Clearly, it was supposed to be their big day, yet her parents weren’t by her side. Lu Mingye could tell how painful that must be for her, and his heart ached.
Awkwardly, he tried to comfort her.
“Don’t be sad. Once things settle down over there, my comrade will send us letters. Then you’ll be able to write to your parents.”
“Really? I can still write to them?”
Shen Ruanruan’s eyes lit up in surprise, but then she quickly shook her head.
“Actually, forget it. It’s enough if he just lets them know I’m safe. If someone finds out and your comrade gets implicated, that’d be terrible.”
Even in this situation, she was still thinking about others.
Their Ruanruan was truly beautiful inside and out…
Lu Mingye felt even more heartbroken for her.
His fingers curled slightly, wanting to pat her head.
“It’ll be fine. The village my comrade’s in is pretty special. Most of the people there are from the same clan, and they don’t get involved in all that political nonsense. He’s very careful. Nobody will find out.”
After confirming again and again that she really could contact her parents, Shen Ruanruan finally smiled brightly once more.
…
It was already getting late.
After having lunch at the state-owned restaurant, they headed back to the family compound. As they passed the guard post, someone called out to them.
“Deputy Regiment Commander Lu, Sister-in-law, there are packages for you at the mail room.”
Shen Ruanruan froze for a second before suddenly hopping off the back seat of the bicycle.
“Lu Mingye! I completely forgot—I mailed a bunch of packages before I came!”
Her parents had never lacked money. Ever since she was little, they’d loved buying her pretty clothes, and as she grew older, she became used to it.
Even in her previous life, after marrying Su Jingming, when he refused to spend money on her, she still never treated herself poorly. Despite all the sarcastic remarks from her in-laws, she continued buying beautiful clothes for herself.
In that kind of suffocating environment, if she hadn’t found small joys for herself, she probably wouldn’t have survived.
Lu Mingye had actually been wondering about this.
Back when Shen Ruanruan lived in the village with her parents as a child, she practically wore a new outfit every other day. So why had she suddenly become so restrained now?
When he handed over his salary book to her, part of the reason was because he wanted her to buy more clothes she liked.
Whatever Shen’s parents could give her, he would also do his best to provide.
The mail room was nearby. The moment Shen Ruanruan walked in, she saw several huge packages piled there—all hers.
After signing for them, Lu Mingye hoisted two giant bundles up effortlessly.
“Should I help?” Shen Ruanruan reached for a smaller one.
But Lu Mingye strode over and grabbed her hand.
“If I let you carry things while I’m standing here, can I even call myself a man?”
The sentry nearby widened his eyes slightly.
Listen to that. Deputy Regiment Commander Lu sure knew how to pamper his wife. Clearly he just couldn’t bear to let her do any work, yet he still refused to say it outright.
No wonder such a delicate little beauty was willing to stay with him.
So this was what they meant by a tough man with a soft heart…
After securing all the packages onto the bicycle somehow, there was obviously no room left for Shen Ruanruan to sit.
So the two of them walked home together.
From afar, the girl in the red dress chattered happily while the tall man in military uniform walked beside her. Though he didn’t say much, the slight tilt of his body toward her and the softness in his expression revealed everything.
“Tsk, Ruoqi, look at that. Deputy Regiment Commander Lu may usually seem fierce and cold, but who knew he’d dote on his wife so much? First he bought all that furniture, then he built that washroom, and now there are all these packages too. That Comrade Shen really has a blessed life!”
One of the wives walking beside a young woman happened to witness the scene.
The young woman, Tang Ruoqi, stared blankly for a moment.
Before she got married, her father had actually taken a liking to Lu Mingye too. He thought the young man’s future was limitless, becoming a deputy regiment commander at such a young age, so he spoke to Lu Mingye’s superior about arranging a match.
Who would’ve thought Lu Mingye would reject it outright without giving any face?
Tang Ruoqi had been humiliated back then. She’d even privately confronted Lu Mingye, demanding to know what was wrong with her.
In the end, the man had only absentmindedly replied:
“It’s my problem.”
Then he left.
Not many people knew about it, but Tang Ruoqi had never really gotten over it. Eventually, she settled for the next best option and married a divorced man.
That man was five years older than Lu Mingye and also a deputy regiment commander. Technically, at his age, holding that rank was already impressive. That was exactly why her father approved of the match.
But with comparison came disappointment.
Tang Ruoqi had thought Lu Mingye was simply cold toward everyone.
Yet now there was an exception.
It wasn’t that she still liked him. She just felt unconvinced.
That soft, delicate-looking woman beside him—what was so special about her?
“A good life isn’t measured by what kind of man you marry,” Tang Ruoqi said coldly. “It’s better to rely on yourself than on others. I’m not like them. My father always taught me that even after marriage, a woman needs her own job. Only then will she have standing in her husband’s family.”
She glanced at the couple ahead before looking away with an aloof expression.
The wife beside her immediately felt uncomfortable.
Honestly, she wasn’t even that close to Tang Ruoqi. In fact, Tang Ruoqi rarely interacted with anyone in the compound. They’d only happened to run into each other at the gate and walked back together.
