An Accidental Military Marriage

As if to deliberately embarrass Jiang Moli and show off how much more capable she was, Jiang Qing raised her voice and said to Zhang Jia Ming,

"I had a pretty good haul today. I gathered over ten pounds of mushrooms and herbs, and I even dug up a wild ginseng root."

Hearing Jiang Qing mention the wild ginseng, the surrounding family members all cast envious glances her way.

They had already been plenty envious when Jiang Qing first dug up the wild ginseng in the mountains.

But that didn’t stop them from being envious now.

While there were many medicinal herbs in the mountains, a precious one like wild ginseng was a rare find that relied on luck.

The family members and children who hadn’t gone into the mountains, along with some of the soldiers, all crowded around Jiang Qing to see what the commotion was about.

"Why is this wild ginseng so small?"

"What do you know? Wild ginseng doesn’t grow very big. You only need to cut off a couple of rootlets for a soup. One root can last you for years."

Bathed in the envious and jealous gazes of the crowd, Jiang Qing’s vanity was immensely satisfied.

Zhang Jia Ming was so excited his face was glowing red.

’His wife was incredible! She went into the mountains once and actually found a treasure like wild ginseng!’

In comparison, the few mushrooms in Jiang Moli’s basket were nothing.

Men were competitive with each other too.

One of the men teased his own wife, "Look at her! She found wild ginseng on her first trip into the mountains. You’ve gone so many times, how come you’ve never found any?"

The woman was no pushover. "Other women’s husbands hit the jackpot and get a son on the first try. What about you? Firing blanks every day, and I haven’t even complained about you being useless!"

The raunchy exchange sent the crowd into peals of laughter.

One of the family members took a liking to the wild ginseng and asked Jiang Qing on the spot if she was willing to trade it.

Buying and selling was considered speculation and profiteering, but it could be exchanged for food rations.

In the end, the wild ginseng was traded to Qiao Wenjing for 100 jin worth of meal tickets.

One hundred jin worth of meal tickets could be exchanged at the base for 45 yuan.

Adding in the other mushrooms and herbs she’d gathered, Jiang Qing had earned nearly 50 yuan in a single day!

Amid their envy, people couldn’t help but compare Jiang Qing to Jiang Moli.

One was gluttonous and lazy, always causing trouble for her man.

The other was diligent and motivated, bringing wealth and good fortune to her man.

"Two sisters who grew up eating from the same pot, yet the difference between them is so huge."

"Isn’t it the truth? One is a jinx who curses her husband, and the other is a lucky star who brings him fortune."

[Disdain Value +5. Credited with 50,000 yuan.]

Listening to the idle gossip that praised her while putting down Jiang Moli, Jiang Qing felt a secret thrill and couldn’t resist turning to look at Jiang Moli.

She wanted to see envy, jealousy, and anger on Jiang Moli’s face.

In secret, where no one could see, she had lost count of how many times she had been envious and jealous of Jiang Moli.

Today, she could finally hold her head high for once.

More importantly, she wanted Lu Cheng to understand that any other woman was more outstanding and capable than Jiang Moli.

Choosing Jiang Moli was a foolish mistake on Lu Cheng’s part.

She hoped even more that Lu Cheng would come to his senses, recognize Jiang Moli’s true nature, and divorce her.

But being as sharp as she was, how could Jiang Moli not see right through Jiang Qing’s intentions?

She flashed a toothy, mischievous grin at Jiang Qing. "Staring at me like that, you planning on giving me a cut of the money? Oh, I almost forgot, you two still have that 377-yuan debt. Keep it up! Go into the mountains another eight or ten times, and maybe you’ll pay it off."

It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over their heads.

It completely extinguished Jiang Qing and Zhang Jia Ming’s excitement.

Although they had earned a good amount today, they were still a long way from paying off their debt!

It was easy to say they should just dig up a few more wild ginseng roots to pay off the debt quickly.

If wild ginseng were really that easy to find, it wouldn’t be so valuable.

...

The mushrooms and herbs gathered by the family members could be exchanged with the base for meal tickets.

The base would then take all the collected mushrooms and herbs to the city to trade for living supplies.

