An Accidental Military Marriage

On the way to the department store, Lu Cheng brought up Jiang Moli’s job.

"This job of yours, did a friend help you find it?"

"Not really a friend. More like an acquaintance I don’t know well."

Lu Cheng huffed out a laugh. "I thought so. A real friend wouldn’t set you up with a job like this."

"What, you look down on janitors too?" Jiang Moli teased.

"You’re young and educated. A job like this is a waste of your talents."

Jiang Moli found this answer satisfactory enough.

"Quit this job. I’ll help you find something else. You can tell me what you’re looking for."

Jiang Moli blinked. "Can I just not work? I just want to be a kept woman, eat and sleep, sleep and eat, and do absolutely nothing."

Lu Cheng glanced at her. "Eating and drinking are just the basics for survival. Isn’t there anything else you want to do?"

"What I want is actually very simple. A simple, ordinary life, a thatched cottage, a few acres of fertile land, a handsome husband, and a hundred million in savings."

Her last sentence made Lu Cheng laugh. "You’ve got some nerve. Do you even know how much a hundred million is?"

"Of course, I do."

’In another year or so, I’ll be able to reach that goal.’

Lu Cheng didn’t take her words too seriously, but he gave a serious answer to her idea of not wanting to work.

"If you don’t want to work, then come live with me at the base. We’re surrounded by mountains on all four sides. The scenery is beautiful, and you can do whatever you want."

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I don’t like mountainous areas."

Lu Cheng was silent for a long while before speaking again, his voice much deeper. "The conditions in the mountains are indeed harsh, and the environment is tough. Living and medical resources are extremely scarce. Some of my comrades have even lost their lives from a common cold because they couldn’t get timely treatment. But as soldiers, we have to hold our ground there to protect the safety of the people on the border."

"You all are great and noble. Whether the country is in trouble or the people are facing hardship, you’re always on the front lines, using your own bodies to protect the nation and its people. You deserve to be praised and respected by the world."

Lu Cheng was very surprised. "I didn’t realize you had such an understanding and awareness."

Jiang Moli replied, "I may be gluttonous and lazy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a brain or my own thoughts. When it comes to major principles, my stance is very firm."

Lu Cheng took a few long, deep looks at her, a hint of a smile spreading in his eyes.

The more he got to know her, the more he seemed to like his sweet, delicate little wife, Jiaojiao.

His tone softened considerably. "I won’t force you to join me at the base if you don’t want to. But that means we’ll have to live apart. You might feel neglected and lonely at home by yourself. You can’t use that to pick a fight with me later."

"Don’t worry, I won’t."

’I just don’t want to stay in the mountains long-term. Visiting for a few days once in a while is fine. I’ll just treat it as a vacation.’

Jiang Moli agreed readily, but Lu Cheng felt anything but.

Deep down, he actually wanted to bring Jiang Moli to the base with him.

...

After parking the car, Lu Cheng didn’t rush to lead Jiang Moli into the department store. Instead, he pulled a notebook and a fountain pen from his satchel.

Seeing Jiang Moli looking at him, he explained, "I have a habit of making a plan before doing things. Let’s list out everything we need to buy, so it’s easier to check if we’ve missed anything."

Jiang Moli gave him a thumbs-up. "That’s a good habit."

Lu Cheng had been this way for years, so he didn’t think much of it.

But being praised by Jiang Moli made him feel wonderful inside.

Subconsciously, he wanted to talk more with his wife and deepen their understanding of each other.

"I’m a coarse man..."

"How coarse?"

The question caught Lu Cheng off guard. "What?"

Jiang Moli’s face grew hot as she averted her gaze. "Nothing. You were saying."

Lu Cheng eyed her suspiciously for a moment before continuing what he’d been saying. "I’m a coarse man, not very educated, and I don’t like beating around the bush. If you have any thoughts or requests, just say them directly. If I can do it, I’ll do my best to make it happen..."

At this point, Lu Cheng suddenly stopped.

Jiang Moli thought he was finished and was about to agree when she heard him ask, "Did you just make a dirty joke?"

Jiang Moli hadn’t expected him to actually get it.

It was only after the words slipped out that she remembered this was the seventies. A verbal transgression like that could get her accused of being a hooligan.

"I was asking how thick-skinned you are. What were *you* thinking?"

Jiang Moli’s righteous tone actually made Lu Cheng second-guess himself.

"Sorry, it’s my own dirty mind. I’ll reflect on my conduct."

Looking at the man’s face, a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment, Jiang Moli had to think of every sad thing that had happened in her two lifetimes just to keep from laughing.

’So innocent.’

’I wonder if he’s this innocent in bed, too.’

’Imagine it, a man over six feet tall, as shy as a little bunny...’

’Yikes.’

Jiang Moli shook her head, trying to clear the gutter trash from her mind.

But Lu Cheng misunderstood. "You’re not satisfied? Then what do you want me to do so you won’t be angry?"

Jiang Moli waved her hand. "My ear is a little itchy. You keep writing."

"Your ear is itchy? Let me see. Did a bug crawl in there?"

As Lu Cheng spoke, he reached out to turn her face, genuinely intending to help her with her itchy ear.

Jiang Moli instinctively covered her ear. "It’s nothing. Write this down: one set of wedding clothes."

