After his meal, he started asking the villagers about me. He found out my family had two daughters, the older sister, Lin Man, and the younger one, Lin Yao. The one in the kitchen was me. He remembered how pitiful I looked eating that egg. He snorted and shook his head.
Back in the village, the chief asked him what he thought. Did he have any plans to get married?
Lu Jiao originally had no intention, just wanting to get the assignment over with. But for some reason, he thought of me in the kitchen. He said he was a simple man who just liked good-looking women. He immediately said with a serious face, "I'm interested."
But before the chief could get happy, he added, "The one I'm interested in isn't Lin Man. It's Lin Yao."
The chief was stunned. "Are you serious?"
He lay on a cool mat looking at the stars. Couldn't be more serious. He didn't like Lin Man, but he was a little interested in me. If my family refused, it would just save him the trouble. He didn't want to get married anyway. If my family agreed, it was no loss to him either. He'd be getting a pretty wife for free.
The chief scratched his bald head and paced around the room for a long time. Finally, he made up his mind. "Leave this to me. You just get the marriage application ready."
You know, in the village, the oldest daughter always gets married first. Now that he was interested in the younger one, it was probably going to be difficult.
But as it turned out, he didn't even have to wait until the next day. My family agreed two hours later.
The chief's efficiency was astounding. He even helped him write the marriage application, had him put his thumbprint on it, and submitted it. The application was approved the very next afternoon. There wasn't even any room for second thoughts. It happened so fast that he started to wonder if there was something wrong with me.
Lu Jiao was staring at me while I ate, completely lost in thought. I waved my hand in front of his eyes. "Why are you staring at me instead of eating?"
His thoughts were pulled back to the present as he looked at me. He was still in a bit of a daze, finding it hard to believe. Not only did he have a wife now, he had also been upgraded to a father.
He didn't say anything. Seeing my rice bowl untouched, he asked me, "Is the food not to your liking? How come you're eating so little?"
I shook my head. "No, that's not it. I ate too much for lunch, so I'm still not hungry."
He was just about to ask me if I wanted to go to the co-op to buy some snacks when a sudden knock on the door interrupted him. He shouted towards the door. "Who is it?"
The door remained quiet for a few seconds. Then a man's voice came through. "Commander, it's me, Squad Leader Li Lianjun from next door."
Lu Jiao thought for a moment. He said he didn't know any Squad Leader Li.
Sitting to the side, I let out a smirk. I certainly know him. It's true what they say. Trouble will find you even when you're just sitting at home.
Squad Leader Li was at his wits' end. It was none other than Li Qiu's husband. Li Lianjun had been at work when he was suddenly called in for questioning by the inspection team. That's when he found out his own wife had caused a huge disaster. She had actually offended Commander Lu's family.
Li Lianjun was called away in front of everyone, losing face and cursing his wife to hell and back in his mind. He had long known that Li Qiu loved to throw her weight around the village, but he usually just turned a blind eye. He had meant to warn her last night, but their sweet reunion after a short separation made him forget.
When Lu Jiao opened the door, he saw Li Lianjun with a fawning smile on his face. Following behind him was a crestfallen Li Qiu.
Li Lianjun quickly said, "Commander Lu, I'm Li Lianjun from the seventh platoon. I brought my wife here specifically to apologize. Please be the bigger person."
Lu Jiao, his face cold, didn't answer. He turned and walked into the courtyard. Li Lianjun quickly pushed Li Qiu to follow him.
I sat on the stone bench without moving, just watching the couple.
Li Lianjun bowed obsequiously and said, "Comrade Lin, I'm so sorry. My wife speaks without thinking. She doesn't mean any harm."
At that moment, I replied coolly, "Squad Leader Li, you're not the one who did something wrong, and you're not the one who should be apologizing."
Hearing this, Li Lianjun gave an embarrassed smile and nodded, then gave his wife a shove.
Li Qiu mumbled reluctantly. "Comrade Lin, I misunderstood you. I apologize."
I was actually starting to soften. But hearing that insincere apology, I suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Comrade Li, I don't accept your apology. Please leave."
Lu Jiao, who was eating off to the side, froze for a second. He hadn't realized his little kitten had claws.
Hearing my words, Li Qiu immediately flew into a rage. "What do you mean by that? You're deliberately trying to make things difficult for us, aren't you?"
Li Lianjun quickly pulled her back. "You have to understand, the inspection team has already investigated everything. If we push this, not only will you lose three months' pay, you'll have to make a public self-criticism."
He was about to get a promotion. He couldn't afford this kind of trouble. Li Lianjun was practically begging now. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Comrade Lin. Qiu is just like that. She has a sharp tongue, but she's not a bad person at heart. Comrade Lin, please give her one more chance."
But I didn't want to forgive Li Qiu just like that. People like her are the most difficult to deal with. Since we've already become enemies, might as well take this opportunity to knock her down a peg.
But then I thought, if I'm too petty about this, will it put Lu Jiao in an awkward position?
I was hesitating. Suddenly, Lu Jiao stood up. "Please leave, Squad Leader Li." He got up and pulled me behind him. "I've already said what I have to say about this matter. We'll just handle it according to the rules. Given our positions, it's not appropriate for either of us to get involved. It's better to leave it to the inspection team."
Li Lianjun's face flushed red, then went pale. He was speechless. Finally, he sighed and said, "Sorry to have bothered you."
Then, he had no choice but to drag his defiant wife away.