Chapter 71

Jiang Nian’s heart skipped a few beats before she finally processed what Lu Yu had just said.

The marriage application had been approved.

She and Lu Yu were going to get married.

Jiang Nian gripped the phone tightly, a sense of joy spreading from the tip of her heart outward, until her entire face was filled with happiness. It was at this moment she realized she was really looking forward to marrying Lu Yu soon.

The man’s voice came through the phone again: “The family housing has also been approved. I’ll go to the city tomorrow to pick you up, and we can go see the house together.”

Jiang Nian couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. “Okay.”

Su Na, watching Jiang Nian smiling from ear to ear, waited until she hung up the phone before asking, “What made you so happy?”

Jiang Nian turned to look at Su Na, then glanced at Shu Xue, who was walking out of the cubicle. Taking a breath, she said, “I’m getting married.”

“What?”

Shu Xue was momentarily stunned, but Su Na was quicker to react and laughed, “That’s great news! Jiang Nian, you have to treat us to wedding candies.”

“You’re getting married?”

Shu Xue finally processed what Jiang Nian had said and ran over to grab her hand, “When are you getting married? Have you set a date?”

Jiang Nian: …

She didn’t know.

She had just heard it from Lu Yu and, in her excitement, had told Su Na.

Su Na, having been through this before, said, “Marriage is not something to rush. You need to take your time, pick a good day, invite friends and family. It’s a lot of work, but Jiang Nian, where do you plan to hold the wedding with Commander Lu?”

Jiang Nian laughed, “We’ll see what Lu Yu decides.”

She figured it would most likely be held at the military district. Going back to her hometown wasn’t an option, and neither was where Lu Yu had been stationed before. This place was the most suitable.

News of Jiang Nian’s upcoming wedding quickly spread through the embroidery shop. Today, Ge Mei, who rarely had an early shift, asked Jiang Nian to come to her dormitory after dinner in the cafeteria. They talked about many things, and when it came to Lu Yu, Ge Mei asked, “After you get married, are you going to move to the family housing?”

Jiang Nian nodded, “Yes.”

“But before I leave, I’ll finish this embroidery piece.”

She knew what Ge Mei was worried about and added, “Sister Ge, I won’t let you down.”

Ge Mei smiled and took Jiang Nian’s hand, “Thank you.”

Jiang Nian returned the grip, smiling, “No need to be polite between us, but you must come when I get married.”

Ge Mei laughed, “Of course, I will.”

Ge Mei’s dormitory was on the third floor. As Jiang Nian was coming down the stairs, she encountered Sun Ying at the stairwell. Sun Ying stood against the wall, one hand on her belly, looking coldly at Jiang Nian as she walked down. Seeing Jiang Nian ignore her, Sun Ying couldn’t help but call out to her.

“Jiang Nian!”

Jiang Nian stopped and turned with a cold expression, “What is it?”

Sun Ying’s eyes were filled with blatant mockery, “Are you and Lu Yu dating?”

If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes today, she wouldn’t have believed it.

Before Jiang Nian could respond, Sun Ying continued, “Huh, brother and sister-in-law becoming lovers, what a mess. If word gets out, people will be talking behind your backs.”

She thought these words would scare Jiang Nian, but she didn’t see a trace of panic on Jiang Nian’s face. Instead, Sun Ying was increasingly shocked. Frowning, she couldn’t figure out what Jiang Nian was thinking.

“You probably don’t know the real relationship between me and Lu Yu, do you?”

Jiang Nian’s eyes were full of mockery.

Sun Ying sensed something was wrong, “What do you mean?”

Jiang Nian looked into Sun Ying’s eyes, trying to discern something from them. She said, “My husband’s last name is Xu. He is from the Xu family. Lu Yu was just fostered by the Xu family and has no blood relation to them. He and my husband are comrades-in-arms and brothers. My husband is older than him, so it is perfectly reasonable for him to call me sister-in-law. If I date him, people have nothing to say about it.”

Jiang Nian saw a flash of anger in Sun Ying’s eyes.

Sun Ying knew all of this. She had dreamt about it and even asked Tang Ze about it before. She was just trying to scare Jiang Nian and make her uncomfortable by saying these things in front of her, but it backfired, leaving her speechless.

