An Accidental Military Marriage

The Jiang family was having dinner.

In the past, this time of day was always a noisy affair. It was either Jiang Moli complaining about the food and picking at her plate, or the two sisters bickering.

Now that both sisters were married off, the house had grown quiet, but it also felt empty.

Jiang Peng slurped up the noodles in his bowl in a few mouthfuls, wiped his mouth, and slipped into the inner room.

The Jiang family’s home had only two rooms. Jiang Dahai and Li Hongying used to sleep in the outer room, while Jiang Moli and Jiang Qing shared the inner one.

Growing up, Jiang Peng had never had his own room; he had always slept on a small, cramped bed in the outer room.

With Jiang Moli and Jiang Qing married off, Jiang Peng finally had his own room.

Jiang Dahai looked at Li Hongying, who was quietly shedding tears, and urged her, "Eat up. Your noodles are getting cold and clumpy."

With red-rimmed eyes, Li Hongying pushed her untouched bowl toward Jiang Dahai. "You eat it. I don’t have an appetite. I just wonder how Xiao Qing is doing, if she’s even had a meal."

Jiang Dahai looked at her. "If you’re that worried, go visit her in the countryside tomorrow. Take some of our canned goods and candy with you. It wouldn’t be right to go empty-handed."

Li Hongying’s face lit up. "Okay, I’ll go tomorrow morning and be back before noon. That way I won’t be late to make lunch."

"Alright. Now eat."

"Okay!"

Li Hongying wiped away her tears and picked up her chopsticks. Seeing that Jiang Dahai’s bowl was already empty, she instinctively offered, "Let me give you half of mine. I can’t finish all this."

"I’ve had enough."

Hearing him say that, Li Hongying finally lowered her head and began to eat.

Jiang Dahai finished quickly, put down his chopsticks, and stood up. "I’m going out for a stroll."

"Alright, be back soon. I’ll keep the bath water warm for you on the stove."

"Okay."

Jiang Dahai had just stepped out, pushing his bicycle, when he ran into a colleague from the workshop.

"Mr. Jiang, heading out so late?"

"Yeah, I have a little something to take care of. Are you just getting back?"

"Well, Zhou was buying drinks. He invited you, but you didn’t come."

Jiang Dahai waved his hand. "Things have been busy at home lately. Some other time. I’ll treat you next time."

"Alright, I’ll hold you to that!"

After a bit more small talk, Jiang Dahai got on his bicycle and rode away from home.

...

With the Military District Courtyard just up ahead, Jiang Dahai dismounted and began to walk, pushing his bicycle.

He slowed his pace, his eyes fixed on the entrance of the compound.

Li Hongying missed her daughter, but he missed her just as much.

He longed to know if his daughter was doing well with her in-laws, if she was being mistreated or given a hard time.

So, since he had nothing to do tonight, he decided to come by for a look. He might just catch a glimpse of her.

Jiang Dahai pushed his bicycle back and forth in front of the Military District Courtyard gate twice. He didn’t catch a glimpse of his daughter, but he did arouse the suspicion of the sentry.

The guard stepped forward and stopped him. "Sir, what are you doing here?"

The guard was carrying a loaded rifle, his eyes cold and sharp. Jiang Dahai was understandably nervous. "I... I was just passing by."

"Which work unit are you from? What’s your home address? Please present your identification."

Jiang Dahai knew the guard was treating him like a suspicious character.

All he had to do was call his daughter and explain, and the misunderstanding would be cleared up.

But he didn’t want to cause trouble for his daughter.

His daughter wasn’t well-liked by her mother-in-law to begin with. As her father, if he couldn’t help her, the least he could do was not become a burden.

Besides, hanging around his daughter’s in-laws’ gate late at night instead of being at home... it would be terribly embarrassing if word got out.

Jiang Dahai dutifully gave the guard his personal information and work unit, but since he couldn’t produce any identification, the guard refused to let him leave. Instead, the guard insisted on reporting his details to a superior for verification.

Jiang Dahai was filled with regret and anxiety.

