Chapter 16 – My New Husband Is a Big Shot

When Su Ying said she was leaving, Gu Jinghong seemed to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully exhale, Su Ying suddenly turned back at the door.

“Oh, right—he hasn’t had lunch yet. That orderly clearly doesn’t know how to take care of him properly. Maybe you should consider a replacement. His body can’t handle wearing thick clothes and being wrapped in blankets in this heat. If this goes on, I’m afraid…”

Su Ying didn’t finish the sentence, but Commissar Ye understood perfectly.

Only after hearing the door close for a long while did Gu Jinghong finally turn his head. His neck ached terribly after holding one position for so long—it had become a real burden just to move.

“Old Ye, help me rub my neck. I’ve got a cramp.”

Commissar Ye suppressed a laugh.

“Why don’t you move around more? Why were you twisting your neck like that? And what’s so scary about Su Ying anyway? She’s such a small girl—what, you think she’s going to eat you alive?”

Maybe it was because Gu Jinghong was in a relatively good mood today, but Ye Guanjun felt bold enough to joke around.

Gu Jinghong didn’t reply. He just shot him a cold look and slowly stretched his neck.

“So, what about the wedding? If you want to go big, that’s totally fine. We’ve got lots of people in this compound, and I’m sure they’ll help you throw a lively celebration. Especially those housewives—well, I mean, the female comrades from the family quarters. They’ve already started making your wedding quilt. If we hand it over to them, they’ll definitely pull it off.”

“No need. Let’s go with what she said—just put a red ‘double happiness’ character on the door.”

Ye Guanjun felt it was a bit beneath Gu Jinghong’s status to have such a simple wedding, but considering the situation—he couldn’t physically participate anyway—he had no choice but to nod.

“All right, it’s your call. If that’s what you both want, then so be it. Once the experts in the capital find a cure and your health improves, we’ll throw a proper ceremony.”

Gu Jinghong said nothing. He knew his condition better than anyone—it wasn’t going to get better.

Thinking of that kind and straightforward young girl, he shook his head with a sigh. She was the one being wronged in this arrangement.

“What about Li Weimin? Do you want to replace him?”

When Ye Guanjun asked this, there was a hint of grievance in his eyes. Li Weimin was already the fifth orderly they had tried, and honestly, he didn’t even know who else to recommend.

Gu Jinghong replied calmly,
“Call the capital. Have them transfer Du Feng over.”

Ye Guanjun was shocked. His eyes lit up with admiration but also concern.

“Sir, you mean Du Feng from the special forces—the solo extreme combat guy? Can he really be reassigned here?”

Gu Jinghong wasn’t sure either. Du Feng had been his bodyguard before. By now, he should’ve been climbing the ranks, but the guy just loved a challenge and didn’t care about titles. That’s how he ended up in special forces.

“Just call and ask. If he’s too busy, forget it. Have someone from my old unit picked and sent here.”

Ye Guanjun sighed and felt ashamed. The commander had come all the way to Jiangcheng to recover, and yet they couldn’t even find someone reliable to care for him. It made him feel like a failure as a leader.

By the time Su Ying returned to the communal housing building, it was almost noon. As soon as she entered the stairwell, the aromas of various dishes wafted through the air. The sounds of cooking, chatting, and children crying formed a lively picture of daily life.

When she reached her door, she saw Chen Shuyun carrying a small pot of porridge inside. Su Ying quickly helped open the door curtain.

“Mom, we’re having porridge today? Do we have any pickles?”

Chen Shuyun set down the pot and smiled.

“Guess what I did this morning?”

Su Ying put out bowls and chopsticks and played along,
“What did you do?”

Chen Shuyun pulled out a small crock from beside the cabinet.

“I found this jar at home. This morning, I went to the vegetable fields with Aunt Li from next door. We picked a bunch of leftover cabbage leaves. The vendor sold the good ones, but the outer leaves were tossed aside. I brought back two baskets! I washed them all this afternoon and started pickling. This should last us for a few months.”

Su Ying grinned and gave her mom a thumbs-up.

“Mom, you’re amazing. Now even if we’re broke, we still have pickles to eat.”

Chen Shuyun modestly replied,
“Well, it’s not completely free—we still have to buy salt. Since you love spicy food, I’m thinking of getting some chilies to pickle with them.”

Although the pickles hadn’t absorbed much flavor yet, the mother and daughter still enjoyed their porridge with them.

Chen Shuyun asked about the marriage registration, especially about the groom, whom she hadn’t met yet. She was curious what Su Ying thought of him, where exactly his disability lay, and whether it would affect daily life.

Su Ying answered vaguely. She wanted to wait and see if Gu Jinghong’s condition had any chance of recovery. She didn’t want to make her mother worry, so she didn’t go into detail.

“What about the wedding? What are they planning? They said they’d go by your decision. I was thinking—why not hold it in our village? We could bring him to Shangyang Village. All our relatives are there. Here in the city, we don’t have many people.”

Su Ying quickly drank a spoonful of porridge and shook her head.

“Mom, I think we should hold off for now. My health isn’t great, and he’s not doing well either. Let’s wait until we’re both in better shape.”

Her mom recalled how Su Ying often complained of headaches and had even vomited recently. She could only nod reluctantly. Still, she couldn’t help but feel conflicted. A girl getting married without a proper wedding—it felt like a lifetime regret. A makeup wedding could never compare to the real thing.

That afternoon, Su Ying and Chen Shuyun made another jar and a big basin of pickled vegetables. By the time they finished, it was already getting dark.

Just as they were about to start cooking dinner, someone from the military family compound came by to inform them that Su Ying would be moving in with Gu Jinghong that night.

Chen Shuyun burst into tears on the spot.

She clung tightly to Su Ying, refusing to let go.

“How can you just get married like this? Yingying, how can my little girl just go live in someone else’s house like that?”

Su Ying felt awful seeing her cry. She gently patted her mother’s back and tried to comfort her.

“Mom, I’m not far away. I’ll come back to see you every few days. If anything happens, just come find me. As for the wedding—I really don’t mind. I was the one who said not to have one. Don’t feel bad for me. I’m not upset.”

Chen Shuyun was a traditional woman, deeply shaped by the values of her time. In her eyes, not having a wedding meant the groom’s family didn’t respect the bride—like Su Ying wasn’t good enough.

But Su Ying didn’t think that way. Still, she knew she couldn’t change her mother’s mindset, so she could only try to reassure her.

“Mom, I have to go. They’re waiting outside. I’ll come back in three days. I promise.”

Sitting in the military vehicle, Su Ying turned around to see her mother chasing after the car, wiping tears from her eyes.

She lowered her head and quietly brushed away the tears at the corners of her own eyes. To her, moving in with Gu Jinghong didn’t mean much. She treated it like starting a job.

But to Chen Shuyun, it was her daughter getting married—leaving to become part of someone else’s family.