Chapter 58.1

Because Lu Yu had returned, Jiang Nian cooked three dishes for lunch, along with steamed white buns and porridge. After preparing the meal, she brought it to the table in the yard. While eating, Jiang Nian looked up at Lu Yu with a smile on her face. “What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll make it for you.”

Lu Yu lifted his gaze, looking at the curve of Jiang Nian’s lips. He lowered his head and said, “Mixed noodles.”

“Alright.”

Lu Yu ate this meal absentmindedly.

During the month he was away, he couldn’t stop thinking about the person in the family quarters.

He worried about Jiang Nian going into the city, afraid she might encounter danger again.

After finishing the meal, Lu Yu and Jiang Nian placed the bowls and chopsticks in the kitchen. He told Jiang Nian, “I’m going to the team first.”

Jiang Nian nodded. “Go ahead.”

After finishing up in the kitchen, Jiang Nian sat in the yard with her embroidery. She wondered when Commander Song and Lu Yu’s transfer would come through. Would it be after this year’s Dragon Boat Festival or next year’s?

But this year’s Dragon Boat Festival had already passed, and there was still no news from Commander Song.

Jiang Nian glanced at the nearly finished embroidery. She remembered Ge Mei’s phone call, asking her to go to the embroidery shop again on July 20th. Although Ge Mei didn’t explicitly say it over the phone, Jiang Nian understood Ge Mei’s intentions. According to her, Director Peng was likely meticulous and difficult to get along with. If she saw the embroidery in advance, she would surely find faults, leading to a disappointing result.

In the end, not only would Jiang Nian ruin her own craftsmanship, but it would also cause the Gangcheng boss to lose trust in the state-run embroidery shop.

Jiang Nian roughly guessed that Ge Mei was leaving a way out for Sister Zhai and Sister Lu.

The lively atmosphere of the Tang family was mixed with the other military wives’ thoughts of watching the joke. After finishing the meal, Captain Lu’s mother took Lu Zhijun home first. When she left, she glanced at Chen Fang and shook her head. While walking on the road, Lu Zhijun asked the old lady, “Grandma, why are you shaking your head?”

The old lady touched Lu Zhijun’s head and said, “Grandma has something to tell you. You must remember it in your heart.”

Lu Zhijun no longer had the mischievous and annoying temper from last year, attentively listening to his grandmother’s words. “What is it?”

The old lady said: “When we talk about people and things, we should talk about facts with details. We can’t make blind guesses, otherwise it will cause trouble to many people.”

Lu Zhijun thought of last year at the market when his mother and Aunt Kang were talking about Aunt Jiang going to marry Uncle Song. Aunt Jiang heard it and said a few words to his mother. He just listened at the time and thought that his mother also wanted to marry Uncle Song, so he always kept it in mind. Later, when his mother stopped buying him delicious food, he told his father about it, saying that his mother was saving money to divorce his father and marry Uncle Song.

Thinking of these things, Lu Zhijun said awkwardly to Grandma, “Grandma, I miss Mom.”

Grandma was stunned for a moment and patted Lu Zhijun’s head. “Alright, don’t think about her. Tonight, Grandma will make you rolled noodles.”

Lu Zhijun smiled, “Okay!”

At this moment, the Tang family was in chaos. Chen Fang and her mother-in-law were cleaning up the courtyard, and a few military wives were also helping. Today was Tang Ze’s wedding, and the delicious food made at home was all cleaned up on every plate. Because Tang Ze was getting married, he had three days of wedding leave and didn’t need to go to the team during these three days. He helped his family clean up together. Sun Ying sat in the house, and no one disturbed her.

Chen Fang knew that her mother-in-law was complaining about her and had been silent.

Her mother-in-law said to Tang Ze, “You go back to the room and accompany the bride. When it gets dark, there will still be a lot of trouble on your side.”

They had just gotten married and were about to start their wedding night. When everyone comes back from the regiment, the Tang family will be lively again.

Tang Ze pushed the door open and walked into the room. Sitting on the bed was Sun Ying, her hair in braids adorned with two small cotton flowers. Her skin was fair and translucent, with a small mole beneath her right eye. Whether he looked down or up, there was a seductive charm about her that only made Tang Ze like her more.

He walked over and sat beside Sun Ying, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Have you eaten enough? If not, I’ll go back to the kitchen and get you some more food.”

