“Oh my, Auntie, you’re here! We were just saying that Commander Zhong is really talented—finding such a great match for a blind date.”
Aunt Guihua’s lips flapped rapidly, and with just a few flattering words, she had Gu’s mother beaming with joy, almost forgetting why she had come to the cafeteria in the first place.
“Alright, alright. If this actually works out, I’ll definitely make sure you all get some wedding candies. The reason I came today is that I heard the production team sent over some seafood from the coast. I want to pick some out to prepare in advance since we’ll be hosting an important guest tomorrow!”
People in the family quarters could buy seafood and fish from the cafeteria. These things were abundant on the island, not scarce resources, and didn’t require ration coupons—just a bit of money.
And seafood made for an excellent dish when entertaining guests.
As soon as she heard that Gu’s mother had come to buy seafood, Aunt Guihua enthusiastically pulled her along to find the supply officer.
“Yunfeng, let’s go!”
Yun’s mother watched the whole exchange and directly called out to Yunfeng, who was standing there without moving.
“Auntie, my stomach hurts a little. Just wait for me.”
Without waiting for Yun’s mother’s reply, Yunfeng dashed off toward the restroom.
Yun Su watched and said, “Mom, do you think she’s going to cause trouble?”
Yunfeng had probably come today hoping to run into Gu Zhengrong by chance. But her luck wasn’t great—she ran into his mother instead, and the woman was happily preparing a blind date banquet for her son tomorrow.
That had to sting a little.
Yun’s mother: “That’s it for this time. I won’t bring her to the military compound again.”
In the past, Yunfeng was the type who cared deeply about reputation and showing off—just like her father. The way to deal with such people was simple: let them show off, as long as they were actually putting in effort rather than just talking. Yun’s mother had never really minded it.
After all, everyone had their own way of getting through life.
But this time, after returning, Yun’s mother noticed that Yunfeng had become very anxious. They say marriage is a woman’s second chance at life, but with Yunfeng scheming so desperately, Yun’s mother didn’t see it ending well.
——
Meanwhile, Yunfeng had indeed secretly slipped into the alley behind the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, Gu’s mother was haggling with the supply officer, trying to buy a batch of sea cucumbers and abalone. She was from the north and didn’t know much about cooking them, but she had heard these two seafood items were high-end and delicious—presenting them to a guest would be classy.
But when it came to actually spending that kind of money, Gu’s mother was naturally reluctant.
So there she was, arguing with the supply officer.
“Comrade, my Zhengrong is almost thirty. If it weren’t for all these years of defending the country and supporting the orphans of fallen comrades, he wouldn’t still be single. Now, finally, a kind sister-in-law has offered to set him up. It’d be unreasonable for you not to support this a little!”
The supply officer looked at Gu’s mother with great helplessness. Gu Zhengrong was a good comrade, but his mother was truly difficult to deal with. Still, since Gu Zhengrong was indeed a good comrade, the supply officer couldn’t just brush her off.
In the end, he sold some sea cucumbers and abalone to Gu’s mother at a discounted “seconds” price. He, too, hoped Gu Zhengrong’s blind date the next day would succeed. A good comrade like that deserved a good woman.
Hidden by the window outside the kitchen, Yunfeng overheard every word. The constant mention of the blind date made her furious. She didn’t know why, but from the very first time she met Gu Zhengrong, a voice inside her had told her that he was hers, only hers.
And now, he was about to go on a blind date with a female comrade who had excellent prospects.
Yunfeng felt terribly anxious, as if something that belonged to her was being stolen.
She couldn’t help kicking the pile of firewood beside her several times. If she didn’t let off some steam, Yunfeng was afraid she’d start cursing out loud right then and there.
——
On the other side, having gotten her bargain, Gu’s mother happily left through the back door of the kitchen. She definitely couldn’t go out the front—there were too many gossiping women there. The last thing she needed was for people to find out she had taken advantage of the cafeteria.
But just as Gu’s mother stepped out the back door and passed by the woodpile, the neatly stacked, solid pile suddenly collapsed as if its core had been pulled out, crashing down with a loud clatter.
