Chapter 64.1

Jiang Nian’s head was spinning, and Lu Yu’s voice seemed to come and go.

After struggling for a while, she finally heard Lu Yu’s words clearly. Smiling mischievously at him, she reached out and cupped Lu Yu’s face. “I’m your sister-in-law.”

After saying this, she chuckled.

Lu Yu: ….

He sighed deeply, then lowered his head and gently bit down on Jiang Nian’s rosy lips. His hot tongue pushed open her teeth. The strong smell of alcohol lingered between their nostrils, and their mouths were filled with the smell of drunkenness.

“Mmm…”

Jiang Nian couldn’t catch her breath, feeling her vision blur.

Lu Yu let her go and whispered in her ear, “Where are you from?”

Jiang Nian’s consciousness was muddled. With closed eyes, she pointed vaguely at the ceiling beams. “Water… book…”

Then she fell asleep.

Lu Yu furrowed his brow slightly, rubbed his forehead against Jiang Nian’s nose, and noticed her even breathing.

Lu Yu: ….

He sighed and proceeded to remove Jiang Nian’s shoes and socks. Holding her ice-cold feet in his hands, he warmed them until they felt warm. He then tucked her into bed, adjusted the covers for her, turned and closed the door behind him. Turning around, he saw Song Bai leaning against the kitchen door.

Song Bai was dressed in a thin sweater, his eyes showing a hint of intoxication.

Lu Yu walked over, and Song Bai asked in a low voice, “What did you do to your sister-in-law just now?”

From the angle he was standing at, he only saw Lu Yu leaning down and completely covering Jiang Nian. Although the two were not blood related brother and sister-in-law, they were still brother and sister-in-law in the eyes of outsiders. Lu Yu’s behavior exceeded what a younger brother-in-law should do.

Lu Yu met Song Bai’s gaze. “I kissed her.”

Song Bai suddenly swung a fist, but Lu Yu dodged and caught Song Bai’s fist. They started fighting in the yard.

“Lu Yu, are you fucking insane?”

“You’re despicable and shameless!”

Lu Yu said nothing and with a cold face he fought with Song Bai. The two of them punched and kicked each other. The noise startled Zhu Jun and Zhang Xiao in the room. They ran out and saw Lu Yu and Song Bai fighting fiercely. Zhu Jun was shocked: “Deputy Commander Song, Deputy Commander Lu’s injury is not fully healed yet. You two can fight again after the injury is healed!”

Zhang Xiao was bewildered. She pulled Zhu Jun away. “Why are they fighting again?”

Zhu Jun was equally clueless. “Probably both of them got drunk.”

Eventually, after Zhu Jun intervened and took a few punches himself, he managed to separate the two. Lu Yu had bruises on his lips and a bit of blood, while Song Bai wasn’t in much better shape, his lips bruised and bloodied too. Both were equally matched. Lu Yu undid his collar button, took off his coat and threw it to Zhu Jun. His gaze was sharp as he looked at Song Bai, not pleased with him being concerned about Jiang Nian.

“Let’s go again!”

Song Bai coldly replied, “Bring it on!”

Zhu Jun: ….

He shouldn’t have bought that liquor today!

This incident that happened on New Year’s Eve, left all three of them injured.

Lu Yu and Song Bai fought in the yard for a full half hour, each landing heavy blows. Xu Yan heard the commotion and peeked over the wall, startled. “Why are they fighting?”

Zhu Jun quickly explained, “They got drunk and started sparring.”

Xu Yan: ….

Zhang Xiao: ….

Every time she heard from Zhu Jun that Deputy Commander Song and Deputy Commander Lu would spar behind the dormitory every few days, she never knew how exactly they sparred. Today, seeing it for herself, it was too intense!

As the snow fell heavier, the pristine snow was marred by scattered footprints.

Leaning against the wall, Lu Yu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb and pressed his hand against his hip bone. A few flakes of snow fell onto his short, sharp hair, and even in the depths of winter, sweat beaded on his forehead. Song Bai leaned against the kitchen door frame, his fingers gently rubbing his right cheekbone, casting a glance at Lu Yu pressing his hand against his hip bone.