Sun Ying smelled the faint scent of white wine on Tang Ze’s body. She turned to look at him. Tang Ze had a sturdy appearance, but she had never really looked closely at him before. The first time she saw him, she had noticed the military uniform on Tang Ze, identical to the one on Lu Yu in her dreams.

“I’ve eaten enough,” she replied.

Sun Ying covered Tang Ze’s eyes with one hand and placed the other on his lips. Her watery eyes fell on Tang Ze’s military uniform, and her heart suddenly began to race.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Ze asked, puzzled, as he held Sun Ying’s hand and removed it.

“Nothing,” Sun Ying shook her head.

“Will they come back tonight?” she asked again.

In fact, she wanted to ask if Lu Yu would come tonight, but she was afraid that asking directly would arouse Tang Ze’s suspicion.

“They will come back for the wedding night, but I can handle it,” Tang Ze smiled.

Sun Ying smiled too, and her smile made the red mole beneath her right eye even more attractive. Tang Ze was stunned, and his grip on Sun Ying’s shoulder tightened. He leaned closer to her, but Sun Ying turned her head away.

“You smell of alcohol. It’s unpleasant,” she said.

Tang Ze chuckled. “Then I’ll go wash up.”

With that, he got up to leave. Sun Ying turned to look out the window again, her gaze once more falling on the embroidered mandarin ducks on the curtain. They were beautifully crafted and lifelike. She sat up and pulled the curtain aside. Chen Fang entered from outside and saw Sun Ying staring at the mandarin ducks on the curtain.

“Do you like it?” Chen Fang smiled.

Sun Ying nodded. “Yes, it’s beautiful.”

Chen Fang said, “As long as you like it. I specially asked Jiang Nian to embroider them. She’s the only one in our family quarters who knows how to embroider. She’s now working at the state-run embroidery shop. I even bought her a lot of things to get her to embroider these.”

Sun Ying’s expression changed. She clenched the curtain tightly, and her admiring gaze turned to disgust. Chen Fang took the bowls and chopsticks out of the room, saying to Sun Ying as she left, “I’ll leave you two alone. If you need anything, just tell Tang Ze.”

Sun Ying held onto the curtain tightly for a long time before replying softly, “Okay.”

After Chen Fang left, Sun Ying tore at the curtain with force. The once neat fabric became wrinkled, and the two mandarin ducks looked somewhat grim. Yet she was still angry and wanted to cut it with scissors!

She hated Jiang Nian, and she hated everything about her!

Tang Ze washed his face and brushed his teeth before returning to the room. He saw Sun Ying pulling at the curtain vigorously, causing the mandarin ducks on it to lose their original appearance. He frowned, sat down beside her, and held Sun Ying’s hand.

“Don’t you like this curtain?” Tang Ze asked.

Sun Ying’s hand stiffened, hiding her disgust beneath her eyes. She spoke softly and plaintively, “I’m scared of mandarin ducks. I like swans.”

Tang Ze looked at the distorted mandarin ducks, painstakingly embroidered by Lu Yu’s sister-in-law. It was also kindly arranged by his sister-in-law for the two of them. If he put down the curtain, there would be a storm in the house.

He hesitated for a moment, held Sun Ying’s hand, and said, “Bear with it a little longer. There aren’t any spare courtyards now, and when our courtyard comes down, we’ll move over, put away the curtain and put it in the cabinet.”

Sun Ying’s hand was slightly open and closed: “Um.”

The window was open. Tang Ze got up to close it, then sat back down beside Sun Ying, wrapping his arm around her waist. He gazed at the red mole beneath Sun Ying’s right eye, then leaned down to kiss her on the eyes. Sun Ying blinked and turned to cover Tang Ze’s eyes. Tang Ze chuckled, “What’s wrong?”

Sun Ying looked at Tang Ze, with only his nose and lips visible. She glanced at his army green uniform and took the initiative to kiss him on the lips. Tang Ze trembled all over, then quickly took charge, embracing Sun Ying. He didn’t remove Sun Ying’s hand covering his eyes, thinking she was just shy.

After finishing lunch, Jiang Nian had been embroidering continuously. She finished the last details before putting away the embroidery. On the 20th, she would go to the state-run embroidery shop in the city. At noon, Lu Yu mentioned wanting to eat mixed sauce noodles, but they were short on ingredients at home. Jiang Nian went to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Just as she left the barracks, she saw Wu Youshan standing not far away. His face was anxious as he looked towards the barracks. Since no one had signed for him, he couldn’t enter and didn’t dare to approach this side of the barracks. He could only stand far away and watch. When Jiang Nian came out, his face darkened for a moment, then he boldly walked over.

