Chapter 13

“Coming—”

A pleasant female voice rang out from outside the door, followed by the sound of quick footsteps. Jiang Nian looked up and stared at the woman who entered the examination room. She wore an old-fashioned white coat, a plaid shirt under the coat and hair styled into two braids. Her eyebrows were curved, and she had two little tiger teeth that showed when she smiled. There was also a small red mole beneath her right eye.

Jiang Nian couldn’t suppress her excitement.

It’s her!

She turned her head to look at Lu Yu who was standing beside her. She saw that Lu Yu’s gaze briefly fell on Sun Ying, but then he quickly turned to look out at the people passing by the window. It is the opposite of what was described in  the book where the male lead was immediately captivated by the female lead’s beauty mark and couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

Why was this different from the plot in the book?

“Dr. Wang, is it just this ointment?”

Sun Ying glanced at the prescription, then looked up at Jiang Nian who was sitting next to Dr. Wang. The woman wore patched clothes that appeared quite shabby, but her features were beautiful, with fair skin and bright clear eyes.

And when their eyes met, the woman smiled at her.

Sun Ying was taken aback for a moment but politely smiled back. As she was about to look away, she was drawn to the man standing next to the woman. He wore an army-green uniform and was looking out the window. The sunlight streaming through the glass window illuminated his handsome features.

He seemed to be lost in thought, with his brows slightly furrowed.

Sun Ying furrowed her brows slightly, experiencing a fleeting moment of familiarity as if she had seen him before, but she was certain she hadn’t.

“What’s your name?”

Dr. Wang adjusted his glasses, still not familiar with the names of the two new nurses.

Sun Ying snapped back to reality and smiled. “Dr. Wang, my name is Sun Ying.”

Dr. Wang nodded and said to her, “Go get the medicine.”

“Okay.”

Sun Ying walked out with the prescription. Dr. Wang handed another slip to Lu Yu, “You need to go to the front to pay. After paying, you can pick up the medicine and leave.”

Lu Yu took the prescription slip and looked at Jiang Nian. “You sit here for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

Jiang Nian nodded. “Okay.”

The hallway was filled with patients’ family members carrying enamel basins or thermos flasks. Some had worried expressions, while others had faces full of joy, likely those who had welcomed a new grandson or son.

After paying for the medicine at the pharmacy, Lu Yu turned around and accidentally bumped into Sun Ying coming around the corner.

The man didn’t even look at her and continued walking straight towards the examination room.

“Hey…”

Sun Ying wanted to greet him but seeing him ignore her, she frowned with dissatisfaction. “What a rude person.”

“Yingying, what are you doing standing here?”

A man and a woman, both colleagues and friends of Sun Ying approached. The woman, named Cai Jing, was a nurse who had been assigned here with Sun Ying. The man named Wu Youshan, had grown up with Sun Ying and was seen by others as her childhood sweetheart.

Wu Youshan noticed a glimpse of a military green figure disappearing into the examination room. Seeing Sun Ying still staring in that direction, he waved a hand in front of her eyes and laughed. “Lost in thought?”

Sun Ying snapped back to reality and shook her head. “I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

She added, “I can’t chat with you guys now. I have to give this medicine to Dr. Wang.”

Outside the hospital, Jiang Nian and Lu Yu walked under the shade of the trees.

Jiang Nian listened to the sound of cicadas and birds, inhaled the warm scent of grass and kicked a pebble as she spoke slowly and softly, “Lu Yu, have you thought about getting married?”

Lu Yu furrowed his brow slightly, looking at Jiang Nian as she bowed her head and fiddled with her clothes. From his angle, he could see the slender and fair back of her neck.

He averted his gaze. “I haven’t thought about it yet.”

Jiang Nian smiled, then quickly put away the smile and looked at Lu Yu seriously, adopting the tone of an elder advising a younger person. “Then think about it now. What do you think of that nurse, Sun Ying? You’re a soldier and she’s a nurse. One protects the country, the other saves lives. What a perfect match.”

“I think she’s quite pretty too, with a pair of cute tiger teeth when she smiles. If you think she’s nice, I can ask Sister Feng next door to act as a matchmaker. If your marriage works out, Dad and Xu Cheng can rest in peace.”

Lu Yu looked at Jiang Nian, his dark eyes revealing an unreadable emotion, and a touch of coldness.

Jiang Nian’s heart skipped a beat, and she pressed her lips together, not daring to continue anymore.

She had been too hasty, nearly acting out of character from the original Jiang Nian.

Lu Yu turned his gaze back to the path ahead, surprised that Jiang Nian had said so much at once. He understood her concern for his marriage prospects.

“You don’t need to worry about my affair, sister-in-law.”

