Chapter 44

The military officer also sensed something amiss in Jiang Nian’s voice and said, “Deputy Commander Lu has been away from the army these past few days.”

He knew the person on the other end was Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law. Deputy Commander Lu had been frequently calling her over the past month, so he asked again, “What’s going on over there?”

Upon hearing that Lu Yu had been away from the army, Jiang Nian felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. Zhang Xiao, beside her, whispered, “It seems like they’ve left.”

Jiang Nian nervously swallowed and waited until Zhang Xiao cautiously checked again and confirmed they had indeed left. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief and told the military officer, “It’s, it’s nothing. Thank you and sorry for bothering you.”

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao felt as if they had just survived a disaster. They sat on a bench, staring at the night through the glass window. Zhang Xiao said, “Sister Jiang, shall we call the police?”

Jiang Nian had considered calling the police, but even if they did, when the police came, Feng Ren and Yang Jun would likely claim they were just strolling on the street. They would probably be scolded a bit by the police.

She said, “Let’s go to the police station tomorrow.”

Regardless of whether calling the police would be effective, it should at least intimidate Feng Ren and Yang Jun.

Jiang Nian wondered where Lu Yu had gone. 

The military officer had said he hadn’t been in the army these days. Perhaps he had gone on another mission?

“Sister Jiang, let’s go. If we go any later, there won’t be any food in the cafeteria.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nian collected her thoughts and left the embroidery shop with Zhang Xiao. They were like startled birds, looking around nervously at any sound, afraid that Feng Ren and Yang Jun might appear from any corner.

By now, it was completely dark. Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao hurried to the cotton mill. There were few people left in the cafeteria. They quickly grabbed their food and ran out. The guard’s office at the cotton mill was pitch black. Zhang Xiao was surprised, “ Sister Jiang, why did the guard leave so early today?”

Normally, he only left after everyone from the cotton mill had left.

Jiang Nian said, “There must be something.”

There were only a few scattered people outside the cotton mill now. Jiang Nian subconsciously glanced towards the dim alleyway opposite them. Because it was night, the alley was dark, and she didn’t know if Yang Jun and Feng Ren were hiding there.

Zhang Xiao hugged Jiang Nian’s arm, the wind making their ears cold. Amidst the howling wind, faint footsteps could be heard. Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao suddenly turned around and saw Yang Jun and Feng Ren running towards them.

Yes, they were running!

From the cotton mill to the dormitory, they had to pass through a small alley. Apart from the two of them, there was no one else around.

Zhang Xiao’s face turned pale with fear. Jiang Nian grabbed her hand urgently and said anxiously, “Quick, back to the dormitory!”

“Why are you running?”

“We lost our jobs because of you. Shouldn’t you compensate us?”

The man was faster than the woman. Just when Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao were about to run out of the alley, they were blocked by Yang Jun. Feng Ren stood behind them, trapping them in the middle.

“We had called the police!”

Zhang Xiao was shivering.

Yang Jun sneered: “What the hell are you talking about? I’m jobless now and I’m despised at home. You guys are living a life of luxury every day. I won’t be able to bear this unless I drive you two to death!”

Feng Ren also said: “Little widow, isn’t your friend quite powerful? I wonder if he can arrive in time to save the damsel in distress, or will he be unable to arrive even after we two brothers have resolved the situation?”

Jiang Nian tightly grasped the handle of the aluminum lunch box and pursed her lips.

Yang Jun and Feng Ren are determined to go all out.

She glanced at Zhang Xiao, swallowed her saliva, and whispered, “I’ll hold them back for a while. Go back to the dormitory and call Sister Zhai, and ask the people around the dormitory to come together. There’s strength in numbers.”

“No.”

Zhang Xiao’s tears came out.

Jiang Nian didn’t have time to talk to her anymore. She was the cause of this incident. In the end, Zhang Xiao was implicated by her. Seeing Feng Ren and Yang Jun approaching from both sides, Jiang Nian raised the aluminum lunch box and smashed it at Yang Jun who was blocking the way. Then she pushed Yang Jun away with her body and shouted to Zhang Xiao, “Go and call for help!”

“Damn it! You stinky bitch!”

Yang Jun’s head was hit, and he was hit again by Jiang Nian’s sudden attack, stumbling back a few steps. When Feng Ren tried to grab Zhang Xiao, Jiang Nian rushed forward, but Feng Ren had already anticipated her move. He kicked towards Jiang Nian. Before his foot could reach her, a strong force sent him stumbling forward, crashing heavily into the wall.

