Watching the young officer carry a young girl in his arms as they emerged from Old Man Gao’s home, a plump woman nearby mistook the uniform for that of a public security officer. “Look at that, Old Man Gao’s really stepped in it this time. He might even end up behind bars!”
The few people under the tree immediately shut their mouths, not daring to speak another word!
There weren’t many people in the village during the day; most were out in the fields working to earn work points. Yet, the gazes of those few were enough to make Jiang Nuo blush with shame, and she buried her face deep into Chu Yanhan’s chest. After walking a few hundred meters, she became anxious to get down. “Hurry and put me down! If people see us like this, how will I ever hold my head up?”
Chu Yanhan struggled for a moment before holding her even tighter. “What’s wrong with holding my own wife? Who dares to gossip?”
Jiang Nuo, angry, began to beat his chest muscles with her fists. “Stop saying that! I never agreed to be your wife. I told you, I’m still young!”
Chu Yanhan looked at the person huddled in his arms, his smile growing broader—so she was just self-conscious about his age! “Actually, finding someone my age is quite good; we know how to cherish a woman!”
Jiang Nuo felt that the man was truly thick-skinned. She struggled desperately to free herself, wanting to walk on her own.
Afraid that she might fall, Chu Yanhan had no choice but to let her go. “Walk slowly. You’re injured. I’m back on leave, and my holiday is quite long! There’s no rush!”
Jiang Nuo wanted to end this improper relationship with the man as quickly as possible. She was anxious to help Chu Yanhan find Gao Feng’s house and then leave for the military region, distancing herself from this place of scandal. With a job, she could finally escape Chu Yanhan’s pestering! She also didn’t want to run into her parents; her home was in the next village over, and if anyone raised their voice, her family would know of any commotion over here.
Without realizing it, the two had walked to the edge of the village, Gaojia Village. At the outskirts stood an old house with three rooms under a tiled roof. On the window lattices outside, dried ears of corn and strings of red chili peppers hung. An elderly woman with white hair was sitting in the doorway, eyes closed, basking in the sun. Hearing footsteps approach, she opened her eyes at once.
Her grandson, Gao Feng, had joined the army just this year and hadn’t sent a letter home for over half a year. Usually, no one came by; she was too old for farm work and could only stay home to watch the door. Seeing Chu Yanhan in his military uniform nearby, she felt an instant sense of warmth. “Who are you looking for?”
Jiang Nuo stepped out from behind the man. “Grandma Gao, do you remember me?”
Grandma Gao looked at Jiang Nuo for a moment before recognizing her. “Isn’t this Jiang Nuo? The girl who grew up with Gao Feng!”
“Yes, Grandma Gao, your memory is wonderful!”
“Grandma Gao, this comrade beside me is a leader from the military region. He’s home on leave and specifically came to bring you your grandson Gao Feng’s wages!”
The 1.89-meter-tall Chu Yanhan had to smile and bend down. “Elder, this is what Gao Feng asked me to hand over to you. In this handkerchief is the salary he saved up. Please count it; there is 150 yuan in total.”
Seeing all those neatly stacked bills inside the plaid handkerchief, Grandma Gao’s eyes immediately welled up with tears.
“Good, good! I am truly blessed! I’ll save this up for Gao Feng; I’ll keep it for him to use to marry a wife in the future!”
Grandma Gao wanted them to stay for a meal, but Jiang Nuo declined. “Grandma Gao, we have matters to attend to; we’ll come back another time to eat.”
Grandma Gao happily agreed.
Chu Yanhan was indeed hungry—his stomach had been growling all the way there—and he really had wanted to eat a meal at Grandma Gao’s house. He hadn’t expected Jiang Nuo to turn it down so quickly.
Jiang Nuo met his gaze. “There’s a famine in the village; every household is short on grain. The reason Gao Feng was so anxious to join the army was because there was simply no food to eat at home!”
And the reason she had been sold to the old man as a bride was also because her family truly had no grain left!
Only then did Chu Yanhan realize that Jiang Nuo was a sensible, good-hearted girl. Even though her own family had sold her, she didn’t hold a grudge! She truly was a foolish, kind-hearted girl.
“Do you really not hate your parents?” Chu Yanhan finally asked.
Jiang Nuo thought for a long time. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
Her entire focus was on getting out of there with Chu Yanhan as soon as possible, reaching the military region, building a career, and making money to support herself! Parents who could be this heartless—she was better off without them.
“Does the military health station provide housing?” Jiang Nuo asked, still feeling uneasy; she feared that if she arrived there helpless and alone, she would have to bother the man. She didn’t want that at all!
Chu Yanhan thought about his own bachelor dorm where he stayed year-round, and the family courtyard the unit insisted on assigning to him—the weeds were probably waist-high, as he hadn’t even checked it once. Perhaps he could let Jiang Nuo live there and have her manage it. Occasionally, he could invite comrades over for dinner in the yard; that sounded like a beautiful picture.
“Yes, the health station has the best benefits. They even provide houses with courtyards now!” Chu Yanhan couldn’t help but curve his lips into a smile as he finished!
“Really? But wouldn’t this job be taken if I show up late?!” Standing 1.68 meters tall, her head only reached his shoulder, and she didn’t see the smirk on his face at all.
Chu Yanhan smiled and said, “I’ll make a phone call to the unit in a moment and reserve a spot for you!”
Jiang Nuo kept thanking him; she wanted so badly to leave this place and have a job to call her own!
The walk back toward the village entrance went smoothly. Although her injuries throbbed with pain, she draped one arm over Chu Yanhan’s, putting almost her entire body weight on him. Chu Yanhan, having done a disservice to her, felt no desire to push her away; in fact, he was quite pleased, which made Jiang Nuo feel a little less embarrassed.
The bus to the town pulled up to the village entrance, and Jiang Nuo waved to the driver from far away.
“No rush. If we miss this, we’ll just wait for the next one. Don’t walk so fast!” Chu Yanhan saw how desperate the person beside him was to leave the village, and his heart ached for her.
“I can’t. The village bus only comes once a day. If we miss this time slot, we’ll have to walk all the way to town!”
Jiang Nuo was anxious. Normally, walking to town would only take about thirty minutes, and it would be a breeze for her. But now, she was injured; the wounds were swollen and painful, and moving was even worse!
Just as they were about to reach the pickup spot, two figures came running out from behind them. A woman with short, messy hair threw out her arms, blocking Jiang Nuo’s path.
“Mom, Dad, why are you here?” Jiang Nuo thought she had been so careful to escape without anyone knowing. Gaojia Village was huge, many people in the village didn’t even know each other, and Old Man Gao hadn’t really lost anything, having already taken his fifty yuan.
Mother Jiang pointed a finger at Jiang Nuo. “You dead girl, we told you to marry Old Man Gao, and you actually dared to run away! See if I don’t beat you to death today!”
Father Jiang came up from behind, trying to hold Mother Jiang back. He had always been an honest man who swallowed his grievances; he watched his wife dote on their son while mistreating their daughter, never daring to intervene. But even he couldn’t stand it any longer—his own wife selling their daughter for money! And to a man even older than himself!