Chapter 83.3

They left the base and took a bus to the city. The bus wasn’t crowded, and the hour-long ride went by quickly. Gu Shizhou departed first, and Lu Yu and Jiang Nian headed to the embroidery shop. When they arrived, Lu Yu said, “You go in. I’ll wait outside.”

Jiang Nian understood that Lu Yu wanted to avoid any unnecessary gossip since the shop was full of women.

The weather was hot, and Lu Yu stood under a tree by the shop. As Jiang Nian looked back at him, their eyes met, and she smiled before entering the shop.

“Oh my, the newlywed is back,” Su Na greeted her from behind the counter, resting her chin in her hands. “Where’s your husband? Did he finally let you out?”

Jiang Nian: …

She smiled, “He’s waiting outside.”

Su Na exclaimed and actually went outside to check. Seeing Lu Yu standing with his hands in his pockets. The man heard the noise here, turned his head, and met Su Na’s teasing eyes.

Lu Yu nodded as a greeting. 

Su Na looked back at Jiang Nian with a teasing grin. “Commander Lu looks so handsome. My husband can’t compare.”

Jiang Nian: …

She glanced at Su Na. “Be careful, or I’ll tell your husband what you said.”

Su Na laughed, “I’m not afraid of him.”

Yu Xia and the others also knew Jiang Nian had arrived and invited her into the back room for a chat. Ge Mei was out inspecting some embroidery pieces and would return later. Jiang Nian sat next to Shu Xue, who asked her for some tips on embroidery. Jiang Nian taught her a new stitching technique. Dong Shu, sitting in front, glanced back at Jiang Nian, noting her serious expression and gentle voice.

Last time, they had submitted two embroidered pieces to Ge Mei: one by Jiang Nian and one by Dong Shu. Although Jiang Nian wasn’t at the shop, she didn’t know that the overseas clients had chosen her piece first. Despite her initial reluctance to admit it, Dong Shu had to acknowledge Jiang Nian’s superior skills.

Jia Yuan was not in a good mood, and there were dark circles under her eyes. After she finished teaching Shu Xue, she asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong with you? Is something bothering you?”

Jia Yuan sighed, “Tong Gang came to see me again, wanting to remarry. I told him off.”

Jiang Nian: …

How dare Tong Gang even think about that?

Jia Yuan threaded a needle on the embroidery, a gloating look on her face: “Yang Li, who is pregnant, turned out to be seeing another man besides Tong Gang. Now no one knows whose child it is.”

Jiang Nian: …

Everyone in the embroidery shop knew about this. Fan Shan snorted coldly, “It’s probably both of theirs.”

Su Na, leaning against the door frame, added, “Maybe the baby will look like both of them.”

Laughter erupted in the room. Shu Xue, still a young girl, blushed at the mention of childbirth. Yu Xia glanced at Jiang Nian’s belly and asked, “Jiang Nian, are you expecting?”

Jiang Nian shook her head. “No.”

Yu Xia frowned, looking around before lowering her voice, “You’ve been married for a few months now. Why isn’t there any news? Is it because Commander Lu … isn’t capable?”

Jiang Nian: …

No, he was very capable.

She always found it hard to keep up with Lu Yu.

Su Na teased, “I don’t think Commander Lu has any issues. He seems very healthy. Maybe Jiang Nian doesn’t want kids yet?”

Jiang Nian smiled, “We’re not planning to have children right now. Maybe in a couple of years.”

She remembered Lu Yu mentioning waiting three years before having kids. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want to pressure him.

She had her secrets, and Lu Yu had his.

Jiang Nian’s thoughts drifted, and she couldn’t help but feel curious again.

Why did it have to be three years?

Ge Mei returned half an hour later and spoke briefly with Lu Yu outside before entering. Jiang Nian handed her the embroidery piece, and Ge Mei, after inspecting it, smiled, “I knew you wouldn’t have any issues. There’s a new piece coming in a few days, specifically requested for you by Deng Ke. I’ll have it sent to you.”

Jiang Nian nodded, “Okay.”

“I have another matter to discuss.”

