Chapter 49.3

Jiang Nian stayed in the hospital until evening. A checkup showed no issues, but they suspected a concussion. Jiang Nian woke up around 9 PM, having pretended to be asleep all afternoon. She couldn’t hold on anymore. The police and the doctor were there, and as soon as Jiang Nian woke up, she started vomiting, feeling dizzy and uncomfortable, with her arm hurting.

She really mimicked the symptoms of a concussion perfectly.

After all, she had experience with two head injuries and knew the reactions after hitting her head. When the doctor examined Jiang Nian, checking her pupils and performing various tests, asking if she had any previous head injuries and where she felt pain, Jiang Nian recounted everything, concluding, “There are records of my hospitalization at the county hospital. The police can check.”

The police and the doctor learned that Jiang Nian was a military family member. Her husband, disabled for life due to a rescue mission, had passed away, leaving Jiang Nian heartbroken, trying to commit suicide by banging her head against the wall to join her husband. Her family found her in time and sent her to the hospital.

The doctor immediately felt pity for Jiang Nian, as did Zhai Peipei, Lu Xiaoqing, and Zhang Xiao, who all had red eyes.

Other patients in the ward knew by night that the female comrade in room 304 was a sentimental young wife, lamenting the cruel fate that separated the loving couple.

The doctor advised her to stay for two more days for observation. Worried that the previous head injury might cause complications.

After the police left, Lu Xiaoqing sat at the foot of the bed, gently nudging Jiang Nian’s leg, her eyes red. “Is what you said true?”

Jiang Nian: …

“Yes, it is.”

She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes hiding her guilt.

These things had truly happened, but only she knew that her attempt to commit suicide by banging her head against the wall was to see if she could return to her original self. The story spread in the family quarters was that Zheng Hong bullied her, and she felt wronged and missed her husband, so she hit her head against the wall to commit suicide.

Zhai Peipei patted Jiang Nian’s hand, saying, “You silly child, life goes on.”

Zhang Xiao’s eyes were red. “Sister Jiang.”

She didn’t know what to say, she just felt sorry for Sister Jiang.

Jiang Nian smiled. “I’m fine. Why are you all acting like you’re at a funeral?”

“Ugh.”

Zhai Peipei smacked her hand. “Don’t say such unlucky things.”

It was already past ten, and the other two patients in the ward had fallen asleep. Zhai Peipei got up and sat beside Jiang Nian, whispering, “Today at the shop, did you plan for Hu Zhongming’s mother to push you, so you didn’t let me and Zhang Xiao come over?”

Jiang Nian smiled, the answer clear without words.

Zhai Peipei understood, sighing, “You child…”

Jiang Nian smiled and said, “I call this a case of giving someone a taste of their own medicine. To deal with scoundrels like Hu Zhongming’s parents, you have to use their own methods.”

Zhai Peipei smiled, and Lu Xiaoqing and Zhang Xiao sat down.

Lu Xiaoqing asked, “What were you two talking about?”

Zhai Peipei replied, “Nothing much, just asked if Jiang Nian is still feeling dizzy.”

This matter was tacitly understood between them. 

Jiang Nian didn’t tell them because she took into consideration that Zhang Xiao was simple-minded and sometimes she was afraid that she couldn’t keep secrets. Lu Xiaoqing sometimes spoke without thinking, and Zhai Peipei, being older, was more observant of people and matters.

Ge Mei rushed back in the middle of the night and first went to the city hospital to see Jiang Nian. After learning the details from Zhai Peipei, she sat by Jiang Nian’s bedside and smiled, “I don’t know what to say to you, but this time, I really have to thank you. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know when this matter of Hu Zhongming’s parents would end.”

Because of Hu Zhongming’s parents causing trouble, the higher-ups were also somewhat displeased with her.

She planned to talk to Hu Zhongming’s parents after returning. Now that Jiang Nian had helped her resolve these troubles, Ge Mei said, “Are you really okay?”

Jiang Nian shook his head gently: “I cherish my life now, I know my limits, I will be fine.”

Ge Mei saw the bandage on Jiang Nian’s arm and frowned. “What happened to your arm?”

Jiang Nian yawned and said, “I accidentally scraped it against the cabinet and broke the skin.”

Seeing Ge Mei’s frown deepen, Jiang Nian jokes, “It’s just a minor injury. If you had come to the hospital a bit later, it would have scabbed over already.”

