Chapter 76

If it weren’t for everyone else going, Jiang Suihan wouldn’t have felt obligated to go. On such a cold day, she would rather stay home, enjoy the warmth of the fire, and roast sweet potatoes and corn.

Xu Zhao helped her wrap her scarf tighter, and pretended to accidentally touch the small ball of fur on her woolen hat: “Let’s go.”

When they arrived at the cafeteria, many people were already there, and the atmosphere was lively. The adults were gathered, making dumplings while chatting, and the children ran around, their laughter filling the room. Every face was beaming with joy.

Jiang Suihan, infected by the happy and cheerful atmosphere, couldn’t help but smile. “So many people!” she exclaimed.

Wu Guihua, who had a sharp eye, quickly called out to Jiang Suihan, “Xiao Jiang, you’re here, come here quickly.”

Jiang Suihan walked over and saw that they were making dumplings.

Seven or eight tables had been pushed together, and a group of women stood around, busy with their hands. On the tables were four or five round baskets filled with neatly arranged dumplings, their white, plump shapes showing the skill of experienced hands.

Wu Guihua nudged the person next to her and asked them to make room for her. “You’re just in time. We’re making dumplings. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Jiang Suihan looked a bit embarrassed. “I don’t know how to make dumplings.”

Someone immediately looked over in surprise: “You don’t know how to make dumplings? You’ve been married to Xu Zhao for half a year, right? How is it possible that you can’t even make dumplings?”

The woman looked genuinely shocked, as if she had assumed all married women should know how to make dumplings. After all, she had learned to make them when she was still a girl at home.

Another person chimed in, “I’ve heard that Deputy Commander Xu doesn’t let you do anything. I used to doubt it, but now I believe it. Xiao Jiang, you’ve been married for so long, it’s about time you learned how to be a wife. You can’t be lazy, or people will laugh at you.”

Wu Guihua shot that person a glare and quickly spoke up for Jiang Suihan. “What do you all know? Xiao Jiang is from the South. They don’t eat dumplings there. It’s only us Northerners who love them.”

It’s the New Year—can’t they keep their sour comments to themselves?

Jiang Suihan’s expression remained unchanged. “Sister Wu is right. I’m from the South. My family never eats dumplings.”

The woman, unwilling to back down, asked, “But Deputy Commander Xu is from the capital, and he’s a Northerner. If he wants dumplings, you can’t just tell him you don’t know how to make them, right?”

Jiang Suihan smiled faintly, her expression filled with happiness and sweetness. “Isn’t it fine if he can make them? The last time we had dumplings at home, he and my mother-in-law made them together. I just helped by handing things over.”

She then turned her head, giving the woman a pointed look. “Sister-in-law, do you need to be able to do everything in your household? You’re truly impressive! I’m not like you—I’m clumsy. But at least my parents gave me a bit of intelligence, so I can read books and hold a job. Fortunately, my family doesn’t mind my shortcomings and is willing to accept me as I am. I feel quite lucky. Don’t you think so, Sister-in-law?”

Everyone around, curious as ever, pricked up their ears. After hearing Jiang Suihan’s response, they instinctively distanced themselves a bit. They had misjudged her. This girl seemed quiet and easygoing, but she clearly wasn’t one to be trifled with.

The woman’s face flushed with anger. She silently fumed, thinking to herself, Another lazy woman who doesn’t respect her in-laws or take care of her husband. She only got lucky, using her pretty face to charm Xu Zhao into marrying her.

Wu Guihua quickly tried to smooth things over. “Alright, everyone. Stop chatting and finish these dumplings. Everyone’s waiting to eat.”

Jiang Suihan glanced over indifferently. One round, and her opponent was already retreating. Too weak—this wasn’t even fun.

Meanwhile, at the army hospital.

Wang Liying walked into the hospital room carrying a lunch box and glanced at the person lying in bed. “It’s time to eat.”

Wang Lijuan immediately threw off the blanket and stared at the door. “Has Jiang Suihan not come?”

Wang Liying, exhausted from dealing with her younger sister for the past few days, had also been scolded by her husband. In just two days, she seemed to have aged five or six years.

She no longer had the energy to get angry. No matter how furious she became, it was pointless, so why bother getting upset?

Wang Liying placed the lunch box on the table and opened the lid. “Why should she come to see you? Eat up. I made potato and chicken stew tonight. I know you like it.”

Wang Lijuan didn’t take the chopsticks handed to her. She stared at the door for a long time, and when she was sure Jiang Suihan wasn’t coming, she turned to question angrily, “How can she not come? Doesn’t she always pride herself on being kind and compassionate?”

Wang Liying set the chopsticks on the lid of the lunch box, rubbing her temples as a wave of fatigue washed over her. She answered patiently, “What does she have to do with you? Why should she come see you? It’s her choice whether or not to visit, and no one can force her.”

The previous night, her younger sister had suddenly rushed out of the door. Wang Liying had hurried to chase after her, but she hadn’t caught up in time. The worst-case scenario had occurred—thieves had broken into the base. In the ensuing chaos, one of them had fled into the family compound, and her younger sister had happened to run straight into him.

The fact that her sister was now lying injured in the hospital was entirely her own doing. It had nothing to do with Jiang Suihan, and Wang Liying knew better than to irrationally shift the blame onto others.

