Chapter 31

“Ge Yun came by?” Seeing her partner return, Tian Mi rubbed her face and lazily sat up on the bed, casually asking.

Mmm… just couldn’t resist a nap, even though she wasn’t tired initially, but now she felt even sleepier.

Lou Luhui softly responded with a light “Mm,” setting the hot water kettle and tea cup on the side table by the window, then bent down to bring over a chair.

Tian Mi was puzzled, “What are you doing?”

“Da Jie made pear syrup with rock sugar; didn’t you say you like it? I brought it over for you.” Evidently, when he said he brought it over, he didn’t mean just from the kitchen to the bedroom; he intended to bring it right to the bed.

Tian Mi found it both amusing and exasperating. It was fine to munch on frozen pears in bed, but eating something with syrup in bed seemed like a hassle—if it spilled, she’d have to clean it. Cough… the main thing was her laziness. So she rolled out of bed, saying, “I’ll eat it down here.”

Despite saying so, she didn’t really want to leave the warmth, so she compromised by sitting at the edge of the bed, spooning it up.

She’d never had frozen pears before, nor had her predecessor. She had to admit, when she first tasted it, she was quite amazed; it felt like the softened pears released more juice than fresh ones and tasted even sweeter.

The rock sugar-boiled pears weren’t quite as good as the frozen ones, but since Da Jie kept a close eye on the frozen ones, and holding a warm bowl of pear syrup in this cold weather had its own charm.

Tian Mi not only ate herself but also fed a few spoonfuls to her partner.

After a few bites, she realized he didn’t particularly enjoy sweets, so she stopped insisting and simply leaned against him, finishing it spoon by spoon.

Mmm… feeling a bit full.

Lou Luhui took the empty cup. “Want more?”

“No, I’m full.”

The tea cup was fairly large. She hadn’t noticed while eating, but after finishing, she realized her stomach was quite full and a bit uncomfortable from all the liquid.

Seeing him get up to wash the cup, she also felt she couldn’t just sit still, so she got up to walk off some of the fullness.

Upon leaving the bedroom, she saw only Da Jie and Guo Guo at home.

Tian Mi walked over to help peel chestnuts. “Did Ge Yun go back?”

Tian Yu nodded, “Probably something at home. I wanted her to stay a bit longer, at least finish her syrup before heading back, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She said she had something on the stove, so she took it with her. If you ask me, waiting a bit wouldn’t have hurt—walking all the way back, she’ll have to reheat it, wasting firewood…”

“Da Jie, I think I noticed a bruise under Comrade Ge Yun’s eye.” Lou Luhui, who was washing the cup in the kitchen, heard this and connected it with his earlier glance, his face darkening a bit.

He hadn’t thought much of it then, but now, with Da Jie’s comment, that vague suspicion grew clearer.

Could Qian Sheng have actually hit Comrade Ge Yun?

Lou Luhui had already found Qian Sheng to be a bit arrogant, prone to bragging. If he also resorted to hitting women, that was simply unmanly.

But it wasn’t his place to intervene since Qian Sheng wasn’t under his command.

Tian Mi, sensitive about issues like domestic violence, furrowed her brows at the mention.

She looked at her partner, who had come over to sit beside her. When she saw his confirmation in his eyes, she sighed inwardly.

Modern reports have repeatedly shown that once domestic violence begins, it easily leads to a second, third, and countless subsequent times.

As for ways to handle it, one option is to cut your losses early and leave; the other is to fight back decisively to deter him completely.

Otherwise, one could end up like her predecessor, soft-hearted each time, resigning to fate over and over until it destroyed them entirely.

But in this era, divorce wasn’t so simple.

If this ever happened to her, Tian Mi would absolutely raise a fuss, making it a big deal, then leave him.

After all, with things having reached such a terrible point, compared to others’ gossip and finger-pointing, she’d rather survive.

But what about Ge Yun?

Tian Mi hadn’t interacted with her much, but from the bits and pieces she’d heard from Da Jie, it was clear Ge Yun was shy, gentle, and, in broad terms, had a soft personality.

