Chapter 39.2

There was a bus back to the county in the afternoon. They arrived early, and when they boarded, there were still half-empty seats. Jiang Nian and Lu Yu sat in a spot in the middle towards the front. She was thinking about her visit to the embroidery shop the day after tomorrow, when she heard a deep and magnetic male voice from behind her: “When are you leaving? I’ll take leave to take you here.”

Jiang Nian paused and turned to look at Lu Yu, shaking her head gently. “It’s alright, I know the way myself.” Then she added, “I’ll come the day after tomorrow.”

Lu Yu said, “When I go back today, I’ll ask the military district if they have a car coming to the city to do the shopping the day after tomorrow. If they do, you can take the military district’s car. If not, I’ll take you there.”

Seeing his insistence, Jiang Nian didn’t say anything more.

By the time they returned to the army, it was already past seven in the evening, and it was dark. Jiang Nian quietly followed behind Lu Yu.

“Deputy Commander Lu.”

Hearing the voice from the other side, Jiang Nian looked up. It was Captain Tang, whom he met outside the army when he and Feng Mei went to the supply and marketing cooperative before the New Year. He was accompanied by several soldiers, and when they saw Jiang Nian and Lu Yu, they all called out, “Deputy Commander Lu, Sister-in-law.”

Jiang Nian smiled.

Tang Ze said, “Deputy Commander Lu, why did you just come back today?”

Lu Yu said, “Something held us up.” Then he asked, “Where are you all headed?”

Tang Ze smiled and said, “Song Bai is at the training ground. I’ll go find him to practice.”

Lu Yu remained silent.

As Tang Ze left, he glanced at Jiang Nian, who was standing with her head slightly bowed. His eyes briefly lingered on the two small braids she had tied, then he walked away with a few soldiers. Once they were a distance away, he glanced back. One of the soldiers teased him, “Captain Tang, what are you looking at?”

Tang Ze shook his head. “Nothing.”

He was simply curious. Previously, his sister-in-law had tried to matchmake him with Lu Yu’s sister-in-law. So, out of curiosity, he couldn’t help but take a few more looks, wondering what kind of person could catch his sister-in-law’s eye. But he didn’t dwell on it; for him, things were fine as they were.

After several days away, home felt cold and lonely.

Jiang Nian and Lu Yu first heated up the room with a brazier, Lu Yu swept the courtyard clean, Jiang Nian fetched vegetables from the cellar to prepare dinner. There was still a piece of meat in the cabinet from last time, which was still good despite it being winter.

Feng Mei hurried over as soon as she saw the lights on in the neighboring courtyard. When Commander Song saw her, he remarked, “You’re already butting in as soon as they’re back. Aren’t you tired?”

“Not at all.”

Feng Mei retorted and ran off to find Jiang Nian.

Lu Yu poured water into the tank, Jiang Nian cooked in the kitchen planning to make shredded pork noodles, Lu Yu helped with the vegetables. After chopping them, he started the fire. Just as the oil was heating in the pot, Feng Mei burst in from outside, her voice reaching them before she did.

“Jiang Nian, I’ve missed you so much!”

Jiang Nian: “….”

Lu Yu glanced at Jiang Nian, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I’ll go check on the brazier.”

“Sister Feng.”

When Lu Yu encountered Feng Mei as he left, he greeted her and then returned inside. Feng Mei said, “It’s good that you’re back.” She then went into the kitchen and patted Jiang Nian on the shoulder. “These two days without you and Xu Yan have been unbearable for me.”

Jiang Nian knew Feng Mei was talkative.

They chatted for a while, and Feng Mei sat by the stove, watching the meat release its aroma as it cooked. She diverted her attention to recent events in the family courtyard.

“Guess what happened in the family quarters these past few days?”

Jiang Nian added seasoning to the pot and asked while stirring, “What happened?”

Feng Mei poked at the fire with a hook and said, “Zheng Hong ran back from her parents’ home yesterday, causing a scene at the army gate. Old Song went over to handle it, and Captain Lu went out too. I thought Captain Lu would bring Zheng Hong back, but instead, like a rabbit, he slapped her a couple of times and dragged her away. They left in the morning and came back in the afternoon. I think he probably sent Zheng Hong back to her parents’ home again.”

