Chapter 53.3

Early the next morning, a doctor came to check on them. It was Dr.Wang, who had seen Jiang Nian before and was surprised, “Oh, it’s you again?”

Jiang Nian: “…”

She didn’t want to come to the hospital either. Since arriving here, she has been in and out of hospitals many times.

Dr. Wang examined Jiang Nian and found nothing serious. He let her wait for her family to come and handle the discharge procedures. Song Xiangdong was also fine. Commander Song, Song Bai, Lu Yu, and even Xu Yan came specially to pick them up, planning to have a meal at Commander Song’s house at noon to dispel any lingering bad luck for Jiang Nian and Xiangdong.

Commander Song said, “Come on, have lunch at our house today, and we’ll get rid of the bad luck for you and Xiangdong.”

Although nowadays people aren’t supposed to focus on feudal superstitions but as soon as Feng Mei returned home, she lit a brazier in the yard. She instructed Xu Yan to close the courtyard gate and had Jiang Nian and Song Xiangdong step over the brazier to dispel bad luck. Feng Mei started cooking as soon as she got home, with Xu Yan assisting beside her.

Jiang Nian returned home, intending to light a fire in the kitchen stove to take a bath, but found that Lu Yu had already heated the water.

He carried the washbasin into Jiang Nian’s room, then went to the kitchen to pour hot water into the basin. After pouring the water, he glanced at Jiang Nian sitting on the bed, his eyes filled with tenderness. “Later, go to Sister Feng’s place. Song Bai and I are going to the team now. We’ll come back for lunch together.”

Jiang Nian nodded gently. “Okay.”

After Lu Yu left, Jiang Nian got up, locked the courtyard gate, then returned to the room to take off her outer clothes and prepare for a bath. Having been soaked two days ago and spending a whole day and night in the hospital yesterday, she felt sticky all over and uncomfortable. She felt like she smelled bad.

After washing, while searching for clothes in the cabinet, she saw some fabric bought from the department store. She decided to spare some time each day to make clothes besides embroidering, planning to make two lady’s white shirts for herself. Just as she finished dressing, she heard Xu Yan’s voice from outside the house. “Jiang Nian, come over and taste the fish soup Sister Feng stewed. We feel it’s missing something.”

“Coming.”

Jiang Nian opened the door and walked out, seeing Xu Yan leaning against the wall. She tied up her hair and ran over. Walking into Feng Mei’s house next door, she immediately smelled a strong meat fragrance. Feng Mei, busy in her apron, pulled her over as soon as she saw Jiang Nian come in, saying, “Help me adjust the flavor quickly. I can’t seem to replicate the taste you make.”

Jiang Nian smiled. “Okay.”

She ran back to her own home, fetched some seasonings, and adjusted the taste of Feng Mei’s fish soup. Seeing several dishes on the table and a bowl full of meat, she raised her eyebrows. “Sister Feng, you’ve spent quite a bit this time.”

Feng Mei said, “I don’t mind at all.”

Jiang Nian was the benefactor of their Song family, and Feng Mei didn’t mind treating her benefactor to a few meals of meat.

Seeing Jiang Nian adjust the taste, Feng Mei tasted it first and her eyes lit up. “How did you adjust it? I thought our seasonings were similar, but why is the taste so different?”

Feng Mei asked Xu Yan to taste it too, and Xu Yan’s eyes also lit up. “Delicious!”

“Mum, I want some too.”

Song Xianghong ran over, but Feng Mei drove her away. “Go play outside. You can have some when lunch is ready.”

Song Xianghong pouted and left with Liu Jianwu, holding hands. They were about the same age, and the two children did their homework in the house.

Xu Yan sat at the stove, burning fire. She had a wound on her neck. Jiang Nian frowned. “What happened to your neck?”

Xu Yan raised her hand to touch it and snorted. “Scratched by that woman, Hou Meng.”

Feng Mei added, “I haven’t had enough yet. If I see that Hou Meng again, I’ll scratch her face.”

Lunch included several dishes—stewed chicken soup, stewed fish soup. Jiang Nian cooked the rice herself, Feng Mei helped out, and Xu Yan was in charge of the fire. It was lively and festive. Feng Mei said, “In the afternoon, let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some glutinous rice. We’ll make zongzi tomorrow.”

Xu Yan agreed. “Okay.”

Jiang Nian nodded. “Good.”

“Cough, cough—”

The three coughed from the spiciness. Feng Mei wiped her tears. “Jiang Nian, how much chili did you put in?”

Jiang Nian also teared up from the coughing. “Just a little handful.”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

The coughing continued until lunch was ready, and the chili flavor still lingered.

