Chapter 77.1

Outside, it was just beginning to dawn, and the curtains blocked the faint moonlight from seeping in.

In the dimly lit room, Lu Yu grabbed Jiang Nian’s slender ankle and kissed it lightly on the ankle bone.

The rough touch of his fingers made Jiang Nian’s scalp tingle. She gripped the pillow tightly, her eyes watery. Tears rolled down her cheeks and ears. Lu Yu pinched her waist and lifted Jiang Nian onto him.

From the bed to the table, then from the living room to the bathroom, their actions continued.

Jiang Nian felt like her whole body was broken. She lay limp in Lu Yu’s arms, too tired to even lift her fingers. Seeing Lu Yu showing no signs of stopping, Jiang Nian’s voice trembled, “Lu Yu…”

Lu Yu kissed her lips and his forehead veins tensed tightly. He whispered in Jiang Nian’s ear, “Almost there.”

Thinking it was finally over, Jiang Nian felt relieved, thinking she could finally get some rest. But Lu Yu continued until the break of dawn.

Lu Yu picked up Jiang Nian, cleaned her up, and tucked her into bed. He looked at her exposed fair shoulders and blushing face under the red quilt. Lu Yu almost couldn’t restrain himself and lightly bit her shoulder, then pecked her lips, “I’ll go make breakfast. You can sleep a bit more.”

Murmuring sleepily, Jiang Nian turned over and fell into a deep sleep. She slept until noon, still not fully awake when Lu Yu picked her up again. Jiang Nian was a bit dazed, feeling lost for a moment, with the red cotton quilt slipping off her shoulders, revealing the marks of their love and affection.

Lu Yu’s rough fingers rubbed and caressed Jiang Nian’s smooth and tender skin. Both familiar and unfamiliar sensations rushing into Jiang Nian’s sluggish mind. She almost instantly regained her senses, hastily pulling the quilt over herself, but Lu Yu caught her wrist, preventing her from moving.

Jiang Nian looked at Lu Yu aggrievedly, his bright eyes still a little wet, and said pitifully: “I’m hungry.”

She really didn’t know where Lu Yu got so much energy. Despite being tossed around by Chen Yao and others last night, he seemed unaffected, continuing from dawn till morning. Jiang Nian still hadn’t recovered, feeling like her bones were falling apart, yet he looked fresh and energetic.

Lu Yu squeezed her fingertips. “Get up and eat.”

He took Jiang Nian’s clothes from the cabinet and placed them on the bed. Jiang Nian wrapped herself in the quilt, leaving only her head exposed. Her round eyes stared at him, “You go out.”

A smile glinted in Lu Yu’s eyes. “Okay.”

Jiang Nian’s face had been warm since waking up, and it stayed hot. When Lu Yu closed the door, she quickly got dressed, but just as she picked up her vest, the closed door opened again. Jiang Nian couldn’t even cover herself in time and found herself facing Lu Yu’s deep black eyes.

Jiang Nian: !!!

In a panicked state, she quickly grabbed the quilt to cover herself, leaving only her two thin legs hanging on the edge of the bed. Exposing ambiguous marks on her fair skin.

Although they were husband and wife now and had been open with each other, Jiang Nian couldn’t stay as composed and calm as needed. She awkwardly clutched the corner of the quilt, embarrassed and annoyed, “Why didn’t you knock before coming in?”

Lu Yu’s gaze fell on her slightly trembling legs, then returned to Jiang Nian. “I’ve already seen everything I need to see.”

His tone carried a hint of amusement.

Jiang Nian: …

She lowered her head and didn’t look at Lu Yu. She pulled the quilt with her fingers and covered her legs little by little. Lu Yu smiled and said, “Do you want to eat steamed buns or noodles?”

Jiang Nian whispered, “Steamed buns.”

After the door was closed, Jiang Nian finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly put on her clothes and shoes. She opened the curtains and looked at herself in the mirror.

There were numerous marks on her neck. Frowning, she raised her chin and examined herself again before grabbing a thin red scarf and wrapping it around her neck.

She walked out of the room and saw Lu Yu cooking in the kitchen. The man was tall and slender, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. At first, Jiang Nian never thought of marrying Lu Yu. When she first got here, the only thing she could think about was how to go back to her world. Looking at this strange new home, it now belonged to her and Lu Yu.

They are husband and wife now, no longer just brother and sister-in-law.

“The hot water is in the thermos. After we eat, I’ll take you to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things. We’ll meet Commander He from the Second Regiment and his wife.”

Lu Yu brought the dishes to the table and glanced at the red scarf around Jiang Nian’s neck, clearing his throat before fetching the steamed buns.

Jiang Nian was still sore all over by now.

She sat on the stool, eating the meal Lu Yu served her. He ate quickly and finished in no time. Swallowing the food in her mouth, she looked up at Lu Yu, who showed no signs of fatigue. Unable to help her curiosity, she asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep a bit more?”

Lu Yu said, “Not tired.”

He glanced at Jiang Nian. “Why don’t you sleep a little longer? I’ll show you around tomorrow.”

Jiang Nian hurriedly shook her head. “No. Let’s go after eating.”

She couldn’t afford to stay in bed on her first day of marriage. If anyone found out, she’d be ashamed to show her face in the family apartment.

After eating, Lu Yu washed the dishes. Jiang Nian put on her coat and walked downstairs with him. Lu Yu pushed his bike out of the corridor. It was one of those old-fashioned 28-inch bicycles, looking quite large. Jiang Nian stared at it blankly for a moment, then belatedly asked, “You bought this?”

Lu Yu nodded. “Yeah.”

Jiang Nian looked at the brand-new bike. While it wasn’t much in the new century, having a bike in this era was quite prestigious. However, it was too big for her. As she was thinking, her waist suddenly tightened, and before she could react, Lu Yu had lifted her with one hand and placed her on the rear seat.