Jiang Nian was mildly interested, but still responded politely.

“I almost didn’t recognize Zheng Hong yesterday. She was as black as coal and wearing patched clothes, just like when she first arrived at the family quarters over two years ago. Without Captain Lu, she’s nothing.”

Jiang Nian had long expected Zheng Hong’s fate, so her transformation wasn’t surprising.

Feng Mei continued chatting incessantly, eventually mentioning a fight between Xu Yan and Liu Qiang.

Jiang Nian was surprised. “They fought again?”

Feng Mei said, “I heard Liu Qiang say Xu Yan lied to him about money and something about hiding money for her own purposes.” She shook her head. “Anyway, they argued for quite a while. Jianwu was crying throughout the fight.”

Jiang Nian : “…”

Most likely, Liu Qiang had discovered Xu Yan hiding money.

“Oh, and there’s something else.”

Feng Mei chuckled mischievously, looking at Jiang Nian. “During the New Year’s rush and your sudden departure, I didn’t have a chance to ask. After meeting Song Bai, what do you think of him?”

Jiang Nian: “…”

Seeing Feng Mei eager to see her and Song Bai married, Jiang Nian wanted to dissuade her. “Sister Feng, please don’t meddle in my affairs. I still can’t forget Xu Cheng in my heart, and I don’t want to think about marriage again. Instead of focusing on me, why don’t you find a suitable girl for Deputy Commander Song among the military district’s families?”

When Feng Mei seemed like she still wanted to talk, Jiang Nian’s expression turned slightly displeased. “Sister Feng, if you bring up matching me with Deputy Commander Song again, I’ll be truly angry.”

Feng Mei: “…”

She genuinely couldn’t understand what Jiang Nian didn’t like about Song Bai.

Deputy Commander Lu and Old Song were in the same regiment, and Song Bai and Lu Yu were comrades. If Jiang Nian married Song Bai, it would be even closer to them, everyone understanding each other’s backgrounds, so what was there to dislike?

Jiang Nian didn’t want to make enemies or create a rift with Feng Mei over this matter, so she continued, “Sister Feng, please put yourself in my shoes. What if I kept urging you to remarry after Commander Song was no longer around?”

Such scenes were written in novels, where after Commander Song passed away, Feng Mei was left alone to raise two children. Her family wanted her to remarry for a better life, but Feng Mei insisted on remaining faithful to Commander Song.

Feng Mei: “…”

She glared at Jiang Nian. “Bah, it’s not even the end of the year, don’t curse my Old Song.”

Jiang Nian: “…”

She wasn’t sure if Feng Mei had taken her words to heart, but after that conversation, Jiang Nian didn’t hear Feng Mei bring up matching her with Song Bai again during several encounters the next afternoon. It seemed like Feng Mei had truly understood.

Jiang Nian was leaving for the state-run embroidery shop tomorrow. She packed two changes of clothes into her pockets and saw Lu Yu bring in bathwater. She pursed her lips and said, “When I’m not here, just eat at the cafeteria. I’ll be back in about two months.”

Thinking about not seeing Lu Yu for two months, Jiang Nian inexplicably felt a hollow feeling in her heart.

Lu Yu set down the bathwater and looked at Jiang Nian, who was sitting on the bed. “I’ll bring the military district’s procurement truck to the city to find you every so often.”

Jiang Nian was taken aback, “Huh?”

Lu Yu’s dark eyes focused on her puzzled face, “I’m worried about leaving my Sister-in-law alone in the city. I noticed there’s a phone at the state-owned embroidery shop. If you encounter any issues, you can call the military. Just say you’re looking for me, and the military guard will contact me.”

Jiang Nian’s heart skipped a beat, and he tightened his grip on the small cloth bag. After a moment, she smiled and said, “I’m already this old, what can go wrong? Besides, I’ll be fine with Sister Ge taking care of me.”

Lu Yu still said: “It won’t take me long to go to the city.”

After speaking, he turned and left.

He closed the door behind Jiang Nian, then returned to his room and sat by the brazier, his brow furrowed slightly and never relaxing.

