Chapter 197: Respect Others’ Destinies

Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Respect Others’ Destinies

An Hui said, "Your Aunt Wu’s family is preparing to negotiate with the Liang family. It’s hard to say whether the marriage will be called off."

"If they’re still willing to talk, it means they aren’t that eager to call it off."

An Hui was surprised by her astuteness and perceptiveness. "So, do you think they should call off the marriage or not?"

Jiang Moli bit into a tomato and scoffed, "It’s not like what I say matters."

Seeing the tomato stains all around her mouth, An Hui instinctively pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to her. "Don’t get your clothes dirty."

Once Jiang Moli took the handkerchief, An Hui continued discussing the Chen family’s marital affair. "Your Aunt Wu is concerned that Chen Xue is getting on in years. If she calls off the engagement, her reputation will suffer, and it’ll be even harder for her to find a match later on."

"If she doesn’t call off the marriage, what’s the difference between that and pinching your nose to eat shit? She’ll be disgusted for the rest of her life."

An Hui was left speechless.

’The words were crude, but the logic was sound,’ she thought. ’Still, they were far too crude.’

...

When Jiang Moli woke from her afternoon nap, she heard an update on the Chen family’s marriage situation.

The marriage was still on, but the wedding was postponed until New Year’s Day.

Liang Fei had already been disciplined under military law, yet the Chen family was still willing to proceed with the marriage. Clearly, they had come to an agreement on the terms.

Jiang Moli was very curious. "How much was the betrothal gift from the Liang family?"

"The ’Three Rounds and a Sound,’ the ’Three Golds,’ a cash gift of 1,288 yuan, and on top of that, the Liang family promised to arrange a job for Chen Xue."

’Putting the groom aside, those are some tempting terms.’

The parents of the Chen and Liang families had reached an agreement, but the bride-to-be, Chen Xue, was against the marriage.

It was only natural for a young woman to be full of hopes and beautiful dreams about love and a life partner. How could she possibly be willing to marry a man who had served time?

Even if he came from a family of soldiers and his father was a high-ranking officer in the military.

But Chen Xue didn’t dare defy her family, so she could only cry to Lu Tingting and her other close friends in private.

Lu Tingting, Song Ke, and their friends all sympathized with Chen Xue.

With nothing to do after dinner, Jiang Moli was learning to knit from An Hui and Ma Hongmei.

’It’s not like I’m expecting to knit my own sweaters,’ she thought, ’but another skill can’t hurt.’

Lu Tingting came running over like a whirlwind. "Hey."

Jiang Moli shot her a look. "Secondly, my name isn’t ’Hey.’ I’m your Third Aunt."

Lu Tingting blinked. "Then what’s the first thing?"

Jiang Moli pulled out a knitting needle and gave her a light tap on the head. "The first is that I want to smack you."

Lu Tingting clutched her head and glared at her, but, uncharacteristically, didn’t lose her temper.

"So, uh, I have something to ask you."

"I don’t know, I’m not sure, and I have no idea."

Lu Tingting stomped her foot. "I haven’t even asked yet!"

"Then don’t. It’s not like anything good is going to come out of your mouth anyway."

Lu Tingting ignored the insult, plopped down beside her, and started whispering about how Chen Xue didn’t want to marry Liang Fei.

She kept her voice very low, clearly not wanting An Hui and Ma Hongmei to hear.

"You’ve got so many cunning schemes. You must have a way to help Chen Xue get out of marrying Liang Fei."

Jiang Moli raised an eyebrow. "And why would I help her?"

Lu Tingting said, "That Liang Fei is no good. He even dared to strike a superior officer! If Chen Xue marries him, how could she possibly have a good life?"

"So? What’s that got to do with me?"

"How can you be so heartless? Marrying a man like that will ruin Chen Xue’s life!"

Distracted by Lu Tingting, Jiang Moli dropped several stitches.

She had no choice but to unravel the yarn and start again from the beginning. While she worked, she said, "When you sympathize with someone, you become burdened with their destiny. Pity them, and you shoulder their karma. The best thing is to let flowers be flowers and trees bear fruit. Let those who are meant to die, die, and let those who are meant to live, live."

