Chapter 54

The kitchen seemed to have been through a bloody war.

Jiang Nian was almost out of breath and was about to suffocate to death when Lu Yu reluctantly let her go. Their hot breaths intertwined and the dark kitchen seemed to have thrown the two people into a bottomless abyss. Jiang Nian's heart was beating violently. Seeing the thick, almost crazy dark color in Lu Yu's eyes, she immediately pursed her lips and was too scared to move.

"Lu Yu..."

Jiang Nian kicked her legs in the air and pressed her head against the wall to get as far away from Lu Yu as possible, but the distance between them was only so far, and there was no way to hide.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Yu's voice was hoarse, and he looked at Jiang Nian with an uncontrollable impulse.

Jiang Nian was so scared that she tensed up: "I said I would think about it, I haven't promised you yet!"

Lu Yu hugged Jiang Nian's waist and lifted her up a little, buried his head in her neck, and exhaled hot air: "You say yours, I do mine."

Jiang Nian: ...

What's the logic?

She didn't expect Lu Yu to break his promise. Her neck felt hot. Jiang Nian pushed him away with both hands: "You didn't say that in the hospital. You said you wouldn't do anything beyond my consent."

"Sorry."

Lu Yu hugged Jiang Nian tightly and kissed her neck greedily and shamelessly: "I regret it."

Jiang Nian was poison to him, an addictive poison.

Once you get addicted to her, you can't stop.

He thought a lot when he went to sleep last night. Maybe he had feelings for her the day he brought her to the army.

He knew he was despicable and shameless, but he fell in love with Xu Cheng's woman.

Lu Yu hugged Jiang Nian tightly, wishing he could embed her in his body: "Jiang Nian, promise me that you won't make me wait too long."

He didn't want to hide like this, he wanted Jiang Nian to stand beside him openly.

He even wanted to take her out and tell everyone that this was his wife, not his sister-in-law.

The heavy breathing at the neck made Jiang Nian have to agree: "Okay, let me go first."

After Jiang Nian's feet landed on the ground, her body almost collapsed on the ground.

She leaned against the wall, looking at the tall Lu Yu who was so close, bit her lip, and said, "Don't do this again in the future."

She was really scared just now. What if someone came to the house and saw this scene and spread it out?

Did he think about these consequences?

Lu Yu said, "I know what you are worried about. These are not problems for me."

Jiang Nian lowered her head and did not want to talk about this topic anymore.

Yes, she and Lu Yu were not uncle and sister-in-law before, but they have always been uncle and sister-in-law to the outside world. If they tell everyone about their other-level relationship, even if people don't say it, they may poke their spines behind their backs.

She doesn't care. She can ignore these gossips.

But she can't watch Lu Yu being gossiped about behind his back. If it is the time for Lu Yu to be promoted or transferred after the Dragon Boat Festival, there must be no problems at this juncture. If someone with ulterior motives uses it as a handle to spread it to the higher-ups, it may affect him.

She didn't want to drag Lu Yu down, and she didn't want to add a stain to his glorious life.

"Lu Yu."

Song Bai's voice came from outside.

Jiang Nian came to his senses, moved aside and turned to face the cabinet, whispering to Lu Yu: "I'll think about it."

Song Bai stood in the yard: "Lu Yu, my brother is calling you, there's a meeting in the group."

"Got it."

Lu Yu replied.

He glanced at Jiang Nian's thin back: "I'll be back in the evening."

Jiang Nian didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the footsteps outside gradually disappeared.

In fact, she thought a lot last night. She couldn't ignore her feelings for Lu Yu, but before Lu Yu's transfer order came down, she didn't dare to give Lu Yu any promises or hopes. She couldn't take risks with Lu Yu's reputation and future. She could only wait for Lu Yu's transfer order to come down before making a decision.

At least before that, she couldn't tell Lu Yu.

Otherwise, how could she, a family member of a family compound, explain that she knew so much about the military transfer order?

After Lu Yu left, Jiang Nian went back to the house to embroider. At noon, a police soldier came to the family compound and said that there was a call for her. Jiang Nian went over to answer the phone, and Ge Mei's voice came from the other end: "How have you been these days?"

Jiang Nian smiled and said, "Fine.

" Ge Mei said, "I'm leaving soon."

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, then reacted and said happily, "Are you going to Yuan City to take up your post?"

"Yeah."

Ge Mei said, "I was originally scheduled to leave in three months, but the director of Yuan City left early, so I have to take over. Jiang Nian, after I leave, a new director will come to hand over the embroidery to you."

