Chapter 17

Li Weimin glanced at the woman in Lu Wei’s arms and said teasingly, “Seriously, Commander Lu? You managed to wear her out this badly just on the ship? You just got married—you didn’t need to go that hard!”

Then he noticed the little guy standing by Lu Wei’s feet and didn’t have time to ask questions before—

Lu Wei’s face darkened. “Shut up and get the luggage.” With that, he carried Ye Zhi straight into the back seat.

Ye Xiaoding called out politely, “Uncle,” and under Lu Wei’s signal, got into the vehicle too.

Li Weimin didn’t dare slack off anymore. He quickly tossed their luggage into the back, jumped into the driver’s seat, and sped toward the military base.

Through the rearview mirror, he kept glancing at the girl Lu Wei was holding so tightly. No need to ask—this was definitely the childhood betrothal.

If his own wife hadn’t been around, Li Weimin wouldn’t have resisted mocking him a little.

Wasn’t this the same guy who used to rant about “feudalism”?

The louder he shouted back then, the harder the slap in the face now!

The way he was holding her, so carefully, so protectively—Li Weimin had known Lu Wei for years and had never seen him treat anyone like this.

Not even when he took a couple of bullets—he didn’t make a sound.

Li Weimin asked, “Is your wife alright? Want to take her to the base hospital?”

Lu Wei felt the woman in his arms tremble slightly. Looking down, he saw Ye Zhi biting her lip hard—she was clearly awake.

She must have been too embarrassed.

He subtly adjusted his hold, shielding her face from others’ view. “No need. Just drive to… to my courtyard.”

Before getting married, Lu Wei had been living in the dorms, sharing a room with another battalion commander.

But when he submitted the marriage report a few days ago, the political commissar happened to mention a courtyard had just become available and directly assigned it to him.

Li Weimin should have known about this.

Li Weimin glanced in the rearview mirror. “Got it.”

The jeep drove for about half an hour before pulling into the military compound and entering the family housing area.

There were rows of red-brick townhouses and also private courtyard homes.

Lu Wei’s new home was one of the stand-alone courtyard houses. The yard was spacious, but clearly overgrown with weeds—it had obviously been unoccupied for a while.

Lu Wei carried Ye Zhi out of the jeep and strode into the courtyard.

Li Weimin walked ahead to unlock the gate, saying, “A few days ago I had a few rookies come and tidy up a bit—just basic cleaning. You’ll probably need to organize things some more. We also moved your stuff from the dorm here, except for the locked cabinet. You’ll have to go through everything yourself later and check if anything’s missing.”

Lu Wei nodded. “Alright, I’ll handle it. You can head back.”

Li Weimin: “?? Come on, not even a cup of tea? Kicking me to the curb after I helped you?”

Lu Wei, still holding Ye Zhi, said grumpily, “You think there’s even tea in this house for you to drink?”

Ye Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She was fully awake now—but really didn’t want to face anyone…

And to be honest, she had no strength left either. Being held in Lu Wei’s arms felt so comfortable, she didn’t want to move.

Li Weimin watched Lu Wei walk confidently into the largest room, then gently lay Ye Zhi onto the bed.

Lu Wei leaned close to her face and whispered, “I need to go handle some official work, and I’ll grab food from the cafeteria when I come back. Rest for now. We’ll deal with the house chores tomorrow.”

Li Weimin still wanted to sneak a peek at the so-called childhood fiancée to see what she looked like—but Lu Wei had already come out and closed the door behind him.

So stingy!

Li Weimin raised an eyebrow at him and whispered, “What? Married life already so blissful?”

Lu Wei couldn’t be bothered with him. Instead, he called Ye Xiaoding in from outside and gave him instructions to take care of Ye Zhi.

Lu Wei: “Xiaoding, stay with your aunt for a while. I have to go deal with some official duties. I’ll be back in about half an hour. If you’re hungry, eat some walnut pastries for now. I’ll bring food from the cafeteria later.”

“Oh, and—if anyone knocks, don’t open the door. Wait until I’m back.”

Ye Xiaoding nodded. “Okay, I got it.”

Then Lu Wei and Li Weimin walked toward the gate.

But as if suddenly remembering something, Lu Wei turned back, dug a few candies out of his bag, and stuffed them into Li Weimin’s hand. “Wedding candy.”

