and Jiang Nian looked up with a smile, “Political Commissar Gu, thank you.”

Gu Shizhou’s face showed a smile. “It’s nothing. Chen Yao is busy today, so I came to water the vegetables.”

Jiang Nian felt a bit embarrassed but didn’t say much more. She thought about making a good meal to thank them when Lu Yu returned.

The midday sun was a bit harsh, and Jiang Nian faced the sun, squinting. As she raised her hand to shield her eyes, Gu Shizhou stepped aside to block the sunlight for her.

Gu Shizhou’s gaze lingered on Jiang Nian’s fair face for a few seconds. He looked at the small spade in her hand and said, “I heard about the literacy class incident.”

Jiang Nian was puzzled, “What incident?”

“Deputy Commander Ning’s family matters.”

Gu Shizhou mentioned it, and Jiang Nian understood. She smiled, “That’s all in the past.”

Gu Shizhou said, “As the political commissar of the Third Regiment, I want to thank you for handling a troublesome matter for us.”

This made Jiang Nian a bit embarrassed. She smiled, “I just didn’t want her to cause trouble for the regiment and for Lu Yu and the others.”

“You were right,” Gu Shizhou continued, “women can hold up half the sky.”

After that, he went to the well and drew two more buckets of water. Jiang Nian, snapping back to reality, ran over to help, feeling awkward just standing there while Gu Shizhou did all the work.

“Let me carry one,” Jiang Nian said.

But as soon as her hand touched the bucket, Gu Shizhou picked it up, glancing at her slender arms and legs. “Three or four trips will finish the job. No need for you to help.”

Standing by the well, Jiang Nian watched Gu Shizhou easily carry the buckets to the vegetable field. She bit her lip, feeling more awkward standing around while someone else did her work. Fortunately, Gu Shizhou finished watering in three trips. She thought he would leave, but to her surprise, he went into the field to pull out the weeds.

Jiang Nian: …

She awkwardly gripped her small spade and walked into the field. “Political Commissar Gu, I can handle the weeding. You should go back to the regiment.”

Gu Shizhou said, “No rush, I’ll finish soon.”

Jiang Nian: …

Not knowing what to say, she eventually moved to another part of the field to weed. Neither spoke, and Gu Shizhou quickly finished his side. He collected the weeds and then helped Jiang Nian clean up her side.

At this time, most people are taking a lunch break at home, and there are few people in the private plots.

Gu Shizhou bent down to pick up a pile of weeds and looked at the small figure squatting in the field. He said softly, “Professor Ling sent a letter a few days ago. He mentioned you.”

Jiang Nian was surprised and looked up at him. “How is the old professor?”

Standing opposite her, Gu Shizhou was backlit by the sun, making it hard to see his expression. She only heard him say, “He’s doing well and asked you to take care of yourself.”

Jiang Nian’s eyes curved into a smile. “No problem.”

Gu Shizhou’s dark eyes lingered on Jiang Nian’s smiling face for a few seconds before he looked away. “Younger sister-in-law, I’ll head back to the regiment now.”

Jiang Nian nodded, “Thank you, Political Commissar Gu.”

It wasn’t until Gu Shizhou left that Jiang Nian felt more at ease. Most of the work in the field was done. She gathered the remaining weeds, patted the dirt off her clothes, and went to find He Yue, who was also almost finished.

With not much left to do in the field, Jiang Nian spent the next few days at home working on the embroidery.

As dusk fell, the hallway outside became noisy, not with arguments but with lively chatter. Jiang Nian was washing dishes in the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. She opened it to see a woman with a smiling face, about her age, who looked very friendly.

Jiang Nian asked curiously, “Who are you?”

The woman smiled. “You must be Commander Lu’s wife. I live on the same floor, opposite Deputy Commander Luo. I’ve been away at my parents’ place for a while. I just got back today and heard from my husband that Commander Lu got married. I came over to introduce myself.”

She had a pleasant voice and a round, cute face, which made Jiang Nian instantly like her. Jiang Nian smiled, “Hello, I’m Jiang Nian.”

The woman smiled. “I’m Yue Qiao.”

After learning that Jiang Nian was two years older, she said, “I’ll call you Sister Jiang from now on. Calling you sister-in-law sounds too old.”

Jiang Nian laughed, “Okay.”

Hearing her call her Sister Jiang, Jiang Nian felt a sense of familiarity, as if she saw a shadow of Zhang Xiao in her.

Yue Qiao chatted for a while before leaving. Just then, He Yue opened her door and saw Yue Qiao. “Yue Qiao, you’re back.”

Yue Qiao smiled, “Sister He, I’m back.”

He Yue said, “You’ve been gone for more than two months, haven’t you?”

Yue Qiao said, “Three months.”

“How’s your mother’s leg?”

“Much better now. She can walk but can’t do heavy work. She can still cook. I was away for three months, and Lei Zhong wasn’t happy about it.”

Yue Qiao laughed and said goodbye to Jiang Nian before going home. Inside, Lei Zhong was cleaning. Seeing Yue Qiao, he put down the broom and ran over to hug her. Yue Qiao was startled and blushed, “It’s not even dark yet.”

Lei Zhong said, “I’ve drawn the curtains.”

Then he added, “You went back home just a few days after we got married. You were gone for three months, and I couldn’t come to visit you.”

Yue Qiao knew Lei Zhong had really been aggrieved this time. She kissed him on the cheek. “Let’s have a child.”

Lei Zhong smiled, “Right now.”

He hugged Yue Qiao and fell onto the bed. Yue Qiao panted slightly and said, “I saw Commander Lu’s wife. She is really beautiful. I wonder what she eats to have such fair skin.”

Lei Zhong, completely focused on intimacy, paid no attention to her words. Just as they were about to become even more intimate, there was a sudden sound of something breaking outside, startling Lei Zhong.

“Damn, that almost scared me to death.”

Yue Qiao: …

Outside, Guan Lu’s voice could be heard: “Are you happy now that it’s broken?”

Behind the door, Luo Xiaoyue stood, looking at the shattered glass bottle on the ground, feeling guilty. “Aunt Guan, I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Luo Chengyi came out and promptly cleaned up the broken pieces, telling Guan Lu, “It’s okay, I’ll buy you a new one tomorrow.”

Guan Lu pursed her lips and looked at Luo Xiaoyue, who had her head down and seemed very upset. She pushed Luo Chengyi’s hand away, “No need.”

She then went back inside.

Luo Xiaoyue looked at Luo Chengyi, “Dad, I didn’t mean to. I was just in a hurry and accidentally bumped into Aunt Guan, causing her to drop the bottle.” Her eyes turned red, as if she was about to cry.

Luo Chengyi glanced at the closed door where Guan Lu had gone inside, then softly said to Luo Xiaoyue, “It’s okay, I’ll buy a new one for Aunt Guan tomorrow. Go back and do your homework.”

Luo Xiaoyue smiled, “Okay.”