Living under the same roof as sister-in-law for half a year, returning from training to the familiar scent of meals and seeing people bustling around the courtyard, he had gradually become accustomed to this life. Learning that Jiang Nian would be staying at the state-owned embroidery shop for two months left Lu Yu with indescribable feelings.

The next morning, Jiang Nian only got out of bed when the bugle call sounded.

Lu Yu had inquired yesterday and found out there were no military vehicles going to the city in the coming days. He applied for leave again and personally escorted Jiang Nian to the city. After breakfast, Jiang Nian confirmed she hadn’t forgotten anything and followed Lu Yu out.

Just as they stepped outside, they saw Xu Yan approaching from the direction of the barracks.

Xu Yan had dark circles under her eyes, looking like she hadn’t slept well all night. Seeing the cloth bag in Jiang Nian’s hand, she paused, “Are you leaving?”

Jiang Nian replied, “Yes, going to the state-run embroidery shop.”

Xu Yan smiled faintly, her eyes devoid of light, “When will you be back?”

Jiang Nian pursed her lips, “Probably in two months.”

Taking advantage of Lu Yu locking the door, she whispered as she walked past, “I heard about your situation from Sister Feng. How did Liu Qiang find out about the money?”

Xu Yan sighed, “I told my mom about hiding the money. She let it slip in front of Liu Qiang. When I got back, he started quarreling with me. He said he wouldn’t give me my salary anymore. Jiang Nian, what should I do? He’s taken all my money, and now I only have fifty cents left.”

Jiang Nian : “…”

She really wondered if Xu Yan had a brain.

She had warned her long ago not to tell anyone about hiding the money.

Jiang Nian pursed her lips. Now that Zheng Hong was no longer around, Liu Qiang and Xu Yan probably wouldn’t reach the point of divorce again. She didn’t want to bother planning for Xu Yan anymore. With an uncooperative teammate, no matter how good the plan was, it would be in vain.

So she just said, “Let things take their course.”

“I have to go.”

Lu Yu’s voice came from nearby. Jiang Nian smiled at Xu Yan, “I have something to do, I’ll leave first. Take care of yourself at home.”

Xu Yan didn’t understand Jiang Nian’s meaning in that sentence. She wanted to ask more questions, but Jiang Nian had already walked away.

As they approached the outskirts of the barracks, they met Song Bai running over from the intersection in his military green uniform. He was also heading towards the barracks gate. He had unbuttoned two buttons of his jacket, revealing the collarbone bulge, and his head was still sweating slightly.

In the middle of winter, Jiang Nian felt like she could see visible steam rising from his body.

Song Bai also saw Lu Yu and Jiang Nian. His gaze lingered on Jiang Nian’s face for a few seconds, a smile playing on his lips, “Hello, Sister-in-law.”

Jiang Nian smiled and pursed her lips. She didn’t know if it was because Feng Mei always arranged for her to meet Song Bai, making Jiang Nian always want to avoid him.

On the one hand, it was embarrassing.

On the other hand, she thought it was better to keep her distance, lest Feng Mei’s efforts to cool down her feelings were rekindled.

Lu Yu asked, “Just came from the training ground?”

Song Bai sighed, “Yes, I have to go to the city. I just received a call from the city police. There seems to be some issue with the gang I helped the police catch before. I’ll go verify it.”

He asked again, “Where are you and Sister-in-law going?”

Lu Yu replied, “Also to the city.”

Song Bai smiled, “Well, that’s convenient. Let’s go together.”

When the two left the barracks, they met Commander Song and Commander Tang returning from outside. After a brief conversation, they hurried to the county to catch a ride. Jiang Nian didn’t carry anything in her hand. Lu Yu held the cloth bag for her, and when they got on the bus, there was still half a seat empty. They sat in the front row.

Jiang Nian sat with an old lady, and Lu Yu and Song Bai sat behind her.

The road was bumpy, and perhaps because she had just eaten, Jiang Nian felt a bit nauseous. Song Bai sat on the side, and when he turned his head, he could see Jiang Nian’s side face, finding her complexion not good: “Sister-in-law, what’s wrong with you?”

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, turned her head and looked at Song Bai: “It’s nothing.”

Lu Yu opened the military green water bottle and handed it to Jiang Nian: “Maybe you ate too much in the morning. Have some hot water to ease your discomfort.”