If he’d known he would cause such a mess, he wouldn’t have come, no matter what.

Lu Tingting was taking out the trash that evening when she heard arguing outside the compound. Curious, she went to see what the commotion was about.

One look was all it took. ’Hey, isn’t that Jiang Moli’s dad?’

Jiang Moli was always causing trouble at school, and her parents had been summoned several times. It was always Jiang Dahai who showed up, so much so that practically everyone at the school recognized him.

Jiang Dahai had well-defined features, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. He was wearing a white shirt, and his hair was parted to the side.

In the hazy evening light, he actually looked rather scholarly and handsome.

Recalling her girlfriends’ suggestion that she become Jiang Moli’s stepmother, Lu Tingting’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she still walked up to Jiang Dahai.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Dahai looked at Lu Tingting. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her.

The guard recognized who Lu Tingting was and asked politely, "Miss Lu, do you know him?"

Hearing how the guard addressed Lu Tingting, Jiang Dahai felt a mix of joy and apprehension.

’The girl is from the Lu Family. She can vouch for me. But if she does, my secret visit to catch a glimpse of my daughter will be out.’

"Yes, I know him. He’s my third aunt’s father."

’Third Aunt? So this is Third Master Lu’s father-in-law?’

The terrified guard immediately let go of Jiang Dahai, saluting him and apologizing profusely.

’Lu Cheng is notoriously protective and domineering. If he finds out I detained his father-in-law, there’s no telling what he’ll do to me.’

After the guard left, Jiang Dahai turned to Lu Tingting gratefully. "Miss Lu, thank you. Could I ask you for another favor? Could you please not mention this to my Moli? I was just passing by on an errand and thought I might catch a glimpse of her, so I lingered for a bit. I never expected to be mistaken by the guard. Moli has a fiery temper, and I don’t want to make her worry."

Lu Tingting scoffed. "I get it."

"Thank you, thank you! I’m sorry for all the trouble tonight. It’s getting late, you should get back home and rest. Goodbye!"

With that, Jiang Dahai mounted his bicycle and rode away.

Lu Tingting watched his retreating figure for a moment before turning and heading back into the compound.

’Even if Jiang Dahai hadn’t asked her to keep it a secret, she had no intention of mentioning it to Jiang Moli. It wasn’t out of the kindness of her heart that she’d helped him. She was actually hoping he’d be arrested by the guard, just to see Jiang Moli get embarrassed and lose face. But if her family found out—especially her Third Uncle—they would surely give her a harsh lesson. She had only helped Jiang Dahai out of fear of her elders’ authority. The last thing she wanted was for Jiang Moli to think she was backing down or showing weakness.’

The more she stewed, the angrier she got. As she passed the Lu Family’s front door, Lu Tingting clenched her fists and swore a silent oath.

’Jiang Moli, you just wait! Sooner or later, I’ll put you in your place!’

’Hmph!’

...

「At the Zhang Family’s breakfast table.」

Jiang Qing held half a bowl of corn mush, forcing it down one tiny, unappetizing mouthful at a time.

The cornmeal in the countryside was ground at home with a stone mill, making it extremely coarse. Even when cooked into a porridge, it still felt scratchy going down.

Last night’s sleep had been terrible, too.

The mud-brick house was damp, and the bed was so hard that her whole body ached.

She had tried to prepare herself before she came, knowing that life in the countryside would be tough, but she had never imagined it would be *this* tough.

’It’s just for two or three months. I’ll just have to grit my teeth and get through it.’

Jiang Qing silently gave herself a pep talk.

Across the table, Jin Yulan watched her delicate, refined daughter-in-law and started rattling off orders like a machine gun. "Xiao Qing, hurry up and eat. When you’re done, we’re going to the fields. The rice paddies are overgrown with weeds, the cornfield needs fertilizer, and we have to pick the pests off the sweet potato plants. There’s plenty to do. It’s a good thing you married into the family when you did; you can help out with all the work."

Jin Yulan’s words were a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing the flame of confidence Jiang Qing had just painstakingly kindled.