Ayalee: Special birthday treat: 1 full chapter unlocked from each of my translations for everyone to enjoy because it’s my birthday today! Enjoy🎉

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Chapter 57.1

Lu Yu stared at Jiang Nian’s eyes intently. Her eyes were very beautiful, but sometimes he could glimpse emotions hidden beneath them. She was different from before—previously, her eyes always looked down, filled with numbness and compliance towards the current situation. But now, even though her eyes were still cast downward, the emotions hidden beneath her gaze carried a liveliness he had never seen before.

Lu Yu really wanted to ask what secrets she was hiding. But the words stuck in his throat, afraid they might scare her away or make her revert to her former self.

He slowly approached Jiang Nian, reached out, pulled her waist into his embrace. Feeling her warm body against his, for the first time, Lu Yu felt a sense of unprecedented solidity.

After a while, he said, “I have to go back to the team. I’ll come back at noon to take you there.”

Jiang Nian nodded gently, “Okay.”

Lu Yu kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose, released her, turned and walked out of the house. He tidied up the bowls and chopsticks before heading to the team.

Jiang Nian swept the courtyard. Just as she finished, Feng Mei arrived with Song Xiangdong and Song Xianghong. Upon seeing her, the two children called out, “Aunt Jiang.”

Jiang Nian asked, “Xiangdong, aren’t you going to school today?”

Feng Mei sat down on a stool, “He’s on leave today. I’m taking them to Captain Tang’s house for a meal and wedding candy. Let’s go, we’re going early so we can get more wedding candy.”

At that moment, Xu Yan also arrived, holding the hands of Liu Jianye and Liu Jianwu. She said to Jiang Nian, “It’s rare to have a celebration in the family quarters. Let’s go and join the fun, and see the new bride.”

Jiang Nian hesitated. People were there for the celebration, but she felt she might be a drag on the festivities.

Jiang Nian originally wanted to say she wouldn’t go, but she couldn’t resist Feng Mei and Xu Yan’s insistence. She had no choice but to follow them to the Tang’s family courtyard. As they passed by Captain Lu’s house, the elderly lady was walking out with Lu Zhijun. Upon seeing Jiang Nian and the others, she greeted them with a smile, “Are you all going to Captain Tang’s house too?”

Feng Mei chuckled, “Yes, let’s go.”

Upon arriving at Captain Tang’s house, Jiang Nian saw that many people had already gathered. Since Lu Yu and the others hadn’t returned from the team yet, the courtyard was filled with military wives and aunts. Tang Ze hadn’t invited many people this time. They were mostly close comrades with good relationships. Others weren’t invited much.

The wedding ceremony was held at Commander Tang’s house first because the house Tang Ze applied for from above hadn’t come down yet. Early in the morning, Chen Fang moved tables, chairs, and benches from the neighbors. Now, many women and children were sitting at several tables.

Jiang Nian quietly sat on a bench near the door, listening to Feng Mei and Xu Yan chattering endlessly. Her head was starting to ache from listening to them, and she noticed several people casting curious glances at her. One military wife asked politely, “Is this Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law? She’s really beautiful.”

Jiang Nian smiled politely.

Feng Mei found a topic again and started talking non-stop while holding Jiang Nian. As they chatted, they talked about Deputy Commander Lu’s search for a wife. A military wife started to make a noise: “Which girl in our family quarters is as pretty as Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law? If she is prettier than his sister-in-law, Deputy Commander Lu will definitely marry her.”

Jiang Nian: …

They were clearly turning Lu Yu into a man who judged people by their looks.

“Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law, have you ever thought about remarrying? If you’re considering it, I can introduce my cousin to you. He works at the factory and gets government meals, and he has two children.”

“I also have one. My brother works at a state-run hotel. He lost his wife just last year, and there are no children at home. Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law, why don’t you consider my brother?”