And judging from her choice to keep the domestic abuse hidden, it was obvious she didn’t want to make it public.

At first, Tian Yu didn’t fully understand what her brother-in-law was hinting at.

It was only after picking up another chestnut that she realized what he was implying.

With a sudden “Swish!” she stood up, not even bothering to take off her apron, her face darkening as she prepared to storm out.

Tian Mi was ready, grabbing her immediately. “Jie, calm down! Don’t act rashly!”

“I can’t calm down! That worthless bastard—I always knew that man with the surname Qian wasn’t any good! Fake and insincere wasn’t enough; now he’s hitting women too? Does he think that Xiao Yun has no family to back her? Watch me tear him apart!”

If her own friend were being beaten by some jerk, Tian Mi would have absolutely bagged him and beaten him up that very night.

But the situation now was different.

Ge Yun clearly didn’t want the matter blown up. If her Da Jie charged over without a second thought, she might end up not being thanked and even sour the friendship.

Tian Mi didn’t want to assume the worst, but cases like this were all too common.

The immediate priority was to confirm if the abuse was true, then gauge Ge Yun’s stance before taking any further action…

Tian Yu, her fury doused by her sister’s reasoning, took a deep breath. “Alright, I know what to do—I won’t make things hard for Xiao Yun.”

Saying this, she took off her apron and strode toward the door.

After only a few steps, as if remembering something, she turned back to grab a handful of peanuts from the kitchen as supplies for the visit. She then quickly put on her coat and hurried out.

After Da Jie left, Tian Mi, curious, asked, “If Qian Sheng’s behavior gets exposed, could it affect his career? Or even lead to him being discharged?”

Although he was clearly angry, Lou Luhui answered truthfully. “Hard to say, but as long as Qian Sheng apologizes in time, promises not to repeat it, and earns Comrade Ge Yun’s forgiveness, the punishment won’t be too severe… Still, his ideological and political awareness is clearly lacking. He can forget about advancing anytime soon. If I recall, Qian Sheng is thirty now. In a few years, if he’s still a deputy in the regiment, he’ll likely be transferred to a local post.”

In peacetime, it’s hard to accumulate military achievements. For those who don’t stand out, everyone just waits it out, and someone will always end up being eliminated. Age becomes a major hurdle for officers as they go higher.

“This is letting him off way too easily. Frustrating…” Tian Mi muttered angrily.

She knew well enough that domestic abuse was still all too common, even in the present day, let alone in this era. Many women, not just men, thought that a few slaps from a husband were no big deal. Which married couple doesn’t get physical now and then?

Ridiculous… It left her speechless.

She could never accept violence as a way to resolve issues between spouses.

Lou Luhui reached over and gently rubbed the angry young woman’s head. “Actually, it all depends on Comrade Ge Yun’s wishes. We’re outsiders; we can’t make decisions for her.”

Tian Mi understood that point, of course—otherwise, she wouldn’t have held Da Jie back earlier.

But rationality aside, she still felt furious. She scooped up little Guo Guo, deciding to soothe her frustration by hugging this human cub…

Da Jie had been gone for quite a while. Tian Mi played around with the chubby little girl for a good half-hour, making the little one laugh so hard her face turned pink, but Da Jie was still nowhere to be seen.

Seeing that it was already past nine, she grabbed her partner and the child, and they headed into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

The kitchen was well-stocked, mostly with ingredients her brother-in-law had picked up from the quartermaster’s place on his way back after morning training.

Since their in-law, Zhong Yuxiu, was visiting, Tian Yu and Chen Gang, as sister, brother-in-law, and matchmakers, had spared no effort in their hospitality.

So, besides lamb and pork, there was even a fish in the kitchen.

This meal was shaping up to be as lavish as New Year’s.

Lou Luhui rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll do the prep; you watch the kid.”

“You can cook?”

Lou Luhui shook his head honestly. “I can only make dumplings, and that’s something I learned in the army. But I’m willing to learn.”

