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Chapter 20.2
The courtyard’s ground had dried almost completely. Jiang Nian had gotten up early the first day and had a few bites of random food before going to the market to buy vegetable seedlings.
Feng Mei’s family had been particularly busy these days, so she took her children home and had been gone for almost a week. She estimated that after finishing this batch of work in the fields, she would be able to return.
Jiang Nian carried a basket to the market and selected several vegetable seedlings. On her way back, she ran into Zheng Hong and Kang Xiu walking together. Zheng Hong held her child’s hand while Kang Xiu was accompanied by He Shu.
The two were talking and laughing, but upon seeing Jiang Nian approaching, Zheng Hong’s expression turned cold. She couldn’t help but want to tear the widow’s face off. She had apologized to her but she still wouldn’t give in. She made their family spend several dollars to buy her good things in vain.
She eats better now, probably all thanks to what we’ve sent her!
On the way to the market earlier, Kang Xiu had mentioned their lunch at the Deputy Commander Lu’s house. Feng Mei had planned to introduce Jiang Nian to Commander Song’s cousin, Deputy Commander Song Bai. He held a prominent position in the military district and was not lacking in looks or status.
A widow like her wants to marry the deputy commander? In her dreams!
Kang Xiu hesitated briefly before greeting Jiang Nian, noticing the vegetable seedlings in her basket. “Deputy Commander Lu sister-in-law, are you buying vegetable seedlings?”
They say it’s polite to smile even if you’re reaching out your hand to strike someone. Jiang Nian nodded in response, “Yes.”
Without saying anything more, they passed each other and continued on their way back.
Kang Xiu turned to Zheng Hong and remarked, “Look at her, acting all high and mighty just because she’s the Deputy Commanderl’s sister-in-law. What’s there to be proud of?”
Zheng Hong scoffed, “Of course she’s proud! Didn’t you say Sister Feng wanted to introduce her to Deputy Commander Song? She’s going to marry him, so how can she be interested in you, a mere captain’s wife?”
Kang Xiu said nothing, silently agreeing with Zheng Hong.
Jiang Nian glanced back at the two gossiping women, her eyes showing a hint of disdain.
Kang Xiu remained silent, while Zheng Hong seethed internally.
“She’s quite the actress, this widow. Last time, she made a fool of me, turning me into a laughing stock among the military wives,” Zheng Hong said, puffing her chest out. “What are you looking at?!”
Jiang Nian smirked, “Sister Feng wants to introduce me to Deputy Commander Song, are you jealous?”
Before Zheng Hong could respond, Jiang Nian cut in again, “Why don’t you divorce Captain Lu and let Sister Feng introduce you to Deputy Commander Song?”
With a contemptuous glance at Zheng Hong, Jiang Nian walked away with a cold expression.
Zheng Hong stood frozen in place until Jiang Nian had walked far enough away.
“Damn that jinxed widow, ruining men’s lives!” Zheng Hong cursed loudly, drawing disapproving glances from passersby. Kang Xiu, embarrassed, pulled her away, whispering, “Stop cursing. Everyone’s looking at you.”
Zheng Hong stomped her foot and hurriedly left with Lu Zhijun.
Back at home, Jiang Nian began planting the vegetables seedling she bought. She specifically chose pumpkins and sweet potatoes to grow in the garden, planning to make pumpkin cakes, pumpkin pies, and steamed pumpkin rice when they ripened.
By the time she finished planting, it was already afternoon. After a simple lunch and a nap, it was the perfect time to water the seedlings. The vegetables in her garden had already started to grow. Lu Yu had watered them before leaving, so she planned to water them again in a couple of days.
Life went on quietly without Lu Yu at home.
Two days later, Jiang Nian finished watering the vegetables in her courtyard and was about to water the ones in her private plot when she encountered a problem.
She didn’t know how to carry the water buckets…
Just as Jiang Nian was fretting over what to do, she heard Zhu Jun’s voice outside the door, “Sister-in-law.”
Zhu Jun walked in and saw two buckets of water and a carrying pole by the well. Without a word, he walked over and offered to carry the water, “The Deputy Commander instructed me before he left to water the private plot every few days. It’s time today. You can go ahead and do your business, I’ll water the vegetables in the field.”
