Chapter 29.1

Seeing Lu Yu make a move, Zhu Jun quickly stepped back.

Jiang Nian nervously replied, “Hmm.”

Using Lu Yu’s momentum, she jumped down, her body swaying unsteadily. Lu Yu supported her by the waist, his palm briefly touching her through the thin clothes before withdrawing. He also didn’t ask why Jiang Nian was on the tree, only saying, “I have things to attend to.”

Jiang Nian nodded quietly.

After they left, Jiang Nian finally breathed a sigh of relief. When she looked up, she unexpectedly met Zhu Jun’s gaze. He grinned, and seeing Jiang Nian’s embarrassment, he stifled his smile and scratched the back of his head.

Jiang Nian didn’t pay attention to this farce anymore. She quickly turned and went home, locking herself in her room, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

By noon, the commotion involving Zheng Hong had also subsided.

Jiang Nian made hand-pulled noodles and a cold dish. Just as the meal was placed on the table, Lu Yu returned.

She lowered her head and went to the kitchen to fetch chopsticks. When she turned around, Lu Yu had just finished washing his hands. She placed the chopsticks on the bowl and said softly, “Let’s eat.”

Her voice was low and somewhat uneasy.

Lu Yu picked up some noodles with his chopsticks and said, “Sister-in-law, was it Sister Feng who took you tree climbing today?”

Jiang Nian lifted her head momentarily, words stuck in her throat unsure of what to say. Finally, she could only ambiguously reply, “I won’t climb trees next time.”

Lu Yu said, “Tree climbing is very dangerous. If you fall, you’ll suffer.”

Jiang Nian nodded, “I understand.”

She ate the noodles in small bites, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment like never before.

It was quiet at the dinner table, only the sound of Lu Yu eating his noodles loudly. He finished three bowls and then gathered the dishes together. Looking at Jiang Nian, who still had her head down, he chuckled slightly, “Sister-in-law, you were quite brave this time.”

Jiang Nian: ???

She looked up, full of confusion.

Lu Yu continued, “Being able to climb a tree in front of so many people.”

Jiang Nian: …

After finishing his meal, Lu Yu went back to the team. Jiang Nian stayed in the room to sew clothes, measure cotton, and ignored the footsteps outside. Soon, Feng Mei’s voice came from the door, “Jiang Nian, are you making clothes?”

Jiang Nian pursed her lips and didn’t respond.

Asking even though you know the answer.

Feng Mei knew Jiang Nian was upset with her. She walked over and stuffed two eggs she was holding into Jiang Nian’s hands, saying, “Stop being mad at me. I was afraid Old Song would scold me again. He’s as fierce as a bear when he gets angry.”

Jiang Nian: …

It was the first time she heard someone compare fierceness to a bear.

She suppressed a laugh and handed the eggs back to Feng Mei. “Okay, keep the eggs for the children to nourish their bodies.”

Feng Mei chuckled, “As long as you’re not mad anymore.”

She plopped down on the edge of the bed and continued, “Do you know how they handled Zheng Hong’s situation earlier?”

Jiang Nian asked, “How did they handle it?”

Feng Mei said, “Captain Lu said he believed Captain Liu without a doubt, and immediately returned the fifty yuan to Captain Liu. He also made Zheng Hong apologize to Xu Yan. Guess what Captain Lu’s mother said?”

Jiang Nian didn’t speak, waiting for Feng Mei to continue.

Feng Mei said, “Captain Lu’s mother didn’t expect her son to be so reasonable. She scolded Zheng Hong and drove everyone else away. It saved Old Song a lot of trouble. At lunch, Old Song even said, ‘Captain Lu’s family finally has a sensible woman.’ But as everyone was leaving, I heard the old lady cursing Zheng Hong, saying she had brought shame to their family. If it weren’t for Zheng Hong’s mother hiding her past relationship with Captain Liu, she would never have agreed to Captain Lu marrying her.”

Things became even tougher for Zheng Hong at home after that.

But Jiang Nian felt the fire wasn’t big enough yet. She hadn’t retaliated against the rumors Zheng Hong had spread about her.

Although it was Kang Xiu who spread the rumors, Jiang Nian was sure Zheng Hong was behind it.

Feng Mei admired the clothes Jiang Nian made, examining them inside out. “Wow, your hands are really skilled! These clothes are so beautiful, even better than what’s sold at the store.”

She couldn’t stop touching them and remarked, “It’s almost the end of the month. The female comrades from the state-owned embroidery workshop should be back soon, right?”

Jiang Nian said, “Yes, I’ll go to the city to check next month.”

