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

Upon reaching the second floor, Lin Yinyin took out the handkerchief embroidered with orchids from her pocket.

"Sister Chi, this was embroidered by my sister Lin Huizhi. She asked me to bring it to you as a way of thanking you for helping me find a partner before."

Chi Tinglan took the handkerchief and ran her fingertips over the embroidery. "Such a clever idea, such skill is rare."

Sigh! I feel unworthy of such praise!

"Tell me, why are all those soldiers like idiots? They speak rudely, act rigidly, and explode at the slightest provocation!"

Lin Yinyin: Well said, that idiot Li Jinye is just sick! He even emanates cold air from time to time!

"Yinyin, let's not date soldiers anymore. They're all like powder kegs; they're not good enough for us!"

"Okay, how did your argument with the brigade commander go, sister? Did it end up like this?"

Chi Tinglan knew what she was asking. "Nothing came of it! The moment I mentioned divorce, he went ballistic, his face turned as black as ink, and his chest bulged like it was about to explode!"

She sat down on the edge of the bed in frustration. "Tell me, if things don't work out, just break up amicably. Why react so strongly?"

I also told him that I couldn't take it anymore, so I was going back to Beijing tomorrow and wouldn't put up with this anymore!

I plan to leave for a while, to let him think things through and adjust to life without me.

Chi Tinglan was also somewhat saddened, as no one but her younger brother agreed to the divorce.

Her parents said she was just making a fuss, and that Lao Zheng was acting like he was tearing down their family's ancestral graves.

Seeing Chi Tinglan's dejected expression, Lin Yinyin comforted her, saying, "Only the wearer knows whether the shoe fits or not."

Life is for you to live, not for others to see.

Sister Chi, just follow your heart.

He patted Chi Tinglan's hand and said, "Do what you want to do. Life may seem long, but you don't have many days to truly live for yourself, so don't make yourself suffer."

"Yinyin, you are truly my soulmate!" Chi Tinglan's eyes reddened as she grasped Lin Yinyin's hand.

Everyone advised her to "bear with it" and "make do," but she, like herself, insisted on living for herself.

She endured ten years of hardship for the sake of a family marriage!

Lin Yinyin smiled and took her hand in return.

She somewhat understood Chi Tinglan's frustration. In this era, a woman who dared to file for divorce faced considerable consequences, especially the wife of a brigade commander.

Chi Tinglan quickly composed herself. "By the way, Yinyin, what are you doing this afternoon? Let's go shopping! My treat!"

"Sister Chi, I don't really like shopping malls. I prefer to go out into nature," Lin Yinyin said truthfully.

"Oh?"

Chi Tinglan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

She comes from a well-to-do family and her usual pastime is shopping. She forgot that Lin Yinyin comes from a rural area and may not have much spare money or interest in shopping.

She quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Nature is great too! Shall we go for a walk in the park?"

"The park isn't very interesting. I'm going to the back mountain this afternoon."

"The back mountain?"

Chi Tinglan asked in surprise, "Isn't that place quite remote?"

"Yeah, I caught a rabbit when I went to the back mountain last time. If you're lucky, you can also find wild mushrooms."

These words immediately piqued Chi Tinglan's interest.

In all her life, she's mostly frequented parks and theaters; she's never even set foot in the mountains, let alone gone to the wilderness to catch rabbits.

But just as she was getting interested, she heard Lin Yinyin say, "However, the back mountain is a bit dangerous. I grew up in the mountains, so I'm wild by nature and know some martial arts. Catching chickens, ducks, fish, and rabbits is no problem for me. I'm also good at climbing trees, so I can handle any danger on my own."

Lin Yinyin's implication was clear: you, a pampered young lady, can't come with me.

Chi Tinglan's smile vanished instantly, her disappointment barely concealed.

She was feeling down after having a conflict with Commander Zheng these past few days and wanted to find something new to cheer herself up, but instead, she was met with a cold shoulder.

Seeing her slumped shoulders, Lin Yinyin softened and regretted her words. Why did she have to be so sharp-tongued!

She had originally planned to check the traps and hunt some game in the afternoon, but if it was just about digging traps and collecting some mountain produce, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring Chi Tinglan along.

Chi Tinglan tugged at Lin Yinyin's sleeve, looking at her with her big, watery eyes, "Yinyin~"

"Little Yin Yin~"

Lin Yinyin: "......."

She couldn't stand being coquettish by a beautiful woman in her thirties.

"Yinyin~"

Ten seconds later, Lin Yinyin gritted her teeth and said, "If you really want to go, it's not impossible, but there's a condition."