The woman had only made an offhand comment, yet Tang Ruoqi’s words clearly looked down on people like her—women without jobs.
But did she not want one?
She came from a poor family that favored sons over daughters. She lacked education and had children to take care of. How easy did Tang Ruoqi think finding work was?
Tang Ruoqi was different. She had a capable father.
Her father was the director of the town textile factory. Ever since she moved into the compound, she’d carried herself with an air of superiority.
Honestly speaking, with her conditions, couldn’t she have married a young man in his first marriage?
Yet she insisted on marrying Gao Sheng.
Not that Deputy Regiment Commander Gao was bad—but objectively speaking, who would choose a younger unmarried battalion commander with no children over an older divorced deputy regiment commander with a child already?
Everyone knew being a stepmother was difficult.
And on top of that, Tang Ruoqi’s father had apparently pulled strings to get her a position at the military hospital.
How could people not envy her?
But again—
Who told them they didn’t have fathers like hers?
Their own fathers only thought about marrying daughters off for high bride prices so their sons could afford wives.
“Right, of course. You work at the hospital. We ordinary people can’t compare to you,” the wife replied sarcastically.
Then, seeing she was near her own house, she hurried away without another glance.
Tang Ruoqi understood the sarcasm immediately and stomped her foot angrily.
This was exactly why she hated interacting with these country women—unreasonable, petty, crude!
…
Meanwhile, Shen Ruanruan had no idea people were gossiping about her behind her back.
The moment she got home, she rushed to open her packages while Lu Mingye hurried off to hide their marriage certificates.
“Wife, I put yours away too!”
He held the certificates like precious treasures, looking for a safe place to hide them.
Then suddenly, both of them froze.
Lu Mingye hadn’t realized that in his excitement, he’d accidentally called her the nickname he’d only used privately in his heart all this time.
And Shen Ruanruan hadn’t expected him to change the way he addressed her so quickly after marriage.
Did that mean she should change too?
What was she supposed to call him now? Husband? Head of the household? Father of her future children?
Shen Ruanruan immediately shook her head in disgust.
Too rustic. She couldn’t do it.
After thinking it over, “A’Ye” still sounded best.
Seeing her frozen expression, Lu Mingye thought she was upset. He was just about to say, “If you don’t like it, I won’t call you that,” when he heard her speak first.
“Got it, A’Ye. Move your things over here. I’m organizing my clothes anyway, so I’ll clear some space for you.”
Shen Ruanruan stood up, put down the clothes in her hands, and ran over to hug his arm deliberately.
“Oh? I wonder who it was that once said—‘Shen Ruanruan, we’re not even married yet and you’re already thinking about sleeping in separate rooms after marriage? Let me tell you, even if I couldn’t perform, I still wouldn’t possibly—’”
She intentionally mimicked his fierce tone.
It sounded nothing like him.
If anything, it made her seem adorable.
Lu Mingye instantly turned red with embarrassment. He quickly covered her mouth with one hand, though he barely touched her before pulling away again.
“Miss Ruanruan, I know I was wrong. Please be magnanimous and spare this humble servant?”
“Oh? Now you know it’s embarrassing?”
Shen Ruanruan raised an eyebrow.
“Do you realize how speechless I was back then?”
Lu Mingye: “…”
Even now, if the same situation happened again, he’d probably still say the exact same thing.
But that didn’t stop him from looking back and thinking he must’ve had something seriously wrong with his brain.
“I’m going to move my clothes.”
He carefully placed the marriage certificates on the table like precious treasures before fleeing into the west room and noisily packing his things.
There honestly wasn’t much to pack—mostly clothes. And even those were mostly military uniforms.
Before long, he came back carrying everything.
Shen Ruanruan symbolically cleared half the wardrobe for him.
After all, now that they were husband and wife, she couldn’t keep monopolizing the entire wardrobe like before.
Lu Mingye neatly organized his clothes. The hanging ones went onto hangers—he’d bought quite a few at the supply store last time, and even had extra wooden hangers custom-made by a village carpenter.
Mostly because Shen Ruanruan owned too many clothes.
Once his own clothes were hung up, Shen Ruanruan, who was sitting on the bed surrounded by piles of outfits from her opened packages, couldn’t help laughing.
“Lu Mingye, have you always treated yourself this poorly?”
She had so many clothes that the wardrobe he ordered was larger than normal households’.
When all their clothes hung together, the wardrobe was instantly filled with colorful dresses and blouses everywhere—not even counting pants.
Meanwhile, Lu Mingye’s military uniforms and plain black, white, and gray clothes were squeezed pitifully into one tiny corner.
It looked exactly like his future status in the household.
If Lu Mingye had ever lived in modern times, he probably would’ve silently added in his heart:
“Forget it. I’ll just let my wife support me.”
“Fine. I’ll buy clothes for you in the future instead.”
Lu Mingye honestly didn’t care much about clothing.
But hearing those words made him ridiculously happy.
He immediately imagined himself wearing clothes bought by his wife while casually strolling around in front of his comrades.
They’d definitely die of envy.
