Chapter 317: Chapter 317: Man Proposes, Heaven Disposes

The weather had been nice for the past few days, with the sun shining brightly every day.

The stone slabs laid the day before were completely dry by the next.

Following the blueprints, Jiang Moli installed the swing set, ping-pong table, sandbox, and basketball hoop one by one. The whole process took her three days.

The day after the yard was finished, Jiang Moli took out a new set of ping-pong paddles after breakfast and called Lu Tingting over to try them out with her.

Lu Tingting was in a hurry to go out and play, so she dropped her paddle and ran off after just a couple of games.

Jiang Moli hadn’t had her fill yet. She turned to An Hui, who was watching from the sidelines. "Mom, let’s play a couple of games."

An Hui waved her hands dismissively. "I don’t know how. I’ve never played ping-pong before."

Jiang Moli simply stuffed a paddle into An Hui’s hand. "Come on, I’ll teach you. Once you learn, you and Dad can play at home to get some exercise. Wouldn’t that be great?"

An Hui practiced for half an hour. She was exhausted, but she could now mostly return the ball.

She happily handed the paddle to Ma Hongmei. "You play with Moli. I need to catch my breath."

Ma Hongmei had never played ping-pong either, but after watching An Hui learn for a while, she was eager to give it a try.

Just as she reached for the paddle, the phone inside the house started ringing.

She pulled her hand back to go answer it, but An Hui stopped her. "I’ll get it. I need to get some water anyway."

"Okay."

Jiang Moli and Ma Hongmei had barely finished two games before An Hui called her inside to take the phone.

The call was from Jiang Wenjuan.

"Xiao Jiang, I received everything you sent. It’s so thoughtful of you to always remember us and send things over. Thank you."

"You don’t have to be so polite with me, Sister-in-law. I gave you and Commander Zhong plenty of trouble last year, too."

Long-distance calls were expensive, so after a bit of small talk, Jiang Wenjuan got straight to the point.

"...Xiao Jiang, please don’t think I’m being nosy, but Xiao Lu has worked so hard to get where he is today. With such a great opportunity right in front of him, it would be a real shame to just give it up."

"Honestly, Xiao Jiang, I understand where you’re coming from. When I first got married, I didn’t want to live on the base either. I only changed my mind after we had children. You and Xiao Lu can’t keep living apart like this. Either he comes back or you come here, you two need to make a plan. I truly hope you’ll give it some serious thought."

"Sister-in-law, there’s nothing to consider."

"Xiao Jiang, you don’t have to give me an answer right away. Think it over some more..."

Jiang Wenjuan was about to say a few more words of persuasion when she heard Jiang Moli say, "Sister-in-law, please tell Commander Zhong that I agree."

"Ah! That’s wonderful!"

Jiang Moli hung up. When she turned, she saw An Hui standing in the living room, a faint look of worry on her face.

"What’s wrong? Did something happen with the troops?"

It was no wonder An Hui was nervous. In all the years Lu Cheng had been stationed in Menghai, she’d never had any dealings with Jiang Wenjuan.

For her to call out of the blue like this and talk with Jiang Moli for so long was unusual.

Jiang Wenjuan had spoken quietly, so An Hui hadn’t heard her clearly, only what Jiang Moli had said in response.

"Mom, don’t worry, it’s good news. But Lu Cheng has to be the one to tell you and Dad. If I say anything, I’d be leaking classified information."

An Hui was relieved.

As long as it wasn’t bad news, she was fine.

...

At noon, the moment Zhong Weiguo got home, he ducked into the kitchen.

"So? Did you go to town and call Xiao Jiang today? What did she say?"

As he spoke, he tried to lift a pot lid to see what was for lunch, but Jiang Wenjuan irritably slapped his hand away.

"That Xiao Jiang is a very sensible young woman. I barely had to persuade her at all before she agreed outright!"

Jiang Wenjuan’s tone was filled with an unconcealed admiration and fondness for Jiang Moli.