She was just jealous of Jiang Nian, and more importantly, she felt unwilling.

Why was Jiang Nian the one dating Lu Yu? In her dream, these two had never crossed paths, so why were they together in reality?

“Sun Ying.” Jiang Nian smiled, but her eyes were cold. “Face reality and look at the people around you. Stop being so stubborn.”

She had always suspected that Sun Ying had memories of her past life. From some of the things she said and did, there were traces of it, but she thought it might be her imagination. If Sun Ying truly had memories of her past life, why would she repeat the mistakes from the book and get involved with Wu Youshan?

“By the way, one more thing.”

Seeing Sun Ying’s ugly expression, Jiang Nian continued, “I hope you won’t spread rumors about me and Lu Yu.” Seeing Sun Ying about to speak, she cut her off, “There is nothing shady between Lu Yu and me. I just don’t want unnecessary trouble. However, if your relationship with Wu Youshan gets out, it will cause quite a stir.”

Sun Ying retorted angrily, “Are you threatening me?!”

Jiang Nian’s eyebrows curved, and her smile was cold. “You can think of it that way.”

With that, she turned and walked away, not wanting to waste any more words on Sun Ying.

Jiang Nian returned to the dormitory to fetch a basin for washing. She encountered Yu Xia and Dong Shu. Dong Shu, who used to snub Jiang Nian, now avoided her and left holding her own basin. As Jiang Nian washed her face at the faucet, she heard footsteps approaching and saw Yu Xia coming closer out of the corner of her eye.

“You’re getting married?” Yu Xia asked.

Jiang Nian was somewhat surprised that Yu Xia initiated a conversation with her again. She dried her face and replied, “Yes.”

Yu Xia smiled, “That’s good. But after you get married, be cautious and save some money for yourself. If anything happens in the future, having money gives you confidence.”

Jiang Nian was taken aback and turned to look at Yu Xia, who seemed a bit uneasy under her gaze. “I’m saying this for your own good,” Yu Xia added before walking away with her basin.

The next day, Jiang Nian didn’t go to the embroidery shop because Lu Yu was coming to pick her up and take her to the military district. She had already asked Ge Mei for leave yesterday.

Lu Yu arrived early in a military vehicle, bringing a bunch of breakfast. He had the elderly woman at the dormitory door bring it to Jiang Nian’s dormitory. He waited at the entrance. Apart from Jiang Nian’s dormitory, Yu Xia’s dormitory next door also got some. Lu Yu had bought a lot, including milk, meat buns, and fried dough sticks, which were rarely available.

Dong Shu and Jia Yuan, who initially didn’t want to eat, couldn’t resist the tempting aroma and ended up eating heartily. When they met Jiang Nian outside the dormitory, their faces stiffened into half-smiles, making Jiang Nian inwardly amused.

Yu Xia commented, “The meat buns are delicious.”

Shu Xue, coming out of the dormitory, added, “The milk is good too. If not for Jiang Nian, I wouldn’t have had milk today.”

Lu Yu’s car was parked outside the dormitory building, attracting the curious gazes of many passersby. It was the peak hour for people going to work. The sight of a military vehicle and a tall, handsome man in a military uniform caught everyone’s attention.

In this era, owning a bicycle was considered excellent, let alone a four-wheeled military vehicle, indicating the man’s high status. Many people passing by couldn’t help but stop and watch. An older man asked Lu Yu, “Young man, who are you waiting for?”

Lu Yu replied, “I’m waiting for my wife.”

Everyone realized this man was taken. However, they were puzzled because no one in the dormitory building seemed to have a husband in the military, let alone someone who could drive such a car.

Jiang Nian ran out of the dormitory, her face glowing even more under the red scarf. Lu Yu opened the passenger door for her and asked, “Did you have enough to eat?”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Yes, I did.”

Yu Xia and the others followed behind. Jia Yuan felt a pang of envy seeing Jiang Nian getting into the car. Although she was married to the deputy director of the factory’s son, she had no status at home and hadn’t conceived yet. She didn’t even dare go home these days because of her mother-in-law’s constant scolding.

Jiang Nian waved to Su Na and the others, “I’m leaving now.”

