An Accidental Military Marriage

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Hero

After getting Lu Tingting’s "confession," Lu Cheng immediately called Jiang Moli to tell her about the rumors concerning her that were spreading around the military base.

"Moli, I’m apologizing to you on Tingting’s behalf. Last time at the department store, she dared to disrespect you right in front of me. I shouldn’t have let her off so easily back then..."

Lu Cheng went on and on, either criticizing Lu Tingting for being willful and reckless or reflecting on his own failure to discipline his niece properly.

Jiang Moli just hummed in agreement, but inwardly, she was blooming with joy.

’This is exactly why I’m so fond of my niece Lu Tingting.’

’Working so diligently and tirelessly to earn me Disdain Points... I’m almost touched.’

’When I complete the mission and get my hundred-million prize, I’ll have to award Lu Tingting a first-class medal for meritorious service.’

"It’s fine. If they want to talk, let them talk. It’s not like I’ll lose a piece of flesh over it."

Hearing the lightheartedness in her tone, Lu Cheng was rather surprised. "You’re not angry at all?"

"If I got angry over things like this, I would have died of anger long ago."

He recalled how Jiang Moli had indeed had a very bad reputation back at her family’s home. Even Zhang Jia Ming, her childhood fiancé, had been full of complaints about her.

Lu Cheng pressed his lips together, his voice low. "Moli, I couldn’t do anything about your past, but you have me now. I won’t just stand by and watch you get bullied."

The man’s voice was deep and magnetic, like a low-register string on a cello being gently plucked, utterly captivating.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of her face, pulling Jiang Moli back from her thoughts.

An Hui eyed her suspiciously. "What are you spacing out for? What did Old Third say to you?"

Before Jiang Moli could explain, Fan Wenfang dragged Lu Tingting over to apologize.

"Third Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry. I didn’t raise Tingting well. Tingting, hurry up and apologize to your Third Aunt!"

Lu Tingting’s eyes were red as she glared at Jiang Moli with a humiliated expression, finally forcing out a single "Sorry" after a long moment.

Jiang Moli beamed. "It’s no big deal. Since you love spreading information so much, why don’t you go be a volunteer teacher at your Third Uncle’s military base? You’ll be with kids, and you’ll have endless things to talk about every day."

Lu Tingting flushed with shame and anger. "I already apologized to you! Don’t push it!"

"If I stabbed you with a knife and then kowtowed to apologize, would you forgive me?"

Fan Wenfang, looking displeased, took Lu Tingting and left.

An Hui was also displeased.

Although she was usually strict with Lu Tingting, in her heart, she still doted on her and couldn’t bear to let her granddaughter go suffer in some remote mountainous region.

She reprimanded Jiang Moli, "Tingting may be immature, but you’re the elder. Do you have to be so unforgiving when you’re in the right?"

Jiang Moli sat down next to An Hui. "Mom, come on, let me break it down for you."

"Sister-in-law brought Tingting here to admit her mistake, which means she knows Tingting was wrong. And when you just said I was being unforgiving while in the right, that means you also know Tingting wasn’t in the right."

"Lu Tingting is the one who did something wrong. I’m the one who was wronged. But you all turn around and blame me for not being magnanimous enough. What kind of logic is that?"

"In any case, I’m not going to wrong myself just to make others happy. If I’m not happy, then no one gets to be happy."

Initially, An Hui had thought that Jiang Moli’s suggestion for Lu Tingting to go volunteer teach at the military base was going way too far.

But after listening to Jiang Moli’s explanation, she started to feel that maybe she was the one who had gone too far.

She was the one making unreasonable demands.

She shot Jiang Moli a sidelong glance and said nothing.

’I’m her mother-in-law. I can’t be expected to bow my head to my daughter-in-law, can I?’

’Don’t I have my pride?’

As the atmosphere grew tense, she felt a tug on the hem of her clothes.

She glanced down. "What is it?"

Jiang Moli cupped her chin in her hands and blinked at her with a cute expression. "Are you mad? How about this? I’ll give you a present. Once you accept my present, you won’t be mad anymore."

"There’s no need."

"It’s rare for me to give someone a gift. Don’t be ungrateful."

An Hui: "..."

’My daughter-in-law is offering me a way out. It would be a bit ungrateful not to take it.’

So she rolled her eyes at her. "Whatever. If you want to give me something, then give it."

Jiang Moli nodded. "I’m going back to my parents’ house today. My gift to you is a day of peace and quiet. I’m off!"

An Hui: "...Why are you going back to your parents’ house again?"

