An Accidental Military Marriage

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: I’m Very Fast

Zhong Weiguo had three camp commanders under him.

Besides Lu Cheng, the other two were Wang Fugui and Zhang Ziqiang.

The two were a bit older than Lu Cheng and had both married early. Their families had also come to live with them at the base, staying in the family quarters.

For dinner tonight, both men had brought their families, making for a lively and crowded room.

After the initial pleasantries, Jiang Moli proactively slipped into the kitchen to help.

In reality, there wasn’t much she could do to help.

Her culinary skills were limited to boiling frozen food and noodles. She could manage a stir-fry, but she couldn’t guarantee it would taste or look good.

After looking around, she realized the only thing she could do was tend the fire.

They cooked with a wood-fired stove here. The firewood had already been chopped into thin strips, so all one had to do was add them to the stove.

However, Camp Commander Wang’s wife was already doing that job.

Meanwhile, Camp Commander Zhang’s wife was assisting Jiang Wenjuan, who was in charge of the cooking.

All she could do was stand and watch, chatting with the three women and making small talk.

Soon, a large pot of braised preserved pork with potatoes was ready.

The potato chunks were cooked to a golden-yellow and were soft and glutinous, while the strips of cured pork, as thick as the tip of a chopstick, were glistening, red, and oily. The air filled with a tantalizing, meaty aroma.

Jiang Moli swallowed. "Sister Wenjuan, this dish is incredible! It looks, smells, and tastes amazing. You’re as good as any restaurant chef."

Jiang Wenjuan waved her hands dismissively. "Oh, I’m nowhere near as skilled as a professional chef. I just threw a few things together. Please don’t mind it if it doesn’t taste good."

"Don’t be so modest! I’ve tasted your cooking before. That rabbit meat last night was the best I’ve ever had in my life, and I won’t hear otherwise!"

Jiang Wenjuan was grinning from ear to ear.

Of course, she could tell Jiang Moli was intentionally flattering her.

But who doesn’t like to hear nice things?

Besides, Jiang Moli’s voice was sweet and crisp. She had a small, fair-skinned face the size of a palm, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, making her look just like a young girl.

No wonder Xiao Lu liked her; Jiang Wenjuan found herself quite fond of the girl, too.

"As long as you don’t find my cooking terrible, you should come over for a simple meal whenever you’re free."

"Okay!"

Camp Commander Wang’s wife and Camp Commander Zhang’s wife both secretly pursed their lips, their hearts filling with sour jealousy.

They had known Jiang Wenjuan for over a decade and had never seen her smile so happily.

’Her face is about to break from smiling so much.’

’And she never invites us over for a meal just because.’

’This Jiang girl really has some tricks up her sleeve.’

’No wonder she was able to charm that cold-faced devil Lu Cheng and turn his head completely.’

Dinner was served shortly after.

With so many people, they split into two tables.

Zhong Weiguo, Camp Commanders Wang and Zhang, along with Lu Cheng and Jiang Moli, sat at one table—five people in total.

Jiang Wenjuan and the two camp commanders’ wives sat at the other table with the children.

Actually, the number of adults and children was equal, so they could have easily had one table for the adults and one for the children.

But in this era, people often didn’t have enough to eat, and meat was an even rarer treat.

Without adults there to keep them in line, the group of children would likely fight over the meat.

Besides the braised preserved pork with potatoes, the table also had stir-fried pumpkin, stewed green beans, braised tofu, and a large bowl of buckwheat noodles mixed with beef sauce.

’I remember Lu Cheng saying that ordinary soldiers only got one liang of pork a month.’

’For Jiang Wenjuan to be able to prepare such a feast was truly remarkable.’

Just as they were about to eat, the sharp cry of a child suddenly came from behind the Zhong family’s house.

"That little brat, getting into trouble and getting a beating from his old man again! Eat, eat, everyone. Don’t mind him."

Zhong Weiguo’s tone was teasing; he was clearly used to it.

Lu Cheng first placed a helping of food into Jiang Moli’s bowl, then put down his chopsticks, walked to the back window, pushed open the shutter, and shouted to the house opposite:

"Old Li, if the kid won’t listen, just give him a few more beatings and he’ll learn!"

"Got it, Camp Commander Lu!"

Hearing the reply, Lu Cheng closed the window and returned to the table.

Zhong Weiguo teased him, "What did that little brat do to you? The kid’s already getting a beating, and you’re adding fuel to the fire."

Noticing Jiang Moli’s bowl was empty, Lu Cheng placed some other dishes in it while replying to Zhong Weiguo:

"That little bastard is getting more and more out of line. He needs to be taught a good lesson."

Jiang Moli had thought Lu Cheng was just stirring the pot for fun, not minding a bigger spectacle.