As the car drove away, Jiang Nian saw Sun Ying standing by the second-floor railing. She didn’t know why she felt compelled to tell Lu Yu, “Someone is watching you.”

She didn’t realize her words carried a hint of jealousy.

Lu Yu caught the tone immediately. Without even glancing at Sun Ying, he said, “The only person I see is you.”

Jiang Nian was stunned and looked at Lu Yu in surprise, not expecting such a romantic comment from him.

The man chuckled, “What are you looking at?”

Jiang Nian belatedly said, “I think you’re acting strange today.”

Lu Yu smiled, “I’m just happy.”

Jiang Nian smiled, realizing that Lu Yu, usually not one to show emotions, was even happier about the wedding than she was.

It was Jiang Nian’s first visit to the military district in Yuan City. As the car entered the base, Lu Yu held Jiang Nian’s hand and didn’t let go. Passing by were military wives and soldiers, all curiously looking at the couple.

Everyone knew that Lu Yu was the new regiment commander of the third regiment, a young and capable man. People often said that the third regiment was a place full of hidden talents.

The commander was a young man, and even the political commissar was a young bachelor. 

When Lu Yu was first transferred, some military wives tried to set him up, but he had said he already had a partner and had submitted a marriage application.

It had been almost a month, and everyone in the regiment hadn’t seen Commander Lu bring his fiancée back. If it weren’t for Captain Chen of the third regiment confirming that their commander did indeed have a fiancée, they would have suspected that it was just an excuse for Commander Lu to avoid marriage.

Now seeing Commander Lu really bringing his partner back, everyone was quite surprised. His partner was fair-skinned and quite pretty, making her a good match for Commander Lu.

Two military wives from the third regiment were on their way to the supply and marketing cooperative. Seeing Lu Yu, they glanced curiously at Jiang Nian and asked, “Commander Lu, is this your partner?”

Lu Yu nodded, “Yes, she is.”

He tightened his grip on Jiang Nian’s hand, his eyes filled with affection. Those around couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. In the short month since Commander Lu arrived, he had always maintained a cold and indifferent expression. This was the first time anyone had seen him smile so tenderly. Naturally, they all took a few more glances at Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian greeted the two military wives graciously, then followed Lu Yu to the family housing building. The building had five floors, and originally there were no extra apartments. However, last month, a regiment commander was transferred, leaving an apartment vacant. The third-floor apartment had a good location, and some had their eyes on it early on, but before they could apply to the leadership, Commander Lu had already claimed it.

“Lu Yu.”

Gu Shizhou approached them, and when he saw Jiang Nian, he hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’m a year older than Lu Yu, so I’ll call you little sister-in-law from now on.”

Otherwise, calling her Comrade Jiang would feel too formal.

Jiang Nian smiled, “Sure.”

Walking alongside Gu Shizhou were Chen Yao and a few others. Chen Yao smiled at Jiang Nian and greeted her, “Hello, sister-in-law!”

The people behind him all echoed in unison, “Hello, sister-in-law!”

Jiang Nian suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. She smiled lightly and nodded, “Hello, everyone.”

Though she had been called sister-in-law in the army before, things were different now. This sister-in-law title was more genuine.

Lu Yu noticed Jiang Nian’s unease and squeezed her hand. He told Gu Shizhou, “I’m going to the family housing first.”

Gu Shizhou nodded, “Alright.”

“Goodbye, sister-in-law.”

Chen Yao waved his hand and grinned, “We’re looking forward to drinking your and Commander Lu’s wedding wine.”

Jiang Nian: …

Her cheeks turned slightly red, and she looked up at Lu Yu, meeting his deep black eyes. Lu Yu’s voice was husky as he said, “I’ve already discussed our wedding plans with the wife of the second regiment’s commander. You don’t need to worry about anything. I’ll take care of it. We’ll have our banquet here in the military district. What do you think?”

Jiang Nian hadn’t expected Lu Yu to have asked about all the wedding details beforehand. Thinking about him, a grown man, asking others about wedding procedures, she almost wanted to laugh. Lu Yu squeezed her fingers and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Jiang Nian quickly shook her head, “Nothing, it just feels a bit unreal, like a dream.”

