An Accidental Military Marriage

"What about the rest?"

"I spent it."

Jiang Moli’s almond-shaped eyes went wide. "Spent it on what? You spent 2.5 yuan in one afternoon!"

A senior technician like Jiang Dahai earned 68 yuan a month, which worked out to 2.3 yuan a day.

This 2.3 yuan not only had to support a family of five, but they also had to scrimp and save.

Meanwhile, an ordinary worker earned less than 30 yuan a month, not even 1 yuan a day.

In a single afternoon, Jiang Peng had spent an ordinary worker’s wages for two and a half days.

"I treated Shi Yu, Zhang Lei, and the others to some food."

Jiang Moli reached out, grabbed Jiang Peng’s hair, and started kicking and hitting him. "You’ve really done it now! Your big sister is at home starving and chewing on a popsicle, while you’re out here playing the big shot, treating everyone to food and drinks! I’m going to beat the crap out of you, you little punk!"

Jiang Peng dodged while crying out, "Ow, ow, ow!"

Jiang Peng looked like a wimp taking the abuse, but he was actually letting Jiang Moli win.

He was nearly 1.8 meters tall, while Jiang Moli was just over 1.6 meters. If he were to fight back, Jiang Moli would be no match for him at all.

The siblings’ roughhousing quickly drew the attention of passersby.

Many of them recognized Jiang Moli.

She was not only famous in the machinery factory’s residential area but also notorious throughout the entire neighborhood.

Gluttonous and lazy, never holding a proper job, scorning the poor to curry favor with the rich, and bullying her stepsister.

In short, she didn’t have a good reputation.

Hitting her own little brother—she was simply vicious and cruel.

[Disdain Value +1+1+1+1... | 150,000 yuan credited to account]

Only when the Disdain Value stopped increasing did Jiang Moli, panting for breath, stop her assault.

On the way back, Jiang Moli walked with her hands in her pockets, looking like a cool, tough girl who ran the streets.

Jiang Peng followed beside her with his hair looking like a bird’s nest, sulking.

Annoyed by a few tufts of hair sticking up on Jiang Peng’s head, Jiang Moli raised a hand to smooth them down, but Jiang Peng instinctively covered his head with both hands.

Jiang Moli’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. "What are you scared of? I’m not going to hit you. Come here, let me fix it for you."

Jiang Peng looked horrified. "Sis, don’t be like this. I’m scared."

"You’re a wild boar who can’t appreciate fine bran!"

Jiang Peng said, "I don’t eat bran. Bran is for pigs."

Jiang Moli shot him a look. "You’re not much better than a pig. You spent 2.5 yuan treating people... No, wait, what did you guys even eat?"

"Cold noodles and soda, and..."

Jiang Peng pulled a small, round tube from his pocket and offered it to Jiang Moli with a fawning smile. "Here, I bought this for you."

Jiang Moli took it and saw that it was a lipstick.

The stick was a very retro vermilion red and had a faint floral scent.

"When brother-in-law comes to propose in a couple of days, you can wear this. You’ll definitely look beautiful," Jiang Peng said, his face alight with excitement.

Jiang Moli put the cap back on the lipstick. It would be a lie to say her heart wasn’t moved.

Jiang Peng looked like a big, clumsy, and unreliable lout, but she hadn’t expected him to have such a thoughtful and considerate side.

"How much did you spend on the lipstick?"

"1.8 yuan!"

Jiang Moli took out a 2-yuan bill from the 7.5 yuan she had just confiscated from him and handed it over.

Jiang Peng took it, his face beaming. "Thanks, Sis!!"

Jiang Moli gave him a light kick. "Try to be more frugal."

"I know..."

Seeing Jiang Peng’s obedient expression, like a big dog, Jiang Moli couldn’t resist ruffling his hair. "Idiot."

「The next day」, Jiang Moli still didn’t get to sleep in.

Early in the morning, people from the Educated Youth Office showed up at their door.

The Jiang family had been reported. Someone had turned them in for evading the "Down to the Countryside" movement.

Under the current policies, evading the movement was a crime.

After much pleading from Jiang Dahai, the people from the Educated Youth Office agreed not to press charges, but they gave Jiang Dahai a three-day deadline to submit the name of the person who would be sent down.

In other words, one of them—either Jiang Moli or Jiang Qing—had to go.