Although he had used strong force, he avoided injuring him in every move. He wouldn’t stoop to such despicable acts.

Zhang Xiao stood at the door, looking left and right. Despite it being midwinter, the visible steam rising from the two men was evident. Zhang Xiao blinked, pulled back by Zhu Jun into the room. They tidied up the bowls and chopsticks in the kitchen, whispering while washing the dishes.

“Are they okay?”

Zhu Jun whispered back, “They were more ruthless this time than before. Probably influenced by the drinks.”

That was really intense. Each of them went all out.

In the yard, Lu Yu breathed heavily. “I’m going to Dongshi city to see Commander Song on the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year. I’ve already sent a telegram to inform them. Are you coming?”

Song Bai also caught his breath. “I’m coming!”

Zhu Jun overheard in the kitchen and shouted outside, “Deputy Commander Lu, I’m going to see Commander Song too. I happen to have ten days off.”

That night, Zhang Xiao slept in the family courtyard with Jiang Nian, while Lu Yu and the others slept in the dormitory.

Jiang Nian slept through until noon the next day. When she woke up, she heard the sound of splashing water outside. She groggily opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling beams for a while before remembering it was New Year’s Eve yesterday.

—She was knocked out by a sip of wine!

Turning over, Jiang Nian saw her clothes and trousers neatly arranged. She didn’t know who had taken off her shoes and socks, but it was either Zhang Xiao or Lu Yu. She put on her shoes and socks and walked out, only to see Lu Yu carrying two buckets of water towards the kitchen. When he saw Jiang Nian coming out, he turned around and left.

Jiang Nian: ???

It seemed like she saw bruises on Lu Yu’s face again.

Afraid she might be mistaken, Jiang Nian ran to the kitchen to get a clear look.

“Sister Jiang, you’re finally awake.”

Zhang Xiao came out of the kitchen. Jiang Nian was puzzled. Her mind was still fuzzy, and footsteps could be heard outside. It was Zhu Jun and Song Bai. They were holding two fish in their hands. Zhu Jun said, “We caught them from the river near the bridge.” Then he handed them to Zhang Xiao.

Jiang Nian’s gaze fell on Song Bai’s face and noticed the bruises around his mouth and eyebrows. Song Bai awkwardly avoided her eyes and handed the fish to Zhang Xiao, saying, “I’m going back to the dorm to change clothes.”

With that, he hurried away.

Jiang Nian: …

She turned and walked into the kitchen, where she saw Lu Yu chopping vegetables at the cutting board. Almost immediately, she noticed the abrasion on the knuckles of Lu Yu’s back hand. She leaned in towards him, looking up at him with her small face. Lu Yu felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze and moved aside a step, saying, “There’s hot water in the thermos. Go wash up first.”

Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow slightly, frowning. “After I fell asleep last night, did you and Song Bai practice again?”

Lu Yu: …

After finishing cutting the meat, Lu Yu took some potatoes and said simply, “Yeah.”

Jiang Nian: …

She asked, “How did you two end up practicing again? Did you both drink too much last night?”

Lu Yu replied succinctly, “Yeah.”

Jiang Nian: …

It was quite a sight to see both of them with bruises on their faces on New Year’s Day.

As Jiang Nian went to wash up, she asked Zhang Xiao, who had rushed over to sit beside her, “How did they end up fighting last night?”

Zhang Xiao chuckled, “They both drank too much and ended up fighting.”

Jiang Nian: …

They really did drink too much.

Zhang Xiao laughed again, ” Sister Jiang, you have such a poor tolerance for alcohol. How did you fall asleep after just one sip?”

Jiang Nian: …

She twisted the towel to wipe her face and said in an elegant manner, “I’m not good with alcohol.”

Unable to suppress her laughter, Zhu Jun heard Zhang Xiao laughing as he cleaned the fish scales and looked up, “What are you laughing at?”

Zhang Xiao said, “Nothing.”

After cleaning the fish scales, Zhu Jun washed them clean. The snow in the yard had been swept clean early in the morning. Jiang Nian went to the kitchen to cook, and Zhang Xiao was in charge of starting the fire. Soon after, Song Bai also came over. For lunch, they made a spicy fish, a braised fish, a large plate of chicken stir-fry, vinegar-glazed cabbage, pickled vegetables, and a large plate of dumplings. The fish was caught from the river, and the chicken was bought by Song Bai yesterday. The few of them quietly ate at the table.

