An Accidental Military Marriage

Jiang Moli didn’t agree to Jiang Peng’s request, but she didn’t refuse either.

She had to mull over the idea of going to the military base. After all, she still had half a month.

Worried it wasn’t safe for Jiang Moli to walk home alone at night, the father and son escorted her back to the Military District Courtyard.

A bright moon shone in a sky of sparse stars, and the evening breeze gently caressed their faces.

Jiang Moli and Jiang Peng walked ahead, talking as they went.

Jiang Dahai strolled leisurely behind the siblings, his hands clasped behind his back and a rare, gentle affection in his eyes.

’Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, the two tykes had grown into adults.’

Jiang Moli handed the birthday red envelope she hadn’t given him yet to Jiang Peng. "Here."

"Thanks, Sis! Hehe!"

With a wide grin, Jiang Peng stuffed the red envelope into his pocket.

"You’re 18 now. You need to be more mature. Stop slacking off and fooling around all day. The family will be counting on you from now on."

"Don’t worry, Sis. I’ll definitely work hard."

Thinking of Jiang Peng’s two "cannon fodder" friends, Jiang Moli casually asked, "What have Shi Yu and Zhang Lei been up to lately?"

At the mention of his good friends, Jiang Peng sounded a bit glum. "Zhang Lei went to Beidahuang. Shi Yu is still doing that business with his brother-in-law."

This was what Jiang Moli had expected.

’Youthful recklessness. They won’t learn their lesson until they hit a brick wall.’

’It came back to that same old saying: drop the savior complex, respect other people’s destinies.’

"How are your driving lessons coming along?"

"I’ve already passed the written test. The practical exam is next week. Once I pass that, I’ll get my certificate."

"Work hard, and you can be your brother-in-law’s driver."

Jiang Peng’s eyes lit up. "Really? But at his current rank, my brother-in-law doesn’t have a car, does he?"

"Just because he doesn’t have one now doesn’t mean he won’t in the future. With his skills, it’s a sure thing he’ll become a senior officer."

’Making it to a camp-level rank by twenty-six showed just how exceptional his abilities were.’

’As long as he avoids any major missteps, his path to promotion is sure to be smooth.’

’Actually, sometimes she felt an irresistible itch to have the system look up Lu Cheng’s fate in the original book.’

’But she was also afraid that knowing too much would just make life more stressful.’

’Things were good enough as they were.’

Jiang Peng was more than satisfied with the grand future Jiang Moli had painted for him.

’Once his brother-in-law got a car, he’d be at least a regiment commander. And he would be the regiment commander’s personal driver. How impressive would that be?’

Noticing Jiang Dahai feeling a bit left out behind them, Jiang Moli walked over. "Dad, don’t look so down. Are you out of money? You can tell me if you need some."

When Jiang Dahai saw Jiang Moli opening her shoulder bag, he instinctively assumed she was about to give him money, and he couldn’t help but feel touched.

’Even though he could earn his own money now and didn’t need his daughter’s support, her giving him money was a sign of her filial devotion...’

Just as he was lost in thought, he saw Jiang Moli pull out a handkerchief, press it to her nose, and blow it vigorously.

Jiang Dahai stared speechlessly at the sky.

"So, I’m asking you, Dad. Are you out of money?"

Jiang Dahai glared at her. "I’m broke. What about it?"

Jiang Moli said, "You should’ve just said so! Here, let me tell you all about how I get by when I’m broke."

Jiang Dahai: "..."

...

When Jiang Moli returned to her in-laws’ home, Lu Deyao and An Hui had already eaten dinner.

Seeing her carrying an enamel basin, Lu Deyao asked curiously, "Xiao Jiang, what are you carrying?"

"We had lobster for dinner at my family’s place. I brought some back for you to try."

Lobster?

Lu Deyao and An Hui were stunned. Even Ma Hongmei, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, ran out to see what all the fuss was about.

They had heard of lobster but had never eaten it. It was said to be a creature from the sea and very difficult to catch.

As the three of them watched in anticipation, Jiang Moli opened the lid of the enamel basin.

