The young girl was lost and anxious. Having fallen ill and then woken up to see Jiang Heng and his three younger siblings, she must have been completely disoriented.
She needed some time.
“The old man isn’t used to living on the island—he’s eager to get back to his sanatorium to play chess with his old comrades. So he’s pushing Jiang Heng to get your wedding settled as soon as possible.”
Ning Qiao looked up with an “Ah.”
“The betrothal gifts that Jiang Heng’s grandfather prepared—your mother and I have packed them in your suitcase. When you’re out on your own, you need money to get by,” Ning Zhiping added. “They’re in the very bottom layer of the suitcase, together with the money your mother and I already gave you. After you move into the Jiang household, keep your money safe—not to be guarded against the Jiang family, but mainly because you’re in a new place and don’t know if there might be thieves…”
He trailed off and couldn’t help but chuckle, rubbing his forehead. “Listen to me talking nonsense. How could there possibly be thieves in a military compound? Forget it—I used to tell your mother she nags too much, and now I’ve become the nag myself.”
Ning Qiao managed a weak smile.
She barely registered the rest of his words. Only one phrase echoed in her mind.
Moving into the Jiang household.
Was the original plot from her dream about to unfold?
Flustered, Ning Qiao said, “Dad, I want to—”
But before she could finish, a knock came at the door.
It was her brother.
Seeing that his little sister’s complexion had improved greatly, Ning Yang launched into a torrent of words.
Ning Qiao listened quietly.
Her father and brother both felt reassured that she was finally about to settle down.
Old Master Jiang, despite his age, had made a special trip to escort her to the island. The island climate was pleasant. The military district women she’d met upon arriving were friendly and warm. Jiang Heng knew how to make soup. His younger siblings weren’t troublesome at all…
Everything seemed perfect.
Except for that terrible dream.
“One more thing.” Ning Yang scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. “Chunyu might be pregnant.”
Ning Qiao’s eyes widened instantly. “Sister-in-law is pregnant?”
“We don’t know for sure yet,” Ning Yang said. “After we take care of the wedding arrangements here, I’ll go back to Ancheng and take her for a checkup.”
Ning Qiao’s eyes sparkled with surprised joy.
If her sister-in-law was pregnant, she would become a little aunt.
Perhaps because she was only a foil in the original plot, the story hadn’t mentioned her brother and sister-in-law at all.
Ning Qiao urged her brother to go back first, but they insisted the wedding would happen within the next couple of days anyway.
As for Ancheng, their mother would take care of Jiao Chunyu.
Ning Qiao could tell her brother was eager to return.
“By the way, Qiaoqiao,” Ning Zhiping asked, “before your brother came back, what did you want to tell Dad?”
Ning Qiao had been about to say she wanted to go back home with her father and brother—that she didn’t want to marry anymore.
But now, calmer, she knew she shouldn’t say such foolish things.
Even if she reconsidered, she had to admit that living on the island was still better than being sent to the countryside. Just two days of travel had left her this ill—could she really pretend she could endure hard labor?
At the same time, Ning Qiao now knew she was a supporting character living in a period novel, but she didn’t understand many of the story’s background details.
As a native of this era, bound by its limitations, she couldn’t call off a wedding at the last minute. If she went all the way to the island and then went back home, the gossip in the compound would surely distress her family.
“It’s nothing,” Ning Qiao shook her head and forced a smile. “I forgot.”
Once the arrow is loosed, it cannot return. No point being afraid.
The priority now was to get the wedding done quickly so her father and brother could go back home.
They were needed there.
As for her—she, who had been sheltered and protected for eighteen years—it was high time she grew up.
Jiang Heng and his younger siblings posed no threat to her health or her life. Jiang Heng had a cold temperament—she could keep her distance. The younger siblings were unruly—she simply wouldn’t meddle with them.
From now on, her plan would be to live under the same roof but go her own way.
Once she’d made up her mind, Ning Qiao felt a surge of reckless courage.
Marry, then.
She’d already come this far!
Ning Qiao rested at the guesthouse for two or three days, using her illness as an excuse not to meet Jiang Heng.
The Jiang family began preparing for the wedding.
He Yongyan was loyal and never refused when asked to help.
The family quarters Jiang Heng had been assigned was a two-story building with a yard and a terrace. The house had been lived in for years, but it wasn’t in bad condition—after all, before his younger siblings had moved in, Battalion Commander Jiang had lived even more roughly. He didn’t cook, rarely stayed home, and only came back to sleep each night.
With Ning Qiao about to move in, Jiang Heng gave the house a thorough cleaning. Most of the household items were replaced with new ones, and red double-happiness characters were pasted everywhere—cut by hand by the kind aunties in the compound.