He paused and added, “I already have someone I like. When the time is right, I’ll bring her to meet you.”

Jiang Nian was stunned. Lu Yu has someone he likes?!

Shouldn’t he be interested in the female lead, Sun Ying?

Jiang Nian lowered her head and walked quietly, her mind in turmoil. Could the plot have changed again?

First, the male lead returned home early to save the original Jiang Nian, then the original Jiang Nian didn’t die as expected, and now the male lead and female lead seemed to be on different paths. The male lead wasn’t even interested in the female lead anymore.

The more she thought about it the more discouraged she became, losing the energy she had earlier.

Lu Yu glanced at the crestfallen Jiang Nian. Seeing she had abandoned the idea of arranging a marriage for him, he lightly pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Back at the base, Lu Yu went to his team, while Jiang Nian walked alone towards the family quarters.

She hadn’t gone far when a harsh voice called out.

“Stop right there, widow!”

The sound of heavy footsteps approached Jiang Nian. She looked up to see Zheng Hong rushing over to block her path, her face cold and questioning. “What did you say to Liu Qiang that day?”

Jiang Nian feigned ignorance. “Which day are you talking about?”

Zheng Hong was furious. “Don’t play dumb with me. What did you say to Liu Qiang three days ago?!”

That afternoon, after Jiang Nian spoke to Liu Qiang, Zheng Hong had noticed Liu Qiang starting to avoid her. Before that, he had always been willing to help her. If Liu Qiang stopped helping her, she would be in a dire situation, as her husband, Lu Guosheng, was often away, and she didn’t want to return to her former life of hardship.

With Liu Qiang’s help in the past two years, she has eaten better than other military wives, done less work, and lived a much more comfortable life than before. She would rather die than go back to her old life!

“Oh, you mean that day—”

Jiang Nian drawled out her tone, her eyes mocking. “Sister Feng and I saw you walking home just fine with your child, but the next day you were limping and asking Captain Liu to get you food. We were curious and asked if you sprained your foot again.'”

She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and sneered. “Sister Feng saw it too. I didn’t lie. Captain Liu only needs to ask Sister Feng and he will know that what I said is the truth.”

Zheng Hong’s chest heaved with anger, her eyes nearly spitting fire.

She had lied to Liu Qiang about her sprained foot, and this widow had exposed her lie. No wonder Liu Qiang was avoiding her now!

Seeing Zheng Hong’s fury, Jiang Nian added fuel to the fire.

“Comrade Zheng Hong, you’re in the wrong here. As a soldier’s wife how can you lie? And not just lying, but eyeing another’s bowl while eating from your own. You rejected Captain Liu back then, and now after being married and having a child, you regret it? How can you expect to have it all?”

Jiang Nian’s voice lowered. “By the way, do you know the consequences of disrupting a military marriage? If Captain Liu’s marriage falls apart because of you, what benefits do you think you’ll get? And how do you think Captain Lu would react if he knew you still harbored feelings for Captain Liu?”

As she continued, Zheng Hong’s face darkened further.

Seeing her agitation, Jiang Nian smiled coldly. “Think carefully about your actions, Comrade Zheng Hong.”

Leaving Zheng Hong fuming, Jiang Nian walked away, feeling a sense of accomplishment. She had managed to put Zheng Hong in her place while staying true to her character. Now, she just needed to figure out how to get the plot back on track.

She really underestimated this widow. She pretended to be a quiet and taciturn rural woman in front of outsiders, but was actually so sharp-tongued in private!

Unable to contain her anger, she started scolding furiously: “It’s none of your business, widow! You wretched widow, bad luck star, you caused your father-in-law and your husband to die, and now you’re here to harm others! Sooner or later, you will cause Deputy Commander Lu to die too!”

The more she scolded, the more furious she became, losing her rationality in her rage. She forgot that it was mealtime, and the military wives in the family quarters heard the noise and came out to see what was happening.

The first to come out was Feng Mei. She didn’t hear Jiang Nian’s voice, just Zheng Hong’s loud scolding, repeatedly calling someone a wretched widow and a bad luck star.

In the entire family quarters, who else could be a widow except Jiang Nian?

It was definitely Jiang Nian who was being scolded!

Who would have thought that the usually smiling and sweet-mouthed Zheng Hong could be such a shrew?

Other military wives from the quarters also came out, some holding spatulas, some holding fire sticks or radishes, all coming out to watch the commotion. Even the children from each courtyard came out to see the spectacle, shouting: “Auntie Zheng is scolding someone, Auntie Zheng is scolding someone.”

Feng Mei, fearing Jiang Nian would suffer a loss, hurried over and saw a scene that made her furious.