Chapter 23.1

Without hesitation, the military wives hurried to leave. Some put on their coats, some grabbed their hats, and others carried stools, all ignoring Tian Yu’s polite attempts to keep them. They quickly said their goodbyes and left.

Most of them were quite perceptive. They had seen enough—they were convinced by Tian Mi’s beauty, and Regiment Commander Lou had clearly stated his intentions. If they lingered any longer, they would just become a nuisance.

The temperature difference between indoors and outdoors was over several dozen degrees, but the military wives had lived here for years and were well-prepared for the cold.  

Of course, there were also those who prioritized looking good over staying warm.  

Sure enough, a loud sneeze echoed, causing the military wives who were about to leave to turn and look.

To show off her slender figure, Qian Jingjing had specifically worn a thin cotton-padded jacket today. The jacket’s design had been altered slightly, with a tighter waistline than the usual loose styles popular at the time.

While it looked good, her face was now so pale, tinged with blue, that it hardly seemed worth it.

Wearing so little—wasn’t she cold?

Several quick-witted military wives glanced at her up and down, exchanged looks, and couldn’t help but smirk with a hint of mockery in their eyes.

Of course, there were also those who were more straightforward. One of the mothers of the soldiers pulled Qian Jingjing’s hand, which was as cold as an ice pop, and shared, “Oh dear, girl, you must be new to the island and don’t know—it’s freezing outside. Next time, don’t be so reckless! Look at your auntie here, wear a big coat when you go out, then take it off indoors. Otherwise, your snot bubbles will freeze! And when they fall, they’ll turn into ice, just like icicles… haha… I remember back in the day…”

This elderly lady loved to chat, and once she started, she tended to go off on tangents.  

Seeing a fresh face today, she couldn’t help herself and went on and on.  

A few military wives nearby held back their laughter, thinking, “Auntie, if you don’t let go soon, the girl really will have frozen snot bubbles. Can’t you see her face is turning black?”

“You know, Regiment Commander Lou has some real awareness.”

After everyone left, when Tian Mi went to the kitchen to serve food, Tian Yu followed her in.

Lifting the lid off the pot, Tian Mi took out the breakfast that had been kept warm inside. Without turning around, she responded, “What do you mean, ‘awareness’?”

“Qian Jingjing! You were washing your face earlier, so you didn’t see. She told Regiment Commander Lou that she had never seen anyone fishing before and wanted to tag along. Regiment Commander Lou turned her down flat, and he was pretty harsh about it too. You should’ve seen Qian Jingjing’s face—it was so pale… I mean, what was she thinking? If she didn’t know that you and Regiment Commander Lou were dating, I wouldn’t think much of it, but she knew! And she still asked. Doesn’t she have any sense?” Tian Yu started off calm, but the more she spoke, the more irritated she became. She handed her sister a plate of pickled vegetables from another pot, then slammed the lid shut with a “bang!”

Tian Mi was amused by her older sister. She didn’t rush to go back out; instead, she sat on the small stool in the kitchen, holding a bowl of porridge.

The porridge had a mix of coarse grains, but since it had been simmering for a long time, it tasted pretty good. Tian Mi enjoyed it, her eyes squinting in satisfaction. After two days of eating heavy meat dishes, having a bowl of porridge for breakfast was truly refreshing.

She was grateful that both her older sister and brother-in-law were accustomed to Southern tastes, and despite living in the North for many years, they still maintained the habit of having porridge in the morning.

After taking several sips and satisfying her hunger and cravings, she grabbed a corn bun and took a bite. Casually, she said, “Maybe she’s just confident in herself? Or maybe she thinks that stealing someone else’s man is more exciting?”

Of course, she appreciated Lou Luhui’s actions.

Although she had never been in a relationship, she had attended enough relationship workshops to know that a “central heating” type of person—someone who is warm to everyone—was not desirable.

She had always believed that her own personality made it impossible for her to compete with another woman over a man, even if that man was her own boyfriend.

Because of her parents’ divorce, she wasn’t blind when it came to views on love and marriage. She would always wonder if the man had given the other party some sort of wrong impression.

