An Accidental Military Marriage

Long before he returned, Lu An had heard plenty of stories about Jiang Moli from his wife.

Without exception, they were all negative.

As a result, he held no expectations for or favorable impressions of his third sister-in-law.

But after meeting Jiang Moli in person today, seeing her natural grace, her witty humor at the dinner table, and her ability to effortlessly discuss anything from neighborhood gossip to current events, he had to reconsider.

His opinion of Jiang Moli had changed dramatically.

’It made sense when he thought about it. His third brother was so picky, how could he really have married a woman with no redeeming qualities?’

Out in the courtyard, Fan Wenfang and Xu Xiuzhen were each picking vegetables from the garden patch, baskets in hand.

A full basket taken home would save them several days’ worth of grocery money.

Seeing Jiang Moli leave with a bag of things, Xu Xiuzhen couldn’t help but whisper to Fan Wenfang:

"Mom sure is good to our third sister-in-law. Brother An brought those things back, and his own father-in-law hasn’t had a taste, yet our third brother’s father-in-law is getting them first."

She wasn’t being petty or suggesting their mother-in-law shouldn’t give things to the Jiang family.

Rather, she genuinely felt that of the three of them, their mother-in-law doted on Jiang Moli the most.

Even though their mother-in-law was always verbally listing Jiang Moli’s various faults and shortcomings.

But the affectionate tone she used made it seem like she was treating Jiang Moli like her own daughter.

Fan Wenfang said with a wry smile, "That’s her talent. If you’re so envious, you can try to learn from her."

Fan Wenfang didn’t mean it sarcastically; she genuinely admired Jiang Moli’s way with people.

As daughters-in-law, they all knew how difficult it was just to maintain a harmonious relationship with their mother-in-law.

Jiang Moli had only been part of the family for three months, yet she’d already charmed their mother-in-law into treating her with complete devotion.

Whether she was naturally likable or just a master schemer, it was all a testament to Jiang Moli’s ability.

Xu Xiuzhen lost interest in the topic and changed the subject.

"Tingting is turning 20 soon. As the eldest sister-in-law, you should be paying more attention to her marriage prospects. Don’t let her end up like the Chen Family’s second daughter—too proud for the options she has, but not good enough for the ones she wants—still unmarried at 23."

"I have a good candidate in mind. I plan on taking Tingting to meet him after she graduates."

Hearing this, Xu Xiuzhen grew curious and asked about the man’s background.

When she heard he was a surgeon from a prestigious family working at the Municipal People’s Hospital, Xu Xiuzhen praised him aloud as a fine young talent, but inwardly she had other plans.

She had brought up the topic in the first place hoping to play matchmaker for her own nephew.

Her nephew was twenty-two, had graduated from a technical college, and was now teaching math at the city’s Number One Middle School.

Family background aside, his age and looks made him a good match for Lu Tingting.

’Still, there was no hurry. That surgeon’s qualifications were so outstanding, he might not even be interested in Lu Tingting.’

...

On her way to the Military District Courtyard, Jiang Moli saw a local grocery store selling fruit and went inside.

"Sir, how much for the bananas?"

"Forty cents a pound."

"Can you break up the bunch? I just want to buy three."

Three was a small sale, but the shopkeeper still agreed.

Bananas were shipped in from out of province, making them much more expensive than local fruit. Most families couldn’t afford to eat them often.

The shopkeeper picked up a small knife, ready to cut the bunch. "Which three do you want?"

"Let me do it. Do you have any wax paper? I want to wrap the bananas."

Although he wondered why on earth someone would need to wrap bananas in wax paper, the shopkeeper handed her a sheet.

Just then, another customer came in to buy soy sauce, so the shopkeeper turned to help them.

"Sir, could you weigh these bananas?"

"Coming."

After seeing the other customer out, the shopkeeper returned to the fruit stand. He looked at what Jiang Moli was holding, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Three peeled bananas were laid out neatly on the wax paper.

"I haven’t even weighed them yet! Why did you peel them?"

Jiang Moli replied, "I’m buying the banana, not the peel."

"What? Who does that? Is that any way to buy bananas?"

