Chapter 89

Lu Yu said, “Commander Tang said he understood and that they would come the day after tomorrow.”

Although Lu Yu didn’t say more, Jiang Nian could guess that Commander Tang and the others must have said something to him.

“Jiang Nian.”

Lu Yu held her hand and squeezed her fingers, “Don’t overthink it. When they come the day after tomorrow, we’ll entertain them well. Once it’s over, we’ll leave.”

Jiang Nian looked up and nodded, “Okay.”

That evening, Zhu Jun cooked dinner, making two dishes, heating up corn pancakes, and boiling porridge. It was the hottest time of the year, so the three of them ate at a small table under a tree. Lu Yu and Zhu Jun had big appetites and ate a lot, while Jiang Nian wasn’t very hungry and felt full after half a corn pancake. Just as she put down her chopsticks, she heard a quarrel from the courtyard next door.

“You shameless little slut, eating my son’s food and taking his money. How can you be so shameless!”

“If I had known you were like this, I would never have let my son marry you, even if I had to die!”

“You jinx, you cursed my eldest son to death. Why don’t you just die so our family can have peace!”

“Zhang Dafu, are you going to do something about your mother? Look at how awful she’s talking! What does my brother-in-law’s death have to do with me? Why does she keep blaming me?”

“Enough, both of you! Stop arguing and go back inside!”

The deputy commander’s angry voice came from the courtyard next door.

Outside, footsteps could be heard as people ran over to watch the commotion. The neighbors often quarreled, attracting many spectators.

Xu Yan also came out, intending to call Jiang Nian over, but seeing Lu Yu and Zhu Jun, she didn’t dare say anything.

Lu Yu: …

Zhu Jun: …

Jiang Nian, listening to the ongoing argument next door, saw that the deputy commander’s words were ineffective. She curiously asked Zhu Jun, “What happened with the deputy commander’s older brother?”

Zhu Jun, accustomed to the neighbors’ quarrels, was focused on his meal. Hearing Jiang Nian, he looked up and said, “I heard from the deputy commander that a few years ago, his wife, mother, and older brother went to the market. On the way back, while riding a donkey cart down a steep slope, his brother somehow fell off, hit his head on a rock, and died. Since then, the old lady has been blaming his wife.”

Jiang Nian: …

It seemed the deputy commander’s wife was indeed wronged.

The argument continued until Jiang Nian finished washing up. The old lady’s vulgar language made Jiang Nian frown. She lay on the bed and before long, Lu Yu returned. After washing up, he lay down beside her, extending his arm to pull her into his embrace.

Jiang Nian stared at the dark ceiling, recalling the moments they had spent there. Then she turned, looking up at Lu Yu, “This was the first time we slept in the same room in this little courtyard.”

Lu Yu smiled, “Yes, it was the first time.”

He added, “Do you remember when I massaged your feet that year in this room?”

Jiang Nian nodded gently, “I remember.”

Lu Yu’s eyes darkened, “I meant every word I said that night.”

“W-what?” Jiang Nian blinked, looking at Lu Yu.

Lu Yu gazed down at her bright eyes, “Forget about big brother.”

Jiang Nian looked at Lu Yu who was so close to her and blinked. Then she remembered what happened that night. Lu Yu was massaging her feet. Halfway through, he held her feet in his arms and told her to forget Xu Cheng.

She had always known that Lu Yu hid his feelings deeply, but she hadn’t realized they ran this deep.

“Nian Nian.”

Lu Yu’s voice pulled Jiang Nian from her thoughts. He intertwined their fingers, holding her hand tightly.

This small courtyard held his feelings for Jiang Nian and witnessed their journey from acquaintance to love.

Lu Yu moved closer, kissing her eyelids, “Sleep.”

Jiang Nian slept soundly, not even noticing Lu Yu beside her. Lu Yu pulled her into his arms, lightly squeezing her earlobe. In the middle of the night, she murmured softly, “I’m thirsty.”

Lu Yu said, “I’ll get you some water.”

He tried to get up, but Jiang Nian held onto him, resting her head on his shoulder, mumbling about being thirsty. Lu Yu chuckled, carried her to the table, poured some warm water, and brought it to her lips, “Drink some water.”