Zhong Weiguo clapped his hands in delight. "Excellent! That’s wonderful! So the matter is settled, then?"

Jiang Wenjuan gave him a teasing look. "It certainly is. So next time something like this happens, try not to just stand around cursing."

"The leader’s lecture is duly noted. Ah, Comrade Xiao Jiang, you’ve rendered a great service this time!"

Zhong Weiguo went up, cupped Jiang Wenjuan’s cheeks, and planted two loud kisses. "MWAH! MWAH!"

"Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Get away from me!"

Jiang Wenjuan pushed him away with a look of disgust, but her face was glowing with affection.

"I’m just showing you how much I adore you! Behind every great man is a great woman, you know!"

"In front of the children, no less! Have you no shame?"

Despite the scolding, Zhong Weiguo wasn’t angry. He turned and cheerfully waved at his three children, who were peeking in from the kitchen doorway and snickering.

"Go on, go do your homework. I’ll call you when the food is ready."

Jiang Xin’er blinked. "Mom, the math we learned today is really hard. I don’t know how to do the problems."

Jiang Wenjuan said, "If you can’t do them, just leave them blank for now. I’ll take a look after dinner."

"I’ll go take a look. You just focus on cooking."

Jiang Wenjuan was usually the one who managed the children’s schoolwork. But Zhong Weiguo was in high spirits today and felt like taking on some of the responsibility for his wife.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

Meeting his wife’s doubtful gaze, Zhong Weiguo puffed out his chest. "You’re underestimating me, aren’t you? I’ve faced down battlefields. You think some stupid math problem is going to defeat me?"

「Three minutes later.」

Zhong Weiguo was clutching the notebook, his brow deeply furrowed.

Jiang Xin’er stared up at him hopefully, her neck starting to ache. "Dad, do you actually know how to do it or not?"

After glancing at his three kids, Zhong Weiguo walked over to the window, faced the sky, and read the problem aloud.

When he was done, he turned back to his three kids with a grin. "Let’s leave it up to fate. After all, man proposes, God disposes, right? Haha!"

The three kids stared back, expressionless.

Jiang Wenjuan, who had just come out carrying a dish: "..."

’You’re really something else!’

...

An Hui didn’t ask any more questions about Jiang Wenjuan’s phone call, but it weighed on her mind.

That evening, when Lu Deyao came home from work, she called him into their room to talk about it.

"It is good news. The expansion of the 77th Brigade was finalized at a meeting late last year. They’re establishing a new independent regiment in Menglong Town."

An Hui was politically astute and immediately understood the implications.

"Are the higher-ups promoting our third son?"

Lu Deyao’s silence was his confirmation.

"But it’s been less than two years since he was promoted to battalion commander. Isn’t this too fast?" An Hui was a mix of shocked, happy, and worried.

Lu Deyao had her sit on the edge of the bed and explained slowly, "The higher-ups have their reservations about him, too. That’s why they added an extra condition: Moli has to move to the base. But our third son never told her about it."

"My guess is that, on one hand, he didn’t want to put Moli in a difficult position. On the other, he probably wanted to use it as an excuse to turn down the promotion. An independent regiment... do you know how many people are green with envy over that position?"

"Menglong is right on the border—a poor and perilous region. Smuggling, robbery, kidnapping, and human trafficking are rampant, not to mention the constant threat of armed conflict. External threats are one thing, but the real fear is being sabotaged by your own people. It’s a tough situation."

At first, An Hui had been proud to hear that her son was going to be a regiment commander.

Such a young commander of an independent regiment, no less. You’d be hard-pressed to find another one in the entire military region.

But after hearing her husband’s analysis, her heart sank.

"What are we going to do? Moli already agreed to move to the base. Honestly, that son of ours... If only he had given us a heads-up, we could have spoken to Moli and arranged for her to turn it down. Wouldn’t that have been so much better?"

Lu Deyao, however, wasn’t surprised to hear that Jiang Moli had agreed.

His daughter-in-law could be unconventional at times, but when it came to important matters, she was always resolute.

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