Chapter 62: Stirring Up a Commotion in the Military Base

From a young age, Xu Shu had always dreamed of becoming a soldier. He even aspired to serve in the remote regions of the motherland. Back in his grandfather’s generation, people were reluctant to join the army, especially after enduring years of brutal warfare. After more than a decade of hardship, very few young men remained, and Xu Shu’s grandfather was one of the survivors.

When he returned, he declined the official position offered by the organization. They had arranged for him to work in the county—at least as a secretary—but due to his illiteracy, he was limited in many aspects. He opted for a subsidy instead, not wanting to become a burden on the state.

Determined to change his family’s fate, he vowed to ensure his descendants would go to school and learn to read so they wouldn’t end up like him, bound to farming.

Over twenty years later, during a well-known counteroffensive battle, Xu Shu’s military aspirations aligned perfectly. He was drafted and turned out to be quite a clever young man. Influenced by his grandfather since childhood, he had developed some useful skills.

After serving for a few years, he went from being just a sergeant to a lieutenant due to his battlefield achievements. While not a high rank, it was still very respectable—especially considering he came from a poor family.

Back in the county, people started to look at the Xu family differently after learning about Xu Shu’s service and accomplishments.

Xu Shu had picked up the food earlier from the base’s canteen. He would never trouble others unnecessarily. He glanced at Xie Zhi, signaling him to call Xu Jiaojiao for dinner.

“Jiaojiao, time to eat,” came a clear voice from outside the room.

“Coming,” she called back quickly.

Xie Zhi helped his brother-in-law carry the dishes from the stove. Five dishes and one soup made for quite the feast, with a plate of fruit and some of the sausage sent by their mother already sliced and ready.

“Big Brother, did you make all this?” Xu Jiaojiao asked in awe.

Xu Shu laughed. “Nope. The base has a canteen. If it were up to my cooking, you’d be lucky to stay alive after eating.”

Xu Jiaojiao bit her chopsticks and grinned. “No worries! Hey, all those clothes and accessories inside… are they really for me?”

Xu Shu gave her a piece of pork head meat. “Of course, who else would they be for? I saw how other guys’ sisters and wives dressed, so naturally, Jiaojiao should have the same.”

“Oh my god! That means I have so many dresses now. Ah Zhi already bought me over ten, mom made five or six herself, and now you’ve added eight more—I won’t even be able to wear them all in a month!”

Thinking about her growing collection, Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes widened. This was the first time she realized that too many clothes could actually be a problem.

“It’s okay,” Xie Zhi comforted her. “We can mail the extra stuff back home once the train arrives. The packages should arrive around the same time.”

“Exactly! Girls should dress beautifully!” Xu Shu chimed in.

Suddenly, there was loud knocking at the door.

“Lieutenant Xu! Lieutenant Xu!” someone called urgently.

Xu Shu’s expression changed. He stood up immediately and opened the door to see a young patrol soldier standing there, soaked from the rain, his boots dripping onto the ground.

“What’s going on? Speak slowly.”

The young soldier chuckled, sidestepping to reveal ten or so more soldiers behind him. Their eyes sparkled as they tried to peer into the house.

“We heard your sister was visiting, Lieutenant. You’ve bragged so much about her, we couldn’t help but get curious. Since the rain got heavier, we figured we’d stop by and take shelter under your roof.”

“You scared the hell out of me—I thought something serious had happened.” Xu Shu gave him a light punch on the chest, then opened the door wider. “Come in.”

Yuan Li laughed awkwardly. “We won’t come in. Still on patrol, and we’ve got more ground to cover.” As he spoke, the group leaned against the doorway one by one, peeking inside in a rather comical lineup.

Xu Jiaojiao glanced toward the door, a faint smile playing on her lips. In front of strangers, she looked very quiet and composed.

Xie Zhi, however, kept a stern face. He didn’t say anything, knowing that soldiers rarely got visitors, and any relative showing up would cause a stir.

Yuan Li rubbed his eyes. She really was beautiful. Lieutenant Xu hadn’t been exaggerating—his sister looked like a fairy.

Xu Shu clicked his tongue and chuckled, kicking each of the young soldiers lightly as he scolded, “Look all you want, but don’t forget—my sister already has a fiancé.”

“Lieutenant Xu’s sister really is stunning—like a goddess!”

Xu Jiaojiao blushed with a pleased smile, a bit shy but still gracious. “Would you like to come in and eat with us? Or maybe have some candy?”

Yuan Li was nudged forward by his teammates and quickly responded, “No need for dinner, but candy—yes, please!”

“You’re shameless, Yuan Li!”

“Yeah! Candy is for little girls—what kind of man eats candy?”

“Hey, I was just being polite!” he retorted.

Transmigrated into the 70s: Becoming the Male Lead’s Doomed Fiancée Chapter 5Xu Jiaojiao grabbed a big bag of sweets and gave each soldier a handful. They instantly stood at attention in perfect military formation, not daring to look at her directly. Their ears turned bright red, making Jiaojiao laugh out loud.

“Big Brother, these guys are really funny.”

“Thank you, Sister! Thank you, Brother-in-law! Thank you, Lieutenant!” they shouted in unison, voices so loud they nearly lifted the roof. Then, they marched off in perfect unison, looking from behind like one person.

Xu Jiaojiao touched her ear and exchanged glances with the two men in the room. All three burst into laughter.

Outside the courtyard, the soldiers huddled together, whispering excitedly.

“Lieutenant Xu’s sister really is gorgeous—probably the most beautiful woman in the entire division.”

“Yeah, and she’s generous too. Look, I even got chocolate!”

“How many pieces did you get? I got eight!”

“Ha! I got ten. Guess she didn’t like you as much.”

“Bull! Look at your tiny pieces, then look at mine!”

“Yeah, her hand is only so big—of course some people got fewer pieces.”

The patrol leader, taking advantage of the commotion, popped a candy in his mouth and shook the rain off his coat with a serious face. “Enough. You’re all grown men—arguing over candy like kids. Let’s go finish our patrol.”

“Yes, sir!”

Back in the house, Xu Shu turned to Xie Zhi with a stern look. “Xie Zhi, are you planning to sleep in the same room as Jiaojiao tonight?”

His expression was like an old patriarch, scanning them both slowly and thoroughly.

Xu Jiaojiao immediately looked away, feeling guilty. In this era, even engaged couples rarely slept together. She tugged nervously at Xie Zhi’s sleeve, hoping he wouldn’t slip up. It wasn’t a big deal to sleep apart for a few nights.

Little did Xu Shu know, his carefully raised little sister had already been claimed by Xie Zhi.

Xie Zhi answered calmly, without batting an eye, “Big Brother, we’ve always shared a bed at home. We live in the neighboring courtyard.”

Xu Shu’s jaw clenched in frustration. “I don’t care what you do back home. Here, you’ll follow my rules. Three bedrooms—one for each of us.”

But it didn’t take long before the entire base was buzzing with gossip: Lieutenant Xu’s sister was as beautiful as a celestial maiden, incredibly sweet and generous. The news quickly overtook the previous hottest topic.

Within the family quarters, opinions were mixed. Some doubted whether she could be as amazing as the soldiers claimed. After all, when young men talked about any female visitor, they made her sound like a goddess. Still, since it was raining and no one could go out, the curiosity and speculation only grew.