After finishing up there, the heated brick bed was finally dry enough to sleep on.
They spread brand-new bedding across it, while Lu Mingye carried the old broken bed outside.
Of course he couldn’t throw it away. He still had to return it to the military later.
…
Now that they were finally free, their gazes accidentally met again and again before both awkwardly looking away.
Shen Ruanruan’s heartbeat sped up.
She’d already been married once before, so why did she still feel like a nervous bride on her first wedding night?
“U-um…”
Lu Mingye was nervous too.
Especially when he thought about what would happen tonight…
“Ah! Lu Mingye, your nose is bleeding!”
Shen Ruanruan panicked and hurried to grab tissues.
Lu Mingye touched his nose.
Sure enough.
He immediately stood up and went to the washroom to rinse it off, with Shen Ruanruan following closely behind.
“Don’t wash it like that. Splash cold water on your forehead. Ah, forget it—I’ll do it.”
She made him crouch by the faucet, wet her hands, and started smacking his forehead repeatedly with damp palms.
Lu Mingye felt a little dazed.
He hadn’t expected himself to be this pathetic.
They hadn’t even done anything yet. He’d only imagined sleeping beside Shen Ruanruan tonight and already—
But seeing how worried she looked, gently touching his forehead…
He suddenly felt that being pathetic wasn’t so bad after all.
Eventually the nosebleed stopped, though the front of his short hair was completely wet.
Luckily, since it was cropped short, it didn’t matter much.
Still, the water droplets sliding down his face made him look strangely sexy.
“Dry your hair,” Shen Ruanruan poked his arm.
What was wrong with this man?
He’d looked dazed ever since they got their marriage certificate.
Had he not slept last night?
In a sense, she’d accidentally guessed correctly.
Lu Mingye took the towel. Then, for reasons even he didn’t fully understand, he handed it to her and bent down slightly in front of her.
“Can you dry it for me?”
“Lu Mingye, don’t push your luck! I’m only helping because you cook, wash dishes, and do housework all the time. You can’t start taking it for granted—”
Even while scolding him, she still wrapped the towel around his head.
The usually fierce, sharp-edged man instantly became strangely cute.
Like a giant wolfdog that barked viciously at everyone else but came to her acting spoiled, asking for pets, his eyes soft and gentle.
To her, this behavior was basically just another form of acting cute.
“Okay.”
Lu Mingye stared at her soft red lips moving as she talked.
He’d wanted to taste them for so long.
Now that they were finally legally married, he couldn’t hold back anymore.
One hand wrapped around her slender waist while the other cupped the back of her neck as he lowered his head and kissed her.
Lu Mingye had never kissed anyone before.
He had no idea what he was doing.
All he knew was rubbing awkwardly against her lips.
At the same time, he kept his eyes open, carefully watching her reaction, afraid she might dislike it.
But after freezing for a second, Shen Ruanruan recovered.
Her hand paused mid-motion while drying his hair.
Her arm slid down around his neck.
Her lips curved slightly upward.
Just as she was about to take control instead—
“Old Lu! Sister-in-law! Something happened!”
Wen Yan’s urgent voice suddenly rang out.
…
While Shen Ruanruan and Lu Mingye had been “treating the nosebleed,” a scream erupted from Sister Cao’s house nearby.
By then, everyone had returned from work or training.
The moment Chen Jianshe came home, he saw his wife rushing out in panic carrying their daughter.
He quickly stopped her and learned that little Duoduo had choked on a peanut.
She couldn’t cough it out, and her tiny face was already turning purple-blue.
Chen Jianshe’s heart nearly stopped.
He grabbed the child and prepared to run toward the hospital, drawing everyone’s attention.
After hearing what happened, one of the wives suddenly remembered something.
“Commander Chen, stop! Running like that could make it lodge deeper in her airway—it could kill her!”
She’d once seen something similar happen in her village.
A five-year-old child had choked on food, and the father carried the child while running desperately to the clinic.
By the time they arrived, the child was dead.
Later, the doctor said the running had caused the peanut to block the airway completely, suffocating the child to death.
The parents had gone mad from grief afterward.
Chen Jianshe immediately stopped.
But now they were stuck.
They couldn’t run.
Yet they couldn’t just stay still either.
Watching his daughter’s purple face struggle desperately for air, he felt like he was going insane.
Then someone suddenly noticed Tang Ruoqi.
“Doctor Tang! Come quickly and look at Commander Chen’s daughter! She choked on a peanut!”
Tang Ruoqi hurried over to check.
The child’s face was already purple, and her consciousness was fading.
Cold sweat instantly broke out across Tang Ruoqi’s palms.
“This… she already missed the best rescue window. Even if we take her to the hospital now…” Her voice trembled. “She… probably can’t be saved anymore.”
Mini Extra Scene
Ruanruan: “A’Ye, forget writing letters. Just have your comrade let my parents know I’m safe. If he gets implicated because of me, that’d be awful.”
Lu Mingye: “Even now, she’s still thinking about other people… Our Ruanruan is so kind and beautiful…”
Comrade: “…You lovesick lunatic. Absolute menace.”