But hearing him say that, she suddenly realized the "little brat" getting beaten was probably the same problem child who had called her a jinx.

After answering Zhong Weiguo, Lu Cheng turned and explained quietly to Jiang Moli:

"Old Li is a company commander in my camp. I’ve also watched his son grow up."

Jiang Moli had a moment of realization.

’That explains it. He wasn’t an impulsive or reckless person. Why would he publicly hit someone else’s child and give people something to gossip about?’

’But hitting a kid you watched grow up yourself wasn’t going too far.’

She couldn’t help but steal a glance at him.

’When I called him brainless earlier, he didn’t even argue back. Honestly... ’

Jiang Moli had no idea that Lu Cheng had actually enjoyed being scolded by her so much that he’d forgotten to explain himself.

Jiang Wenjuan picked up the conversation. "That little brat was actually quite well-behaved when he first moved into the family compound. But ever since his grandmother came two years ago, she’s spoiled her grandson rotten, letting him get away with everything."

Xu Juhua said, "That old woman is shrewish and unreasonable. She not only lets the little brat steal the peanuts I planted, but she even called me a capitalist for eating by myself! There’s just no reasoning with her."

Lu Cheng turned his head. "Sister Juhua, if that happens again, just tell me directly."

He paused, then added, "Figure out how many peanuts the brat pulled up and calculate the loss. I’ll deduct it from Commander Li’s allowance to compensate you."

Xu Juhua quickly said, "Oh, no need! He didn’t take that many. They aren’t worth much."

"’A son’s misdeeds are the father’s fault.’ If he can’t control his son, then he, the father, should be the one to clean up his son’s messes."

"Let’s do as Camp Commander Lu says. ’You can’t have standards without rules.’ From now on, in the family quarters, if any child causes trouble, we’ll handle it this way!"

Since Zhong Weiguo had spoken, everyone nodded in agreement.

Lu Cheng whispered to Jiang Moli, "You hear that? The same goes for you if you cause trouble in the future."

Jiang Moli chided him, "I’m not a child."

Lu Cheng glanced at her chest and smiled without saying a word.

Jiang Moli, of course, knew what he was implying. She huffed lightly, "I’m Little Red Riding Hood."

"How so?"

"I’ll tell you when we get back."

"Alright."

...

「At the dormitory entrance.」

Seeing the tardy Zhang Jia Ming, Jiang Qing blurted out, "Why are you so late today? Extra training again?"

The cafeteria started serving dinner at six.

It was only a few minutes’ walk from the barracks to the dormitory, but it was already 6:30.

Zhang Jia Ming walked into the dormitory with her, saying, "No extra training. The troops got an extra dish, so it took a little longer."

Hearing about an extra dish, Jiang Qing’s eyes lit up.

However, when she opened the mess kit and saw it was just beef sauce, she was sorely disappointed.

She had thought it would be actual meat.

And there was only a thumb-sized dollop of the beef sauce, not even enough for one person.

"How come there’s so little?"

Zhang Jia Ming pulled some peanuts from his pocket and asked her, "Do you want the peanuts or the beef sauce?"

Looking at the pitifully small handful of peanuts, Jiang Qing felt even more depressed.

’This life is just too hard.’

Seeing the unhappiness on her face, Zhang Jia Ming comforted her, "You’ve been here for so long, and I haven’t been able to give you a single good meal. I’ve made you suffer."

Being coaxed by him, Jiang Qing’s mood instantly improved.

"As long as I can be with you, I’m willing to endure any hardship. And I believe you won’t let me suffer like this forever."

Gazed upon by her affectionate eyes, Zhang Jia Ming couldn’t help but feel a stir of desire.

He glanced around the dorm and asked about Lu Tingting.

When he learned that Lu Tingting had gone to Feng Meihua’s place for dinner, he immediately and excitedly got up to close the door and window.

"Xiao Qing, I missed you. Let’s... hehe!"

As he spoke, he swept Jiang Qing up into his arms princess-style and headed for the bed.

Jiang Qing blushed, feigning resistance. "You’re terrible! What if Lu Tingting comes back and catches us?"

"Don’t worry, I’m fast."

Remembering Lu Tingting mentioning the red marks all over Jiang Moli’s neck and chest, she couldn’t help but blurt out, "Actually, you don’t have to be... that fast..."

Zhang Jia Ming looked serious. "We need to finish quickly so we can eat. Aren’t you hungry?"

What could Jiang Qing say?

’Was I supposed to say I wasn’t hungry, that I didn’t want to eat, that I just wanted him to do me for a little longer?’

「Two minutes later.」

The two of them, pants back on, sat down at the small dining table to eat their still-warm dinner.

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