Chapter 5

Lu Cheng was stunned by his nominal wife, whom he hadn’t seen in a year.

Back in her room, Wen Ning’s mind was in turmoil. She had never imagined that her original body’s husband would look exactly like the Great General, down to the last detail—even the small mole on his palm was identical.

Having accepted that she had transmigrated into a storybook, Wen Ning was now certain: the Great General had come too, but he didn’t recognize her.

Amnesia was a common trope in the storybooks she had read. It was precisely through memory loss that misunderstandings arose between the male and female leads, paving the way for poignant love stories.

As a devoted reader of such tales, she understood this all too well.

Alone in this unfamiliar dynasty, Wen Ning’s eyes grew warm. Finally seeing a familiar face here—someone who brought her comfort and a sense of security—she felt a surge of emotion.

…….

In the Jiang family, separated from the Wen family by a single wall, someone was feeling resentful.

“How did Wen Ning’s husband suddenly return?” Zhang Haiyan fumed inwardly. Her daughter’s grand wedding had been disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Regimental Commander Lu.

The moment he drove up in his jeep, no one cared about the battalion commander riding his old bicycle anymore.

To make matters worse, her battalion commander son-in-law had rushed to salute Wen Ning’s husband, treating him with utmost deference. Zhang Haiyan’s face darkened at the sight.

Jiang Rong, having just seen off the guests, returned to find her mother’s outburst. Resentment simmered within her too. “Why did he have to come today of all days? What terrible timing!”

“Exactly! Why couldn’t he have come earlier or later? He had to show up on your wedding day! All the neighbors were gawking at him, muttering about how lucky the Wen family is. The nerve! That regimental commander isn’t even related to them. What’s there to envy?”

“Mom, it’s fine. Wen Ning is foolish and dramatic. Even if she joins him at the military base, she won’t have it easy. Her good days won’t last long.” Jiang Rong recalled her past life, when Wen Ning had confided that Lu Cheng barely acknowledged her. Aside from sending monthly living expenses, he rarely saw her. This neglect had driven Wen Ning to make a fool of herself in the family compound, even plotting to cheat on him. Her eventual downfall had been inevitable.

In this life, she was determined to use Wen Ning to her advantage, but Wen Ning had been acting strangely these past few days. She wondered if Wen Ning’s fever had addled her mind.

“Qin Wu and I will join the military soon. When we do, I’ll make sure to sing Wen Ning’s praises to all the military families,” Jiang Rong said.

Zhang Haiyan’s face lit up. “That’s right! Make sure to sing her praises!”

On the other side of the wall, the Wen family was eager to boast about their wonderful son-in-law.

Lu Cheng might harbor resentment toward Wen Ning, but he held the Wen family in high regard. When he visited, he brought generous gifts: malted milk powder, milk candies, brown sugar, noodles, and two bags of premium flour—rare treats that the village rarely saw.

The Wen family’s dinner that evening was extraordinarily lavish, almost like a New Year’s feast. Braised pork, cured meat, steamed fish, and roasted pork belly filled the table. Mother Wen personally oversaw the preparations, determined to uphold her daughter’s honor.

Though the marriage hadn’t been ideal—they had essentially forced Regimental Commander Lu’s hand—the family needed to maintain their dignity. Moreover, the gifts Lu Cheng had brought showed his gratitude and proper manners.

This was the first truly lavish meal Wen Ning had enjoyed since her transmigration. As a princess in her past life, she had tasted every delicacy imaginable, yet she had always preferred lighter fare. But after two weeks without meat, she found herself craving it desperately.

Even though the dishes on the table couldn’t compare to the culinary skills of the chefs from her former estate, her craving for meat made up for everything.

The tender, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork dissolved in her mouth. Wen Ning chewed slowly, maintaining the dignified demeanor of a princess despite her hunger, much to the surprise of Second Sister-in-Law Wen.

Second Sister-in-Law Wen nudged her husband with her elbow and whispered, “Changping, look at Xiaomei. Even when she’s just eating, she’s so graceful.”

