Chapter 78.3

Lying in bed at night, Jiang Nian saw Lu Yu bring the ointment again. She grabbed the blanket tightly, feeling embarrassed and awkward. Lu Yu piled the blanket over Jiang Nian, held her ankles, and gently said, “I’ll apply the medicine for you.”

Jiang Nian: …

She covered her head with the blanket, trying to ignore the frequent touches. It wasn’t until the cool sensation seeped into her skin that Jiang Nian finally relaxed.

Lu Yu hadn’t slept well these past three days, probably because they had returned home and Jiang Nian’s condition had improved. He slept until he woke up naturally that night. When he opened his eyes, it was dark. Jiang Nian was almost wrapped around him, holding him tightly with her slender arms.

Lu Yu turned over and rubbed Jiang Nian’s fluffy hair, pecked her on the lips, got up, covered Jiang Nian with the blanket again, and applied some medicine for her.

The cool sensation and the strange tingling sensation came together. Jiang Nian whimpered softly. This almost caused Lu Yu’s tense willpower to break. He put away the ointment, covered Jiang Nian with the blanket, and went to the bathroom to take a cold shower on a freezing day.

When Lu Yu left, he had already prepared breakfast. Jiang Nian slept until the sun came out before getting up. She could feel that Lu Yu had applied medicine for her. Just after having breakfast, the military guard’s voice came from outside, “Comrade Jiang, there’s a call for you at the military guard office.”

The first person Jiang Nian thought of was Ge Mei. It should have been Deng Ke who had come.

She followed the military guard to the military guard office, took the call, and heard Ge Mei’s voice on the other end, “Jiang Nian, can you come to the embroidery shop tomorrow?”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Sure.”

The next morning after breakfast, Lu Yu drove Jiang Nian to the embroidery shop. He drove slowly on purpose for fear of hurting Jiang Nian. After dropping her off, he hurried back. 

In the embroidery shop, apart from Yu Xia and the others embroidering in the compartments, there were a few people sitting outside—Ge Mei, Deng Ke, and Deng Ke’s assistant Xia He, along with two superiors of Ge Mei.

Seeing Jiang Nian arrive, Ge Mei asked her to sit down. Deng Ke smiled at Jiang Nian, “Long time no see.”

Jiang Nian smiled back, “Long time no see.”

“You look thinner than last year,” said Deng Ke.

Jiang Nian touched her face. Perhaps it was related to being ill these past few days. She seemed to have lost some weight. She exchanged a few words with Deng Ke and answered the leader’s questions politely. Ge Mei and Deng Ke discussed the embroidery, and then Deng Ke asked Xia He to bring out the design.

This was a big deal. There were eight embroidery pieces, with two that Jiang Nian had to embroider personally. These two pieces were not large, depicting a family of three and a father-son pair. 

Deng Ke asked Jiang Nian, “Do you still remember the old man’s portrait from last year?”

Jiang Nian nodded, “I remember.”

Ge Mei also remembered that embroidery. It was the first time she had seen someone embroider a portrait since she started working with embroidery.

Deng Ke said, “These are relatives of the old man. He paid a high price and specifically requested Comrade Jiang from the state-run embroidery shop to embroider it.”

Deng Ke felt that Jiang Nian’s talent was wasted staying here. She had thought about taking Jiang Nian to Hong Kong City for development, but given the current situation, it seemed a bit tricky, and Jiang Nian might not want to go with her.

Deng Ke’s visit this time brought considerable profits to the state-run embroidery shop, adding a significant achievement to Director Ge Mei’s annual record. The faces of the two leaders nearby were beaming.

At noon, Deng Ke treated Ge Mei and Jiang Nian to lunch at the Red Star Hotel, not discussing business cooperation but purely as friends. They chose a spot away from the door. 

Deng Ke smiled at Jiang Nian and Ge Mei, “When there’s a chance, I’ll take you both to Hong kong City.”

Ge Mei smiled, “Okay.”