She took out a notebook and handed it to Ge Mei, briefly explaining Ning Xiu’s situation. Ge Mei looked at the drawings in the notebook and was surprised. “This child is nine years old?”

Jiang Nian nodded, “Yes, she just turned nine.”

Ge Mei clicked her tongue in admiration. “I see a lot of potential in this child, just like you. Her drawing skills aren’t perfect yet, but they’re already better than many adult artists. With proper guidance from a good teacher, she could achieve great things in the future.”

After finishing her words, Ge Mei closed the notebook and continued, “Leave this to me. I’m meeting some artists in a few days. I’ll show them this notebook and see if any of them are interested in taking her as a student. If they are, I’ll get in touch with you.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Thank you, Sister Ge.”

Ge Mei smiled back, “No need to be so polite.”

Leaving the embroidery shop, Jiang Nian ran up to Lu Yu, who took her hand. “All done?” he asked.

Jiang Nian nodded, “Yes.”

She thought they would be heading back, but Lu Yu had other plans. “Let’s go watch a movie and then meet someone at the Red Star Hotel for lunch.”

Jiang Nian was surprised. “Who are we meeting?”

Lu Yu squeezed her fingers gently, leading her towards the cinema. “Tang Ze is here.”

The movie was an old classic, and Jiang Nian and Lu Yu sat in the back. The dim lighting of the cinema allowed Lu Yu to steal a quick kiss on her lips before wrapping an arm around her waist. Jiang Nian’s cheeks heated up as she noticed other couples in the cinema, some sneaking kisses when they thought no one was looking.

As lunchtime approached, Lu Yu and Jiang Nian headed to the Red Star Hotel. They were shown to a window booth where Tang Ze and Gu Shizhou were already seated. Gu Shizhou still had his arm in a sling, and Jiang Nian noticed a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, making her wonder if his arm was still in pain. “Does your arm still hurt?” she asked softly.

Gu Shizhou smiled, “No, it’s fine now.”

Lu Yu led Jiang Nian to sit across from them, squeezing her fingers with his rough ones. Jiang Nian glanced at him, noting his calm and composed expression as if he hadn’t just been holding her hand.

Jiang Nian: …

She remembered the last time Lu Yu asked her how often she had cooked for Gu Shizhou and raised an eyebrow slightly. Was he jealous again?

“Good to see you, younger sister-in-law,” Tang Ze said, his gaze lingering on the couple for a moment. “Congratulations on your marriage.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Thank you.”

Tang Ze explained, “I was out of town for military training during your wedding, so I couldn’t attend.”

Lu Yu nodded, “It’s alright. How have you been?”

Tang Ze took a sip of his drink, a hint of despondency in his eyes. “I’ve been alright.”

He had left the city yesterday and saw Sun Ying and Wu Youshan. Sun Ying looked pale and haggard, holding a child in her arms, with Wu Youshan following behind her.

Tang Ze poured himself another drink and downed it in one gulp. He didn’t mind that Sun Ying had feelings for Lu Yu because he knew there was no chance between them. But he hadn’t expected her to do such a thing with Wu Youshan before their wedding. Now, whatever path she chose was her own decision.

Seeing Tang Ze reaching for another drink, Lu Yu pressed down on the bottle. “You have a train to catch tonight. Better not drink too much.”

Tang Ze’s voice was hoarse. “Just one last drink.”

Gu Shizhou glanced at Tang Ze and, seeing Lu Yu release the bottle, poured himself and Lu Yu a drink. “Let’s have a toast,” he said.

Jiang Nian pursed her lips, remembering that Tang Ze had mentioned applying to go to the border. “Are you going to the border?”

Tang Ze swallowed the strong drink, a slight smile in his eyes as he looked at Jiang Nian’s fair face. “Yes, I’m going to join Song Bai.”

Mentioning Song Bai made Jiang Nian fall silent.

She quietly ate her meal, and suddenly her fingers were squeezed again. She turned to look at Lu Yu, who was calmly talking to Tang Ze.

Jiang Nian: …

Why was he squeezing her hand this time?