Chapter 35.2

After dinner, Jiang Nian and Feng Mei cleaned up in the kitchen. Song Bai brought the last plate over and saw Jiang Nian bending over, struggling to reach a corner to clean. He took the cloth from her, smiling, “You’re too short to reach. Let me do it.”

Jiang Nian: …

Who’s short?

Who’s he calling short?!

Feng Mei couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

Jiang Nian: …

Seeing Jiang Nian’s lips pressed together, looking uncomfortable, Song Bai realized his mistake and cleared his throat, “Sister-in-law, I was just joking. Don’t take it to heart.”

Feng Mei asked, “Who are you calling sister-in-law?”

Song Bai: …

He glanced at Jiang Nian, “Lu Yu’s sister-in-law.”

“Sister-in-law.”

Lu Yu walked into the kitchen, looking at Song Bai cleaning the stove. He asked Jiang Nian, “Do you want to sit for a while longer or go home with me?”

Almost before he finished speaking, Jiang Nian responded, “Go home.”

After saying goodbye to Feng Mei, who seemed reluctant to let her go and wanted to set her up with Song Bai, Jiang Nian felt like she was facing a formidable foe and quickly followed Lu Yu out. She walked so fast it seemed like she was being chased by a dog.

Lu Yu smiled slightly, “Why are you walking so fast?”

Without turning her head, Jiang Nian said, “I’m cold.”

Back home, Jiang Nian entered the house first, followed by Lu Yu, who added more firewood to the stove, making the room warm and cozy. He squatted by the fire, looking up at Jiang Nian sewing on the bed, “Still cold?”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Not cold anymore.”

Lu Yu stirred the fire and stayed a while before leaving.

“Uncle, I’m taking two candies to Aunt Jiang.”

Song Xiangdong and Song Xianghong each held a candy, showing it to Song Bai. Song Bai smiled, “Take them if you want, no need to ask.”

As they left, Song Bai added, “Take a few chocolates too.”

Song Xiangdong replied, “Alright.”

Feng Mei felt a bit distressed hearing this, but remembering how much Jiang Nian had shared with her, she felt it was fair. The delicious food Jiang Nian made often found its way to her; giving her some extra chocolates was the right thing to do.

Seeing Song Bai wash his hands and prepare to leave, Feng Mei called out, “Wait a moment.”

“What’s wrong?”

Song Bai stopped in his tracks.

Feng Mei, afraid that Commander Song would hear, asked in a low voice, “Do you have someone you like?”

Song Bai raised his eyebrow slightly and smiled, “Sister-in-law, don’t think about introducing me to anyone. I’m unpredictable. When I can’t stand it here anymore, I’ll apply to be transferred to the frontier.”

To him, the frontier presented more challenges.

If there is something unstable, he can lead his troops there and have a chance to make merit.

Feng Mei knew immediately that he still wanted to run off to the frontier. He had wanted to before, but Old Song had firmly suppressed him. Even his application form was intercepted by Old Song. Later, Old Song had no choice but to apply to his superiors to transfer Song Bai to the military sub-district to calm his character. She didn’t expect that he still had this idea after returning.

She said irritably, “You’re the only son at home. Don’t just think about yourself; think about your parents too. Thinking about running to such a faraway place every day, aside from whether it’s stable or not, just coming back once takes four or five days on the train. It’s not convenient.”

Song Bai understood Sister-in-law’s concern and didn’t say much more.

As he prepared to leave, he heard Feng Mei continue, “I’ve been thinking for months about introducing Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law to you. You’ve seen her today. What do you think of her? But let me say a few things first. Don’t think that Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law doesn’t talk much. She’s capable. She cooks well and is good at embroidery. She’s now working at the state-owned embroidery shop, earning a good amount of money.”

Song Bai: …

Seeing Feng Mei about to continue, Song Bai stopped her, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry about me. Don’t play matchmaker randomly. She’s Deputy Commander Lu’s wife, and she’s like a sister-in-law to me.”

Sometimes he really felt that his sister-in-law’s mouth could get him into trouble.

Xu Cheng had been his brother before he died. As soon as the man died, he started thinking about his wife. Is that what a human being would do?