Jiang Nian was reluctant to leave Ge Mei, and Ge Mei said, "I'll find you before I leave, and we'll go out for dinner."

Jiang Nian held the phone tightly: "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Nian walked out of the police station, and suddenly felt confused about the future.

She had always been working with Ge Mei, and she left suddenly. There was always a feeling of loss.

When Jiang Nian went back, he met two unexpected people, Tang Ze and Sun Ying.

The two came out of the family yard. Sun Ying was holding a bag of rice dumplings in her hand. The two were talking and laughing. Of course, Tang Ze talked more and laughed more, but Sun Ying just laughed along.

"Sister-in-law."

Tang Ze saw Jiang Nian and greeted him.

Jiang Nian nodded at Tang Ze and glanced at Sun Ying. Sun Ying looked away with a cold face. Tang Ze tried to smooth it over awkwardly: "Where did your sister-in-law go?"

Jiang Nian said, "Answering the phone."

Then he left.

Thinking about Sun Ying and Wu Youshan in the dream, Jiang Nian couldn't help but be curious. If Sun Ying and Lu Yu didn't get married in the book, how would the plot end?

Jiang Nian hadn't thought about the subsequent plot yet, she just thought about Lu Yu and Sun Ying, and she suddenly felt uncomfortable.

She held her breath and tried not to think about the content of the book.

Otherwise, she might feel more and more uncomfortable.

After all, it was a novel and had nothing to do with Lu Yu. When she was reading this book, Lu Yu was just a cold paper man in her eyes.

Back in the yard, Jiang Nian entered the house and started embroidering. She embroidered until noon, but Lu Yu hadn't come back yet. When she was about to ask Feng Mei, she suddenly remembered that Lu Yu said he would come back in the evening when he left in the morning.

Jiang Nian heated up two rice dumplings for lunch and continued to embroider after lunch. Ge Mei would be gone at the end of the month, and it was unknown who would be the next director.

Feng Mei and Xu Yan came in the afternoon, and Jiang Nian sat in the courtyard embroidering and listening to them talk about gossip about the courtyard.

Feng Mei looked at Jiang Nian: "Guess who I met when I went to see Lao Song after breakfast?"

Jiang Nian raised his head: "Who?"

Xu Yan also listened curiously. Feng Mei snorted and laughed: "I met Tang Ze bringing a woman back home. I have seen that woman before. She is a nurse in the county hospital. She gave you an injection before and gave Xiangdong an injection this time. She is very beautiful, but she looks difficult to approach. She looks like a city person, very arrogant, and doesn't even know how to greet people when she meets them."

It was Sun Ying.

Jiang Nian met her when he came back.

Xu Yan said, "Who is Tang Ze looking for?"

Feng Mei said, "I think it's probably the right person. Otherwise, why would she follow Tang Ze home? On the Dragon Boat Festival? You know it without thinking."

She said "Huh", and gossiped, "Do you think this nurse is also remarried? Otherwise, why would she fall in love with Tang Ze, a widower?"

Jiang Nian almost laughed out loud after hearing this.

Not to mention, Feng Mei's words reminded her of how Feng Mei tried to match her with Song Bai, so she joked, "What's wrong with being a widower? You don't mind me being a widow, do you?"

"You're the only one who talks too much."

Feng Mei smiled and patted Jiang Nian's shoulder, "I'm just curious, how did Tang Ze get to know that female nurse."

This topic was passed after a while. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and Song Xiangdong and Liu Jianye will go to school tomorrow. Feng Mei and Xu Yan sat for a while and then left. There are still a lot of things to do at home. Xu Yan said, "I have to go weed tomorrow. There are still some weeds in the field that haven't been pulled clean."

Jiang Nian remembered that the weeds in the private plot had not been pulled yet.

The vegetables are growing now, and if they are not weeded, they will not grow well.

After Xu Yan and the others left, Jiang Nian put down her embroidery, changed into the patched clothes she brought last year, took a small shovel and went to the private plot. As a result, when she arrived at the end of the field, she found that the field was clean and dry, without a single weed.

Jiang Nian: ...

No need to think, it was all pulled out by Lu Yu.

She walked back with a small shovel. When she passed the intersection of the family courtyard and the regiment headquarters, she saw a group of people, led by Lu Yu and Captain Lu. For the first time, Jiang Nian began to care about her image. She lowered her head to look at her black patched jacket and pants, and walked forward with a little embarrassment, trying her best to avoid bumping into Lu Yu and the others.