With a new bride coming in, the military families had something to look forward to. They chattered about it from morning till night, eager to see her in person.
Watching Battalion Commander Jiang bustle about, everyone was curious. Old Master Jiang had said it was just a childhood betrothal—so why had he agreed? Perhaps he simply didn’t care much about marriage and didn’t mind who he married, as long as he fulfilled his grandfather’s wish.
“The old chief never goes back on his word. This is definitely an arranged marriage.”
“Comrade Xiao Jiang isn’t home much. Finding a wife will help keep the younger siblings in line.”
“Battalion Commander Jiang doesn’t seem like the considerate type. Once the new bride moves in, life won’t be easy for her…”
The aunties were dying to know more about the Jiang family’s new bride, but Luo Shulan and Jiang Beirong were tight-lipped, only reminding them not to gossip in the compound.
So they had no choice but to ask He Yongyan.
After all, He Yongyan was the easiest person to talk to in their regiment—a real chatterbox.
One auntie waved him over.
But no matter how they grilled him, He Yongyan kept his mouth shut just as firmly.
“You’re hiding it from us, Auntie? Once she moves in these next couple of days, won’t we find out anyway?”
He Yongyan grinned. “Then wait till she moves in and see for yourselves.”
The auntie gave his shoulder a firm pat. “So tell me—are the three little ones in the Jiang household unhappy about it? The other day when I mentioned their big brother was getting married, the looks on their faces—tch, not good at all.”
But just as she finished speaking, the three young ones came home from school together.
No sooner had they entered the house than they dashed out to the yard again.
One carried a ladder, another climbed up eagerly, while Jiang Guoguo stood on tiptoe handing up the red double-happiness cutouts.
Jiang Yuan pressed the character on the front door firmly, making sure it was perfectly straight.
Jiang Qi called up from below, “Done! Now go do the windows.”
Jiang Yuan climbed down with his third brother’s help. As he turned, he saw Jiang Guoguo frowning, looking around warily with a serious expression.
She was clearly keeping watch.
Jiang Qi gave her a no-nonsense tap on the head. “This isn’t playtime—Big Brother said we could climb up!”
Jiang Guoguo winced and clutched her head, protesting righteously, “Don’t hit my head!”
Jiang Yuan urged, “Hurry up and decorate—Little Sister-in-Law is coming tomorrow!”
“What? We have to wait till tomorrow?” Jiang Guoguo pouted. “I want to go play with Little Sister-in-Law right now.”
“Let’s finish this quickly, then we’ll go find her,” Jiang Yuan said.
That reinvigorated the three children’s efforts.
From such a distance, the aunties couldn’t hear a word and shook their heads with a sigh.
“Look at them—they’re pouting like they’ve got oil bottles hanging from their mouths just from having to work.”
“Those kids are used to running wild. They’re in a hurry to go play.”
“Once Battalion Commander Jiang’s new bride moves in, she’s going to have to put up with a lot of attitude.”
Ning Qiao had heard that early tomorrow morning, Jiang Heng would come to fetch the bride.
The date had been chosen by Old Master Jiang and Jiang Heng together. She figured it was the old man’s idea. Going by Jiang Heng’s own thoughts, there’d be no rush—after all, in the original plot, he had been lukewarm toward her.
Ning Qiao lowered her gaze.
Those budding, hazy feelings had only surfaced a few days ago, but now they felt like a distant memory.
She didn’t want to make her parents and her brother and sister-in-law worry anymore.
Once she decided not to give her heart, there was really nothing left to lose in this marriage.
Ning Yang, having accepted reality, had been walking on air these past two days.
His little sister was getting married, his future brother-in-law seemed decent, and his wife back home was pregnant—it was double happiness all around.
Old Master Jiang thought it was a pity for Ning Qiao to be married off from a guesthouse, so he borrowed an empty unit in the family compound from an old friend in the military. He called Ning Zhiping and Ning Yang over to help with a simple setup.
The wedding was in two days—time was tight. As the father and son followed the old man, they thought to themselves that if Chang Fangze knew, she’d definitely regret not coming. She had thought her daughter would just be getting a certificate on the island—she never expected this whole ceremony.
Old Master Jiang took Ning Qiao’s brother and father to the family compound first, leaving her to rest in her guesthouse room.
Ning Qiao decided to go out for a walk.
A staff member at the guesthouse told her that a supply ship had just arrived at the dock today, bringing goods to the cooperative store—there might be some interesting little trinkets.
“Comrade, is the cooperative store far?”
The staff member was very warm and drew her a simple map.
The weather was fine, the sea breeze pleasant. Though Ning Qiao was new to this unfamiliar place, she didn’t feel constrained.
On the contrary, she found it refreshing.
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