An Accidental Military Marriage

Jiang Wenjuan wasn’t particularly angry about Lu Cheng coming over to freeload.

After all, as the regiment commander’s wife, she had that much magnanimity.

In fact, she even quite admired Lu Cheng.

’That Xiao Lu usually seems so cold and unapproachable, never giving any of the female comrades on base a second glance. I never would have thought he’d be the type to dote on his wife!’

Zhong Weiguo, who was just picking up his chopsticks to eat, chimed in at his wife’s words, "I can dote on you, too."

With that, he raised his chopsticks and lightly tapped the back of Jiang Wenjuan’s hand. "Does it hurt? Want me to dote on you a little more?"

"Oh, get lost!"

Jiang Wenjuan scoffed at him, then turned to see her children covering their mouths to hide their laughter. "Don’t you learn your father’s improper ways," she chided, while serving the braised rabbit. She placed two pieces in each of the three children’s bowls, and then one in her own.

The last four or five pieces remaining in the bowl all went to Zhong Weiguo.

Zhong Weiguo, however, picked out two pieces of rabbit and placed them in her bowl. "You worked hard to make this. You should have some more."

Jiang Wenjuan glanced at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a blissful smile.

...

Upon arriving at the guesthouse, Lu Cheng first gave Lu Tingting her share of the food he’d picked up from the cafeteria, then went to find Jiang Moli.

Jiang Moli had already been asleep. Woken by his arrival, she was still in a daze.

Her face was as small as a palm, her skin fair. With her hair unbound, she sat on the wooden chair, looking small and delicate.

Even though she was frowning in displeasure, she looked impossibly cute.

Lu Cheng’s heart melted completely, and his voice softened involuntarily.

"I’m sorry, I’m late. Something came up and delayed me. Let’s eat. You can get some proper rest after you’ve eaten."

Jiang Moli’s attention was immediately drawn to the braised rabbit in the lunchbox. "What’s this?"

"Wild rabbit. Have a taste."

Jiang Moli took the chopsticks and, without ceremony, put a piece of meat into her mouth.

"How is it?"

The meat was tender, and whatever spices had been used completely eliminated any gaminess, filling her mouth with a rich, savory flavor.

Jiang Moli nodded as she chewed. "Delicious. The food on your base is pretty good."

Lu Cheng pushed the lunchbox containing the rabbit into her hands, then opened his own and spooned some of his potato and mixed-grain rice and his tofu with green vegetables into hers.

Although the man’s lunchbox was twice the size of hers, it contained only mixed-grain rice and tofu with greens.

Jiang Moli was just about to ask why he hadn’t gotten any meat for himself when there was a knock at the door.

Lu Cheng got up and opened the door. It was Lu Tingting.

"Third Uncle, you didn’t give me any chopsticks."

Lu Cheng replied, "I don’t have any extra pairs here. Go ask an orderly to lend you some."

Lu Tingting said, "Oh," then suddenly sniffed the air. "What’s that smell?"

Just then, she saw Jiang Moli spit a bone onto the dining table.

Lu Tingting’s eyes went wide.

"Why do you get to eat meat?!"

Jiang Moli retorted, "Don’t you?"

It might have sounded like she was gloating, but that wasn’t her intention.

Jiang Moli didn’t know where the rabbit meat had come from; she assumed Lu Cheng had gotten it from the cafeteria.

If he had gotten a portion for her, it stood to reason he would have gotten one for Lu Tingting as well.

He wasn’t the kind of stingy guy who would ask a blind date to go Dutch on gas money.

"Third Uncle! Why does she get to eat meat and I don’t? You’re playing favorites!"

"She’s my wife. If I don’t favor her, should I be favoring you? When you get married and are eating good food at home with your husband, are you going to invite your Third Aunt over to share?"

Jiang Moli smiled.

Lu Tingting burst into tears.

After sending Lu Tingting away, Lu Cheng closed the door and returned to the table to continue his meal.