Jiang Nian specifically made two spicy dishes for Lu Yu and them to eat. Last time Lu Yu invited guests to dinner at home, she noticed that the spicy dishes were eaten quickly by everyone, and the plates were wiped clean. Xu Yan stood up and looked at the dishes on the chopping board, clicking her tongue. “Jiang Nian, I think you don’t need to embroider. You could make money as a chef at a state-run restaurant.”

Feng Mei agreed. “I think so too.”

After lunch was ready, Xu Yan and Feng Mei carried the dishes outside. Feng Mei’s house only had one table, so they went to Jiang Nian’s house to move the table and benches. As soon as they walked into the house, they heard the loud voice of Commander Song: “Hey! This smells really good, I can tell it’s not made from plums.”

Feng Mei walked out with chopsticks in hand, smiling, “You guessed it right. Jiang Nian made it. Xu Yan and I helped. How’s it? Doesn’t it taste good?”

Commander Song said, “It smells good!”

Zhu Jun, Captain Lu and Lu Zhijun also came over. Lu Zhijun went to play with Liu Jianye and the others. Lu Yu didn’t see Jiang Nian, so he asked, “Sister Feng, where is my sister-in-law?”

“She went back to move the table.”

Feng Mei pointed to their yard.

Hearing this, Lu Yu turned around and strode over. Song Bai followed him. Seeing that Captain Lu and Zhu Jun were also going, Commander Song said, “Why are so many people going? Half a table doesn’t need four grown men.”

So Zhu Jun and Captain Lu sat in the yard and didn’t go out.

In the next yard, Jiang Nian put the long bench upside down on the table, and she and Xu Yan each lifted one end to move it over. Suddenly, the hand holding the bottom of the table was covered by a big hand. The man squeezed her five fingers apart and squeezed them. When Song Bai and Xu Yan were not paying attention, he lowered his head and looked at her with a smile: “I’ll lift it.”

Jiang Nian: …

She coughed lightly, pulled her hand out from Lu Yu’s fingers, and ran out with Xu Yan with a red face.

Xu Yan glanced at Jiang Nian and said, “Why is your face so red?”

Jiang Nian fanned herself with a hand-made fan: “It’s because of the heat from cooking just now, and the chili peppers choked me.”

Xu Yan said: “But this chili is really choking.”

Lu Yu listened to Jiang Nian’s cover-up with a smile on his lips. Song Bai glanced at him and raised his eyebrows: “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.”

Lu Yu held four long benches in his hands and said to Song Bai, “Move the table.”

During lunch, the men sat at one table, and the women and children at another. The brigade leader talked about brigade matters on one side, while Feng Mei and others chatted about what kind of stuffing they would use to make zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival tomorrow. Xu Yan said, “During the New Year, I brought some peanuts from my mother’s house. Tomorrow, I’ll make some with peanut filling.”

Feng Mei ate a piece of meat and said, “We still have red beans at home, the ones we didn’t finish from last year.”

She asked Jiang Nian, “What filling do you want to make?”

Jiang Nian thought for a moment, “I’ll go to the market this afternoon to see what they have, and decide then.”

Actually, she wanted to make two kinds of fillings, sweet and savory. In the new century, savory dumplings were eaten in the south, while sweet dumplings were preferred in the north. She had bought both kinds at the last Dragon Boat Festival and found the savory ones, with their mix of meaty and sticky rice flavors, quite delicious.

“Jiang Nian, your cooking is really tasty!”

Commander Song smacked his lips regretfully, “It would be even better with a sip of wine.”

They were heading to their unit in the afternoon and couldn’t drink, or they’d face disciplinary action.

Zhu Jun also said, “Sister-in-law, this fish is delicious. It’s my second time having it, and it still tastes great.”

Song Xiangdong added a piece of fish for Jiang Nian, “Aunt Jiang, have some more.”

Song Xianghong chimed in, “Aunt Jiang, have some more too.”

Jiang Nian smiled and said, “Sure, I’ll have some more.”

This time, Jiang Nian really ate a lot. After finishing the meal, she burped uncomfortably and rubbed her stomach.

She had eaten too much again.

After the meal, they went to their unit in the afternoon. The three of them put away the bowls and chopsticks, with Jiang Nian sitting down while Feng Mei and Xu Yan washed the pots and bowls. They moved the table and stools over, and Jiang Nian washed her face. Together with Feng Mei and Xu Yan, she went to the supply and marketing cooperative store and the market. On the way, they met Chen Fang.

Chen Fang smiled awkwardly and asked Feng Mei, “How’s Xiangdong doing?”

Although this matter had nothing to do with Chen Fang, if it hadn’t been for Chen Fang bringing the Hou sisters to the riverside to find her, Xiangdong wouldn’t have gotten into this mess. In the final analysis, Chen Fang was the initial spark. Therefore, Feng Mei didn’t look kindly at her and replied coldly, “He’s much better.”

Chen Fang then turned to Jiang Nian and asked, “Xiao Nian, how are you?”