This solved Jiang Nian’s worries perfectly.
As the day grew darker, she said to Zhu Jun, “Thank you. I’ll prepare dinner now and pack it in an aluminum lunch box for you to take back to the dormitory.”
Zhu Jun lifted the carrying pole with a grin, “I won’t be polite then.”
Ever since the last time Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law cooked for him, he had been reminiscing about it. He had never tasted such delicious food before. Now, thinking that he would get to eat it again today, he quickened his steps as he carried the water.
Jiang Nian made dumpling soup and scallion pancakes for dinner that evening.
The kitchen was lit, and the delicate figure of a woman bustled back and forth inside. Her slender shadow stretched across the floor, all the way to the doorstep of the kitchen.
Zhu Jun made three trips back and forth. By the time he returned for the last trip, it was completely dark outside.
He intentionally opened the courtyard gate wide, so that passing military wives and comrades could see into the courtyard. This way, there would be no gossip, especially since he was spending the evening at Deputy Commander Lu’s house. It was fine when the Deputy Commander Lu was home, but if he wasn’t, only his sister-in-law would be alone at home.
It wouldn’t sound good if rumors spread about a lone man and woman spending the evening together behind closed doors.
When Captain Liu returned home, he passed by Lu Yu’s house and saw Zhu Jun standing by the well with the carrying pole nearby. Jiang Nian was cooking in the kitchen. Zhu Jun saw Captain Liu and stood at attention, calling out, “Captain Liu, you’re back?”
Captain Liu nodded. “Did you water the field?”
Zhu Jun smiled, “Yes, Deputy Commander Lu asked me to make sure to water the field every few days, so I came to help ensure the seedlings don’t dry out.”
Captain Liu smiled but said nothing.
Seeing Jiang Nian, who was small and slender, he remembered how before Lu Guosheng returned, Zheng Hong often called him for help, whether to fetch water for her household or to water the vegetables in her private plot. Considering the challenges of a woman raising a child on her own, Captain Liu volunteered to assist.
Upon returning home, Captain Liu found his two children sitting on the bench in the courtyard. Xu Yan had fetched two buckets of water from the well and was carrying them toward the kitchen. Suddenly, he realized that over the past two years, he had helped Zheng Hong fetch water many times, but he couldn’t recall ever fetching water for his own family.
But Xu Yan had never spoken to him.
Liu Qiang felt guilty in his heart. He walked up, took the bucket from Xu Yan’s hands, and went straight to the kitchen to pour it into the jar. Xu Yan stood still, surprised by Liu Qiang suddenly taking initiative to work.
Seeing Liu Qiang turning towards her, Xu Yan regained her senses. Remembering what Jiang Nian had told her, she walked away with a cold face.
Liu Qiang, who was trying to please others…
He went to the well to fetch water again. Turning around, he saw his eldest son staring at him blankly and asked, “Why are you staring at your dad like that?”
Liu Jianye pursed his lips and didn’t speak, continuing to play with Liu Jianwu.
Liu Qiang: …
Jiang Nian finished cooking, ladled the dumpling soup into an aluminum lunch box, and packed four scallion pancakes for Zhu Jun. She took them to the yard and handed them to him, saying, “Food’s ready. Take it back and eat.”
Zhu Jun took the aluminum lunch box and smiled, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”
After saying that, he left.
After Zhu Jun left, Jiang Nian walked to the courtyard gate intending to close it, and in the pitch-black night, she saw a shadow sneak away. She squinted to see clearly and realized she had seen that figure somewhere before.
Without thinking much, she closed the courtyard gate, went back to the kitchen, had a meal, and went to sleep.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Yu had been away for a month.
The vegetables in the field had also grown a lot. Zhu Jun came over every few days to fetch water and water the field. He always returned from the team just before dark. After fetching the water, it was already nightfall. Jiang Nian still packed dinner into aluminum lunch boxes for Zhu Jun to take back to the dormitory.
Over time, Zhu Jun’s dorm mates, who lived with him, found the smell of the food tormenting.
They were very envious.
