Chapter 15 Then just marry her!
After leaving the military region, it was rush hour, and the number of pedestrians on the road gradually increased. Jiang Suining sat in the back seat, looking around curiously at everything.
Lu Ye was still bothered by Zhuang Lina's little incident earlier, and fearing that Jiang Suining might have a grudge, he kept turning back to look at her.
When he turned back for the fifth time, Jiang Suining finally couldn't help but sigh softly: "We are husband and wife now, the closest of people. Trust is the foundation. If you have something to say, just say it directly. I don't like guessing what people are thinking. If a couple has to guess each other every day, then life is unbearable. It's too tiring."
Lu Ye felt relieved, realizing that his earlier worries were self-inflicted: "I met Zhuang Lina when I was injured and hospitalized during a mission at military school. She was my attending physician. We weren't close, just doctor and patient. Please don't misunderstand. I will definitely keep my distance from her in the future."
“I know, I just said I believe you,” Jiang Suining reassured him. After all, the two had only known each other for a short time before getting married, and they lacked understanding of each other. “Trust is the foundation of a marital relationship. Besides, you can’t be forbidden from contacting the opposite sex just because you’re married. Normal interactions are essential for life and work. As long as you keep a good sense of boundaries and stay within your limits, it’ll be fine.”
“Sui Sui, thank you.” Lu Ye was deeply moved. “Seeing Zhuang Lina, you can probably guess that she is the other daughter of the old chief I mentioned who lost his child.”
“I guessed it, she looks exactly like Sister Hongjuan,” Jiang Suining sighed. “But compared to her, Sister Hongjuan is so pitiful.”
Lu Ye agreed with this statement.
"Just by looking at their height, Sister Hongjuan is at least half a head shorter than Dr. Zhuang. She must have often gone hungry when she was young, which is why she didn't grow tall. And looking at their skin and complexion, if you didn't know their ages, you would think they were five or six years apart at first glance."
Lu Ye truly didn't understand women's skincare, but he believed that what Jiang Suining said was just superficial. To put it more deeply, Zhuang Lina was educated, not only graduating from a military medical university but also studying abroad for a year, while Zhang Hongjuan probably hadn't even gone to school and her temperament was incomparable.
"Hey, why didn't you tell Dr. Zhuang about Sister Hongjuan's matter earlier?" Jiang Suining asked, only now remembering this.
"Let's not talk about things that are uncertain for now. It's not too late to talk about it when Comrade Zhang arrives." Lu said this, but he didn't really mean it. But then he thought of what Jiang Suining had said about how couples should get along. He licked his lips and said, "Actually, I just don't want to talk to Dr. Zhuang. I'll call the old commander to tell him about this."
"Isn't that old chief on the island?" Jiang Suining was taken aback. She had always thought that Zhang Hongjuan's parents were on the island, since in the original book, Zhang Hongjuan was taken to the island as soon as she was found.
“He went to a meeting in Kyoto before I went to Shimizu Village, and he shouldn’t be back yet,” Lu Ye explained.
***
Back at the family compound, a number of people had gathered at the entrance of his courtyard. "They're the women from the family compound. They probably heard you were here and came specifically to see you." Lu Ye glanced at them and quickly explained to Jiang Suining, "If you feel uncomfortable, I'll ask them to go back first."
"No need, I'm fine. This little scene won't scare me." Jiang Suining walked over with a polite smile, greeted her sisters-in-law one by one, and let them into the courtyard.
The women introduced themselves one after another, but there were too many people. Not only did she have to remember their faces, but she also had to remember their names and even their husbands' jobs. The worst part was that some of the women didn't speak the local dialect, which made Jiang Suining dizzy. She tried her best to match the names she heard with the faces.
"Oh my, your skin is so tender, it's like you could squeeze water out of it. Xiao Lu is so lucky."
"Exactly, she looks thin, but her butt is quite big. Her first child is definitely a boy."
"Look at that waistline, it'll be snapped in two by Xiao Lu tonight."
"Look at her fair skin, if you kiss or pinch it, it'll turn completely red."
"I knew it! No wonder Xiao Lu couldn't stand Dr. Zhuang. If I were a man, I wouldn't be able to let go of such a beauty like her."
