Chapter 27.1

Jiang Nian’s breathing quickened and she froze for a moment, blinking in surprise. While she was still dazed, Lu Yu’s hand suddenly applied more pressure. Jiang Nian screamed in pain, grabbing Lu Yu’s arm and pinching it hard in retaliation.

It hurts!

It hurt so much!

Jiang Nian felt like half her life was being squeezed out by the pain.

Her mind went blank, completely forgetting what Lu Yu had just said. She instinctively kept pinching his arm, as if by doing so, she could share the pain with him.

“It’s done.”

Lu Yu gently massaged Jiang Nian’s ankle, glancing at his arm, which was now bruised purple from her pinching. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Try not to put weight on this foot for a few days. It should recover soon. I’ll get some water for you to soak your feet in.”

He was about to stand up, but Jiang Nian was still gripping his arm.

Lu Yu pressed his lips together and said nothing, waiting until Jiang Nian had calmed down and released him before he stood up and walked out of the room.

Jiang Nian wiped the sweat from her forehead, bent down to look at her still slightly swollen right ankle, and touched it. It didn’t seem to hurt as much as before. She tried gently twisting her ankle, it still hurt but not as intensely as it had at first.

She hadn’t expected Lu Yu’s technique to be so effective.

Remembering how she had pinched Lu Yu’s arm in retaliation, Jiang Nian felt a bit embarrassed. She wondered if he was angry. Would he think she was petty and had pinched him on purpose to get back at him?

After a moment of hesitation, footsteps sounded outside.

Lu Yu walked in carrying an enamel basin and placed it by the bed. Then he stood up and walked out again. Jiang Nian glanced at his tall and slender back, swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth, and took off her other shoe and sock. When she put both feet in the basin, she realized the water wasn’t hot but cool.

It wasn’t ice-cold like well water, but water that had been warmed by the sun all day.

Footsteps came from outside again. Jiang Nian blinked and looked up, seeing Lu Yu enter with a bowl. He placed the bowl on the floor, lit a match, and set a piece of paper in the bowl on fire, causing blue flames to flicker.

Jiang Nian frowned in confusion. “What’s this?”

Lu Yu replied, “It can reduce swelling.”

He dipped his hand in the bowl of liquor, held Jiang Nian’s foot, and placed it on his knee again. Startled, Jiang Nian tried to pull her foot back, but Lu Yu held her calf firmly, preventing her from moving.

“This time it won’t hurt as much. Just bear with it a little longer.”

Lu Yu glanced at Jiang Nian’s red and swollen eyes from crying. “If it hurts, you can pinch me.”

Jiang Nian: …

She bit her lip and gripped the bedsheet with both hands. “I can endure it.”

She glanced guiltily at the bruise on Lu Yu’s arm and looked away towards the window.

Lu Yu chuckled softly, then lowered his head and began massaging Jiang Nian’s ankle.

Jiang Nian realized that, as Lu Yu had said, it wasn’t as painful as before. This time, she could endure the discomfort. After a while, Lu Yu released her ankle, picked up the basin, and said, “Try walking a few steps.”

“Walking a few steps?”

Jiang Nian was stunned, thinking she had misheard.

Lu Yu patiently repeated, “Try walking a few steps. It should feel much better.”

Jiang Nian slipped on her cloth shoes, stood up by the bed, and tentatively put weight on her right foot. The expected pain didn’t come. Instead, there was only a slight discomfort. She took a couple of steps, feeling only a mild ache, nothing like the intense pain from before.

She looked at Lu Yu in surprise, her eyes shining. “I can walk already! You’re amazing!”

Lu Yu looked at her bright eyes and his voice softened. “Although you can walk, you still shouldn’t put weight on that foot for a few days. I’ll get some safflower oil tomorrow and massage your foot a couple more times, and it will be fine.”

Jiang Nian nodded. “Okay.”

She sat back down on the bed, looked up at Lu Yu, and sincerely said, “Thank you.”

Lu Yu picked up the basin and, as he left, said, “Brother is gone. Sister-in-law, you should look forward. Brother wouldn’t want you to be stuck in the past.”

Watching Lu Yu’s back, Jiang Nian bit her lip, thinking about what he had said earlier.

—Sister-in-law, forget about Brother.