Wang Lijuan touched the deep wound on her neck, a look of resentment flashing across her face. Her voice was hoarse. “I got hurt because I was trying to save her. Doesn’t she owe me gratitude? If it weren’t for me, she’d be dead. I saved her life.”

At the city hospital, she had dreamed again. She had dreamt of a terrible robbery and murder on New Year’s Eve, where guns were stolen from the base, a soldier on duty was killed, and a family member was also killed. The family member who died was Jiang Suihan.

To confirm the reality of that dream, she behaved very well during that period, convincing her Second Sister that her condition had greatly improved. She seized the opportunity to suggest returning to the army to spend the New Year with her family, not wanting to stay alone in the hospital. Unable to withstand her pleas, her Sister eventually agreed.

What she regretted most was being too hasty last night—she should have waited longer. If she hadn’t appeared so suddenly, following the events of the dream, the one caught would have been Jiang Suihan. The suffering she was enduring now should have originally been Jiang Suihan’s to bear.

Wang Liying’s anger flared up, but remembering that her younger sister had a mental illness, and that the doctor had advised against upsetting her, she forcibly suppressed it.

She tried to speak as calmly as possible, “Your logic doesn’t hold. Jiang Suihan stayed home as instructed. Before Xu Zhao left, he specifically told her not to leave the house, no matter who called. So, how could the thief have gotten in? And with Xu Zhao and the others chasing right after him, given his skills and the number of people from the army, how could the thief have escaped? No matter how many times you say it, how is your injury in any way related to Jiang Suihan?”

Wang Liying took a deep breath, struggling to control her temper. “Please, little sister, I’m begging you—can you calm down and stop causing trouble? Your brother-in-law is furious. I’m overwhelmed by all this, and I don’t have the energy to argue with you. Once you’re feeling a bit better, you should go back home. Dad and Mom miss you.”

Last night’s incident had caused quite a stir in the army. Her husband had even been taken in for questioning. Though nothing came of it and he was released by noon, it was still a disgraceful matter. He had scolded her harshly, saying that she should never have softened and allowed her younger sister to stay at the army base, as it had caused all these problems.

She had cried for a long time at home, her eyes swollen. She didn’t refute her husband’s words—they were true. Not wanting to face the judgmental stares of the people in the family quarters, she waited until most had gone to the cafeteria before wrapping herself tightly in a scarf, keeping her head down, and heading to the hospital.

Wang Lijuan’s face immediately darkened. “I’m not going back.”

Go back and do what?

Get married, have children, live a life with her face turned toward the dirt and her back to the sky, spending her days revolving around the stove and kids. Within two or three years, she’d become just like the village women, a worn-out, yellow-faced housewife.

She refused to live a life she could predict from start to finish. Absolutely not.

Wang Liying’s expression soured, and her attitude became firm. “It’s not up to you. In a couple of days, I’ll have your brother-in-law buy your train ticket, and you’ll go home.”

Her little sister had to go. If she didn’t leave soon, her family would fall apart. Her husband had already made it clear: if her sister stayed in the family compound any longer, he wouldn’t hesitate to divorce her. His career couldn’t afford to be dragged down any further.

Veins bulged on Wang Lijuan’s forehead, her anger threatening to erupt. She grabbed her hair in frustration, her face contorting. “I’m not going back! Where’s Jiang Suihan? Get her to come see me! Is she hiding out of guilt, too afraid to face me? She should be dead by now! Why isn’t she dead yet?!”

Seeing her younger sister’s outburst, Wang Liying rushed forward and slapped her hard across the face—once, twice, and a third time—leaving Wang Lijuan completely stunned.

“Are you awake now?”

Wang Lijuan stared blankly at Wang Liying. “Sister, why did you hit me?”

Wang Liying’s right hand throbbed from the force of those slaps, her body trembling slightly. “If you’re awake, then eat something. You haven’t eaten anything all day.”

Seemingly frightened by her sister, Wang Lijuan, as if forgetting what had just happened, picked up her chopsticks and began eating.

Jiang Suihan looked at the dumplings she had made, finding it hard to believe they had come from her own hands. Compared to Wu Guihua’s plump, perfect dumplings, each neatly lined up on the bamboo tray like they had been made by a machine, hers looked like beggars crashing a grand banquet—everyone else was dressed in fine clothes, while her dumplings were ragged.

She laughed awkwardly. “It seems like my hands have a mind of their own.”

Her words made everyone around her laugh. They thought intellectuals had a way with words, making even a complaint sound humorous.

Wu Guihua also chuckled and comforted her, “It’s alright. Once they’re boiled, no one will be able to tell who made which ones. The filling is the same, so the taste won’t be any different.”

Jiang Suihan couldn’t help but smile at that. It made sense—after all, they would all end up in the same place, so the appearance wasn’t that important.

Having stood for over half an hour, she was starting to feel a bit tired and shifted her feet.

Xu Zhao walked over to her. “Come, I need to talk to you.”

The people nearby teased them with a laugh, “Go on, go on. Can’t even wait a little while before coming to find her—newlyweds are always like that.”

Jiang Suihan’s face flushed red like the evening sky as she followed behind him.