The incident at Zheng Hong’s house caused quite a stir. She falsely accused Captain Liu of mistreating her, and the story about him lending her fifty yuan and her failing to repay it spread throughout the family quarters. All sorts of rumors circulated.

Some said Captain Liu and Zheng Hong were both willing participants, while others criticized Zheng Hong for her shamelessness and greed.

Dealing with Lu Zhijun’s leg injury cost the Lu family quite a bit of money. With little left to begin with, returning the fifty yuan to Captain Liu made things even tighter. Now, the family  was truly living hand to mouth. The old lady couldn’t stand Zheng Hong and scolded her for days on end.

Feeling wronged, Zheng Hong turned to Captain Lu. He coldly ignored her, and even Lu Zhijun, lying in bed, scolded her, calling her shameless. He was her own son, born of her womb, yet he scolded her like that. What had she been borrowing money from Liu Qiang for these past two years? Wasn’t it to ensure Zhijun could eat better? Now that he was well-fed, wasn’t it all thanks to her efforts?

With no one in the household treating her kindly, Zheng Hong didn’t dare throw tantrums anymore, nor did she dare return to her mother’s home. She preferred to endure it here rather than serve a large family there, doing hard labor in the fields and earning work points. She had finally become a little fair-skinned, and she couldn’t afford to get tan again.

For the next ten days, Jiang Nian stayed at home every day making clothes. As the weather turned colder, the temperature difference between morning and evening became quite large.

She made herself a set of cotton clothes and finished a coat for Lu Yu. After preparing dinner one evening, when Lu Yu returned to eat, Jiang Nian took out the coat. “Try it on. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll make adjustments.”

Lu Yu looked at the clothes Jiang Nian held, feeling warmth in his heart.

Since he could remember, the only clothes he had worn were those Uncle Xu made for him. Although the stitches were crooked, they kept him and Xu Cheng from freezing. Before he turned ten, when he was with his mother, he wore clothes picked up from Xu Cheng.

In his memories, his mother’s face had gradually become vague.

Lu Yu gathered his thoughts, avoiding thoughts of the past. He put on the clothes Jiang Nian made for him. They fit perfectly, especially around the shoulders. “It fits very well.”

Jiang Nian adjusted his clothes slightly to confirm the fit and suppressed a smile. “I’ll make two more pieces for you to wear underneath, based on this size.”

Lu Yu nodded, looking at Jiang Nian with her fluttering eyelashes. “Sister-in-law, thank you.”

Jiang Nian took the clothes Lu Yu handed to her, suppressing a smile and without saying a word, turned and went back to her room.

The next morning, Lu Yu went to the team after breakfast.

Around noon, Xu Yan came over to Jiang Nian’s house. She walked in and said with a smile, “I have to thank you. If it weren’t for your idea, Liu Qiang wouldn’t have asked for this money.”

Jiang Nian glanced at the table with brown sugar and peach crisp, smiled, but didn’t say anything.

Xu Yan sat on the edge of the bed and whispered, “Guess how much money I have hidden now?”

Jiang Nian, giving her face, lifted her head. “How much?”

Xu Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “Since you had me pretend to lose the money last time, tricking Liu Qiang into asking Zheng Hong for money, plus what Liu Qiang gave me last time, and the fifty yuan Zheng Hong gave back, I have ninety yuan.”

In those days, ninety yuan was quite a sum for a family. But Jiang Nian felt it wasn’t enough. Even if Liu Qiang now saw through Zheng Hong, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t be tempted by someone else in the future.

If Liu Qiang repeated his mistakes, Xu Yan would still suffer.

Seeing Xu Yan gleeful about money matters, Jiang Nian wanted to remind her, “Don’t tell Liu Qiang about your savings.”

Xu Yan hesitated for a moment, thinking about how Liu Qiang and Zheng Hong had completely fallen out. She thought her own life had improved. She also wanted to tell Liu Qiang about this, but Jiang Nian’s words made her hesitate. She asked, “Why not?”

Jiang Nian didn’t say much more. “Don’t let Liu Qiang know how much money you’ve saved. Having money gives you confidence.”

She didn’t know if Xu Yan had taken her advice to heart, but she had said what she needed to say.

In the afternoon, someone from the guard office outside the military base came to the family quarters looking for Jiang Nian.

The person was dressed in military uniform, standing straight outside the gate and calling into the quarters, “Comrade Jiang, there’s someone outside looking for you.”

Jiang Nian heard the voice and walked out, asking, “Who is looking for me?”

The guard replied, “It’s a woman who says she’s from the state-run embroidery shop. She wants to see you and discuss something.”

