Chapter 18

After Jiang Nian asked as she felt something was off. It felt as if she were interrogating Lu Yu. She quickly explained, “I don’t mean anything by it. I just thought that since you’ve given me all the money to keep, what will you do if you need to use some? Maybe I should give the money back to you…”

That didn’t sound quite right either.

Jiang Nian frowned in frustration, feeling a headache on top of her existing wound pain.

Seeing Jiang Nian fall silent and lower her head, fiddling with her clothes, Lu Yu glanced at the fair nape of her neck before looking down and continuing to tidy up the dishes. “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I kept some pocket money for myself. The large sums are with you, but if I need money, I’ll ask you.”

Jiang Nian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, “Okay.”

Lu Yu went to the kitchen to wash the pots and dishes. Afterward, he started cleaning and cutting the chicken in the yard. Jiang Nian sat under the shade of a tree in the yard, feeling the slightly warm breeze and surveying every corner of the small courtyard, planning where to plant a vegetable garden.

Growing her own vegetables would save a lot of money. She felt uneasy using Lu Yu’s money for her expenses. Although she was his sister-in-law, she didn’t want to be a burden to him. Ultimately, she needed to find a job to support herself. In case Lu Yu got married and started his own family in the future, she didn’t want to overstay her welcome.

Jiang Nian’s mind wandered as she unconsciously gazed at Lu Yu squatting by the well. The man was turned slightly away from her, his short hair neat and clean. The light fell on his chiseled features as he poured a basin of water and then filled it halfway with clean well water. When he stood up and turned his head to look at her, their eyes met unexpectedly.

Jiang Nian was startled for a moment, feeling like she had been caught peeking. She quickly lowered her head, staring at her black cloth shoes with a small patch, the only pair she had that was presentable.

“Sister-in-law.”

Lu Yu’s voice came from across the yard.

Jiang Nian bit her lip and slowly looked up. Lu Yu stood by the well, giving her a reassuring smile. “It’s just the two of us in this house. You don’t need to be so reserved around me.”

He paused before continuing, “The meal you made that day was very good. And you have a beautiful smile.”

Jiang Nian stood frozen, only snapping out of it when Lu Yu disappeared into the kitchen. She had been worrying. Since she intended to stay, pretending to be the original Jiang Nian with her personality quirks would eventually give her away. Given Lu Yu’s words, she decided to gradually ‘change.’

Lu Yu left for the team after finishing his tasks, asking Feng Mei next door to keep an eye on Jiang Nian.

Inside the house, Jiang Nian lay on the bed with a milk candy in her mouth. Her hands behind her head as she stared at the clear blue sky. Her mind was busy thinking about how she could earn some money.

Footsteps outside the yard drew her attention. Jiang Nian turned to look at the doorway, where a figure stood against the light. Just as she was about to ask who it was, the person spoke first, “Can I come in?”

It was Xu Yan’s voice.

Jiang Nian was surprised that Xu Yan had come to see her again. She sat up, leaning against the headboard, and said, “Come in and sit.”

Xu Yan walked in and sat on the small stool by the bed. She glanced at the bandage on Jiang Nian’s head and asked with concern, “Does your head still hurt?”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Just a little, but it’ll be fine in a few days.”

She felt a sense of familiarity. After all, she had been through this before.

Xu Yan stopped talking and just sat there quietly. The room suddenly fell into an awkward silence. Jiang Nian wasn’t sure if Xu Yan felt awkward, but she certainly did. Sitting in silence, staring at each other was uncomfortable.

Xu Yan used to be quite cheerful. She had been happy during the first few years of her marriage to Captain Liu, always smiling when she saw people. But everything changed two years ago when Zheng Hong came to the family quarters. Since then, there had been frequent quarrels between Xu Yan and her husband. Xu Yan became withdrawn, and Zheng Hong’s deliberate provocations made many military wives believe Xu Yan was an unreasonable and difficult woman. This resulted in her having few friends, spending her days silently caring for her two children at home.

Breaking the silence, Jiang Nian said, “I heard from Sister Feng that you came to the hospital to see me?”