Jiang Nian’s body flew forward, missing its target. Before she could react, she saw a figure in military green right in front of her. Without stopping, she collided into him.

Lu Yu held Jiang Nian in his arms, sensing her trembling. He tightened his arms slightly. “It’s okay.”

Jiang Nian hadn’t expected Lu Yu to suddenly appear. She stood dazed in his arms, inhaling his unique refreshing scent. Her mind was still in a daze. In the alleyway, there was a flurry of footsteps and several stern voices, “Don’t move!”

Halfway through, Zhang Xiao heard the commotion behind her and quickly turned to glance. In the pitch-black alleyway, several flashlights illuminated the scene. Six uniformed policemen had caught Yang Jun and Feng Ren. Amidst the swinging flashlights, Zhang Xiao saw Lu Yu holding Jiang Nian, his tall figure almost engulfing her in his embrace.

Zhang Xiao suddenly let out the breath she’d been holding, tears streaming down her face as she sat on the ground, feeling incredibly lucky.

Yang Jun and Feng Ren were taken to the police station. Lu Yu accompanied Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao to give their statements. As they walked, Jiang Nian frequently glanced at Lu Yu beside her. Lu Yu lowered his head to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Nian smiled slightly and asked, “When did you come?”

Curious, Zhang Xiao also looked over.

Lu Yu replied, “I came two days ago.”

“Ah?”

Jiang Nian was stunned. Considering what the military officer had said about Lu Yu not being in the army these days, she asked, “You’ve been in the city all these two days?”

Lu Yu said, “Before I left, I asked the guard at the cotton mill to keep an eye on the entrance. He called me the second night after I returned, saying Yang Jun and Feng Ren were hanging around in the alley across from the cotton mill. I guessed they might be planning retaliation against you, so I stayed hidden and coordinated with the police, waiting for them to make a move on you.”

Only this way could he completely eliminate the danger lurking around Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian hadn’t expected Lu Yu to do so much. She couldn’t hide her admiration in her eyes. “You’ve been following me and Zhang Xiao in secret these past two days?”

Though the words seemed casual, Lu Yu’s ears reddened slightly. He looked ahead at the few people in front and nodded. “Yes, I’ve been watching over you… both.”

He had also escorted Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao back to the dormitory every night and stayed hidden in the morning to follow them. Feng Ren and Yang Jun had never discovered him throughout, and he knew their whereabouts like the back of his hand. He had also intuitively guessed that they might strike tonight.

And he was right.

Zhang Xiao was also full of admiration. “Deputy Commander Lu, you’re amazing!”

Jiang Nian agreed, “Indeed.”

Lu Yu felt a bit awkward under their praise and cleared his throat lightly. Then Jiang Nian asked, “When Zhang Xiao and I left the cotton mill, the guard wasn’t there. Did you arrange for him to leave early?”

Just after Lu Yu and the police arrived, she slowly began to grasp what had been happening, leading to this unusual situation.

Lu Yu replied, “I and a few policemen were hiding inside.”

He hadn’t informed Jiang Nian in advance because he feared Feng Ren and Yang Jun might notice if she and Zhang Xiao showed any sign of vulnerability.

This was Jiang Nian’s second visit to the police station. They were asked to make statements, detailing every encounter they had with Yang Jun and Feng Ren during this period. Yang Jun and Feng Ren were also making statements in the adjacent room.

During this time, Lu Yu was called in to recount the incident at the cotton mill cafeteria. Policemen also summoned the directors of the cotton mill and the state-run embroidery shop, along with several eyewitnesses from that night. It was late at night, and there were quite a few people at the police station.

Only now did Ge Mei understand what Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao had been through these days. Feeling guilty, she spoke a few words to them.

Yang Jun and Feng Ren were charged with deliberate retaliation, intimidation, assault, and attempted forced entry. They had started with a defiant attitude but were now crying and confessing everything in great detail, hoping to mitigate their crimes by admitting to their actions.

They even confessed to how Hu Zhongming had instigated Lu Xiaoqing to deceive Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao into coming to the state-run restaurant, claiming it was all Hu Zhongming’s idea. Thus, the police also went to the Hu’s family house in the middle of the night and brought Hu Zhongming, who was still asleep, to the station.

Accomplice Lu Xiaoqing was also brought in.