"Sister-in-law."

Lu Yu's voice came from behind. Jiang Nian pursed her lips, exhaled, turned around and looked at Lu Yu and Captain Lu, and smiled awkwardly: "Where are you going?"

Lu Yu looked at Jiang Nian with a complicated look and said, "I'm going out for a while and will be back soon."

The soldiers following behind him shouted "Sister-in-law" when they saw Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian smiled awkwardly, glanced at Lu Yu hurriedly: "I'm going back first."

After that, she ran directly towards the family courtyard.

Those two legs ran quite fast.

Lu Yu's eyebrows were tightly wrinkled, and his thin lips were pursed into a cold and hard line. Is

she so afraid of him now?

"Deputy Regiment Lu, Captain Song and the Political Commissar are still waiting there, let's go."

Captain Lu said.

Lu Yu retracted her gaze: "Let's go."

Jiang Nian returned to the family courtyard, quickly changed her patched clothes, breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to embroider until it was dark before going to the kitchen to cook.

Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, Lu Yu came home to eat in the evening, and Jiang Nian planned to cook a few more dishes.

It was a bit too busy to light the fire and cook alone. She cut the vegetables and added the side dishes, heated the pan, and there was still some meat she bought yesterday. She cut a piece and fried a plate of stir-fried pork with green onions, two vegetarian dishes, and steamed rice. After the rice was ready, Lu Yu hadn't come back yet. Jiang Nian put the dish in the pot, ran back to the house, took out the half-finished clothes last time and continued to cook.

It was dark, and Lu Yu never came back.

Jiang Nian leaned over the corner of the wall and shouted towards Feng Mei's yard: "Sister Feng, has Captain Song come back?"

Feng Mei stuck her head out of the window and replied: "No, they are busy these days, and it will be very late when they come back. You can eat your meal first and don't have to

wait for Deputy Captain Lu." Jiang Nian had to go back to the house to continue making clothes. It was almost twelve o'clock, but Lu Yu didn't come back. Jiang Nian simply went to the kitchen to eat something, boiled some hot water, brought it back to the house, washed it, and went to sleep.

She slept in this corner until the next day. When she woke up, her head was resting on the side of the bed, which hurt her ears.

Jiang Nian turned over and fell asleep. She opened her eyes drowsily and found that it was already daybreak. She heard faint footsteps outside and woke up suddenly. She got up, put on her clothes, combed her hair and tied it up. When she opened the door, she saw Lu Yu carrying the meal and placing it on the table in the yard.

The man looked at her sleepy eyes with a smile on his face: "Are you up?"

Jiang Nian nodded: "Didn't you come back last night?"

She walked to the well to fetch water to wash up, and heard Lu Yu say: "I was busy until midnight last night, and Song Bai and I ate some corn cakes in the dormitory and went to sleep. Didn't you eat last night?"

Jiang Nian brushed her teeth and said: "I ate a little."

Lu Yu glanced at last night's meal and saw that it was basically untouched. He just heated it up and waited until Jiang Nian sat opposite him before handing her chopsticks: "Eat more."

"Yeah."

Jiang Nian lowered her head and ate in small bites. There were a few more pieces of meat in the bowl. Across from her was Lu Yu's voice: "You are too thin."

It was obviously a very normal sentence, but Jiang Nian blushed.

She suddenly thought of what happened in the kitchen yesterday morning. She didn't dare to raise her head. She ate whatever Lu Yu gave her. Her mouth was full of rice and meat. She replied vaguely, "I know."

Lu Yu raised his eyes and glanced at Jiang Nian, who almost buried his head in the bowl. His eyebrows wrinkled, but he finally said nothing and ate quietly with his head down. After dinner, the two put the dishes in the kitchen. Jiang Nian saw Lu Yu washing the dishes, so she turned around and left.

"Jiang Nian."

A deep voice came from behind her.

Jiang Nian stopped walking and turned around when she reached the door of the kitchen: "What's wrong?"

Lu Yu's cold and handsome eyebrows seemed to have not relaxed since the morning: "You don't have to hide from me all the time."

"I didn't."

Jiang Nian realized that she answered too quickly and explained hurriedly: "I didn't hide from you."

Lu Yu didn't say anything else and turned to wash the dishes.