She knew she was asking the obvious, but it was a way to start a conversation.

Xu Yan felt a sense of relief and nodded slightly, “I wanted to see how badly you were hurt.”

She paused and then added in a low voice, “You mustn’t do anything foolish. If you were really… gone, it would only make Zheng Hong happy. You need to live well, just to spite her.”

Mentioning Zheng Hong seemed to open a floodgate for Xu Yan. She began talking about how Zheng Hong had been entangling with Liu Qiang over the past two years, eventually tearing up and blaming Liu Qiang for being a bad husband. He had neglected his wife and children, catering to Zheng Hong’s needs.

Liu Qiang used to send some of his salary back home and give the rest to Xu Yan to manage. She would even send a little to her own family as a gesture of appreciation even though it wasn’t much. But over the past two years, he had intermittently lent Zheng Hong money, totaling fifty yuan. With Liu Qiang still sending some money home, there was very little left for Xu Yan. She hadn’t been able to support her own family for nearly two years.

Moreover, her two children didn’t eat as well as Zheng Hong’s child.

The thought of her husband indirectly supporting Zheng Hong and her child infuriated Xu Yan, causing her to cry in pain.

Jiang Nian felt disgusted at the thought of Liu Qiang. He was either too proud to refuse Zheng Hong’s requests or enjoyed the attention from a woman who once rejected him, satisfying his ego and vanity.

Xu Yan, her eyes red from crying, said, “Liu Qiang won’t ask Zheng Hong for the fifty yuan back, but I can’t just accept this loss. Now that Captain Lu is back, I want to ask him to get the money back.”

She looked at Jiang Nian, her voice thick with emotion, “What do you think?”

Jiang Nian pressed her lips together, thinking about Liu Qiang’s likely refusal. If Xu Yan went to Captain Lu, Liu Qiang might accuse her of lying to protect his pride and his relationship with Zheng Hong, playing right into Zheng Hong’s hands.

In the end, Xu Yan would be the one to suffer.

“Jiang Nian?”

Xu Yan called out when Jiang Nian didn’t respond, prompting her to look up. Thinking about Xu Yan’s fate in the book, where she divorced Liu Qiang and married an older man twenty years her senior, Jiang Nian decided to help Xu Yan change her future.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Xu Yan’s eyes widened, “Why not? Does Zheng Hong not want to repay the money? How dare she?!”

Jiang Nian reassured her, “I have a plan. It will not only make Captain Liu personally ask Zheng Hong for the money but also prevent him from being deceived by her in the future. But before we do anything, you need to stay calm.”

Xu Yan’s curiosity was piqued. Excitedly, she shifted to the edge of the bed and asked, “Tell me, what’s the trick?”

Jiang Nian beckoned her with a finger. Xu Yan hesitated for a moment, and Jiang Nian clicked her tongue, saying, “Come closer.”

“Okay, okay.”

Obediently, Xu Yan leaned in to hear Jiang Nian whisper a few words into her ear. After listening, she jumped up as if startled, stood by the window wide-eyed, and shook her head vigorously. “No way!”

Jiang Nian: …

The wound on her forehead throbbed painfully in bursts. Jiang Nian frowned, easing the discomfort, and advised, “Patience is needed for a greater plan. If you want Liu Qiang to listen but won’t do as I suggest, what’s the use in discussing it further?”

Xu Yan: …

She remained silent, pursed her lips, and looked up at Jiang Nian with uncertainty. “Can it really work?” she asked.

Jiang Nian smiled. “Let’s try it first to see if it works. If not, we can think of something else.”

Only then did Xu Yan nod. “Okay.”

She returned to her seat, curious. “How do you know so much?”

Jiang Nian was younger and had lived in the countryside all her life, yet she seemed more knowledgeable than Xu Yan.

Jiang Nian made up an excuse. “I’ve been married to Xu Cheng for four years. Since he became bedridden, I’ve been taking care of him every day, talking to him. He’s knowledgeable and wise. From talking to him, I’ve learned a few things.”