Feng Mei’s family’s work was almost done. She had returned from her family’s home with her child a few days ago. She cooked several delicious meals for Commander Song to please him. After all, she had gone to her family’s home to work, and although Old Song complained, he didn’t stop her.
Feng Mei was happy, so these days she took care of Commander Song very attentively.
After breakfast, Feng Mei came to the neighboring courtyard. As soon as she came in, she saw Jiang Nian watering the vegetables. It had been nearly a month since they last met, and Feng Mei felt a rare sense of familiarity when she saw Jiang Nian.
“Jiang Nian, come here quickly. I have something to tell you.”
Jiang Nian poured a bucket of water, looked up, and saw Feng Mei beckoning with a gossip-filled smile. She immediately became curious, threw the water bucket into the jar, got up and walked over to sit down beside Feng Mei. She asked curiously, “What’s the matter?”
She couldn’t blame herself for being too curious.
She was bored to death staying here every day, so having some gossip to talk about was a way to relieve her boredom.
Before Sister Feng could speak, she laughed and clapped her hands. After calming down, she said, “I came back the day before yesterday, and someone came to see me in the afternoon. Guess who?”
Jiang Nian frowned, thought for a moment, and shook her head.
Feng Mei chuckled and sneered, “It’s Kang Xiu. She wants to introduce her own younger sister to Old Song’s cousin, Song Bai. Hmph, she only sees the beauty in everything, without considering what kind of person her sister is. She’s already become an old spinster, picky about everyone.”
Then she looked at Jiang Nian. “She came to see Kang Xiu before and stayed at her house for a month. She wanted to marry a young captain in the army. Guess who she was interested in before?”
Jiang Nian guessed in her heart but said tentatively, “Lu Yu?”
Feng Mei suddenly clapped her hands, “Yes!”
She couldn’t help but laugh so hard that tears came out. “She doesn’t even consider what she looks like herself. A toad wanting to eat swan meat.”
Jiang Nian also wanted to laugh.
In fact, the affairs between Kang Xiu and her family were not mentioned much in the book. She didn’t care much when she read it, but hearing Feng Mei say this reminded her.
Kang Xiu’s sister is called Kang Nan. Three months before Lu Yu was promoted to deputy commander, she came to the army to find Kang Xiu and stayed at Kang Xiu’s house. At that time, Lu Yu occasionally went to Commander Song’s house for lunch. When he passed Kang Xiu’s house, Kang Nan saw Lu Yu. Kang Nan took a liking to Lu Yu at first sight and pestered Kang Xiu to arrange a marriage proposal for her.
Kang Nan whispered sweet words into Kang Xiu’s ear, and with her mind in a whirl, Kang Xiu seized the opportunity when Lu Yu went to Commander Song’s house for lunch one noon. Behind He Yong’s back, she ran to Commander Song’s house to talk to Lu Yu about this matter.
The result was obvious, she was promptly driven out by Feng Mei.
Afterwards, Kang Xiu returned home. As for what happened to her afterwards, it wasn’t written in the book.
As for the character Song Bai, the author only mentioned that he was Lu Yu’s comrade-in-arms. He appeared twice in the book. Once when he came to the military district to visit Commander Song during his vacation, and another time when Lu Yu was promoted and transferred, he came to congratulate Lu Yu.
“It’s getting noisy, quite a fierce argument.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen Captain Lu so angry.”
“Let’s go, hurry and go see the commotion.”
Outside the door, a military wife and her mother-in-law walked together towards the front of the family quarters. From their conversation, it seemed that Captain Lu’s family was having an argument. Upon hearing this, Feng Mei suddenly stood up and said to Jiang Nian, “Let’s go, let’s go see what’s happening!”
These are some gossip-worthy things to witness.
Some gossip isn’t worth getting involved in, lest it causes trouble when you haven’t even had a taste.
At this moment, Jiang Nian didn’t want to invite bad luck. She said to Feng Mei, “Sister Feng, you go first. I’ll water the fields a bit more.”
Before her words had settled, a head poked in from outside the door. Xu Yan looked at Jiang Nian with a cheerful smile, then glanced at Feng Mei. “Zheng Hong and Captain Lu are arguing. Let’s go see the commotion.”
