An Accidental Military Marriage

She got out of the car. Just as she approached the entrance of the Military District Courtyard, a familiar, sharp voice cried out from behind her:

"Jiang Moli, stop right there!"

Jiang Moli turned back. "Yo, if it isn’t my dear niece. Back from school?"

Hearing how Jiang Moli addressed her, Lu Tingting grew even more furious.

"Jiang Moli, you’ve got some nerve! How dare you secretly take bribes to sell a job? Are you trying to ruin my third uncle and my grandpa?"

"Niece, how many times has your grandmother told you to have some manners when speaking to your elders? Come on, address me properly. Let’s hear it."

Lu Tingting gritted her teeth. "Don’t get cocky. My third uncle was just temporarily blind. If he knew what you’ve done, he’d divorce you in a heartbeat!"

Jiang Moli grinned, her lips red and her teeth pearly white. "It’s hard to say if your third uncle is blind, but you’re certainly as lucky as can be. Because having me for a third aunt is a true blessing for you."

Staring at Jiang Moli’s back as she strode away laughing, Lu Tingting was so angry she started hopping mad on the spot.

...

Back home, Lu Deyao was already back from work and talking with An Hui in the living room.

"Dad, Mom, I’m home."

Lu Deyao looked at her, his tone surprisingly gentle. "Where have you been? Didn’t I tell you to come home early?"

Jiang Moli kicked off her shoes, walked over to the sofa, and flopped down. "Just wandering around outside. I’m dead tired."

Not wanting to see her improper posture, An Hui said, "Why don’t you go lie down in your room for a bit? We’ll call you for dinner."

"Alrighty."

Jiang Moli promptly slipped back into her room.

Watching her close the door, Lu Deyao sat back down on the sofa and continued the conversation with his wife. "...That mouth on Xiao Jiang, you either hate it or you love it. She just blabbered on in front of the leader and actually managed to talk him around. He immediately turned around and told the logistics department to quickly draw up a plan for running a driver’s training program."

An Hui said, "I was originally going to have her younger brother learn to drive with Jiang Xiaoguang. But since she already made her position clear in front of the leader, he might as well just go to the training program. I’ll pay his tuition."

Lu Deyao lamented, "Honestly, that rascal of a third son is infuriating enough, and he goes and finds a wife with the exact same personality! My heart really can’t take it. It’s a constant roller coaster. These days are more intense than when we were fighting in the war."

An Hui shot him a sideways glance. "And didn’t you bring this on yourself? Who else is there to blame?"

"My fault, my fault."

Lu Deyao scooted closer to her. "But tell me honestly, what do you really think of our third son’s wife?"

At first, An Hui genuinely disliked her daughter-in-law, Jiang Moli.

She was greedy and lazy, a troublemaker, and full of bad habits.

No mother-in-law would want a daughter-in-law like that.

But after spending time with her recently, her opinion of Jiang Moli had changed considerably.

’Her mouth was a bit sassy, she hated chores, and she was flighty, but she wasn’t wishy-washy when it came to important matters.’

’Take today’s incident, for example. She not only got her husband out of a tight spot but also managed to take care of her own business in the process.’

’This young daughter-in-law of hers actually had a good head on her shoulders.’

’She thought she should trust her son’s judgment.’

...

"...To date, the disaster victims have been properly evacuated and resettled... The soldiers are giving their all to the excavation and rescue efforts."

After listening to Lu Cheng’s report, Zhong Weiguo nodded. "Everyone has been working very hard. Tell the soldiers to hang in there and press on with the excavation and rescue."

Looking at Lu Cheng’s haggard, exhausted face and bloodshot eyes, his tone softened. "Although there’s almost no chance of survival for the buried villagers at this point, as soldiers of the people, we must give our all when the people are in peril."

Lu Cheng snapped to attention and saluted. "We will see the mission through!"

Zhong Weiguo patted his shoulder. "I passed a fellow unit on the way here. They sent over some zongzi. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, so distribute them to the soldiers. It’ll be a small way to mark the holiday."