She was just in a relationship and didn’t want to turn into someone paranoid, suspicious, and ultimately ugly because of a man.

Shouldn’t a healthy relationship help both people become better versions of themselves?

Tian Mi didn’t care what others thought. To her, if her partner couldn’t cleanly reject any suitors and allowed them to flaunt their intentions under her nose, then she’d seriously reconsider whether that partner was worth it.

This was why, even though she had just pleased her sister by making an appearance in front of everyone, she didn’t bother interacting with Qian Jingjing.

There really was no need.

“What… what kind of person does that? Why steal someone else’s man?” Tian Yu had no idea her seemingly sweet younger sister had such firm boundaries. She just found it baffling. There were plenty of men around—why did anyone need to steal someone else’s? What kind of logic was that?

Tian Mi didn’t quite know how to respond. If she told her sister about all the absurd love dramas from the future, Tian Yu’s worldview might just shatter.

So, she simply shook her head seriously and said, “I don’t understand either.”

Tian Yu: “…”

“Achoo!”

Curled up in her bed, Qian Jingjing was a mess, with her nose running and her face streaked with tears.

In all her life, she had never been more humiliated than today.

The appearance she had always been so proud of had been completely overshadowed.

The man she had set her sights on had rejected her in public.

And to top it off, an old woman had come out of nowhere, clinging to her and babbling endlessly.

In the end, she really did end up with a runny nose.

And… it even froze.

Ah!!!

Thinking about the mocking glances from those women earlier, Qian Jingjing felt like she was going to explode with rage.

Her headache and stuffed nose made her feel like this place was cursed.

No, it wasn’t the place—it was that cheap sister-in-law of hers!

With this in mind, Qian Jingjing shot a mocking look at the fat, silly sister-in-law carrying a bowl of medicine into the room, and nastily said, “Stupid pig!”

Earlier, this dumb woman had probably laughed her head off behind her back, right? She couldn’t go out and throw a tantrum in public for fear of ruining her reputation, but there was nothing stopping her from bullying this fool at home, right?

Ge Yun hadn’t expected that after taking the trouble to prepare medicine for her sister-in-law, she would be insulted.

Was this the “sharp-tongued but soft-hearted” person her husband had talked about?

More like sharp-tongued and hard-hearted!

Ge Yun had a good temper, but that didn’t mean she was a pushover. Normally, she was willing to accommodate her sister-in-law, but only out of consideration for her husband and mother-in-law.

She wasn’t good at arguing, and often, when she tried, she would end up trembling with anger before getting any words out. Since her sister-in-law didn’t know how to appreciate kindness, Ge Yun decided she wouldn’t bother serving her anymore.

With that thought, Ge Yun’s face darkened as she turned to leave, taking the medicine with her.

Seeing this, Qian Jingjing grew even angrier. That fat pig had no sense of gratitude! Ignoring her dizziness, she got out of bed to grab the bowl of medicine.

Ge Yun hadn’t expected her to pull this stunt. With her other hand holding her baby, she instinctively let go of the bowl.

But Qian Jingjing used too much force, and the bowl of medicine tipped over, spilling the hot liquid onto Ge Yun. A few drops even splashed onto the baby’s face.

Although it wasn’t boiling, the medicine had just come off the stove.

The six-month-old baby immediately started crying.

Ge Yun’s eyes reddened with heartache. Ignoring her own wet clothes, she roughly shoved her sister-in-law aside and rushed off to find the burn ointment her father-in-law had left behind.

Qian Jingjing, sick and already weak, was caught off guard by the push and fell flat on the floor, unable to get up.

She lay on the floor, watching in disbelief as that foolish woman dared to leave without helping her up, walking away without so much as a glance back.

Furious, she swore to herself that she’d make sure her brother dealt with this woman…

Meanwhile, back in H Province.

There were several islands here, so fish were abundant. According to her older sister, during the winter, you’d often see people cutting holes in the ice to fish. In these times of food shortages, it certainly helped supplement their rations.