Jiang Nian lazily sipped the water and fell back asleep. She slept deeply, only waking up the next day to the sound of the bugle call. Zhu Jun had already gone to the regiment. Lu Yu had made breakfast and kept it warm in the pot. Knowing that many in the second regiment had heard of Lu Yu’s return, Jiang Nian guessed he would be busy at the regiment all day.

Jiang Nian spent the day at Xu Yan’s house. In the afternoon, Chen Fang arrived with her daughter. Her eldest son, Tang Yong, eleven years old, had gone to school early in the morning. Her younger daughter, Tang Fen, seven years old, would start school later in the year.

Chen Fang, holding her child’s hand, went straight to Xu Yan’s house. Seeing Jiang Nian in the courtyard, she paused, her smile faltering slightly. Jiang Nian noticed and calmly greeted her, “Sister Chen.”

She stood and smiled, “Did Lu Yu give you the things that Sister Ping asked me to bring you?”

Chen Fang said, “He gave it to me last night. Thank you.”

Jiang Nian noticed Chen Fang’s discomfort but didn’t see any disdain or ridicule in her eyes. Chen Fang seemed to be trying to make conversation and while holding Tang Fen’s hand, asked, “Are you and Lu Yu having the banquet at Zhu Jun’s house tomorrow noon?”

Jiang Nian nodded, “Yes.”

Chen Fang said, “Then I’ll come over to help.”

“Thank you, Sister Chen.”

“No need to thank me. After all, we used to live in the same compound, and my sister said you took good care of her over there. I should come over, both in terms of sentiment and reason. By the way, how have you been over there?”

Chen Fang continued chatting, which left Xu Yan a bit confused.

Jiang Nian smiled and said, “Everything’s been fine.”

In fact, Chen Fang had likely come over thinking about her sister and brother-in-law. After all, her brother-in-law now is under Commander Lu, and sometimes one couldn’t afford to burn bridges. Yesterday, when Lu Yu came to her home and told her and Old Tang about his marriage to Jiang Nian, she and Old Tang were stunned for quite a while, not understanding how the two of them ended up together.

One was a younger brother-in-law, and the other a sister-in-law—such relationships could easily invite gossip.

But then she thought, Lu Yu and Captain Xu weren’t biological brothers, and Jiang Nian marrying Lu Yu wouldn’t cause too much talk behind their backs. After Lu Yu informed his old comrades about the banquet at Zhu Jun’s house tomorrow, the couples discussed the matter at length in the evening.

Chen Fang mainly wanted to have a word with Jiang Nian to let her know that she had no issues with their marriage.

Previously, she had tried to set up Jiang Nian with Tang Ze, but Tang Ze ended up marrying Sun Ying, who created a lot of trouble in the Tang family. Later, Sun Ying betrayed Tang Ze, and the child she was carrying wasn’t his. This caused quite a stir, with Tang Ze’s mother even making a scene at Sun Ying’s family home. If Tang Ze hadn’t intervened, this matter would have reached the military unit.

A few days before Tang Ze left for the frontier, he brought gifts to apologize to her. He admitted they never had anything between them and that Sun Ying had caused all the trouble. Without Sun Ying, Chen Fang and Tang Ze reconciled, and she still treated him like a younger brother.

Chen Fang cried when Tang Ze left for the frontier.

On her way back, she saw Sun Ying with another man, carrying a baby that looked a bit like him.

Chen Fang remembered the man’s name was Wu Youshan. When Sun Ying married Tang Ze, he had come to the military base several times to pester Sun Ying. She hadn’t thought much of it then, but it turned out Sun Ying had done something like this.

Tang Ze had been doing well here, but now he was in the frontier, where getting home took a four-day train ride. His mother was almost in tears over this, and Old Tang was also upset with Tang Ze for days.

She still remembered the day Tang Ze left by bus. He told her, “Sister-in-law, it was my fault before. Don’t hold it against me. Please take care of my mother for me. I’ll send more money home every month.”

Chen Fang smiled and said, “Are my sister’s two kids doing well?”

Jiang Nian nodded and said, “The kids are both in school now, and they’re doing well. When we were coming over, Sister Ping mentioned you were planning to visit your parents’ house.”

This topic seemed to make Chen Fang more comfortable. She said, “My mother is getting old, and with the kids about to have a long vacation, I’m taking them back to visit her and bring some things.”

Jiang Nian knew that Chen Fang had been supporting her family after getting married, which had often caused friction with her mother-in-law, who had grievances about it.