Li Weimin grinned. “Now that’s brotherhood.”

Meanwhile, at another corner of the family housing compound, a few women who saw Lu Wei and Li Weimin heading toward the political commissar’s office started whispering.

“I heard the Sixth Regiment’s Commander Lu just got married? They even gave him a courtyard? Who did he marry?”

“You didn’t hear? That was him walking by just now. I heard his grandfather arranged a childhood marriage for him, and he picked up the bride during his last mission.”

“A childhood marriage? In this day and age? I met my husband through free love. Isn’t Commander Lu tall and handsome? Why would he need a childhood betrothal?”

“I heard the fiancée is already 23 and still unmarried. If Old Master Lu hadn’t tracked down her family recently, she probably wouldn’t be married even now.”

“Twenty-three and still single in the countryside? Her conditions must be terrible to be considered an old maid. Commander Lu actually went through with it?”

“He was probably forced by his grandpa. I also heard she’s really ugly. When they arrived at the dock, she didn’t even dare show her face.”

“What a shame for Commander Lu. The women at the hospital and the propaganda office are all crazy about him!”

“Shame? With his temper? Good luck to any woman who marries him—they’d probably cry from frustration!”

Back in the house, Ye Zhi sat up once she heard Lu Wei and his comrade leave.

After sitting for a while, her dizziness lessened, and she finally began to examine the layout of the room.

It seemed to be a red-brick house. The interior walls had been covered with cement, so they looked relatively smooth. The roof was flat—not tiled.

The ceiling was nearly four meters high, making the room feel especially spacious.

The bed was a single bed—probably brought over from Lu Wei’s old dorm.

The bedding was all military green, likely the ones Lu Wei had used before.

Aside from the bed, there was only a single dresser in the room—nothing else—so the room felt particularly empty and large.

Ye Zhi climbed off the bed, slipped on her shoes, tidied her hair, and walked out into the living room.

Ye Xiaoding looked up when he heard the sound and said, “Auntie, why aren’t you resting? Uncle said he’d be back after handling some things.”

Ye Zhi walked over, patted his head, and said, “I’m feeling much better now. You keep playing—I’m going to look around.”

The house was quite large. The living room alone was over ten square meters. In the middle was an old Eight Immortals table with a few small stools around it, and that was all.

Not even a proper dining table—but the house did have space going for it.

Even though it was already after 7 p.m., the southern summer still held some daylight. She could see that the house was relatively clean—no spiderwebs, no water stains.

Other than the room where the bed had just been placed, there were two more rooms—three in total.

To the left of the living room was a kitchen, with a very large stove. The kitchen also had a door that opened into the yard.

Just as Ye Zhi was about to step outside to take a look around the courtyard, a middle-aged woman came walking toward her and began sizing her up.

The moment He Jinfeng saw Ye Zhi, she called out, “Aiyoh, what a pretty girl!”

Her thick Cantonese accent made it hard to tell she was even speaking Mandarin—thankfully, Ye Zhi could understand a little.

He Jinfeng, treating her like an old friend, asked directly, “You’re Commander Lu’s wife, right?”

Feeling the cool sea breeze, Ye Zhi’s mood improved. She smiled and replied, “Yes, I am. I’m Ye Zhi. And you are?”

He Jinfeng grinned. “Just call me Sister He. I live right next door. Aiyoh, you’re so pretty! And so pale and fair!”

Ye Zhi: ￥&%…

She didn’t quite know how to respond, so she just smiled politely.

He Jinfeng, encouraged by the smile, asked again, “Have you eaten yet? Just arrived? Where’s your Commander Lu?”

Ye Zhi answered with a gentle smile, “We just got here. Lu Wei went out to take care of something—he’ll be back shortly.”

Hearing her pleasant voice, He Jinfeng immediately took a liking to her. Seeing Ye Zhi’s fair, delicate skin made her even more delighted.

Upon hearing Ye Zhi hadn’t eaten yet, she asked, “Want to come eat at my place?”

Ye Zhi quickly replied, “No need. Lu Wei said he’d bring food back from the canteen. Thank you for your kindness.”

She could tell that Sister He meant well. It seemed that, going forward, their neighborhood relationship would be a good one.

He Jinfeng said, “Alright then. If you ever need anything, just call me. I live right here.” She pointed to the house on the left. “That’s mine.”