Several people chimed in one after another. Clearly, on someone else’s wedding day, they had created a place for Jiang Nian to look at potential suitors.

Jiang Nian: …

She shouldn’t have come!

Seeing the situation, Feng Mei yelled, “All of you, stop it. No matter how good your brothers are, can any of them compare to our Song Bai? He became a deputy commander at a young age and is still a bachelor. Who among you can compete with him? Come, compare.”

Several military wives: …

Jiang Nian: …

Xu Yan glanced at Jiang Nian’s furrowed brows and said to the group, “If Jiang Nian wants to marry, she’ll marry. If she doesn’t, she won’t. She’s talented in embroidery and can earn money. Even if she doesn’t have money, Deputy Commander Lu will take care of her. Deputy Commander Lu hasn’t said anything. Why are you all in such a rush to find suitors for Jiang Nian? If Deputy Commander Lu finds out you’re all pushing his sister-in-law to remarry, do you think he’ll be happy?”

Suddenly, everyone fell silent.

Indeed, pushing someone to remarry when she was Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law was pointless if Deputy Commander Lu didn’t release her. After all, Jiang Nian was the wife of Deputy Commander Lu’s elder brother.

At this moment, Chen Fang and several military wives were busy in the kitchen and didn’t know what was being said outside.

Today, Tang Ze’s marriage had exhausted her.

Tang Ze’s mother had come a few days earlier. She was busy with farming chores in the countryside, so Tang Ze’s father hadn’t come. The kitchen had two pots and wasn’t enough, so they used the stove from the neighboring military wife’s house.

At this moment, the military wives in the courtyard were talking about other things and not about Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian quietly said to Xu Yan, “Thank you.”

Xu Yan smiled and said, “What’s there to thank me for? I can’t stand it when people keep talking about matchmaking.”

By nearly noon, the Tang family’s meal was ready.

“The bride is here—”

Outside, a noisy voice rang out. Xu Yan pulled Jiang Nian up and walked outside. Jiang Nian looked up and saw Tang Ze in his military green uniform riding a bicycle, followed by Sun Ying, who wore red shirt pants with a red flower on her chest and had two small flowers on her braids.

“The bride looks so beautiful!”

“She’s really beautiful.”

“We’ve got a beautiful new daughter-in-law in our family quarters.”

Jiang Nian stood behind Feng Mei and peeked over, momentarily stunned. Sun Ying’s outfit today was exactly like the one she had dreamed about. If Tang Ze weren’t the groom, she would have thought she was dreaming again.

Sun Ying suddenly looked over in her direction. Their eyes met, and the smile on Sun Ying’s face disappeared, replaced by a look of annoyance. She coldly looked away and followed Tang Ze into the house.

Jiang Nian thought to herself, ‘She said she’s here to upset the new bride.’ 

But Jiang Nian remembered something. That day in the field, when Sun Ying came to talk to Lu Yu about their first encounter on the train, was it just a coincidence, or did Sun Ying really have memories from a past life? And if she did have memories from a past life, how could she marry Tang Ze?

At noon, Commander Song and the others arrived. Commander Song saw Jiang Nian and paused. “You’re here too?”

Jiang Nian: ???

“Yeah”

Commander Song chuckled. “Lu Yu went home to pick you up.”

Jiang Nian smiled faintly. “I came with Sister Feng.”

“Song Bai—”

Feng Mei saw Song Bai walking ahead with his head down and called out to him. Song Bai paused but didn’t turn around. “Sister-in-law, I’m going to find Tang Ze.”

“Just a moment, come here, I have something to ask you.”

Feng Mei walked up to Song Bai and glanced at Jiang Nian, asking in a low voice, “Are you and Jiang Nian seeing each other?”

Song Bai was taken aback, instinctively looking up at Jiang Nian. Jiang Nian also noticed Song Bai’s gaze and turned her head to look at him. She saw the bruise above his eyebrow, similar to the bruise on Lu Yu’s mouth. Her heart skipped a beat. Could Song Bai be the one who fought with Lu Yu?

