An Accidental Military Marriage

When Lu Tingting followed Jiang Qing to the pickup spot, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"This is the ride to town?"

They called it a vehicle, but it was really just two old oxen pulling a wooden cart topped with a straw canopy.

The cart bed was two meters wide and three meters long, enclosed by a waist-high railing made of bamboo poles.

There weren’t even any stools in the cart bed.

You either had to stand or sit on the floorboards, placing a straw mat under your butt.

"This is the only ride to town. Otherwise, we’ll have to walk."

Hearing this, Lu Tingting could only pout as she climbed into the cart.

Jiang Qing gave her straw mat to Lu Tingting to sit on, choosing to stand herself.

CRACK.

With a flick of the driver’s small leather whip, the two old oxen began to move.

The mountain road was rugged and uneven.

Even with the straw mat Jiang Qing had given her, Lu Tingting was jostled around so much that she threw up her breakfast.

Over half an hour later, they finally arrived in town.

Lu Tingting looked completely drained, like a wilted vegetable, as Jiang Qing and Feng Meihua helped her off the cart.

The spot for Lu Cheng’s public self-criticism was set up at the entrance to the marketplace.

By the time the three of them arrived, the self-criticism session had already started.

Lu Cheng was standing on a makeshift stage of two tall benches, delivering a self-criticism from memory to the crowd of villagers:

"...I should not have been flirting with my wife, Jiang Moli, while on duty. I set a bad example for the soldiers and brought shame upon our unit. I am deeply ashamed, and I am here to profoundly reflect on and criticize my mistakes..."

Watching Lu Cheng loudly criticize himself, Feng Meihua sighed and murmured to the other two:

"In all his years in the military, Camp Commander Lu has only ever been on stage to receive awards and commendations. This is the first time he’s had to make a self-criticism. It may not be an official punishment, but being gawked at by the whole town... it’s just so humiliating."

Lu Tingting was so furious she felt like she was about to grind her molars to dust.

’My third uncle has been a model soldier ever since he enlisted, winning more honors and medals than he could count. Throughout the entire Military District Courtyard, who doesn’t have a good word to say about my third uncle! It’s all because of that damn Jiang Moli! It wasn’t enough for her to drag Grandpa down at home; now she has to come to the military base and hold Third Uncle back! I really want to just strangle her!’

Jiang Qing’s face remained impassive, but inwardly, she was gloating.

’Jiang Moli really didn’t disappoint. She’d barely arrived and had already caused such a huge scene. A man as proud and self-disciplined as Lu Cheng, dragged into losing this much face by Jiang Moli... He must already regret getting involved with a jinx like her.’

Looking at the sea of villagers all around, a plan formed in Jiang Qing’s mind.

She pretended to respond to Feng Meihua, but she spoke loudly enough for the people nearby to hear:

"Moli was just spoiled rotten by my stepfather growing up. Back home, she caused one disaster after another—scamming relatives with promises of jobs, saddling my uncles with loans, and even losing her family’s house. I can’t believe that even after coming to the military base, she still doesn’t know how to rein herself in, forcing Camp Commander Lu to clean up her messes."

Lu Tingting knew Jiang Qing was deliberately tarnishing Jiang Moli’s reputation. Happy to see it happen, she chimed in, spilling all the details of how Jiang Moli used to bully her at home, one incident after another.

The people nearby who overheard them began whispering amongst themselves.

"I knew that woman was bad news the second I saw her. So bewitching and shameless. She’s really a piece of work!"

"Camp Commander Lu is such an outstanding man, yet he married such a troublemaker. What terrible luck."

[Disdain Value +1, +2, +3...]

Jiang Moli was woken up by the frantic notification sounds of Disdain Value flooding her account.

She turned her head to look out the venetian blinds, and the hoarseness of her own voice startled her when she spoke.

"What’s happening?"

The system’s voice was mechanical, devoid of any emotion. [You’ll have to ask yourself that, Host.]

Jiang Moli tried to stretch, but her arms ached so much when she lifted them that she gave up.

Her mind a blank, she stared at the ceiling, trying to recall what she had done.

’I haven’t done anything.’

’Oh, wait, I did do something. Three times, in fact.’

’Have to admit, soldiers really have amazing stamina.’