“Comrade, could you please ask Deputy Commander Lu to sign and let me in? I want to find Sun Ying.”

Jiang Nian: …

She refused, “I can’t.”

After saying that, she walked away.

She found it funny in her heart. This person was supposed to be a doctor, but he spoke without thinking. If Lu Yu signed and let him in, if he caused any trouble inside, Lu Yu would also be implicated.

Wu Youshan choked with anger, watching Jiang Nian walk away in the distance. He irritably rubbed his face.

Jiang Nian bought some ingredients at the supply and marketing cooperative. There was still a lot of meat from Chen Fang, which she kept cold in well water to prevent spoilage. When she returned to the barracks, she didn’t see Wu Youshan again, so he must have left.

Back at the family quarters, Jiang Nian chopped the meat and picked two cucumbers from the vegetable garden. By the time it was dark, the meal was ready, and the fragrance of mixed sauce noodles filled the kitchen. The neighbors next door could smell it.

Outside the door came the voice of Commander Song, “Lu Yu, what delicious thing did your sister-in-law make? I could smell it from a mile away.”

Lu Yu smiled, “Mixed sauce noodles.”

He was familiar with this taste.

Commander Song clicked his tongue, “Kid, you really have good luck. With a sister-in-law who cooks so well, anyone who marries her in the future will have a golden stomach in their next life.”

Lu Yu didn’t say anything. When he walked to the gate of his courtyard, Commander Song waved his hand and went back

The courtyard was lit by lanterns. Jiang Nian placed the bowls on the small table in the yard. After preparing this meal, she had a thin layer of sweat on her body, a few strands of hair sticking to her fair neck, and sweat beads on her temples. It was scorching hot outside, with the kitchen burning. Cooking always felt like torture to Jiang Nian.

“Oh, Jiang Nian, what delicious food have you made? The aroma is drifting all the way to my house,” someone called from over the courtyard wall.

Jiang Nian smiled and replied to Feng Mei on the other side of the wall, “Mixed noodles.”

The courtyard gate opened, and Lu Yu returned.

Jiang Nian adjusted her apron and said with a smile, “Dinner’s ready.”

She went to the well, poured some water into a basin, washed her face, feeling a bit cooler. Standing up, she ran back to the house to wipe her face with a towel. Lu Yu watched Jiang Nian’s brisk movements, then turned and walked to the well himself.

When Jiang Nian came out, she saw Lu Yu using the water she had just used to wash her face. She hesitated, wanting to stop him, “You should use fresh water—”

“No need,” Lu Yu interrupted.

Jiang Nian lowered her head and ran into the kitchen, saying, “You sit and eat. I’ll get chopsticks.”

After washing his face, Lu Yu sat at the table, picking up the chopsticks and eating the Mixed noodles with relish. Jiang Nian brought out the cold mixed green beans and sat opposite Lu Yu, listening to the sounds of him enjoying his meal, feeling content.

Lu Yu ate three bowls of noodles in a row, while Jiang Nian could only finish one. As she was about to get up to clean the bowls, Lu Yu beat her to it, saying, “Go rest in the room. I’ll wash the dishes and heat water for your bath. After I finish my work, I’ll return to the dormitory.”

Jiang Nian pulled back her hand, “Alright.”

She untied her apron, neatly folded it on the table, then turned and went into her room. From the cabinet, she took out some unfinished clothes—a white blouse with wavy collars and embroidered red flower petals at the corners, and a small pocket on the left chest with the same wavy pattern embroidered with silk thread.

These were the first two summer clothes she had made for herself since arriving in this era, blending with the style of the new century.

Squatting down, she pulled out two more white blouses from the bottom of the cabinet, specially made for Lu Yu, but they weren’t finished yet.

By the time Lu Yu finished heating the water, Jiang Nian had almost finished sewing the hem of her blouse. She said to Lu Yu, “I need to go to the embroidery shop on the 20th.”

Lu Yu replied, “Alright, I’ll take leave and accompany you.”

After her bath, Jiang Nian went to bed early.

Ever since the unpleasant incident at the Tang family that day, Jiang Nian occasionally walked on the street without hearing the military wives and aunts talking to her about matchmaking anymore. She also noticed that Feng Mei seemed a little strange these days and came to see her frequently, as if she wanted to tell her everything that was in her heart at once.

