As the two were talking, Bai Qiaolan returned carrying a basket of vegetables. A trace of barely concealed satisfaction lingered on her face. The moment she stepped inside, she spotted the documents on the table and glanced at their expressions before speaking casually.
“Chengjing, what are you two discussing?”
“These are the documents for Lin Shuyao’s job transfer.”
Bai Qiaolan had sharp eyes. She immediately noticed the words Southwestern Grain Seed Experimental Station.
“You’re helping Comrade Lin transfer there?!” As if her suspicions had been confirmed, her voice rose noticeably, losing its usual soft and pitiful tone. “The Grain Seed Experimental Station is one of the organization’s key projects. Openings are extremely limited, and countless people compete for them. Comrade Lin has only just arrived in the Southwest and already wants to use connections to get in through the back door. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
The moment those words left her mouth, not only did Lu Chengjing’s expression change, but Lin Shuyao’s face darkened as well.
“What exactly do you mean by that, Comrade Bai? I’m applying for a position based on my education and abilities. I also have sufficient work experience. Applying for a position at the Grain Seed Experimental Station is perfectly reasonable. How does that count as pulling strings? Whose connections am I supposedly using? Yours?”
Lin Shuyao did not hold back this time.
The sharpness in her words caused Bai Qiaolan to stiffen immediately.
“Chengjing, listen to what she’s saying! I was only making an offhand remark. Why is she getting so worked up?”
“Your offhand remark is slander against me,” Lin Shuyao retorted without yielding an inch. She could tolerate Bai Qiaolan making things difficult for her, but she would not tolerate being falsely accused.
The sudden forcefulness of Lin Shuyao’s demeanor made Bai Qiaolan instinctively take half a step back. Her face alternated between pale and flushed.
She was accustomed to acting weak and helpless. As a martyr’s widow, people usually treated her with respect. She had never encountered someone like Lin Shuyao, who refused to back down and countered every word with sharp precision.
“Chengjing, listen to her! I was only trying to remind her out of kindness, and now she’s talking to me like this. When did I ever slander her?”
Bai Qiaolan’s eyes immediately reddened as she tried to move closer to Lu Chengjing.
“Whether it’s slander or not, you know very well in your own heart,” Lin Shuyao shot back. “I don’t recall ever offending you, so why do you keep targeting me again and again? Making accusations out of thin air? I haven’t even done anything yet, and you’ve already slapped a label on me. Why?”
Bai Qiaolan’s expression changed drastically.
“Y-you’re making things up. I didn’t…”
Lin Shuyao sneered.
“Comrade Bai, I respect you because you’re an elder and because you’re Comrade Lu’s sister-in-law. But don’t push your luck. That job is mine if I qualify for it, and nobody can take it away. I have the education and the ability. I don’t need to rely on anyone’s connections.”
Part of her anger came from genuine outrage, and part of it was her way of drawing a clear line between herself and the Lu family.
She had come here for work.
She had come here to contribute to her country.
Whether others believed her or not was their problem.
Bai Qiaolan’s repeated actions had greatly diminished Lin Shuyao’s impression of the Lu family.
If even the eldest sister-in-law could speak to her so recklessly, it was obvious she felt emboldened by Lu Chengjing’s position.
Putting up with grievances back in the capital was one thing; she could blame that on circumstances beyond her control.
But after coming all the way to the Southwest, being careful and polite at every turn only to be repeatedly accused—it was infuriating.
Standing nearby, Lu Chengjing’s frown deepened.
“That’s enough.”
His voice was not loud, but it carried the cold authority forged through years in the military, instantly silencing the argument.
He first looked at Lin Shuyao, his tone softening slightly.
“I believe in your abilities. I’ll personally submit the documents to the Grain Seed Experimental Station. They’ll be reviewed fairly. No one is pulling strings.”
Then he turned toward Bai Qiaolan, his gaze turning cold.
“Sister-in-law, watch your words. You’re the widow of a martyr. Every word and action reflects upon military families. I don’t want to hear remarks like that again.”
