The dinner table was set in the shade beneath the eaves.
Jiang Ning looked at her bowl, filled with eggs. In contrast, the old lady and He Zheng ate mostly sliced loofah.
She knew they were doing this for her, afraid that if she didn’t nourish her body properly, complications would arise during childbirth. In truth, she was worried too. Medical technology in the 1960s couldn’t compare to what would come later. A difficult labor or a baby too large to deliver—cases that could be solved with a C-section in the future—were life-or-death matters now.
For the sake of her health, Jiang Ning accepted their kindness without protest. She had suffered enough. She didn’t want to go through any more hardships.
After the meal, He Zheng went back to moving bricks. Jiang Ning walked around the courtyard to aid her digestion.
Huang Yuefang finished her own chores and brought her two sons over to chat with the old lady. When Fang Jiancheng and Fang Jianye spotted Jiang Ning standing by the vegetable patch, the two boys shyly greeted her. “Sister-in-law Jiang.”
Jiang Ning smiled and acknowledged them.
The old lady gestured for Huang Yuefang to join her in the shade. Huang Yuefang began fanning herself with a cattail leaf fan. “The weather is truly scorching.”
The old lady glanced at the sky.
“I reckon it’ll be even hotter in a couple of days,” she said, then gestured to Jiang Ning.
“Ningning, come sit down and rest a while.”
Huang Yuefang turned her gaze to Jiang Ning’s stomach. As Jiang Ning carefully lowered herself into a seat, Huang Yuefang asked, “I haven’t asked yet—how many months along are you?”
Jiang Ning thought for a moment. “A little over five.”
Huang Yuefang reached out to touch her belly. “My, you’re showing quite a bit. You look six months along. Are you carrying twins?”
She rubbed the heads of Fang Jiancheng and Fang Jianye, who were crouching by her legs.
“When I was five months pregnant with these two, my belly was only a bit bigger than yours.”
Jiang Ning didn’t recognize the term “double sticks,” but she understood when Huang Yuefang mentioned her own children.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. We went to the hospital yesterday, and the doctor didn’t say anything.”
“Then it’s probably not twins,” Huang Yuefang said. “But the baby’s bound to be a big one. Commander Zhou is so tall; the child will definitely take after him.”
The old lady immediately nudged Huang Yuefang with her elbow, signaling her to stop.
Of all the things to bring up!
Huang Yuefang finally realized her mistake. She glanced at Jiang Ning, who was staring down, idly scratching the ground with a thin twig. A wave of guilt washed over her for her loose tongue.
Quickly changing the subject, she asked, “Auntie Meng, have Zhu Rong and her husband approached you or Deputy Commander He?”
The old lady looked puzzled. “Why would they come to us?”
If it was about the incident outside the latrines last night, she’d be ready to chase them out with her broom.
Huang Yuefang couldn’t help but grin. She’d always disliked Zhu Rong and found a cruel pleasure in seeing the couple suffer a setback. She’d spent half the night laughing about it until Old Fang scolded her.
Suppressing her smile, Huang Yuefang said, “The organization… I mean, they reserved a job at the supply and marketing cooperative for Jiang Ning, specifically in ration coupon management. Zhu Rong tried to get her eldest daughter the position. Commander Li pulled every string he could, spending money and calling in favors. Just when they thought they had a lead, the higher-ups gave the job to Jiang Ning. I bet those two haven’t been able to eat for days out of pure spite.”
The old lady fell silent.
So that’s why Zhu Rong was bullying Ningning for no reason last night, she realized.
Worried that the drama would weigh on Jiang Ning, the old lady comforted her.
“Ningning, don’t pay them any mind. Just focus on your work. The organization gave this position to you—no one can take it away, and no one has any right to complain. If anyone dares to gossip, Grandma will be the first one to shut them down.”
Huang Yuefang, who was always close with the old lady, slapped her chest in agreement. “Your Auntie Huang will stand up for you too! My eldest daughter, Xiaoli, also works at the supply and marketing cooperative. You two can keep each other company. If anyone dares to bully you, I’ll have Xiaoli bully them right back!”
A wave of warmth washed over Jiang Ning.
She had grown up alone and adrift, with only her best friend from the orphanage to care for her. But since arriving here, the brigade leader and his wife, He Zheng and Grandma, and now Auntie Huang, had all taken her under their wing.
She turned to them, her eyes crinkling into a smile that revealed two small dimples in her cheeks. “Thank you, Grandma. Thank you, Auntie Huang.”
The old lady smiled. “What’s with the formalities, Ningning?”
Huang Yuefang stared, momentarily entranced by Jiang Ning’s smile.
Good heavens, she thought, this young bride is stunning. That smile could steal a person’s soul. If she lived here permanently, constantly crossing paths with Deputy Commander He, wouldn’t he eventually set his sights on Zhou Du’s wife?
Just as this thought crossed her mind, Deputy Commander He returned.
He Zheng pushed his wheelbarrow through the gate. He saw Jiang Ning sitting on a stool, sketching on the ground with a twig. Fang Jiancheng and Fang Jianye had scooted close to her feet, watching her draw with curiosity.
Hearing the commotion, she looked up.
He Zheng lowered his gaze and pushed the wheelbarrow against the wall to unload the bricks.
A few military wives passing by stopped to chat. Seeing the pile of bricks in the courtyard, they asked what was going on. Before the old lady could answer, Huang Yuefang launched into a torrent of words.
She spoke so rapidly that the old lady couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
Jiang Ning watched her, amazed that Huang Yuefang didn’t even seem to stop for breath. It seemed the book’s description of her character was perfectly accurate.