Jiang Nian smiled lightly, “I’m fine.”

Unable to bear the situation, Chen Fang hurried away.

Feng Mei snorted, “Every time I see her now, I get so annoyed.”

They first went to the market, then to the meat shop. Jiang Nian bought a pound of meat and finally went to the supply and marketing cooperative, where she bought some red dates and honey. Carrying their purchases, they returned to the family quarters. The reeds they had picked two days ago were all brought back by Xu Yan. They soaked the reed leaves in a basin until evening, when they would start wrapping the dumplings.

After soaking the reed leaves, they also soaked the sticky rice in advance. Jiang Nian returned to the house to chop the meat. Feng Mei and Xu Yan planned to help Jiang Nian wrap the zongzi today. Seeing her chop the meat, they asked curiously, “What are you cutting the meat for?”

Jiang Nian replied, “To make meat zongzi.”

“Meat zongzi?!”

Feng Mei and Xu Yan were both surprised.

Actually, it’s not surprising they were shocked. In this era, it was a luxury for households to even taste meat. They would save every bit, even the scraps, for the next meal. They hadn’t heard of meat zongzi before. Jiang Nian laughed, “Yes, they taste really good. Wait until they’re done, and you can try them.”

The reed leaves and sticky rice were ready, and Jiang Nian pulled a lot of threads. The three of them sat in the courtyard wrapping zongzi. By the time it was dark, they had wrapped most of the zongzi. Working together, they boiled the zongzi, cooked side dishes, and made a fire.

Several children played in the yard. When Commander Song and the others returned, the zongzi were cooked and the dishes were ready.

Jiang Nian scooped a bit of honey into each person’s bowl. The dumplings with peanuts, red beans, and red dates were all marked. Each zongzi had a different colored thread tied around it, and the meat zongzi had a small piece of red thread tied to them as well.

Feng Mei brought their table and benches over. Tonight, Zhu Jun and Captain Lu’s family were absent from dinner.

The dishes and zongzis were all placed on the table, but they hadn’t picked up their chopsticks yet. Jiang Nian went to the stove, walked to the cabinet, and opened the cabinet door. Just as she closed the door, she saw the shadow cast on top of the cabinet. A tall figure completely enveloped her.

Jiang Nian’s heart skipped a beat. She tightened the grip on her chopsticks.

She nervously pursed her lips and turned around, only to see Lu Yu entering. The man was tall and his long legs blocked the light above her head, casting her into the dark corner. Jiang Nian blinked, “I-I was getting chopsticks.”

“Mm.”

Lu Yu glanced at the chopsticks in Jiang Nian’s hand, his hands, with distinct joints, easily enveloped Jiang Nian’s delicate and slender hand. Jiang Nian’s breath paused for a moment. She looked up at Lu Yu, then cautiously glanced at the doorway of the kitchen, “Are you crazy?”

She found that since Lu Yu had confessed to her in the hospital yesterday, he seemed to want to be close to her at all times.

“I’m here for chopsticks too.”

Lu Yu’s fingers traced Jiang Nian’s hand back, grasping the end of the chopsticks. Against the light, the thick, dark color hidden in his eyes seemed like a crimson spider web, aiming to envelop the person in front of him, wrapping them tightly, bound within his arms, and encased in bone joints.

Jiang Nian blushed and her heart raced from being looked at like this. She couldn’t understand how the serious and formal Lu Yu from before could now show such emotions.

“I’ll go out first.”

Jiang Nian let go of the chopsticks and hurriedly ran out, passing Lu Yu.

She was afraid that if she didn’t leave now, Lu Yu might do something more out of line. There were people outside, and if she wasn’t careful, whatever happened between her and Lu Yu would become public. Jiang Nian didn’t dare think about the consequences it would bring to Lu Yu.

The yard was brightly lit and bustling.

Song Bai noticed Jiang Nian’s flushed face and asked, “Sister-in-law, what’s wrong with you?”

Jiang Nian quickly shook her head, “I just got too hot cooking.”

“Yeah, it’s getting hotter now. It’ll be even hotter in the summer.”

Feng Mei peeled open a meat zongzi, took a bite, and exclaimed, “I’ve eaten sweet zongzi for so many years, but this is the first time I’ve had a savory one. Even though it’s meat, it tastes a bit strange.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “You’re just not used to it.”

Lu Yu came out of the kitchen. Jiang Nian didn’t dare to look up, but even without doing so, she could feel Lu Yu glance in her direction.

Commander Song took a bite of the meat zongzi and exclaimed, “This flavor is delicious! I’ve eaten sweet zongzis all these years, but this is my first time having a savory one.”

Today, I cooked some zongzi and kept some for tomorrow’s Dragon Boat Festival.

