Chapter 25

Lu Yu twisted the young man’s arm behind his back and kicked him in the knee, forcing him to kneel on the ground with just one hand. The young man’s face contorted in pain, realizing he had encountered a tough opponent. He cried out desperately, “I’m wrong, I’m wrong! Brother, please, have mercy, let me go this time. It hurts, it hurts!”

Jiang Nian glanced at Lu Yu, who had barely moved, and her heart skipped a beat.

She thought of the soldiers in the new era, then looked at Lu Yu’s cold, handsome face. The man’s eyebrows were stern, and his lowered eyes carried an untouchable cold severity. He said in a deep voice, “If I catch you stealing again, I’ll take you to the police.”

The others in the bus saw Lu Yu subduing the young man with one hand and understood from his words that the young man had been caught stealing.

The other passengers on the bus misunderstood Lu Yu’s meaning of “dirty hands and feet” but were still agitated, shouting for the driver to stop and kick the young man off the bus.

Once the bus restarted, Lu Yu voluntarily stood behind Jiang Nian. With one hand gripping the support pole above and the other holding onto the back of a seat, he enclosed Jiang Nian within his protective stance.

It wasn’t too cold this season, and everyone was dressed lightly. The bus was crowded.

Lu Yu’s body was almost pressed against Jiang Nian’s back. The warmth from the person in front of him felt like a furnace on a winter day. In no time, a thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead. Uncomfortable, he took a small step back, trying to create some distance from Jiang Nian.

However, the bus was too crowded to allow for much space.

Lu Yu pressed his lips tightly together and looked down at the person within his arms. She barely reached his chest, and her fair, slender neck was in his line of sight. Feeling a sudden heat in his eyes, he quickly lifted his head and focused on the retreating trees outside, trying to ignore the faint, pleasant scent coming from Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian tightly gripped the seat handles, taking several deep breaths.

She didn’t notice the changes in Lu Yu, but she was very aware of her own changes.

Jiang Nian glanced at the arm stretched out on her right side. The man’s muscular arm was well-defined and strong, gripping the seat handle and separating her from the jostling crowd. When the bus swayed, she lost her balance and her back pressed against Lu Yu, startling her into quickly standing straight again.

They stood like this for three hours, and Jiang Nian’s legs and feet grew sore and tired. Suddenly, the person behind her took two steps back, grabbed her arm, and guided her to a seat where someone had just vacated, taking their luggage with them. After they left, Lu Yu pushed Jiang Nian into the seat.

As soon as she sat down, the fatigue in her legs eased.

Jiang Nian looked up at Lu Yu, who was holding the support pole with one hand, and asked with concern, “Are you tired?”

Lu Yu replied, “No.”

By the time they reached the city, it was already three in the afternoon. Lu Yu took Jiang Nian to a state-run restaurant for lunch. They ordered two plates of dumplings, which were quite large. Jiang Nian was full after eating ten, and the rest were eaten by Lu Yu.

Since it wasn’t too late, Lu Yu then took Jiang Nian to the department store. Jiang Nian looked at the products in the store, which all had state-run signs and required tickets for purchase.

After a round of browsing, Jiang Nian saw a fabric shop and went in to look at the fabrics. Meanwhile, Lu Yu bought two pieces of clothing and brought them over. Jiang Nian was surprised when she saw the two thick garments in his hands; they were all for her, but the colors and styles were old-fashioned.

There was no helping it; the fashion of this era couldn’t compare to that of the new century.

Lu Yu asked, “Sister-in-law, do you need anything else?”

He handed a small cloth bag to Jiang Nian, looking a bit uneasy as he averted his gaze, “I bought these for you.”

When buying clothes for Jiang Nian earlier, the shopkeeper next door had enthusiastically recommended the newly arrived snowflake cream, saying girls loved it, especially since it was getting colder. Using the cream would prevent their skin from getting chapped and keep it hydrated.

So, he bought it.

Jiang Nian took the small cloth bag and curiously opened it. Inside, she found a bottle of snowflake cream, lipstick, and two red hair ties.

Jiang Nian: …

So old-fashioned.

She suppressed her amusement and looked gratefully at Lu Yu, pressing her lips together, “Thank you.”

Lu Yu coughed lightly, “No need to thank me.”

He glanced at the fabric shop, “Do you want to buy some fabric?”

Jiang Nian replied, “Yes, I want to buy more fabric to make clothes at home. I’ll also need some cotton and silk thread.”