A friend’s wife should not be deceived; he understood this principle. Furthermore, if he really married Lu Yu’s sister-in-law, would Lu Yu then have to call him ‘brother’?

Song Bai felt that getting Lu Yu to call him ‘brother’ would be harder than moving a mountain.

On New Year’s Day, a little snow began to fall, but it stopped shortly thereafter.

Early in the morning of New Year’s Day, Jiang Nian was awakened by the sound of the bugle call. She endured the cold to get up and dress. By the time she went out, Lu Yu had already prepared breakfast and she didn’t know where he had gone. Jiang Nian finished breakfast, and Feng Mei arrived shortly after, saying, “Let’s go and watch them catch fish.”

After washing the pots and bowls, Jiang Nian asked in confusion, “Who’s fishing?”

Song Xiangdong and Song Xianghong followed Feng Mei. Song Xiangdong said, “We’re going to the river in the neighboring village to fish.”

Feng Mei said, “It’s the bridge where Old Song and Old Tang did the rescue mission last year. That river is quite large. Every winter when it freezes over, Old Song and Old Tang go there to chop through the ice. It’s only during the New Year’s period these past few years that they can fish for a few days. The rest of the time, they’re busy in the army. When we go there, we can even skate on the ice.”

Jiang Nian felt she had finally found a way to pass the time here. She changed into a new pair of shoes, wrapped herself in a red scarf, and followed Feng Mei to the big bridge in the neighboring village. It took more than half an hour to walk there. On the way, Jiang Nian asked, “Is Sister Feng not going back to her family’s home?”

Feng Mei said, “Not this year. Where would we get the extra money to go back? Originally, we were still relying on the year-end subsidies and bonuses to visit my family at the end of the year, but now it’s all gone.”

Speaking of this, Feng Mei became angry at Liu Qiang.

Jiang Nian knew that Feng Mei was still resentful towards Liu Qiang, and not just Feng Mei; she estimated that many military wives in the family quarters were also resentful towards Liu Qiang. However, she knew that Xu Yan had taken Liu Qiang and their two children back to her parents’ home early in the morning.

They would probably return in a few days.

When they arrived at the bridge, the sun was already high in the sky. Jiang Nian saw Commander Song sitting cross-legged on the ground from afar, holding a wooden pole with one end extended into the chipped ice hole. She wondered if there were any fishing hooks and what they used as bait.

Several people had arrived together. Lu Yu was sitting at the other end, fishing in earnest. Song Bai and Lu Yu sat together, their expressions showing amusement as they conversed. Also present were Captain Lu, Captain He, and Zhu Jun, along with a few soldiers who were jumping into the ice hole bare-chested in the middle of winter.

Jiang Nian thought to herself:

She felt like she was freezing to death. Were these people made of iron?

However, when she thought about the new century, under a certain bridge, there was a group of people who swam every winter. She didn’t quite understand this activity.

When Jiang Nian turned her gaze, she caught a familiar face in the corner of her eye—it was Captain Tang, whom she had met outside the barracks that day.

“Dad, Uncle—”

Seeing them, Song Xiangdong and Song Xianghong let go of Feng Mei’s hand and ran over first. They squatted down beside Commander Song, incessantly asking if they had caught any fish. Commander Song was annoyed and yelled, “Stop talking for now.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, Feng Mei shouted at the top of her lungs, “Did you catch any fish?”

Commander Song turned his head and shouted back, “Catch a damn fish? Those stinky little bastards swimming scared all the fish away in the river.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but chuckle.

Feng Mei squatted beside Commander Song, watching in earnest. Jiang Nian went over to Lu Yu’s side and saw a fish as long as his forearm was placed in his basket. She was surprised, “Did you really catch a fish?”

Lu Yu and Song Bai turned their heads simultaneously to look at her, thinking it was Feng Mei who had come over, but unexpectedly, it was Jiang Nian.

There was a hint of amusement in Lu Yu’s deep, dark eyes. “Caught one.”

Jiang Nian squatted down beside Lu Yu, quietly watching the chipped ice hole. In no time, the pole began to sway. Lu Yu exerted force, and the fish was flung onto the ice surface. Commander Song saw it from a distance and cursed, “Damn it, I’m changing my spot.”

