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Chapter 29.2
As Jiang Nian passed Zheng Hong’s house and approached Feng Mei’s, she heard Kang Xiu shouting angrily at Zheng Hong. Feng Mei rushed out upon hearing Kang Xiu’s voice and found Jiang Nian standing nearby, looking just as puzzled.
Feng Mei asked curiously, “What’s going on?”
Jiang Nian shook her head in bewilderment, “I have no idea.”
Xu Yan also heard Kang Xiu’s loud voice and ran out with a ladle in her hand, joining Feng Mei. She asked eagerly, “What’s happening at Zheng Hong’s house?”
Jiang Nian remained silent.
Feng Mei said, “Let’s go take a look.”
Kang Xiu’s loud voice drew a crowd of military wives and aunts, along with children, all curious about the commotion at Zheng Hong’s house.
Xu Yan grabbed Jiang Nian, saying excitedly, “Let’s go watch the fun.”
Jiang Nian replied with a hand on her stomach, furrowing her brows slightly, “You two go ahead. I need to use the restroom first.”
“Alright.”
Xu Yan let go of her and followed Feng Mei to Zheng Hong’s house. The outside was bustling, contrasting with the quietness inside the quarters.
Back in her house, Jiang Nian unfolded the drawing Ge Mei had brought her and examined it carefully. It was a small design; if she embroidered it quickly, it would be done in about ten days. She put away the drawing and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Suddenly, Jiang Nan saw Xu Yan dashed back from the courtyard gate, shouting, “Oh no, I burned my pot!”
Jiang Nian sighed inwardly.
As night fell, Jiang Nian lit the kitchen lamp. There were plenty of vegetables from their own garden, so she cooked three dishes, warmed five steamed buns, and made tomato and egg soup. Just as she finished cooking, Lu Yu returned. Jiang Nian carried two dishes out and saw Lu Yu washing his hands by the well.
She placed the dishes on the table and Lu Yu stood up, saying, “Sit here, Sister-in-law. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Sure.”
Jiang Nian sat down without ceremony, listening intently to the noises outside. It seemed things had quieted down, but she wasn’t in a hurry to find out about Zheng Hong’s situation. Sister Feng would surely come over tomorrow morning to tell her.
As it turned out, Jiang Nian was right.
The next morning, after breakfast, Feng Mei arrived. Before she even entered the house, she began shouting, “Jiang Nian, Jiang Nian, do you know what happened at Zheng Hong’s house yesterday?”
Jiang Nian was sitting in the yard embroidering when she saw Feng Mei approach and lean against the tree trunk. She smiled and asked, “What happened?”
Feng Mei snorted, “I really underestimated that woman, Zheng Hong. She’s truly vicious. Even my husband, Old Song, said last night that Zheng Hong is malicious and will eventually bring trouble to Captain Lu.”
Jiang Nian responded, “Captain Lu and Zheng Hong have been together for seven or eight years; we can’t just separate them.”
Feng Mei clapped her hands, “Well, they actually have separated now.”
Jiang Nian was taken aback, “What happened?”
Feng Mei, having eaten too much in the morning, burped before continuing, “Kang Xiu caused a scene at Zheng Hong’s house yesterday. It turns out the rumors about you and Zhu Jun were stirred up by Zheng Hong behind Kang Xiu’s back. Kang Xiu fell for Zheng Hong’s trick like a fool. She cursed Zheng Hong for a long time, and now everyone in the family quarters knows about it.”
She hummed twice more, “You should’ve seen Zheng Hong’s face then, red as a monkey’s butt. If Captain He hadn’t taken Kang Xiu away, she would have cursed even longer.”
Feng Mei looked at Jiang Nian and chuckled, “Honestly, I hadn’t had enough of the show.”
Jiang Nian: …
She pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh, then asked about Captain Lu and Zheng Hong’s separation, “So, have they really split up?”
Feng Mei replied, “Captain Lu was really angry this time. He sent Zheng Hong back to her parents’ house overnight and even told the military guard not to let her back in. I don’t think Zheng Hong will be coming back.”
That explained a lot.
For Zheng Hong, returning to her parents’ house was indeed like a nightmare. She had two brothers and one younger brother, all married and living together without splitting the family. With over a dozen people in the household, Zheng Hong had to do farm work and take care of the family after marrying Captain Lu. She eventually convinced Captain Lu to move to the family quarters to escape her domestic duties.
Now that Captain Lu sent her back, her future looked grim.
Jiang Nian could only think that Zheng Hong brought this upon herself.
After Feng Mei finished her story, she noticed the embroidery pattern in Jiang Nian’s hands and exclaimed, “Your hands are so skillful.”
She sat next to Jiang Nian and asked, “The woman who came yesterday, she’s the boss of the state-run embroidery shop, right? Did she give you this?”
Jiang Nian asked, “How do you know that?”