"You say it!" Chi Tinglan immediately raised her head, her eyes sparkling like a little girl who had just received candy.

"Once you're in the back mountain, you have to do exactly what I say. You have to do whatever I tell you to do, whether I tell you to go or hide. You absolutely cannot act willfully."

"Okay! I'll do whatever you say!"

Lin Yinyin couldn't help but laugh at her expression. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but it felt like her and Chi Tinglan's roles had been reversed.

Chi Tinglan wanted to invite Lin Yinyin to lunch at her home, but Lin Yinyin declined.

Now that she has an extra burden to take up the mountain, she needs to prepare some things.

Besides, she hadn't even argued with Old Lady Li today; she had to go back.

The two agreed to meet at the entrance of the compound at 2 p.m.

Brigade Commander Zheng was once again amazed by Lin Yinyin's charm.

My wife, who was originally irritable and seemed ready to bite off a piece of my flesh, was all smiles during the meal and ate two extra bowls.

Lin Yinyin pushed open the courtyard gate and was immediately confronted with a striking splash of pink.

She wore a fitted dress, had her hair styled in the latest curls, and wore shiny black leather shoes, giving her the air of a wealthy young lady.

But that deliberately poised demeanor was far inferior to the elegance that Chi Tinglan possessed.

"Oh, isn't this our busy man back? I thought you'd be out there mooching off us before you came in." Old Mrs. Li put a piece of braised pork into the woman's bowl.

Four people were sitting around the dining table: Old Mrs. Li, Li Jianying, Old Mrs. Zhou, and this woman.

Lin Yinyin glanced at the table full of meat dishes and sneered inwardly. She usually fed her sister only clear soup and water, and now she was showing off?

"It takes skill to freeload, just like this lady in front of me. Isn't she enjoying a life of luxury just because of her outfit?"

"Sister Hai Mei is not that kind of person!" Li Jianying immediately said.

She even tidied up her newly received dress, and then held Zhou Haimei's arm affectionately.

"Sister Hai Mei is from the city, she knows a lot. This time she even brought two old hens, two cans of malted milk powder, and canned fruit for my family!"

Unlike some people who dare to stay at someone else's house empty-handed, a classic case of getting something for nothing!

"Yes, you're absolutely right." Lin Yinyin nodded seriously.

Li Jianying was completely bewildered—had this person taken the wrong medicine today?

Before Li Jianying could react, Lin Yinyin abruptly changed the subject, her gaze fixed on Old Lady Li: "But when it comes to getting something for nothing, I still have to learn a thing or two from my aunt."

After all, I'm not exactly a master at shamelessly pocketing my daughter-in-law's supplements.

"What do you mean by 'restriction'?! Stop making baseless accusations!"

"Oh dear, Auntie, is your memory clouded by lard, or did you get possessed by a ghost last night and mess up your brain?"

"Yesterday, Commander Li and Commander Gao personally visited to offer apologies. Many neighbors saw it, right?"

"That's for my son! It has absolutely nothing to do with your barren sister!" Old Mrs. Li roared.

"Really?" Lin Yinyin raised an eyebrow, her voice suddenly rising.

"But I ran into Commander Gao yesterday. He heard that my sister hadn't been able to conceive and knew how hard she had been taking care of her father-in-law recently, so he specially brought ginseng royal jelly and donkey-hide gelatin to help my sister recover!"

Grandma Li's heart skipped a beat. This girl even knew what was inside; it seemed she had really met with Commander Gao.

"That was only because of my son! Without my son, would she have had this good fortune?"

"Even if it's because of my brother-in-law, that thing is in my sister's name. How could you, as the mother-in-law, have the right to keep it for yourself?"

You usually call my sister a barren hen, complaining that she can't have children. How come you forget what you said as soon as you come across something good to nourish your body?

"Could it be that you're planning to keep these tonics to seduce some old geezer out there, preparing to remarry and become an old hag?"

"You, you little bitch! I'll tear your mouth apart!" Old Mrs. Lin was trembling with rage. What was she even saying? She grabbed the chopsticks on the table and threw them at Lin Yinyin.

Lin Yinyin was prepared. She dodged to the side and then stepped onto the table, giving Li Jianying a crisp, hard slap.

"Slap!" The sound of the slap was exceptionally loud, and Li Jianying covered her face, stunned.

"You hit me again!" Her face was still swollen from the previous swelling!

"Who told you to have such a foul-mouthed, heartless, and shameless old woman like me! I can't hit you because I respect your age, so I have to!"

"You, you, you!" Li Jianying was so angry her head was spinning. This crazy girl, she was really infuriating!