The conversation went awry, and Lu Ye blushed and felt a chill run down his spine. Jiang Suining also felt uneasy and quickly invited her sisters-in-law into the house.
"Watch your words, don't scare Lu's wife." Seeing the awkwardness of Lu Ye and his wife, someone stepped in to smooth things over.
This was a woman in her forties, with neat, short hair that reached her ears. She had a dark complexion, was tall, and had a large frame. Although she was thin, she looked rather robust, suggesting that she was used to farm work.
"This is Sister-in-law Lian from the Zhang Regiment's family next door." The women had already introduced themselves, but Lu Ye was afraid she wouldn't remember, so he added that.
"Hello, Sister-in-law Lian," Jiang Suining immediately remembered that Lu Ye had said that all the flowers and plants in the yard were arranged by Sister-in-law Lian, so she quickly stepped forward to shake hands. "Lu Ye said that you arranged the house and yard. I was going to go with Lu Ye to thank you."
"It's not just my achievement; everyone helped out. We're all military wives, so you don't need to be so polite. Besides, Xiao Lu and my husband Zhang are from the same regiment; they're family." Sister-in-law Lian dared not take credit for it.
Around dinner time, these women all had to go back to cook, so they didn't stay long. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they all said their goodbyes. After everyone had left, one of the women said, "Xiao Jiang, you said you're from Qingshui Village. Isn't there a girl in your village named Zhou Xiaomei?"
"Yes." Jiang Suining hadn't expected that Sister-in-law Lian had come for this matter. She exchanged a glance with Lu Ye. "We saw her as soon as we arrived. Why is she living at Company Commander Li's house next door?"
"You didn't know? She came to seek refuge with you." Sister-in-law Lian was puzzled. Didn't Zhou Xiaomei say that she and Jiang Suining were as close as sisters? How come it sounded like the two weren't that familiar with each other from Jiang Suining's words?
"Seeking refuge with me? I only arrived this afternoon, but she arrived two days ago. How could she be seeking refuge with me?" Jiang Suining didn't want to have anything to do with Zhou Xiaomei anymore. "I was quite surprised when I saw her. She said she ran away from her arranged marriage. Sigh, nowadays marriage is free. If you don't want to get married, you can go to the local women's federation. What problem can you solve by coming here?"
Jiang Suining sneered inwardly. This Zhou Xiaomei was quite cunning. She probably had brainwashed the women in the family compound before she came. No one wanted to associate with her. "Sister-in-law, you don't know. She ran away from home and took all the food coupons and money. Her family is in chaos and no one has any rice to cook."
Jiang Suining exaggerated, subtly lowering Zhou Xiaomei's image in Lian's eyes: "Sister-in-law, what's going on between her and Company Commander Li? It's only been two days, how come she's already living in his house? Do you think Company Commander Li's wife would agree to that?"
“Lu Ye didn’t tell you, but Company Commander Li’s wife passed away a few years ago. She had a difficult childbirth and suffered severe bleeding, and couldn’t be saved.” Sister-in-law Lian said with a look of regret. “As for this Zhou Xiaomei, I heard that she saved Yuejin, who is Company Commander Li’s youngest son.”
“I think Company Commander Li took her in out of gratitude and sympathy for her situation, and also out of consideration for you two. However, Company Commander Li has indeed been very busy lately. Usually, the women in the family compound help take care of his three sons. Now that Zhou Xiaomei is here, he can rest assured a lot.” The woman originally didn’t want to get involved in this matter, but Li Guodong was the company commander under her husband’s regiment, and she was afraid that if Company Commander Li made a mistake, it would affect her husband.
“Sister-in-law, Zhou Xiaomei and I are indeed from the same village, but our families are not on good terms,” Jiang Suining directly distanced herself from the relationship. “I was quite surprised when she came to see me.”
Even his sister-in-law was a smart woman. She could understand what he meant when he said that: "Oh dear, I have to go find Company Commander Li. It's not right for a young woman to be living at home all by herself."
After she finished speaking, she got up to leave, and Jiang Suining followed her to see her off. Just before she left, her sister-in-law said again, "You two are newlyweds, are you going to have a wedding banquet in the family compound? If you want to, just tell me, and I'll find someone to help you."
