Chapter 32 Accompanying the Army

Chapter Thirty-Two: Accompanying the Army

Ling Jianwei's hot breath hit the side of her neck, the sensation making her feel both shy and embarrassed. Li Yue twisted her waist and moved away slightly.

"You need to get up. We have to go to the train station after lunch," she urged.

Ling Jianwei didn't let her get up. He still hugged her from behind, playing with her hair with his fingers, and buried his face in her long hair: "Sleep a little longer."

Li Yue couldn't help but ask, "Did you also have the habit of sleeping in late when you were in the army?"

"No, it's because of you that I want to stay in bed."

Li Yue was speechless: "Oh, is it my fault?"

Ling Jianwei: "Ah, it's your fault for not being in my bed before."

The more he talked, the more outrageous it became. Li Yue turned to the side and gave him a push: "I have to get up. Won't your parents have a problem if I'm late?"

He said casually, "This isn't the old society anymore. Daughters-in-law don't have to get up to serve their parents-in-law. These days, my mom buys breakfast and then wakes me up to eat."

Seeing his shameless, even proud, appearance, Li Yue couldn't help but spit on him: "How can you be so shameless?"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine with it, my mom's happy about it."

Li Yue finally couldn't take it anymore: "Ling Jianwei, I will never serve you like this again."

He reached out and pinched her cheek, whispering, "Then I'll take good care of you, okay?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "serve," making it sound ambiguous and intimate... Li Yue couldn't stand his tone and sat up, saying, "I'm too lazy to argue with you here. I'm getting up."

Li Yue washed her face and brushed her teeth in the bathroom on the second floor. After finishing, she returned to her bedroom, combed her hair, and was about to change her clothes when Ling Jianwei also finished washing up and came in. Seeing her rummaging through her luggage, she said, "I forgot to tell you last night. Open the closet and take a look."

Li Yue walked hesitantly to the wardrobe, opened the door, and found it filled with women's clothing, including thermal underwear, summer dresses, and coats. Several of the coats had a fashionable and stylish style reminiscent of the Republican era.

He said, "These coats are 90% new. They were worn by my mother when she was young. Later, she joined the army, and she never had a chance to wear them again. She said that since you are slim, you can definitely wear them. If you don't mind, you can try them on. I bought these a few days ago. If you like them, you can pick some to take with you."

Li Yue took out a plaid coat and exclaimed, "This coat is made of cashmere; it's very warm."

After saying that, he put it on, straightened her collar, and nodded, saying, "It fits quite well."

Li Yue said, "I'll change my shoes to match."

Finally, the shoes that Ling Jianwei had once bought for her came in handy, and they matched the outfit perfectly.

Ling's mother called from downstairs, "Hurry up and come downstairs for breakfast."

Ling Jianwei looked at her and smiled, "Let's go, or I'll start nagging you later."

"I'll change into a pair of slippers," Li Yue said again.

Ling Jianwei pulled him away, saying, "Don't change. You're fine dressed like this."

When they reached the first floor, Ling's mother nodded repeatedly as she looked at the coat Ling was wearing. Li Yue went up to her and said, "Mom, this coat is very warm."

Ling's mother smiled and said, "Just as I thought, you are young and thin, and you look great in your clothes."

Breakfast consisted of soy milk that Ling's mother got from the military service center, along with fried dough sticks, steamed buns, and her favorite savory pancakes.

Ling's father asked, "What time is your train?"

Ling Jianwei replied, "Two o'clock in the afternoon."

"Let's have lunch before we set off. I'll have Xiao Zhang take you to the train station. I have to go to a meeting later."

Li Yue replied, "Thank you, Dad."

After breakfast, Ling's mother also went to work in the compound's office area. She said, "Those things on the chairs, I've packed them for you. Take them with you when you go..."

Before leaving, Ling's mother instructed, "Once you're in the army, you must love and care for each other. If there are any conflicts, try to resolve them internally first. If you can't resolve them, then go to your superiors. Especially Jianwei, you must take good care of Yueyue."

"Okay, I know. Of course I'll take good care of my wife."