Feng Mei laughed, “I talked to her at the hospital. Yesterday, when she came with you, I saw her from the wall. She said this embroidery pattern could earn you a hundred yuan, but you get twenty-five. That’s still a lot. You can earn twenty-five yuan for one piece of embroidery.”
She sighed, “That’s a lot.”
Jiang Nian smiled, “I have to thank you for this, Sister Feng. Without your introduction, I wouldn’t have earned this money. When I get paid, I’ll buy you two pounds of meat to thank you.”
After complimenting Feng Mei and promising her some meat, Feng Mei was delighted, “If there’s anything good in the future, I’ll think of you first.”
Jiang Nian nodded with a smile.
In the following days, Jiang Nian stayed at home embroidering. Though she didn’t go out much, she knew all about the outside events, mainly because Feng Mei came by daily with all the gossip. Feng Mei treated her like a confidant, sharing every quarrel, lost chick, and incident in the compound.
Since Zheng Hong left, Xu Yan seemed like a different person.
Once Jiang Nian finished the embroidery, she planned to go to the city the next day to deliver it to Ge Mei. As night fell, the courtyard lights came on. Jiang Nian was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, moving aside as Lu Yu entered. He was tall and blocked most of the light.
It was getting cold, so Jiang Nian wore a thicker jacket, while Lu Yu was still in his thin military uniform.
After placing the chopped vegetables on a plate, Jiang Nian looked at Lu Yu, who was tending the fire, the orange flames flickering across his handsome face. Sensing her gaze, Lu Yu looked up.
Caught off guard, Jiang Nian asked, “Is there a car going to the city these days?”
Lu Yu inquired, “Are you going to the city, Sister-in-law?”
Jiang Nian lowered her head, slicing meat as she spoke, “I finished the embroidery pattern that Sister Ge from the state-run embroidery shop gave me. I plan to deliver it tomorrow.”
However, she didn’t want to take the bus as it was too crowded and prone to pickpockets.
Lu Yu, looking at Jiang Nian under the warm light, noted her scattered bangs and the soft hair around her face. His gaze lingered on her delicate neck. He realized she had become slightly fuller since joining the army but was still very slender, especially her waist, emphasized by the apron, appearing so small he could almost encircle it with one hand.
Suppressing his thoughts, Lu Yu said, “The day after tomorrow, there’s a procurement truck going to the city. I’ll have them take the embroidery to the state-run embroidery shop and give it to Sister Ge.”
Jiang Nian’s eyes lit up with a smile, “Great.”
Her voice was light and pleasant.
Lu Yu, adding dry wood to the fire, glanced at Jiang Nian again.
After dinner, Lu Yu boiled hot water. With the cold weather, Jiang Nian didn’t need to bathe daily. She just used a small basin of hot water to wipe herself. Lying in bed that night, she gazed at the moonlight outside the window until she fell asleep.
Jiang Nian slept in a daze until she was awakened in the middle of the night by a loud knocking on the door. It seemed someone was calling for Lu Yu. Rubbing her eyes, she got up, wrapped herself in a blanket, and stretched her neck to look out the window. She saw Lu Yu striding out of the house. There was a military guard outside, speaking with Lu Yu briefly before they both left.
Her sleepiness vanished, replaced by a sense of unease. After about an hour, she heard the sound of a baby crying outside. She quickly dressed and went out to find Lu Yu entering with a baby in his arms and carrying a can of malted milk.
She was momentarily stunned and looked at Lu Yu with a curious expression. Various wild thoughts sprang to her mind.
Was this Lu Yu’s illegitimate child? Did the birth mother find herself unable to care for him and bring him to the military compound?
Lu Yu noticed the inquisitive look in Jiang Nian’s eyes and frowned slightly. He explained, “This is Li Fangda and Wu Ying’s child.”
Jiang Nian: ???
She stepped closer to see the baby, recognizing it as the same child she had seen in Wu Ying’s arms last month. But why was the baby here now? Where were Li Fangda and Wu Ying?
The baby continued to cry, and Lu Yu, inexperienced with babies, seemed at a loss.
“Give him to me,” Jiang Nian said, extending her arms to take the baby. “He seems hungry. Make some malted milk for him.”
Relieved, Lu Yu replied, “I’ll do that right away.”
Jiang Nian carried the baby inside, trying to soothe him. Although she wasn’t very experienced, she had spent a month with her cousin and her baby, learning a few things. Holding the baby, she softly said, “Don’t cry, or the big bad wolf will come.”
To her dismay, the baby cried even harder.
Jiang Nian: …
What should she do now? She felt like crying herself.
Lu Yu returned with a bowl of malted milk. Jiang Nian held the baby and, feeling helpless, said, “He’s crying so much.”
Lu Yu, seeing Jiang Nian’s endearing yet frustrated expression, couldn’t help but smile. Calmer now, he said, “You hold the baby; I’ll feed him the malted milk.”
Jiang Nian nodded, holding the baby while Lu Yu carefully fed him. The baby, previously crying loudly, immediately calmed down and began drinking the warm milk.