’If I hadn’t told him to stop, that man probably could have worked me to death.’

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

The notification of the Disdain Value deposit promptly interrupted Jiang Moli’s reverie.

Forcing her aching body, which felt like it was about to fall apart, to sit up, she put on the underwear she had left by her pillow.

When she got out of bed, her legs could barely support her as her feet touched the floor.

She ate the sweet egg soup with brown sugar from the nightstand, which helped her recover a bit of her strength.

Leaning on the wall for support, she made her way to the balcony.

The balcony faced west, so it was currently in the shade and not exposed to the sun.

Looking at the picturesque scenery, Jiang Moli couldn’t help but feel that this trip had been well worth it.

’Not only did I get to sleep with a total stud, but I also earned a ton of Disdain Value.’

The scenery was beautiful, but it got boring staring at it alone. Jiang Moli tilted her head and shouted to the room next door,

"Lu Tingting, you lazy pig, time to get up!"

The window slid open, revealing the simple, earnest face of the orderly, Xiao Tang.

Upon learning that Lu Tingting had checked out and moved to the school dormitory, Jiang Moli couldn’t help but wonder, ’Is she badmouthing me in the dorms? That’s the whole reason I brought her here, after all. I’m just so fond of this niece of mine. She’s always helping me complete tasks and earn Disdain Value. Mm, and I like her third uncle, too. Heh, I wonder what my man is up to right now.’

Her slender, pale fingers tapped unconsciously on the round wooden railing.

In the room next door, Tang Xiaoyue secretly watched Jiang Moli while wiping the windowsill, her eyes a mixture of curiosity and envy.

’Camp Commander Lu’s wife is so beautiful,’ she thought.

...

The man on Jiang Moli’s mind, Lu Cheng, had just bought erythromycin ointment from the pharmacy. He then turned around and entered the co-op, where he purchased soap and candles.

Jiang Moli had actually brought soap with her, but he still wanted to buy more.

He loved it when his wife smelled fragrant.

The power supply in the mountainous region was unstable and outages were common, so candles would be useful for light.

On the way back, he encountered Lu Tingting, Jiang Qing, and Feng Meihua at the edge of town.

The three were waiting there for him on purpose.

Lu Cheng had driven a military jeep to town, and it had just enough room for them to hitch a ride back.

"Third Uncle!"

Seeing Lu Cheng’s jeep approaching, Lu Tingting waved her hands excitedly.

’Finally! No more ox-cart!’

VROOM.

The jeep sped past the trio, kicking up a cloud of dust that covered them from head to toe.

"Pah!"

Lu Tingting spat the dirt from her mouth, glaring indignantly at the departing jeep. "I’m standing right here in plain sight! How could Third Uncle not see me? Is he blind?"

Jiang Qing consoled her. "Camp Commander Lu is probably in a bad mood. Let’s just forget it and go take the ox-cart."

Lu Tingting’s anger turned to delight. "Jiang Moli made Third Uncle lose so much face. Maybe he’s rushing back to teach her a lesson!"

’I hope he gives Jiang Moli a vicious beating, spanks her until she can’t sit straight!’

Although Jiang Qing didn’t think Lu Cheng would actually punish Jiang Moli, she was certain he wouldn’t be pleased with her.

"Stop dawdling and let’s go catch the cart," Feng Meihua reminded them. "If we miss it, we’ll have to walk all the way back."

At Feng Meihua’s reminder, Lu Tingting grew anxious.

As much as she hated the ox-cart, it was still far less effort than walking five kilometers of mountain road.

"Jiang Qing, carry this stuff for me!"

With that, Lu Tingting hurried off after Feng Meihua.

Jiang Qing stared at the quilt and washbasin on the ground, her face turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

’What does she take me for? A free maid?’

In the end, with a foul look on her face, she picked up the items.

...

Lu Tingting was right. Lu Cheng was indeed in such a hurry to get back to Jiang Moli that he couldn’t be bothered to stop.

’Why waste time giving other women a ride when I could get back to my wife sooner?’ he thought.

After returning to the camp, handing back the jeep, and reporting to Zhong Weiguo, he eagerly set off to find his wife.

He had just stepped out of the main gate of the barracks when Qiao Wenjing blocked his path.