An Accidental Military Marriage

Suppressing the complex emotions in her heart, Jiang Moli picked up the thermos and said to Lu Cheng, "I’m going to get some hot water."

"I’ll go."

Lu Cheng habitually started to get up, but she stopped him. "You just sit and rest."

Lu Cheng enjoyed her attentiveness and sat back down on the stool.

After Jiang Moli left with the thermos, he belatedly processed the deeper meaning in her words and couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

"Third Uncle, what are you laughing at? Are you laughing at me?"

The saying about liquid courage is no joke.

Normally, Lu Tingting wouldn’t have dared to speak to Lu Cheng like this in a million years.

At that moment, Lu Cheng didn’t have the energy to argue with a drunk.

He got up, moved Lu Tingting’s glass aside, and tried to shoo her away. "It’s late. Go back to your room and sleep."

"I’m not going back!"

Lu Tingting whined petulantly, her cheeks flushed. "I’m not going back! I’m sleeping in this room tonight. I’ll sleep with Third Auntie!"

"In your dreams!"

Lu Cheng chided her, then picked up the bottle from the table, poured a little more into the glass, and shoved it back into Lu Tingting’s hand.

"Go on, drink. Finish this, and I’ll let you sleep here."

"Oh."

Her mind in a fog, Lu Tingting obediently took the glass and downed it in one go.

By the time Jiang Moli returned with the thermos of hot water, Lu Tingting was already passed out cold on the table.

"What happened to her? Is she asleep or just drunk?"

Lu Cheng took the thermos from her. "Call Xiao Tang to come up and help get Tingting back to her room. I’m going to take a shower. I haven’t had one in days."

"Make sure you get nice and clean."

"Mission accomplished, guaranteed."

Watching his retreating back, Jiang Moli couldn’t help but smile.

A drunk person is a dead weight. It took all of Jiang Moli and Tang Xiaoyue’s might to get her onto the bed.

Back in their room, she resumed packing her bags.

A moment later, she sensed a familiar presence approaching from behind.

Jiang Moli instinctively started to turn, but a large hand cupped the back of her head as Lu Cheng’s lips captured hers.

His searing heat felt as if it would melt her.

"Mmph... I haven’t finished packing..."

"We’ll buy you new things back home. Leave this stuff here, then you won’t have to pack it next time you come."

He’d been busy with his mission for the better part of two weeks, and they hadn’t been intimate in a long time.

In the throes of passion, Lu Cheng asked her, "Feeling better now?"

Jiang Moli bit her lip and let out a soft moan.

「An hour later」

Jiang Moli was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, but the man, as if invigorated by some potent tonic, only grew more energetic.

He flipped her over and over like a pancake, doing this and that.

Her voice soft, Jiang Moli begged for mercy. "No more... Let’s just go to sleep."

Lu Cheng leaned down to kiss her, his voice deep and husky in her ear. "Why sleep? Isn’t sleeping with me better?"

「A night of insatiable passion」

...

At 5:00 AM, Lu Cheng drove the two of them toward Kun City, bringing along a veteran from the motor pool to help.

Both Jiang Moli and Lu Tingting were traveling light. As soon as they got in the car, they were out like a light.

Once they reached the town and the roads became easier to drive, Lu Cheng handed the wheel over to the veteran.

He hadn’t slept for nearly a day and two nights straight, so he didn’t dare push his luck. But he couldn’t bear to be away from his wife.

He had to take advantage of the drive to the station, treasuring every extra moment he could spend with her.

He opened the back door, moved Lu Tingting to the passenger seat, then slipped into the back himself to sleep beside Jiang Moli, their heads resting together.

At the train station, Lu Cheng escorted Jiang Moli and Lu Tingting to their sleeper berths.

In contrast to the frantic hustle of the other passengers, Jiang Moli and Lu Tingting were traveling remarkably light.

They had just a single backpack between them, plus a large bag of snacks Lu Cheng had bought for them at a shop outside the station.

