Chapter 65.1

“Aunt Jiang.”

Song Xiangdong ran over happily, calling out.

Jiang Nian ruffled his hair, “Aunt Jiang is here to see you and brought some delicious treats for you.”

Beside them, Song Xianghong heard and struggled to get down from Song Bai’s arms, “Aunt Jiang, I want to eat something delicious too.”

Song Bai grumbled, “Second Uncle brought some for you too.”

Song Xianghong said, “I want to eat the pastries Aunt Jiang makes.”

Song Bai: …

He really doesn’t know how to do this.

“Feng Mei, do you have guests?”

An older woman from across the street, holding onto her wooden lattice door, looked at the several people gathered at Feng Mei’s doorstep—a handsome men and a beautiful women. Feng Mei smiled, “Yes, we have guests. They are all my relatives.”

Feng Mei chatted with that older woman for a bit, then she led Jiang Nian and the others into the house.

Inside, the stove was burning, and the heated kang made the room warm. As soon as they entered, they felt the warmth. Jiang Nian sat by the stove for a while before taking off her coat. Feng Mei said, “Sit on the kang, it’s warm there. I’ll go make lunch for us.”

“I’ll help you.”

Jiang Nian ran over, but Feng Mei stopped her, smiling, “I’m much better now, not so cold anymore.”

Zhang Xiao followed and sat by the stove to tend the fire. Several men sat on the kang outside and talked. Every now and then, they could hear laughter from Song Xiangdong and Song Xianghong. Feng Mei asked, “Jiang Nian, has anything happened in the family quarters?”

Jiang Nian knew Feng Mei was getting curious again, so she thought for a moment and said, “Nothing special.”

Feng Mei said, “It’s quite lively on my end.”

Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Feng Mei. Feng Mei smiled and said, “It’s the woman from the house opposite ours. Her husband works under Old Song; he’s a captain. But they’re nearing forty and still haven’t had a child. Every time he comes home, he scolds his wife, calling her an eggless hen.”

She leaned closer to Jiang Nian. “Just the other day, that woman came to me asking if I knew any remedies to help her get pregnant. How would I know?”

Jiang Nian was making dumplings with carrot and meat filling. She whispered, “Have they gone to the hospital for a check-up?”

Feng Mei shook her head. “The woman did, but they said she’s fine.”

Jiang Nian pinched a dumpling and placed it in the steamer. “Has the man been checked?”

Feng Mei looked puzzled. “What does that have to do with him? I’ve only heard of women having problems conceiving, not men.”

Jiang Nian smiled. “Maybe it’s the man who has the issue.”

Zhang Xiao, curious, asked, “Sister Jiang, what do you mean?”

In this era, many people often place blame on women, especially in situations like this. They tend to blame women for everything without considering if the problem might lie with the man, which often leads to women being mistreated in their in-laws’ homes and forced to endure.

After hearing Zhang Xiao’s words, Jiang Nian thought both Zhang Xiao and Feng Mei were married, and she was a widow, so she wasn’t being sensitive. She said, “For some men, their sperm viability is low or non-existent. In such cases, they can engage in intercourse, but they lack fertility. It’s not the woman’s fault. The man from across the street should go to the hospital and see if it’s his problem.”

Zhang Xiao was stunned and suddenly blushed deeply.

Jiang Nian wondered, was that too innocent? She didn’t say anything wrong.

Feng Mei also looked surprised and stared at Jiang Nian in amazement. “How do you know so much? About sperm viability and all? Where did you learn all this?”

Jiang Nian: …

Jiang Nian thought to herself, I shouldn’t have said so much.

She made up an excuse, “When I was at the hospital taking care of Lu Yu, I passed by the doctor’s office—”

But before Feng Mei could finish listening, she suddenly exclaimed, “What’s wrong with Deputy Commander Lu? Is he not well? Did the doctor say something?”

Jiang Nian: !!!

Feng Mei’s voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, and they all looked towards the kitchen.

Especially Lu Yu, his face darkened, his brows furrowed.

Zhang Xiao, sitting in front of the stove, couldn’t see outside. When she heard Feng Mei’s words, she was stunned and said in shock, “Sister Jiang, Deputy Commander Lu can’t have children?”

Jiang Nian: !!!

She really couldn’t handle Feng Mei’s mouth!