After saying this, Jiang Nian’s expression turned sorrowful, as if she had thought of her husband.

Xu Yan felt guilty and lowered her head. When Captain Xu was in the army, he was a good person. If he hadn’t been paralyzed, he would have been a Deputy Commander now. Jiang Nian’s life would have been much better than it is now. At least she wouldn’t have been called a widow behind her back.

“What are you two talking about?”

Feng Mei walked into the room and saw Xu Yan with red, teary eyes. “Oh my,” she exclaimed, “why are you crying again?”

Xu Yan replied, “It’s because of Liu Qiang.”

After saying that, she huffed and didn’t want to mention Liu Qiang again.

Feng Mei had intended to talk about Liu Qiang in front of Xu Yan, but then she thought of Old Song, who often scolded her for being nosy. If she didn’t manage well, she could end up in trouble.

She stopped herself and brought a bowl of ginger and brown sugar water to Jiang Nian with a smile. “Drink it while it’s hot. It’ll help nourish you. You look too thin.”

“Thank you, Sister Feng.”

Jiang Nian took the bowl and drank it quietly. The ginger and brown sugar water was sweet and comforting. For her, it wasn’t anything special, but in these times, it was quite rare.

Watching Jiang Nian sip the ginger and brown sugar water in small sips, both Feng Mei and Xu Yan swallowed involuntarily, feeling tempted.

When Feng Mei made ginger and brown sugar water at home, she gave each of her two children a bowl. She herself tasted it with chopsticks. Last time, when Deputy Commander Lu gave her the things that Captain Lu gave to Jiang Nian, she ran home all the way holding it in a cloth bag, afraid of meeting Captain Lu and his wife on the road. When she got home, she locked the thing in the cabinet, only to tell Old Song about it when he came home for lunch.

Old Song sighed and said, “Lu Yu still holds a grudge against Captain Lu and his wife.”

Feng Mei asked, “What should we do with the things he gave us?”

The Captain said, “Lu Yu didn’t openly break ties with Captain Lu. This issue is more or less settled. Keep those things safe and be discreet. If Captain Lu’s wife finds out that the things they gave to Jiang Nian ended up with us, she’ll cause a scene.”

Feng Mei, relieved she could keep the items, quickly nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Commander Song: …

Why is he so unconvinced?

“Is it good?”

Seeing Jiang Nian finish drinking, Feng Mei took the bowl back. Jiang Nian nodded lightly. “It’s good, thank you, Sister Feng.”

Feng Mei and Xu Yan sat for a while longer before leaving.

Jiang Nian stayed in bed until nearly lunchtime before getting up. Her head was less dizzy. She slowly walked to the well, washed her hands, and went to the kitchen to cook. She planned to make mushroom chicken soup for lunch. The mushrooms were given by Sister Feng, who said they were dried mushrooms brought from her hometown.

Lu Yu had already chopped and cleaned the chicken. Jiang Nian only needed to prepare the seasonings and vegetables, then start the fire.

Jiang Nian added water to the pot, put the chicken in, and waited for the water to boil. She skimmed off the foam around the pot, then added the seasonings, vegetables, and dried mushrooms.

After doing all this, Jiang Nian was sweating heavily.

She added some firewood to the stove to let it simmer slowly and walked to the western corner of the yard. She walked along the western wall, inspecting the soil, planning to plant vegetables in the private plot once her injury healed and then till over the large area of land by the west wall.

Jiang Nian felt dizzy and leaned against the wall for a while.

There were voices outside and footsteps could be heard. Next door, Feng Mei’s loud voice called out, “Xiangdong, Xianghong, your dad is back! Time to eat!”

As Feng Mei’s voice faded, Lu Yu entered through the courtyard gate.

He intended to get the aluminum lunch box to go get food from the cafeteria, but when he walked into the kitchen, he saw that Jiang Nian had already made lunch. The rich aroma of chicken soup filled the kitchen, making his mouth water. The dry firewood in the stove crackled, and the soup in the pot was bubbling.

But Jiang Nian was nowhere to be seen.

