Chapter 11: Handing Over the Bankbook on the First Day

After much deliberation, Lin Wen weighed his options: gossip or a five-kilometer weighted run. He chose the run.

"Sister-in-law, what exactly happened today?"

Sang Yu curled her lips. *Oh, you little rascal,* she thought, *your eyes are practically screaming for me to tell you, yet you're trying to act coy.* She understood perfectly well; gossiping was simply in the nature of the people.

"In short: your former sister-in-law didn't want to get married, so she swapped with me. That is why I am now your sister-in-law."

Lin Wen was speechless. It was a bit abstract, though not entirely incomprehensible. But he almost wished she hadn't said anything at all. He was about to press for more details when Jiang Jingming cut him off with a warning.

"Lin Wen, keep your eyes on the road!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Sang Yu turned to look at the man beside her. He was certainly good-looking, and quite dashing in his military uniform. He had helped her today, so he seemed like a decent man. As for whether they would live together in the future, that remained to be seen. Flash marriages were, after all, quite risky.

As a soldier—even one who had recently retired—Jiang Jingming was exceptionally sensitive to the gazes of others. He sensed Sang Yu’s eyes on him and his body immediately stiffened.

"Comrade, thank you for today," Sang Yu said.

Her voice was soft and sweet, and to Jiang Jingming, it felt like a feather was tickling his heart, leaving him tingling.

"You're welcome," he replied, staring straight ahead. He found he actually preferred it when she called him "Brother Jiang."

Lin Wen couldn't help but feel that the Captain and his new sister-in-law were being a bit too formal with each other. Sang Yu, however, didn't think so; in her eyes, this was only their second meeting. Politeness was expected; it would have been abnormal for them to be intimate right away.

Soon, Lin Wen drove them to Jiang Jingming’s residence in Shanghai. It was a detached house with a courtyard. The entrance was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and bright red "double happiness" signs were plastered everywhere. As soon as the car arrived, someone at the gate set off firecrackers.

Jiang Jingming led Sang Yu directly to a room on the second floor. "You rest here for a while."

With that, he went back downstairs. The house was lively and bustling. Sang Yu wasn't used to such clamor, so staying upstairs suited her just fine. The room had clearly been prepared; the bright red wedding quilt and the vintage-style decorations made it look quite festive.

After a while, there was a knock at the door.

"Please, come in," Sang Yu said.

It was a teenage girl. "Sister-in-law, the second brother asked me to bring you some food." The girl seemed shy and avoided meeting Sang Yu's eyes.

Sang Yu looked at the two bowls the girl was holding—one filled with white rice and the other with meat. "Alright, thank you."

The girl nodded, set the bowls down, and scurried away before Sang Yu could even ask her name. Still, having someone bring her food showed that this man was quite thoughtful.

After eating, Sang Yu began to feel drowsy and eventually drifted off to sleep on the bed. When she woke up, the house downstairs had gone quiet. She rubbed her eyes and opened the door, checking to make sure it was truly peaceful before heading down.

The living room had already been cleaned up. *How long did I sleep?* she wondered.

"You're awake?"

Jiang Jingming’s voice startled her. Standing on the stairs, she gave a jump and missed her footing. Fortunately, she reacted quickly, grabbing the railing to steady herself. As she turned, she saw Jiang Jingming pulling back his hand. He looked a bit embarrassed.

"What time is it? Did I sleep for a long time?" Sang Yu asked.

"Not too long. It's four in the afternoon; you've been asleep for about three hours."

"Three hours?!" When had she become such a heavy sleeper?

"Yes. My uncle and aunt wanted to meet you, but since you were sleeping, they left first. We can visit them another time."

Sang Yu groaned internally. *That’s terrible!* But since they had said there would be a next time, she would just have to make a better impression then.

"Listen, can we talk?" She looked at the man before her. He had changed out of his uniform and was wearing casual gray clothes.

"Of course," Jiang Jingming replied in a low voice.

They sat facing each other in the living room.

"I need to clarify things regarding this marriage swap." Although she had no romantic feelings for him—only an appreciation for his looks and a sense that he was a man of character—some things needed to be clear. She didn't mind if he didn't like her, but she wouldn't tolerate misunderstandings.

Jiang Jingming sat there, listening intently. Sang Yu recounted the sequence of events. "The swap happened like this... do you understand?"

Jiang Jingming nodded. "I understand."

Good, that was enough. As for whether he believed her, she didn't care.

"Comrade Jiang, for now, there are no feelings between us, so I was wondering if we could sleep in separate rooms?"

If she had asked for a divorce right then, the man would probably have been terrified. Divorce wasn't exactly common in this era.

Jiang Jingming’s eyes darkened slightly before he replied, "That is fine."

Sang Yu let out a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't an unreasonable person; otherwise, as a frail girl, she wouldn't know how to stand up to a man like him.

"This is for you." Jiang Jingming pulled a bankbook from his pocket.

Sang Yu didn't recognize the bankbooks of this era at first, but upon closer inspection, she realized what it was. She counted the zeros. *Ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand... a hundred thousand?!*

"This... this..."

"These are savings my parents prepared for me, along with my military stipend. It's all yours."

"All mine?" Sang Yu’s eyes widened. One hundred thousand yuan in this era was equivalent to being a multi-millionaire in the twenty-first century. Compared to this, the thousand yuan she had fought so hard to get back from Song Zhenhua seemed like pocket change. Was she really that poor?

"Yes. My parents gave Song Jiajia a dowry of eight hundred and eighty-eight, but that was only a small fraction. Since the person has changed, this belongs to you." Jiang Jingming added, "My future earnings will also go to you."

Sang Yu looked at him. "Aren't you afraid I'll run off with all this money?"

"I'm not afraid," Jiang Jingming answered without a second of hesitation.

Sang Yu didn't know what to say, but she resolved not to betray his trust. "Alright! Since that’s the case, I’ll accept it." After all, they were husband and wife now; if he wanted to give it to her, she wouldn't play coy. That wasn't her style.

"What do you want for dinner? I’ll cook!" Aside from painting, Sang Yu loved to cook.

Seeing the joy on her face, a hint of a smile appeared in Jiang Jingming’s eyes. She was quite the little money-lover. Since she liked money, things would be easy. After all, he had nothing else, but he certainly had money.

"Anything is fine," he said.

Since that was the case, she would just make whatever was in the kitchen. For dinner, she prepared three dishes and a soup: winter melon soup, red-braised pork, shredded pork with garlic sauce, and stir-fried greens.

Although the meal was simple, it tasted surprisingly good. Even Jiang Jingming, a man who didn't care much for food, found himself eating an extra bowl of rice.

"I'll wash the dishes," Jiang Jingming volunteered conscientiously after the meal.

Sang Yu didn't argue. If he didn't offer to do the dishes, there wouldn't be a next meal, anyway.