Jiang Nian took the water bottle and took a sip, suppressing the discomfort in her stomach, then handed the water bottle to Lu Yu, leaning against the seat and looking out the window gloomily, listening to Lu Yu and Song Bai chatting, and then fell asleep in a daze.

Lu Yu had been paying attention to Jiang Nian’s condition. When she fell asleep, he finally relaxed. While Song Bai and Lu Yu were talking, Song Bai occasionally glanced at Jiang Nian, who was tilting her head from side to side, and gradually leaned on the old lady’s shoulder. Then she shook her head and found a comfortable position and continued to sleep sweetly.

Song Bai: “…”

Sister-in-law really sleeps deeply.

The old lady looked at Jiang Nian leaning on her shoulder and thought of her own daughter, with a kindly smile on her face, she moved closer to Jiang Nian to make her more comfortable. When the train stopped at the station, the sound of braking was loud, and there was a noisy voice.

Jiang Nian also woke up in time, feeling much better after the nausea.

She glanced at the old lady, who was getting up, and smiled apologetically, “Auntie, I’m sorry.”

The old lady, robust and slightly older than Aunt Zhao, replied kindly, “No need to apologize, dear. I’ll be going now. I have to go to the hospital to take care of my daughter-in-law. She just gave birth to a big, chubby boy.”

Jiang Nian smiled and said, “Congratulations, Auntie.”

The old lady got off the bus with her snakeskin bag on her back. Following behind, Lu Yu glanced at her slightly disheveled hair and asked, “Still feeling uncomfortable?”

Without turning around, Jiang Nian replied, “Much better now.”

After getting off the bus, Song Bai glanced at Jiang Nian’s hair strands stuck near her ear and noticed a slight red mark on her cheek. He couldn’t help but chuckle, “You slept so soundly the whole way.”

She pursed her lips and turned her head away embarrassedly, feeling a little ashamed.

Song Bai was anxious to go to the city police station, so he said goodbye to Lu Yu and the others, and agreed to meet at the station in the afternoon and go back together.

Lu Yu and Jiang Nian headed to the state-run embroidery shop. Zhang Xiao sat at the counter and greeted them as they entered. She stood up and smiled, “Sister Jiang, Sister Ge went home to have dinner with her son and daughter-in-law. She’ll be back soon. She said you should settle in first if you arrive.”

Jiang Nian smiled and replied, “Okay.”

Inside the shop, there was the sound of benches dragging across the floor. Through the curtains of the partition, Jiang Nian caught a glimpse of a foot beside an embroidery frame, clad in cotton shoes with red soles and black trousers—either Zhai Peipei or Lu Xiaoqing.

Lu Yu placed the cloth bag on a bench by the window and said to Jiang Nian, “If you need anything, give me a call. I’ll head out first.”

Jiang Nian nodded, “Okay.”

As Lu Yu left, two people entered—one man and one woman. The man had slightly long hair and wore an old-fashioned gray-blue coat resembling work clothes from a factory. The woman had a braided hairdo draped over her chest, with short bangs, wearing a rose-red top and double-folded eyes. Zhang Xiao greeted them, “Sister Lu, have you eaten?”

“We have,” replied Lu Xiaoqing. She glanced towards the partitioned room and asked in a low voice, “Has Sister Zhai arrived?”

Zhang Xiao whispered back, “She just came from the cafeteria. I don’t know what happened, but she doesn’t look too good.”

Lu Xiaoqing scoffed, “I’ve never seen her look good.”

“Xiaoxiao, what did you have for lunch?” Hu Zhongming leaned on the counter with his arms crossed. Zhang Xiao stepped back and leaned against the wall, “Same as usual.”

After saying that, she picked up the embroidery pattern on the table, seeming uninterested in continuing the conversation. Hu Zhongming seemed used to this and turned to talk to Lu Xiaoqing for a bit. As he turned to leave, he noticed Jiang Nian sitting by the window. He paused for a moment and asked Lu Xiaoqing, “Who’s that?”

Lu Xiaoqing hesitated, following his gaze. When she saw Jiang Nian, she furrowed her brow, “I don’t know.”

She then turned to Zhang Xiao and asked, “Who is she?”