After dinner, Commander Song took the children back first. Feng Mei and Xu Yan helped Jiang Nian wash the dishes. Lu Yu and Song Bai were sitting in the courtyard discussing matters of the troupe. Jiang Nian carried a bucket to the well to fetch water. Lu Yu and Song Bai stood up together, preparing to help.

“You sit down.”

Lu Yu said, walking over to fetch the water. Song Bai coughed lightly, sat back down on the stool, and glanced at Jiang Nian, who had entered the kitchen. He remembered when he returned during the New Year, the first thing he saw upon entering the kitchen was Jiang Nian, with her fair and beautiful complexion. He was captivated by her bright and beautiful eyes.

Song Bai withdrew his gaze and looked at the ground. Sometimes, he felt quite envious of Xu Cheng.

After washing the dishes, Feng Mei and the others left. Jiang Nian had been busy all afternoon and was sweaty, with the smell of grease on her. The bath she took at noon seemed wasted. Lu Yu poured water into the pot to heat bathwater for Jiang Nian, who was sitting by the stove, head lowered, tending the fire.

She didn’t dare to look at Lu Yu.

Lu Yu glanced at Jiang Nian, her head drooping, and smiled. He turned to go fetch more water. Song Bai cleaned the yard and waited at the kitchen door for Lu Yu. Lu Yu packed some zongzi into an aluminum lunch box and handed it to Song Bai. He packed more into another box and said, “Take these back for Zhu Jun and the others to try.”

After the bathwater was heated, Lu Yu poured the hot water into Jiang Nian’s room.

Jiang Nian sat by the bed, looking at Lu Yu in his green military uniform. As he bent over, the muscles in his back tightened, and even through his clothes, the lines of his muscles were visible. When Lu Yu stood up, she turned her head to look out the window, pressing her lips together without speaking.

“Jiang Nian.”

Lu Yu’s voice was low, magnetic in the dim room.

Jiang Nian blinked and half-curled her fingers on her lap, turning to look at Lu Yu. His deep black eyes were fixed on her. “I’m leaving. I’ll come over tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Nian nodded. “Okay.”

“Close the door after I leave.”

“Alright.”

As Lu Yu turned to leave, Jiang Nian got up and followed him out. She grabbed the courtyard gate with both hands, watching Lu Yu and Song Bai walk a few steps away before hurriedly closing the gate and locking it. She then ran back inside and shut the door, leaning against it in a daze for a while.

After bathing, Jiang Nian lay in bed, unable to sleep. She got up again, put on clean clothes, and started embroidering by the light of a bulb.

Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. She wondered if Commander Song would be transferred this year.

If Commander Song gets transferred, Lu Yu would soon follow.

However, the plot in the book was all messed up, so she could only wait and see.

After embroidering for a while, Jiang Nian put the embroidery away in the cabinet, extinguished the light, and lay in bed, staring at the dark beams, thinking about her and Lu Yu.

After Ge Mei’s reminder, she realized Lu Yu treated her differently.

And after these two encounters, she could clearly see Lu Yu’s feelings for her. From the beginning, she never thought she would develop such a relationship with Lu Yu. She turned over, touching her beating heart.

Jiang Nian slept deeply and only woke up to the sound of a bugle call the next morning.

Footsteps sounded outside, followed by Lu Yu’s voice, “Are you up?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Nian quickly got up, dressed, and opened the door. Lu Yu stood outside, seeing her hair all fluffy and her sleepy look, and reached out to rub her head. “Wash your face and eat.”

Jiang Nian nodded and quickly ran to the well to wash up.

Lu Yu entered her room, which smelled faintly of soapberry. He picked up the washbasin and poured the water into the drain. After washing up, he and Jiang Nian sat at the table for breakfast. Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, and there were tasks to be done in the regiment. He might be busy all day.

Jiang Nian walked into the kitchen, tying an apron around her waist. “You go to the team first. I’ll wash the dishes.”

Lu Yu put down his chopsticks, glanced at Jiang Nian’s waist, the apron cinching it, highlighting her slender waist, small enough for him to grasp with one hand.

Noticing he hadn’t left, Jiang Nian turned to look at him, only to be swiftly pulled into his arms. Startled, she tried to react, but her chin was grabbed by his rough fingers, tilting her head back, and in the next moment, her lips were firmly kissed.

“Mmm…”

Jiang Nian’s back was tightly pressed against Lu Yu’s warm body. Her chin was held, forcing her to tilt her head up to receive the sudden, intense kiss.

Her lips were pried open, and she weakly whimpered twice. Hearing footsteps outside the courtyard door, she panicked and tried to break free from Lu Yu’s arms. He let go, turned her around, lifted her up, and carried her to hide behind the door.

The kiss was fierce.

Jiang Nian leaned against the wall, suspended in mid-air, her legs weakly dangling over Lu Yu’s arm.