"Yes, sir!"

Zhong Weiguo had to hurry to the next rescue team.

Before he left, he pulled Lu Cheng aside for a more personal chat. "The leadership specifically brought you up before I came out here. They heard you got married and took care of that major life event, so they asked me to congratulate you on behalf of the entire military. They wish you and your wife a long and happy life together."

"Thank you, and please pass on my gratitude to the leadership for their concern and blessings."

Zhong Weiguo looked at him, a teasing glint in his eye. "Your personal life gave the brigade quite a few headaches, you know. A few leaders were saying behind the scenes, ’The girl who could make that thousand-year-old iron tree finally bloom must be nothing short of a goddess, right?’"

"Something like that."

Zhong Weiguo was amused by his thick-skinned response. "You’re not even going to pretend to be humble."

"My wife is beautiful, as a matter of fact."

"Get a load of you. Acting like you’re the only one with a wife, and the only one whose wife is beautiful?"

"In my eyes, she’s the most beautiful. No one can compare."

The joy in his voice and the unconscious tenderness in his eyes were both unfamiliar and surprising to Zhong Weiguo.

’What was the Lu Cheng of the past like?’

’He was the type who wouldn’t even give a woman a second glance, acting as if even looking at one was a waste of his time.’

’Now that he had a wife, he was finally acting a bit more human.’

"Missing your wife?"

"Mhm. I do. All the time."

Zhong Weiguo had only been teasing, so he was surprised when Lu Cheng admitted it so openly.

Of course, men like them, whose wives hadn’t accompanied them to their posts, all missed their spouses to some degree, but none would ever admit it.

After all, they were grown men; they had their pride to consider.

For someone with a personality as proud and untamable as Lu Cheng’s to be able to set aside his pride and admit to missing his wife...

...it made him even more curious about Jiang Moli, this battalion commander’s wife he had yet to meet.

He was curious what was so special about Jiang Moli that had Lu Cheng so utterly captivated.

"Sir, I have a personal favor to ask."

"Go on."

"Could you please help me send a telegram home tomorrow? I left in a rush and haven’t had a chance to send word back this whole time. I don’t want my wife to worry."

Tomorrow was the Dragon Boat Festival. He couldn’t be there to celebrate with her, so all he could do was send a telegram to convey his longing and affection.

A man of iron will could also have a tender heart.

...

「The Jiang residence.」

Li Hongying put six preserved eggs and six zongzi into a mesh bag and said to Jiang Qing, "Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. Take these with you when you go back in the morning."

Jiang Qing pressed her lips together and said in a low voice, "I’m not going back tomorrow."

Li Hongying glanced at her. "Once you’re married, you follow your husband. If you don’t celebrate the festival at your in-laws’ home, people will gossip."

Of course, Jiang Qing knew her in-laws would be upset if she still didn’t go back tomorrow.

In the past, she had always seen the Jiang family home as a cage she was desperate to escape. But after living with the Zhang Family for these past few days, she regretted it.

Although the Jiang family wasn’t wealthy, their meals were at least solid, and they could have eggs and meat every few days to get some nourishment.

At the Zhang Family’s home, all three meals a day were watery gruel; it was impossible to ever feel full.

It couldn’t be helped. The Zhang Family had too many mouths to feed and too little grain, so they could only tighten their belts.

You could forget about meat. Even getting a little oil in their food was something reserved for major holidays.

She couldn’t bring herself to voice these thoughts to Li Hongying.

She was the one who had stubbornly insisted on joining the Zhang Family. To admit she regretted it now would be a slap in her own face.

"I still have some other things to take care of. I’ll go back when I’m done."

Jiang Qing wasn’t just trying to fool Li Hongying. She was staying at the Jiang family home because she wanted to be there to see Jiang Moli’s pathetic state when the Lu Family finally kicked her out.

Her own bitter life was hard to endure, but seeing Jiang Moli living well was like a fishbone stuck in her throat, a thought that kept her up at night.