Chapter 20 I’m really fierce, I tell you

Jiang Fugui listened to Wang Juying, then turned to look at Jiang Peiyu.
“Daughter, have you thought it through?”
“Dad, I’ve thought it through.” Jiang Peiyu glanced at Lu Huaijin and then shyly nodded.

Matchmaker Wang Sanmei immediately lit up with joy upon seeing Peiyu nod.
“Oh my, that’s great! These two kids are a perfect match.”
“Since it’s agreed, then I’ll be waiting for your wedding banquet… hahaha…”

Just like that, the engagement was settled, and both families were very happy.
Li Shuzhen invited everyone to stay for dinner, then bustled off to the kitchen.
Seeing that she had nothing more to add to the conversation and feeling a bit awkward standing there, Jiang Peiyu followed her mother into the kitchen.

Lu Huaijin, seeing her leave, grew anxious. He hadn’t even had a chance to speak with her privately yet.
“Daughter, you came at just the right time. Go to Grandma Li’s store at the village entrance and buy a jin of salt,” Li Shuzhen said, handing her 20 cents.

Grandma Li was a pitiful woman. Her husband had died in battle when she was young, and later her son died of illness. She had lived alone ever since.
Now in her 60s, she struggled to survive. When the government allowed private business in 1979, the village helped her open a small shop at the entrance to get by.

Sitting in the main room, Lu Huaijin saw Peiyu leaving and immediately stood up, politely excused himself, and followed.

Wang Sanmei teased Wang Juying when she saw this.
“Look at your son—he’s serious about this, huh?”
Wang Juying was thrilled to see her son finally making a move.
“With such a beautiful fiancée, of course he needs to be attentive.”

The matchmaker laughed loudly.
“Haha, right, with such a pretty wife, he better be attentive, or someone else will snatch her away.”

Jiang Peiyu took the money and headed out, realizing Lu Huaijin was following. She kept her head down the entire way, occasionally sneaking glances at the man walking just half an arm’s length away.

Lu Huaijin noticed but didn’t expose her. If his future wife liked to look at him, he’d let her look.

At the small shop, Grandma Li wasn’t at the counter, so Jiang Peiyu called out,
“Grandma Li, are you here? I want to buy a jin of salt.”

Grandma Li heard her and came out from behind the curtain.
“Here, here—such a pretty young girl.” She started weighing the salt as she spoke.
“You must be the real daughter the Jiang family recently found…”
Then she glanced at Lu Huaijin standing behind her.
“Huaijin’s back, huh? Come to buy salt with your future wife?”

Jiang Peiyu blushed fiercely at those words and lowered her head in embarrassment.

Lu Huaijin, completely unfazed, replied,
“Yes, Grandma Li, I came to buy salt with my future wife.”

Grandma Li looked pleased.
“Good, good. You young people should cherish each other. Grandma Li will be waiting for your wedding banquet…”

After buying the salt, Jiang Peiyu walked back quickly with her head down, grumbling to herself,
“Shameless! Who’s his wife?”

Grandma Li watched their retreating backs, her gaze lingering as if remembering the past.
She could vaguely recall the first time she met her husband—she had been just as shy, head down, too afraid to speak.
In a flash, so many years had passed…

Lu Huaijin followed behind her, wanting to say something but not knowing how to start. His palms were sweating—this was harder than going into battle.

They were almost home. If he didn’t say something now, he’d be heading back to the army tomorrow, and who knows when he’d see her again.
He didn’t want to lose his bride-to-be just because he was tongue-tied. Where else could he find such a pretty and lively girl?

“Uh…”
“Hm?”
“…”

Jiang Peiyu waited for a while, but he never continued. They were barely ten meters from home when she got annoyed and kicked him lightly, rolling her eyes before running off.

Lu Huaijin chuckled softly and caught up in two quick steps, reaching out to grab her hand.

“What are you pulling me for?”
“Ahem… I’m going back to the army tomorrow…”
“Oh, and?” she responded with another eye-roll.

How could anyone be this cute? Unable to resist, Lu Huaijin reached out and ruffled her hair.

“Hey! Don’t touch my hair. My head can break, my blood can flow, but my hairstyle must remain!”
“Alright, alright, I won’t touch it again. Hahaha…”

Lu Huaijin pulled his hand back, unable to hold back his laughter.

Jiang Peiyu looked at him like he was crazy.
“What are you laughing at?”

“Alright, enough teasing. I’ll file a marriage request when I get back to the army.
Next time I return, we’ll get married.”

“Then I’ll take you with me to the army as a military spouse, okay?
The army just built a new housing unit with private courtyards.
Tell me what kind you like, and I’ll apply for it.”

As he said this, Lu Huaijin was incredibly nervous.
He worried that Peiyu, having grown up in the city and never endured hardship, might not be willing to follow him.

“Let’s make one thing clear: I don’t do cooking or laundry.”
“You don’t have to. When I’m home, I’ll cook and do the laundry.
When I’m not, you and the kids can eat in the mess hall.
I’ll buy you a washing machine too.”

Hearing this, Jiang Peiyu thought to herself,
This man’s not bad—he’s got the right idea.

“If the kids misbehave, I’ll definitely discipline them! I… I’m fierce, you know…” Jiang Peiyu said, deliberately making a mock fierce expression, trying to look intimidating but ending up more adorable than scary.

Seeing this, Lu Huaijin couldn’t help but chuckle softly, his chest rumbling with laughter.
“Hehe… alright, you can handle the kids however you want.
If they upset you or misbehave, feel free to smack them.
When you’re disciplining them, I won’t interfere at all.”

“After we get married, I’ll hand over my entire salary to you.
You can spend it however you like, buy whatever you want.
Right now, I earn 260 yuan a month, plus occasional bonuses and allowances—enough to support you and the kids.”

Seeing him agree to everything she said, Jiang Peiyu thought for a moment, then added:
“Then… can I sleep in every day until I naturally wake up?”
“Can I eat meat every day?”
“Will you let me win during arguments?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. You can wake up whenever you want.
Eat as much meat as you like. And I promise I’ll never argue with you.”

“Then… what if I get into a conflict with your mom? Like mother-in-law issues…
You can’t just blindly side with her—you have to stand with me.”

“Alright, my little empress, everything you said—I promise.
And from now on, you’ll always come first with me. Is that good enough?”

Hearing the satisfying answers, Jiang Peiyu broke into a bright, happy smile.
“But there’s one thing you said wrong…”

Lu Huaijin was confused. “Oh? Which part?”