It wasn’t that she forbade Jiang Moli from visiting her family, but every time Jiang Moli went back, she always managed to stir up some trouble, which made An Hui worry.

"It’s my younger brother’s birthday. Dad asked me to come back for a meal."

For the third time in her life, An Hui was this speechless.

’If you’re going to your parents’ for dinner, just say so. Why did you have to frame it as giving me a day of peace and quiet?’

’Even a sack isn’t as full of it as you are.’

...

Once Jiang Moli was out the door, she picked up the phone and called her husband.

She told Lu Deyao all about the "good deeds" her granddaughter had been up to, as well as Jiang Moli’s suggestion that she go volunteer teach at the base.

Lu Deyao said, "Tingting has really gone too far this time. It might be good for her to spend some time at the base to learn her lesson. She’s not a child anymore, yet she’s still so immature. Who’s going to pamper her like this when she gets married into another family?"

Hearing her husband say this, An Hui felt much better. She grabbed her keys, went out, and headed to her eldest son’s house to have a proper talk with his wife about the matter.

...

When she got back to her family home, only Li Hongying was there.

Two dishes were on the dining table: a plate of crispy fried peanuts and a platter of braised pig’s head meat.

Seeing Jiang Moli casually pick up a couple of peanuts and pop them in her mouth, Li Hongying said in an ingratiating tone, "Moli, you must be hungry, right? We have sponge cake. Let me get some for you to tide you over."

"No need. Where are Dad and Xiao Peng?"

"Your dad’s at work. Xiao Peng went out early this morning, but he should be back soon."

Just as Li Hongying finished speaking, Jiang Peng walked in.

"Sis, you’re back so early?"

"If you’re not enthusiastic about eating, there’s something wrong with you as a person."

Noticing Jiang Peng’s pant legs were covered in mud and he was carrying a bucket, Jiang Moli asked casually, "Where have you been?"

Jiang Peng placed the bucket in front of her. "Here. Didn’t you say you wanted to eat ’ant shrimp’? I went to the fields in the countryside and caught half a bucket for you."

Jiang Moli peered into the wooden bucket and saw it was packed with crayfish, waving their claws aggressively. They weren’t small, either.

In her original world, Jiang Moli especially loved eating barbecue, beer, and crayfish in the summer.

None of that was available here. Once, when she had a craving, she mentioned it offhandedly to Jiang Peng, not expecting the kid to remember.

"You did well. I’ll award you a second-class merit."

Receiving Jiang Moli’s praise, Jiang Peng grinned like an 18-year-old fool.

"The fields are full of them. If you like eating them, I’ll go catch more for you tomorrow. But Sis, is this stuff actually tasty?"

At the time, crayfish weren’t called crayfish; they went by the name "ant shrimp."

They had a fishy odor, so not even villagers would eat them; they were caught to be fed to chickens and ducks.

Jiang Moli instructed Li Hongying to wash the mud and grit off the crayfish and keep them in clean water. Then she sent Jiang Peng out to buy dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and thirteen-spice powder.

When Jiang Dahai got home, he saw Jiang Moli and Li Hongying cleaning the crayfish and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

Jiang Moli said, "You’re back just in time. Come help. The Jiang family doesn’t support idlers."

Jiang Dahai: "..."

After the heads and claws of the crayfish were dealt with, they were first deep-fried in oil.

Seeing half a pot of oil being used, Jiang Dahai’s heart ached so much his mouth started to twitch.

’There are so many better things to fry with all this oil. Why waste it on these stinky things that barely have any meat on them?’

Half an hour later, Jiang Dahai was eating with grease dripping from his mouth.

"Dad, is it good?"

"It’s delicious!"

Jiang Peng said, "Sis, I can’t believe this stuff is so good when it’s cooked! I’m going to go catch another bucket tomorrow!"

Li Hongying thought to herself, ’Cooking this basin of shrimp today used two pounds of oil. If we cook more tomorrow, won’t that use another two pounds?’

But seeing that Jiang Dahai didn’t say anything, she kept her mouth shut.

By the time they finished dinner, it was already 8 PM.

Jiang Moli gave the birthday red envelope to Jiang Peng and prepared to head back to the Military District Courtyard.

"Sis, I don’t want this. Can’t you give me something else?"

Jiang Moli gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "I’ll ’send you off a thousand miles away.’ You want that?"

"Yes!" Jiang Peng grinned cheekily. "It just so happens I have to report to the military at the end of the month. You can send me off."

Jiang Moli: "..."

’You really know how to take things literally.’

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