Zhu Jun and Song Bai both looked at Lu Yu’s waist and hips, where he had been injured by a bullet. Lu Yu’s face grew even darker, and he said in a deep voice, “Sister-in-law! Can you come out for a moment!”

With that, he got off the kang and walked out first.

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, then stared at Feng Mei’s embarrassed face. Feng Mei regretted, “I was just anxious and thought there was something wrong with Deputy Commander Lu.”

Jiang Nian: …

She suppressed her anger, forced a stiff smile on her face, and spoke softly, word by word, “When I was at the hospital taking care of Lu Yu, I heard the doctor say such things to a male patient, not Lu Yu. Feng Mei, could you please listen to me finish before making a fuss next time!”

Feng Mei: …

Zhang Xiao: …

The two looked at each other.

Feng Mei felt embarrassed and said, “I was just worried for a moment. I thought there was a problem with Deputy Commander Lu.”

Jiang Nian: …

She turned and walked out of the kitchen. Unexpectedly, she met Song Bai and Zhu Jun’s eyes outside, both holding back laughter.

Jiang Nian: …

She sighed weakly, opened the door, and walked out. The cold air hit her face, making her shiver. She saw Lu Yu standing under the wooden shed in the corner of the east wall. When he saw her coming out, the man’s cold eyes glanced over. Jiang Nian immediately lowered her head, walked slowly over, and whispered, “Sister Feng misunderstood. I didn’t say you couldn’t do it.”

Lu Yu: …

The man looked down at Jiang Nian, who was bowing her head, gritted his teeth, smiled in anger, but didn’t say anything for a long time.

Jiang Nian couldn’t help but raise her head, met Lu Yu’s deep, dark eyes, pursed her lips, pointed to the door opposite, and repeated what she had said in the kitchen to Lu Yu, emphasizing that she had heard the doctor say so, afraid that Lu Yu would suspect how she knew so much. Then she said, “It was Sister Feng who didn’t listen to me finish and jumped to conclusions that it was about you—”

She suddenly bit her lip and didn’t continue.

Lu Yu reached out and rubbed her head, saying, “I will report to Yuan City after the holiday and submit the marriage application form. We will get married as soon as the marriage application is approved.”

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, then nodded gently: “Okay.”

Lu Yu’s eyes sparkled with fire as he added, “We’ll see the truth when the time comes.”

Jiang Nian: ???

She looked up at Lu Yu in surprise.

Lu Yu reached out and rubbed her head, saying, “Let’s go inside. It’s cold outside.”

Back in the house, Jiang Nian went straight to the kitchen. Feng Mei leaned over and said, somewhat embarrassed, “Deputy Commander Lu didn’t scold you, did he?”

Jiang Nian said, “No.”

Commander Song returned at lunchtime. As soon as he came in, he started chatting with them. Then he looked up at Song Xiangdong and said, “Xiangdong, go to the team to get eight jin of white liquor. Dad wants to have a good drink with your uncle!”

Feng Mei stuck her head out. “Aren’t you going to the team this afternoon?”

Commander Song said, “I don’t need to go these days.”

“Alright then, you guys should drink to your hearts’ content today.”

Jiang Nian was taken aback and looked at Zhang Xiao, who was also surprised.

Eight jin of white liquor?!

What if Lu Yu and Song Bai drink too much and start another fight?

From outside came the voice of Commander Song, “Huh, Lu Yu, what’s with you and Song Bai’s faces? Did you get into a fight?”

The two coughed lightly, and Song Bai said, “It’s nothing.”

Then they changed the topic.

Jiang Nian saw some peanuts in a box, so she asked Zhang Xiao to peel them. She and Feng Mei cooked together. Feng Mei thought Jiang Nian’s cooking was delicious, so she assisted her, leaving Jiang Nian to focus on stir-frying the vegetables. After Zhang Xiao finished peeling the peanuts, Jiang Nian fried them in oil and then stir-fried them with dried chili peppers. The fragrant aroma filled the kitchen.

Feng Mei sniffed, “Oh my, it smells so good.”

They all ate around the heated kang. The small table wasn’t enough, so Commander Song borrowed a table from the neighbors. The men sat at one table and the women and children sat cross-legged at another, which was a novel experience for Jiang Nian.

Song Xiangdong brought the alcohol over. Commander Song picked up a peanut and popped it into his mouth, exclaiming, “These peanuts must have been made by Lu Yu’s sister-in-law. They taste really good, just right for drinking.”