This remark made both Ge Mei and Zhai Peipei laugh.

Ge Mei, Lu Xiaoqing and Zhai Peipei returned to the embroidery shop together, leaving Zhang Xiao to accompany Jiang Nian. Around eight o’clock the next morning, Ge Mei brought breakfast for Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao, saying to Jiang Nian, “I’m going to the Police station now to complete the remaining procedures. I’ve calculated the damaged silk thread and embroidery fabric prices, as well as the penalty for delaying the delivery date with the Gangcheng boss. Plus, I’ve accounted for the time and effort you’ve spent on embroidery these days. Hu Zhongming’s mother is really to blame for a lot this time.”

Zhai Peipei snorted, “I bet they won’t be so arrogant now!”

“Oh, there’s one more thing.” Ge Mei looked at Jiang Nian. “Deputy Commander Lu called this morning to ask if you were at the embroidery shop. I told him you were here.”

Jiang Nian’s heart skipped a beat. She had forgotten that Lu Yu would be returning to the army today after finishing the training.

She was afraid that Ge Mei would tell Lu Yu, and Lu Yu would ask for leave from the army because he cared about her. She felt really bad: “Sister Ge, you didn’t tell him about my situation here, did you?”

Ge Mei replied, “I didn’t want him to worry about you here, so I didn’t tell him. I said I will keep you for two days to teach Lu Xiaoqing embroidery techniques.”

Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

After Ge Mei left, Zhang Xiao stayed in the ward with her. At noon, Lu Xiaoqing brought lunch over. Jiang Nian opened the aluminum lunchbox and handed it to Zhang Xiao. She smelled chicken soup and looked down, saying, “Ah, it’s chicken soup.”

Lu Xiaoqing smiled, “You have to eat well and recover properly. Don’t let this injury be in vain.”

Jiang Nian felt a bit guilty as she lowered her head and took a sip of soup. Only she, Zhai Peipei, and Ge Mei knew about her feigned injury. She felt a bit uncomfortable drinking this soup. Lu Xiaoqing told Zhang Xiao, “You should go back and have your meal. I’ll stay here.”

Jiang Nian quickly shook her head. “I can leave the hospital today. You two don’t need to accompany me.”

Zhang Xiao said, “The doctor said that you must stay in the hospital for two days for observation. Today is only the first day, so you can’t be discharged yet.”

Lu Xiaoqing agreed, “Yes, we should listen to the doctor.”

Jiang Nian: …

In the afternoon, Ge Mei came to the hospital again, accompanied by a police officer who took another statement. After the police left, Zhai Peipei asked, “Director Ge, what’s the verdict for Hu Zhongming’s mother?”

Ge Mei smiled, finally looking relieved. “Hu Zhongming’s mother deliberately damaged the state-run embroidery, causing damage to it and delaying the delivery date with the Gangcheng boss. Today, the leaders also went with me to the Police Station. The total compensation for the damage to this embroidery, labor costs, and the penalty for delaying delivery is seven hundred eighty-two yuan and fifty-three cents. She’s also temporarily detained for deliberately injuring someone, awaiting trial.”

Zhai Peipei was worried. “Now that Hu Zhongming’s mother is in custody, what about his difficult father?”

Ge Mei sighed with a troubled expression. “His father might be sent back to the countryside. Because of Hu Zhongming’s actions, both of them have been fired from the factory. They previously spent a lot of money to buy Hu Zhongming a job at the cotton mill, and now they don’t have much savings left. They won’t even have enough to pay half of the compensation to our embroidery shop. They had to mortgage their house to cover part of it. Hu Zhongming’s father has lost his house in the city and even his city household registration. I guess he’ll be taken away by the authorities in these two days.”

Zhai Peipei felt relieved when she heard this. She patted Jiang Nian’s hand. “You are really our lucky star at the embroidery shop.”

Jiang Nian couldn’t help but laugh.

With the Hu family’s matter resolved, Jiang Nian really didn’t want to stay in the hospital any longer. Ge Mei helped her with the discharge procedures, and the two returned to the embroidery shop. Lu Xiaoqing was cooking in the dormitory, and Ge Mei specially bought pork and cooked two dishes of meat and one dish of vegetables.