Jiang Nian returned to the room and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the embroidery that was half completed, so she sat on the bed and continued to embroider. There was the sound of pouring water outside. Every time the footsteps sounded, Jiang Nian felt her heart beating uncontrollably.

She realized later that her emotions seemed to have been led by Lu Yu.

She tried her best to block out the footsteps outside. Just as she was concentrating on embroidery, she heard footsteps coming towards her. She turned her head to look outside and suddenly met the man's dark eyes. Jiang Nian tightened her hand holding the needle and smiled: "Are you done?"

Lu Yu didn't say anything, just nodded slightly.

He stood outside the door for a while, then walked straight to Jiang Nian. Without waiting for Jiang Nian to stand up, he reached out and held her hand, taking the needle out of her hand to avoid hurting her.

"You..."

Jiang Nian pursed her lips, her heart beating violently.

"I just want to hug you for a while."

Lu Yu arched his back and hugged Jiang Nian, his bony palms gently stroking her back, as if with a bewitching power: "If you are afraid of being gossiped, I will wait until the time is right, and then we will get married, okay?"

In Jiang Nian's heart, only when she was transferred and left here, would the time be right.

She nodded gently in Lu Yu's arms: "Okay."

It seemed that her "Okay" encouraged Lu Yu, and the man's arms around her were as strong as steel bars and rocks.

"Jiang Nian."

The hoarse voice lingered in her ears, and Jiang Nian trembled. Just when she wanted to ask what was wrong, the next moment the man's hand passed through her hair and clasped her head, kissing her lips.

The hot breath sprayed in her nostrils, so hot that it was shocking.

The arms tightly around her waist wanted to rub her in. The man's heavy breathing made Jiang Nian blush and her heart beat fast. There were faint footsteps outside the yard. Jiang Nian was scared and nervous, and she bit something without paying attention.

"Jiang Nian."

"Let go of Mu Gong."

Jiang Nian's face turned red, and her head tilted back quickly. At the same time, the voice of Captain Song came from the opposite yard: "Lu Yu, today the group..."

Jiang Nian was so scared that she rolled to the other side of the bed, then sat at the foot of the bed pretending to tidy up her hair, her face flushed, and it was obvious that she had done something shameful. Lu Yu smiled silently, got up, tidied his clothes and walked out of the room.

When Captain Song saw Lu Yu coming out, he said, "Hurry up, you must be very busy these days."

There was no time to waste.

Jiang Nian was sitting in the house and heard Lu Yu say, "I won't be back for lunch."

Through a window, Jiang Nian replied, "Got it." When they walked

outside, they were accompanied by Captain Lu and several other captains. When Captain Lu saw the smile on Lu Yu's face, he was stunned. In all the years he had worked with Deputy Captain Lu, this was the first time he had seen this kind of... a little indescribable smile on Deputy Captain Lu's face.

Lu Yu noticed Captain Lu's gaze and coughed lightly: "Are all the people from your battalion here?"

Captain Lu said: "All are."

The footsteps outside the yard became farther and farther away. Jiang Nian patted her not-so-red face in the house. She relaxed and noticed the faint taste of blood in her mouth. She was stunned for a moment, and then she realized that she had just bitten Lu Yu's tongue.

Jiang Nian: ...

She pursed her lips, got up and went out to wash her face with well water, and went back to the house to continue embroidering. At about noon, the police soldier came to find Jiang Nian and said that someone outside the army was looking for her. It was from the state-owned embroidery manor. Jiang Nian knew that Ge Mei had come.

She changed her clothes and followed the police soldier to the outside of the army. She found that not only Ge Mei was there, but Zhang Xiao was also there. Jiang Nian ran over with a smile: "Sister Ge, Zhang Xiao." "

Sister Jiang!"

Zhang Xiao went up and hugged Jiang Nian: "I missed you."

Jiang Nian smiled and said, "I missed you too."

Seeing her two ugly faces, Ge Mei couldn't help but smile and said to Jiang Nian: "Let's go to the county town and have some lunch."

Jiang Nian said: "Okay."

The three of them walked on the tree-lined path. A military wife passing by greeted Jiang Nian. Jiang Nian smiled and said a few words to them. Those military wives and several aunts looked at Jiang Nian and felt that Deputy Regiment Commander Lu's sister-in-law was different from last year. She smiled at people and was no longer afraid of people.

When they arrived at the county town, it was just time for lunch. The three of them went to a state-owned hotel and sat next to the window. Ge Mei ordered three side dishes and three bowls of rice. While eating, Ge Mei asked Jiang Nian, "How have you been lately?" Jiang Nian smiled and said

, "Fine."