Chen Fang stayed for a while and then left. Liu Jianwu was playing outside, leaving only Xu Yan and Jiang Nian in the courtyard. Before Xu Yan could ask, Jiang Nian spoke first, “Lu Yu and I are married.”

Xu Yan was stunned, standing there in shock.

Jiang Nian pursed her lips and continued, “We got married in February. We’re back now mainly to inform Lu Yu’s comrades.” She then took Xu Yan’s rough, dry hand, looking at her thin hand, and spoke gently, “I was planning to tell you today.”

Xu Yan finally snapped out of it, holding Jiang Nian’s hand in return. She still seemed shocked but eventually smiled. Her smile was genuine, without a trace of ridicule. “Commander Lu is a good man, responsible, and capable. Besides, you two aren’t really brother and sister-in-law by blood, so no one can say anything.”

Xu Yan held Jiang Nian’s hand tightly, her dry eyes feeling hot. She lowered her head, not wanting Jiang Nian to see the tears in her eyes. She bit her lip, paused for a moment, and said slowly, “As long as Commander Lu treats you well and puts you first, don’t worry about what others say. A good man is hard to find, cherish him.”

This was Xu Yan’s view. Jiang Nian knew Xu Yan hadn’t had it easy, especially with Liu Qiang mistreating her, turning a cheerful and lively woman into her current state.

To Xu Yan, as long as her partner genuinely cared for her, he was a good husband and a good man.

Xu Yan kept her head down, and Jiang Nian didn’t want to break her last bit of composure. She held her hand tightly, feeling Xu Yan’s fingers tremble. Liu Jianwu ran in from outside, calling for his mother, and Xu Yan finally sighed, looked up at the sky, and then turned to Liu Jianwu, saying, “Go wash your hands. Look at how dirty they are.”

Jiang Nian lowered her eyes, feeling deeply for Xu Yan. She had done everything she could, and as Lu Yu said, perhaps Xu Yan’s life was better now than it had been before.

Thinking about the novel’s ending where Xu Yan married an old bachelor, Jiang Nian felt that at least Xu Yan now had her freedom.

Lu Yu returned that evening, sweaty from a hard day of training at the regiment. Fortunately, they had brought spare clothes. After a cold shower and a change into clean clothes, he washed his sweaty clothes and hung them to dry in the yard. After dinner with Zhu Jun, they returned to their room. Jiang Nian, half-asleep, sensed someone lying down beside her and instinctively rolled into his arms.

Lu Yu, teasingly, held her and bit her smooth shoulder, chuckling, “How can you be so sure it’s me?”

Jiang Nian murmured, “You smell different from others.”

Lu Yu sniffed himself but didn’t notice any distinct scent.

Jiang Nian woke up naturally the next morning. Lu Yu originally planned to go with her to the supply and marketing cooperative, but Xu Yan showed up and offered, “I’ll go with her.”

Seeing this, Lu Yu knew that Jiang Nian had already told Xu Yan everything, so he nodded, “Thank you.”

Xu Yan smiled, “No need to thank me.”

Today, Liu Jianye was off from school, and he, along with Lu Zhijun, stayed at home with Liu Jianwu. Captain Lu’s mother also came by, carrying a basket. She smiled and said, “I need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative too, let’s go together.”

Xu Yan agreed, “Alright.”

As Jiang Nian glanced at the old lady, she quietly asked Lu Yu, “Does the old lady know about us?”

Lu Yu nodded, “She knows. She was there when I talked to Captain Lu the other night.”

He gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Jiang Nian’s ear and said, “Don’t worry about others. Do what you need to do. I’ve got your back.”

These words filled Jiang Nian with a sense of security.

She tried to stand on her tiptoes to kiss Lu Yu but couldn’t reach. Pulling him down by the collar, she quickly kissed his lips and then ran off. In her haste, she nearly tripped, and Lu Yu’s voice called out from behind, “Slow down.”

Jiang Nian felt embarrassed.

On the way to the supply and marketing cooperative, Jiang Nian, Xu Yan, and the old lady encountered Kang Xiu and her sister Kang Nan, who was heavily pregnant. Kang Xiu carried a basket with some vegetables, indicating they had just returned from their plot of land. Both sisters looked at Jiang Nian with disdain and scorn, especially Kang Nan, who, as they passed by, muttered, “Seductress who lured her brother-in-law. Where does she get the nerve to come back?”