“Sit tight, we’re off.”

Lu Yu, tall and with long legs, effortlessly pedaled the bike. Jiang Nian, feeling uncomfortable sitting on the rear seat, reached out and hugged Lu Yu’s waist. The man seemed surprised by her action, his tall figure stiffened momentarily.

Jiang Nian adjusted herself forward, emboldened, and wrapped her arms around Lu Yu. Even through his military uniform, she could feel his strong and lean abdomen.

Last night she not only looked at it openly, but also touched it.

Lu Yu’s lips curled with a smile. He held Jiang Nian’s delicate hand. In crowded places, Lu Yu let go of her hand and gripped the handlebars. The military wives passing by looked at this couple with envy.

On the second day of their marriage, the man rode his bike with his new wife to the supply and marketing cooperative. Who wouldn’t envy them?

The supply and marketing cooperative here was bigger and had more variety than the others.

Lu Yu bought four items and hung them on the bike’s handlebars. Returning home, he parked the bike in the corridor and then took Jiang Nian to Commander He’s house.

Commander He’s house was next to theirs, in the fifth row while Commander He’s house was in the fourth row. People greeted Lu Yu on the way, exchanging glances between him and Jiang Nian, most with teasing expressions.

Jiang Nian wasn’t used to being looked at like this. When they neared the apartment building, she pulled Lu Yu in.

“Do you know the way?” Lu Yu asked.

Jiang Nian: …

She stopped and said, “You lead the way.”

Lu Yu chuckled, leading Jiang Nian up to the fourth floor. He knocked on the door, and a woman’s voice came from inside, “Coming.”

The door opened, and a child greeted them. He looked much like Commander He, and upon seeing Lu Yu and Jiang Nian, he smiled, “Uncle Lu, Aunt Jiang.”

Lu Yu smiled, “Hmm.”

He said to Jiang Nian, “This is Commander He’s eldest son, He Ming. He just turned ten this year. The one inside is the second oldest, He Bing.”

Jiang Nian nodded lightly, “Got it.”

“Old He just left. Why did you come at this hour? Don’t leave later. Have dinner here tonight.” 

Lan Hui, wearing an apron, saw Jiang Nian and Lu Yu smiling and placed a plate of sunflower seeds on the table, telling Jiang Nian, “Have some sunflower seeds.”

Jiang Nian sat on the sofa, smiling between her brows and eyes. “Thank you, Sister Lan.”

Lan Hui said to Lu Yu, “Your wife is so sweet. I haven’t done anything yet, and she keeps thanking me, making me embarrassed.” 

Then she said to He Ming, “Your dad just left. Hurry and call him back.”

“I’ll go right away,” He Ming said.

He Bing also chased after him, “Brother, wait for me. I’m coming too.”

Lan Hui knew quite a bit about Lu Yu and Jiang Nian’s situation.  To be honest, Commander He and Lu Yu had some history.

Commander He had been in Lu Yu’s former unit, where Lu Yu was a soldier under his command. At that time, Xu Cheng was also there, and Commander He had said that both Xu Cheng and Lu Yu would be successful, but who would have thought that Xu Cheng would get into that kind of trouble and lose his life.

Lan Hui knew a little about Lu Yu’s family and understood that he had no relatives left. She took the initiative to take charge of the marriage and didn’t treat Lu Yu unfairly. He gave her all the extra meat, chicken, and fish, and also gave her a big red envelope.

These good things had long offset her merits.

Looking at Jiang Nian, Lan Hui smiled and said, “It’s not cold inside. You can take off your scarf.”

Jiang Nian pursed her lips, looking a bit unnatural. “I feel a bit cold.”

After speaking, she wrapped the scarf around her neck again to indicate to Lan Hui that she was really cold. Seeing Lu Yu smiling nearby, Jiang Nian reached out and twisted his waist.

“Hiss.”

She didn’t twist it hard, but ended up hurting her finger.

Jiang Nian: …

Lu Yu pinched her fingertips, a smile playing on his lips. He whispered in her ear, “I’ll twist it for you when we get home.”

Jiang Nian: …

Commander He returned soon after, looking puzzled when he saw Lu Yu. “What’s wrong with you, kid? Why did you come here at this time?”

After speaking, he took off his coat and handed it to He Ming, saying, “Hang it up for me.”

Lu Yu said, “The house is a bit messy, so I cleaned it up today.”

Commander He saw the things on the table and chuckled, “As long as people are here, it’s fine. Why did you bring so many things? You’ve spent a lot on this wedding. Hurry up and save money for your son.”

Talking about children, Lan Hui took a sip of water, glanced at Jiang Nian, and asked Lu Yu, “When are you planning to have a child? You’re not young anymore. You can’t delay any longer.”

It was Jiang Nian’s first time being urged to have a child, and she wasn’t quite used to it.

Lu Yu smiled, “Soon.”

Jiang Nian: ???

She instinctively looked up at Lu Yu. What did “soon” mean? Shouldn’t he ask her opinion first?

After sitting for a while, Lu Yu took Jiang Nian to recognize the other families. As they left, Lan Hui said, “Remember to come over for dinner tonight.”

Lu Yu said, “Okay.”

The two left the apartment building, and Lu Yu took Jiang Nian to the house of Deputy Commander Ning Sheng of the Second Regiment. Deputy Commander Ning’s house was on the next apartment building, on the ground floor. As they arrived at his door, they saw Tian Mai arguing with someone. The other person was an older lady, bent over and pointing at Tian Mai’s nose, calling her out for not having a son and saying she had made the Kuang family extinct.

The two argued loudly, drawing a crowd. Some tried to mediate, while others watched the show.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “Commander Lu and his new wife are here.”