An Accidental Military Marriage

The convoy stopped before it had even left town.

"There’s been a landslide on the mountain ahead, and it’s blocked the road out of town. Who’s willing to go help?"

The new recruits eagerly answered the call, jumping out of the trucks one after another.

Jiang Peng was also eager to help, but he went to say a quick word to Jiang Moli first.

After sitting around for a bit, Jiang Moli poked her head out the window. When she saw that the convoy had posted men to guard the luggage, she got out of the truck too.

She stretched her stiff limbs and walked over to Lu Tingting’s truck.

"I’m going up front to watch the commotion. Are you coming?"

Lu Tingting, deliberately being contrary, shot back, "What’s there to see? I’m not going!"

Jiang Moli nodded. "Probably for the best. A pretty, unmarried young lady like you might catch the eye of some old bachelor from the mountains. He could just knock you out with a club, haul you back up there, and force you into a wedding night."

Although Lu Tingting was fuming, Jiang Moli’s words had also scared her a little. Now, everyone she saw passing by outside looked suspicious. She stayed put in the truck, not daring to even set a foot outside.

Jiang Moli asked one of the soldiers on guard to escort her to the latrine.

’I got out because I had to take a dump, not to go watch the commotion.’

’What’s so interesting about road repair? Especially on a scorching day like this. It’s not like I’m crazy.’

Coming out from the latrine, she saw a few women with tanned skin walking toward the town entrance, their faces alight with cheer.

Jiang Moli didn’t pay them much mind and was about to head back to the truck when snippets of the women’s chatter drifted over to her:

"Those soldiers up on the mountain are all so strong and well-built, and each one is more handsome than the last. Especially that Camp Commander Lu! They say he’s the youngest, most promising, and best-looking officer in the entire unit. I wonder if he’s married..."

Jiang Moli turned and pointed at the group of women, who were now some distance away. "Oh, wait! I think that’s my great-grandaunt who I lost touch with thirty years ago! Comrade, could I trouble you to accompany me one more time?"

The soldier found her excuse a bit strange, but since Jiang Moli had already started walking, he had no choice but to follow.

「Soon, they reached the town entrance.」

A large group of young and middle-aged women stood on a slope, craning their necks to get a look at the landslide. They were gathered in small groups, whispering amongst themselves.

The women from before were in the crowd, grinning so wide you could see their gums.

"TSK TSK, look at the muscles on those arms... and that waist! You can just tell he’s got energy for days!"

’Let’s see for myself just how much energy he has.’

Jiang Moli pushed her way through the crowd, squeezed to the very front, and took a good, long look.

’Oh, if it isn’t my estranged husband.’

The man was wearing an army-green tank top that revealed long, powerful arms. The superb lines of his muscles, full of strength, gleamed like bronze in the sunlight.

His sweat-soaked tank top clung to his body, perfectly outlining his V-taper frame—broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

With every breath, his perfectly sculpted chest muscles rose and fell.

SLURP.

’I’m about to start drooling.’

After gawking at him for a good long while, Jiang Moli turned to the women behind her and said, "This? What’s so interesting? Break it up, everyone. Go on, get back to whatever you were doing."

"Who are you?"

"Mind your own business!"

"If you don’t want to look, then leave! Don’t stand here getting in the way!"

[Disdain Value +5, 50,000 Yuan Credited.]

Jiang Moli pointed at Lu Cheng, who was busy directing the soldiers. "A man like him? With my charm, I could have him with just the crook of my finger. Believe me?"

"I guess that’s why there are no cows on the hill today—you’ve bragged them all to death!"

[Disdain Value +2, 20,000 Yuan Credited.]

"You don’t believe me? Fine. Watch closely, now. I’ll only show you once."

With that, Jiang Moli cleared her throat, cupped her hands around her mouth, and yelled toward Lu Cheng, "Hey, soldier boy! Look over here!"