Hmm… he seemed very serious about it. Tian Mi wasn’t the self-sacrificing type, so with her partner offering to help, she held the chubby little girl nearby, giving directions while daydreaming aloud: “If you’re willing to learn, I’m happy to teach. Then we can cook together someday.”

The simple-hearted 1970s soldier had no idea about her real motives. As her words sank in, he started picturing a cozy scene in his mind.

Suddenly, he felt even more cheerful.

Their own… private little life.

How he looked forward to it.

Tian Mi also cared about her man; she knew he’d recently fallen into an icy river, so she didn’t put him to too much work. After he cut the lamb into pieces and the pork into slices, she took over, handing him the chubby little one to hold while she handled the rest.

Of course, when it came time for praise, she didn’t hold back, giving credit where it was due: “Leave the rest to me. You handle the fire, and your mom can try my cooking.”

Lou Luhui obediently took little Guo Guo to sit near the stove. “My mom isn’t particular about that. She hardly stepped into the kitchen herself, and she never required it of Da Jie either, so don’t feel any pressure.”

When they first met, Tian Mi learned from him that he had an older sister, two years his senior.

Her name was Lou Yannian, and she was also in the military, but as a highly skilled military doctor. She was now stationed in Beijing and had been married for years but had yet to have children. She claimed she didn’t have time for it, making both families’ elders anxious and assuming she was just stalling.

Tian Mi didn’t have the right to comment, but inwardly, she admired her. A sister-in-law who didn’t want kids in this era was something remarkable—a person worth envying.

Unlike her, she was just an ordinary person who knew when to adapt to reality. Realizing she couldn’t protect herself alone, she sensibly found someone reliable to marry.

Of course, she was lucky—lucky to meet Lou Luhui, who was her ideal match in every way.

Thinking of this, Tian Mi held a kitchen knife as she approached the man crouched by the stove, poking at the firewood. Seeing his puzzled look, she leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

Ah, with a partner this handsome and obedient, she had to kiss him a few more times. Otherwise, it’d be a huge loss, and she was definitely not one to let herself lose out.

Lou Luhui’s lips couldn’t help but curl up in a smile from the sudden kiss. Just as he was about to pull her into his arms to kiss her back, a soft, childlike voice piped up between them, “Guo Guo wants kissy too!”

Tian Mi laughed, bending down to plant a kiss on the little girl’s chubby cheek.

“What’s all this kissing about?” At that moment, Tian Yu walked in, trying to keep a straight face.

“Mommy, Auntie… mm… mm…”

“Ahem… nothing much. Right, Da Jie, what did Ge Yun say?”

The question indeed shifted Tian Yu’s attention. She took the kitchen knife from her sister and began chopping vegetables with loud, forceful chops, clearly venting her anger on the food. “Sure enough, that jerk Qian Sheng did hit her. At first, Xiao Yun didn’t want to show me anything, but you wouldn’t believe it—half her face was bruised and swollen, and that was from a few days ago. Who knows what it looked like back then? That heartless scumbag! And it’s not just him; his sister is vile too. The couple had a fight this time because Qian Jingjing stirred things up…”

Her chopping became louder, and her voice choked slightly. “Mi Yatou, you don’t know—Qian Jingjing has been calling Xiao Yun ‘idiot’ and ‘fat pig’ behind her back. Even Qian Sheng dislikes her for being ‘fat and ugly.’ It’s pure bullying! If he doesn’t like her, why did he get involved in the first place? He approached her but doesn’t cherish her. Pah! Men truly are all the same!”

“Cough, cough… Da Jie, Jie Fu is pretty decent.”

“Your brother-in-law is an exception!”

“My Lou Luhui is pretty decent too.”

At this, Tian Yu gave her well-behaved brother-in-law, who was sitting with his chubby daughter in his arms by the stove, a hard look, brandishing the kitchen knife in her hand. “Men can change. Before marriage doesn’t count; only after marriage do you see their true colors. If he dares mistreat my sister after marriage…”

Lou Luhui…

Trying to stifle her laughter, Tian Mi redirected the conversation, “I remember Ge Yun’s baby is only six months old, right?”