Lu Yu said, “There’s cotton in the county too. We can buy it when we get back.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nian nodded and gave up on buying cotton. While looking at the fabric, she chatted with the shop owner and asked about the location of the state-run embroidery workshop. She planned to visit it the next day after buying everything she needed.

Jiang Nian bought several types of fabric, various threads, and several pairs of insoles for both her and Lu Yu.

Lu Yu bought everything for Jiang Nian and also bought a bag of snacks that weren’t available in the county. Carrying their purchases, they arrived at the guesthouse as night fell. Lu Yu handed the introduction letter to the receptionist and asked for two rooms.

The receptionist was surprised and looked back and forth between Lu Yu and Jiang Nian before saying, “There’s only one room left.”

Jiang Nian: ???

One room?

In such a large guesthouse?

Moreover, in this era, very few people could afford to stay in a guesthouse, and without an introduction letter, the guesthouse wouldn’t even allow a stay.

The receptionist explained, seeing Lu Yu’s frown, “The day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so many people have come to the city.”

Lu Yu pressed his lips together and said, “Then we’ll take one room.”

The receptionist completed the paperwork and handed the key to Lu Yu, “Room 301 on the third floor. Each floor has a public bathroom, and hot water is available at the stairwell.”

Lu Yu took the key and led Jiang Nian upstairs. After they left, the receptionist leaned over the counter, watching them curiously.

How strange.

They looked like a couple, so why did they ask for two rooms?

In Room 301, Lu Yu unlocked the door, and Jiang Nian followed him in. She glanced around the simple room, which had a wooden floor, a double bed, and a table with two thermos flasks.

Jiang Nian’s gaze landed on the double bed, and her eyelid twitches uncontrollably.

Did this mean she would be sharing a bed with Lu Yu tonight?

As if sensing her thoughts, Lu Yu placed their belongings on the table, took out the fabric he had just bought, and laid it on the floor. His deep voice was steady, “Sister-in-law, I’ll make do on the floor tonight.”

Jiang Nian pressed her lips together and nodded lightly, “Thank you.”

They hadn’t eaten yet in the evening, so they locked the door and went to the state-owned restaurant for a meal. Just as they stepped out of the guesthouse, they heard a surprised voice from behind.

“Captain Lu! Captain Lu!”

Jiang Nian paused in surprise. Wasn’t Lu Yu a deputy commander?

Turning around, Lu Yu saw a couple approaching with a few-month-old baby. Leading the way was a man he had previously led in the army, named Li Fangda. Li Fangda had once been on track to become a deputy commander but was injured in the arm during a snow disaster rescue with Xu Cheng four years ago, forcing him to retire from the military.

Lu Yu had personally seen him off when he left the army.

Never did he expect to meet again after four years.

A rare smile spread across Lu Yu’s face. “How have you been?”

With his injured left arm, Li Fangda couldn’t handle heavy work back in his village. Luckily, thanks to a military recommendation, he found a lighter job in the local brigade, earning work points to support his family.

Looking at Lu Yu’s still robust figure, Li Fangda couldn’t help but feel a mix of admiration and envy. He smiled and replied, “Still hanging in there.”

Li Fangda then introduced his wife to Lu Yu. “Captain Lu, this is my wife, Wu Ying, and this is our son.”

He chuckled softly, his eyes filled with fatherly affection as he looked at his child.

Wu Ying, dressed similarly to Jiang Nian with patched clothes, held the baby close. Shyly, she glanced at Lu Yu and Jiang Nian. Seeing Jiang Nian’s fair and pretty appearance, she couldn’t help but feel inferior and lowered her head, her grip on the baby tightening nervously.

Jiang Nian noticed this. She glanced at the baby in Wu Ying’s arms, estimating he was around seven or eight months old, with big round eyes that twinkled as he smiled at her.

Jiang Nian smiled back and said to Wu Ying, “Your child is adorable.”

Embarrassed, Wu Ying smiled shyly.

Upon hearing this, Li Fangda looked at Jiang Nian and asked, “Captain Lu, this is…?”

Lu Yu replied calmly, “She’s my older brother’s wife, my sister-in-law.”

Li Fangda’s expression changed slightly, his tone a bit heavier than before. “Is she Captain Xu’s wife?”

Lu Yu nodded. “Yes, though…” He paused briefly. “He passed away a few months ago.”

“Cough… cough…”

Li Fangda coughed several times. Worriedly, Wu Ying looked at him and whispered, “Let’s go back.”

Li Fangda smiled and said, “I’m fine.”