She couldn’t quite articulate why, but Wen Ning’s mannerisms were pleasing to watch, as if she were the pampered daughter of a wealthy landowner. Her refined eating habits stood in stark contrast to the others, who were wolfing down their food.

Yet Second Sister-in-Law Wen remembered Wen Ning’s less-than-elegant eating habits from the past.

“It must be because her husband is here,” Second Brother Wen interjected, confident in his understanding of his younger sister. “I was the same when I first visited your family. I barely dared to breathe, eating with exaggerated politeness, terrified of embarrassing myself.”

Second Sister-in-Law Wen’s eyes lit up. He was right! But hearing her husband reminisce about their early days together brought a blush to her cheeks. “With so many people around, don’t bring that up! It’s embarrassing.”

Wen Ning remained oblivious to her brother and sister-in-law’s hushed conversation, focused solely on the meat.

Having gone so long without meat, the savory aroma was overwhelmingly tempting.

Wen Ning stopped eating when Mother Wen brought up the topic of her joining the military.

“Xiao Lu, why is your family leave so short this time? I was hoping you could stay longer so Ningning could delay her departure.”

Lu Cheng had indeed taken a last-minute family leave after recovering from his injury, lasting only about ten days. After accounting for travel time, he had just eight days of rest. He had even made a quick trip to his hometown to visit relatives beforehand.

“The military has urgent missions. I need to return to standby.”

Father Wen’s expression turned serious at the mention of the military. “That’s absolutely necessary! The nation comes before family! Once Ningning joins you, you can focus on leading your troops. She’ll manage the household affairs. Rest assured!”

Mother Wen’s eyelid twitched at this. I just hope my daughter can handle household duties properly.

Wen Ning didn’t object to joining the military. After all, the Great General had arrived, and she would naturally follow him. But managing household affairs? She truly had no idea how.

After dinner, Mother Wen pulled Wen Ning aside and asked her to prepare an extra quilt for Lu Cheng to rest with her.

Wen Ning’s face flushed crimson. She had never shared a bed with a man before, even if that man was her Great General. In their past lives, they had only held hands and shared a single kiss on the cheek…

She had just met the Great General, who didn’t recognize her. She couldn’t quite describe the mix of emotions swirling within her. Her cherry lips parted slightly, but Lu Cheng stepped forward first.

“Mom, I need to wake up early every morning for running drills. I don’t want to disturb you, so I’ll sleep in the spare room in the east wing.”

“Oh dear, that won’t do at all.”

“It’s no trouble.”

Mother Wen and Lu Cheng went elsewhere to talk, while Wen Ning glared at his broad back as he walked away, letting out a soft “hmph.”

He’s avoiding me like the plague! As if I wanted to sleep with him anyway!

That night, Wen Ning fell asleep alone under her quilt. But in her dream, she saw the Great General descending like a divine warrior during a desperate moment when she was being assassinated, protecting her from harm. In that fleeting moment, the Great General in her dream suddenly transformed into Lu Cheng, clad in his green military uniform.

……

News of Lu Cheng’s visit to the Wen family spread like wildfire, drawing curious villagers and even the Brigade Commander to their door. After all, he was the Regimental Commander, a war hero who had fought the enemy—a man everyone respected.

Wen Ning listened to the villagers’ praise of Lu Cheng, cracking melon seeds as she listened intently to Tie Dan and Tie Hua’s stories.

Tie Dan exclaimed excitedly, “Aunt, Old Man Zhang at the village entrance said Uncle-in-law can take on an entire enemy platoon single-handedly! He’s incredibly strong! He could tear those Japanese devils apart with his bare hands!”

Tie Hua chimed in with her own piece of information: “Aunt, Aunt Liu says Uncle-in-law is the most accomplished man in our commune. He’s won every battle!”

Wen Ning, recalling the timeline from the book and Lu Cheng’s age, corrected Tie Dan: “Your uncle-in-law couldn’t have been tearing apart Japanese devils with his bare hands at seven years old, could he?”

Tie Dan, wise beyond his years, furrowed his brow and stubbornly defended his uncle-in-law’s heroic image: “I don’t care! He definitely did!”