"I'm going to work. You two heat up the leftovers from last night for lunch, eat them, and then head to the train station."

...

Today happens to be the last day of 1968. They carried their luggage and boarded the train.

I bought sleeper tickets, one lower berth and one middle berth.

The train slowly started moving. Li Yue sat by the window of the lower bunk, looking at the gray sky and old buildings outside. She thought to herself, "Next, I'll be living with the army. I wonder what I'll experience."

Ling Jianwei peeled an orange, tasted it, and then held a segment to her lips: "This orange is very sweet."

Li Yue took a bite of the orange segment and looked at him: "Tomorrow is New Year's Day."

The year 1969 is approaching.

He asked, "What are your wishes for the New Year?"

Li Yue blurted out, "I hope the work goes smoothly."

Ling Jianwei was surprised that she was thinking about work, and said indignantly, "You only think about work? Don't you have any expectations for me?"

Li Yue thought for a moment and said, "Then I hope your cooking skills will improve."

With a click of his tongue, the man sneered, "It's just cooking. I'll go back to the camp and work in the mess hall."

"..."

On January 1, 1969, the morning sunlight shone through the train window, and Li Yue opened her eyes.

She slept in the middle bunk, and Ling Jianwei slept in the lower bunk. Li Yue held onto the railing and glanced down. He was still fast asleep, his eyes closed, his nose high and straight.

The man's sleeping face was also very handsome. Li Yue pursed her lips and lay back on her pillow.

It was a little after 2 p.m. when they got off the train. As the two walked out of the train station, a young soldier ran up to them, saluted, and called out, "Deputy Battalion Commander."

Ling Jianwei put the luggage in her right hand into her left hand and carried it together, returned the salute, and then said, "This is your sister-in-law."

The young soldier's eyes widened, his face filled with amazement. He immediately grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth, and said in a loud voice, "Hello, sister-in-law."

Li Yue smiled and said, "Hello."

The young soldier was very perceptive. He took the two bags and said, "Deputy Battalion Commander, the vehicle is parked over there. When I came out, the battalion commander told me that today is New Year's Day, and the company slaughtered a pig. The first and second companies will make dumplings at noon, and the third company will make dumplings in the evening. He asked the deputy battalion commander to bring his wife over to eat dumplings."

Ling Jianwei nodded: "We need to have something hot to eat."

The train station was in Ping City, and it would take two hours to get to their camp. Ling Jianwei and Li Yue sat in the back seat. He squeezed her hand and asked, "Are you tired?"

"I'm not tired." She was just a little worried, so she asked, "Should we go to our accommodation and drop off our luggage first?"

"They have already cleaned the house as I instructed. It's not too late to go over after we've eaten some dumplings."

"All right."

Seeing her obvious unease, he couldn't help but ask again, "Are you afraid to go to the army?"

Li Yue said against her will that she wasn't afraid. Ling Jianwei looked at her face and sighed, "There are a lot of smelly men in the army, but there should be a few wives here today. If you're really scared, we can go home to the family compound."

"Let's go to the military base to eat dumplings first, I want to eat dumplings."

He chuckled softly: "It seems that the desire to eat dumplings has overcome the fear."

Li Yue: "..."

The young soldier focused on driving, occasionally glancing at their conversation, and secretly marveled at how Deputy Battalion Commander Ling coaxed his wife; his words were so much gentler now.

As dusk approached, the car finally arrived at the military base. As she got out, Ling Jianwei helped her up and reminded her, "Be careful not to bump your head."

Li Yue got out of the car and looked around.

The military base was built on a flat and open area, with several rows of red brick and tile houses. The battalion headquarters was a two-story building not far from the gate, and behind it were the dormitories of several officers.

Several soldiers happened to be passing by. They stood straight and saluted. After saying "Deputy Battalion Commander," they immediately called out "Sister-in-law."

Li Yue nodded to them, and then two middle-aged women came over. One of them was wearing a green scarf and called out enthusiastically, "Oh, Deputy Battalion Commander Ling, you're here."

