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Commissar Ye said he came to discuss Su Ying’s wedding with Chen Shuyun, but in reality, Chen Shuyun barely had a say. She followed whatever Su Ying decided—it was Su Ying who made all the decisions.
“You’re saying we just go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and get the marriage certificate? No ceremony at all?”
Commissar Ye was confused. In any family, marrying off a daughter was supposed to be a grand affair. Why was Su Ying being so hasty? Could it be… she was repulsed by the commander? Did she know he wouldn’t be able to attend the ceremony?
Su Ying smiled.
“Please don’t misunderstand. I just think all that ceremony is unnecessary. I already included a red wedding outfit in my clothing request. When the time comes, just come pick me up.”
To be honest, the “red wedding outfit” wasn’t much—it was just a set of red diqueliang (a popular synthetic fabric in the 1980s), a pair of red socks, and red leather shoes.
Some people in the 1980s had already started wearing Western-style wedding gowns, but Su Ying had never even met the groom—this wasn’t a marriage based on love. She felt there was no need for any romantic fanfare.
As for the groom’s side, they were more than happy to keep things simple. After all, apart from his head and neck, the commander couldn’t move at all. Transporting him around was extremely inconvenient.
Su Ying didn’t know how they picked the date, but just one day after she and Chen Shuyun moved from the courtyard house into their new building apartment, a car arrived to take her to register the marriage.
After a bit of tidying up, she took the household registration booklet from Chen Shuyun and smiled to comfort her.
“Mom, it’s fine. We’re just registering the marriage—it’s not like I’m going off to war. Marriage is just part of life. After so many years, you should understand that.”
But it was exactly because she understood that Chen Shuyun was worried.
Back then, she had known Su Jianshe before marrying him—she liked him. But Su Ying had never even seen this man and was about to marry him. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy and afraid. What if Su Ying ended up unhappy?
Su Ying patted her mother’s hand.
“It’ll be okay. I’ll come back after registering. You haven’t finished sewing that red wedding quilt from yesterday, right? You can finish it today. I might be able to use it soon.”
While Su Ying and Chen Shuyun were preparing the wedding bedding, over in the military family courtyard, a group of military wives were also sewing quilts and clothes together.
They were all military spouses who lived in the same compound. Occasionally, they’d bring meals to Gu Jinghong or tidy up his room. But due to his condition, they couldn’t really take care of him—after all, they were women, and it wasn’t convenient.
“Have any of you seen the bride yet? I heard from the commissar that she’s really pretty—not like a typical village girl.”
One woman licked the thread, looked down as she worked on shoe soles, and asked.
“Nope. I heard there’s a photo, but the commissar’s been hiding it tight. Won’t let us see. Our Commander Gu is a good man—I hope she’s someone warm and considerate.”
“Exactly. People say he has a temper, but can you blame him? Once, I was bringing him food and saw with my own eyes how the guard left him exposed after he wet himself—said he had to air out. So pitiful.”
The other women sighed in sympathy. They genuinely felt bad for Gu Jinghong and hoped this new wife would be diligent and not disgusted by his condition—someone who could care for him properly.
Su Ying arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau and was surprised to see a line outside—many people were standing around waiting.
“People lined up to get married in the 1980s?” she thought. In her original time, it was the divorce line that was long—barely anyone queued to get married.
She instinctively headed toward the back of the line. She knew her husband likely wouldn’t show up—it was probably someone else signing on his behalf. But she wasn’t sure how the marriage certificate photo would work under these circumstances.
“Sister-in-law!”
Su Ying froze for a second before realizing someone was calling her. It felt strange to be addressed like that so suddenly.
“Are you… talking to me?”
“Yes, of course! Since you’re marrying our commander, that makes you everyone’s sister-in-law!”
Commander?
Su Ying found the title a bit odd, but didn’t think much of it.
“Sister-in-law, come right in. Commander Gu is already waiting inside.”
Su Ying was surprised. He came? Was he carried in?
She was finally about to meet the man she was marrying. Strangely, she felt a bit nervous. What kind of person would he be? In his condition, he could be anything—gaunt and skeletal, drooping eyes, balding, cracked lips, sickly pale… nothing was off the table.
Su Ying took a deep breath. After working in a hospital for years, she had seen every kind of patient. Just treat him like one—no psychological burden.
Inside the Civil Affairs Bureau, uniformed officers bustled back and forth. The moment she entered, all eyes turned to her. Especially the staff—though they stayed seated, their gazes followed Su Ying wherever she walked.
Someone came up to guide her.
“This way.”
She followed the guide through a corridor and into a room marked “Photography Room.”
When she entered, she saw Director Du standing beside a bed, holding a wheelchair. Seated in it was a man in a sharp military uniform and cap, body slightly slumped—but clearly trying hard to sit up straight. She could see his trembling shoulders.
His shoulders…
Su Ying’s eyes suddenly widened. Because on those shoulders gleamed a gold star with a beautiful olive branch design at the front. That was…
Her heart pounded wildly. A Major General?
She looked at his chest—rows of military medals covered almost the entire left side.
Director Du was pleased to see Su Ying’s shocked, even slightly overwhelmed reaction. That’s right. Their commander deserved this kind of admiration.
He pushed the wheelchair closer to her, smiling warmly.
“Comrade Su Ying, this is Commander Gu—Gu Jinghong.”
Su Ying lowered her gaze just as Gu Jinghong looked up. Though his body leaned to one side, his eyes were full of strength—solemn and piercing.
Su Ying was startled again.
“You… it’s you? No, I mean—Sir, it’s you?”
Her reaction seemed to amuse Gu Jinghong. A rare smile appeared on his otherwise stern face.
“Your memory’s not bad.”
Su Ying coughed lightly and swallowed.
“That day… I was just passing by.”
Gu Jinghong didn’t press whether she had just happened to pass by or had been secretly watching. Instead, he said seriously:
“Comrade Su Ying, I believe they’ve told you about my situation. I currently have no ability to care for myself. So I must ask you clearly: are you truly willing to marry me? I don’t want this to be a spur-of-the-moment decision. Because you may not be able to handle the consequences. A military marriage means you cannot file for divorce. That is to say—if one day you want to leave me, unless I agree to let you go, you cannot leave. Are you still willing?”
Director Du was nearly breaking into cold sweat listening to this. They had gone through so much trouble to find a beautiful, willing bride—why was the commander basically talking her out of it?