A lonely, unlucky military officer with a stubborn fate insisted on marrying me.

Lin Yinyin returned home very late. The whole courtyard was quiet, except for the dim light shining from the window of the side room—her older sister, Lin Huizhi, was waiting for her.

She put the basket into the space and quietly walked to the main house.

Yes, the main house.

There were two curled-up figures on the bed in the main room; they were Old Lady Li and her daughter, Li Jianying.

A cold glint flashed in Lin Yinyin's eyes. She grabbed a handful of damp soil from the ground and smeared it on her face. Then she took out some bloodstains left over from dealing with the wild boar earlier and wiped them on her collar and cuffs. After combing her hair, she gently tapped the window frame with her fingertips.

"Thump, thump..." The rhythm was slow, but it was especially clear in the quiet night.

Old Mrs. Li turned over in the house, muttered "It's windy," but didn't pay any attention.

Lin Yinyin waited patiently for a while, then knocked seven more times, this time with slightly more force. After knocking, she immediately slipped into the space.

"Who is it?" Old Mrs. Li couldn't sleep because of the noise, so she peered out the window.

The empty courtyard was deserted, without a soul in sight.

She turned around, cursing, and was about to lie back down on the bed when there was another seven knocks on the window, the sound carrying a faint echo.

"Who's playing tricks there!"

Grandma Li mustered her courage and shouted, then rushed out the door with her flashlight in hand. The only sound in the yard was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

She felt uneasy and hurriedly ran back into the house to lock the door. Just as she was about to catch her breath, she heard a low male voice coming from the window.

"Li Cuihua...you're the one who made me so angry I almost died..."

"Ah!" Old Mrs. Li was so frightened that she dropped her flashlight on the ground.

She scrambled to the bedside and shook Li Jianying awake.

"Jianying! Get up quickly! Go outside and see what's going on!"

Li Jianying was groggily shaken awake, rubbing her eyes and cursing as she went to open the door.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Yinyin flashed out of the space and slipped into the house like a gust of wind.

He gently blew a breath of cool air into Old Lady Li's ear.

The icy touch made Grandma Li stiffen.

And the faint smell of blood made her feel uneasy!

Her heart pounded, and cold sweat drenched her back. She took a deep breath and abruptly turned around—

The house was completely empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.

Just as she was about to reassure herself that it was her imagination, she felt a light tap on the back of her neck—that light, airy touch was unmistakable.

"Li Cuihua, you're the one who's driving me crazy..."

"No! It wasn't me!"

Old Mrs. Li's pupils constricted, and her whole body trembled violently. "It's your own fault for being weak! It has nothing to do with me!"

She screamed and collapsed to the floor. Looking up, she saw the room was empty.

Now she was even more terrified. "It wasn't me...it really wasn't me...don't look for me..."

"Mom! What's wrong?"

When Li Jianying returned from outside, she heard Old Lady Li sitting on the ground crying and shouting.

Hearing the commotion, Lin Huizhi rushed in. "Mom, are you alright?"

Upon seeing Lin Huizhi, Old Mrs. Li suddenly stood up, grabbed Lin Huizhi's wrist tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh, "Huizhi, your father died of a heart attack, didn't he?"

It has nothing to do with me, right?

Lin Huizhi felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.

Old Mrs. Li clearly stated that she and Yin Yin had killed her father-in-law, but now that she's terrified, she's trying to distance herself from the situation.

She patted Grandma Li on the back and said, "The doctor said it was a heart condition." Then she turned and went back to her room.

As soon as I closed the door, I saw Lin Yinyin sitting on the edge of the bed. The mud on her face had been washed off, and she was holding an aluminum lunchbox in her hand, which contained meat buns.

"Sis, come and have some meat buns and steamed egg custard. These buns are still warm!"

Looking at the cunning in her sister's eyes and recalling the commotion in the main house, Lin Huizhi instantly understood what was going on.

She tapped Lin Yinyin's forehead. "You're really audacious! What if you get caught?"

"Don't worry, sis, I know what I'm doing."

She promised to continue tomorrow.

After bullying her sister for so many years, what is this little bit of reward?

After the two sisters finished eating the meat buns, they fell into a deep sleep.

When Lin Yinyin woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky outside the window, and she checked the time and it was almost 10 o'clock.

On the table was a note left by her older sister: "Yinyin, I've gone to work. Breakfast is on the table. Sister Chi has arranged a blind date for you. This handkerchief is a thank-you gift that I embroidered. Please take it to her for me."

Lin Yinyin picked up the plain silk handkerchief, which was embroidered with exquisite patterns.

With the characters "汀" as the core, several clumps of orchids are embroidered around them. The light blue lines depict the spreading orchid leaves, the light purple outlines the delicate flower buds, and the corners are decorated with small off-white flowers.

"My sister is so skillful and meticulous."

Lin Yinyin sighed softly, feeling even more uneasy.

She could not tolerate her sister being trapped in this house and tormented by Old Lady Li.

She quickly finished the warm steamed bun and egg, then turned and entered the space.

After a night, the soybeans that had been soaked yesterday had sprouted. She rolled up her sleeves and transplanted the sprouted soybeans into the ground.

Then take out the pheasant, clean it, put it in the newly bought clay pot, add clean water, cut scallion segments and ginger slices, add a few red dates to enhance the flavor, and simmer it over low heat.

In her spare time, she went to check on her vegetable garden: the vegetables were growing well, the tender leaves of the cabbages and radishes were so tender that they could be squeezed to release water, and the potatoes that she had buried yesterday had sprouted and poked their heads out of the soil.

Lin Yinyin squatted on the edge of the field, looking at the vibrant vegetable garden, feeling an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

It was almost eleven o'clock when she dusted herself off and left the space.

She had to hurry and find Chi Tinglan to deliver the handkerchief. In the afternoon, she would also need to go to the back mountain to see if she could hunt some more game.

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I heard Old Lady Li and another old lady whispering to each other from the main house.

You can vaguely hear words like "a hen that doesn't lay eggs," "a slut," and "manipulation."

Lin Yinyin curled her lips. It seemed she had quite enjoyed last night's appetizer, still having the energy to gossip about others. In that case, let's try something different tonight.

***

Lin Yinyin stood at the brigade commander's door with a package of chicken cakes in her hand. Before she could knock, she heard a heated argument coming from inside.

She paused, hesitating whether to knock, but the door clicked open.

The person who opened the door was Zhang Ma from the brigade commander's family. Her eyes lit up when she saw her: "Comrade Xiao Lin is here! I was just about to go buy groceries, come in quickly!" She then warmly pulled her inside.

The argument stopped immediately as soon as Lin Yinyin stepped inside.

Chi Tinglan quickly came out of the living room to greet Lin Yinyin. The anger on her face immediately turned into joy the moment she saw Lin Yinyin.

"Yinyin, you're here, come in quickly."

Sitting on the sofa, Brigade Commander Zheng stared blankly at the speed at which his wife's expression changed.

He carefully observed the girl at the door. She was wearing a faded shirt, had her hair tied in a simple ponytail, and had a wild, untamed charm in her eyes. What kind of magic did she possess that made Chi Tinglan, who was furious just a moment ago, become so gentle?

"Greetings, Commander Zheng." Lin Yinyin greeted him first, her manner appropriate.

"Hello, Comrade Lin!" Brigade Commander Zheng nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze shifting back and forth between his wife and Lin Yinyin.

"I'm here to talk to Sister Chi. I hope I'm not bothering you?" Lin Yinyin asked with a smile.

"What are you doing! Ignore him, let's go upstairs and talk!" Chi Tinglan pulled Lin Yinyin's hand and walked upstairs.