Their houses were the same design, but hers already had a built wall around the courtyard, so Ye Zhi couldn’t see what it looked like inside.

Ye Zhi nodded. “Got it, Sister He. I’ll drop by and visit you sometime.”

After Sister He left, Ye Zhi looked around at her own yard—it was overgrown with weeds.

But where weeds could grow, vegetables and melons could too. It was good soil.

She had bought several types of vegetable seeds back in Yangcheng. Once the yard was cleared and the soil turned, she’d pick a good day to plant them.

Just then, her stomach let out a loud growl.

—She was hungry.

Time to settle her first dinner on Qiongzhou Island.

Lu Wei and Li Weimin went together to the political commissar’s office.

Zhong Zhenguo had been waiting in his office, knowing Lu Wei was returning to the island today. When he heard the knock, he immediately invited Lu Wei and Li Weimin in.

He looked Lu Wei over and said with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes, “Commander Lu, newly married and looking mighty pleased with yourself. Everything settled at home?”

Lu Wei cleared his throat and replied, “Yes, everything’s settled.”

Zhong Zhenguo sipped tea from an enamel mug and asked, “How’s the courtyard? Satisfied?”

Lu Wei had married suddenly and wasn’t on base when it happened, so Zhong had taken the liberty of assigning him a bigger house.

After all, Lu Wei was a full regiment commander. A bigger place would be more comfortable.

Lu Wei nodded. “It’s very good.”

Zhong Zhenguo smiled. “That’s good. Now that you’re married, you’d better work on having kids. There’s plenty of space—and you can afford it.”

He knew Lu Wei was an only child, and because of that, his personality was quite intense.

The elders in the Lu family were hoping he’d have at least two children, so they wouldn’t end up with another fiercely independent Lu Wei.

Li Weimin added with a grin, “I already have two. You better catch up, or you’ll never keep up with me!”

Lu Wei gave a light scoff, loosening his collar. “We’ll see. No rush.”

They’d been married for days, and the only time Lu Wei kissed Ye Zhi was yesterday on the ship. The moment their lips touched, someone outside spoke, and Ye Zhi got so startled she dodged away.

Besides, their new house didn’t even have a proper bed yet. How were they supposed to “create” anything?

Zhong Zhenguo then asked, “During your layover in Yangcheng, did your wife meet Commander Lu and Deputy Director Shen?”

The commander and deputy director he referred to were Lu Wei’s parents.

Lu Wei replied concisely, “No.”

“Commander Lu is currently in the Southwest War Zone. My mother went to a conference in the capital. It’s not urgent—we’ll wait until next time.”

Zhong Zhenguo looked briefly puzzled, but quickly returned to normal. “Alright then. Next time.”

He knew this marriage had been arranged by Old Master Lu as a childhood betrothal. Back when Lu Wei had been hospitalized for injuries, the old man had already sent in the girl’s information.

But truthfully, Old Master Lu had taken a gamble.

Because at the beginning, Lu Wei had outright rejected this arranged marriage.

No one expected that during his recent mission, Lu Wei would suddenly decide to get married—he even called late at night, saying he wanted to fast-track the marriage procedure and finalize it right away.

The fiancée’s information had long been submitted, and her political background checked—there was no issue there.

The only unknown was what Lu Wei’s parents thought of it.

Now, judging from the fact that they knew their son and daughter-in-law would be passing through Yangcheng but still avoided them—one went early to the war zone, the other to a meeting—it seemed they weren’t particularly happy with their new daughter-in-law.

Zhong Zhenguo kept a neutral expression and continued discussing some official matters with Lu Wei.

After a while, Lu Wei said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back.”

Zhong smiled. “What’s the rush? I just made some tea—have a cup before you go.”

Lu Wei replied, “My wife hasn’t eaten yet. You two enjoy.”
With that, he headed straight for the door.

Seeing this, Li Weimin added, “Then I’ll head back too.”

Zhong Zhenguo looked at Lu Wei’s anxious departing figure and smiled, shaking his head.

The once cold-faced sniper had finally changed a little.

Li Weimin followed after Lu Wei and asked, “You didn’t take your wife to meet your parents?”

Lu Wei said irritably, “Didn’t I already say—they weren’t free?”

Li Weimin studied Lu Wei’s expression, then asked, “Could it be that your parents don’t like her?”