Perhaps he genuinely wanted her to let go of the past and live well in the present. Although she wasn’t thinking about Xu Cheng, the sentiment Lu Yu expressed was the same.

Since she was living in this world now, she should forget everything from before.

After the movie ended, Feng Mei and Xu Yan came back. Hearing that Jiang Nian had twisted her ankle, they rushed to check on her.

Feng Mei placed a stool beside Jiang Nian. “I wondered why you disappeared after going to the bathroom. So you twisted your ankle. Is it serious?”

Xu Yan sat by the bed, glanced at Jiang Nian’s slightly swollen ankle, which looked like it had been massaged, and guessed that it was Deputy Commander Lu’s doing. She smiled, “Deputy Commander Lu is really attentive. Two years ago, I twisted my ankle, and Liu Qiang didn’t take care of me. I had to endure it for ten days to heal. Now, whenever the weather changes, my ankle hurts.”

Mentioning Liu Qiang, Xu Yan’s tone turned less friendly.

The two chatted for a while before leaving. Jiang Nian lay in bed, looking at the closed door Feng Mei had shut for her, and felt that the earlier pain was like a nightmare.

After the movie ended, everyone returned to the family quarters.

Xu Yan returned from Jiang Nian’s home. Liu Jianye and Liu Jianwu were sitting on the threshold. Seeing Xu Yan return, they happily ran over. Xu Yan patted their heads and asked, “Are you hungry?”

Liu Jianye shook his head. “Not hungry.”

Liu Jianwu grinned. “I’m hungry.”

Liu Jianye glared at him. “You just want Aunt Jiang’s mooncakes.”

Liu Jianwu pouted and looked at Xu Yan. “Mom, I want a mooncake.”

Xu Yan put down her stool and went to the kitchen. “I’ll get you some.”

As she came out of the kitchen, she saw Liu Qiang returning home. Liu Qiang picked up Liu Jianwu and asked, “Did you enjoy the movie tonight?”

Liu Jianwu hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”

Liu Jianye glanced at Liu Qiang and went to find Xu Yan. Although his parents had stopped fighting recently, he couldn’t forget the past few years’ events between his father and Lu Zhijun’s mother. Though he was young, some things he remembered clearly.

His father preferred helping Lu Zhijun’s mother with chores rather than noticing his mother’s hard work at home. Whenever he came home, he’d sit at the table, expecting his mother to serve him. Thinking about Lu Zhijun’s broken leg made Liu Jianye feel satisfied and avenged.

Liu Qiang put down Liu Jianwu, glanced at his eldest son who was distant from him, and tried to get close to him, but his son always avoided him, running to his mother whenever he saw her.

Xu Yan handed a split mooncake to the two children, half each, and told them to go to bed after eating. She went back to the bedroom to tidy up the bedding. Liu Qiang followed her, hugging her from behind and asked, “Why were you so cold to me at Deputy Commander Lu’s house? I didn’t do anything to upset you, did I?”

Xu Yan’s hands paused as she grabbed the bedding. She turned to look at Liu Qiang and cautiously said, “When will you go to Zheng Hong’s house to ask for the fifty yuan back? The New Year is coming up, and with that money, I can buy more fabric to make new clothes for Jianye and Jianwu. We could also have a better feast.”

Liu Qiang frowned, releasing Xu Yan, and said impatiently, “Why bring her up now?”

Xu Yan’s face turned cold. “Will you get the money back or not?”

Liu Qiang’s expression turned cold. “Zhijun just broke his leg and it cost a lot for his hospital stay. Their family is short of money now. If I go ask for money now, wouldn’t it be making things difficult for them? Let’s wait. We’ll talk about it after Zhijun’s leg heals.”

Xu Yan suddenly became furious and threw the bedding onto the bed. “You keep mentioning Zhijun, he’s Zheng Hong and Captain Lu’s son, not yours. Your sons are Jianwu and Jianye. What does their family’s financial situation have to do with me? I want my money. Why should I care about their circumstances?!”

“That’s my money!”

Liu Qiang shouted, his face darkening. “Can’t you stop causing a scene? I’ll ask for the money when the time is right. Haven’t I given you my entire salary? What more are you unsatisfied with? Must you keep harping on about that fifty yuan and disturb the peace at home?”