Jiang Moli gave him a few pieces of the rabbit from her lunchbox. "Why didn’t you get a meat dish for yourself? You guys use up so much energy, you can’t just live on vegetables, can you?"

Lu Cheng didn’t refuse her considerate gesture. He picked up a piece of rabbit, popped it into his mouth, and began to explain.

"This rabbit isn’t from the cafeteria. I went and wheedled it out of my commanding officer."

Seeing the surprise on Jiang Moli’s face, he said seriously, "The conditions here really are harsh. A common soldier only gets about fifty grams of pork a month. I get a little more, but it’s still only a hundred and fifty grams."

Jiang Moli was at a loss for words.

In the face of such a harsh reality, any words of comfort would seem pale and powerless.

She tried to give him a couple more pieces of rabbit, but he blocked her chopsticks with his own.

"This is enough. You eat. Sister Wenjuan’s cooking is considered the best in the entire family dependents’ district."

Zhong Weiguo would never have dreamed that the reason Lu Cheng had targeted him was because his wife was such a good cook.

It had been nearly dark when Lu Cheng arrived.

By the time the couple finished their meal, it was pitch-black outside.

The calls of unknown birds and beasts echoed from the distant mountain forest, punctuated occasionally by a mournful wolf’s howl.

Jiang Moli asked curiously, "Do wild animals ever break into the camp and attack people?"

Lu Cheng replied, "If they come, that’s great. We just hunt them and make stew for the soldiers! Last month, a wild boar weighing over two hundred pounds wandered into the camp. Every soldier got half a bowl of meat that night. It was a real feast."

The wild beasts of the forest might be a threat to unarmed villagers.

But to well-equipped soldiers, they were practically ingredients delivering themselves to our doorstep!

After washing the lunchboxes and fetching hot water, Lu Cheng went downstairs to the first floor to ask an orderly for some mosquito-repellent powder.

The powder was made from dried and ground medicinal herbs like patchouli, mint, and mugwort.

When burned in a small incense burner, it was an effective mosquito repellent for the bedroom.

Once he was done, Lu Cheng had Jiang Moli sit down. "I’ve thought about it seriously, and I don’t agree to a divorce. You said you don’t like me, that you only married me to avoid being sent to the countryside—I can accept all of that."

Jiang Moli looked at him. "You’re such an outstanding man. You could easily find a partner you’re mutually in love with, someone to be loyal to and spend the rest of your life with..."

"How do you know that person isn’t you?"

Jiang Moli was taken aback by the question for a moment, then said, "But I don’t love you."

’It was undeniable that the man’s looks, character, and sense of responsibility were very attractive.’

’But if she had to choose between returning to her original world and staying with this man...’

’...she would choose the former in a heartbeat.’

Lu Cheng looked at her and said, "You not loving me is your problem to solve, not mine. It’s not that I’m unlovable or unworthy of your love, so why not try to fall in love with me? How do you know you won’t fall for me in the future? What you should be doing isn’t trying to divorce me, but trying to find a way to love me."

Jiang Moli was speechless. "You are an outstanding man, I’ll give you that, but you can’t predict feelings. If I don’t love you, I don’t love you. It can’t be forced!"

Lu Cheng said, "Then get over it and learn to live with me."

Jiang Moli: "..."

Perhaps realizing his tone had been too harsh, Lu Cheng softened his voice, trying to persuade her. "Moli, I will do my best to be good to you, to give you everything you could ever want."

"I want a divorce."

"That’s not happening."

"Liar!"

Lu Cheng decided to play hardball. "I will never agree to a divorce, so don’t bring it up again."

’Theirs was a military marriage. As long as the husband was not at fault for anything, the marriage couldn’t be dissolved without his consent.’

"Fine, have it your way. If you don’t want a divorce, then so be it. I brought you some local specialties. You can take them back to the barracks to eat."

"Okay."

On the surface, Lu Cheng remained composed, but inside he was so ecstatic he could have performed a full routine on a pommel horse.

’His wife wasn’t going to divorce him! She was willing to keep living with him!’

’Did this mean his wife liked him back, even just a tiny, tiny bit?!’