Chapter 224: If Love Is Meant to Last
Chapter 224: Chapter 224: If Love Is Meant to Last
When she heard her granddaughter wanted to stay the night, An Hui’s brow twitched. "Your Third Aunt doesn’t need you to take care of her. Go on home to bed."
After a great deal of convincing, she finally saw her granddaughter out the door. Only then did An Hui sigh in relief.
’The aunt and niece bickered every time they met,’ she thought. ’If she actually stayed, we’d be lucky if the bed didn’t collapse again by morning.’
’Day in and day out, we can’t even keep up with fixing the bed. What must the neighbors think is going on in this house?’
「The next day.」
After inspecting the troupe members’ training session, Yang Lijiong returned to her office and picked up the phone to call the scriptwriting department.
"Please get Jiang Moli for me."
"She called in sick today. She’s not at work."
’Sick?’
Jiang Moli wasn’t actually sick. She had just woken up feeling groggy and weak, so she decided to call in sick for the day and rest at home.
After drinking half a bowl of congee in the morning, she went back to her room to catch up on sleep, dozing until Yang Lijiong came to visit her.
"I heard you were sick. Are you feeling any better?"
Jiang Moli didn’t bother explaining she was faking it, just laughed it off. "With Vice Yang’s care and concern, any illness would be cured. Hey, how did you know I like canned fruit?"
Yang Lijiong had just grabbed the canned fruit on a whim; it wouldn’t have been right to visit someone who was sick empty-handed.
But she didn’t explain this. Hearing Jiang Moli say she liked it, she just asked, "Want some now?"
"I’ll get it myself..."
Yang Lijiong gently pushed her back down. "Just lie there. I’ll open it for you."
"Peaches or pears?"
"Peaches, please."
Yang Lijiong took a can of yellow peaches from the net bag. She turned the jar upside down and tapped the bottom a few times with her hand. Then, she flipped it upright, gripped the lid, and opened it with a simple twist.
Just then, Ma Hongmei came in to bring tea. Yang Lijiong asked her for an empty bowl and a spoon.
Ma Hongmei quickly returned with two sets of bowls and spoons.
Yang Lijiong spooned the yellow peach slices into a bowl and handed it to Jiang Moli, along with a spoon.
"Here, eat up."
"Thank you, Vice Yang."
Jiang Moli scooped up a glistening slice of yellow peach and took a bite. The rich peach aroma filled her senses. The fruit was soft and honey-sweet, a sweetness that seemed to seep right into her heart.
"It’s really sweet. Vice Yang, you should have some too."
Yang Lijiong looked at her, her tone playful. "If it’s sweet, then you should eat more. That way, you won’t be wondering if someone else’s lips are sweet."
Jiang Moli gave a sheepish laugh. "Ah, I had too much to drink last night. But, putting the facts aside, Vice Yang, you have to take some of the blame too."
Yang Lijiong raised an eyebrow.
Jiang Moli took another bite of peach and said, "I can only blame you for being too beautiful, and myself for being so captivated by it."
’This mouth of hers is really something... So charming!’
Yang Lijiong crossed her arms. "Jiang Moli, I’m starting to find you very interesting. No wonder Lu Cheng is so devoted to you. If I were a man, I’d fall for you too."
"Actually, if the love is meant to be, who cares about the he or she?"
Yang Lijiong was speechless.
Outside the door, An Hui stood frozen, holding a platter of fruit and snacks, unsure whether to enter or leave.
She had originally come to personally thank Yang Lijiong for looking after her daughter-in-law. She never expected to overhear Yang Lijiong and her daughter-in-law flirting inside the room.
’It’s not like two women can do much,’ she thought, ’but what if this Yang Lijiong has... special preferences? What if she likes women?’
Taking a moment to compose herself, An Hui put on a smile and stepped into the room.
"Vice Yang, come, have some fruit and snacks."
"Thank you, Mrs. Lu."
An Hui smiled. "No, I should be thanking you for taking care of our Moli. Oh, it’s almost noon. Please stay for lunch. I’ll have them whip up a couple of special dishes."
"There’s no need. I still have things to attend to at the troupe. Xiao Jiang, you rest up. I’ll be going now." Yang Lijiong rose to leave.
