Chapter 11

Jiang Nian suddenly exclaimed and said, “Yesterday Sister Feng and I went to see the private plot allocated to us by the team. On the way, we met Comrade Zheng Hong coming back from the supply and marketing cooperative with her son. She was carrying a bag of peach crisp in her hand and walking very quickly. I thought her sprained foot from the day before had healed.”

She deliberately mentioned Sister Feng. If Liu Qiang had any intention to ask, Sister Feng could serve as a witness.

Liu Qiang lowered his eyes and remained silent for a while.

This morning, Zheng Hong stood at her door and called out to him, giving him an aluminum lunch box, asking him to help get lunch from the cafeteria because her sprained foot from the day before hadn’t healed yet. He agreed to help her.

Liu Qiang looked up at Jiang Nian and simply said, “The meal at home is ready, so I’ll head back now.”

Jiang Nian nodded and watched Liu Qiang’s retreating figure, her eyes gradually growing cold.

These kinds of husbands are the most disgusting.

They don’t know how to refuse, avoid suspicion, or consider things from their wife’s perspective.

Jiang Nian felt uneasy even when passing by Zheng Hong’s house.

It was the hottest time of the day.

When Jiang Nian arrived at the private plot, she saw a folded military uniform on the ground. Lu Yu, wearing a vest and military pants, was bent over and quickly pulling weeds. His large hands grabbed and pulled out bunches of weeds that Jiang Nian would need great effort to remove, but Lu Yu did it effortlessly.

Two piles of weeds were stacked at the edge of the field, and the weeds from the quarter-acre plot were almost completely removed.

Jiang Nian, feeling unbearably hot on her walk over, stood in the shade and called out, “Lu Yu, come over and eat.”

The man not far away straightened up at the clear call, turned around, and saw Jiang Nian standing under a tree with a basket and thermos. He looked a bit surprised.

He thought Jiang Nian wouldn’t go out alone. So, he planned to go to the cafeteria for a quick bite after he finished pulling out all the weeds.

Lu Yu dusted off his hands and strode to the tree, noticing Jiang Nian’s slightly sunburned face. Thinking of her carrying these things under the scorching sun, he suddenly felt that Jiang Nian might no longer be as afraid of going out as she was in the countryside.

“Are you thirsty? I brought some water.”

Jiang Nian set down the basket and the aluminum lunch box on the ground. Then picked up the thermos and glanced at Lu Yu’s hands, pursing her lips, “Wash your hands first.”

“Okay.”

Lu Yu stretched out his hands to receive the well water poured by Jiang Nian. He was tall, so he had to bend over his body. After washing his hands, he cupped some water in his hand to wash his face and instinctively lifted his shirt to wipe off the water on his face.

Jiang Nian was caught off guard by the man tight abdominal muscles. The man’s waist and abdomen looked very strong. The military pants below his waist and abdomen were wrapped with a black leather belt. He stood with his long legs apart, and there was a puddle of well water on the ground.

She quickly looked away, her grip on the thermos handle tightening involuntarily.

Lu Yu, realizing his action, quickly lowered his shirt and squatted on the ground, finding a topic, “What did you cook?”

Jiang Nian blinked uncomfortably, set down the thermos and squatted on the ground to uncover the cloth on the basket, “I made chicken soup, stir-fried spicy and sour shredded potato, and a few white steamed buns.”

She grabbed the aluminum lunch box, trying to open the lid, but whether from tightening it too much before or her palm was sweaty because of the heat, she couldn’t open the lid.

“Let me do it.”

The deep voice from above brought Lu Yu’s heat to her.

Jiang Nian nodded lightly, “Okay.”

She released her grip and placed the lunch box by Lu Yu’s feet. Seeing him effortlessly open the lid, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

The difference in strength between her and Lu Yu was too great.

Lu Yu took a bite of a steamed bun and noticed Jiang Nian had only brought one pair of chopsticks. He handed them to her, “You use the chopsticks. I’ll just drink the soup and dip the buns in it.”

“I’ll eat at home.”

Jiang Nian capped the thermos lid, squatting quietly by the tree roots, “I’m not used to eating outside.”

Lu Yu didn’t say more, took the chopsticks, and ate quickly. In no time, he finished three steamed buns and found that Jiang Nian had scooped a lot of meat for him when he drank the soup from the lunch box.

He felt a warmth inside but said, “Sister-in-law, the chicken was bought for you to regain strength. I, as a man, don’t need that.”

Jiang Nian, watching ants queue into their nest, lifted her head slightly, her voice soft, “I can’t finish it alone. The meat won’t be able to be kept for a long time in this heat.”

She lowered her head again, “You train every day, using a lot of energy. So, you have to eat more. My only job now is to take good care of you, so when you marry and have children, your children will also be considered a descendant of the Xu family. When Dad was alive, he often talked about you, saying that your elder brother’s life was like this. So, he hoped that you could bring a wife back.”

She said all this just to give Lu Yu a heads-up in advance so that he could be prepared  when he met the heroine at the hospital. She hoped that she could smoothly pair them together, allowing the plot to progress normally.

Lu Yu felt uncomfortable hearing Jiang Nian’s words.

He finished the chicken soup, packed the leftovers into the basket and stood up, “It’s hot outside. You should go back. I’ll pull out the remaining weeds, and tomorrow I’ll borrow a hoe from Sister Feng to plow the soil. It should be ready for planting soon.”

Jiang Nian stood up with the basket, glanced at the remaining small patch of weeds, “Thank you.”

She clutched the basket and lowered her head.

Lu Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, “It’s not hard.”

After a few steps, he remembered something and turned back to Jiang Nian, “Make more corn pancakes for me in the future. They keep me fuller longer.”

