Chapter 6

Lu Yu: ……

Jiang Nian who was still touring the 70s supply and marketing cooperative: ……

Jiang Nian immediately lowered her head and quietly said, “You misunderstood, I’m his sister-in-law.”

The sales clerk awkwardly pulled the corners of her mouth. She hadn’t considered the possibility of them being siblings-in-law, assuming instead that they were a couple. She’d worked in the supply and marketing cooperative for several years and had never seen a brother-in-law shopping with his sister-in-law.

Lu Yu picked up the items and noticed a set of clothes hanging on the wall, a short-sleeved shirt with a pink base and white flowers, and light gray pants. Remembering that Jiang Nian only had a small cloth bag with a few patched clothes, he said to the sales clerk, “Wrap up that set of clothes as well.”

The sales clerk was momentarily stunned, but seeing Lu Yu was serious, she quickly retrieved the clothes and packed them.

On the way back, Jiang Nian nervously clutched the hem of her clothes and softly said, “You don’t need to buy clothes for me. I have clothes to wear.”

Lu Yu replied, “You don’t have to feel burdened. I have enough savings from my salary.”

Walking behind Lu Yu, Jiang Nian glanced at his tall figure and couldn’t help but sigh.

—What a good man, but unfortunately, he’s just a character in a book.

Passing by the state-run food and vegetable stands, Lu Yu also bought two pounds of meat and a few vegetables.

They had bought quite a lot of things this time. Lu Yu carried a large bundle, and although Jiang Nian wanted to help, he refused. It took them a while to walk back to the family quarters.

The sun was setting, casting a red glow across half the sky.

Jiang Nian saw two people standing ahead. The man wearing a military green uniform was someone she recognized from the side profile as her neighbor, Xu Yan’s husband, Liu Qiang. The woman, wearing a yellow blouse with printed flowers and light hemp-colored straight pants, had her hair in two braids. She was holding Liu Qiang’s left arm, her left foot raised, and her expression showed some pain.

There was no need to guess, the woman close to Liu Qiang must be Zheng Hong.

Lu Yu walked over, his face expressionless as he glanced at Zheng Hong. She exaggerated her pained expression upon meeting Lu Yu’s dark, stern gaze, saying, “Deputy Commander Lu, I twisted my ankle. Sorry for the trouble.”

She spoke softly with a deliberately delicate tone.

Lu Yu shifted his gaze from her face to Liu Qiang, his deep voice cold, “Commander Song is looking for you. You should go now.”

Liu Qiang was taken aback, “I just came back from meeting Commander Song. Why is he looking for me again?”

Lu Yu’s eyes held a hint of reminder only Liu Qiang could understand, “You should ask Commander Song yourself.”

Liu Qiang quickly understood, “Oh, I’ll go right away.”

With that, he pulled his arm out of Zheng Hong’s grasp. She lost her support and stumbled forward, catching herself with her left foot to avoid falling.

Lu Yu glanced at her left foot, “Comrade Zheng Hong, if you can’t walk, I can call a nurse from the health center to help.”

Zheng Hong quickly shook her head and smiled, “No need, I can walk back slowly by myself.”

She noticed Jiang Nian standing next to Lu Yu, looking like a country bumpkin. She had heard about Deputy Commander Lu bringing his sister-in-law to the family quarters, but she still feigned ignorance, “Deputy Commander Lu, is this your… newly married wife?”

Lu Yu’s face darkened, “I’m on bereavement leave, not wedding leave.”

Jiang Nian inwardly applauded Lu Yu—well said!

Zheng Hong: ……

She had expected Lu Yu to politely explain but she did not expect him to be so ruthless.

Deputy Commander Lu and Lu Guosheng had always been on good terms. While not particularly close, they always acknowledged each other when they met. But a few days ago, Lu Yu suddenly seemed like a different person, walking away upon seeing her. She couldn’t figure out what she had done to offend him.

She subtly asked Lu Guosheng at home, but he said that his relationship with Lu Yu did not change.

Zheng Hong forced a smile, “Sorry, Deputy Commander Lu, it was a misunderstanding. It’s getting late. I should head back to cook for my child.”

She then limped away.