As the two women walked over, they sized up Li Yue. They noticed that she was slender and well-proportioned, wearing red leather shoes and a high-end plaid coat. As for her face... the woman with the green scarf kept clicking her tongue: "You must be little Li Yue. You really do look like a fairy."

Another woman, with short, ear-length hair, joked, "No wonder Deputy Battalion Commander Ling has to travel back and forth so much."

Ling Jianwei introduced them: the woman wearing the green scarf was the battalion commander's wife, named Xie Chunlan, and the short-haired woman was the third company commander's wife, Han Xiangxiang.

Anyway, everyone who comes to the military unit to accompany the soldiers, regardless of age, is called "sister-in-law," Li Yue said with a smile.

"You must be tired from the journey. Come on, let's go to the Third Company for dumplings..." Two women, one on each side, helped Li Yue walk toward the Third Company's canteen.

Ling Jianwei shook her head as she followed behind.

Both of these women are in their thirties and each has several children. They've been to the camp many times and are quite familiar with the place. Xie Chunlan said, "After I heard about you, I bet with our Lao Cheng that you must be incredibly beautiful, like a fairy from the moon palace. Otherwise, the deputy battalion commander wouldn't have been unable to sleep and would have gone to see the moon at dawn... But I never expected you to be so much more beautiful than I imagined."

Li Yue, however, grasped the key point: "He went to see the moon before dawn?"

“Yes, the whole battalion knows,” Xie Chunlan turned around and called out to Ling Jianwei, “Deputy Battalion Commander Ling, I’m not making this up, am I?”

Ling Jianwei really didn't want to answer this question.

The news about the two of them was all over the place in the camp. He brought her to the camp, wanting them to see if the person he had his eye on was worth him getting up at dawn to look at the moon.

Li Yue sighed silently to herself. She probably knew he was upset, but she hadn't expected it to be like this...

The sister-in-law continued, "But it's alright, the moon wasn't wasted. Your telegram has spread not only throughout the entire battalion, but also throughout our family compound."

Li Yue's pupils dilated as if an earthquake had occurred: "Huh?"

Xie Chunlan smiled broadly: "Don't worry, I think it's written very well, bold and straightforward. When you're with soldiers, you have to be direct like this, don't beat around the bush."

Ling Jianwei chuckled from behind.

Li Yue's brows furrowed tightly. She had never imagined that this matter would spread throughout the entire camp, or even the entire family compound. But thinking about it, such sensational words were indeed eye-catching, and it would be strange if they didn't become the talk of the town.

She looked at Ling Jianwei with a frustrated expression. The man shrugged and said, "You can't blame me for this. I went to the regimental headquarters that day, and by the time I came back, the news had already spread. I couldn't control public opinion."

With the canteen in sight, the two sisters-in-law finally let go of each other's hands, allowing Li Yue to walk with Ling Jianwei.

Li Yue and Ling Jiwei walked slowly, and Li Yue said in a somber mood, "I didn't know you went to see the moon before dawn."

He downplayed it as always: "I had a dream that you got married and gave me wedding candy. You said you had found happiness and wished me happiness too. I was so scared that I woke up before I could even catch the candy."

Li Yue said thoughtfully, "This scene looks so familiar."

“Ah,” he responded softly, “that bride said the same thing to you back then, and you just repeat it verbatim to me. You have a conscience.”

Li Yue was frustrated: "But you can't take things in dreams seriously."

Ling Jianwei raised her hand and smoothed her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear, looking at her intently: "But I'm afraid it's true, how could I dare to sleep?"

Li Yue didn't sleep well for those two nights either, her dreams were all jumbled up. She looked at the man in front of her with deep affection in his eyes, and pursed her rosy lips: "Then the hurt I caused you was quite deep?"

"Of course."

"Then you're quite prone to getting hurt."

The easily hurt, fragile man curled his lips into a smile, his gaze unwavering: "Only you can hurt me."

Just as they were getting along so well, a commotion broke out at the canteen entrance. Turning around, they saw a bunch of young soldiers crowding the entrance, some wearing white aprons, some with flour on their hands, and some holding dumpling wrappers. They smiled at the two of them and called out, "Hello, sister-in-law!"

Li Yue: "..."