Wen Ning: “…”

Though she knew rumors tended to exaggerate, Lu Cheng’s military achievements were undeniable. Wen Ning thought to herself that even a Great General would command troops with such brilliance here. He truly was the man she admired.

Everything about him was perfect, except for one glaring flaw: he didn’t remember her at all.

In fact, he seemed to despise her.

Sigh.

……

Once the departure date was set, Wen Ning easily obtained her referral letter. Lu Cheng took it to the train station to buy tickets.

But time was short, and they could only secure two hard-seat tickets.

The journey from Hongyuan County Town to Lu Cheng’s military base—the 326th Unit—would take three days and two nights by train, followed by several hours on a bus. It wouldn’t be an easy trip.

As Wen Ning listened to Mother Wen’s nagging, she grew curious about what trains and buses were, but she dared not ask, fearing she would reveal her ignorance.

“Remember what I’m telling you, dear. Settle down and live peacefully—no childish tantrums. Xiao Lu is reliable. As long as you behave properly, you’ll have good days ahead.”

Wen Ning knew this was true of Lu Cheng.

The book had described how Lu Cheng, though reluctant, had agreed to the marriage out of respect for his dying mother’s wishes. He had explained the situation to the original Wen Ning beforehand, and when she insisted on marrying him, he had granted her the title of Regimental Commander’s Wife, ensuring her comfort. He expected nothing more.

Lu Cheng took his responsibilities seriously.

Watching Mother Wen carefully fold her clothes, one by one, Wen Ning recalled her own mother from the Great Liang Dynasty. If she were to marry, her mother would undoubtedly offer the same heartfelt advice, her every thought dedicated to Wen Ning’s well-being.

Though she had only spent a little over two weeks with the Wen family, Wen Ning had already felt their warmth, especially Mother Wen’s.

“Mother…” Wen Ning’s single word carried the weight of two mothers.

“Alright, you’re all grown up now. Stop being so clingy,” Mother Wen said, understanding that her children and grandchildren had their own paths to follow. She couldn’t keep them by her side forever.

“Take this money.” Mother Wen pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, unfolded it to reveal a pile of loose bills, the largest being a ten-yuan note.

She counted out one ten-yuan note and seven or eight smaller bills, totaling twenty yuan. “Life with the military will undoubtedly be better than here, but you’ll also have more expenses. Xiao Lu is dependable, but you should keep some money for emergencies.”

“Thank you, Mother!” Wen Ning wrapped her arms around Mother Wen, a warm current flowing through her heart. “I’ll save it without Lu Cheng knowing. When I have money later, I’ll send some to you.”

“Oh, you have such a sweet tongue!” Mother Wen chuckled, offering one last piece of advice.

Wen Ning felt at peace as she prepared to leave with the Great General. But before she left, there was one important thing she needed to do.

……

Three days before Wen Ning and Lu Cheng’s departure, their neighbors, Jiang Rong and Qin Wu, had already left for their military posts.

Qin Wu and Lu Cheng were both soldiers stationed at the 326th Unit in Northland L Province. Lu Cheng was the Regimental Commander of the Third Regiment of the Second Brigade in the Heavy Artillery Unit, while Qin Wu commanded the Fourth Battalion of the Second Regiment of the First Brigade in the Reconnaissance Unit.

Though only a year apart in age, Lu Cheng had enlisted at fourteen and proven himself an exceptional talent. His illustrious combat record had earned him rapid promotions, and he was one of the few later recommended for advanced military theory studies at the Military Academy.

Qin Wu and Lu Cheng exchanged pleasantries and discussed military matters.

Meanwhile, Wen Ning held out her right hand, waiting for Jiang Rong to return the ration coupons. She scoffed, “Hand them over. After all the things you’ve taken from… me over the years, returning this pittance hardly balances the scales. You’re still coming out ahead.”

Jiang Rong reluctantly handed over the four-foot cloth coupon and two ounces of brown sugar ration tickets.

Studying the unfamiliar Wen Ning, she tentatively asked, “Ningning, do you really have to be so petty? What happened to you? You’ve become so calculating.”

Wen Ning let out a soft snort, as if hearing a joke. “These were mine to begin with. Is taking back what’s rightfully mine being petty?”