Tian Mi had never seen this in real life before, so her curiosity was piqued. After breakfast, she bundled herself up tightly and set off.

Today, she wore the dad cap her sister had given her. Coupled with her thick clothing, her exposed face didn’t feel too cold. It wasn’t about looking good—she had long since grown out of that childish vanity. It was mainly that her clothes were so heavy, and if she kept covering her mouth and nose, it made breathing difficult.

There was no snow today, but the heavy snowfall from yesterday had left its mark on the landscape.

All along the way, small soldiers were busy shoveling snow, working with great enthusiasm.

Whenever they saw Lou Luhui, they would pause to salute, and then cast curious glances at Tian Mi.

It wasn’t surprising that they were so intrigued—after all, it was rare to see a young woman by Commander Lou’s side.

Although the two of them weren’t holding hands, and there was even enough space between them for another person to walk, the atmosphere between a young couple was unmistakable.

Even if they did nothing, as people in the future might say, you couldn’t hide that sweet, telltale “love aura.”

However, once the soldiers got a good look at the girl’s face, they blushed and quickly averted their eyes, not daring to stare any longer.

Tian Mi found their innocence quite amusing.

The 836th was a brigade-level unit.

It comprised three regiments, nine battalions, and numerous companies… Tian Mi hadn’t asked about the exact numbers, but she knew the place covered a vast area.

In an era where most travel was done on foot, the two of them walked and stopped for about forty minutes before they finally saw a bustling crowd dressed in green.

“Has it started already? Are we late?” Tian Mi asked, her excitement growing. She had seen videos of ice-fishing before, where people would chisel a hole in the ice, and after a while, a bunch of fish would leap out.

She had thought it was magical at the time, and now she imagined that seeing it in person would be even more amazing.

“We’re not late. The ice is thick, so it takes a while to break through.”

“Then let’s hurry!” She wanted to witness that magical moment!

However, reality rarely lived up to expectations.

As she and her partner squeezed into the crowd, they heard a few excited voices shout:

“It’s done, it’s done, the hole’s open!”

“Hurry, Lao Gao, scoop out the ice chunks.”

“Use the net! The shovel’s too slow!”

“Quick, quick, dig the next one!”

“…”

Over twenty soldiers crowded together, shouting and focusing on their task, so much so that no one noticed two new arrivals in their ranks, one of whom was a girl.

Tian Mi peeked at the hole broken in the ice, staring intently at the water flowing continuously from it, unwilling to even blink.

However, after all the broken ice on the surface was cleared, she didn’t see a single fish voluntarily swim up. Instead, she saw a soldier throw a fishing net into the hole.

She was a little confused and instinctively wanted to move a bit closer.

Unexpectedly, the man who had been keeping an eye on her quickly pulled her back by the waist.

Tian Mi turned her head, and the man had already let go, but his eyes clearly showed disapproval.

Feeling a bit guilty for no reason, she touched her nose and explained, “I… I know what I’m doing. I won’t get too close.”

The young girl looked sweet, and when she made this expression, it softened people’s hearts even more. However, this time, Lou Luhui didn’t relax. Instead, he earnestly explained the dangers lurking beneath the northern ice, giving a thorough conclusion: “…So, anyone who falls into an ice hole basically won’t come back up.”

Not knowing that she could freely move underwater and wasn’t afraid of the freezing water temperature, these warnings were entirely for her benefit. After listening, Tian Mi nodded sincerely and promised, “I understand, I won’t do it again. I was just curious why they were putting down nets.”

Upon hearing this, Lou Luhui paused, about to explain how they could catch fish without nets when a familiar loud voice suddenly rang out beside them:

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Isn’t this Lao Lou? And who is this girl…?”

The couple turned their heads in unison, only to meet dozens of fiery gazes.

Somehow, the previously bustling crowd that had been busy breaking the ice was no longer lowering nets or shoveling. Instead, they were all curiously staring at them.

“Lao Lou! Not gonna introduce your girlfriend?” Tang Dahai, the commander of the third regiment, was the first to speak, full of teasing. He knew all about Lao Lou’s interest in their commissar Chen Gang’s sister-in-law. He had even seen the photo—it was this very girl in front of them.