Feng Mei remarked, “You are in for a treat today.”

The men ate and drank; Commander Song was the loudest, with Song Bai and Zhu Jun also chiming in. Lu Yu occasionally interjected. Feng Mei chatted with Jiang Nian about various household matters, but Commander Song turned his head and said, “You should talk less about other people’s affairs every day.”

Feng Mei replied, “Just drink your wine.”

Zhang Xiao whispered, “Sister Jiang, they are not drunk, are they?”

Jiang Nian turned her head and saw Lu Yu sitting aside, his sharp features showing a faint sheen of sweat. Sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her. Jiang Nian noticed that there was no sign of drunkenness on Lu Yu’s face. She whispered, “Drink less.”

She was afraid that Lu Yu would fight with Song Bai again.

Lu Yu smiled and nodded slightly in response.

Zhang Xiao and Zhu Jun exchanged a few words from afar. Jiang Nian turned her head and unexpectedly met Song Bai’s gaze. She smiled at him, and Song Bai also smiled back, picking up a small cup of white liquor and downing it in one go.

Jiang Nian listened as Commander Song mentioned that he wouldn’t be going out these next few days.

So, when would he go to Donggou County?

Looking at Commander Song’s back, she was just about to ask about his plans tomorrow when Lu Yu said, “Commander Song, we’ll go rabbit hunting in the mountains the day after tomorrow.”

Song Bai added, “Since we’ve come all this way, it’s good to go and take a look around the mountains.”

Commander Song took a sip of wine and grumbled, “Alright.”

After finishing the meal, Commander Song got drunk and was already snoring on the kang. Zhu Jun was also tipsy, swaying as he walked. Jiang Nian glanced at Lu Yu and Song Bai; it seemed like they were a bit drunk too. They hadn’t slept much on the way here. After finishing the meal, Feng Mei tidied up the table. The four big men lay on the kang and all fell asleep.

Jiang Nian was worried they might get cold, so she pulled the blankets over them.

They slept until late in the evening without waking up. Feng Mei said they must have had a great time.

In the evening, after they finished dinner and went into the inner room to sleep on the kang, Jiang Nian was awakened in the middle of the night by the need to urinate. She put on her clothes and ran out. Passing by the outer house, she saw that all four of them had kicked off their blankets and were covered in sweat. They seemed to have slept so deeply.

Jiang Nian muttered to herself, “Was it that hot?”

She opened the door but hadn’t stepped out when she heard Lu Yu’s hoarse voice, “Sister-in-law.”

Jiang Nian was startled, turned around, and saw Lu Yu sitting up, rubbing his sore forehead. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the toilet,” Jiang Nian replied.

Without another word, Lu Yu put on his coat and came down, “I’ll accompany you.”

“Oh.”

Actually, Jiang Nian was a bit scared, but compared to being in the hospital, she felt safe enough to go to the toilet here alone.

Next to them, Song Bai and Zhu Jun heard the movement and also got up. They only saw Lu Yu going out and thought he was going to the toilet, so they put on their clothes and climbed out. Lu Yu stood in the yard. When the cold wind blew, his drowsiness vanished. Seeing Song Bai and Zhu Jun coming out together to go to the toilet, he stepped forward to stop them, “Wait a minute.”

Song Bai was taken aback, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Yu said, “My sister-in-law is in there.”

Song Bai paused, rubbed his face, and with Zhu Jun, ran to wait under the shed. When Jiang Nian came out, he was also stunned when he saw Song Bai and the others. She hadn’t expected the people who had just been asleep to wake up so quickly. They hadn’t eaten dinner in the evening, so she asked, “Are you hungry? If you are, I’ll go make some noodles.”

Zhu Jun rubbed his stomach and smiled, “I’m hungry.”

Lu Yu looked at her, “Do you want to sleep a bit more?”

Jiang Nian shook her head, “I’m well-rested.”

Then she washed up and went to the kitchen to make noodles with sweet potato flour for everyone. Commander Song was tempted awake by the fragrant smell. After the meal was ready, the sky was already bright. Jiang Nian yawned and went back to sleep until she woke up when the sun was high. Lu Yu and the others were nowhere to be seen.

Feng Mei rubbed her neck and walked in from the outside room, “Jiang Nian, were you fighting in your sleep last night? You were waving your arms and kicking.”

Zhang Xiao smiled, “Sister Jiang has always been like this.”

Jiang Nian: …