Jiang Nian keenly sensed that something was wrong with Feng Mei. She made the clothes that day and went to Feng Mei’s house in the evening, but Commander Song had not returned yet.

Feng Mei sat in the courtyard mending shoe soles. Seeing Jiang Nian approaching, she smiled, “Why are you here?”

Jiang Nian smiled back, “Finished my work, just came over to sit for a bit.”

After chatting for a while, Jiang Nian cautiously asked, “Sister Feng, do you know how long we can stay in this family quarters?”

Feng Mei paused, then understood Jiang Nian’s implication, “What’s wrong, not comfortable staying here?”

Jiang Nian shook her head, “No, it’s just that I’ve gotten used to it here. If we ever have to move one day, I might miss it a bit.”

She glanced at Feng Mei after speaking and saw her lower her head, nervously rubbing her scalp with a needle—a stark contrast to her previous reactions. Jiang Nian’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Feng Mei really knew something?

Not wanting to rush things and risk losing information, Jiang Nian decided not to press further.

So they chatted about daily life. Before leaving, Jiang Nian smiled and said, “Sister Feng, I really hope we can be neighbors forever.”

Once the conversation started, Feng Mei couldn’t hold back and blurted out, “Yes, I also wish we could always be neighbors. But there seems to be some changes on Commander Song’s side. He—”

She abruptly stopped talking, her mouth shut tight.

Jiang Nian found it somewhat amusing. Feng Mei was clearly trying to cover something up. But this conversation gave Jiang Nian some clarity. It seemed the plot in the novel hadn’t completely veered off course yet. Commander Song was likely to be promoted and transferred, explaining Feng Mei’s frequent visits lately.

“Sister Feng, it’s almost dinner time. I should head back,” Jiang Nian stood up. Feng Mei thought Jiang Nian was angry and grabbed her, “Sit down, I have something to tell you.”

Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow imperceptibly. She already had a good idea of what Feng Mei wanted to say. After hesitating for a moment, she sat down, curious, “What does Sister Feng want to say? Why so secretive?”

Glancing outside the courtyard, Feng Mei leaned closer to Jiang Nian and whispered, “Commander Song might be getting promoted soon, but he hasn’t told me when exactly. He asked me not to spread the news and cautioned me against saying anything.”

Jiang Nian chuckled, “Sister Feng, have I ever told anyone about anything you’ve said?”

Feng Mei laughed, “I trust you, of course.”

After sighing, Jiang Nian saw for the first time the reluctant expression on Feng Mei’s face. She said, “If Commander Song gets promoted and leaves, our whole family will have to move with him. We’ll have to start over in a new place. When we moved here with Commander Song, we got used to the neighbors and the neighborhood. Now, in the blink of an eye, we might have to leave again.”

Jiang Nian patted Feng Mei’s hand, saying, “Sister Feng, think of it this way—if Commander Song gets promoted, it’s a good thing. He’ll have a higher rank and better pay. We should look forward to it. If we move to a new place, it’ll be a new chapter in our lives.”

Feng Mei felt somewhat relieved after Jiang Nian’s words.

After chatting a bit longer with Feng Mei, Jiang Nian returned home. Lu Yu had said he wouldn’t come back for dinner, as he would be busy late into the night. Tomorrow was the 20th, he planned to take her to the city in the morning. After dinner, Jiang Nian went to sleep early. She was awakened the next morning by the sound of the bugle call and the footsteps outside her door.

Jiang Nian got up and put on her new clothes: a short-sleeved white shirt with small flowers embroidered in red thread on the collar and mud-brown pants. She tied her hair into a bun, put on the small white sandals that Ge Mei bought for her, and opened the door to go out. There was the sound of running water in the kitchen. Jiang Nian pursed her lips and smiled as she walked to the kitchen door and looked at Lu Yu, who was facing the water jar, and softly called, “Lu Yu.”

This was the first time she had dressed up meticulously, and also the first time she wanted to dress up for Lu Yu.

Lu Yu turned around with a bucket in his hand, his deep black eyes fixed tightly on Jiang Nian. She wore a white shirt with little red flowers embroidered on the collar, tucked into her waistband, and mud-brown pants gathered at the ankles. This outfit accentuated the curve of her waist, making her look even more slender.

“Do I look good?”

Jiang Nian stood with the light behind her, smiling.

Lu Yu put down the bucket and nodded, “You look good.”

Jiang Nian smiled and turned around, walking lightly to the well, “I’ll wash up first. Let’s go to the city after breakfast and try to get back early.”