Considering the transportation costs, the base only accepted valuable types of mushrooms and herbs like matsutake, truffles, morels, ganba mushrooms, Sanqi ginseng, Gastrodia, and Dendrobium.

As for the rest, the family members could eat them themselves or take them to the town market to trade with villagers for grain or vegetable seeds.

Jiang Moli hadn’t gathered many mushrooms, so she planned to keep them for herself.

It was already past six o’clock. Lu Cheng had already gotten their dinner and left it in their room at the guesthouse.

Back at the guesthouse, they had a quick wash-up before eating.

Lu Cheng asked for her opinion on how to cook the mushrooms. "How do you want to eat them? Stir-fried or in a soup? I can ask Sister Wenjuan to help us cook."

Jiang Moli said, "Neither. Let’s dry them all and take them back to our hometowns—half for my family, half for yours. Let them have a taste of things from Menghai."

Lu Cheng looked at her and said, "If you want dried goods, I can just find some for you."

"How could that be the same? I picked these myself. It’s the thought that counts."

"I disagree."

Jiang Moli glanced at him. "Why do you disagree?"

"I want to eat the mushrooms you picked too!"

His slightly childish tone made Jiang Moli smile to herself.

Seeing him looking so glum, she couldn’t help but reach out and pinch his ear. "There, there. I brought something else for you."

"What is it?"

Seeing him visibly brighten, Jiang Moli thought to herself, ’Men really are so easy to please.’

She stood up and took the plantains out of her basket.

The plantains were heavy, and afraid they would crush the mushrooms, Jiang Moli had deliberately placed them at the very bottom, covering them with a layer of leaves to keep their scents from mixing. As a result, Lu Cheng, who had carried the basket all the way back, hadn’t noticed them at all.

When he learned that Jiang Moli had brought the plantains back from the mountains especially for him, Lu Cheng’s dark eyes sparkled with joy.

He was just like a puppy that had been rewarded with a bone by its owner, his tail practically wagging its way to the heavens.

"Delicious! It’s so sweet!"

Seeing how happy he was while eating, Jiang Moli told him the location of the plantain tree.

Plantain trees are extremely resilient; as long as they aren’t dug up by the roots, they will bear fruit every year.

Smelling the sweet fragrance of the plantain, Jiang Moli couldn’t resist grabbing one to eat herself.

She wasn’t sure how this particular plantain had grown, but its peel was especially thick.

In comparison, the fruit inside seemed very slender.

A wicked thought came to her. She held the thin plantain up to Lu Cheng’s eyes. "Hey, don’t you think... it looks a little like you?"

Lu Cheng stared at the piece of fruit in her hand for two seconds, then snorted. "Not at all."

Jiang Moli took a small bite of the fruit and said while chewing, "I think there’s a resemblance."

Lu Cheng put down his chopsticks and stood up.

Jiang Moli looked at him, the tips of her ears growing hot. "What are you doing?"

"I’m going to let you see for yourself whether there’s a resemblance or not."

Jiang Moli’s face instantly flushed red all the way to her ears. "I’m not looking!"

"You have to."

A man’s dignity was at stake; such slander could not be tolerated.

Their playful squabble moved from the dinner table to the bed.

Compared to the frantic chaos of their first night, the man today was clearly much more practiced and at ease.

They were exceptionally harmonious and compatible with each other.

At least, Jiang Moli herself enjoyed it immensely and felt no discomfort whatsoever.

If she had to find one thing to complain about, it was that it was a little hard on her back.

Looking at her flushed, alluring cheeks, which were like a ripe peach, Lu Cheng couldn’t resist kissing them again and again. "Did you get enough to eat for dinner?"

Jiang Moli blinked slyly. "Are you asking about the mouth up top, or the one down below?"

Lu Cheng gazed at her intently for half a second before replying, "I’m good with either. It’s up to you."

"I’m full, *sob*~"

Jiang Moli covered her face, admitting defeat. She definitely couldn’t handle another round.

Lu Cheng found her shy appearance impossibly cute. Despite his body stirring with desire, he restrained himself and didn’t press her any further.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I’ll get the water ready for you. Rest for a bit, then get up and take a bath. I have things to do at the camp tonight, so I might be back late. If you’re tired, just go to sleep. Don’t wait up for me."

He paused, then added, "I’ll take you into the city tomorrow."