An Accidental Military Marriage

The cadre in charge of the educated youth program for Jiang Moli’s district was surnamed Gao, and her name was Gao Jing.

"Mr. Gao, busy as ever?"

Gao Jing recognized Jiang Moli at a glance.

After all, she had just been to the Jiang family’s home this morning. That fresh, delicate face, so tender you could practically squeeze water from it, was truly unforgettable.

If it were her own daughter, she wouldn’t have the heart to send her to the countryside to suffer either.

But understanding was one thing, and rules were another. No one could be an exception.

"Have you thought it through? Ready to sign up now? You young people are always afraid of hardship and getting tired. If everyone were like you, how would our motherland be built? How would society develop? It’s simply not proper!"

"Your words are more enlightening than ten books. I humbly accept all of Mr. Gao’s criticisms and lessons!"

Jiang Moli agreed amiably as she closed the office door.

"Mr. Gao, deep down, I firmly support the policy of going up to the mountains and down to the countryside, and I’m willing to contribute all my strength to make our motherland stronger. It’s just that my family situation is special. Jiang Qing is my stepsister, and she’ll be getting married soon. Once she’s married, she definitely won’t look after my dad anymore. My younger brother is enlisting next month. If I leave too, there will be no one left at home."

"Of course, the state has its laws, and a family has its rules. I’m willing to accept punishment. I was just wondering if the penalty could be a bit lighter? Naturally, I wouldn’t expect you to help for nothing. In half a year at most, I’m willing to give my job placement slot to you, Mr. Gao, for free."

Gao Jing was initially unimpressed.

In her position, plenty of people had tried to flatter her and use backdoor connections.

But when she heard Jiang Moli offer a job position in exchange, she could no longer sit still.

A job position was an ’iron rice bowl’—a job for life.

"Can you really get a job slot? What kind of job is it?"

"There’s definitely a job. As for what it is, that depends on their arrangements. These days, it’s a blessing just to have a formal job. We can’t be picky, right?"

Gao Jing weighed the pros and cons and agreed.

Having solved the problem of being sent to the countryside, Jiang Moli’s mood lightened considerably.

With money in her pocket, she took an enthusiastic stroll around the streets, buying some daily necessities like soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a towel.

Her family had soap, toothpaste, and towels at home, but everyone shared them, which she wasn’t used to.

The original owner of her body was not only messy but also careless; she would use a toothbrush until the bristles were worn flat without ever replacing it.

Finally, she spent one mao on a popsicle and walked home eating it.

It wasn’t to save on bus fare. The buses ran infrequently, the wait was long, the cars were crowded, and the air was stuffy.

A young woman in a dress rode past Jiang Moli on a Phoenix bicycle. Her ear-length bob and the hem of her skirt fluttered in the wind, and just from her silhouette, you could feel her carefree mood.

’When I get my 100 million prize money, I’ll buy eight or ten of these bikes and ride a different one every day!’

...

Lu Cheng directed two deliverymen as they moved items from a three-wheeled cart into his home.

The residents of the compound—old and young, men and women—all gathered around to watch the excitement.

"Lu Cheng, with the bicycle, the sewing machine, all this tobacco, liquor, and candy... don’t tell me you’re getting married?"

The wife of Mr. Liu, who lived upstairs from the Lu Family, teased Lu Cheng with a smile.

"Aunt Xiuqin, you guessed right. This is the bride price I’m preparing for my wife. You’re all experienced elders, so come help me see if I’ve missed anything."

Hearing this, the crowd looked astonished.

The eternal bachelor is getting a wife?!

Among the children of the compound, Lu Cheng was considered outstanding, but he was more stubborn than a mule.

Over the years, the people in the compound had tried to set him up on countless dates.

Every girl was one in a hundred, but Lu Cheng didn’t take a liking to a single one.

Now he was about to turn 27. At his age, other men had kids old enough to run errands, yet Lu Cheng was still a bachelor.

"Which family’s girl is she?"

"Vice Political Commissar Lu’s family is really tight-lipped. The whole compound hasn’t heard a single peep."

Although no one had met Lu Cheng’s fiancée, everyone in the compound shared a common assumption: any girl Lu Cheng took a liking to must be a top-notch young woman in terms of looks, family background, and character.