It had been two years since she transmigrated here. From her initial resistance to gradually accepting it, the first person she saw was Lu Yu. He had provided her with a safe haven, shielding her from the storms. Without Lu Yu, Jiang Nian couldn’t imagine what her fate would be in this era.

Thinking of this, she tightened her grip on Lu Yu’s hand.

The family housing buildings stood in rows. Their apartment was in the middle of the fifth row. The two of them went up to the third floor, and Lu Yu took out the key to open the door. The windows faced the sun, and the room was clean and tidy. The previous occupants seemed to have been very clean, as the walls were spotless, and the ceiling was whitewashed instead of showing dark beams. Each room had light bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

The apartment had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The layout was similar to that of the new century, but the decoration and furnishings were worlds apart.

However, compared to their previous family quarters, the environment here was much better.

Lu Yu led Jiang Nian to the inner bedroom. The location was good, with sunlight streaming through the windows and scattering on the floor. Lu Yu hugged Jiang Nian and kissed her cool earlobe, asking, “Do you like it here?”

The warm breath on her ear made Jiang Nian shiver slightly. She moved aside, trying to avoid Lu Yu’s breath, and bit her lower lip, softly saying, “I like it.”

“Hey, someone moved in?”

A stranger’s voice came from outside. Lu Yu let go of his affectionate gaze and released Jiang Nian. He walked to the window and opened it to let in some fresh air, cooling Jiang Nian’s flushed face. She turned to see a woman holding a child entering.

The woman was wearing a plain yellow cotton jacket, and the child, about eight or nine years old, was a boy who hid shyly behind his mother when he saw Jiang Nian.

The woman paused upon seeing Jiang Nian and was about to ask who she was when she saw Captain Lu approaching, “Oh, Commander Lu, is this your partner?”

She had heard from her husband a couple of days ago that their regiment’s new commander was getting married. She didn’t expect to see the bride so soon.

Lu Yu replied, “Yes.”

He introduced Jiang Nian, “This is the wife of Captain Fang from the third regiment.”

The third regiment was under Commander Lu’s command, and their husbands were all his subordinates. 

Before Lu Yu could finish, the woman introduced herself, “Young lady, I’m He Yue, and this is my son Fang Guo. I’m older than you, so you can call me Sister He or just by my name. This must be your first time here. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I’ve been here for quite a while.”

Since this was the future wife of Commander Lu, He Yue wanted to make a good impression. After all, her husband was still serving under Commander Lu. No matter what, maintaining a good relationship with Commander Lu’s wife wouldn’t hurt. 

Besides, Commander Lu’s wife seemed kind and approachable, with a smile on her face that gave a good first impression.

Jiang Nian smiled, “Then I’ll call you Sister He. I’m Jiang Nian.”

There were four households in this row, and He Yue’s family lived right across from theirs. She had heard the door open and knew someone had moved in, so she said, “I live right across the hall. Once you settle in, let’s visit each other often.”

Jiang Nian smiled lightly, “Sure.”

After He Yue left, Jiang Nian had a good look around the house. Lu Yu asked, “What do you think?”

Jiang Nian replied, “It’s pretty good.”

Lu Yu suggested Jiang Nian find a place to sit while he cleaned the house again. Over the next couple of days, he planned to go to the city with Chen Yao and the others to buy whatever they needed for the house. 

Jiang Nian couldn’t sit still and wandered around the room, thinking about where to add some decorative items. The city probably didn’t sell them, so she would make them herself later.

By the time they finished tidying up, it was almost noon. Lu Yu washed his hands and told Jiang Nian, “I’ll take you to the cafeteria for lunch.”

Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit apprehensive.

She bit her lip and was about to suggest Lu Yu bring lunch back for her when he took her hand and led her out without giving her a chance to refuse.

Jiang Nian: …

As they reached the ground floor, they encountered a familiar face: Chen Fang’s sister, Chen Ping, along with another military wife. They were carrying vegetables and cornmeal, chatting and laughing. When they saw Lu Yu, they greeted him, “Commander Lu, what are you doing—”

Their words abruptly stopped.

Chen Ping was stunned when she saw Jiang Nian behind Lu Yu. Her gaze fell on their clasped hands, and she seemed momentarily unable to process what she was seeing.