Sensing she was avoiding his touch, Lu Cheng withdrew his hand, unscrewed the cap of his fountain pen, and lowered his head, scribbling in the notebook.

Jiang Moli peeked over and was surprised to see that the man’s handwriting was excellent.

The strokes were strong, as if pressed through the paper. Every slash and stroke was perfectly formed, meticulous and resolute, just like the man himself.

"What else? A wardrobe? A vanity?"

Although he was verbally asking for Jiang Moli’s opinion, his hand had already written these two items on the paper.

He genuinely intended to buy them for her, not just putting on a show of generosity.

This point earned him a lot of favor with Jiang Moli.

"Take a look. Did I miss anything?"

Jiang Moli took the notebook. The A6-sized page was almost completely full, with items ranging from large things like furniture and tables to small things like towels, toothbrushes, and soap.

"That’s about it. Let’s start with these."

"Okay."

Unlike the dazzling array of goods in later-generation shopping malls, the department stores of this era offered almost no choice. Many product categories had fixed brands and styles. For example, all the thermoses were uniformly red tin, and all the enamel washbasins were white with a red peony print.

The department store had three floors in total. The first floor sold daily necessities and food; the second floor was for furniture, appliances, and hardware; and the third floor sold jewelry, high-end clothing and shoes, and special-supply goods.

One had to admit, there were quite a few shoppers. Jiang Moli did a quick scan and estimated there were at least a hundred or two hundred people in the entire department store.

Naturally, Jiang Moli wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to earn Disdain Value.

Following the shopping list Lu Cheng had written, the two of them went to the thermos counter.

Three men and two women were standing in front of the counter, looking like they were also buying things for a wedding.

Jiang Moli reached out and shoved the five of them aside. "Make way, make way! If you can’t afford it, don’t block the path. Honestly!"

The moment she said this, the five of them became furious.

"What’s wrong with you? Who are you calling broke?"

"What’s the use of just talking about buying something? Go on, pay for it. If you’re not buying, then don’t stop others from buying."

[Disdain Value +6...]

It wasn’t just the five customers who were angered by Jiang Moli’s behavior; even the salesclerk couldn’t stand to watch.

Having successfully earned her Disdain Value, Jiang Moli changed her tune. "Forget it, I’m not going to argue with you. I’ll go look at something else."

"Hey, what’s wrong with you?!"

Jiang Moli went to the nearby washbasin counter and asked the salesclerk, "Don’t you have any new styles or patterns? You were selling this style of basin when I was a kid, and now I’m getting married and you’re *still* selling this style. Ever heard of keeping up with the times?"

With that rant, she successfully earned another 3 points of Disdain Value.

When the salesclerk handed her the washbasin, her eyes were murderous. She probably wanted to smash the basin in Jiang Moli’s face.

After they left the washbasin counter, Lu Cheng pulled her aside with a serious expression.

’I can’t help but wonder if he’s about to lose his temper and yell at me for my behavior, or if, having seen my true colors, he’ll regret marrying a piece of work like me and want a divorce.’

"Do you still want to buy the rest of the things on our list? If you keep being so picky, we’re probably going to get kicked out."

"I wasn’t wrong. The five of them were lined up in a row in front of the counter. They *were* blocking me..."

Jiang Moli was clearly just making excuses, so her voice lacked conviction.

But to Lu Cheng’s ears, it sounded like she felt wronged.

Remembering that she had a personality that didn’t take losses lying down, he softened his tone. "I’m not saying you were wrong. It’s just that when I’m not around, you should try to avoid arguing with people. What if someone tries to hit you?"

"Then I’ll fight them!"

Lu Cheng actually quite liked this fearless and unyielding spirit of hers.

He didn’t say any more. He just took Jiang Moli’s wrist and said in a paternal tone, "Come on. Just talk less from now on. If you see something you like, just point it out to me."

"Why can’t I talk?"

"I’m not saying you can’t talk, just that you should talk less."

"I’m a talkative person. I like to talk a lot."

"Then talk to me. I’ll listen."

"Let go of me first."

Noticing the stares from people around them, Lu Cheng finally let go of her wrist. He remarked, "Your wrist is so slender. And pale. It’s like a green onion."

Jiang Moli rolled her eyes at him. "If you don’t know how to give a compliment, don’t force it."

Lu Cheng rubbed his nose and pointed at the bedsheet counter. "Let’s go look at those."

Jiang Moli didn’t want to get kicked out of the department store either, so she stopped causing trouble and started picking things out seriously.

Seeing that she had settled down, Lu Cheng unilaterally decided his words had worked. ’My wife might be a bit of a handful,’ he thought, ’but she’s not unteachable.’

Jiang Moli was in charge of picking things out, and Lu Cheng was in charge of paying and carrying everything.

Before long, both of Lu Cheng’s hands were full.

Lu Cheng slung his satchel over her shoulder and took out his car keys. "I’m going to put these things in the car first. Wait here for me."

"Okay."

After Lu Cheng left with the bags, Jiang Moli walked over to a counter selling face cream, wanting to see if they had any kind of facial cleanser.

In this era, most people used laundry soap to wash their faces; those who were better off used scented soap. Soap-based products were highly alkaline and left one’s face feeling uncomfortably tight after washing.

"Jiang Moli!"

A familiar, sharp cry came from behind her.