Jiang Nian, Ge Mei, and Zhai Peipei continued to chat at the embroidery shop, discussing the embroidery. Jiang Nian said, “Sister Ge, I can fix that embroidery. I’ll just mend the few threads Hu Zhongming’s mother pulled out, and it won’t have any flaws.”

Ge Mei smiled and said, “I knew you had a trick up your sleeve.”

The phone rang, and Ge Mei didn’t get up. Instead, she said to Jiang Nian, “It should be Deputy Commander Lu calling. He asked me to tell you to call him back after you finish your busy day. I forgot about this.”

Jiang Nian got up to answer the phone. On the other end was Lu Yu’s deep and magnetic voice, “Are you done with your work?”

She hadn’t heard Lu Yu’s voice in seven or eight days. Hearing it suddenly made Jiang Nian’s heart beat faster. She replied calmly, “Just finished. Today I’m teaching Lu Xiaoqing embroidery techniques.”

There was silence on the other end for a while, then a low voice said, “Sister-in-law, when are you coming back?”

The man deliberately lowered his voice, his magnetic tone weaving into Jiang Nian’s ears like a fine spider’s web. Jiang Nian felt her heart beat inexplicably quicken a bit. She cleared her throat and looked at the embroidery pattern on the wall. “The day after tomorrow.”

Lu Yu responded, “Okay.”

After hanging up, Ge Mei continued discussing matters with the boss from Gangcheng.

The penalty and delay with the Gangcheng boss were indeed real. If Jiang Nian could restore the embroidery before the delivery date, it would not only maintain the cooperation between the state-run embroidery shop and the Gangcheng boss but also stabilize Ge Mei’s position at the shop.

In the afternoon, Ge Mei bought a chicken, a fish, and several pastries. Zhang Xiao and Zhai Peipei went back to the dormitory to help Lu Xiaoqing cook.

As dusk fell, the lights were on in the state-run embroidery shop.

After talking about the boss from Gangcheng and the embroidery, Ge Mei thought about Jiang Nian and Lu Yu. She had noticed Jiang Nian’s girlish demeanor when she was on the phone just now, so she smiled and asked, “How are things between you and Deputy  Commander Lu now?”

Jiang Nian nodded gently. “It’s fine.”

Ge Mei raised an eyebrow slightly. “Are you and Deputy Commander Lu still in a brother and sister-in-law relationship?”

Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment. “We’ve always been in a brother and sister-in-law relationship.”

However, since she moved back from the embroidery shop, it seemed like her relationship with Lu Yu had changed.

Ge Mei could tell that Lu Yu hadn’t made his feelings clear to Jiang Nian yet, or perhaps Jiang Nian hadn’t realized her feelings for Lu Yu. Ge Mei, as an outsider, could see it clearly.

Once the matter at the shop was resolved, Ge Mei would probably leave in a few months. There might not be many opportunities for her to meet Jiang Nian in the future. Jiang Nian was a good girl, and Lu Yu was a decent person. If they could be together, it would be a good thing for Jiang Nian.

Since Lu Yu hadn’t made his intentions clear yet, Ge Mei decided to offer her two cents.

Ge Mei got up to add some water to Jiang Nian’s cup and watched as she drank. She said, “How do you feel about Deputy Commander Lu?”

“Ahem—” Jiang Nian choked on the water in her throat, her eyes slightly moistened. She looked at the water in the cup and pursed her lips. “Why are you asking me this?”

Ge Mei watched Jiang Nian fiddle with the enamel cup, completely understanding what was going on in her heart. Changing the topic slightly, she said, “I don’t know how you feel about Deputy Commander Lu, but I know how Deputy Commander Lu feels about you.”

Jiang Nian instinctively looked up at Ge Mei. Ge Mei continued, “I can see that Deputy Commander Lu is interested in you—”

Before Jiang Nian could speak, Ge Mei interrupted her, “Ask yourself, which brother-in-law behaves like him? Which little brother-in-law takes leave every now and then to come to the city to see his sister-in-law, takes her to movies, buys her breakfast, and secretly watches over her? Do you really think the military allows leave so often?”

It was like a blow to Jiang Nian. She had always felt that Lu Yu was a protagonist-level figure, handsome, with status and strategic thinking. She never thought he would have any thoughts about her, a widow. However, Ge Mei’s words today were like a knife cutting open the barrier in Jiang Nian’s heart, forcing her to truly reconsider every little detail of her time with Lu Yu recently.