Her head was still injured, and she needed to support herself while walking. Now she had cooked lunch. Lu Yu was worried she might have hurt herself again.

“Sister-in-law.”

He quickly strode out of the kitchen, heading straight for Jiang Nian’s room. The bed was neatly made, but she wasn’t there.

Lu Yu’s expression grew serious. He turned to head towards the outhouse but then heard Jiang Nian’s voice from the western corner.

“I’m here.”

Lu Yu stopped and turned to see Jiang Nian leaning against the western wall. She wore a khaki-colored dress that blended with the mud wall. Her hair was braided into two pigtails, her head wrapped in bandages, and her face still looked pale and sickly.

She was so small that she could be easily overlooked.

Lu Yu: ……

He walked to Jiang Nian’s side and noticed a thin layer of sweat on her temples and her face looked so pale. He half-squatted in front of her, “I’ll carry you back to your room.”

Previously, when Jiang Nian had an accident and fell into a coma, he didn’t care about the brother-sister-in-law relationship and carried her all the way to the hospital. Now that she was awake, he couldn’t be so reckless anymore.

“No need, no need. I can walk by myself.”

Jiang Nian held onto the wall, looking at Lu Yu, who was half-squatting yet not much shorter than her. His broad shoulders and slightly bent back stood firm, and despite her refusal, he didn’t get up.

She pursed her lips and slowly extended her hands to encircle his neck. Lu Yu’s warm palms flipped over to grasp her knees as he straightened up, carrying her.

It was a hot summer day, and both were dressed lightly. With the sweat on their bodies, Jiang Nian’s arms clung to Lu Yu’s neck, and his hands, separated by a thin layer of fabric, held her knees. An unprecedented sensation surged straight to Lu Yu’s head.

His steps faltered for a moment, and his breathing tightened.

The heat from Jiang Nian’s body seeped through her clothes, hotter than the scorching sun. He could even feel the softness in front of her chest. Lu Yu’s heart raced, a blush creeping up to his ears. He quickly walked under a tree and set Jiang Nian down on a bench, then hurried into the kitchen without a word.

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, looking at the empty kitchen doorway, thinking the chicken soup on the stove might have boiled over.

Lu Yu stayed in the kitchen for five or six minutes before coming out.

He handed a wet towel to Jiang Nian, asking her to wipe her face and hands. He then went to the well to fetch some water to wash his face and hands. Afterward, he went back to the kitchen to serve the meal, not looking at Jiang Nian the whole time.

Jiang Nian frowned in puzzlement.

Did she make Lu Yu angry?

Lu Yu served two bowls of chicken soup, placed four corn pancakes and two steamed buns on the table, and stared at the chicken soup in front of him. After taking a bite of the corn pancake, he said, “Don’t cook for the next few days. I’ll get food from the cafeteria. You should focus on healing first.”

The freshly served chicken soup was very hot. Jiang Nian blew on it, sipped a little from the edge of the bowl, and found it a little hot but fragrant.

Hearing Lu Yu’s words, she said, “My injury is getting better day by day, so cooking is not a problem.”

Seeing Lu Yu still insisting, Jiang Nian lowered her head, gripping the chopsticks tightly, and murmured, “I want to find something to do. I don’t want to lie in bed all day.”

Lu Yu glanced at the dejected Jiang Nian and finally responded after a while, “Alright.”

After the meal, Lu Yu washed the dishes and went back to the team.

Jiang Nian sat in the yard, fanning herself with a round fan that Lu Yu had brought back for her yesterday.

It was quite cool when she fanned herself.

She needed to slowly plan for the future. The immediate task was to heal and then start planting vegetables. After that, she would go to the supply and marketing cooperative to get some clothes to make a few outfits for herself and Lu Yu. Her grandmother had taught her embroidery skills all her life. So, she was quite good at making clothes.

She heard footsteps outside the courtyard and turned to see Feng Mei walking in with several vegetable seedlings. The seedlings were still wrapped in soil, looking as fresh as when they were bought.

