At the pier, Shen Jiaojiao had waited so long that even the flowers were practically withering, yet she still hadn’t seen Lu Yunshan anywhere.
She didn’t have much money on her, and the sun had dried out her lips. Her face was pale, and she was almost at the end of her strength.
Looking at the sky, she felt puzzled. Shen Qingqing had been gone for so long that, judging by the time, she should have arrived ages ago.
So why hadn’t anyone come to pick her up?
Could it be that Shen Qingqing, that wretched woman, had forgotten? Or had she deliberately left her here, intending to abandon her?
The more Shen Jiaojiao thought about it, the angrier she became. She wished she could grow a pair of wings right now and fly over to give Shen Qingqing two slaps. How dare that wretched girl leave her here alone? Just wait until she got back—she would make Shen Qingqing pay.
Meanwhile, Lu Yunshan was still wrapped up in his tender exchange with Gu Qinghai, having completely forgotten about Shen Jiaojiao.
When it was getting late, Gu Qinghai tactfully slipped out of his arms and wiped away his tears.
“All right, Brother Shan, go pick her up. I know she’s the woman your family chose for you. If you don’t go, it’ll be hard to explain things to your parents. Don’t worry, I’m fine. As long as you have me in your heart, that’s enough. Go on, don’t keep her waiting too long.”
Hearing how considerate his lover was being, Lu Yunshan felt deeply conflicted.
He silently swore that he would treat Gu Qinghai even better in the future. If it weren’t for the fact that their relationship couldn’t be made public, he wouldn’t have wanted to be forced into marriage by his parents, nor would he have wanted to carry on a secret relationship with the person he loved.
After comforting Gu Qinghai, Lu Yunshan finally prepared to ask for leave and go pick up his future wife.
Along the way, he remained silent, a stark contrast to the other soldiers who were going to pick up their wives.
He was worried.
At present, his parents were only pressuring him to marry, but once he actually got married, they would inevitably start pressuring him to have children.
But he had already decided that he would only love Gu Qinghai. There was no way he would betray him, and he certainly didn’t want to have children with a woman he didn’t love.
He could only hope that the wife his parents had chosen for him was a virtuous woman. After they married, he would simply tell her that he was incapable in that regard.
If she were understanding enough, she would naturally take the initiative to tell others that she was the one who couldn’t have children.
No one knew how long she had been waiting. By the time the sun was almost setting, the last boat leaving the island finally slowly arrived.
Shen Jiaojiao was hungry and exhausted, so angry that she was almost on the verge of tears.
When Lu Yunshan stepped off the boat, Shen Jiaojiao immediately spotted him among the crowd, standing out from everyone else.
To be fair, Lu Yunshan was indeed quite handsome. He looked refined and cultured, so it wasn’t difficult to understand why someone would fall for him.
Looking at Lu Yunshan’s late arrival, Shen Jiaojiao couldn’t help feeling a little resentful. But when she thought about how he would soon become a regiment commander and how promising his future was, the anger in her heart subsided somewhat.
She suppressed her dissatisfaction and desperately tried to put on the appearance of a virtuous and gentle wife. She wanted to leave a good impression on Lu Yunshan. She certainly didn’t want their first meeting to end unpleasantly.
After getting off the boat, Lu Yunshan searched the pier for her. Although he had never met Shen Jiaojiao before, Shen Jiaojiao was extremely familiar with what he looked like, so she took the initiative to approach him.
Lu Yunshan was somewhat surprised, but he didn’t think much of it. He simply apologized guiltily.
“I’m really sorry. Something came up on my end and delayed me a little. You must have been waiting for a long time.”
If he hadn’t mentioned it, Shen Jiaojiao might have been able to hold back her grievance. But the moment he brought it up, she couldn’t help feeling wronged.
Still, she quickly composed herself and put on a gentle smile.
“It’s all right. I’m fine. Your work is important. Waiting a little longer doesn’t matter. Have you taken care of everything?”
Lu Yunshan nodded.
“It’s all taken care of.”
“By the way, your face…”
Lu Yunshan hesitated.
He hadn’t noticed from a distance, but now that he was closer, he saw a long wound across her face. It looked like she had only recently been injured.
