Chapter 22

Wen Ning gently touched her red lips, vaguely recalling a dream about the Great General. But the memory was hazy, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t quite recall it.

She pursed her lips—there was no pain—and set down the small round mirror. Stepping out of the bedroom, she noticed a note pressed beneath an enamel bowl on the square table in the main room.

The bold, familiar handwriting on the note read: “Out for training. Returning in one week. – Lu Cheng”

Lu Cheng, along with many other soldiers from the family compound, had been deployed. Political Commissar Huang—Sister Luo’s husband from next door—was among them.

“You’ll get used to it,” Sister Luo said, accustomed to her husband’s frequent absences. “Being a soldier isn’t easy. They’re always getting injured, their lives hanging by a thread. We just have to wait patiently at home.”

“Hmm.” Wen Ning understood. The Great General had been like that, and Lu Cheng was likely the same. Still unfamiliar with the situation, she asked, “Will this training be dangerous?”

“Not this kind,” Sister Luo replied, her fingers deftly knitting a sweater. “It’s not like they’re going to war.”

As the weather turned colder, Sister Luo had been knitting sweaters since early autumn and had already completed three. This one was nearly done—just one sleeve left. It would be ready for Huang when he returned.

“Sister Luo, you’re so skilled! I didn’t know you could knit,” Wen Ning said, admiring the black sweater in her hands. It was truly well-made.

“What’s so special about this? Everyone knows how to knit,” Sister Luo replied, glancing at her. Noticing Wen Ning’s fixed gaze, she teased, “What? Want me to teach you? You could knit one for Xiao Lu too!”

“Me?” Wen Ning shook her head. “I’m hopeless at this.”

“Just learn! You’re so clever, you’ll pick it up in no time!”

…….

When Lu Kanglei and Lu Kangyun returned home to find it empty, they went to Sister Luo’s house. There, they found Wen Ning sitting cross-legged on the heatedkang, knitting.

Lu Kangyun also knew how to knit, having learned from Mother Lu. Watching her clumsy sister-in-law, she sighed inwardly. How can someone so talented at painting struggle so much with knitting?

Wen Ning wanted to protest. She simply wasn’t cut out for needlework—she couldn’t even sew properly, let alone knit an entire garment.

Thus, the sweater originally intended for Lu Cheng had been downgraded to mittens. But Wen Ning found knitting ten finger coverings too tedious, so she downgraded it again—to a single-piece mitten that enclosed all ten fingers together.

Lu Kanglei watched her haggling with Sister Luo. Tugging his younger sister into a corner, he whispered, “If Sister-in-law can’t even learn this, will we go from fifth-worst in class to dead last if we follow her?”

Lu Kangyun remained silent.

Wen Ning was quick-witted, but her hands lacked dexterity. Still, with practice, she gradually mastered the technique of casting on stitches.

“Sister Luo, I’ll go back and practice some more. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Alright. Ask me if you run into any trouble.”

Wen Ning returned the yarn and needles to Sister Luo and called the siblings to leave.

“Sister-in-law, Eldest Brother went on field training today. Did he say anything about us last night?” Lu Kanglei asked nervously.

“He did,” Wen Ning replied, smiling at their anxious faces. “He told you to listen to me and learn from me.”

Lu Kangyun gazed up at her sister-in-law, who wore a thin cotton-padded jacket and moved with effortless grace. She couldn’t help but admire her confidence and slight arrogance when she said, “Listen to me and learn from me.” It was a confidence that made Lu Kangyun want to follow her lead.

“So, should we go back and study now?”

“No,” Wen Ning said, calling the two rascals over. “Let’s go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy yarn first.”

Sister Luo had taught her how to choose yarn. For sweaters, you needed fine yarn and tightly knit stitches to keep the wind out. But for gloves, average yarn would do.

After spending eighty cents on two needles and a ball of black yarn, Wen Ning had the siblings carry everything home.

They arrived at the compound just as Jiang Rong and Deputy Director He from the Women’s Affairs Office were leaving.

Ever since Wen Ning had gotten the propaganda poster job, Jiang Rong’s gaze had grown complicated. She had probed her last time and was sure Wen Ning hadn’t transmigrated or been reborn—but she couldn’t understand why she had changed so much.

According to the plot from her past life, Lu Cheng’s siblings should have loathed her. Yet now, they were practically skipping behind her—one carrying yarn, the other the needles.

“Xiao Lei, Xiao Yun, what are you carrying for your sister-in-law?” Jiang Rong asked, remembering how they used to curse her as a “bad woman.”

Wen Ning knew Jiang Rong was probing again. She ignored her, but Director He turned to speak.

“Xiao Wen, this year’s propaganda poster is a crucial task. Since you’ve taken over Xiao Song’s position, you must do your best and avoid any mistakes.”

“Deputy Director He, don’t worry. I’ll definitely do my best.”

Wen Ning noticed her insincere smile and gave a perfunctory reply before taking the siblings inside.

…….

Lu Kanglei diligently kept the Kang warm, boiled water, and filled the thermos before sitting down to study.

Wen Ning took off her jacket and sat comfortably in her pink-and-white quilted top. Outside, snowflakes fell gently under a gloomy sky. She thought of Lu Cheng—he was likely undergoing field training now. Was he doing alright?

She loosely held her knitting needles, recalling Sister Luo’s instructions. Lu Kangyun sat across from her, helping wind the yarn, while Lu Kanglei held a textbook, peeking at them from behind it.

The three of them formed a strangely harmonious scene.

“Alright, take out your midterm exams. Work on the questions you got wrong. If you still don’t understand them, mark them and tell me later.”