Bai Qiaolan froze in disbelief.
“Chengjing, I’m your sister-in-law! You’re talking to me like this because of an outsider?”
“She’s not an outsider.”
Lu Chengjing’s response was firm.
“She’s my legally registered wife. Military marriages are protected by law. Spreading rumors and making false accusations can result in disciplinary action or even legal consequences. Sister-in-law, you understand these rules better than anyone.”
The words left Bai Qiaolan speechless.
Her lips trembled, and tears finally rolled down her cheeks.
“I’m only looking out for you… She treated you so badly before. Letter after letter, she pressured you for a divorce. Now that she sees you have a promising future, she’s sticking to you again. I’m afraid you’ll suffer. I’m afraid she’ll deceive you.”
“I know my own people.”
With a single sentence, Lu Chengjing settled the matter completely.
My own people.
Those three words drifted into Lin Shuyao’s ears and made her heart skip a beat.
She instinctively looked up at him.
His profile was strong and resolute, his expression stern and unsmiling. There was no obvious warmth in him, yet somehow those words filled her with a sense of comfort she had never experienced before.
Even the complaints she had been silently cursing in her heart came to an abrupt halt.
Watching the two of them stand united, Bai Qiaolan’s heart sank completely.
She felt wronged and unwilling to accept it, but she no longer dared say another word.
Covering her face, she stumbled into her room and slammed the door shut behind her.
At last, the courtyard fell silent.
Lin Shuyao let out a long breath. The toughness she had maintained moments ago instantly faded by more than half.
Feeling somewhat awkward, she looked at Lu Chengjing.
“Comrade Lu, thank you… for earlier.”
She had truly been furious.
Lu Chengjing’s gaze fell upon the faint redness lingering at the corners of her eyes.
After several seconds of silence, he spoke.
“There’s no need. Sister-in-law shouldn’t have said those things.”
Lin Shuyao gave an embarrassed laugh and fiddled with her fingers.
“It’s fine now.”
After a brief pause, Lu Chengjing repeated the question she had not clearly heard earlier. His voice was low and steady.
“A military marriage is not a trivial matter. Once the divorce application is canceled, it won’t be easy to submit another one later. Are you certain you don’t want a divorce?”
Lin Shuyao froze momentarily before lifting her head.
Her eyes were completely sincere, without the slightest hesitation.
“I’m certain. I don’t want a divorce. Of course, if Comrade Lu ever needs one in the future, I’ll fully cooperate.”
She had come to the Southwest to change her cannon-fodder fate and devote herself to scientific research.
A divorce?
At present, it was absolutely out of the question.
If she got divorced, who would sign off on her transfer?
Lu Chengjing studied her deeply.
His eyes, dark as a frozen lake, seemed intent on seeing through every layer of her being.
After a long while, he simply nodded.
“Mm.”
He gathered the documents, neatly placed them into his military satchel, and put them away.
Lu Chengjing prepared lunch that day.
Bai Qiaolan was likely still hurt by what had happened. After retreating to her room, she never appeared again.
Whether intentionally or not, the vegetables she had bought were pitifully plain. Even the family’s white rice and refined flour had been locked away.
Although Lu Chengjing had grown up in the capital, years in the military had taught him to endure hardship. He had never been someone who sought comfort or luxury. Food was food.
Yet Lin Shuyao’s behavior surprised him.
Even when the meal consisted only of dried string beans and coarse rice, she showed no sign of dissatisfaction. When the rough rice scratched her throat, she simply drank water with it. Her table manners remained impeccable, and she was unwilling to waste even a single grain.
After finishing the meal, she voluntarily cleaned the dishes and tidied the kitchen, moving efficiently and diligently.
It was as though, in her eyes, household work should naturally be shared.
There was no notion that one person ought to wait on another.
She refused to take advantage of anyone.
“Comrade Lu, I’ll leave the document submission to you.”
“Mm.”