“Okay, thank you in advance,” Jiang Suining said hesitantly. “I’ll discuss the banquet with Lu Ye first.”
"Alright, then I'll be going." Sister-in-law Lian left the courtyard but didn't go home. Instead, she turned and went to the regiment. She had been busy these past few days, and her husband hadn't been able to get off work on time. Zhou Xiaomei's matter needed to be resolved as soon as possible. She could go over and talk to her husband. If Company Commander Li was there, she could ask him again. If he liked the girl, he should submit a report to get married. If he didn't like her, then he should let the girl go home. It was inappropriate for such a young woman to live in his house, and they weren't even related. Even though he had been staying in the military camp these past few days, rumors still spread, which had a bad influence.
After dinner, Jiang Suining and Lu Ye were preparing to rest when Li Guodong arrived.
In the afternoon, the regimental commander's wife went to talk to him about Zhou Xiaomei's matter and gave him three days to resolve Zhou Xiaomei's problem.
He was in a real bind. It was just a coincidence that he took Zhou Xiaomei in. That day, Zhou Xiaomei came to find Lu Ye and claimed to be from the same hometown as Lu Ye's wife. He had just returned from a mission and didn't know that Lu Ye hadn't returned to the military region yet, so he took her directly back to the family compound.
Upon learning that Lu Ye had not yet returned, Li Guodong had some doubts about Zhou Xiaomei. But as fate would have it, his youngest son, Yuejin, choked on a date and his eyes rolled back in his head. Fortunately, Zhou Xiaomei saved him in time. To express his gratitude, he invited Zhou Xiaomei to stay for a simple meal.
Looking back now, it was this simple meal that ruined things. Zhou Xiaomei didn't eat much at the dinner table; she was busy taking care of her twin sons. The two children were usually naughty, but they were very well-behaved in front of Zhou Xiaomei.
After the meal, Zhou Xiaomei rushed to clear the dishes. He was supposed to see her off, but Zhou Xiaomei suddenly started crying and telling him about her tragic experience. She was forced into marriage by her gambling father to a tyrant, and had no choice but to run away to her best friend's place, but her best friend was not there.
Li Guodong was most afraid of women crying, and with his two young sons clamoring for Zhou Xiaomei to stay, he impulsively let her stay. Little did he know that after just one night, rumors would spread throughout the family compound.
Now, Lian's sister-in-law, who is now a women's representative, urged him to send Zhou Xiaomei away as soon as possible. He went home to talk to Zhou Xiaomei, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Zhou Xiaomei started crying, making him afraid to say anything. He then came directly to Lu Ye to discuss a solution.
After Li Guodong explained his purpose, Lu Ye and Jiang Suining exchanged a glance.
"Let her cry, and you can say what you want." Lu Ye couldn't agree with Li Guodong's indecisive way of doing things. That was his home; she couldn't just stay there and refuse to leave.
"I...I...seeing how heartbroken she was, I just couldn't bring myself to say it," Li Guodong said, looking troubled.
“Then just marry her,” Lu Ye said, not wanting to say any more to his comrade. “Get out of here.”
In fact, Jiang Suining agreed with her husband's statement: "I know you're worried that the girl is too shy to admit it, but have you ever thought that even if you don't live at home and even if you call her a housekeeper, you can't control what others say? A girl's reputation is very important. If you really care about her, you should let her go as soon as possible."
“Sister-in-law, she came here to seek refuge with you,” Li Guodong agreed with Jiang Suining’s words, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to be the bad guy. “Why don’t I let her stay at your house?”
Lu Ye: "No way!"
Jiang Suining: "No way!"
The two of them refused in unison, with unwavering certainty.
"It's no use her coming to me. Although we're from the same village, we're not close. Besides, Lu Ye and I are newly married. How can you let her come and bother us?" Jiang Suining didn't budge an inch, giving Li Guodong no chance to persuade the two of them.
Her words were suggestive, and Lu Ye's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at the sky outside the window and urged her to hurry up, "Let's go, it's getting dark, we need to rest."
Jiang Suining didn't think anything of it, but Li Guodong blushed and quickly left.
A note from the author:
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