Xu Yan’s chest heaved with anger. She realized every time she mentioned asking Zheng Hong for money, Liu Qiang would resist and blame everything on her.

Suddenly overcome with rage, she shouted, “When Zheng Hong returns, I’ll go to her house and demand the money!”

“You dare!”

Liu Qiang glared, gritting his teeth. “If you dare go to Zheng Hong’s house for money, tomorrow you can pack up and go back to the countryside. You can afford to lose face, but I can’t!”

Enraged, Xu Yan pushed Liu Qiang. “Fine, now you think I’m embarrassing? Why didn’t you think so earlier?”

Liu Qiang pushed her away and left.

Xu Yan stood stunned in the empty room, tears streaming down her face. She knew this would be the outcome, yet she had humiliated herself by hoping for something from Liu Qiang.

Liu Jianye lay on the window sill, watching Liu Qiang leave. He gave the mooncake to Liu Jianwu, then turned and went into Xu Yan’s room.

Liu Qiang stood at the door and saw Commander Song returning from outside.

Though it was dark, the moon tonight was bright. Liu Qiang noticed Commander Song’s troubled expression and furrowed brow. He wanted to greet him but feared being scolded, so he turned and went back inside.

Commander Song heard the door close, looked up, and saw the quiet row of family houses in the quarters.

He rubbed his head, returned home, and found his son’s room dark. So he went to his own room and saw Feng Mei lying in bed, flipping through Song Xiangdong’s school bag as if trying to find something.

“What’s wrong with you today?”

Commander Song took off his shoes and asked.

Feng Mei didn’t even look at him, just turned around and faced away from him.

Commander Song: …

When he came back from the training ground earlier, he called Feng Mei, and she just glanced at him and left, embarrassing him in front of the guys in the battalion. The problem was he had no idea what he had done to offend his wife.

Commander Song returned home in frustration, turned and nudged Feng Mei’s back, “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you say something?”

Feng Mei moved away so he couldn’t poke her.

Commander Song: … Hey, this is really frustrating!

The next morning, when Jiang Nian woke up, Lu Yu had already prepared breakfast. She looked at her ankle and found that the swelling had subsided a little, and it was not as painful as last night.

She put on her cloth shoes, and when the bugle call sounded, Lu Yu came out of the kitchen and saw Jiang Nian standing at the door. “Sister-in-law, don’t cook for lunch. I’ll bring food back from the cafeteria.”

Jiang Nian thought for a moment and nodded, “Okay.”

After finishing breakfast and washing the bowl, she limped back into the house and took out the cloth she had bought from the city, cutting it to her own size with a wooden ruler. She made the pattern first, and when her foot was better, she would go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some cotton.

At noon, Lu Yu returned from the cafeteria with an aluminum lunch box, carrying two dishes and a bowl of porridge, as well as two white steamed buns. After she finished eating, she took it to the well to wash.

After packing up the aluminum lunch box, he saw Jiang Nian sitting in the yard and hesitated for a moment before asking, “Sister-in-law, do you know what’s wrong with Sister Feng these days?”

Jiang Nian was taken aback, “What’s wrong with her?”

Lu Yu said, “Commander Song came to my unit today and asked me to ask you if you know the reason Sister Feng has been cold to him these past few days. Did something happen?”

Only then did Jiang Nian understand and tightened her lips to suppress a smile.

She lowered her head, tugged at her clothes, and whispered, “I’ll ask her when she comes over.”

Lu Yu said, “Hmm.”

Jiang Nian couldn’t help laughing after Lu Yu left. When she heard footsteps outside, she quickly stopped laughing. When she saw Feng Mei coming in, she almost laughed out loud again. She suppressed her smile and asked, “Sister Feng, what happened to you these past two days?”

Feng Mei said, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Nian bit her lip, containing her laughter. “Just now, Lu Yu asked me to help ask what’s wrong with you these days. Commander Song seems quite worried about you. He’s been uneasy at the unit these past few days because of you.”

Feng Mei’s eyes lit up when she heard this. She sat down beside Jiang Nian, “Really? What else did Deputy Commander Lu say?”

Jiang Nian said, “He said Commander Song is worried about something happening to you. He’s more anxious than anyone if anything happens to you.”