Feng Mei placed the seedlings under the tree’s shade and said, “I’ve been so busy these days that I almost forgot. I was afraid the seedlings you bought would wither at home, so I took them back to keep them for you. When your head stops hurting, you can plant them in your private plot.”

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

Feng Mei was used to Jiang Nian’s constant gratitude. She pulled a bench over and sat beside her, whispering, “During lunch, I heard Old Song say that Captain Lu’s application to stay with the team has been approved by the higher-ups.”

She snorted, “With Captain Lu at home, let’s see if Zheng Hong dares to entangle herself with Captain Liu again.”

After chatting for a while, Feng Mei left. She came by again in the afternoon, bringing three cucumbers and a handful of cowpeas from her plot.

By nightfall, Jiang Nian’s dizziness had subsided.

She watered the seedlings and planned to plant them in a couple of days and buy more from the market.

Dinner was simple today. There was leftover chicken soup, and she made a few scallion pancakes and a cold cucumber salad. Just as she finished, Lu Yu returned. He fetched water from the well to wash his face and then helped bring dinner to the small table in the yard.

Every household had an old-fashioned glass light bulb in their yard that was only turned on during dinner. Many people were reluctant to use it regularly, preferring oil lamps to save money despite the convenience.

Lu Yu drank a bowl of chicken soup, glanced at the seedlings under the tree, and said to Jiang Nian, “Sister-in-law, I’ll plant vegetables in the field tomorrow. Don’t make my lunch. I’ll make do with a few corn pancakes.”

After finishing another bowl of chicken soup and the last corn pancake, he stood up, collected the dishes, and went to the kitchen to wash them.

He acted swiftly and decisively, without any hesitation.

Jiang Nian: ……

She felt that since noon, Lu Yu’s expression had been off ever since he found her by the west wall.

Moreover, he hardly looked her in the eye while talking to her.

Jiang Nian couldn’t figure out what had upset Lu Yu.

She leaned against the tree root, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky, occasionally glancing at the kitchen window. Lu Yu’s tall figure was bending over to wash the pots and pans. His height and long legs made the stove seem low, and his arms could reach the far corners of the stove.

Unlike her, who always had to stand on tiptoe.

It was hot in summer, and Jiang Nian had sweated a lot today, feeling uncomfortable.

After washing the pots and pans, Lu Yu heated water for Jiang Nian’s bath, carried the bucket and basin into her room, and the sound of water splashing came from inside. Jiang Nian lowered her head, tugging at her wrinkled clothes, which had become crumpled from her constant fidgeting.

“Sister-in-law.”

Jiang Nian looked up in confusion at Lu Yu, who was standing opposite her. She blinked, “Hmm?”

Lu Yu said, “The water is ready. I’ll…” The words “help you inside” remained unsaid.

Thinking of the discomfort he felt when he carried Jiang Nian on his back this afternoon, he pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out his hand to Jiang Nian: “I’ll help you inside.”

He was still worried she might get dizzy and fall.

Jiang Nian looked at the hand extended before her, then followed the arm up to see Lu Yu looking down at her. She gently shook her head. “I can walk by myself.”

She stood up, holding on to the tree behind her, and walked past Lu Yu towards her room.

She had a feeling that Lu Yu seemed to be avoiding her.

Everything had been fine in the morning, what changed at noon?

Jiang Nian walked back to her room and closed the door. The water in the basin was a bit too hot. She squatted down and stirred the water, but couldn’t resist getting up and walked to the window, intending to indirectly ask Lu Yu what was wrong.

Since they were going to live under the same roof for a long time, if Lu Yu continued to act this way, she might as well leave early to avoid any discomfort and misunderstandings in the future.

Jiang Nian took a deep breath and opened the window. Just as she was about to call out to Lu Yu, she met his gaze as he stood by the well, wiping his hair.

The man was bare-chested, his muscles looking even and strong under the light. He held an old-fashioned towel, drying his wet hair, wearing army-green trousers with a belt at the waist.

Jiang Nian froze, her fingers gripping the window frame tightly.

Her gaze, almost involuntarily drifted downward to the man’s toned abs…!