Zhang Xiao was eating happily beside her. Hearing this, he said, "I see that Sister Jiang's face is rosy."

Jiang Nian: ...

Her eyes flashed, and she ate a few bites of the food. Ge Mei raised her eyebrows, poured Jiang Nian a glass of water, and said something that only the two of them could understand, "Any progress?"

Jiang Nian nodded lightly, "Yeah."

Ge Mei smiled and said, "If it's done, remember to call me and let me know, so that I can be happy too."

"What? What's done? What's the progress?"

Zhang Xiao took a sip of water. He didn't understand the nonsense of Ge Mei and Jiang Nian, so he asked curiously.

Ge Mei glanced at her and said with a smile, "I'm asking Jiang Nian, is there any progress between you and Zhu Jun?"

Zhang Xiao's face flushed completely. She quickly drank a sip of water and whispered, "Why are you talking about my business?"

Ge Mei added a piece of meat to Zhang Xiao: "Tell me, how far have you and Zhu Jun progressed?"

Ge Mei was still worried about Zhang Xiao. She would be leaving next month, and she didn't know if the next director would tolerate Zhang Xiao. She couldn't bring Zhang Xiao to Yuanshi. After all, she had just gone to Yuanshi and her foundation was not stable. The people below probably didn't obey her. If she brought Zhang Xiao with her, it would make many people dissatisfied. If

Zhang Xiao could marry Zhu Jun, she wouldn't have to go back to the countryside.

Jiang Nian looked at Zhang Xiao and waited for her to speak.

Zhang Xiao smiled embarrassedly and said, "Zhu Jun called me the day before yesterday and said that his parents already knew about us. His mother will come over in a few days. Once I agree, we'll get it done."

"That's great."

Ge Mei smiled and continued, "I'll send you a telegram when I go back today. Telegrams are fast. Zhu Jun is a soldier, and your mother will definitely agree."

Zhang Xiao smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister Ge."

There were many people at lunch time, and the place was full soon. There were passers-by passing back and forth outside the window. Jiang Nian suddenly felt that although this era was poor, the air was good. There was no car on the road, and at most only a few bicycles could be seen.

After lunch, Ge Mei gave Zhang Xiao money and asked her to buy three bottles of soda. After sending Zhang Xiao away, Ge Mei asked, "Have you expressed your feelings to Deputy Commander Lu?"

Jiang Nian nodded, "Yes."

Ge Mei asked, "Then when will you do it? How is the family courtyard?" What

she actually wanted to ask was whether the family courtyard had said anything about them. After all, Jiang Nian and Deputy Commander Lu were not uncle and sister-in-law, so in the eyes of outsiders, they were still uncle and sister-in-law. If these two got married, there would definitely be gossip in the family courtyard.

Jiang Nian walked with her head down: "Sister Ge, I want to wait a little longer."

Ge Mei asked, "Wait for what?"

Jiang Nian hesitated and looked at the long street: "Wait for a mature opportunity."

"Let go--"

A quarrel came from the intersection ahead, and the woman shook off the man's hand, her face was cold and irritable.

Jiang Nian stopped walking. It was Sun Ying and Wu Youshan.

Seeing them stop, Ge Mei followed her gaze and saw several passersby stopped at the intersection, all watching the couple arguing and tug-of-war. The man kept pulling the woman's hand, but she impatiently shook him off. She asked, "Do you know them?"

Jiang Nian shook her head, "No, I just wanted to see the fun."

Ge Mei couldn't help but laugh.

"Yingying, why are you getting married now? We grew up together, we are childhood sweethearts..."

"Can you stop pestering me?!"

Sun Ying once again broke away from Wu Youshan's hand. When she turned around and walked away, she saw Jiang Nian across from her. Her face suddenly turned cold, and she ran away with a cold snort.

Jiang Nian: ...

"Yingying."

Wu Youshan shouted and chased after her.

Sun Ying is getting married?

The first person Jiang Nian thought of was Tang Ze. Feng Mei had said before that Sun Ying went home with Tang Ze on the Dragon Boat Festival. She didn't expect the two to progress so quickly, and she didn't expect that Sun Ying, who was still pestering Lu Yu in the hospital two days ago, would get married the next day.

"Sister Ge, Sister Jiang."

Zhang Xiao held three bottles of soda and distributed them to them. Jiang Nian took a sip. It tasted different from the soda from New Century, but it was delicious.

Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao talked for a while, and the three of them walked in the small square next to the state-owned hotel. Ge Mei said, "The completion date of the embroidery is the middle of next month. I have sounded out the leader. The director who came this time is about the same age as me, but I don't know his way around people. When the deadline for the embroidery comes, if there are any problems, you can call me and I will communicate."

Jiang Nian nodded: "Okay." Zhang

Xiao was a little nervous after hearing this.

"By the way, I'll give you a gift before you leave."

Ge Mei took out two ox-yellow paper packages from her bag and handed them to her. Jiang Nian took them in her hand and felt that they looked a bit like clothes and shoes. She was stunned for a moment and turned to look at Ge Mei: "Sister Ge, what is this?"

Ge Mei smiled and said, "I see that you wear the same clothes and pants every day and you don't have a skirt. I bought you a pair of bra and a pair of sandals. You can wear them now that the weather is hot. Women, you should dress up more often. We dress up not for others to see, but for ourselves. How young can a person be in his life? If you don't dress up more when you are young, you will regret it when you look back when you are old."

Jiang Nian thought of the same thing she said to Ge Mei in the city before.

After saying goodbye to Ge Mei and the others, Jiang Nian returned to the army. When passing the intersection of the family compound and the regiment, she met Tang Ze and Chen Fang. Jiang Nian paused and said hello: "Sister-in-law Chen, Captain Tang."

Chen Fang looked at the things in her hand, which looked a bit like clothes, so she asked tentatively: "Did you go shopping for clothes?"

Jiang Nian said: "A friend gave it to me."

Chen Fang looked thoughtfully at the bezoar paper bag in Jiang Nian's arms. A friend gave it to her, could it be Song Bai who gave it to her? Before, Feng Mei said by the river that Song Bai was dating someone, and she thought it was Jiang Nian. Now it seems that it must be Jiang Nian, otherwise Deputy Regiment Commander Lu's sister-in-law has no relatives here, who would give her clothes?

She had been thinking about bringing Tang Ze and Jiang Nian together, but it turned out that Jiang Nian and Song Bai were dating each other. However, her Tang Ze was also dating each other, and the other party was a nurse in the county hospital, and she was on the government payroll. It was said that the girl's father was a director in the factory, and the other party's conditions were better than Jiang Nian in every aspect.

Chen Fang smiled and said, "How is Deputy Tuan Lu's marriage going? You said he is not young anymore, and our Tang Ze is about to get married, but he hasn't made any moves yet? You said that we, as sisters-in-law, should worry more. As the saying goes, an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Deputy Tuan Lu's parents are gone, so you have to worry more."

Jiang Nian: ...

I don't want to be Lu Yu's mother.

Tang Ze frowned: "Sister-in-law, stop talking."

He looked at Jiang Nian again and smiled: "Sister-in-law, we'll go first."

Jiang Nian nodded: "Okay."

Jiang Nian returned home, opened the bezoar paper package, shook out the clothes and took a look. It was a light yellow dress with a white belt in the middle. She opened another bezoar paper package, which contained a pair of white sandals.

Having lived here for a year, she knew the prices here. This dress was very expensive, and it was also rare in the department store. I'm sure Ge Mei had put a lot of thought into this gift she prepared for her.

She folded the clothes and put them in the cupboard. Feng Mei's voice came from outside: "Jiang Nian, the commune next door is catching fish. Let's go too. The fish there is much cheaper than the food station."

"Catching fish?"

Jiang Nian turned around and saw Feng Mei coming in, and asked, "Isn't it that big river?"

Feng Mei's face changed, as if she thought of Song Xiangdong's matter, and then shook her head: "No, it's just a pond. The water is not even as high as ours. This is what Captain Lu's mother told me. There will be a lot of people here. Let's hurry up, otherwise we won't be able to catch any fish if we go too late."

Jiang Nian was about to close the cabinet door, and then he remembered something: "We have to go to the pond to catch fish too?"

Feng Mei was stunned: "What else? We catch them ourselves. No matter how much we catch, we can weigh them together. It's very cheap."

She glanced at Jiang Nian . "But you have to change your clothes. It'll be so sad if you get them dirty wearing this."

Jiang Nian was wearing the clothes that Lu Yu bought for her last year. The shirt was slightly fitted at the waist, outlining her slender waist, and the trousers were straight. She glanced at Feng Mei's patched old clothes, the corners of which were curled from washing, so she nodded: "Sister-in-law Feng, wait a moment, I'll change my clothes."