The two little rascals buried themselves in their work while Wen Ning focused on knitting. Gradually, she found her rhythm and her hands grew more skilled.

Half an hour later, she checked their papers. Both had made progress. During the exam, they had each carelessly missed five or six questions they actually knew how to solve.

“Look here,” Wen Ning said, pointing to the problems. “You knew how to do them all along, right? That’s at least seven or eight more points. Xiao Yun, you’d pass math!”

Lu Kangyun looked up, surprised. She blinked at her with bright eyes.

“It’s too late to improve this time, but look, you’re not stupid. You’ll at least pass. If you work harder, maybe you’ll get a perfect score next time and be first in the class!”

Lu Kanglei and Lu Kangyun stared at her. No one had ever expected them to be first in class before.

“Let me go over these with you.” Wen Ning categorized the problems: careless mistakes, concepts they didn’t understand, and half-formed ideas that needed guidance.

As the midday sun slipped westward, the Lu family’s house remained lively. Wen Ning recalled studying with her siblings back at the Duke Zhenguo’s Manor.

“Alright, that’s enough. Focus on mastering the questions you should’ve gotten right. If you do that, your scores will definitely improve.”

“Understood.” Four bright eyes looked up at her seriously.

Lu Kanglei had never really listened in class before. The lessons were confusing and fast-paced, so he gave up. But now, his sister-in-law explained clearly and patiently, checking if they understood.

He stole another glance at her, then stood to gather his textbooks. “Sister-in-law, I’m going to start the fire and cook.”

He remembered she couldn’t cook.

“I’ll help too!” Lu Kangyun sprang up to wash the rice. “Sister-in-law, can I cut the sausage? I’ll make sausage, potato, corn, and cabbage rice.”

Wen Ning had never tried that before. “The sausage is hanging on the wall next to the cupboard. Cut it yourself.”

“Okay!”

The two siblings worked swiftly. Lu Kangyun washed and half-cooked the rice, diced the sausage, potatoes, corn, and cabbage, layered them on top, drizzled sesame oil, and steamed the dish.

Wen Ning glanced at the colorful pot, her mouth watering. These two are quite skilled.

“Sister-in-law, this is something my mother used to make. Eldest Brother loved it too.”

“He did? Then we’ll make it again when he returns.”

“Okay!” Lu Kangyun felt a sudden glimmer of hope.

White steam curled from the pot lid, bringing the savory aroma of sausage and the freshness of vegetables. Lu Kanglei fed the fire, swallowing his saliva.

In the following days, Wen Ning busied herself with knitting, designing propaganda posters, and tutoring the siblings.

The military school dismissed early, with the bell ringing at four o’clock. The two siblings came to Wen Ning every day to listen to her explain their lessons

She often read aloud from their history textbooks like they were storybooks. Occasionally, she would ask about other historical texts, wondering if any dynasties had been omitted. Fortunately, she never pressed them for answers.

Watching them cook dinner and try new recipes each evening, Wen Ning found them more and more endearing. What teachable children.

Remembering Lu Kanglei’s future hardships, she called him over. “During your last fight, someone mentioned Brother Hai. Is he really that tough?”

“Wang Hai? He’s alright. Not as good at fighting as me,” Lu Kanglei said, momentarily forgetting she was his “bad sister-in-law.”

“Is his father in the military?”

“His eldest brother is Deputy Regimental Commander Wang,” Lu Kanglei replied proudly. “But my eldest brother is the Regimental Commander!”

Wen Ning flicked his forehead. “You’re quite proud, huh? Does Wang Hai get into fights often?”

“Not really,” Lu Kanglei said, launching into a torrent of words about his friend. “His eldest brother is getting married soon. I heard his wife is from the city and will be joining him at the military base. The other day, He Erniu said his brother had found him a sister-in-law, and he’d definitely be bullied by her, so he got upset.”

Lu Kanglei had rushed to help, loyal as always.

Joining him at the military base? Wen Ning’s eyes narrowed. That must be the female lead. She’s about to appear—marrying Wang Hai’s eldest brother!

“Anyway, stop getting into trouble. Fight again, and I’ll make you write a hundred characters to practice your handwriting.”

Lu Kanglei: “…”

Meanwhile, the 326th Unit was engaged in rigorous training in the bitter cold. They paused to rest and set up camp.

Lu Cheng had just completed a comprehensive drill, shattering the unit’s previous records. He sat among jagged rocks, wearing a green training T-shirt and olive-green pants, radiating heat.

“Damn, Lu Cheng! Another record broken!” Yang Bin exclaimed, eyes wide at his time.

Brigadier Zhou grinned, boasting to other commanders. After all, every unit had soldiers, but his had elite troops.

“Hey, what’s wrong? You spaced out again.” Yang Bin clapped Lu Cheng’s shoulder. “I called you twice.”

“Nothing. What were you saying?” Lu Cheng asked, snapping out of it. But in his mind, he still saw Wen Ning wrapping her arms around his neck…

Only during training could he forget her. The moment he stopped, she was there again—when he opened his eyes, when he closed them. Every moment replayed that night.

He pursed his thin lips, as if he could still feel her soft touch… A strange sensation stirred in his heart.

But then, at the worst possible moment, he remembered her smugly boasting about how she had schemed against him last year. Lu Cheng’s expression turned ic y.

Yang Bin was still chattering on about the praise he had received from the leaders when he saw Lu Cheng abruptly stand up and rejoin the weighted run. He then moved on to long-range shooting practice.

With perfect posture and powerful arms, he fired—bang! bang! bang! Every shot hit dead center.

Yang Bin gritted his teeth. Enough already! At least leave the rest of us a little dignity!

So this is the upside of marrying someone you don’t like—total work obsession. Impressive!