Jiang Nian looked up and saw Lu Yu and Song Bai both bowing their heads and eating. Neither of them lifted their heads.

It was Zhu Jun and Zhang Xiao who chatted while Jiang Nian occasionally interjected, bringing some life to the quiet room. During the meal, Zhang Xiao mentioned that everyone would go to Dongshi city to see Commander Song on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Jiang Nian thought it would only be her and Lu Yu, but she didn’t expect so many people. However, more people meant a lively journey, and Zhang Xiao will also be there to keep her company.

It would take two days by train from here to Dongshi city. In order for everyone to have something to eat on the road, Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao prepared food in the kitchen after the meal. Jiang Nian made more pastries and buns. Zhu Jun stayed inside to dress Lu Yu’s wounds, while Song Bai stood at the kitchen door. Seeing Jiang Nian rolling up her sleeves to knead dough, he went to the well to wash his hands and then walked over, pulling over an enamel basin, “Let me handle the heavy work.”

Jiang Nian looked at the bruises on Song Bai’s face and smiled, “Then it’s up to you.”

She smiled, her eyes shining brightly, as if filled with stars from the night sky. Song Bai was lost in thought for a moment before coming back to his senses with a light cough, saying, “It’s not much trouble.”

Jiang Nian went to the vegetable cellar to get a basket of vegetables. Seeing Lu Yu coming out, she asked, “How’s your injury?”

“It’s nothing.”

Lu Yu’s expression didn’t show much, except for the bruise on his mouth, showing that Song Bai’s punch wasn’t light.

Zhu Jun came out of the house and said, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Deputy Commander Lu’s injury is fine.”

Jiang Nian spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen, steaming many buns and making plenty of pastries, all of which could be eaten on the road. She packed several buns and pastries and went to Xu Yan’s house. Xu Yan was eating dinner inside, with a plate of fried radishes and a bowl of pickled vegetable dumplings on the table. The three of them were eating corn pancakes.

Jiang Nian’s heart sank when she realized that Liu Qiang had sent all the money to his family back home, and Xu Yan had been having a tough time these past three months.

She put down the buns and pastries and said to Liu Jianye, “Go to the kitchen and get an empty bowl. Put these in it. Aunt Jiang will give you some food.”

Liu Jianwu’s eyes lit up, wanting to take it but hesitating. Jiang Nian picked up a pastry and handed it to him. Liu Jianwu held it in his hand and said embarrassedly, “Thank you, Auntie Jiang.”

Xu Yan touched Liu Jianwu’s head, and Liu Jianye ran over with an empty bowl. Jiang Nian put the buns and pastries in, and said to Xu Yan, “I’m going to see Commander Song in Dongshi city tomorrow. If you have anything to say to Sister Feng, I’ll pass it on for you.”

Xu Yan said, “There’s nothing to say. Just ask Sister Feng to take care of her family.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Nian watched Liu Jianye hand over a pastry to Xu Yan first. Xu Yan smiled, “Mom won’t eat anymore. You and your brother eat.”

Liu Jianwu shook his head firmly, “Mom should eat something.”

Jiang Nian said to Xu Yan, “Jianye is a child who knows how to be considerate.” She smiled at Liu Jianye,”Jianye, Auntie will leave tomorrow. When I come back, I will bring you and Jianwu some delicious food.”

Liu Jianye shook his head, “Thank you, Aunt Jiang, but no need.”

“Aunt Jiang, I want to eat something delicious.”

Liu Jianwu ate the pastries, looking at Jiang Nian with his innocent and cute eyes. Jiang Nian looked at Liu Jianwu’s patched clothes and reached out to touch his head, “Auntie will bring you something delicious when she comes back.”

Xu Yan sent Jiang Nian out. Jiang Nian turned back to see Xu Yan standing under the moonlight.

She didn’t know how to help Xu Yan.

But Xu Yan’s ending was better than in the book. At least she didn’t have to be separated from her children and marry the old bachelor in the village.