When Jiang Nian changed her clothes and walked out with the backpack on her back, she met Xu Yan and Captain Lu's mother. Both of them were wearing tattered clothes, so they didn't feel bad even if they got dirty with the mud of the pond.

They went to the next village. When they passed the bridge, Jiang Nian turned around and looked at the river. Thinking of what happened that day, she still felt a little scared. The pond was on the commune brigade. From a distance, she could see that many ponds were full of people.

"There are few people in that pond."

Feng Mei dragged Jiang Nian and ran over. Xu Yan and the old lady followed.

Seeing Feng Mei, Xu Yan and the old lady jump into the pond, Jiang Nian did not hesitate and jumped in. She almost slipped on the mud at the bottom of her feet. She steadied her body and imitated Feng Mei and the others to bend over and catch fish in the muddy pond.

"Oh my, this fish is big!"

Feng Mei grabbed the gills with both hands. The fish swayed and swayed. Feng Mei threw it into the backpack. She looked up at Jiang Nian: "Did you catch it?"

Jiang Nian's face was a little red from the sun, and sweat was on her temples. She shook her head: "I can't catch it."

It's too slippery.

She finally caught a fish, but the fish slipped away as soon as it swayed.

"Here, this, this--"

Xu Yan shouted to Jiang Nian, "There are so many fish here, come and catch them."

The old lady had caught four fish by now. The old lady had been living in the countryside, and every year when they went fishing in the pond, their whole family would go. She knew how to catch fish quickly. Seeing that Jiang Nian had not caught a fish for a long time, she said to her, "When you catch a fish, you have to pinch its gills. After you catch it, slide towards the gills and it will not be able to escape."

Jiang Nian smiled at the old lady, "Thank you, ma'am."

"Here's one for you."

Feng Mei threw a fish into Jiang Nian's backpack, and Xu Yan also threw a fish into Jiang Nian's backpack. Jiang Nian looked at the fish in the pond intently, then quickly caught a small fish, pinched its gills, and finally threw it into the backpack.

The old lady smiled and said, "That's it."

Jiang Nian turned to the three of them and smiled and said, "Thank you."

Several people caught a lot of fish. The old lady planned to pickle the fish when she returned home so that they wouldn't go bad. Ge Mei and Xu Yan thought so too. Several people climbed out of the pond with baskets on their backs. Jiang Nian also climbed out with difficulty. Her waist and below were all covered in mud, and her clothes were also stained with mud.

She felt that the skin on her face was a little tight, but her hands were covered in mud and she couldn't touch it.

As a result, Feng Mei next to her started laughing when she saw her: "Jiang Nian, this is the first time I see mud spots on your face. Don't say that it doesn't look good on other people's faces with mud spots, but it looks pretty good on you."

Xu Yan turned her head and took a look. Jiang Nian's skin was white, and after being exposed to the sun, she was tired for a long time. Now her face was rosy, and there were some mud spots on her cheeks. Not only did she not look sloppy, but she looked pretty, the kind that people would love to see.

Jiang Nian: ...

This is the first time she has heard such compliments.

Several people went to the brigade. There were many people queuing up to weigh the fish. They had to line up. Most of the people who caught fish this time were from the brigade and educated youth. It was almost dusk, and half of the sky was red. There were not many people in front, only ten people. Each family is weighed

, and the person next to the team leader writes down the number in the notebook.

Every year, everyone hopes to catch fish to satisfy their hunger, so all the fish that can be caught are caught at home. The people in the team have to hand in the fish. According to the weight of each family, the river will be divided into several fish. If a family does not catch any fish, then they will not get any fish.

However, some people are more cunning and will hide one or two fish in their clothes and sneak back.

Soon it was Jiang Nian and her friends' turn. The team leader knew that they were military wives, so he did not take the fish away. After recording the account, he collected the money and let them go.

Jiang Nian walked back with the backpack on his back. He felt like his legs were not his own. They were so heavy that he could hardly walk. The mud on his hands had dried up. He and his men went to the river, where the terrain was wider, washed their hands and faces, and then walked back to the troops.

On the way back to the troops, he could see other military wives one after another. They looked similar to them.

Feng Mei said, "You have to take a good bath when you get back. You are covered in mud, and it smells fishy and smelly."

Jiang Nian snorted, smelled the smell on his body, and frowned a little in disgust.