The firewood used in the cafeteria consisted of logs as thick as a bowl, each cut into thirty-centimeter lengths and stacked neatly into piles about two meters high.
And just like that, a woodpile suddenly began to collapse.
Gu’s mother happened to be passing by at that very moment, and countless logs came crashing down toward her.
In that critical instant, Yunfeng suddenly appeared. She threw herself at Gu’s mother, tackled her to the ground, and lay right on top of her, shielding her from the raining wooden logs.
By then, Gu’s mother was safe. But Yunfeng? Not so much. Each of those logs weighed a good eight to ten pounds. Having them smash down on her was nothing short of a disaster.
Fortunately, there were plenty of people in the kitchen. The supply officer reacted quickly, pulling both of them out of the woodpile before they could be hit any further.
Even so, Yunfeng took several heavy blows. She was left wincing in pain.
Watching this, Yun Su didn’t even know what to say.
“From now on, don’t be alone with her,” Yun’s mother said calmly.
Who knew? They had arrived at the entrance of the alley behind the back door right as the woodpile collapsed.
They had no idea what Yunfeng was trying to do. They’d only assumed she was hiding in the alley to spy on Gu’s mother. But they hadn’t expected to witness this scene the moment they arrived.
Neither mother nor daughter believed it was an accident.
The cafeteria staff had already swarmed over. Some were taking people to the hospital, others were reporting the incident—everything was handled in an orderly manner.
Yun Su noticed that both Yunfeng and Gu’s mother were injured.
“Mom, tomorrow’s blind date isn’t happening. Yunfeng might just get what she wanted after all.”
——
And “get what she wanted” was right!
Three days had passed since the woodpile collapse behind the kitchen. In those three days, news of Yunfeng’s act of courage—saving a regiment commander’s mother—had spread throughout the Yunjia’ao Production Brigade.
Every day, Liu Zhaodi could be heard spreading the story all over the brigade.
As for Yunfeng herself, she had been taken to the hospital the very day of the incident. After an examination, it was determined that her ribs were fractured. And although Gu’s mother had been protected beneath her, her elderly bones were brittle—her arm was also fractured.
With all this happening, the planned blind date naturally fell through.
Yunfeng had been in the hospital for three days. Word was that Gu Zhengrong had personally visited her several times, each time staying for quite a while.
And how did she know about the length of his visits?
Because it had become common knowledge throughout the entire production brigade.
Naturally, the story of Yunfeng rejecting a blind date and throwing herself on top of Commander Gu at the brigade office entrance had also resurfaced.
Before, that incident had been considered scandalous.
But now, with Yunfeng being Commander Gu’s mother’s savior, the story sounded much nicer.
For instance, they said the two were destined. Yunfeng had fallen right onto Commander Gu the first time. And then, when Commander Gu’s mother got into trouble, Yunfeng had saved her life.
If it weren’t for the ban on feudal superstition, people might have started saying it was heaven’s will.
But regardless, the connection between Yunfeng and Commander Gu had begun to spread throughout the military family quarters. After all, on the day of the incident, many of the cafeteria aunties had been present.
Who knows exactly how the rumor spread? But in just three days, Yunfeng and Gu Zhengrong were already being talked about as a couple.
——
Yun Su had always been a bit skeptical of these rumors.
But three days later, on the day Yunfeng was discharged from the hospital, the person who brought her back was indeed Gu Zhengrong.
“Yunfeng, are you two really a couple?”
The moment Yunfeng arrived home, the second branch of the Yun family became a hive of activity.
Several people gathered around Yunfeng, pressing for details. Although Liu Zhaodi had been spreading the news for days, everyone wanted to hear a definite answer from Yunfeng herself.
“Yes! We’ve agreed to be together. Comrade Gu is a hero. He said my bravery in saving someone was admirable and that I’m a wonderful match.”
Yun Su stood not far away, listening to Yunfeng narrate the story of her and Gu Zhengrong. No matter how she listened, it felt surreal.