Since Lu Xiaoqing had unknowingly become an accomplice, the police merely gave her a stern lecture. Ge Mei angrily made Lu Xiaoqing write a profound self-criticism and gave her one last chance. If she made another mistake, she would be fired.

Hu Zhongming was the mastermind behind both incidents and would be considered the principal offender. He was not only dismissed from the cotton mill but would also face prison time like Feng Ren and Yang Jun.

With numerous eyewitnesses and solid evidence, their trial would soon commence in the coming days. As they left the police station, it was dawn. The director of the cotton mill left in anger, followed by several members of Second Team.

Zhai Peipei ran over alone to check on Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao. Finally, Ge Mei took a few people to the state-run restaurant for breakfast. This incident was due to her negligence, which almost caused a major incident among her subordinates.

Ge Mei replaced wine with water at the table, then stood up and said to Lu Yu, “Deputy Commander Lu, I let you down with your sister-in-law. She almost got hurt by Hu Zhongming and his friends. Let me make it up to you.”

After finishing her sentence, she took a sip of the water.

Lu Yu only said two sentences, then looked at Jiang Nian who was eating breakfast. He had another idea in his mind.

After breakfast, when they were leaving, Lu Yu stopped Jiang Nian. “Sister-in-law, I want to discuss something with you.”

Jiang Nian looked up at him. “What’s the matter?”

Lu Yu said, “In the future, if you have any large-scale embroidery or embroidery that takes a long time to complete, I will help you move the embroidery frame back to the family quarters, and you can embroider the pattern in the family quarters in the future, is that okay?”

After these two incidents, he really couldn’t bear to leave his sister-in-law alone in the city. If it weren’t for his extra vigilance, he didn’t dare think about how badly Feng Ren and Yang Jun could have bullied her.

Jiang Nian hesitated, unable to directly answer Lu Yu.

Though she had been scared by these two incidents, she couldn’t rely on Lu Yu forever because she couldn’t go back to her own era. Even when Lu Yu gets married, she must move out and support herself. Perhaps she will encounter various troubles in the future, and these troubles will also be solved by herself.

She couldn’t trouble Lu Yu for a lifetime.

Moreover, this time she had also dragged Lu Yu down. She knew that taking leave from the military required applications and approvals at multiple levels. Since she had been with Lu Yu, he had already taken frequent leave for her. If this continued, she didn’t know if it would affect his future promotion.

Lu Yu saw the hesitation in Jiang Nian’s eyes and the struggle in her gaze when she looked up.

Just as Jiang Nian was about to speak, Lu Yu stopped her with a firm tone, “The decision is made. I’ll talk to Sister Ge later.”

This was the first time he had decisively made a decision for his sister-in-law.

After speaking, he took a step forward.

Jiang Nian: ???

She hadn’t said anything yet!

Jiang Nian didn’t know what Lu Yu said to Ge Mei. After Lu Yu finished handling things here and left, Ge Mei asked her to sit on the bench by the window and talked to her about some embroidery patterns.

Finally, she said, “At the end of this month, the boss from Gangcheng will come to collect the embroidery. I’ve been looking at the embroidery you embroidered every day. I believe the boss from Gangcheng will be very satisfied with this embroidered piece. Yesterday, the boss from Gangcheng sent me a letter saying that he will bring two large-sized embroidered pieces and one small-sized one at the end of the month. I plan to give Sister Zhai a large-sized embroidered piece. You will be responsible for both a large and a small piece. What do you think?”

Jiang Nian nodded, “Okay.”

Ge Mei looked at Jiang Nian, thinking about what Lu Yu had said to her.

He said that only when Jiang Nian is by his side, can he feel at ease.

Ge Mei took a sip of water and smiled, “When this embroidery is done, let Deputy Commander Lu come at the end of the month to take the frame back. As usual, if you can deliver the embroidery before the deadline, deliver it to the embroidery shop. If I have time, I will come to the army to find you.”

Jiang Nian understood instantly.

Lu Yu had already reached an understanding with Ge Mei.

She understood that Lu Yu was only making decisions for her in secret because he was worried about her.

In the afternoon, Lu Xiaoqing came to the embroidery shop. She brought in a bag of apples and oranges for the first time. She first glanced at Ge Mei, who had a cold face, then looked at Zhang Xiao and Jiang Nian who were sitting by the window, put the oranges and apples on the table, and said to them, “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Nian pursed her lips and didn’t say anything. Zhang Xiao stared at Lu Xiaoqing in astonishment.