Now that the iron tree had bloomed, and seeing that expression and tone just now…tsk tsk tsk…not teasing them would feel like a disservice to himself.

But before Lou Luhui could introduce her, the other officers jumped in.

A dark-skinned but spirited soldier chimed in, “It can’t be his girlfriend. Isn’t this Lao Lou’s sister? I’ve heard that Lao Lou’s girlfriend is Tian Saozi’s sister.” As he spoke, he smiled a bit awkwardly at Tian Mi, the implication obvious.

“Yeah, Lao Lou, didn’t you go pick up Tian Saozi’s sister? Where is she?”

“Lao Lou, is this girl your sister? How come I never heard you had a sister?”

Clearly, these officers were much more thick-skinned than the younger soldiers. Several single officers not only weren’t embarrassed but even started discreetly fixing their hair and clothes, trying to make themselves look more presentable.

Qian Sheng’s expression, however, was much more complicated. He didn’t believe that the stunning girl in front of him could be Tian Saozi’s sister. But if she wasn’t, who exactly had Lou Luhui brought back?

Recalling what he had unintentionally learned about Lou Luhui’s family background, Qian Sheng’s eyes flickered. He smiled and said, “Lao Lou, I heard you’ve taken a liking to Tian Saozi’s sister? When will you introduce her to us?”

The implication was clear: now that he had a girlfriend, he couldn’t afford to make any political mistakes. The girl in front of him, with her fair skin and delicate features, clearly came from a wealthy family, not a rural background.

His own sister stood no chance against this girl.

It would be better to start undermining Lou Luhui’s image in the girl’s eyes.

A man who dabbles in relationships is not a good husband candidate.

By then, his sister could easily deal with Tian Saozi’s sister.

…He wondered if his sister had run into Tian Saozi’s sister when she went to the Tian family this morning.

As Qian Sheng was plotting his schemes, he suddenly heard the answer he least wanted to hear.

“Hahaha, isn’t this Chen Gang’s sister-in-law? When Tian Saozi introduced her to Lao Lou, Zhou Jianshe and I were both there. We saw her photo with our own eyes.” As if wanting to see more drama unfold, Tang Dahai confirmed with a malicious smile.

He and Zhou Jianshe had deliberately stayed quiet to let the misunderstanding fester, just to enjoy this moment.

Heh…looking down on the families of those in the third regiment? How big is their ego? Don’t they ever look at themselves? No money to buy a mirror? Can’t they at least use a puddle? 

What?

How is that possible?

The officers looked like they had been struck by lightning. As they sized up Tian Mi and Lou Luhui, their faces alternated between suspicion, regret, jealousy, and frustration.

In short, a torrent of emotions flooded their minds, but not a single word came out. All they could do was show twisted expressions, torn between laughing and crying.

Internally, they wept and screamed…

Tian Saozi, you’ve led us astray!!!

The most devastated of them all, Qian Sheng, forced out a smile, making one last desperate attempt: “Didn’t they say… she looks a lot like Tian Saozi?”

Upon hearing this, Tian Mi, who had remained silent until now, smiled, but her eyes were cold: “If the Tian Saozi you’re talking about is named Tian Yu, Political Commissar Chen Gang’s wife from the Third Regiment, then yes, she’s my sister—my full sister.”

At this point, she locked eyes with Qian Sheng and added, “I think I look quite a bit like my sister, especially around the eyes. Don’t you think so, comrade?”

Lou Luhui’s lips curled into a slight smile as he added, “Tian Mi, you might not know him yet. Let me introduce you: this is Qian Sheng, deputy commander of the Second Regiment and the older brother of that female comrade who heard we were going out today and wanted to tag along.”

This statement immediately raised eyebrows.

No one here was a fool, especially the officers, whose sharp minds quickly caught the underlying meaning in Lou Luhui’s words.

They didn’t even have time to mourn missing out on a beauty. Instead, everyone turned to look at Qian Sheng with meaningful expressions.

Qian Sheng…

Qian Sheng was absolutely livid.