She glanced over at Gu Zhengrong. He was surrounded by the Yun family’s men, who were firing questions at him from all directions. Throughout it all, his attitude was very good. He must have heard what Yunfeng said, yet he didn’t contradict it.
So, the two decided to start dating in just three days. That was fast!
Yun Su couldn’t help but marvel. She had to admit that the female lead and male lead were truly destined to be together. Just when it seemed like they were about to lose all connection, Yunfeng had somehow managed to tie their broken fate back together.
“So when are you getting married?”
A young wife pulled Yunfeng aside to ask. No one from the Yunjia’ao Production Brigade had ever married into the military, so as soon as everyone heard they were really dating, the questions started pouring in.
——
At that question, Yunfeng’s expression froze for a split second. Then she gave a dry laugh. “Getting married will have to wait a while.”
Watching this, Yun Su suddenly thought of Gu Zhengrong’s mother.
Surely this future mother-in-law didn’t disapprove of the relationship!
What Yun Su was really curious about was how Gu Zhengrong had agreed to date Yunfeng in the first place.
Meanwhile, Yunfeng had already started acting tired, as if she wanted to sleep.
Seeing this, Liu Zhaodi promptly ushered her into the house to rest.
Once inside, Yunfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Who knew—if those people had kept asking questions, she wouldn’t have been able to continue.
Gu Zhengrong had indeed agreed to date her. But the process hadn’t been so simple. And even though Gu Zhengrong had agreed, his mother didn’t approve. The old woman looked down on her for coming from a fishing village, saying she couldn’t offer Gu Zhengrong any real support.
This infuriated Yunfeng. But she couldn’t lose her temper. Her plan was on its final step. Yunfeng told herself to be patient. She had a gut feeling that only by marrying Gu Zhengrong would her life enter a new phase.
——
“I just don’t approve of you being with that girl from the fishing village.”
“What’s so good about a girl from a fishing village? Poor and struggling. Marrying someone like that will only hold you back. I know she saved my life, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice yourself. If she wants to benefit from our family’s status, I might as well take her as a goddaughter…”
“No. You absolutely cannot be together. I don’t want a daughter-in-law like that…”
Ji Xiangtian came back at noon carrying a bunch of luggage. Normally, when people in the family quarters saw him, they’d ask what he was up to. But today, everyone was gathered around one household’s door, so no one stopped to question him.
He glanced at the house from which the arguing voices came, quickly recognized Gu Zhengrong, and figured out what was going on.
“I didn’t expect Xiao Gu to really be dating a girl from a fishing village,” Ji Xiangtian said once he got home. His mother sighed in response.
“Is there something wrong with a fishing village girl?”
Ji’s mother hadn’t expected her son to say that. The boy had been acting strange lately. Just a few days ago, he’d even called to say he was processing paperwork to transfer back to the island.
Now that was big news!
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it. As long as the girl is good, that’s what matters. But who can say for sure about these things? Judging by Xiao Gu’s mother’s attitude, this match doesn’t look promising.”
Hearing this, Ji Xiangtian immediately looked at his mother. “Mom, if I wanted to marry someone, you wouldn’t disapprove, right?”
Ji’s mother lit up with joy and completely forgot about Commander Gu’s family matters. She asked eagerly, “Son! You’ve got your eye on someone, haven’t you!”
Ji Xiangtian looked at his mother’s beaming face and nodded firmly.
This made Ji’s mother even happier. The family’s iron tree was finally blooming—she would be eternally grateful to that girl.
“So when are you bringing her home?”
At those words, Ji Xiangtian’s cheerful expression stiffened.
It seemed… he hadn’t actually confessed his feelings to her yet.
No time to waste. He needed to speed things up.
And so, Ji Xiangtian dug a beautiful wooden box out of his luggage. He was about to rush out the door but then turned back, went to his room to wash up and change into fresh clothes. Only then, nervously clutching the wooden box, did he head out.
Watching her son dash off in such a fluster, Ji’s mother was momentarily stunned—then delighted.
Maybe her son would end up getting married even faster than that young Commander Gu!
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