An Accidental Military Marriage

Tricking her relatives with the promise of a job was all part of Jiang Moli’s mission plan.

The Jiang family had numerous relatives, spread across different villages, and each village had at least a hundred or so people.

Life for rural folk was already hard; they had to stretch every cent as if it were two.

She used the pretense of arranging jobs to trick her relatives into selling everything they owned to pay back their debts.

Once their dreams of a secure job were shattered and their money was gone, they would inevitably hate her guts, cursing her behind her back and spreading vicious rumors throughout their villages.

’The more viciously her relatives cursed her, and the more people who came to despise her, the faster her Disdain Value would skyrocket, wouldn’t it?’

She figured word of how she’d swindled the Ruan family had already spread through their circle of relatives.

In the past couple of days, no other relatives had come knocking to ask about job arrangements.

Jiang Dahai, his son, and Li Hongying were staying at the guesthouse for the time being. If the family housing from the Lu Family’s side wasn’t allocated anytime soon, Jiang Moli planned to pay for her father’s room for another three to five months.

Jiang Moli had not a care in the world, simply lounging at home every day and raking in Disdain Value.

In just two or three short days, her mission progress had jumped forward a little, already surpassing 3,500!

She was already mentally planning how she would spend the 100-million-yuan prize.

’First, I’ll find a scenic spot and build a big five-story villa. Grandma, Mom, and I will live on the top floor, and I’ll turn the four floors below into a bed and breakfast.’

’As for the rest of the money, I’ll keep one-third for spending, invest another third, and put the remainder in the bank to collect interest.’

’Perfect~’

A sudden question popped into her head. Jiang Moli summoned the system. "This 100 million prize of mine... I don’t have to pay taxes on it, do I?"

"...No. We arrange a plausible and legal origin and acquisition channel for all prize money awarded to each host."

"That’s good."

’If I had to pay personal income tax on it... Heavens, I can’t even bear to think about it. That would be horrifying!’

...

The Jiang family and the Zhou Family were two households in a single courtyard, sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

For years, both families had stored their own rice, flour, oil, grain, and leftovers in their respective cupboards in the kitchen, secured with small padlocks, and had coexisted peacefully.

But ever since her steamed buns were stolen, Wang Lianhua no longer dared to keep food in the kitchen. She had even moved her cupboard back into her room.

The two rooms were already a tight squeeze for their family of four, and an extra cupboard made it even more cramped.

Worse still, with a thief living right next door, they couldn’t even sleep peacefully at night.

And this thief had been brought over by none other than Jiang Moli, the person Wang Lianhua despised most. One can only imagine how much she hated her for it.

Every morning, noon, and night, she would send her "deepest regards" to all eighteen generations of Jiang Moli’s ancestors.

That night before bed, a furious Wang Lianhua gave Zhou Weiguang an ultimatum:

"Tomorrow, you go find Mr. Jiang and tell him to get those people out of here immediately! Otherwise, don’t blame me for getting nasty!"

The walls between the two homes weren’t soundproof, and Ruan Fuqiang heard every word Wang Lianhua said.

He turned and whispered to Ruan Zishan and Chen Guifen, "Did you hear that? They’re at their breaking point. Victory is almost ours!"

Ruan Zishan and Chen Guifen both looked pleased.

This was especially true for Chen Guifen; for her, these past few days of living here had felt like an eternity.

Because of the stolen bun incident, people outside were pointing and whispering about her family. She didn’t even dare to step out the door.

’What’s the difference between this and being in jail?’

...

The next day at the factory, Zhou Weiguang found Jiang Dahai and tactfully requested that he have the Ruan family move out.

He didn’t bring up the Ruan Family’s theft of the steamed buns.

After all, they had been neighbors for so many years, and he valued their friendship. Jiang Dahai was a man of impeccable character, and his son-in-law was very capable; he didn’t want to sour their relationship.

Though Zhou Weiguang hadn’t said it explicitly, Jiang Dahai had already heard from others that the Zhou Family had been stolen from.

And while there was no proof, he was certain Ruan Fuqiang was the culprit.