After saying that, Commander Song headed towards Lu Yu’s direction, distancing himself from the group of kids at the bridge.

Song Bai stood up and picked up the fish into the basket. A man’s voice came from over there, “Song Bai, are you a chicken? What are you sitting there for? Two years ago, we were tied. Do you dare to compete again this year?”

The one who spoke was Tang Ze. These two wouldn’t know each other if not for the fight. This time Song Bai came back and was transferred to the Third Regiment, so he and Tang Ze saw each other every day. Moreover, Song Bai was the deputy regiment commander and was superior to him. Tang Ze wanted to compete with him whenever he had the chance.

Song Bai chuckled and stood up, walking over. “Alright, whoever loses washes the winner socks for a month.”

“No problem!” Tang Ze agreed.

Jiang Nian looked at Song Bai’s back. The man ran quickly along the river, unbuttoning his clothes as he ran. She remembered that according to the plot in the book, Song Bai only appeared twice, and there was no mention of him being transferred back.

Was it intentionally left out by the author, or had the plot changed?

She recalled her dream that night, where the writing in the book gradually faded, with only the clear storyline of the female lead, Sun Ying, waiting in her red dress for her groom to arrive at home. On the other side, it described a man who entered, different from Lu Yu in both appearance and build.

At a critical moment, the storyline abruptly stopped, and Jiang Nian wasn’t sure if that man was the groom.

Her gaze followed Song Bai, but her mind lingered on the plot. Commander Song concentrated on setting up his fishing spot, and Feng Mei noticed Jiang Nian staring at Song Bai in the distance. Smirking, she thought Jiang Nian must have taken a liking to Song Bai.

Following Jiang Nian’s gaze, Lu Yu looked over. Soldiers who had come out of the water were now dressed, while Tang Ze, in shorts, jumped into the ice hole. Song Bai had discarded his clothes by his feet, wearing only shorts. Jiang Nian blinked, her eyes fixed on that scene. 

The man pursed his thin lips tightly and said, “What are you looking at?”

“Abs.”

It wasn’t until Song Bai plunged into the ice hole that Jiang Nian realized what she had said!

Embarrassed, she clenched her fingers tight, stiffly turned her head, and met Lu Yu’s deep, dark eyes. Unsure if it was her own sense of shame, she felt his gaze carried a hint of surprise and disdain.

Hearing this, Feng Mei pieced together Jiang Nian’s words and burst into laughter.

Jiang Nian:

Commander Song had just chipped the ice hole when he heard Feng Mei’s laughter, startling him. He lifted his head, glaring angrily, “You women, what are you laughing at?”

Seeing Feng Mei about to speak, Jiang Nian stood up abruptly, glaring at her with flushed cheeks. “Shut up!”

Without daring to look at Lu Yu, she added, “I’m a little cold, I’m going back.”

Then she turned and ran off.

Seeing Lu Yu dropping his rod and picking up his basket to leave, Commander Song shouted, “Where are you going?”

Lu Yu didn’t look back. “Home.”

Commander Song grumbled as he finished setting up his spot, glancing at where Lu Yu had been sitting. “Damn it, if I’d known he was going back, I wouldn’t have wasted all this effort setting up.”

Seeing Feng Mei still laughing, he angrily shouted, “Stop laughing!”

The air was cold, but Jiang Nian’s face burned hotly.

She ran all the way back home, the cold wind on her face unable to dispel the heat. She wanted to slap herself; why did she blurt out ‘abs’ in front of Lu Yu like that?

Forget about others, right now she felt like a thug.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but look back and saw Lu Yu following her. Even though she was jogging and he could easily catch up with his longer strides, he didn’t. He kept a distance, neither close nor far.

Jiang Nian:

She really wished she could dig a hole and hide in it.

The two of them returned to the barracks like this, one after the other. As soon as Jiang Nian got home, she rushed into her room, took off her scarf, kicked off her shoes, and jumped into bed, wishing she could stay there forever. When you’re feeling embarrassed, your hearing becomes extra sensitive.

Jiang Nian heard Lu Yu push open the kitchen door, and heard footsteps walking back and forth in the yard, followed by the sound of water splashing, and then the sound of fish scales scraping. Her ears were like radar, tuned into Lu Yu’s movements, and she gradually drifted off to sleep.