Every soldier except Lu Cheng snapped their heads around to look.

Jiang Moli yelled, "Not you lot! Get back to work, no slacking! I’m talking to the tallest one in the tank top! The one named Lu! Hey, you!"

As one, the soldiers turned to look at Lu Cheng.

’That voice... why does it sound a little like my wife?’

Lu Cheng wondered to himself, but out loud he snapped at his men, "What are you all looking at me for? Get this task finished."

After chiding the gossiping soldiers, he frowned and looked toward the small hill.

Hm?

’I must have turned my head wrong. Why am I seeing my wife?’

He snapped his head back, then slowly turned it again.

’It really is her?!’

Before he could even process what was happening, he heard Jiang Moli’s clear, bright voice call out, "Hey, soldier boy, you seeing anyone?"

Lu Cheng stared at her for a long moment, a doting look in his eyes. A wide grin finally broke across his face as he shouted back, "Sure am! Get over here!"

Jiang Moli whipped her head around to face the women. "So? What do you think? Impressed? Huh? I’m asking you, are you impressed or not?"

The women were all dumbfounded.

’That actually worked?’

"You—you’re shameless!"

That cry of "Shameless!" was met with near-unanimous agreement.

After all, they had all come to ogle the soldiers themselves.

But they only had the desire, not the nerve; none of them would dare be so shameless as to publicly hit on a man like that.

[Disdain Value +7, 70,000 Yuan Credited.]

Jiang Moli did a quick scan and noticed that only about half of them had contributed to her Disdain Value.

She turned back to Lu Cheng and yelled, "Darling! Eight o’clock tonight, in the sorghum fields. I’ll be waiting! We can have a nice, long chat about life and our dreams."

She finished by blowing Lu Cheng a kiss.

’This should rake in some more Disdain Value,’ she thought. But when she turned back to the crowd, she found every single one of them glaring at her with righteous indignation.

"Shameless hussy! Flirting with a man in broad daylight! You’re a disgrace to all women!"

"Arrest that female deviant!"

’Shit, I overdid it!’

Her body moved faster than her brain. Before anyone could react, Jiang Moli beat a hasty retreat.

"Stop right there!"

"Why are you running?"

"You hussy!"

A mob of women chased after her, some throwing vegetables, others flinging clumps of dirt.

[Disdain Value +1+1+1+1+1...]

Seeing his wife being chased by a mob of villagers, Lu Cheng grew anxious. He wanted to go help, but then he remembered his duty and turned to give orders to Zhao Hongbing.

Zhao Hongbing clearly misinterpreted his commander’s intentions. Before Lu Cheng could even speak, he stepped forward and volunteered:

"Commander Lu, I’ll take a few men and bring that woman back here! We’ll teach her a good lesson! How dare she harass you? I think she’s got a death wish."

Lu Cheng’s face was cold. "Stand down! Captain Zhao, you’re in charge here. I want this road cleared and traffic flowing as quickly as possible!"

"And you, Commander Lu? Where are you going?"

"To find my wife!"

With that, he took off, chasing in the direction Jiang Moli had run.

’Chasing his wife?’

’That hussy?’

Zhao Hongbing stared blankly at his commander’s retreating back for a long moment before it finally clicked. He hurriedly called over one of his platoon leaders.

"Go! Get back to camp and report to Commander Zhong! Camp Commander Lu has been abducted by a female deviant!"

...

Jiang Peng and a few other new recruits were assigned to haul the cleared rocks to the town’s stone quarry.

On his way back from the delivery, he ran right into Lu Cheng.

"Brother-in-law!"

Lu Cheng didn’t have time for pleasantries. "Have you seen your sister?"

"How did you know my sister was here? Oh, she’s with the convoy up ahead..."

Before Jiang Peng could finish, Lu Cheng was already running back toward the town.

The squad leader in charge of transporting the new recruits had reported to him earlier that the convoy was stuck in town.