Jiang Nian glanced at the departing Zheng Hong, then lowered her head and followed Lu Yu back to the courtyard.

Xu Yan was wrong. Zheng Hong was the one who had her eyes on both the bowl and the pot. Liu Qiang was simply oblivious and didn’t know how to maintain appropriate boundaries.

As they walked, they encountered Liu Qiang hiding behind a tree. He peeked at them and, seeing that Zheng Hong hadn’t followed, sighed in relief, saying to Lu Yu, “Thanks for getting me out of there. If my wife saw us, she would have made a scene again.”

Lu Yu glanced at him, “It’s no wonder Xu Yan gets upset with you. You don’t know how to avoid suspicion.”

Liu Qiang walked back home with them and sighed, “Captain Lu is different from us. He often has to go out and lead the troops, sometimes for ten days to half a month. Zheng Hong said she only knows me here, so she asks for my help frequently. After a while, it’s hard to refuse.”

Lu Yu’s gaze grew colder as he looked at Liu Qiang, “She’s been with the army for two years. She doesn’t know anyone else around here? Do you really not understand why Zheng Hong always comes to you for help?”

As they reached the doorstep, Lu Yu continued, “Captain Liu, you need to be mindful of the impact of what you are doing. Don’t forget your position. Don’t let personal disputes tarnish the group’s honor and force the political commissar to have a talk with you.”

Liu Qiang rubbed his face with his hands, “Okay, I understand.”

Jiang Nian wasn’t sure if Liu Qiang really got the message, but seeing him turn back to his house, she and Lu Yu also entered their house.

Lu Yu first went to the kitchen, putting away the rice, flour, and oil. Finally, he took out a box of milk candies, some peach crisps, and a can of preserves, placing them on the table in Jiang Nian’s room. Jiang Nian followed him in, her eyes lingering on the three items for a while.

In the 1970s, milk candies were a rare treat, and peach crisps and preserves were also hard to come by. She remembered her grandmother saying that in her time, having a can of preserves and a box of milk candies once a year was quite a luxury.

Lu Yu turned and saw Jiang Nian staring at the snacks, knowing she probably hadn’t had such things in the countryside. He took a tin box from his pocket and placed it on the table, “These are the wages and coupons I’ve saved over the years. When I get paid this month, I’ll give it to you. I’ve kept some for myself.”

Jiang Nian was stunned.

He’s handing over his wages??

Before she could react, Lu Yu had already left the room, saying, “I’ll go make dinner.”

Jiang Nian, knowing the plot of the book, remembered that when Lu Yu was a captain, he earned thirty-five yuan a month and sent twenty-five yuan home each month. He was promoted to deputy commander two months ago, now earning fifty-two yuan a month, and had sent eighty yuan to the original owner in these two months, keeping only twenty-four yuan for himself. It could be said that most of Lu Yu’s wages over the years were sent back home.

But every time the money arrived, it was snatched away by Jiang’s mother and Jiang Guo before the original owner could get it, leaving only enough food for the original owner and Xu Cheng.

Lu Yu had been away from home for eight years, only returning once due to father Xu’s death, so he didn’t know what kind of life the original owner and her husband were living at home.

She opened the tin box, finding various coupons. Food coupons, cloth coupons, meat coupons, cotton coupons, sugar coupons, and industrial coupons, with especially many industrial and cloth coupons. She counted the money, a total of one hundred and thirty yuan.

“Deputy Commander Lu, are you home?”

A loud female voice came from outside.

Lu Yu emerged from the kitchen, he had two buttons of his white shirt unbuttoned and was still wearing military pants. His handsome features looked even more striking under the warm yellow light. Seeing it was Feng Mei, the wife of Commander Song who lived next door to him, he smiled, “What brings you here, sister-in-law?”

“Old Song heard you brought your sister-in-law over. He was afraid that you came in a hurry without preparing much, so he had me make extra dinner to bring over.”

Feng Mei placed the dishes on the wooden table in the yard and asked, “Where is your sister-in-law?”

“Then, thank you sister-in-law.” Lu Yu pointed to the first room on the east side, “She’s inside.”

Feng Mei wiped her hands on her apron and smiled, “I’ll go check on her.”