"But I asked you, and you said I could buy them separately. The peel just adds weight and you can’t eat it. It’s a much better deal to just buy the fruit inside."

The shopkeeper was so angry he looked ready to grab something. "Are you f*cking insane? Are you just here to cause trouble?"

Jiang Moli picked up the three peels. "Fine, fine, weigh it all together. Just my luck."

"Your luck? What about my luck? I’m the one who’s unlucky for running into a nutcase like you! Buying bananas without the peels... you’re a real f*cking genius, you are!"

Muttering curses under his breath, the shopkeeper weighed the bananas for Jiang Moli.

After paying for the bananas, Jiang Moli eyed the pomelos on the display rack. "Sir, how much are the pomelos?"

"Not selling."

"But I’m a serious buyer."

"Get out!"

"You don’t want to make money?"

"I’ll make your @#$%ing..."

The shopkeeper proceeded to cordially greet eighteen generations of Jiang Moli’s ancestors.

*[Disdain Value +1. 10,000 Yuan credited to account.]*

...

Jiang Dahai and Li Hongying were in the middle of dinner.

When he heard a knock, Jiang Dahai got up to open the door. He was both surprised and delighted to see Jiang Moli standing outside.

Li Hongying rushed to get a bowl and chopsticks for Jiang Moli, but when she heard Moli had already eaten, she poured her a glass of water instead.

Closing the door, Jiang Dahai looked his daughter over joyfully. "You’re back! When did you get here?"

’She was thinner and tanner, but her spirits seemed high. She probably didn’t have too hard a time,’ he thought.

"I just got back today. Here, my mother-in-law wanted you to have this. They’re specialties from Ning City that Lu Cheng’s second brother brought back."

After Jiang Dahai took the bag, she then presented the bananas she had bought.

"Here, I bought these specially for you. Your favorite—bananas."

Jiang Dahai blinked at the three naked bananas, completely puzzled. "Where are the peels?"

Jiang Moli batted her eyes. "What’s wrong, you like to eat them with the peel on? Fine, I’ll bring the peels back for you next time."

Jiang Dahai picked up one of the bananas and ate it, thinking to himself, ’Did my daughter "steal" these from her in-laws’ house? Why else would they not have any peels? So strange.’

Jiang Moli and Li Hongying each took one of the two remaining bananas.

After they finished their bananas, Jiang Moli started chatting with Jiang Dahai about tractor hydraulic technology.

She was a complete amateur when it came to mechanics, but with her system—a literal cheat code—she was able to explain the very points Jiang Dahai had been struggling with in just a few sentences.

Jiang Dahai looked at her, baffled. "How do you know all this?"

Jiang Moli was perfectly calm. "I was just guessing."

Jiang Dahai: "..."

’She could guess correctly just by "guessing"? Then what was the point of him staying up all night studying this?’

Seeing it was getting late, Jiang Moli prepared to head back to her in-laws’ house.

As usual, Jiang Dahai offered to walk her back, worried about her safety walking alone at night.

But Li Hongying volunteered, "Let me walk Moli back."

Jiang Dahai glanced at Jiang Moli, and seeing no objection from her, he agreed.

On the way back, Li Hongying asked how things were between her and Lu Cheng, then brought up Zhang Jia Ming.

They were almost at the Military District Courtyard, and Li Hongying still hadn’t gotten to the real topic. Jiang Moli decided to break the ice.

"Aunt Hongying, if there’s something on your mind, just say it. I can’t promise I’ll be able to help, though."

Li Hongying’s eyes reddened. She grabbed Moli’s hand and choked out, "Moli, you have to help Xiao Qing! She’s been locked up by the Zhang Family."

Hearing there was drama, Jiang Moli’s interest was piqued. "What happened? Tell me everything."

Since Jiang Dahai refused to get involved in her daughter’s affairs, Li Hongying had to go plead with the Zhang Family herself.

It was only when she got there that she discovered her daughter had been locked up by the Zhang Family with a dog chain.

She had gone to the Zhang Family’s home several times. They didn’t stop her from seeing her daughter, but they absolutely refused to let her go.