He wasn’t unaware—Lu Wei’s mother had been eagerly awaiting his marriage for ages, calling endlessly.

And while Commander Lu rarely said anything aloud, he would always send messages through the commissar. It was clear he cared.

Now that Lu Wei was finally married, they must be overjoyed.

Plus, since their son had a layover in Yangcheng before the boat ride, how could they possibly resist meeting his wife?

Lu Wei paused, gave Li Weimin a sideways glance, and said, “She’s my wife. As long as I like her, that’s enough.”
With that, he strode toward the canteen.

Li Weimin froze. Wait a second—did Lu Wei just say he liked her?

Oh ho—was this the legendary blooming of a stone-cold heart?

Li Weimin stomped his foot. He really should’ve gotten a good look at Lu Wei’s wife earlier. What kind of woman could make Lu Wei say something like that?

This guy must’ve fallen for her at first sight!

And to think he once called childhood betrothals “feudal nonsense.”

Hah—men.

…….

Meanwhile, Ye Zhi looked up at the twilight sky, now a rich, deep blue. The fading glow of sunset bathed the horizon, beautiful like a painting.

If she had a camera right now, she’d be snapping away endlessly.

When she arrived at the base earlier, she hadn’t had time to take in the surroundings. She still didn’t know exactly where she was.

But standing in the courtyard now, she could clearly hear the rustling of ocean waves. The sea breeze blew in from the direction of the main gate.

The shoreline must be right in front of the compound, though likely at some distance.

Ye Zhi had planned to make something to eat, but since Lu Wei said he’d bring food back from the canteen, she decided to wait.

She walked back inside. Although it was still somewhat bright outside, the interior had grown quite dim. As she entered the living room, she saw Ye Xiaoding sitting on the floor playing with a wooden toy—probably left behind by the previous tenant.

Earlier in the bedroom, Ye Zhi had noticed there were electric lights in the house. She searched around and finally found the pull cord for the living room lamp.

In this era, lights weren’t switched on with buttons, but with a dangling string. A hard pull downward would produce a “click” sound, and the light would come on.

Warm yellow light flooded the large living room. The previously dim space suddenly became much brighter, and Ye Zhi’s shadow stretched across the slightly rough cement wall.

Ye Xiaoding, still playing with the toy, suddenly felt the room brighten. He looked up and asked curiously, “Auntie, this house has electric lights too?”

The Ye family had always used kerosene lamps. It was only when they came to Yangcheng that Ye Xiaoding realized electric lights could even be installed in homes.

In Xitang Town, only state-run factories or public communes had electricity.

Ordinary households used kerosene lamps—and even lighting two or three of them didn’t come close to the brightness of one electric bulb.

Ye Zhi replied, “Yes, I just found out too.”

She watched as the filament bulb flickered twice, worried it might burn out.

Thankfully, it only blinked a bit before staying on.

But she didn’t know if the electricity here would be rationed or turned off at night.

Looking at Ye Xiaoding sitting directly on the red brick floor, Ye Zhi bent down and brought a small wooden stool over from beside the Eight Immortals table and placed it next to him. “Xiaoding, sit on the stool while you play—the floor hasn’t been swept yet.”

These red bricks absorbed moisture well. Even if you spilled water, it wouldn’t pool. But they dirtied easily and got dusty, so they needed to be swept often.

Still, in a humid seaside environment, this type of flooring was practical.

Ye Xiaoding, still focused on his toy, didn’t even look up. “No thanks. The floor’s cooler.”

Ye Zhi let him be. She needed to find a rag and wipe down the windows and furniture.

Earlier outside, she’d noticed a small brick basin with a faucet—likely used for daily chores.

She fetched a small rusty metal bucket from the kitchen and brought it to the basin to fill it with water for cleaning.

As soon as she turned on the faucet, spurts of rusty water gushed out—it hadn’t been used in ages.

She let it run for a while to flush it out before filling the bucket.

Just as she was about to carry the full bucket back inside, Ye Xiaoding ran out, took it from her hands, and said, “Auntie, I’ll carry it. Uncle told me to look after you. You rest—just tell me what you want cleaned.”

Watching the small, skinny boy struggling to carry the bucket inside, Ye Zhi chuckled. “I want to clean the doors and windows—are you even tall enough to reach them?”