Lu Xiaoqing said, “I’ve been obsessed with marrying a city person and have been stubbornly stuck in a dead end. I was deceived by Hu Zhongming and almost caused trouble for you and Zhang Xiao. I don’t have much money, so I can only buy apples and oranges. Please don’t look down on them.”

After speaking, her eyes turned red, and she almost cried.

It wasn’t until dawn that she heard from the Police that Hu Zhongming, Feng Ren, and Yang Jun had confessed, and she realized that Hu Zhongming had been playing with her for the past six months. He never intended to introduce her to his parents, let alone marry her.

Thinking back on how she had devoted herself to Hu Zhongming over the past six months, Lu Xiaoqing felt not only defeated but also disgusted.

She had been dreaming of marrying into the city, obtaining city household registration, and eating government rations for a lifetime, which had blackened her conscience. She almost helped Hu Zhongming harm Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao out of jealousy, but she dared not commit illegal acts, especially those committed by Hu Zhongming and his accomplices.

Zhang Xiao stood up and walked over to comfort Lu Xiaoqing, “Sister Lu, don’t cry.”

Jiang Nian said, “It’s not too late for you to see Hu Zhongming’s true colors. Actually, you don’t have to always think about marrying a city person.” She wanted to say that Qu Hua was an example, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned the conversation around, “You have embroidery skills. If you calm down and hone your embroidery skills, you can also produce the best embroidery.”

Lu Xiaoqing nodded. After this incident, she understood.

It’s better to rely on oneself than on others. Over the years, she had managed to settle in the city with her embroidery skills, although her monthly salary was not much, it was enough to live on.

Just as Jiang Nian said, as long as she practiced embroidery diligently, over time, she might be able to earn more money with each embroidered pattern, just like Zhai Peipei and Jiang Nian.

Ge Mei came over and patted Lu Xiaoqing on the shoulder, “It’s good that you’ve figured it out. In the future, settle down and learn embroidery from Sister Zhai.”

Lu Xiaoqing nodded, “I understand.”

Jiang Nian didn’t know if Lu Xiaoqing had truly settled down or if it was temporary. However, in the afternoon when they were embroidering, Lu Xiaoqing quietly concentrated on her work. Sometimes, she would come over to see how Jiang Nian and Sister Zhai used different stitching techniques. When she couldn’t embroider well, she would ask them politely and kindly.

Jiang Nian patiently taught her once again, and although Sister Zhai’s expression remained icy, she also offered guidance.

In the evening, just before closing time, the director of the cotton mill came over with a lot of bags and specifically came to apologize to the people at the state-run embroidery shop. First, he said a few words to Ge Mei, and then he talked to Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao.

After seeing off the director of the cotton mill, Ge Mei came back and opened the bags on the table. There were two packs of mung bean cakes, two pounds of brown sugar and milk candies, as well as two packs of biscuits and two bottles of milk.

These things were quite valuable. Not to mention the biscuits and milk, even Zhang Xiao wouldn’t spend money on a pound of brown sugar, which costs several dimes. The bag of milk candies was the same as the one Jiang Nian brought back last time. When she went to the supply and marketing cooperatives later, she asked about it. A pound of milk candies cost 1.5 yuan, so these two pounds would cost two yuan, enough for her to eat corn pancakes for a month.

Ge Mei smiled, “The old bald guy has really spent a lot this time.”

Jiang Nian almost burst out laughing.

Zhang Xiao couldn’t help but laugh. After she laughed, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

Ge Mei said, “You and Zhang Xiao take these back to the dormitory. These are given to you by the director of the cotton mill. Don’t be polite. Take them and eat.”

Just as she finished speaking, the phone rang.

Ge Mei went to answer the phone, said “Hello,” and then looked at Jiang Nian, “It’s for you.”

With a smile in her eyes, Ge Mei calculated the time. Deputy Commander Lu should have just arrived at the army at this point. He called Jiang Nian just a few hours after they parted. Jiang Nian always felt there was an indescribable feeling in Ge Mei’s eyes. She took the phone and heard Lu Yuzhi’s voice on the other end.

“Sister-in-law.”

“I’ll come pick you up at the end of the month.”

Jiang Nian didn’t expect him to call about this matter, so she replied, “Okay.”

The two fell silent for a moment, and Lu Yu continued, “I have one more thing.”

Jiang Nian gripped the phone tightly and whispered, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”