Chapter 26

As the scenery rapidly retreated behind her, Xue Miaoyun felt a little dizzy. She was actually getting married—what a turn of events!

“Miaoyun, have some food. It’s lunchtime,” Cang Ling said, handing her a warm meat pie.

Xue Miaoyun took it, nibbling at it absentmindedly.

She glanced up at the man across from her. As expected, he was the youngest regimental officer in the entire army. She had only been slightly swayed before, and he had seized the opportunity, leaving no time for her to react.

“What’s wrong? Is it too dry? Drink some water. I’ll go get you some hot water,” he said, standing up and heading towards the door.

Xue Miaoyun watched his back. That waist, those legs. Well, it seemed she wasn’t at a disadvantage after all.

If only she could get all this without having to marry. But unfortunately, in this era, that was out of the question. Being a rogue was a major crime.

This train was a direct route, no transfers. This meant Xue Miaoyun would have to be on the train for several days. Even though the compartment was relatively quiet and comfortable, it couldn’t compare to being at home. Xue Miaoyun, with her sharp senses, found it even more uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Cang Ling took meticulous care of her. By the time they reached their destination and stepped out of the train station, Xue Miaoyun felt like she had been reborn.

“I’ll never leave the house unless absolutely necessary again. This is too tiring.”

Cang Ling furrowed his brow, looking as though he wanted to say something, but then he saw the pale expression on Xue Miaoyun’s face and swallowed his words.

“How about we rest in the county town for a night before heading home?”

Xue Miaoyun shook her head. “The guest house in the county town isn’t great. Let’s just go home.”

“Alright.” Cang Ling looked around, spotting a post office. He grabbed Xue Miaoyun’s hand and headed in that direction.

“What’s going on? This isn’t the right direction.”

“I’m waiting for someone.”

Xue Miaoyun remembered what Cang Ling had said about his comrades. Was he planning to meet one now?

Wasn’t this a bit too soon?

“Cang Ling.”

Before long, a military green jeep pulled up in front of them. The door to the driver’s seat opened, and a man who appeared to be around the same age as Cang Ling got out of the vehicle.

“Lu Chenghe,” Cang Ling nodded at the newcomer.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Lu Chenghe said with a cough, then his eyes widened slightly in surprise when he saw Xue Miaoyun’s beauty. No wonder Cang Ling, who was usually indifferent to women, had fallen for her.

“This is Xue Miaoyun, my wife.” Cang Ling was brief and to the point with everyone except Xue Miaoyun, sparing no extra words.

Lu Chenghe was used to it by now.

“Ah Yun, this is a childhood friend of mine. He works at the city government in G City. I’ll get him to pass you his contact information later. He has access to all the local office contacts, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to him.”

Xue Miaoyun naturally nodded and greeted Lu Chenghe.

Lu Chenghe, on the other hand, looked completely shocked. So Cang Ling wasn’t actually stingy with words after all?

“Little sister-in-law, if you need anything, just let me know. Tsk tsk, if I didn’t know you well, I’d think you were an imposter!” In the past, so many girls in the compound had tried to talk to Cang Ling more, but he had always been so cold and dismissive, ignoring them completely.

His arrogant attitude had made his childhood friends want to poke fun at him, though unfortunately, none of them could ever win in a fight.

Cang Ling glanced at him coldly but didn’t respond.

“You must be hungry. How about we eat something before heading back? I’ve noticed you haven’t eaten much on the way. You look pale and drained.” Cang Ling said, his tone soft with concern.

Xue Miaoyun didn’t have much of an appetite, but then she thought about how there was nothing at home—just an empty kitchen. If Cang Ling got hungry with nothing to eat, it would be inconvenient.

“Alright.” Xue Miaoyun added, “There’s nothing at home, so we might need to buy some food and supplies before we go back.”

After being in this world for so long, Xue Miaoyun didn’t really feel much sense of belonging. She had no family, and the house felt more like a temporary lodging than a home.

Although Grandpa Xue and some of the older relatives were kind to her, they had their own families, and the attention they gave her was already quite generous.

As for Zhao Fengnian and Xun Jinian, they were good people, but their positions meant they had to be cautious at this time.

So, this so-called home didn’t really hold much attachment for her.

Cang Ling glanced at her and said, “Alright, we’ll go buy some living supplies and food later.”

Lu Chenghe, trailing behind them, shook his head. He couldn’t help but think to himself how they should show people what the once-mighty figure in the compound had become. Steel had turned into softness, it seemed.

The three of them arrived at a state-run restaurant. There weren’t many people inside, and since none of them were familiar with the menu, they ordered four dishes—two meat and two vegetable.

The food tasted pretty good, especially a dish of chicken stewed with mushrooms, which was incredibly delicious.

Oh, she didn’t buy mushrooms for the space yet.

“Tsk, Cang Ling, I didn’t know you could be so considerate,” Lu Chenghe teased, knowing that it had always been others being considerate of him.

Cang Ling ignored Lu Chenghe’s teasing and placed a few pieces of chicken in Xue Miaoyun’s bowl.

“How’s everything lately?”

Lu Chenghe snorted, clearly amused by Cang Ling’s protectiveness.

“Same as always, nothing new. Just the usual stuff every day.”

“G City’s a good place, much quieter than Beijing. At times like this, anyone who doesn’t want to gamble won’t choose to go there.” The Lu family only had two male heirs, Chenghe and his younger cousin. Their elders would never allow him to wade through that mess.

Lu Chenghe knew this well, but he wasn’t interested in politics. He was the eldest grandson, and his family had already mapped out his path—either military or politics. Between the two, he chose politics for its relative freedom.

Unfortunately, after all these years, he was exhausted and had grown tired of keeping up the facade. He hoped that Chengmu would grow up quickly, with extraordinary talent, and carry the family forward.

Cang Ling understood his friend’s temperament very well. If he had to say, Chenghe’s political talent wasn’t bad, but he had been too spoiled as a child by his family.

It was easy to feel stifled, but where in this world was there such a thing as absolute freedom? Compared to many others, they were already very fortunate.

After finishing their meal, Xue Miaoyun watched as Cang Ling took the car keys from Lu Chenghe and glanced over at him as he left.

“This car?” she asked.

“I borrowed it,” Cang Ling replied, expertly starting the engine. “We’ll need it for the wedding preparations.”

It was also a form of intimidation. Cang Ling would be away for a while in the future, and this kind of display was necessary to deter anyone from causing trouble for Xue Miaoyun. Of course, this was just one step—there were other moves he planned to make later.

Using a car to handle wedding preparations was indeed a very extravagant thing in this era.

“Isn’t this a bit too high-profile?” Xue Miaoyun asked, her tone neutral. Since the marriage had already been decided, she wasn’t dwelling on it. If she was going through with it, so be it. And if anyone mistreated her, she’d simply divorce and leave the country.

“Being high-profile is exactly the point,” Cang Ling replied, his voice serious. “Once you’re alone at home, I won’t feel at ease. At times like this, a little intimidation goes a long way.”

Xue Miaoyun considered his words for a moment. “I’m strong enough. I should be able to ensure my own safety.”

“Strength alone isn’t enough,” Cang Ling said, his expression firm. “People can be treacherous.”