Feng Mei chuckled, “Oh my, this is exactly what I wanted. I didn’t expect him to really worry about me.”

Jiang Nian showed a curious look, and Feng Mei leaned close to her and whispered, “I saw this method work on Liu Qiang with Xu Yan, so I thought I’d give it a try with Old Song.”

After saying this, she looked a bit embarrassed and said to Jiang Nian, “Please don’t tell Xu Yan about this. I’m afraid she’ll make fun of me.”

Jiang Nian suppressed a smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret safe, Sister Feng.”

Feng Mei leaned in and whispered a few more words into Jiang Nian’s ear. Jiang Nian’s eyes widened in surprise, “Sister Feng, isn’t this a bit risky?”

Feng Mei scoffed, “What’s wrong with that?”

Jiang Nian remained silent.

That night, after dinner, Lu Yu went to the clinic and bought back some safflower oil. Jiang Nian went back to her room earlier, and after a while, Lu Yu came in with the safflower oil. He lowered his eyes and looked at Jiang Nian’s feet resting on the edge of the bed. “I bought the safflower oil. Let me massage your feet again.”

The room was already small, and Lu Yu’s tall figure made it even more cramped. Jiang Nian’s heart inexplicably skipped a few beats. She bit her lip, took off her socks, and Lu Yu half-crouched beside the bed, holding Jiang Nian’s right foot against his knee. He poured safflower oil into his hand and began massaging the injured area on her foot.

It hadn’t hurt much before, but as soon as he massaged it, the pain surged back. Jiang Nian muttered a few times in pain, gripping the bed sheets tightly. Lu Yu’s voice was deep and steady, “Bear with it a bit more, it’ll get better soon.”

Jiang Nian teared up from the pain, sniffing, holding back until the intense pain slowly subsided, finally heaving a sigh of relief. Lu Yu’s forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat, looking at the small, delicate foot in his hand. He listened to Jiang Nian’s soft moans of discomfort and felt it was a kind of torment. He dared not apply too much force, only using gentle pressure to massage her injured area.

In the quiet night, with Jiang Nian’s warm foot in his hand, and her occasional soft moans, Lu Yu’s Adam’s apple rolled a few times. He poured a little more safflower oil into his palm, gently rubbing it this time.

The warm yellowish light from the light cast a slanted shadow on the man.

Jiang Nian looked down at Lu Yu half-crouching at her feet. From her angle, she could see the man’s lowered brows and eyes, his thin lips slightly pursed, his angular and handsome face looking somewhat cold. She blinked and her gaze fell on her foot enveloped by his palm.

His hand was large enough to hold her entire foot.

The injured ankle was warm where his fingers touched, feeling as if feathers were brushing over it, slightly ticklish and a bit uncomfortable. Jiang Nian suddenly felt awkward and curled her toes, wanting to retract her foot.

“Almost done.”

Lu Yu held her ankle, his voice low and deep in the dim room.

“Lu Yu! Lu Yu! Something’s wrong! Quickly, Meizi fainted from stomach pain!”

In the quiet night, Commander Song’s loud voice suddenly rang out. Before Lu Yu could release Jiang Nian’s foot, Commander Song had already rushed in, staggering and grabbing onto the door frame, seeing the brother and sister-in-law in the room.

The sister-in-law was sitting on the bed, with one bare foot exposed. The brother was half-crouching on the ground, holding onto the sister-in-law’s foot. He paused for a moment, turned around, and faced them with an urgent voice, “Meizi fainted from stomach pain. Quickly go to the military district and borrow a car. I’ll carry her to the hospital first.”

After saying that, he ran off.

“Sister-in-law, you go to sleep first. I’ll go check on them.”

Lu Yu let go of Jiang Nian’s foot, stood up, and said as he walked out.

Jiang Nian wanted to say a few words, but she held back. She sat on the bed and stretched her neck to look out the window. Lu Yu had already left the courtyard and closed the courtyard gate. Commander Song’s anxious voice was heard outside.

“Why did she faint when she was fine just now?”

“If anything happens to her, what will happen to our family?”

“What can I do with my sons? “

The voice grew farther and farther away, gradually disappearing into the moonlight.

Jiang Nian sighed.

She felt that Sister Feng was going a little too far this time.