Jiang Moli tried to get out of bed to see her off, but An Hui stopped her.
"You just lie down. I’ll see Vice Yang out."
As she spoke, she escorted Yang Lijiong to the door. "An important person like you is always busy, Vice Yang, so I won’t insist. I wouldn’t want to interfere with your work. Please come visit again when you’re free."
"Of course. Mrs. Lu, there’s no need to see me all the way out."
Watching Yang Lijiong’s tall figure gradually disappear into the distance, An Hui felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
Back inside, she initially wanted to warn Jiang Moli to interact less with Yang Lijiong in the future. But on second thought, she felt it was probably nothing. Saying too much might just make things worse. Instead, she picked up the phone and called the Menghai Command Post.
「In the barracks.」
When Lu Cheng heard there was a call from home—and from a woman at that—his first instinct was to guess it was his wife.
He rushed excitedly to the communications room and picked up the receiver. "Hello? Moli?"
"Hah! So you do remember you have a wife!"
Hearing the explosive tone in An Hui’s voice, the smile on Lu Cheng’s face faltered. "Mom? What’s wrong? Who made you angry?"
"Who else but you! How did I give birth to such a useless thing!"
’Can’t even keep an eye on his own wife,’ she fumed silently.
Lu Cheng was completely baffled by the scolding. "What did I do?"
"I can’t be bothered to explain it to you."
"Fine, don’t tell me. Is Moli home?"
Lu Cheng asked without much hope, since his wife was usually at her work unit during the day.
But when he heard An Hui say that his wife was indeed home, the corners of his mouth instantly curved up high.
"Then put Moli on the phone. I want to talk to her for a bit."
Jiang Moli came out of her room to take the call. "Hello?"
Hearing his wife’s voice, Lu Cheng couldn’t suppress the joy in his own. "Moli, you’re off today?"
Jiang Moli sounded languid. "Mmm, something like that."
"How have you been lately? Is work going well? Are you getting along with your colleagues?"
The two of them chatted idly, their conversation filled with trivial, everyday matters.
An Hui didn’t feel the slightest bit pained about the phone bill. On the contrary, she felt this was exactly how it should be. A husband and wife needed to call often and talk more to keep their bond strong.
...
Not two days later, it was time for the first annual sports meet at the Military District Courtyard.
The sports meet was held on the athletic field of the 18th Army’s school for children.
There was a wide variety of events, with prizes for the top three finishers in each.
The prizes were also very practical: eggs, rice, dried noodles, and so on.
Jiang Moli signed up for the long jump and shot put. She didn’t expect to win any prizes; for her, it was all about participating.
Lu Deyao signed up for the 1500-meter run.
When it was Lu Deyao’s turn to compete, the whole family stood by the side of the track to cheer him on.
Lu Deyao looked ready for battle, kicking his legs and twisting his hips as he seriously went through his pre-race warm-up.
FWEET—
As the starting whistle blew, the contestants scrambled across the starting line.
Whether it was nerves or just a misstep, Lu Deyao had barely run two steps before he twisted his ankle.
Fortunately, he didn’t injure any bones or ligaments, but there was no way he could continue the race.
Lu Deyao was quite dejected.
Jiang Moli consoled him, "Dad, look on the bright side. It’s better to lose at the starting line than at the finish line. Plus, you saved yourself a long run."
Lu Deyao was speechless.
’You sure have a way with words,’ he thought.
...
In the rehearsal hall, a dozen or so members of the song and dance troupe, led by Fan Qiuyun, were rehearsing *Chasing Dreams*, a play written by Jiang Moli.
Jiang Moli and Yang Lijiong sat side by side below the stage.
"What do you think of Xiao Fan’s performance? Does it meet your expectations?"
Hearing Yang Lijiong’s question, Jiang Moli couldn’t help but tease, "I don’t get along with her. Aren’t you afraid I’ll use this as an excuse to settle a personal score?"
Yang Lijiong turned her head to look at her. "Do you think I’m incapable of telling right from wrong?"
Because she was half a head taller, Yang Lijiong’s gaze seemed to look down on her, yet it held the magnanimity of a superior toward a subordinate.