She peeked into the room first, seeing it was dark and indistinctly spotting someone sitting by the bed. She walked in and pulled the lamp cord, filling the room with light, revealing a woman sitting by the bed, head down, bandaged, and looking nervous.

Feeling sympathetic towards her, Feng Mei said warmly, “Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law, I’m the wife of Commander Song who lived next door. I’m older than you, so you can call me Sister Feng. If you need anything, just come to me.”

Jiang Nian squinted her eyes against the sudden brightness. After her eyes had adjusted to the light, she slowly raised her head to see Feng Mei, a woman who had greeted Lu Yu earlier. The book also mentioned Commander Song and Feng Mei, who had been kind to the male lead before he was promoted. They often invited him over for meals, a notable gesture in a time of tight food supply.

Later, when the male lead was promoted and transferred, Commander Song was also promoted and transferred. The book mentioned that the male lead and the female lead visited Commander Song later and learned he had died in a rare earthquake while inspecting Donggou County, leaving Feng Mei and two boys behind.

Thinking of Commander Song’s fate, Jiang Nian felt a pang of emotion.

But she didn’t plan to interfere with the direction of the plot. Her main goal was to find a way to return to her own time.

Smiling faintly, she softly said, “Hello, Sister Feng, I’m Jiang Nian.”

When Jiang Nian lifted her head, Feng Mei saw her face clearly this time. She was fair-skinned, with curved eyebrows, and her eyes sparkled when she smiled. Feng Mei was momentarily stunned. After greeting Lu Yu at noon, she and Kang Xiu had speculated about Jiang Nian’s looks, with Kang Xiu guessing she wasn’t attractive. She was also very curious at the time. 

But now, seeing Jiang Nian, she realized Kang Xiu was wrong. Jiang Nian was exceptionally beautiful!

In the entire family quarters, there probably wasn’t a military wife who could match Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law in looks. No wonder Lu Yu brought her to the base. Leaving such a pretty widow at home would worry anyone.

Feng Mei rubbed her hands on her legs, unabashedly praising, “Oh my, you’re really quite beautiful.”

She smiled and continued, “We’re all neighbors here, we’ll see each other often, so there’s no need to be so distant. And don’t keep your head down all the time, it’s bad for your neck.”

Faced with such a warm person, Jiang Nian couldn’t continue her silent act. She nodded, “Thank you, Sister Feng.”

“Thank me for what? I haven’t done anything yet,” Feng Mei said, then remembered another matter. “By the way, Deputy Commander Lu applied for this small courtyard, right? Each courtyard comes with a small plot of land. You can buy some vegetable seeds and grow whatever you want to eat, saving you money on groceries. I’ll take you to see it tomorrow after breakfast.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Thank you, Sister Feng.”

Feng Mei slapped her leg, laughing, “Look at you, always saying thank you. It makes us feel distant.”

Jiang Nian: …

Feng Mei walked out of the room and saw Lu Yu placing freshly steamed buns on the wooden table in the yard. She smiled at him, “Deputy Commander Lu, I’ll be heading back.”

Lu Yu nodded, “Thank you, Sister-in-law.”

Feng Mei: …

She laughed and smoothed her hair. This brother-in-law and sister-in-law duo were truly of one family, always saying thank you, making her feel embarrassed.

Returning home, Feng Mei saw her two sons playing in the house. She walked into the bedroom and saw Song Zhiwei leaning against the bedside while reading a newspaper. She sat down and nudged his leg, “Old Song, guess what Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law looks like?”

Song Zhiwei glanced down at the newspaper and snorted, “Why would I, a grown man, guess what she looks like?”

“I saw her when I went to deliver the food. She’s really good-looking, fair and clean. She does not look like she came from the countryside at all.”

Feng Mei slapped Song Zhiwei’s leg again. “She’s still young. It’s not good for her to be alone. Keep an eye out for a good young man in the team and remember to match him with Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law.”

Song Zhiwei gave her a light kick on the waist, glaring at her, “You crazy woman, the poor lady just lost her husband, and you’re already thinking about matchmaking her with someone. Be careful, Lu Yu might get mad at you.”

**