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Ye Weijun could barely contain his temper.
“I just want to know—what kind of imperial princess is this Su Ying, that she dares to demand so much? A bride price of one thousand yuan? And all those extra conditions?”
“Hey now, calm down. Think about it—look at Commander Gu’s current condition. It’s only natural the bride price would be higher.”
Though still fuming, Ye Weijun couldn’t argue. The terms from Su Ying’s side were… indeed demanding.
Thinking about it left him deeply dejected. Gu Jinghong… that was Gu Jinghong. A war hero of the army, personally awarded by top commanders, now reduced to this—a once-glorious figure, now having to humble himself just to marry a woman.
“Do you have a photo of the girl? Let’s show it to the groom first.”
The director spoke with a calm demeanor as he asked Zhao Yumei.
Zhao Yumei cursed herself internally. How could she forget something so crucial? She should’ve had Su Ying take a photo beforehand.
“I didn’t bring one, but the girl’s looks are not bad.”
The director and Ye Weijun exchanged a look. Both seemed helpless. Even though Gu Jinghong’s condition had changed, they still had to be careful about choosing a wife for him. It couldn’t just be anyone.
“Then give us her name—we’ll need to run a background check.”
Zhao Yumei’s expression shifted slightly. She was worried they’d dig up something about her and Su Jianshe. She had to move quickly—get Su Jianshe to divorce. If they divorced, it would all be clean, and he couldn’t be accused of abandoning his wife.
“Well… alright. Her name is Su Ying. She’s from the countryside—just arrived in Jiangcheng a few days ago…”
After Zhao Yumei left, Ye Weijun and the director walked out of the office together, passing through several training fields until they reached the family quarters at the back.
They stopped at a small, private courtyard. Two guards stood at the door and saluted upon seeing them.
“Commissar. Director.”
The two men returned the salute and entered with their hands behind their backs.
Inside, the room was chilly and quiet. A man lay on the bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Though paralyzed, his eyes still gleamed with intensity, and he exuded a strong presence.
In front of him, even Ye Weijun and the director softened their postures, offering warm smiles and dropping all bureaucratic pretense.
“Commander, we’ve found a good match for you. The girl’s just turned twenty and looks… quite nice. If you—”
“Call it off.”
His voice was cold and slightly hoarse. The man slowly turned his head to look at them.
“Do you even know how old I am?”
The two glanced at each other. Of course they knew. They also understood his concerns, so the director quickly tried to explain:
“Commander, yes, you’re thirty. But you’ve spent your whole life on the battlefield. That’s why personal matters were delayed. In our unit, even getting married at forty isn’t uncommon. Besides, this girl is willing. You really should have someone to care for you.”
The moment he finished, he felt the commander’s sharp gaze pierce him like a knife. He instinctively straightened and stepped back.
Seeing Ye Weijun go silent, the director carefully chose his words and said quietly:
“Commander, she’s a rural girl. We don’t know all the details yet, but we’ve already sent someone to investigate. You really can’t go on like this—you need someone close by to care for you.”
“Care for me?”
His voice remained cold, but this time, there was a trace of self-mockery in it.
“You think someone would truly care for me just by marrying me? That she wouldn’t mind what I’ve become?”
The director and commissar fell silent. They didn’t know. They themselves didn’t mind and would gladly help take care of him, but they were both busy with official duties and couldn’t be there every day to bathe and dress him.
“Don’t ruin some poor girl’s life. Call it off. I don’t need a wife. Go do your jobs.”
They stood there, unmoving. They genuinely felt sorry for their commander. He’d gone through several orderlies—some he’d driven away, others they’d dismissed for neglect. And the current one…
Sigh.
Even though they feared his temper, this time they were determined to endure whatever storm came. They had to find him a wife. Even if it was expensive, even if she had high demands—as long as she was truly willing and capable of caring for him, it would be worth it.
But when Su Ying’s background check landed on their desks, the two were troubled again.
Lazy. Disrespectful. Gluttonous. Argumentative. The report was littered with these criticisms. Could someone like that really be a good match?
Digging deeper, the director finally found a single positive: Su Ying had decent academic performance. But even then, she hadn’t passed the college entrance exam this year.
“Maybe she didn’t get in, so she came to the city to find work?”
Su Ying had no idea someone was investigating her. She had just rented a mud-brick room in the north of the city. The building housed three families in total. She and Chen Shuyun paid 5 yuan a month for a room. With their belongings packed, they moved out of the guesthouse and into the rental.
That night, Chen Shuyun scrubbed the whole place clean. She looked worriedly at the bare wooden bed.
“We don’t even have blankets. I guess we’ll just sleep under our clothes for tonight.”
She was most worried about Su Ying. Back in the village, Su Ying had been very particular—she’d only sleep with thick cotton quilts. Now, with her head injury, she might feel unwell.
Su Ying pulled out a few clothes from their bundle and spread them neatly over the bed.
“Mom, it’s not cold right now. We’ll manage. Tomorrow I’ll go out and find a job. Once we have some income, we’ll figure the rest out.”
“Find a job? I’ll do it. You stay and rest.”
Su Ying grabbed another bundle to use as a pillow. It was surprisingly soft—she didn’t feel any pain in her head either.
“I need to work too. I can’t just let you support me. How much money do we have left?”
Chen Shuyun rummaged through a hidden pocket sewn into her long johns and pulled out several bills and coins. Su Ying counted them—83.65 yuan. With two months’ rent already paid, that meant Chen Shuyun had been carrying over 93 yuan.
“Mom, this money…”
“I rented our old sow to Erdan’s mom before we left. Got fifty yuan for it.”
That sow could produce two litters a year—definitely worth more than 50 yuan. Su Ying looked a bit pained, clearly feeling they’d been shortchanged.
Chen Shuyun just smiled.
“We had to leave home, and we don’t know when we’ll be back. No one would’ve fed the sow. Renting it out means someone will take care of it.”
In truth, she had wanted to go back to the village with Su Ying. But her daughter insisted on staying, and with Su Jianshe in Jiangcheng, they needed to stay together as a family.
Su Ying told her to ask around the neighborhood for job openings. If there were none, she could come back and wait for her. Meanwhile, Su Ying took the tram to Jiangcheng Pharmaceutical Factory.
It was on the outskirts of town, and the facility looked quite large. Even standing at the entrance, she could smell the distinctive scent of medicine in the air.