Jiang Nian had been to Hong Kong City when she was in her own world, but not in this era.

However, judging from the current situation, she might not have the time or opportunity to go. 

Deng Ke and Ge Mei both had strong personalities. When talking about the development of Hong Kong City, Jiang Nian saw Ge Mei’s love and expectation for that place in her eyes.

After knowing each other for so long, it was the first time Jiang Nian had seen such a look of anticipation for the future in Ge Mei’s eyes.

She felt that perhaps in Ge Mei’s heart, if she was born in Hong Kong, she would have achieved greater things.

After coming out of the Red Star Hotel, Deng Ke and Xia He left.

Ge Mei and Jiang Nian were walking on the street. Ge Mei was silent for a long time. When they were about to reach the embroidery shop, she suddenly said, “Jiang Nian, were we born in the wrong era?”

Jiang Nian was taken aback and looked up at Ge Mei.

Although there was no change on her face, Jiang Nian understood clearly in her heart that this era imposed too many restrictions. If Ge Mei had been born in the 1980s, she might have been as unrestricted as Deng Ke. She knew that Ge Mei admired Deng Ke and envied her freedom, admiring her ability to achieve great things.

Ge Mei sighed, “Let’s go.”

Jiang Nian pursed her lips and finally said, “Sister Ge, our day will come too.”

Meeting Ge Mei’s gaze, she smiled, “I believe that day will come soon.”

It would only be another four or five years at most.

Ge Mei smiled, “I hope so.”

Jiang Nian stayed at the embroidery shop until evening. After leaving the military base, Lu Yu drove over to pick her up. She put the two embroidered designs into a small cloth bag, sat in the car, and Lu Yu drove slowly, as if afraid she would get hurt, just like when he came. 

Hier hand resting on her leg was suddenly grasped. Jiang Nian’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She lowered her head and saw Lu Yu holding her hand. His long and slender fingers easily enveloped hers. He looked ahead quietly, and his voice in the quiet car seemed even more textured: “Does it still hurt?”

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, not understanding his meaning.

A faint blush appeared on Lu Yu’s ears. He squeezed Jiang Nian’s fingertips. “Does it still hurt there? If it does, I’ll drive slower.”

Jiang Nian’s face turned completely red all of a sudden. She blinked and looked out the window. “N-no, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

She hadn’t expected to stutter.

Although she said it didn’t hurt anymore, Lu Yu still drove slowly. The dark road was illuminated only by the headlights, and Lu Yu held Jiang Nian’s hand throughout the drive. When they returned to the military base, after Lu Yu sent Jiang Nian home, he returned the car.

There were still dishes in the cabinet. Jiang Nian washed her hands and made seven scallion pancakes, cold cucumber salad, and a plate of spicy fried pork. At this time, the range hood was not yet popular, and the strong fragrance lingered in the kitchen, somewhat choking. Jiang Nian opened the window for ventilation. When she heard the door open, she said without turning her head, “Dinner’s ready.”

“Okay.”

Lu Yu washed his hands and brought the dishes to the table. Jiang Nian just came out with chopsticks when he heard someone outside the window say, “Whose family is cooking so deliciously? The smell is coming to my house.” 

Jiang Nian smiled and looked at Lu Yu: “Is the dish I cooked delicious?””

She felt a bit smug herself.

Lu Yu kissed her on the lips, catching Jiang Nian off guard and leaving her momentarily stunned. She then heard the man chuckle softly, “Delicious.”

However, Jiang Nian felt that Lu Yu’s word “fragrance” had a special meaning.

Jiang Nian took a bite of one pancake, and the rest went into Lu Yu’s stomach. After washing up, she lay down in her room. 

Lu Yu cleaned up the dishes and utensils before coming in. Seeing Jiang Nian lying on the bed, her eyes almost closed, he took out the ointment from the cabinet and lifted the quilt, grasping Jiang Nian’s slender ankle.

Jiang Nian was startled, and before she could struggle, she was already in Lu Yu’s hands. She lightly bit her lower lip and whispered, “No need to apply it anymore. I’m fine.”