Huang Yuefang was a chatterbox, always eager for a good gossip and so relentless that no one else could get a word in.
The military wives finally learned that Deputy Commander He had bought all those red bricks to build a toilet.
They glanced at Jiang Ning, who sat with her back to them. Even her profile alone revealed she was a stunningly beautiful young bride. Two of the women had seen Auntie Meng and Jiang Ning walking together earlier that morning; the two had looked just like a grandmother and her own granddaughter.
“Auntie Meng,” one of the wives teased, “Deputy Commander He is unmarried, and Zhou Du’s wife is all alone. Why not just let them marry and keep each other company? You’d even get to hold your great-grandchild sooner.”
The other women immediately chimed in, eager to join the fun.
Jiang Ning stared at them.
These people were playing matchmaker with the most reckless abandon.
Who was He Zheng? He was the male lead of this novel—a powerhouse. He was single-mindedly devoted to his career, never entertaining romance or showing the slightest interest in it. Countless women had pursued him, only to be decisively rejected.
From the beginning to the end of the story, the male lead remained alone even after reaching the pinnacle of his success.
After all, she was reading a “no-CP” military novel featuring a powerhouse male lead.
The idea of the author’s ruthless, unloving protagonist ever falling in love and getting married?
Don’t make her laugh.
Besides, she could never marry He Zheng. What if she ever got lucky enough to transmigrate back into her own world?
Hearing the suggestion, the old lady quickly covered the military wives’ mouths, telling them to stop talking nonsense.
He Zheng slammed his shovel into the dirt and glared at the woman who had made the comment. “Auntie Lin, you can be reckless with your food, but not with your words. Brother Zhou’s body hasn’t even grown cold. Do you really think it’s appropriate to say such things?”
Auntie Lin’s face flushed with shame. She’d only meant it as a joke; she never expected Commander He to take such a strong offense. Too embarrassed to stay, she mumbled an excuse and hurried away. The other women who had gathered around quickly followed suit.
The old lady tried to comfort Jiang Ning, telling her not to take it to heart and to ignore their gossip.
Huang Yuefang, however, thought Auntie Lin had a point. It wasn’t unheard of in the family compound for a man to fall in battle, leaving his wife and children behind, only for an unmarried comrade to take them in.
He Zheng and Zhou Du’s widow were in the exact same situation.
He Zheng pulled the shovel from the ground and glanced at Jiang Ning.
She remained focused on the earth, sketching and drawing, ignoring everyone around her.
He turned back to his work, stepping on the shovel’s blade to drive it into the dirt. With a single heave, he tossed a full shovelful of soil to the side.
“Sister-in-law Jiang, who’s this? They look so familiar!”
Fang Jiancheng, the eldest boy, shuffled closer on his knees. He tilted his head to examine the figures drawn on the ground, his eyes widening in delight. He pointed to himself, then to his younger brother, Fang Jianye, his voice booming with childish enthusiasm. “Sister-in-law Jiang, is that me and my brother?!”
Jiang Ning smiled. “It is. Do you like them?”
Fang Jiancheng and Fang Jianye nodded vigorously, their faces beaming.
“We love them!” they shouted in unison.
The boys’ exuberant cries drew the attention of Huang Yuefang and the old lady, who had been chatting nearby. Even He Zheng paused his digging to look over.
Huang Yuefang stood up and walked over. Her eyes went wide, mirroring her son’s expression. “Oh my goodness! Is that Jiancheng and Jianye?! Jiang Ning, how did you draw this? Your hands are so skillful!”
Huang Yuefang beckoned the old lady over. “Auntie Meng, come look! Don’t the noses and eyes look exactly like Jiancheng and Jianye’s?”
The old lady stood and walked over to inspect the drawings. She stared at the ground, her eyes widening in shock.
She looked at Jiang Ning in surprise. “Ningning, when did you learn to draw like this?”
Jiang Ning came up with a plausible excuse. “I’ve always loved drawing. I just practiced on my own whenever I had free time, and I gradually got better.”
Since the original owner of this body had never lived with these people, she knew a simple explanation would be enough to satisfy them.
“She’s a high school student, after all,” Huang Yuefang exclaimed. “So smart!”
Jiang Ning lowered her head and began to fidget with a twig, feeling a twinge of guilt. Her skill wasn’t just a matter of being smart; she’d formally studied art, but there was no way she could explain that to them.
Huang Yuefang was so enamored with the drawings that she almost wanted to shovel the dirt out of the ground and paste it onto her wall. Fang Jiancheng and Fang Jianye, bursting with excitement, ran off to call their friends, eager to show off the artwork.
Huang Yuefang crouched on the ground, her gaze moving from the drawings to Jiang Ning’s large, pregnant belly.
She was pretty, fair-skinned, and gentle. Most importantly, she was educated and a gifted artist. Any one of these qualities would make her an ideal match for any man. Her only drawbacks were her previous marriage and the child in her womb—but that wouldn’t be a problem.
Huang Yuefang glanced at Commander He, who was working nearby. If he didn’t have any interest in building a life with Jiang Ning, someone else certainly would. Perhaps after Zhou Du’s hundred-day memorial, suitors would come knocking.
They could even marry her before the baby was born, providing the child with a ready-made father.
The old lady always took a nap at this time in the afternoon. Huang Yuefang dismissed the group of children who had come to see the drawings and led Fang Jiancheng and Fang Jianye back home. Soon, Jiang Ning was left alone under the eaves.
She was feeling drowsy too and wanted to nap for a while. Just as she was about to get up, a shadow fell over her. A wave of heat washed over her as a man’s deep, husky voice rumbled from above.
“Sister-in-law, do you like to draw?”