Chapter 2: The Old Man Is a Military Regiment Commander?!  

Ten minutes.  

A ship docked.  

Jiang Rou stepped off the gangway, carrying a brown handbag, and set foot on the shore.  

The handbag in her hand contained a messy assortment of clothes—perhaps the last bit of conscience the real daughter, Jiang Xiu’er, had left.  

The island before her was quite large, almost the size of a small town.  

So, among the people disembarking from the ship, there were not only military unit family members but also villagers who originally lived on the island. The crowd was sizable.  

The port in the 1970s had only a simple windbreak embankment and a red sentry tower.  

Other than that, there was nothing else.  

It was rather primitive.  

Jiang Rou walked through the crowd, observing her surroundings, then fixed her gaze on a sentry standing nearby.  

She walked straight toward him.  

“Comrade, hello. I’m looking for a soldier named Zhou Chongshan.”  

The moment the young sentry in a blue military cap heard the name “Zhou Chongshan.” his eyes widened in shock.  

On this island, the number of people who dared to call Zhou Chongshan by name could be counted on one hand.  

And the young girl standing before him, who looked no older than eighteen or nineteen, spoke with such boldness!  

It wasn’t just the young sentry who was staring at Jiang Rou—everyone around them had turned their attention to her as well.  

Jiang Rou had an oval-shaped face, naturally delicate and beautiful features, and skin as fair as jade.  

Especially her eyes—bright, clear, and shimmering with an almost mesmerizing liveliness.  

At this moment, she was wearing a pale yellow dress, standing under the sunlight.  

From her slender neck to her delicate face, her fair skin seemed to glow.  

The sea breeze blew from the side, lifting the hem of her wide skirt, revealing a glimpse of her slim, snow-white ankle and the white high heels she wore.  

In the midst of the dusty, grayish crowd, Jiang Rou stood out like an anomaly.  

And this person was here to see Zhou Chongshan!  

After his initial daze, the young sentry furrowed his brows and asked,  

“Who are you?”  

“My name is Jiang Rou. I’m Zhou Chongshan’s fiancée, and I’m here to marry him.”  

The moment those words were spoken—  

It was like a sudden clap of thunder out of nowhere!  

The young sentry wasn’t just surprised—his mouth fell open in sheer shock, as if he could fit an entire egg inside.  

“You… you… you’re actually Regiment Commander Zhou’s fiancée?!”  

Jiang Rou’s eyes lit up, catching a key term.  

Regiment Commander.  

That was quite an impressive rank.  

On the marriage market, Zhou Chongshan, at thirty years old and carrying two burdens, was indeed considered an old man.  

But in the military’s promotion system, reaching the rank of regiment commander at his age meant he was undoubtedly a young and promising officer.  

Moreover, in the original setting, Zhou Chongshan wasn’t some privileged courtyard-born son of a high-ranking officer.  

Every single one of his promotions had been earned through military merit, built step by step in the flames of war.  

He was a true iron-blooded soldier!  

More importantly…  

Regarding his status as a regiment commander, Zhou Chongshan had never once mentioned it in his letters home. It was as if he had deliberately hidden it from Jiang Xiu’er…  

It seemed that this man wasn’t just a skilled fighter—he was also quite cunning.  

Though Jiang Rou had yet to meet Zhou Chongshan, she nodded in satisfaction.  

Looking at the sentry, who still had his mouth hanging open, she said,  

“That’s right. It’s me.”

The young sentry, still in disbelief after hearing her response, widened his eyes even further and gave Jiang Rou another glance.  

His gaze lingered a moment longer on the white high heels she was wearing.  

He had never seen such a beautiful woman before, nor had he ever seen someone dressed so fashionably.  

Then—  

The young sentry frowned.  

A woman like her was completely out of place on their small, secluded island.  

Jiang Rou had been facing the young sentry the entire time and immediately noticed the slight crease in his brow.  

A thought flashed through her mind.  