Lu Yu said, “Persist for a few more days.”

The quilt piled up, Jiang Nian’s head rested on the pillow, fingers gripping the quilt, cheeks flushed.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it, but her senses became heightened.

She clearly felt Lu Yu moving her, his fingertip with the cool ointment slipping into her ankle. Jiang Nian’s breath tightened, a thin layer of moisture appeared in her eyes.

“Lu Yu…”

Jiang Nian’s voice trembled.

She wanted to move away, but her waist was held by a large hand, preventing her from moving. Lu Yu’s forehead showed faint redness, and he squeezed Jiang Nian’s ankle tightly.

“The ointment hasn’t been fully applied yet.”

Jiang Nian felt that what was happening felt more like “torture” than applying ointment.

Finally, when the ointment was applied, Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief. She turned over and lay down. After Lu Yu left, she closed her eyes. 

After calming her chaotic heartbeat, she slowly fell asleep. In her drowsiness, she felt the bed sink a little beside her. Shortly after, she was pulled into someone’s arms.

The cold sensation startled Jiang Nian. She turned over, squinting her sleepy eyes. “Why are you so cold?”

Lu Yu replied, “I took a shower.”

“Why did you use cold water?”

Jiang Nian muttered, not quite catching Lu Yu’s response before falling asleep again.

The next morning, Jiang Nian rarely woke up early. She thought she was early enough, but when she got up, Lu Yu was already gone. There was warm food in the pot. 

After breakfast, she fixed the embroidery fabric on the frame and neatly arranged the threads on it. Just as she was about to start embroidering, Lan Hui’s voice came from outside the door, “Jiang Nian, we need to go to the literacy class.”

Jiang Nian: …

She changed her clothes, grabbed her notebook and pen, and went out. Besides Lan Hui, there was also He Yue. He Yue asked, “How’s your cold? Feeling better?”

Jiang Nian smiled, “I’m fine now.”

The literacy class was held in the auditorium. There were tables and chairs inside, and a large blackboard at the front. The teacher teaching the military wives was an elderly man. 

While it was supposed to be a literacy class, Jiang Nian felt it was more like a gathering place for gossip. The teacher taught, but some people didn’t pay attention. Instead, they whispered and gossiped.

Looking around, Lan Hui was the most serious.

Even He Yue couldn’t sit still, looking left and right. When He Yue seemed like she wanted to talk to her, Jiang Nian quickly lowered her head and practiced writing in her notebook. She was copying the two characters the teacher had written on the board: “Comrade.”

Jiang Nian tried hard to mimic ‘Jiang Nian’s’ notes in her dream, learning how to ‘not write well,’ resulting in crooked and awkward characters.

In Lu Yu’s eyes, ‘Jiang Nian’ grew up in the village, later married Xu Cheng, and had always taken care of him at home, never having attended school. If she wrote in fluent handwriting, it would actually arouse Lu Yu’s suspicion..

The literacy class continued until nearly noon. Fortunately, it was only three days a week. Jiang Nian could spend the rest of her time at home embroidering. 

After leaving the literacy class, as Jiang Nian walked towards the family housing area, she heard He Yue say, “Commander Lu and the others are back.”

Jiang Nian turned her head and saw that Lu Yu had returned with Captain Fang and Captain Ren. The two greeted Jiang Nian as “younger sister-in-law” and then went home with their respective wives. Jiang Nian asked, “Why are you back so early today?”

Lu Yu said, “There’s nothing going on at the regiment today. Oh, and there’s one more thing.” He looked at Jiang Nian. 

“Sister Feng and the others are coming the day after tomorrow.”

Jiang Nian’s heart skipped a beat. She knew that before their marriage, Lu Yu had sent a telegram to Sister Feng and Commander Song. There had been no response since then, and she had thought Sister Feng and Commander Song might not want to continue their relationship with her and Lu Yu.

She hadn’t expected them to be coming!