Lu Tingting’s head was spinning. "What does that mean?"

"It means you should mind your own business. If Chen Xue doesn’t want to get married, she can stand up to her family. What’s the use of her telling you? You’re not her parents."

"You’re just like my Third Uncle—a cold-blooded creature!"

With that, Lu Tingting stormed off.

Although they had kept their voices low, An Hui wasn’t deaf. She’d heard most of the conversation.

’My third daughter-in-law... It’s true she’s lazy and loves to eat, but she can also write scripts and act. She was even recommended by the military district for the art troupe.’

’Her tongue is sharp and she can be infuriating, but then she’ll suddenly say something that makes perfect sense.’

’She’s a troublemaker, but she’s also quick-witted and clever.’

’I used to find her so disagreeable, but now, I find myself liking her more and more.’

’It’s like thinking you’ve picked up a turd, only to scrape away the crust and find a rare, beautiful piece of jade inside!’

...

Lu Tingting might have called Jiang Moli cold-blooded, but she still went and told Chen Xue to do as Jiang Moli had suggested: stand up to her family.

Unfortunately, Chen Xue lacked the courage and nerve.

To this, Jiang Moli had only one thought: ’Drop the savior complex and respect the choices that shape other people’s destiny.’

...

The days spent waiting for news from the art troupe were dreadfully boring, and Jiang Moli fell back into the habit of sleeping in.

’After all, waking up early accomplishes nothing of value.’

In the morning, after Lu Deyao left for work, An Hui and Ma Hongmei also headed out.

The two of them were going to the temple today to burn incense and have a vegetarian meal.

Jiang Moli, having no interest in vegetarian food, slept until the ringing of the telephone woke her.

"Hello?"

Hearing the irritation in her voice, Lu Cheng chuckled. "Still in bed? What time did you get to sleep last night?"

Jiang Moli yawned, glanced at the clock on the wall, and huffed, "You weren’t sleeping with me, so what do you care what time I went to bed!"

Lu Cheng chuckled, his deep, husky voice laced with affection. "Miss me? Want me there to sleep with you?"

"I don’t dare. The moment I do, everything gets pixelated."

"Pixelated? What do you mean?"

Jiang Moli explained succinctly, "Scenes not suitable for minors."

Lu Cheng’s voice dropped. "Moli, I miss you too. Very much."

"Oh? How much? Describe it for me in an eight-hundred-word essay."

Jiang Moli was just kidding, but Lu Cheng took her seriously. "When I’m busy, I wonder what you’re doing at home. When I eat, I wonder if you’ve eaten, and what you had..."

By the time Lu Cheng got about two hundred words in, Jiang Moli cut him off.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Is your mission over?"

"Yes, it ended successfully. This time, several soldiers from the first battalion distinguished themselves," Lu Cheng said, his voice tinged with pleasure.

Speaking of distinguishing oneself, Jiang Moli’s thoughts inexplicably turned to Zhang Jia Ming.

’In the original novel’s plot, Zhang Jia Ming gets promoted right around this time.’

"Hey, if Zhang Jia Ming had been on this mission, would he have distinguished himself too?"

Lu Cheng said calmly, "There’s no point in hypotheticals. For things that didn’t happen, no one can say how they would have turned out."

’That was true.’

Lu Cheng asked, "Is everything all right at home? How are Mom and Dad’s health?"

"They’re fine. Your dad has been exercising every day to lose weight..."

After catching up on family matters, Lu Cheng asked about her audition for the art troupe. When he learned she was still waiting for the results, he offered a few words of comfort.

"It must be getting cold at home. I’ll get my stipend in a couple of days, and I’ll send it to you. Buy yourself some new clothes."

He paused, then added, "Don’t worry about saving money on my account."

Jiang Moli was more than happy to oblige that particular request.

After the call, Lu Cheng got ready to head back to his barracks to wash up.

The moment he returned and finished debriefing, he had rushed to call Jiang Moli and let her know he was safe, without even having time to go back to his quarters to wash his face.

Just as he stepped out of the command post, he ran into Zhang Jia Ming.

"Camp Commander Lu, something’s happened at home..." Zhang Jia Ming said, his eyes red-rimmed.