She was awakened by Lu Yu.

“Sister-in-law, it’s time to eat.”

Jiang Nian’s head was muddled under the covers. “I’m not hungry.”

“I made fish soup.”

“In that case, leave it there. I’ll eat when I wake up.”

There was silence outside, and Jiang Nian thought Lu Yu had left. Just as she relaxed, she heard his deep, magnetic voice, “I’m coming in.”

Jiang Nian: ???

She sat up abruptly, threw off the covers, and saw Lu Yu walking in with a bowl of fish soup. The bowl contained several tender pieces of fish meat. Their eyes unexpectedly met; the room was dim, with Lu Yu backlit, so Jiang Nian couldn’t make out his expression clearly, only the sharp outline of his features.

The room was filled with the delicious aroma of fish soup.

Jiang Nian pursed her lips, lowering her head and avoiding Lu Yu’s gaze.

“Don’t skip meals; it’s bad for your stomach.”

Lu Yu placed the fish soup on the table, turned, and left. Not long after, he returned with a plate of vegetables and steamed buns. Glancing at Jiang Nian, who had her head down, he said, “Sister-in-law.”

Jiang Nian didn’t lift her head. “Hmm?”

She thought Lu Yu was going to bring up the bridge incident, but after waiting a while, all he said was, “Eat while it’s hot.”

With that, he left.

After the door closed, Jiang Nian sighed with shame.

“Lu Yu.”

Outside came Song Bai’s voice. Jiang Nian trembled as she picked up the bowl, her gaze lowered.

Truly, she had brought this on herself.

Song Bai’s hair was dusted with ice particles. He brushed them off, catching sight of Lu Yu carrying a bucket into the stove room. Brazenly, he walked over. “I smell fish soup; mind if I mooch a bowl?”

Lu Yu replied, “All gone.”

“What? Not even a drop left?”

“There’s a bowl of soup left.”

Lu Yu reached into a cabinet and pulled out a bowl, sprinkling something into it. Song Bai didn’t pay attention and chuckled, “That’s enough, buddy.”

He took the bowl and drank a big mouthful of fish soup. As he swallowed, his brows furrowed, and he clicked his tongue, “How much salt did you put in?”

Glancing at the remaining half-bowl of soup, Lu Yu smiled faintly, “Just a little handful.”

Song Bai: …

Too salty.

Really, such a good fish was ruined by him.

Song Bai put down the bowl, picked up a clean one, scooped up a bowl of cold water from the jar, and gulped it down. He wiped the water stains off his chin with the back of his hand and sat by the stove, warming himself. “I nearly froze to death just now.”

Lu Yu glanced towards Jiang Nian’s room. “You were quite fierce just now, though.”

Song Bai snorted, “I just don’t want to be outshined by that kid Tang Ze. I just can’t stand him calling me a coward, but this time we ended up in a tie again.”

He reached out to warm his hands by the stove, flicking off ice bits from his hair. “Where’s your sister-in-law?”

Lu Yu added hot water to the pot, preparing some for Jiang Nian to drink. “Eating inside the room.”

Song Bai chuckled, “Your food is too salty. Can your sister-in-law even stomach it? She really gives you face.”

Lu Yu remained silent. Song Bai rubbed his stomach; he had gone back earlier to eat something his sister-in-law had made, so he wasn’t very hungry now. He remembered his sister-in-law saying that Lu Yu’s sister-in-law’s cooking was particularly fragrant, even better than the food in the cafeteria. “I’ll come over to your place for dinner tonight to taste your sister-in-law’s cooking.”

Lu Yu glanced at him. “My sister-in-law isn’t feeling well tonight, so I’ll cook.”

Song Bai didn’t say anything. He warmed himself by the stove for a while. “My sister-in-law told me that you guys are going back to your hometown on the third day of the new year? Just in time for tomorrow.”

Lu Yu nodded. “Yeah, we’re heading back on the third day and coming back before the seventh.”

Song Bai leaned over the stove to thaw the ice off his hair. When the ice melted into water, he lifted his head. “Since I have nothing to do anyway, how about I go back with you guys? It’s a good opportunity to visit Xu Cheng and burn some money for him.”

**

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