Avoiding Jiang Nian’s gaze, Song Bai asked Feng Mei, “Who told you that? If this gets out, it’ll ruin Jiang Nian’s reputation.”

“I heard it from Chen Fang. It’s detailed. They said you even bought clothes for Jiang Nian. I thought you two were an item.”

Song Bai: …

“There’s nothing going on.”

After explaining, Song Bai walked into the courtyard. Unable to resist, he glanced at Jiang Nian again. She was lowering her head, chatting with Xu Yan. Her lips were slightly curved in a smile, her stray hair naturally falling across her forehead. The sunlight fell gently on her, highlighting her serene and lively temperament.

Song Bai’s calm heart skipped a few beats.

He averted his gaze, furrowing his brows deeply. He felt ashamed of himself for developing feelings for his brother’s wife.

The courtyard was bustling with activity, with men cheering and children laughing for sweets.

Jiang Nian stood outside the courtyard. Xu Yan accompanied her. “Are you not used to such noisy places?”

Jiang Nian smiled faintly. “A bit.”

A military officer approached on the road. He was dressed in military uniform, with the collar unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscular arms with visible veins. Beads of sweat dotted his handsome face. Xu Yan glanced at him. “Deputy Commander Lu is here.”

Jiang Nian looked up, and Lu Yu walked up to her. His dark eyes met hers, and in a deep, magnetic voice, he greeted her, “Sister-in-law.”

Jiang Nian’s face inexplicably turned slightly red.

She awkwardly smiled, “I came with Sister Feng.”

Lu Yu’s eyes twinkled with a smile. “Alright, let’s go inside. After eating, I’ll take you home.”

Xu Yan chuckled, “No need for Deputy Commander Lu to send her. Later, Sister Feng and I will take your sister-in-law home together.”

Jiang Nian nodded gently. “I’ll go back with Xu Yan later.”

“Okay.”

There were ten tables set up in the courtyard, mostly with men at one table, women at another, and children at another. Jiang Nian’s seat faced the window of Sun Ying’s room. Sun Ying, in a red blouse, sat on the edge of the bed talking with Tang Ze. After a while, Tang Ze walked out, pulled away by his comrades to drink for the wedding. Jiang Nian was about to lower her head, but at that moment, she saw Sun Ying glance at her with a look of disgust.

Then, Sun Ying’s gaze moved past her to Lu Yu, who was sitting not far away.

Jiang Nian felt uncomfortable.

If Sun Ying disliked her, that was her own business. But when Jiang Nian saw Sun Ying looking at Lu Yu, she felt a twinge of sourness in her heart.

“Deputy Commander Lu, if your sister-in-law ever wants to remarry, just let me know. As long as Deputy Commander Lu asks, I’d risk my life to make it happen.”

It was the captain of the Second Regiment who spoke. The soldiers of the Second Regiment knew better than those of the Third Regiment that Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law was so beautiful, not only was she a good cook, but her embroidery skills were also top-notch. Although Deputy Commander Lu’s sister-in-law was a widow, nobody cared about that. They all wanted to impress Deputy Commander Lu.

“Yes!”

A group of people started to cheer, and even the military wives joined in.

Jiang Nian’s eyelids twitched. She turned her head instinctively to look at Lu Yu diagonally opposite. Lu Yu also looked at her. His thin lips were slightly pursed, and his face showed no emotion.

Tang Ze walked over and patted Lu Yu on the shoulder. “Deputy Commander Lu, it seems like there are many people interested in meeting your sister-in-law.”

Lu Yu’s expression was calm, but there was a deep, dark coldness in his eyes. He lowered his eyes to hide his emotions. Amidst the noisy laughter, he spoke, “My sister-in-law already has someone she likes. Keep your thoughts to yourselves!”

His voice was not loud but deep and powerful.