Zhang Xiao replied, “She’s Jiang Nian. How does she look? Young and pretty, right? Sister Ge specially recruited her.”

Lu Xiaoqing nodded, “She’s quite beautiful.”

Hu Zhongming’s gaze lingered boldly on Jiang Nian’s face. Jiang Nian frowned uncomfortably and turned her head to look out the window. Seeing Hu Zhongming staring at Jiang Nian, Lu Xiaoqing kicked him, “What are you staring at others for?”

Hu Zhongming, seeing Lu Xiaoqing pouting, immediately withdrew his gaze, “There’s a new face at the embroidery shop. Can’t I take a closer look? Are you jealous?”

Lu Xiaoqing let out a cold snort.

Zhang Xiao sneaked a glance at Hu Zhongming. She couldn’t figure out what Sister Lu saw in Hu Zhongming.

Hu Zhongming wasn’t particularly handsome, but he had a good job. He was a team leader at the cotton mill, with a high salary and good benefits. Moreover, his family was from the city, and both his parents had jobs. When they stayed in the dormitory at night, Zhang Xiao had heard Sister Lu talk about Hu Zhongming.

It seemed that Hu Zhongming’s job was bought by his parents, indicating that the Hu family was quite well-off. Lu Xiaoqing probably valued Hu Zhongming’s family background. Zhang Xiao had heard Lu Xiaoqing say that she wanted to marry someone from the city. Perhaps it was this reason that allowed her to tolerate Hu Zhongming’s lazy demeanor.

Hu Zhongming said, “You has a new colleague. Aren’t you going to say hello?”

Lu Xiaoqing glared at Hu Zhongming, warning him not to have any improper thoughts, and then walked towards Jiang Nian. Seeing this, Hu Zhongming followed.

“Comrade Jiang, I’m Lu Xiaoqing.”

Lu Xiaoqing had just touched the bench with her butt when Hu Zhongming sat down ahead of her, showing no intention of leaving and instead greeted familiarly, “Comrade Jiang, I’m Lu Xiaoqing’s partner. My name is Hu Zhongming.”

Jiang Nian looked at Hu Zhongming coldly, and only smiled slightly when she looked at Lu Xiaoqing. “I’m Jiang Nian.”

“Oh, comrade, why are you back?”

Zhang Xiao’s voice made both of them look up to see a man in a military-green uniform walking in with a small bag in his hand. He walked to their table, and Hu Zhongming curiously watched as the man stopped beside Jiang Nian, his eyes deepening.

Lu Yu placed the small bag on the table and looked down at Jiang Nian, who smiled up at him. “I bought you some snacks. Have some when you’re resting tonight.”

Jiang Nian was taken aback, her heart skipping a beat as she looked at the bag on the table.

She thought Lu Yu had already left, but unexpectedly he had specifically bought snacks and brought them to her. Jiang Nian looked up again and smiled, “Thank you.”

“Comrade Jiang, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Lu Xiaoqing glanced at Lu Yu, momentarily stunned by his handsome features. Compared to him, Hu Zhongming couldn’t compete in terms of looks or status. However, for her, as long as she could marry Hu Zhongming, she could live in a house in the city and return home with pride. Although she could do embroidery, Sister Ge always picked on her, thinking she could only embroider small patterns and never allowing her to work on larger pieces.

Lu Xiaoqing wasn’t young anymore, and in another year, she would be close to thirty.

She felt that having an embroidery skill could support herself, so she had high requirements for a partner. He had to be from the city, have a good job, and a good family background. It was because of these conditions that she had only recently met Hu Zhongming.

Hu Zhongming had been married before. His previous wife divorced him, and later, he met Lu Xiaoqing and started dating her.

Initially, Lu Xiaoqing was somewhat put off by the fact that Hu Zhongming had been married before, but considering his job and family background, she decided it didn’t matter. Besides, she was almost thirty, and finding a suitable husband wasn’t easy.

Jiang Nian introduced, “He’s comrade-in-arm of my late husband.”

She didn’t want to clarify her relationship with Lu Yu in front of everyone. There was no need to invite any gossip about her and Lu Yu.

Lu Yu’s eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. He looked at Jiang Nian’s fluttering eyelashes, and the corners of his lightly pressed lips seemed to carry a hint of a smile.

**

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