An Hui stood on her family’s balcony, watching the commotion outside the courtyard, feeling an inexplicable annoyance.

’A son getting married should be a joyous occasion,’ she thought, ’but I know nothing besides the girl’s name. I’m completely in the dark. What kind of situation is this?!’

And look at all this—a living room full of a bicycle, a sewing machine, and a radio, plus tobacco, liquor, candy, tea, pastries, and fabric.

It was like he wanted to move their entire home over to the girl’s house.

’Is it really necessary to make such a big fuss just for a marriage proposal?’

...

When Zhou Xiaoqing got home from work, the first thing she did was sidle up to Jiang Qing to ask who would be sent to the countryside—Jiang Qing or Jiang Moli.

She had been worrying about it all day at the factory.

"Uncle Jiang didn’t say who has to go, but the Educated Youth Office said that one of us, either me or Moli, has to go."

’That’s more like it.’

’Everyone else has to go, so why should your family be an exception?’

Zhou Xiaoqing gloated inwardly. After offering a few words of false comfort to Jiang Qing, she started humming a tune as she washed rice to cook dinner.

Jiang Qing glanced at Zhou Xiaoqing’s back, her eyes filled with scorn.

’Zhou Xiaoqing probably thinks her secret letter reporting us to the Educated Youth Office went completely unnoticed.’

’Little does she know, this was all part of my plan.’

On the surface, Zhou Xiaoqing was friendly with her, but in reality, she was a two-faced backstabber.

After graduating from high school, she had originally been assigned to a job at the sugar factory.

The employees at the sugar factory could buy cheap sugar every month at an internal price.

Many employees would secretly resell the sugar they bought to earn extra money to support their families.

It was an open secret at the factory.

Jiang Qing had followed their example, but she had the bad luck of being caught red-handed by the factory management and lost her job.

In her previous life, Zhou Xiaoqing had told her that Jiang Moli was the one who reported her. She had believed it and hated Jiang Moli to the bone.

It wasn’t until after she died that she learned the truth—when Zhou Xiaoqing used the incident to curry favor with Jiang Moli, who had married a high-ranking official. The person who reported her was actually Zhou Xiaoqing.

Over the past two days, she had deliberately brought up her military boyfriend and discussed Jiang Moli’s marriage prospects in front of Zhou Xiaoqing. Her goal was to provoke Zhou Xiaoqing’s jealousy and drive her to report them to the Educated Youth Office.

’With Jiang Moli’s foul temper, once she finds out it was Zhou Xiaoqing who reported our family, she’ll tear Zhou Xiaoqing to shreds.’

’Without lifting a finger, I can get Jiang Moli sent to the countryside and get my revenge on Zhou Xiaoqing for reporting me and causing me to lose my job at the sugar factory.’

’Killing two birds with one stone.’

...

After work, Jiang Dahai went to the bicycle shed to get his bike.

After riding out the main gate of the machinery factory, he pretended to get off and check the front tire. He loosened the valve core a couple of turns before getting back on and continuing home.

After riding for just a little while, the front tire went completely flat.

Jiang Dahai hopped off his bike and pushed it toward a repair stall he often frequented.

Just as he finished pumping up the tire, he looked up and saw Gao Jing riding toward him on her bicycle.

"Hey, Mr. Gao, what a coincidence to run into you here."

Gao Jing balanced on one foot and greeted Jiang Dahai with a nod. "Bike trouble?"

"The tire’s leaking a bit."

After looking left and right, Jiang Dahai, as quick as lightning, stuffed a kraft paper envelope into the leather bag in Gao Jing’s bicycle basket.

"Mr. Gao, she’s my only daughter. Please, be lenient..."

Gao Jing cut him off. "Regarding the countryside assignment, your daughter has already taken care of it."

"Taken care of it? How did she take care of it?"

"You should go home and ask your daughter."

With that, Gao Jing returned the envelope to him, got on her bike, and rode away.

Jiang Dahai rode home, laughing and wiping away tears the whole way.

’My daughter has grown up. She knows how to ease her old man’s worries now.’

SOB SOB SOB.