During his lunch break, he called Jiang Moli over to the guesthouse and told her about the Zhou Family’s stolen buns.

"Why don’t we return the money your uncle and his family paid back? We can just have them go back to the village."

"No. They were paying a debt they owed us. We don’t owe them anything, so why should we give it back? If we refund them, our other relatives will just follow their example and show up at our door acting shameless. Would we have to refund all of them then?"

"It would be one thing if this money could buy us a lifetime of peace, but it won’t. It will just make them greedier and more insatiable, encouraging them to take a mile for every inch we give. The moment you don’t bend to their will, they’ll throw a fit, and it will be endless."

Jiang Peng chimed in, "My sister’s right!"

Jiang Moli’s words had struck a nerve.

His mother was a living example. She was always soft-hearted toward her brothers, granting their every request, and in the end, she had met with such a tragic fate.

Looking at the resolute sister and brother, Jiang Dahai felt a headache coming on.

It wasn’t that he was a cowardly, spineless man.

But as the head of the family, he had to consider every angle.

Letting relatives stay in their home was already a violation of factory regulations.

Now, the Ruan Family had brought their nasty habit of petty theft into the residential compound, and the neighbors were full of complaints.

The only solution he could think of was to use money to send the Ruan Family away.

"Dad, I’m in charge now, so listen to me. Refunding the money is out of the question. They can stay as long as they want; I don’t care. As for the thefts, Xiao Peng, I want you to go door to door in a bit and tell everyone that if anything of theirs goes missing in the future, they should report it directly to the police. They don’t need to give me any face."

Jiang Dahai and Li Hongying both gave her a strange look.

Jiang Peng said, "Sis, you’re overthinking it. You don’t have any face to speak of in the residential compound."

Jiang Moli touched her face. "Whatever. I don’t rely on my face for a living anyway. I’ve always relied on my talent and charm."

Jiang Peng: "..."

Although his daughter didn’t listen to him, Jiang Dahai couldn’t help but feel gratified seeing how decisive and resourceful she was, with the steady composure of someone who could handle great responsibilities.

He then asked Jiang Moli about the house she was finding for them.

When he learned that the house was family housing that Lu Cheng had applied for, Jiang Dahai couldn’t help but worry. "This house was allocated by Xiao Lu’s work unit. If we move in, will it have a negative impact on him? Have you discussed this with your father-in-law and mother-in-law?"

Jiang Moli thought for a moment and realized her father’s concern was valid.

In any work unit, there were always crowds of people waiting for housing. For her to get a house and immediately give it to her own family to live in would indeed be an easy way to attract gossip.

That evening, Lu Deyao got off work a little later than usual. It was already dark by the time he got home.

Jiang Moli had intended to discuss the house after dinner, but Lu Deyao brought it up himself at the dinner table.

"Xiao Jiang, the housing has been approved. There are no vacant units in the Military District Courtyard right now, so we’ve arranged a place for you in the military family compound on the next street. It’s 60 square meters—two bedrooms and one living room. It’s a little on the small side, but since you two don’t have children yet, it’s more than enough space. I already have the key. After dinner, I’ll take you to have a look and see what furnishings you might need."

The reason Lu Deyao was home late today was precisely because he had been sorting out the housing.

Jiang Moli was quite satisfied with these housing conditions.

She swallowed the food in her mouth and started to tell Lu Deyao and An Hui her plans for the house.

"Dad, Mom, there’s something I forgot to discuss with you..."

After she finished speaking, Lu Deyao blurted out, "Xiao Jiang, why didn’t you mention this sooner?"

Originally, Jiang Moli had thought it wouldn’t be difficult to let her family stay temporarily in the apartment assigned to her and Lu Cheng.

After all, having relatives come for long-term stays was very common in this era.

But hearing Lu Deyao’s tone, she suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore.

’Perhaps the military’s rules are stricter than a regular work unit’s,’ she thought. ’They might not allow public housing to be lent out.’ So she said, "If it’s inconvenient, then never mind. It’s fine for my dad and the others to continue staying at the guesthouse."