“Yeah, just six months.”

“Six months means she’s still breastfeeding. It’s perfectly normal to carry some extra weight around this time. Plus, weight doesn’t determine beauty! In the Tang Dynasty, they even considered it beautiful. Besides, Ge Yun isn’t ugly, is she?” She wasn’t exactly a beauty, but calling her ugly was an exaggeration. The Qian siblings were truly something else—a bit deranged, actually, and utterly infuriating. “So what did she say about it?”

Hearing this, Tian Yu grew even angrier, though now there was more frustration than anger. “Xiao Yun is just so naive. She told me she must’ve been blind and that she’ll just accept her fate and focus on raising her son. How is that possible? Living under the same roof, how can there be no interaction? I say forget ‘accepting fate’—once you accept it, your whole life is over.”

Tian Mi agreed with her elder sister’s opinion but also worried that her sister might overstep and make things awkward. She gently suggested, “So, what did you say to her? We might not want to say too much…”

“Jie knows what you’re worried about. I’m not about to make decisions for her—who am I to do that? I just laid out the situation for her. If she wants to keep living a decent life, she’ll have to teach Qian Sheng a hard lesson. She can either make a big deal of it so that Qian Sheng, that turtle son, learns to fear laying a hand on her again, or she can tell her family and have them come over to give him a good beating, then clear up things once and for all. Being lenient just won’t work. Oh, and there’s that Qian Jingjing—she’s nothing but a pest. She has to be sent packing. I mean, come on, eating and drinking off her sister-in-law and still bad-mouthing her? I’ve never seen someone so shameless…” As she spoke, Tian Yu became more and more incensed, practically bursting with words.

Tian Mi heard the conclusion loud and clear: a divorce didn’t seem likely.

Well, she didn’t know if she’d expected it, but the heaviness in her heart was probably… just the burden of the times.

At lunch, Zhong Yuxiu was thrilled and moved to learn that her daughter-in-law had decided to hold the wedding soon to set her mind at ease.

She held Tian Mi’s hands and showered her with compliments, praising Tian Yu as an exceedingly reasonable in-law and calling her son incredibly fortunate to marry someone like Tian Mi.

What mother wouldn’t want to attend her son and daughter-in-law’s wedding? Even if now it wasn’t allowed to do the tea ceremony or kowtow, just watching them take their marriage vows together would make her feel that this trip was complete…

But amidst her satisfaction, she also felt a twinge of guilt.

Zhong Yuxiu couldn’t help but feel that the wedding was too modest.

She had some beautiful jewelry saved up—jade pieces and gold items—but they were inconvenient to carry on her and couldn’t be mailed either. Since her daughter got married in Beijing, she’d been given her share before the wedding, but for her daughter-in-law, she’d have to wait until she could go to Beijing to deliver them…

After the meal, Tian Mi suggested showing her future mother-in-law around their home.

The houses here were pretty similar, with furniture provided uniformly by the military; the main difference was the size of the homes.

But mothers naturally want to see where their children live, and upon being invited, Zhong Yuxiu happily accepted.

This time, the two of them went off arm-in-arm to the new house, leaving Lou Luhui behind.

Onlookers from the family quarters were surprised, thinking that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law were supposed to be natural enemies.

After a few days of repairs, the house looked tidier than before.

Not only was the furniture complete, but the entrance had also been paved with broken stones and bricks.

This way, it wouldn’t get too dirty in the rain or snow.

Last time Tian Mi had come by, there had been patches of weeds around, but now everything was neatly cleared.

After wandering around a few times, Zhong Yuxiu commented that while the house was clean, it lacked a sense of home and could use more furnishings.

Tian Mi agreed, sharing a few of the improvements she’d planned to make.

Of course, she wasn’t foolish enough to reveal all her ideas, as completing all her plans would cost quite a bit.

Zhong Yuxiu, however, not only approved of her daughter-in-law’s ideas but also offered plenty of suggestions herself. Clearly, she was an experienced… well, let’s just say a person of taste and aesthetic sensibilities.