"...Xiao Jiang, aren’t these just crawdads?"

"’Crawdad’ is just the local name. Its proper name is crayfish. It’s easy to eat, too. First, you suck the juices from the head, then you peel the shell and eat the tail meat."

After explaining, Jiang Moli went back to her room.

Lu Deyao, An Hui, and Ma Hongmei looked at each other, at a loss for words.

Although they doubted these crawdads could be any good, Lu Deyao, considering it was a thoughtful gesture from his daughter-in-law, bravely tried one first.

An Hui and Ma Hongmei watched him eat.

"Well? How does it taste?"

"It’s delicious! You two should try it!"

After finishing his, Lu Deyao happily picked out a large one and handed it to An Hui.

Dubiously, An Hui copied him and sucked the juices from the head.

The first taste was an intense, numbing spice, followed by the savory fragrance of the seasoning, which then blossomed into a hint of sweetness on her tongue.

Seeing the old couple enjoying it so much, Ma Hongmei sat down to join them.

By the time Jiang Moli came out after changing her clothes, a considerable pile of crayfish shells had accumulated in front of the three of them.

Lu Deyao praised her, "Xiao Jiang, these crawdads are cooked perfectly!"

Ma Hongmei said, "How did you make these? There’s no fishy taste at all, and they’re so flavorful."

The ditches in the countryside were full of these things, but no one ate them because they had such a strong, fishy smell.

Jiang Moli sat down and explained the method for cooking the crayfish to Ma Hongmei in great detail.

"Aunt Hongmei, I’ll have my brother go to the countryside tomorrow and catch half a bucket for you to practice with."

"Great idea!"

Lu Deyao eagerly agreed on Ma Hongmei’s behalf.

’Who would’ve thought this stinky little thing could end up smelling more fragrant than meat when cooked? The only problem was the portion was too small; it was gone before they’d had their fill.’

This was exactly why Jiang Moli had brought the crayfish back for her in-laws.

’If she had just said she wanted to eat these things and asked Ma Hongmei to cook them, the Lu Family would have probably thought she was crazy. After all, people back then didn’t consider crawdads to be good food.’

’Now that they had all tasted the spicy crayfish, the next time she mentioned wanting to eat them, the three of them would likely be even more eager than she was.’

...

Jiang Qing was so anxious she couldn’t sleep all night.

She was terrified that Lu Cheng would find out she had spread the rumor and send her back to her hometown. Even worse, she was afraid it would jeopardize Zhang Jia Ming’s promotion.

She was so full of regret she wanted to slap herself.

She finally drifted into a groggy sleep around dawn, only to be woken by a knock on the door.

She opened the door and was overjoyed to see Zhang Jia Ming, but then the memory of the rumor hit her, and her face turned ashen.

"Jia Ming, did you talk to Camp Commander Lu about the rumor? What did he say?"

"Yes, Camp Commander Lu has already gotten to the bottom of it..."

Jiang Qing’s heart plummeted.

"...It was Camp Commander Lu’s niece, Lu Tingting, who spread the rumor. She and Jiang Moli don’t get along. Camp Commander Lu only told me, so you can’t tell anyone."

’What an unexpected turn of events!’

Jiang Qing’s heart, which had seemed to stop, began to beat again.

’The heavens were truly looking out for her, letting Lu Tingting take the fall.’

’If she weren’t afraid of scaring Zhang Jia Ming, she would have thrown her head back and laughed out loud.’

The weight lifted from her heart, and Jiang Qing suddenly felt ravenous.

She had been so worried about the rumor since yesterday that she hadn’t even thought about eating.

"Jia Ming, I’m a bit hungry. Let’s go to town and get something to eat. We can pick up some household supplies while we’re there."

Zhang Jia Ming gazed at her intently, his hands coming to rest on her waist. "Xiao Qing, I missed you."

A shy blush crept onto Jiang Qing’s cheeks. She said coquettishly, "We can talk about that when we get back."

"I’ll be quick. Just two minutes."

"..."

Two minutes later, the couple got dressed and left the house.