An Accidental Military Marriage

The dishes arrived quickly, a feast for the senses that covered the entire round table.

Sliced pork with garlic sauce, sweet and sour fish, spicy rabbit, mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, braised beef, camphor tea duck, pork knuckle in chili oil...

It was a magnificent spread of twelve dishes—four vegetarian and eight meat—plus a sour radish and duck soup, and two desserts: brown sugar sticky rice cakes and fried sesame balls.

The Zhang Family was absolutely stunned.

In all their lives, they had never even seen, let alone eaten, so many fine dishes.

Jiang Qing was equally shocked.

Even though she had lived two lives, this was the first time she had ever been to such a high-end restaurant, and the first time she had ever eaten such a fine banquet.

But the thought that she owed this pleasure and experience to Jiang Moli made her stomach churn with irritation.

"Moli, don’t just eat by yourself. Serve Aunt An some food."

Jiang Moli spat out a fish bone with a PLINK and turned to An Hui. "Get whatever you want to eat yourself. If you can’t reach, stand up."

An Hui, fuming, picked up her hawthorn juice and took a large gulp.

’I get it now,’ she thought. ’This daughter-in-law of mine couldn’t care less whether her mother-in-law likes her or not.’

Jiang Qing watched this scene and sneered inwardly.

’Jiang Moli hasn’t changed. She’s still as foolish and dramatic as ever.’

’Father Lu already looks down on Jiang Moli—he didn’t even show his face for the marriage proposal. And yet, Jiang Moli still doesn’t know how to restrain herself.’

’Acting like this today, I’m afraid the engagement will be broken off before she even gets a chance to marry into the Lu Family.’

As her fiancé, Lu Cheng naturally stepped in to support his future wife.

"Moli is right. Everyone, please help yourselves to whatever you like. Don’t be formal. We’re all family."

An Hui and Jiang Moli both shot him a glare at the same time.

Jiang Moli: ’You and your big mouth~’

An Hui: ’Look at you, so desperate. I can’t even watch!’

Lu Cheng just smiled.

’They’re truly meant to be mother- and daughter-in-law,’ he mused. ’They even roll their eyes the same way.’

Jiang Dahai had completely given up the fantasy of his daughter making a good impression and decided to take matters into his own hands. "Everyone, try this sweet and sour fish. It’s sweet, tangy, and whets the appetite. The fish doesn’t taste fishy at all. It’s Guanghua’s specialty."

Lu Cheng played along. "Uncle Jiang, if you like the food here, then Moli and I will hold our wedding banquet right here."

Jiang Moli nearly choked.

Jiang Dahai readily agreed. "Excellent."

"Then it’s settled."

’Wait, shouldn’t they ask my opinion on something like our wedding banquet? I’m the one getting married!’

’Besides, I never agreed to marry him!’

Just as Jiang Moli was about to slam her chopsticks down in protest, An Hui, who was sitting beside her, suddenly placed a red envelope in front of her.

"This is a customary gift. Please accept it."

Perhaps still annoyed that Jiang Moli hadn’t served her any food, An Hui’s tone was a bit cold.

"Moli, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and thank Aunt An."

Seeing Jiang Moli make no move, Jiang Dahai couldn’t help but prompt her.

At the same table, Jiang Qing, Li Hongying, and Jin Yulan watched the scene with immense envy.

They had already given 888 yuan as a betrothal gift, and now there was another red envelope on top of that.

’Just how wealthy is the Lu Family?’

’Why couldn’t we have met such wonderful in-laws?’

Under normal circumstances, Jiang Moli would never turn down money.

But accepting this money was tantamount to agreeing to the marriage.

’Then again,’ she considered, ’Lu Cheng is rich and handsome. It’s not a bad deal for me.’

’As for his character and family background, he’s a talent vetted and selected by the military. I have nothing to worry about.’

"Thank you, Auntie!"

Seeing her accept the red envelope, both Jiang Dahai and Lu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks again, the atmosphere now cheerful and harmonious.

"Ah, where’s Xiao Peng?"

Li Hongying, sitting across from her, mentioned him, and only then did Jiang Moli remember that Jiang Peng was still guarding the public restroom for her.

She gave a vague, two-sentence reply, then asked the restaurant for two aluminum lunch boxes. She filled one with food and the other with a generous portion of rice, planning to bring it to Jiang Peng after the meal.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill and left the restaurant, Jiang Dahai enthusiastically invited everyone to a teahouse to drink tea and listen to storytelling.