Jiang Nian: …
Knowing that Jiang Nian had been so upset by Zheng Hong last time that she sought death by banging her head against the wall, Feng Mei didn’t insist on taking her along. She said to Jiang Nian, “You stay here. I’ll come back and tell you about it after I’ve seen what’s going on.”
After saying that, she pulled Xu Yan along and left. Before leaving, Xu Yan also said, “I’ll come back and tell you too.”
Jiang Nian: …
After they left, Jiang Nian continued to water the vegetable garden. After finishing, she fetched water from the well, washed the sheets and clothes she had changed out of, and while washing them, she massaged her sore waist. After washing, wringing them out was also quite strenuous.
Just as she was wringing out the water little by little, Xu Yan came back first.
Xu Yan came over and proactively helped her wring the sheets. Not seeing Feng Mei around, Jiang Nian smiled and asked, “Where’s Sister Feng?”
Xu Yan smiled and said, “She was sent back home by Commander Song to reflect on herself. He said as the wife of a regimental commander, she should have intervened when she saw a military wife and her husband arguing, instead of just watching like everyone else.”
Jiang Nian suppressed a smile.
That was typical of Commander Song’s style.
Xu Yan continued, “Guess why Zheng Hong and Captain Lu were arguing?”
After finishing wringing the sheets, Jiang Nian draped them over the clothesline and smoothed out the wrinkled edges. “Just tell me straight, don’t beat around the bush.”
Smirking triumphantly, Xu Yan said, “It’s because Lu Zhijun insisted on wanting to eat chocolate, but Zheng Hong refused to buy it for him. So he threw himself on the ground, saying his mother didn’t want to spend any money for him, and must be saving up to buy new clothes for herself to look beautiful and divorce his father to marry Uncle Song.
Jiang Nian’s hands paused as she slapped the sheets. She remembered vividly the incident at the market when Zheng Hong and Kang Xiu talked about her, and she had confronted Zheng Hong.
Jiang Nian had never imagined that little Lu Zhijun would actually take those words to heart and use them against Zheng Hong so sharply today.
Xu Yan continued, “Commander Song just came over and dispersed the onlookers, scolding Captain Lu, ‘Do you believe such nonsense from a child?’ Then he gave both Captain Lu and Zheng Hong a good scolding.”
Shaking out the clothes in the basin, Xu Yan helped Jiang Nian hang them up. Seeing Jiang Nian silent with her head bowed, Xu Yan thought she might be ill, reached out to feel her forehead. Jiang Nian was startled by Xu Yan’s sudden action and tilted her head back, saying, “What’s wrong?”
Xu Yan: …
“What are you daydreaming about?”
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Nian recounted the incident at the market to Xu Yan. Xu Yan widened her eyes and burst into uncontrollable laughter, “So that’s how it happened! No wonder Lu Zhijun was randomly saying that Zheng Hong wanted to marry Deputy Commander Song. If you ask me, this is Zheng Hong’s karma!”
If there was anyone Xu Yan harbored the most resentment towards, it was undoubtedly Zheng Hong.
So seeing Zheng Hong not doing well made her feel quite satisfied as if she had vented her anger.
After Xu Yan left, Jiang Nian swept the yard again.
She had a faint feeling that perhaps Zheng Hong would start to hate her completely because of this incident.
But she wasn’t afraid.
When soldiers come, both the enemy and water come, and soil covers them. She had plenty of ways to deal with it.
In the blink of an eye, another month passed, and by calculating the time, Lu Yu should be coming back soon.
Some of the vegetables in the field and yard were almost ready for harvest. Jiang Nian picked a pumpkin and planned to make pumpkin cakes and pumpkin pie in the evening. She kneaded the dough, steamed the pumpkin, mashed it, and followed the steps one by one. Finally, she placed the pumpkin cakes into the pot to steam.
With the courtyard gate half-open, someone pushed it open and walked in from outside.
Jiang Nian heard footsteps, set down the red enamel basin half-filled with water on the pot lid, and turned to peek out from the kitchen window. She saw a flash of a military green uniform, and she walked out of the kitchen!
***
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Ayalee[Translator]
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