It was during this close interaction that the two of them discovered how closely their preferences aligned—they both enjoyed a touch of elegance in their lives.

It must be said that seeing someone through a positive lens really does make you find them wonderful in every way.

For instance, Zhong Yuxiu, already grateful to her daughter-in-law for saving her son, was now viewing her with an even thicker filter. After this heart-to-heart, it was as if that filter had been welded onto her eyes.

Unremovable!

In the city.

This was where Tian Mi had stayed after getting off the train on her last visit—the guesthouse.

Driving directly from the base was much faster than taking the shuttle bus, but the one-way trip still took over three hours without snow or wind. Including the return, a full day was needed.

And if they were unlucky and ran into snow, getting back the same day wouldn’t be guaranteed. So, they’d already planned to spend a night in the city if necessary.

They set off before dawn.

The journey was smooth, so they arrived in the city a little past seven.

With half an hour until the Supply Cooperative opened, they decided to stop by a state-run restaurant for some mutton noodle soup.

This lamb soup wasn’t filled with additives—just pure, natural lamb, simmered over high, medium, then low heat for hours until it turned a milky white. Combined with thick hand-rolled noodles, it was enough to warm up their slightly chilled bodies.

So warm, Tian Mi closed her eyes in bliss.

Lou Luhui, for his part, even broke into a sweat.

There was no better way to start a chilly day than with a steaming bowl of soup and noodles. The two of them were refreshed and rosy-cheeked after their meal.

Afterwards, they sat in the restaurant for a while, enjoying the warmth inside.

Of course, they couldn’t sit too brazenly, so they left a little soup in their bowls. Otherwise, the waiter would shoo them away if they saw empty bowls.

Fortunately, it was soon time for the Cooperative to open. Just as the waiter shot them yet another black look, the two of them exchanged smiles, bundled up, and left the cozy, fragrant restaurant.

Honestly, if it weren’t necessary, staying home in this kind of weather would’ve been the best choice.

The supply co-op in the city wasn’t much different from the one in town. Aside from a few extra display shelves, a bigger storefront, and a wider selection of items, there wasn’t much to set it apart.

The cold weather had its advantage, though: fewer townspeople were willing to go out, so the co-op wasn’t as packed as Tian Mi had expected.

Of course, there were still customers, but it was far from crowded.

Tian Mi had quite a few items on her list—not only for herself and her elder sister but also for some families in the family quarters who had asked her to pick things up.

Even though many of these items were available at the town co-op, many people somehow believed that things from the city must be better.

While Tian Mi felt a bit helpless, she couldn’t refuse, considering they’d be neighbors in the future.

One by one, she bought everything on the list. The sheer volume quickly drew attention from the co-op staff and other customers alike.

Tian Mi figured that if not for her fiancé’s intimidating, stoic expression and his four-pocket military uniform, the busy staff would have already turned hostile instead of glowering quietly, holding back words they didn’t dare speak.

After finishing all the purchases, more than three hours had passed.

Not everything on the list was available, but they managed to get the essentials.

Instead of heading back right away, they took a drive to the 621 farm about half an hour from the city to visit Cheng Lang, the Mongolian friend, and share their wedding news.

Cheng Lang was as cheerful as always. After a warm hug, he laughed heartily, saying, “Well, look at you! You moved faster than I thought! Finally getting married before the new year… So the wedding’s tomorrow, right? Don’t worry, I’ll be there!”

Sharing in the joy of the moment, Lou Luhui grinned. “Bring Saozi and Zhi’er^[1]侄儿 – Nephew along.”

Cheng Lang clapped his friend’s shoulder heartily, then turned to Tian Mi with a grin. “Haha, we’ll all come… Congratulations on getting married!”

Hearing this, Tian Mi looked up at Lou Luhui. She could clearly remember her earlier fear and doubt when she’d first arrived in this unfamiliar place, but now, all she felt was hope for the future.

Luhui, we’re getting married!

Sensing the girl’s mischievous gaze, Lou Luhui looked down, and as their eyes met, both smiled, their eyes curving in delight.

Yes ah, they were getting married!