After getting them settled in their berths, Lu Cheng murmured instructions to Jiang Moli. "Call the base once you get home. Commander Zhong will have someone notify me."

Jiang Moli looked at him. "You be safe on the drive back, too."

His gaze lingered on her lovely, fair face for a long moment before he reluctantly looked away to survey the other passengers in the nearby berths.

His expression was stern, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s.

The other passengers were cowed by his intense presence and dared not speak.

"Hello," he began. "My surname is Lu. I’m a soldier. This is my wife, and this is my niece. It’s a long journey, so I ask for your patience if they cause any trouble."

"Of course, of course. We’re all travelers here, we understand."

Having subtly warned the other passengers in the car, Lu Cheng turned back to Jiang Moli and whispered gently, "If you have any trouble, find the train attendant. I’ve already had a word with her. And look after Tingting on the way."

With that, he gave Jiang Moli’s palm a reluctant squeeze, then turned and left the train.

WHOOO—

With a long blast of its whistle, the train slowly pulled away from the platform.

Jiang Moli leaned her head out the window, waving at the man standing tall in his crisp military uniform.

Lu Cheng raised his hand and gave her a perfect military salute.

A wave of sadness at their parting washed over her, and her vision instantly blurred.

...

This time, Lu Tingting was much better behaved on the train. She didn’t run around or strike up conversations with strangers. She even asked Jiang Moli to come with her to the restroom.

Since they had no luggage, just the one bag of food, they simply brought it with them to the restroom, unconcerned about anything being stolen.

It just went to show the truth of the old saying: experience is the best teacher.

The other four passengers in their section of the car consisted of two employees on a business trip and a young married couple.

All four of them were exceedingly polite to Jiang Moli and Lu Tingting.

It was no wonder. With Lu Cheng’s intimidating presence, and him clearly being an officer—judging by the four pockets on his uniform—who would dare cause them trouble?

Jiang Moli had fallen asleep not long after the train departed and didn’t wake until evening.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the young couple from the middle and upper bunks across the aisle eating.

The air was filled with a tantalizing aroma that smelled something like spicy gluten strips or dried tofu.

Although Lu Cheng had bought them plenty of food, it was mostly sweet things like pastries. After a while, the sweetness became cloying, and she found herself craving something savory.

Jiang Moli sat up, stretched, and smiled at the young woman, who was watching her. "What are you eating? It smells amazing."

"It’s dried tofu. Would you like to try some?"

"I’ll try a couple. Thanks!"

The dried tofu looked homemade. Each piece was about the size of a matchbox, a dusty-gray color, and coated in chili powder.

Jiang Moli took two pieces, handing one up to Lu Tingting on the middle bunk.

"I don’t want it!"

"Suit yourself."

The dried tofu didn’t look like much, but it was pleasantly chewy and had a rich, beany flavor.

Lu Tingting repeated the same words Jiang Moli had used to scold Jiang Peng. "How can you just eat things from strangers? Aren’t you afraid they’ll drug it and poison you?"

"My dear niece, you shouldn’t eat things a stranger *offers* you. But if you *ask* for something they *haven’t* offered, you can eat it. They won’t have had time to poison it."

Lu Tingting was stumped, completely speechless.

’That... actually makes a weird kind of sense,’ she thought. Then she held out her hand to Jiang Moli. "Give me a piece! I want some too!"

Jiang Moli said, "If you want some, ask them yourself."

Lu Tingting wasn’t as brazen and was too embarrassed to ask. But the young woman across the way proactively offered her a piece anyway.

After finishing the dried tofu, Jiang Moli took out the snacks Lu Cheng had bought and generously shared some with the young couple and the other two passengers.

They all ate together, chatting and laughing cheerfully.

She was so normal and friendly that Lu Tingting found it almost strange.

Jiang Moli’s thinking was simple. ’My mission right now is to get Lu Tingting home safely. As for earning disdain points... there’ll be plenty of opportunities for that later.’