She suddenly recalled something from the original story she had skimmed through—  

It was mentioned that Zhou Chongshan hadn’t been satisfied with his fiancée from the very first moment he saw her.  

And the reason?  

It was the white high heels she wore.  

Shoes like those weren’t practical for walking, nor were they suitable for labor. Everything about them screamed pampered capitalist heiress.  

They were completely out of place in this era.  

For the sake of her future here, this issue needed to be fixed immediately.  

But—she didn’t have any spare shoes in her handbag.  

Jiang Rou pursed her rosy lips, frowning slightly as she considered a solution.  

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something.  

Among the crowd that had disembarked with her, there was a middle-aged woman in her fifties staring intently at her white high heels.  

Her slightly narrowed eyes were filled with greed.  

An opportunity to change her situation had just presented itself.  

“Comrade, wait for me a moment.”  

Jiang Rou’s soft voice quickly addressed the young sentry.  

Then, with a graceful turn, her skirt fluttered through the air.  

Her elegant, slender figure moved toward the middle-aged woman.  

As Jiang Rou approached, her eyes flickered between the woman’s face and the bamboo basket on her back.  

Inside the basket lay a brand-new pair of military-green rubber-soled shoes, likely brought back from the city.  

“Auntie, hello.” Jiang Rou greeted with a gentle smile. “I noticed you have a pair of new rubber-soled shoes in your basket. Would you be willing to trade them with me? I can exchange them for the leather shoes I’m wearing.”  

As she spoke, Jiang Rou gestured toward the white high heels on her feet.

The lambskin texture, the white leather surface—under the seaside sunlight, the shoes shimmered brilliantly.  

These high heels had cost the original owner nearly five yuan, and she had only worn them twice before—today was the third time. They still looked practically brand new.  

In the 1970s, five yuan could buy ten catties of pork!  

And now, she was offering to trade them for a pair of cheap labor shoes from the middle-aged woman’s basket?  

How could the woman not be tempted?  

Her sharp eyes scrutinized Jiang Rou, but she couldn’t help asking again,  

“Are you sure? You really want to trade?”  

“I’m sure. And I absolutely won’t regret it.”  

Jiang Rou’s lips curved into a confident smile as she made her promise.  

Then—  

On the dock by the seaside, an unexpected scene unfolded.  

The girl in the pale yellow dress slipped off her high heels, revealing her slender, fair feet, then swiftly and decisively put on the ordinary rubber-soled shoes.  

Meanwhile, the middle-aged woman hurriedly wrapped the expensive white high heels in an old piece of clothing, stuffed them into her basket, and scurried away as if afraid Jiang Rou might change her mind.  

Once she had changed her shoes, Jiang Rou felt instantly lighter and walked back toward the young sentry.  

With a bright, charming smile, she said,  

“Comrade, I’m ready. Please lead the way.”  

The young sentry had watched the entire exchange unfold before his eyes.  

Especially when Jiang Rou put on the rubber-soled shoes—she showed no hesitation, no reluctance, and instead smiled even more cheerfully.  

This was completely different from the delicate and pampered image he had when he first laid eyes on her.  

“Comrade? Comrade?” Jiang Rou called, urging him.  

The young sentry snapped out of his thoughts.  

Not far from them, a young soldier in a blue-and-white military uniform was rushing toward them in a hurry.

The young soldier shouted,  

“Song Yan! Song Yan! Your barracks lost the tug-of-war match! The big competition is starting now, and even Regiment Commander Zhou has stepped in to compete! Hurry over and take a look!”  

“What?! Those useless brats actually made Regiment Commander Zhou step in personally? They’re giving the opponents too much credit! This is unacceptable!”  

Upon hearing this, the young sentry’s face immediately showed urgency, and he tensed up in an instant.  

He had no time to bother with Jiang Rou and immediately took off running.  

Jiang Rou had heard their conversation loud and clear.  

Regiment Commander Zhou…

Could it be Zhou Chongshan?  

Big competition…?  

She had to see what all the excitement was about!  

—