He chatted with Lu Yu about some military matters and asked about their former comrades. Wu Ying quietly stayed by his side, observing Li Fangda’s expression from time to time.

Jiang Nian also noticed. She looked at Li Fangda’s pale complexion, noticing his occasional rubbing of his injured arm and the slight furrow on his brow.

Perhaps his poor complexion was related to his injured arm.

After chatting for a while, Lu Yu suggested, “Shall we have dinner together at the state-run restaurant?”

Li Fangda readily agreed, “Sure.”

Wu Ying didn’t say anything, simply following alongside Li Fangda with their child. At the state-run restaurant, Lu Yu ordered four bowls of lamb soup noodles and ten large meat buns. The fragrant aroma of lamb soup filled the small table. Both Li Fangda and Wu Ying couldn’t believe their eyes at the sight of the lamb soup noodles and large meat buns.

Hungry and tempted, Wu Ying saw Jiang Nian already starting to eat with chopsticks. She began eating too, blowing on the hot noodles before quickly putting them into her mouth. Li Fangda, concerned, gently touched her arm and whispered, “Eat slowly, don’t burn yourself.”

Seeing Jiang Nian and Lu Yu calmly eating opposite them, Wu Ying blushed with embarrassment. It had been two or three years since she last ate meat, which explained her eagerness.

Though tempted by the meat, Li Fangda couldn’t eat much. He mostly gave the meat in his bowl to Wu Ying, contenting himself with a bowl of noodles and a large bowl of lamb soup, along with one meat bun.

After finishing their meal, Li Fangda told Lu Yu, “Captain Lu, I’m going to the restroom.”

Lu Yu nodded calmly. “Alright.”

Li Fangda glanced at Wu Ying, who was still eating a large meat bun. He got up and walked outside, intending to settle the bill, but the waiter informed him that Lu Yu had already paid. He touched the scraps of cloth in his pocket, feeling warm inside but also tinged with sadness and regret.

After dinner, Li Fangda and Lu Yu continued chatting for a while.

By now, it was completely dark outside. Jiang Nian glanced at the child in Wu Ying’s arms and took out ten yuan from her pocket, tucking it into the child’s clothes. Wu Ying was startled and wanted to return the money to Jiang Nian, but Li Fangda intervened, saying softly, “Sister-in-law, you don’t need to give money to the child, really.”

Jiang Nian smiled and replied, “As the child’s aunt, I can’t come empty-handed on our first meeting.”

As Li Fangda was about to say something, Lu Yu interrupted, “Where are you staying tonight?”

Li Fangda answered, “We’re staying at my cousin’s place. His home is in the row of buildings at the end of that alley. It’s small, but it’ll do.”

After bidding farewell to Li Fangda and his family, Jiang Nian and Lu Yu returned to the guesthouse.

The guesthouse had a shared bathroom, but Jiang Nian wasn’t used to bathing with a group of people. She quickly wiped herself down with a damp towel while Lu Yu went out to fetch hot water. Then she lay down on the bed, staring out the window into the night, lost in thought.

Hearing footsteps outside, she sat up and looked at Lu Yu entering the room. He was wearing a white shirt and olive-green trousers, carrying two hot water bottles. His neatly cut hair was damp from washing his face while fetching water.

She lay back down, pulled the blanket over herself, and faced the window.

Lu Yu placed the hot water bottles on the table and kept his gaze lowered throughout, avoiding looking at Jiang Nian lying on the bed. He took off his shoes, turned off the light, and lay down on the cloth spread on the floor, hands behind his head. As he lay there, he recalled his conversation with Li Fangda earlier, noting how he kept rubbing his injured arm.

The sudden arrival of Li Fangda’s family in the city likely meant his old injury had flared up again. Given the limited facilities in the county, they had no choice but to come to the city for hospital checks.

Outside, the cicadas chirped. On the bed, Jiang Nian’s steady breathing filled the room.

Lu Yu pinched his brow, closed his eyes to sleep, and drifted into a daze until midnight, when suddenly, something heavy landed on him!

He instantly sat up and grabbed whatever had attacked him.

“Ah!!!”

“It hurts, it hurts so much!!”

Jiang Nian groggily opened her eyes and met a sharp gaze in the pitch-black room.

She blinked in astonishment, then followed his arm downward, only to find her foot resting exactly on that spot of his, that spot…

And her ankle was firmly gripped by Lu Yu, so tightly that she had no doubt that if he squeezed any harder, he could break her foot bones!

**

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