Shen Jiaojiao raised a hand to touch her face. She gave a bitter smile before telling him what had happened on the train.
Of course, she left out the part where she had tried to get Shen Qingqing to take her place.
Afterward, she secretly studied his expression, afraid that Lu Yunshan would mind the scar on her face.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yunshan merely smiled faintly. There wasn’t the slightest trace of disgust or concern on his face. Instead, he asked worriedly,
“Did you hurt yourself anywhere else? How is the wound? Does it still hurt? Once we get to the island, I’ll find a doctor to take another look at it…”
Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes filled with tears of emotion.
“I’m fine now. Thank you, Brother Lu~”
As she spoke, she shyly lowered her head.
Afterward, Lu Yunshan took her onto the boat to the island. It was already late, and this was the last boat going to the island. If they missed it, they would have to wait until tomorrow, so they didn’t delay.
Once they arrived on the island, Lu Yunshan took her to register her identity and asked,
“Comrade Shen, did you bring all your identification documents? If everything is in order, give them to me. I’ll submit the marriage application. Since you’ve come all this way, let’s get married as soon as possible.”
Hearing Lu Yunshan say this, Shen Jiaojiao felt as though her entire heart had been filled with sweetness.
She shyly nodded, her voice soft and delicate.
“I’ll listen to you, Brother Lu…”
The thing Shen Jiaojiao had been longing for for so long was finally about to become reality. She was both happy and excited.
She quickly glanced at Lu Yunshan.
Looking at his refined and handsome appearance, her heart pounded like a drum, and she was so excited that her heart nearly leaped out of her throat.
He was handsome and distinguished, and his family background was good. Most importantly, he would soon become the youngest regiment commander.
Just thinking about becoming the regiment commander’s wife filled Shen Jiaojiao with uncontrollable happiness and excitement.
The happiness Shen Qingqing had enjoyed in her previous life would finally belong to her, Shen Jiaojiao, in this life.
Besides, in her previous life, Shen Qingqing had been a barren hen who, because of her physical condition, had never given Lu Yunshan a child. Yet he had been able to tolerate Shen Qingqing and had never divorced her.
That showed what a good character and temper Lu Yunshan had. He clearly didn’t have any messy relationships either.
Just now, when he saw her injured face, he hadn’t shown the slightest bit of disgust. Instead, he had been concerned about her.
Perhaps even if her face really were disfigured, Lu Yunshan wouldn’t despise her.
Shen Qingqing’s life from her previous existence would completely belong to her in this one.
From now on, she would be the regiment commander’s wife whom everyone envied.
And Shen Qingqing would be left to live as a widow for the rest of her life.
After registering her identity, Lu Yunshan took Shen Jiaojiao directly back home.
He lived with his parents and hadn’t established a separate household, so he arranged for Shen Jiaojiao to stay with them.
When they arrived at the Lu residence, Lu’s father and mother came out to welcome her.
They greeted Shen Jiaojiao warmly.
“Jiaojiao, you’re here! Come in and sit down. Have you eaten yet?”
Shen Jiaojiao embarrassedly shook her head.
She had been hungry for most of the day and hadn’t even had a sip of water. Her throat was so dry that it felt like it was about to smoke.
Lu Yunshan hurriedly went to pour her some water.
Lu’s parents were both educated people, and their manners and behavior were quite proper. This made Shen Jiaojiao even more satisfied with Lu Yunshan.
With such easygoing parents-in-law, her life would surely be even better.
Lu’s father asked Shen Jiaojiao concernedly about various things, while Lu’s mother sat to the side, quietly sizing her up from head to toe, afraid she might miss anything.
After looking her over for quite a while, Lu’s mother nodded in satisfaction, and her smile became even more genuine.
She had wide hips. She looked like she’d be good at having children.
Naturally, Lu’s mother was very pleased with her.
After all, her son was already twenty-five. People his age already had children old enough to run errands for them, yet her son hadn’t even gotten married.
His own conditions weren’t bad either, but that boy had stubbornly refused to marry.
His marriage had always been a source of worry for them.
Now things were finally looking up. Once the two of them got married and gave her a big grandson, life would surely become more and more hopeful.
Thinking this, Lu’s mother’s gaze toward Shen Jiaojiao became increasingly warm.