Jiang Moli was preoccupied with bringing food to Jiang Peng. "Dad, you guys go ahead. I have something to do."

Jiang Dahai grabbed her. "You’re not going anywhere."

It was already a breach of etiquette that Jiang Moli wasn’t home when the Lu Family came to propose that morning. She had to spend the afternoon with her future in-laws to try and leave a good impression.

"I really do have something to do."

"Cut it out. What could you possibly have to do?"

Just as Jiang Moli was about to explain that she’d found a job cleaning toilets, Lu Cheng spoke up. "Uncle Jiang, you all go have tea. I’ll take Moli for a walk around town."

Jiang Dahai immediately pushed Jiang Moli toward Lu Cheng, grinning so wide the corners of his eyes crinkled up. "Yes, yes, you two go. Take your time."

Jiang Moli: "..."

Lu Cheng said his goodbyes to An Hui, Li Hongying, and the rest of the Zhang Family one by one, then, with a natural familiarity, took the lunch boxes from Jiang Moli’s hands.

"Let’s go."

"Fine, let’s go!"

Jiang Moli strode ahead with her head held high.

Lu Cheng followed half a step behind, his dark eyes, full of amusement, fixed on her petite and delicate figure.

Jiang Dahai was grinning from ear to ear. When he glanced over and saw his stepdaughter staring at his daughter’s departing back, he told Zhang Jia Ming to take Jiang Qing out for a walk as well.

After Zhang Jia Ming and Jiang Qing had also left, Jiang Dahai said to An Hui, Zhang Tiesheng, and the others:

"The young ones have their own ways of having fun. Let’s us go for tea and listen to the opera."

An Hui politely declined. "Let’s call it a day for now. As for the wedding, let the young people discuss it themselves. We elders just need to be responsible for providing the money and effort."

"Alright, alright. My dear in-law, how are you getting back? Should I give you a ride on my bicycle?"

An Hui waved her hand graciously. "No need. I’ll go with Xiao Guang and the others. They came in a truck."

Jiang Dahai was astonished. "That Jiefang truck at the entrance to the family residential area, that’s yours?"

"We had too many things and it was inconvenient to carry them, so we borrowed a vehicle from the organization."

The couple, Jin Yulan and Zhang Tiesheng, exchanged a look.

Not only did they have an assigned guard, but they could also borrow a Jiefang truck from the military just by asking. One could only imagine that Father Lu’s rank in the army was definitely not low.

Jiang Dahai had really hit the jackpot!

Fortunately, the Zhang Family was now related to the Jiang family by marriage. They could also bask in some of this great fortune.

***

After they had walked some distance, one in front of the other, Lu Cheng quickened his pace to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiang Moli. "Who’s this food for?"

"Your little brother-in-law."

Lu Cheng laughed. "I still owe him a big red envelope."

Jiang Moli’s eyes scanned him up and down. "With your qualifications, you’re worried about not finding a wife?"

Instead of answering, Lu Cheng countered, "Then why aren’t you married yet?"

"Because I haven’t met anyone willing to pay a 500-yuan betrothal gift."

Speaking of the betrothal gift, something occurred to Jiang Moli. "Was that ladies’ bicycle in my courtyard from you?"

"Mhm. As you requested, the ’three turns and a sound,’ not one piece missing, plus an 888-yuan betrothal gift."

Jiang Moli’s already round eyes widened even more. "You gave my family an 888-yuan betrothal gift?"

"To be precise, it’s for you. It’s with your dad. You can ask him for it when you get back. I don’t think your father is the type to keep his daughter’s betrothal gift."

"What kind of person he is isn’t for you to judge."

Jiang Moli rolled her eyes, but inwardly, she felt even more satisfied with this marriage.

Or rather, she was very satisfied with the man in front of her.

’His looks and physique are top-notch, he’s not stingy, and he’s a soldier. If this were the future, he’d be eaten alive by hordes of ravenous single women.’

"Have you ever dated anyone before?" she asked with interest.

"No. I joined the army at seventeen, spent four years in the Tibetan region, and was later transferred to guard the Southwest border. I’ve been in the military all these years, so I haven’t had a chance to find a partner."

Although Jiang Moli didn’t mind if he had exes, it was naturally better that he didn’t have any.

"So, does that mean I’m your first love?"

"Yes. What about you?"

Jiang Moli blinked. "Guess."