After returning to the courtyard, the first thing Jiang Nian did was to pour the fish into a large basin, then carry the water to the pot, and after the hot water was ready, she carried buckets of water into the house. She turned on the light in the house, dragged down the dirty clothes and threw them on the ground, and washed them first.

But there was a lot of mud on her legs and feet, and the water would be dirty after washing once, so she put on shorts and a small vest, scooped water with a basin, and poured out half a basin of water. It was really tiring to pour water without Lu Yu. It was getting dark, and Jiang Nian wanted to finish washing quickly and make dinner.

She ran to the kitchen to heat water, and then continued to carry the bucket back and forth, until the third time she finally washed it clean, and the water was clean and not dirty. Jiang Nian felt a little better. She wiped off the water droplets on her body, and suddenly heard footsteps outside. She was frightened and shouted loudly: "Who?!"

She locked the door from the inside, so it was impossible for someone to push the door in.

Just after she finished shouting, she suddenly realized that it should be Lu Yu.

Sure enough, Lu Yu's worried voice came from outside the house: "I knocked on the door for a long time but no one answered. What's wrong with you?"

Jiang Nian threw away the towel and wanted to climb onto the bed. Because the courtyard gate was closed, she didn't lock the door. She was afraid that Lu Yu would come in, so she quickly replied: "I'm taking a shower!"

After that, she crawled into the quilt, pulled the quilt over and wrapped herself tightly, then took the clothes from the bedside from the quilt and put them on quickly. Lu Yu's low laugh came from outside: "I'm glad you're okay."

The man stood outside the door, his palm just placed on the door panel, and almost pushed the door open.

Hearing the rustling sound inside, Lu Yu's Adam's apple rolled a few times, retracted his hand and said: "I'm going to cook."

After that, he turned around and went to the kitchen.

Listening to the footsteps gradually fading away, Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief. After putting on her clothes, she lifted the quilt. Her face was covered with heat and her hair was wet. She put on her shoes, wiped her wet hair with a towel, and then opened the door to the kitchen.

The light was on in the kitchen. Jiang Nian saw Lu Yu standing in front of the chopping board cutting vegetables. The warm yellow light shone on the tall and straight figure. The man took off his military uniform and wore a white shirt. The hem of the shirt was tucked into his trouser waist. He wore a black leather belt on the waist of his military green trousers. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His waist and abdomen were thin and strong.

Jiang Nian inexplicably thought of the last time in the kitchen, when Lu Yu dragged her waist with one hand and pushed her against the wall.

She quickly dismissed those images, walked to the door of the kitchen, and whispered, "I went to the neighboring commune to catch fish with Sister Feng in the afternoon. We were all covered in mud, so we locked the door and took a bath in the house when we came back."

She explained to him what she was going to do in the afternoon.

Lu Yu paused while cutting vegetables. His cold and handsome eyebrows were covered with a pair of dark eyes. His deep voice was a little hoarse and strange: "Okay."

After Jiang Nian finished speaking, he smiled and said, "You clean up those fish, I'll make dinner."

"Okay."

Lu Yu still said this word.

He put down the kitchen knife and turned around to see Jiang Nian walking to the kitchen. She was wearing the clothes he bought her last year. Her hair was wet and draped over her shoulders. Her bangs were also stained with water. Her face was white and rosy. Because she had taken a bath, she exuded a faint scent of soapberry. Her curled eyelashes were wet and made people feel pain.

"The fish is by the well."

Jiang Nian pointed to him. When she walked to the chopping board and prepared to cut vegetables, her wrist suddenly tightened. She blinked and looked at the five bony fingers holding her wrist. Her heart skipped a beat. She slowly moved up along her wrist and met Lu Yu's deep and bottomless eyes.

"What, what's wrong?"

She was a little unskilled in speaking.

Lu Yu's voice was a little hoarse: "Wipe your hair dry, otherwise it will easily give you a headache."

Jiang Nian avoided Lu Yu's burning gaze: "I have already wiped it, but there are still some water droplets. It will be almost dry after dinner."

"I'll help you wipe it."

Lu Yu's fingers did not loosen, but held them tighter, pulling her to sit in front of the stove: "I'll get a towel."

Jiang Nian's heart couldn't help but beat violently, and she felt like sitting on pins and needles.

She just wanted to stand up, and saw Lu Yu holding a clean towel and walking behind her, holding her shoulders, stopping her from getting up: "Don't move."

In the quiet kitchen, the man's voice inexplicably became more magnetic and hoarse.