"Who the hell has nothing better to do than to go and report us? Goddamn degenerate!" Jiang Dahai was so furious he swore without any regard for his image.

"What do we do now?" Li Hongying’s face was clouded with worry.

Looking at Jiang Qing, who remained calm and composed from beginning to end, Jiang Moli couldn’t help but suspect that Jiang Qing was the one behind this.

’Tsk, do they really have to send me to the countryside?’

Giving up and deciding to just let things fall apart, Jiang Moli came up with an idea. "Let’s draw lots. Whoever draws the short straw has to go."

"No!" Jiang Dahai objected.

He was worried Jiang Moli would draw the lot to go, leaving him no room to show favoritism.

Li Hongying was indecisive; all she could do was worry anxiously.

Jiang Qing also disagreed with drawing lots. After all, she had a fifty-fifty chance of being picked.

"We still have three days, so there’s no need to rush a decision. As for Moli, the Zhang family is coming to propose in two days. Once she’s married off, she won’t have to worry about being sent to the countryside."

’So that’s what she was waiting for. Zhang Jiaming’s proposal was for Jiang Qing, and he intended to marry Jiang Qing. This had nothing to do with me. If I don’t get married, then besides being sent to the countryside, my only other path is reform through labor.’

"What about you, Xiao Qing? When is your boyfriend planning to come over so your Uncle Jiang and I can meet him?"

"In the next day or two."

Li Hongying worried, "If you get sent to the countryside, I don’t know if he’ll be willing to wait for you to return to the city."

Jiang Qing was noncommittal. "We’ll see."

"Huh? Where did Xiao Peng go?"

Noticing Jiang Peng wasn’t home, Li Hongying couldn’t help but wonder.

"That little brat. He must have run off to fool around again."

Jiang Dahai was in a foul mood. He couldn’t be bothered to discipline his son right now, completely overwhelmed by the issue of being sent to the countryside.

「Outside the city’s Military District Courtyard.」

"Lu... Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!"

Seeing Jiang Peng waving at him, Lu Cheng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he strode over.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hehe, Brother-in-law, I came looking specifically for you."

Lu Cheng remained impassive. "How did you know I live here?"

Jiang Peng scratched his head. "I guessed. You’re Brother Jiaming’s superior, and you get to ride in a military vehicle. Don’t all big leaders like you live in this courtyard? I just came to try my luck."

Lu Cheng smiled. "Not bad. You’ve got some brains."

Receiving the compliment, Jiang Peng couldn’t help but grin, but then he remembered his purpose and hurriedly took out the household registration book.

"Brother-in-law, something terrible has happened! The people from the Educated Youth Office want to take my sister to the countryside! This is my family’s household registration book. You need to hurry up and get a marriage certificate with my sister. Once you’re married, she won’t have to go!"

Lu Cheng opened the household registration book and turned to Jiang Moli’s page.

Just looking at his future wife’s name filled his heart with an indescribable joy.

-

After his meeting, Lu Deyao returned to his office to see Lu Cheng sitting ramrod straight on the sofa. He did not give his son a pleasant look.

"What are you here for now?"

"Has my marriage report been approved?"

Lu Deyao’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Are you dreaming? A marriage review is never that fast. Don’t even think about it for at least ten days to half a month. Go home. I’ll notify you if there’s any news."

"I can’t wait a single day. Someone is trying to take my wife."

Lu Deyao was startled. "Did she commit a crime?"

"She’s perfectly fine, don’t jinx her. It’s the Educated Youth Office. They want to send her to the countryside."

Lu Deyao hadn’t considered that possibility.

The Lu Family had been soldiers since his father’s generation. He and his brothers were all in the military, and he and An Hui had three sons, all of whom he’d kicked into the army as soon as they came of age. They never had to worry about being sent down to the countryside to work as laborers.

"I don’t care. If Moli gets sent to the countryside, I’ll remain celibate for her and never marry!"

Lu Deyao was so angry his beard bristled and his eyes bulged.

He had no choice. To keep his son from being a bachelor for life, Lu Deyao had to swallow his pride and pull some strings.

By the afternoon, Jiang Moli’s background check file was sitting on Lu Deyao’s desk.

After reading the file, Lu Deyao called his son into the office with a grim expression.

"This marriage of yours—I do not approve!"