Jiang Nian didn’t expect it to be her.

She smiled and said, “I’ll come over right away.”

She followed the guard to the guard office outside the base. From a distance, she saw a woman looking in the direction of the base. She wore a brown shirt and wide gray trousers, old-fashioned black leather shoes on her feet, and had shoulder-length hair. Her appearance exuded a strong, capable aura.

Ge Mei waited outside the army for about fifteen minutes, but neither the guard nor the female comrade who could embroider showed up.

She turned to the east and saw the guard and a female comrade coming quickly.

The female comrade was dressed in the most ordinary clothes and pants, wearing common black cloth shoes. She had two braids and unexpectedly beautiful facial features with fair and smooth skin, curved eyebrows, and eyes sparkling like pearls. Ge Mei had seen her fair share of pretty girls her age, but this colleague had a unique charm.

Seeing them approach, Ge Mei didn’t put on any airs and smiled, “You must be Comrade Jiang.”

It was a statement, not a question.

Jiang Nian smiled, “I’m Jiang Nian. May I ask your name?”

Ge Mei was genuinely surprised. At first, she thought the woman who could embroider was an older woman, likely around her age. But after she rushed back to the state-run embroidery shop, Zhang Xiao told her that it was a young and beautiful girl. She was surprised for a while.

She didn’t expect to see her now, discovering that she was not only young and beautiful but also seemed educated in her speech and manner.

Suppressing her surprise, Ge Mei smiled, “I’m Ge Mei. I’m older than you. You can call me Sister Ge.”

Jiang Nian didn’t feel distant and happily called her Sister Ge.

She asked the guard, “Can I take Sister Ge inside?”

The guard said, “I need someone from the regiment to sign off.”

Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, wanting to tell Ge Mei that she would go get Lu Yu, but coincidentally saw Captain Lu. She walked over and said, “Captain Lu, could you sign this for me? I want to take my sister in for a chat. It’s quite far to go to the regiment to find Lu Yu, so I’d like to trouble you.”

Captain Lu glanced at Jiang Nian with some surprise. He had heard of Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law, known to be introverted and timid. Zheng Hong had bullied her so badly she tried to commit suicide by hitting the wall.

He didn’t refuse. “Hmm.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Thank you, Captain Lu.”

After Captain Lu signed, Jiang Nian took Ge Mei into the army, walking straight into the family quarters. Ge Mei glanced at the family quarters and then at Jiang Nian, asking, “You are a soldier’s family…”

She paused, not continuing.

Jiang Nian said, “My younger brother-in-law is the deputy commander of the regiment. My husband passed away a few months ago, leaving me alone at home. He was worried about me being alone, so he brought me to the army and let me live in the family quarters.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Ge Mei walked into the courtyard and immediately noticed the curtain hanging on the door, one embroidered with bamboo and the other with plum blossoms. The plum blossoms were vibrant and beautiful, complemented by scattered snowflakes, creating a poetic scene.

She walked up to the curtain with plum blossoms, exclaiming, “Did you embroider this?”

Jiang Nian said, “Yes.”

Ge Mei then looked at the curtain with bamboo embroidery. Although she knew it was embroidered by Comrade Jiang, she was still surprised. She hadn’t expected a rural woman to have such excellent embroidery skills.

She asked Jiang Nian about some embroidery techniques, and Jiang Nian explained each one in detail. Moreover, she mentioned some embroidery techniques Ge Mei had never encountered before. Ge Mei looked at Jiang Nian a few more times and smiled, “Comrade Jiang, you’re really underutilized living here.”

From her bag, Ge Mei took out a piece of cloth and a drawing and handed them to Jiang Nian. “I came this time to see you and to ask you to embroider this drawing. It’s a design that a boss from Hongcheng brought to our city’s state-owned embroidery shop. I want you to try it.”

Jiang Nian took the cloth and looked at the words on the drawing. “Sister Ge thinks highly of me. You’ve given me a big task right from the start.”

Ge Mei said, “Since you came to our state-owned embroidery shop looking for me, it shows you’re interested in collaborating with me. If this embroidery satisfies the boss from Hongcheng, then our business deal will be done. The payment is 100 yuan, with 50 yuan going to the city and the remaining 50 yuan split evenly between us. What do you think?”

She didn’t conceal anything, laying out the terms openly.

Ge Mei was a genuine businesswoman. In this era, without private enterprises, even doing business required hanging the state-owned label. Half of the money earned had to be handed over to the state-owned enterprises. Jiang Nian could imagine that once private enterprises were implemented in about ten years, Ge Mei’s path might become broader.

She didn’t know how many years she would have to wait in the world of the book, but judging from the era described in the book, it should be similar to reality.

