“I remember the sleeper ticket to Island City is 45 yuan, and the hard seat is 20. Should I pay the difference of 25?”
Fang Muyu took out three ten-yuan bills and handed them to the train police chief.
Seeing Fang Muyu being so reasonable, the police chief breathed a sigh of relief.
He cleared his throat and said,
“Yes, plus the bedding fee of 6 mao and the service fee of 1 mao, the total is 25 yuan and 7 mao. Here’s your change of 4 yuan and 3 mao.”
Many passengers in the carriage gasped in shock.
“Oh my goodness! Paying for a sleeper ticket costs that much!”
“That’s almost half a month’s wages for me.”
“With that money, you could buy over thirty pounds of pork!”
…
Fang Muyu glanced at Liu Mei, who was sitting opposite her and avoiding eye contact, and flashed a smug smile.
“Officer, this military wife here said she wasn’t feeling well either. She also wants to upgrade to a sleeper.”
“No, no!”
Liu Mei hurriedly waved her hands repeatedly. She didn’t have that much money.
“I… I’m feeling much better now.”
…
Lu Yancheng’s unit was stationed on an island.
After getting off the train, Fang Muyu spent half a day on a bus before finally arriving at the port to board the ferry to the island.
The journey had completely worn her out.
The ferry to the island didn’t run every day, and the next available departure was the morning of the day after tomorrow.
Fang Muyu had no choice but to stay at the military guesthouse for two nights.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry. There have been a lot of family members visiting the island these past two days. The single and double rooms are all full. We only have one triple room left…”
The soldier on duty looked a bit troubled.
Company Commander Lu’s wife was dressed fashionably and seemed quite refined. She probably wouldn’t be comfortable staying in a triple room!
Before Fang Muyu could say anything, Liu Mei quickly placed her large and small bags on the bed.
“Comrade, if she doesn’t want to stay here, I will.”
As it happened, both of them were headed to the same destination.
Fang Muyu couldn’t be bothered with Liu Mei.
“Comrade, could you take me to look at the single rooms?”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
The soldier on duty was confused but hurried to follow her.
Fang Muyu passed by several single rooms without stopping.
It wasn’t until she reached the last single room that she paused, raised her hand, and gently knocked on the door.
Soon, the door opened, revealing a plainly dressed, dark-skinned military wife.
“Hello, comrade.”
“Sorry to bother you. The baby in my belly is quite restless, and I’m a light sleeper—even the slightest noise wakes me up. Would you be willing to swap rooms with me? You take the triple room, and I’ll take the single?”
Fang Muyu added,
“I’ll give you three yuan as compensation.”
As soon as she said this, the surroundings fell silent.
Three yuan?
That was enough to buy three or four pounds of pork.
Hearing there was money involved, the military wife was more than willing. She quickly nodded in agreement.
“Oh! Yes! Yes! I’ll swap! I’ll swap! I’ll pack my things and move to the triple room right away.”
“Ma’am, thank you so much.”
Fang Muyu quickly took the money from her bag and pressed it into the military wife’s hand, who then packed even faster.
The young soldier on duty stood at the door, completely stunned.
This… this could be done?
Company Commander Lu’s wife was really clever, but… she was also a bit wasteful.
…
Qingyu Island.
Two men were gathered around a table, studying a map and discussing training plans.
A thin, dark-skinned man walked in, looking enviously at the handsome man at the desk.
“Company Commander, you’re really lucky!”
“What do you mean, lucky?”
Lu Yancheng’s gaze remained fixed on the map, his tone calm and steady.
“You didn’t know? It’s all over the military port guesthouse.”
Liu Zhiqiang paused, a hint of sourness hidden in his voice.
“I heard the single rooms at the guesthouse were full, so your wife went straight to another officer’s wife, paid her, and swapped for a single room.”
The air seemed to snap abruptly.
Lu Yancheng’s hand gripping the pen tightened suddenly, the tip piercing a black dot on the paper.
“You said… who?”
“Your wife, Company Commander! She’s at the military port guesthouse right now!”
Liu Zhiqiang’s words struck Lu Yancheng’s heart like a heavy blow, and his expression grew even colder.
He had just returned, and she couldn’t wait to chase after him?
How desperate was she to divorce him?
Not even willing to wait a moment longer?
…
“Your wife is here?”
Deputy Company Commander Song Hao immediately perked up with interest.
“Yeah! Deputy Company Commander, you should’ve seen it—your wife really has some nerve!”
Liu Zhiqiang, completely oblivious to Lu Yancheng’s shifting mood, spoke with unmistakable envy in his eyes.
“When my wife comes, she’s just grateful to have a place to sleep. She wouldn’t dare think of such things.”
“But your wife, as soon as she arrived, arranged everything for herself. She’s really something else.”
Lu Yancheng’s expression grew even more frigid.
Ring-ring
The telephone on the desk rang.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Lu Yancheng picked up the receiver, his voice cold and rigid.
“Hello, this is Lu Yancheng.”
“Company Commander Lu, hello. This is Lin Guodong from the 46th Army. I ran into your wife on the train a couple of days ago…”
Lu Yancheng’s face grew colder and colder.
What did this woman take him for?
Wasn’t she the one who wanted a divorce?
Then why did she tell others on the train that she was his wife?
…
Seeing Lu Yancheng’s stern expression, Liu Zhiqiang and Song Hao grew serious, both assuming there was a mission.
“Alright, goodbye!”
Lu Yancheng hung up the phone.
His handsome face showed no extra emotion, but his usually cold eyes were dark and heavy, like the sea pressing low before a storm.
“Company Commander, is there a mission?”
“No,” Lu Yancheng’s voice was as cold as ice. “Carry on.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Song Hao and Liu Zhiqiang bent down and resumed their work.
Lu Yancheng lowered his head, forcing himself to focus entirely on his tasks.
…
Military Port.
Army Guesthouse.
Fang Muyu, having slept soundly through the night, had no idea that Lu Yancheng already knew she had come to the island.
Even if she had known he knew, she wouldn’t have been fazed.
Right now, Fang Muyu was busy!
She would board the island the day after tomorrow, leaving her one full day—perfect for shopping.
She was going to the island to rest during her pregnancy, not to suffer.
Naturally, she had to improve her quality of life.
Although the Haining County she was in was small, it had everything she needed.
The two-story supply and marketing cooperative had fabric, soap, pots, pans, bowls, and utensils—everything.
This floral fabric is nice, perfect for curtains.
This cotton fabric is decent, good for bedsheets.
Handwashing soap, can’t forget that.
Small biscuits, White Rabbit milk candies—snacks are a must.
Fang Muyu bought whatever caught her eye.
She didn’t feel the slightest bit of heartache over the money or ration coupons.
After all, none of it was hers—it was all Lu Yancheng’s.
Better to spend it on the child now than on other women later.