Children of the new era usually drank breast milk and formula, but Jiang Nian guessed that Wu Ying’s milk supply was insufficient, leading to the baby being accustomed to drinking malted milk.
The baby, probably very hungry, drank almost the entire bowl before turning away, making soft sounds and looking around with wide eyes. He glanced at Jiang Nian and then at Lu Yu, about to cry again.
Jiang Nian felt overwhelmed. She looked up at Lu Yu, realizing they were very close, almost able to feel each other’s breath.
Lu Yu also looked up, and their eyes met. Jiang Nian saw her reflection in his dark eyes—disheveled hair, flushed cheeks, and pink lips. She quickly pressed her lips together, feeling at a loss for words.
Lu Yu was equally taken aback, the scent of Jiang Nian filling his senses. He coughed lightly, lowering his gaze and wiping the baby’s mouth.
“Sister-in-law, this might be hard on you for a while,” he said, putting down the bowl and adjusting the baby’s blanket.
Jiang Nian snapped out of her daze and asked, “Why is the baby here?”
Lu Yu frowned, “The military guard said a woman left the baby outside the compound and ran away. He found a piece of newspaper on the baby with my name on it, so he brought the baby to me. I’ll go to the city tomorrow to find Li Fangda’s cousin’s address and deliver the embroidery to the state-run embroidery shop.”
Jiang Nian nodded, “Alright.”
It must have been Wu Ying who left the baby. But why? And where was Li Fangda?
The baby soon fell asleep. Jiang Nian, unfamiliar with handling babies, lay on the bed, placing the baby beside her and lightly patting him.
Lu Yu brought in a thermos, careful not to wake the baby. Seeing Jiang Nian lying on the bed, her hair spread out and her arm exposed, he averted his gaze. He whispered, “I put the thermos and malted milk on the cabinet. Call me if you need anything.”
Jiang Nian replied, “Okay.”
It was still early, and Jiang Nian, resting her head on her hand, soon fell asleep again. However, she remained alert, worried about her sleep habits and not wanting to roll over onto the baby. At dawn, the baby suddenly cried loudly, startling Jiang Nian awake.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Yu’s voice came from outside.
Jiang Nian rubbed her eyes and, sounding groggy, said, “He must be hungry. Can you make some more malted milk?”
She picked up the baby, feeling something wet at the back of his blanket.
Jiang Nian: …
She stiffly turned her head and saw a wet spot where the baby had been lying.
Lu Yu, bringing the malted milk, followed her gaze and saw the wet patch.
Lu Yu: …
He cleared his throat, “The baby must have wet his pants and feels uncomfortable.”
Jiang Nian bit her lip, then placed the baby on the bed. “You feed him the milk while I cut some cloth for him to use as a diaper.”
Fortunately, she had saved the waste fabric from making clothes before, and was able to make several diapers for the child.
Lu Yu held the baby and fed him the malted milk slowly. He glanced at Jiang Nian, who was standing by the cabinet, cutting the fabric with scissors, and said, “When it gets brighter, I’ll go find Sister Feng and ask her to come help. I’ll try to come back as soon as possible.”
Jiang Nian, finished cutting the cloth, turned and walked over to Lu Yu, nodding. “That sounds good. Sister Feng has experience and knows a lot about these things.”
After the baby finished drinking the malted milk, Lu Yu laid him on the bed and started to untie his swaddling clothes. A foul smell quickly spread, and both of them realized the baby had soiled himself.
Jiang Nian stepped back, holding the diaper cloth, and for the first time, looked at Lu Yu with a pitiful expression. “I… I don’t know how to handle this.”
Lu Yu took the fabric from her, his deep voice softening a bit. “You go get a basin of hot water. I’ll clean him up.”
“Okay!”
Jiang Nian immediately ran out, and as he watched her leave without hesitation, a hint of amusement appeared in Lu Yu’s eyes.
The baby kicked his chubby little legs, his round eyes looking at Lu Yu with a smile. Lu Yu, holding the baby’s feet with one hand, used the cloth to clean the baby’s bottom. When Jiang Nian returned with the hot water, he used the cloth to wipe the baby clean and then put on a fresh diaper.
He took the soiled bedding and diaper outside, washed them with well water, and hung them on the line to dry. As the morning bugle call sounded, Lu Yu washed his hands, quickly prepared breakfast, and brought the baby over so Jiang Nian could eat first.
After breakfast, Lu Yu said, “I’ll go inform Sister Feng and then request leave from the regiment to head to the city.”
Jiang Nian, holding the baby, paced in the yard. “Alright, come back quickly.”
She truly couldn’t handle the baby alone and was afraid he would soil himself again, which she couldn’t manage by herself.
Lu Yu nodded, “Okay.”
As he left, he glanced back. The yard was planted with vegetables, and Jiang Nian was slowly walking under the tree with the baby in her arms. From his angle, he could only see her profile, bathed in the morning light, exuding a serene and beautiful tranquility.
**
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Ayalee[Translator]
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