Since Ge Mei had proposed a fifty-fifty split, Jiang Nian naturally had no objections. After all, the design she embroidered would have to be sold through Ge Mei’s state-owned embroidery shop. If she sold it privately, it would be considered profiteering. So Jiang Nian smiled and said, “Sure.”

After settling the matter, Ge Mei also shed her businesswoman persona and sat in the yard talking with Jiang Nian. It was then that Jiang Nian learned there had been some trouble at the shop, which had prompted Ge Mei’s hurried return. Zhang Xiao, the colleague Jiang Nian had met that day, had told Ge Mei about Jiang Nian’s visit, prompting Ge Mei to come and find her.

Ge Mei had to catch an afternoon bus back to the city, so after a short conversation, she left.

Jiang Nian walked Ge Mei to see her off from the military base. As they walked together, military wives passing by would occasionally glance at Jiang Nian and Ge Mei, trying to guess who the woman was.

After leaving the army, Jiang Nian watched as Ge Mei walked away before turning back. On her way, she met Kang Xiu who was returning from the supply and marketing cooperative. Kang Xiu saw Jiang Nian and remembered how Jiang Nian had caused trouble for her by going door-to-door to give “speeches”. Even now, whenever Kang Xiu went out, she felt people whispering behind her back.

Kang Xiu’s face darkened as she gave Jiang Nian a sideways glare before walking away. Jiang Nian followed behind Kang Xiu and spoke as she walked, “I know you didn’t initially know about that incident. Someone whispered about me in your ear, catching your attention.”

Kang Xiu suddenly turned around and stared at her, demanding, “How do you know?”

Jiang Nian pursed her lips to hold back her laughter. She really guessed it right.

She walked along the tree-lined path, and Kang Xiu followed her this time, repeating in her ear, “How did you know?”

Jiang Nian said, “I know you are jealous of me. You have always wanted to marry your sister to Song Bai, but Sister Feng refused. But Sister Feng wanted to marry me to Song Bai, which made you unhappy, so you have always disliked me.”

Kang Xiu snorted coldly, her face looking unhappy. She was just jealous of Jiang Nian. Why would a widow catch the eye of Sister Feng, but her sister who had never been married could not catch her eye?

To put it bluntly, Jiang Nian must have used some shameful means on Sister Feng.

Continuing down the shaded path, Jiang Nian remarked, “The only person in the family quarters  who doesn’t get along with me is Zheng Hong. She tried to set me up with Sergeant Zhu and spread rumors. She feared exposure and wanted to pin it all on someone else.”

Kang Xiu halted in her tracks. She turned to Jiang Nian and asked with trembling lips, “Who told you?”

Jiang Nian replied, “Anyone with eyes can see it. You’re the only one who couldn’t, and you let yourself be used, becoming a laughingstock in the quarters.”

Without waiting to see Kang Xiu’s reaction, Jiang Nian walked away.

Kang Xiu has a stupid brain. She was afraid that if she spoke too obscurely, she would not understand. It would be better to speak directly to her so that she could wake up.

Kang Xiu, feeling enraged and jealous of Jiang Nian, clenched her basket tightly. She resented Zheng Hong the most. She had initially been jealous of Jiang Nian, but now her anger surged as she recalled how Zheng Hong had manipulated her into causing trouble.

Jiang Nian was right. At first, she was just jealous of Jiang Nian and never thought of spreading rumors about her.

As for the matter with Sergeant Zhu, Zheng Hong told her when they were going to the market together that Jiang Nian seemed to be hooking up with Sergeant Zhu. If this matter got out of hand, Jiang Nian’s reputation would be ruined, and then Sister Feng would give up the idea of ​​introducing Jiang Nian to Song Bai.

She had this idea after hearing what Zheng Hong said. Whenever Sergeant Zhu went to deputy commander Lu’s house, she would follow him secretly and spread rumors of what Jiang Nian had cooked for him and what they had done, exaggerating everything.

Thinking about how she had to explain things to people door to door that day, and thinking about Zheng Hong’s expression as if she was enjoying the show, Kang Xiu instantly became furious. She picked up the basket and ran straight to Zheng Hong’s house. This stinky woman treated her like a puppet, and she would not be able to swallow this anger unless she cursed her back.

Meanwhile, Jiang Nian strolled home calmly. Along the way, she encountered Captain Lu and smiled, recalling how he had just helped her sign something. His expression froze briefly upon seeing her before he nodded and they passed each other.

Jiang Nian sighed inwardly, “Sorry, Captain Lu. Looks like there might be trouble at your home again.”