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, then when she looked up, she saw Lu Yu already walking back towards the field.

She understood his intention.

He wanted to save the white flour for her.

White flour was a rarity, with most households eating cornmeal and sweet potato flour all year-round, especially in rural areas where white steamed buns were a luxury.

Jiang Nian returned home and washed the pots and bowls after lunch. There was still a lot of chicken soup left, which she saved for making noodles in the evening.

She was scared by Xu Yan last night and didn’t sleep well in the second half of the night. She fell asleep as soon as she got into bed.

Jiang Nian woke up near dusk.

She drew well water to wash her hands, went to the kitchen, and prepared the dough, planning to stir-fry tiger skin peppers ^[1]Tiger skin peppers or hu pi jian jiao (虎皮尖椒) is a popular Sichuan dish. The name comes from the color of the peppers after they’ve been seared in a hot wok, which resembles a tiger’s coat. for dinner. She heated the oil, stir-fried the peppers until both sides were cooked, then sprinkled the seasonings and minced garlic.

Jiang Nian plated the food, washed the pot, and then poured the chicken soup into the pot. She then started rolling the noodles dough.

By the time Lu Yu returned, it was already dark.

He went to the well to fetch water to wash his face, and also washed his arms and neck. The rich aroma of chicken soup and peppers wafted from the kitchen, filling the entire courtyard with its enticing smell.

Even the families of Commander Song and Captain Liu next door could smell it.

Song Xiangdong and Song Xianghong, with their keen noses, smelled the meat and excitedly circled around Feng Mei, shouting.

“Mom, it smells like chicken soup.”

“So fragrant! Mom, is there any more chicken soup? I want to eat more!”

“Mom, I want to eat too.”

Song Xianghong ran over and hugged Feng Mei’s legs and shook her, pouting: “Mom, take out the chicken soup from the cabinet, I want to eat it.”

Feng Mei was reluctant to eat it all at once, but the aroma from the neighboring yard made her swallow hard.

To be honest, she craved it too.

Song Zhiwei took a bite of pickled vegetables and gestured to Feng Mei with his chin, “It’s hot and can’t be kept for a long time. If the kids want to eat, just give it to them. It would be a shame if it spoils.”

Feng Mei told Song Xianghong to let go of her leg, “You two sit tight. Mom will go get it.”

Captain Liu’s two children also smelled it.

They sat at the table, cautiously glancing at their parents who were eating in silence. The two had just had another argument, and their mother hadn’t even cooked a hot dish for dinner. They were just eating cornbread with pickles, which had no flavor at all.

Liu Qiang looked at Xu Yan, frowned, and spoke in a slightly softer tone, “Tomorrow, steam an egg custard for the kids.”

Xu Yan sneered and retorted bluntly, “You’ve spent all our money on Zheng Hong. What grain do we have left? Now you’re worried about your sons not eating well and not dressing properly? Where were you before?”

“Xu Yan!”

Liu Qiang slammed his chopsticks on the table, glaring at her with a dark expression, “I only lent her fifty yuan. She said she’d return it when Captain Lu comes back!”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was so angry that she threw her chopsticks at Liu Qiang’s face, “Return it? It’s been almost two years. Has she returned it? Why doesn’t Captain Lu bring the money every time he comes back? Only you, Liu Qiang, are shameless enough to be running to Zheng Hong like a fly seeing a poop!”

Liu Qiang abruptly stood up and slapped her. Xu Yan stumbled back a few steps, holding her face, her eyes red as she stared at Liu Qiang, “You hit me? You hit me for that shameless woman Zheng Hong?”

Liu Qiang clenched his fists, realizing he had acted impulsively.

But Xu Yan’s words had hit too close to home, provoking him to lose control.

“I’m not eating.”

Liu Qiang turned and left the house.

Liu Jianwu and Liu Jianye shrank at the table, their heads down, tears streaming down their faces. Liu Jianwu tugged at Liu Jianye’s sleeve, “Brother, I want to eat egg custard.”

They hadn’t had egg custard in a year and had forgotten what it tasted like.

Xu Yan, looking at the cornbread in her sons’ hands, felt increasingly frustrated.

Why should her husband’s money be spent on Zheng Hong?

Why could Zheng Hong’s son eat white steamed buns while her sons had to eat pickles and cornbread?

Xu Yan wiped her tears and told her sons, “Mom will steam you some egg custard.”

Liu Jianwu’s eyes immediately brightened.

But Liu Jianye, with his head down, didn’t speak. After a while, he looked up in the direction Liu Qiang had left with a trace of resentment in his eyes.

When Jiang Nian came out of the kitchen carrying a plate, she also heard the sound of Liu Qiang and Xu Yan arguing.

She thought Liu Qiang was truly a piece of shit.

The bowls of noodles were hot, so Lu Yu had her carry the dishes and chopsticks outside.

The two of them sat at a small table in the yard. As Jiang Nian listened to Lu Yu eating the noodles, she suddenly felt a sense of pride.

It’s a joy to have your cooking appreciated, isn’t it?

During the meal, Lu Yu mentioned, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll take half a day off to take you to the hospital for a follow-up check up.”

Jiang Nian paused for a moment, keeping her head down as she picked at her noodles, “Let’s go after we finish tilling the field these next couple of days.”

The female lead would report to the hospital in two days. If they went then, Lu Yu could meet her.

Jiang Nian didn’t know if it was her imagination, but after she spoke, Lu Yu’s expression seemed to darken inexplicably.

Jiang Nian lowered her head, distractedly eating her meal, unable to stop wondering.

What’s bothering him now?