Chapter 8: The Old Man’s Past

The office was shared by three people, and as Lin You led An Yan inside, they instantly drew the attention of the other two.

“Captain Lin, this is...?” one of them couldn’t help asking.

Lin You glanced at him and introduced, “This is Jiang Weiguo, captain of the third battalion, and that’s Lu Haiyang, captain of the second battalion.”

An Yan nodded in greeting to the two men. “Hello, Captains. My name is An Yan, I’m Captain Lin’s fiancée.”

“Fiancée?”

Both men were startled and immediately looked toward Zhu Yan at the doorway—this was going to be interesting.

Lin You pulled over a stool for An Yan to sit, then walked to the door and looked at Zhu Yan, whose expression was grim. “Doctor Zhu, I’ll trouble you no further. Please take today’s meal home with you; from now on, you don’t need to bring me food anymore.”

Zhu Yan’s eyes reddened, and tears began to stream down her face. She shoved the lunchbox into Lin You’s arms and turned to run out.

An Yan stole a glance at Lin You, only to be caught by him as he turned; she hurriedly looked away, trying hard not to seem guilty.

The atmosphere was awkward.

“Lin, that’s not right of you. You should have told us sooner your fiancée was coming!”

“That’s right! We could have given her a proper welcome.”

Lin You was the youngest and most promising among the three.

In a calm tone, Lin You replied, “She only arrived yesterday. I haven’t had the chance to tell everyone yet. I’ll let you all know when it’s time for the wedding.”

He’d intended to speak up only after their relationship was confirmed.

“The wedding hasn’t happened yet?” Jiang Weiguo was surprised. “Lin, that’s no good. The lady’s come all this way to find you—you’d better not waste any time!”

“Captain Jiang, don’t blame Captain Lin. Rest assured, when the wedding comes, you’re all invited to our house for a drink,” An Yan interjected.

Lin You looked at An Yan, puzzled by what she was thinking. She’d suddenly shown up with lunch and declared herself his fiancée in front of everyone—wasn’t she cutting off her own escape?

“Good, then we’ll be sure to bring gifts and offer our congratulations.”

“Captain Lin, I’ll head back now. Nuannuan is still at home,” An Yan said, not wanting to make Lin You uneasy and mindful of the child at home, so she put down the lunchbox and made her farewells.

“I’ll walk you out.”

When they reached the gate, Lin You finally spoke again: “An Yan, you didn’t need to say that earlier. We agreed on half a month...”

“Whether we announce it now or in half a month makes no difference. Besides, I’ve saved you a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings,” An Yan replied, looking up with a sweet smile.

Lin You sighed. “Thank you for bringing lunch today. Also, those two boys said they’d be home after school.”

An Yan pretended to be angry. “If not me, would you have wanted someone else to do it? Oh... perhaps Doctor Zhu?”

Her words made Lin You flush with embarrassment. He wanted to explain but saw she’d already walked several yards away.

***

When Lin You returned to the office, several more people had arrived—the company commanders from his battalion. As soon as they saw Lin You, they crowded around.

“Captain, you sure kept this well hidden!”

“That’s right, Captain. I’m with you every day and didn’t notice a thing!”

“Alright, enough. Go on, get out there—if you’ve got nothing better to do, go run some laps on the field,” Lin You barked, feigning anger.

They all knew Lin You’s temper and weren’t worried; they laughed as they left the office.

Jiang Weiguo, holding his lunchbox, sidled up. “Lin, what did your wife-to-be make for you? I smelled meat the moment she walked in, and that aroma reminded me of the dishes I had at a big restaurant in the capital.”

Lin You ignored him and sat down on the stool An Yan had used. He was curious himself—yesterday’s noodles had already amazed him, so the dishes should be even better.

He opened the lunchbox. It was packed full to the brim, nearly overflowing.

There were three dishes: shredded potatoes, stir-fried eggs, and five steaming pieces of braised pork. The rich color and enticing aroma made his mouth water.

“Lu, get over here—there’s braised pork! Lin, I know you’re not stingy. Let us brothers have a piece each, that’s not too much to ask, is it?”

Lin You quickly snapped the box shut as chopsticks reached for it. “If you want some, go home and ask your wives to make it for you. This was made especially for me.”

“Hey, when did you get so possessive over your food?” Jiang Weiguo laughed, teasing Lin You for being so stingy.

***

An Yan had no idea what happened in the office afterward. She jogged all the way home. By the time she arrived, the two little ones had already eaten and were nowhere to be seen. The kitchen was tidy as well.

She guessed they must have gone to Wang Guilan’s house, so she finally had time to sit down and eat properly.

Later, when she went to Wang Guilan’s, the children were already asleep.

“Aunt Wang, thank you for your help.”

“It’s nothing, really no trouble at all. Erdan had some meat at your place today and wouldn’t stop praising it. I just helped look after the kids.”

They chatted a while, then An Yan suddenly thought of something. “Aunt Wang, is Lin You very popular with the ladies in the army?”

Wang Guilan was taken aback. “An, don’t listen to people’s gossip.”

An Yan paused. “No one said anything. I just happened to run into Doctor Zhu when I brought over lunch and got curious. He’s thirty and already a battalion commander—surely he’s had no shortage of matchmakers?”

“Well, in time you’ll see for yourself.”

Noticing Aunt Wang’s meaningful expression, An Yan felt a pang of unease. Could Lin You have some secret?

“To be honest, someone did try to set him up before. They got along well, and I heard they were even preparing to file a marriage application.”

“But then it turned out the woman was no good.”

“Oh? In what way?” An Yan moved her stool closer, confirming her suspicion that this man had a story behind him.

“You know, Lin You has three children, but none are his own.”

“Yes, I know.”

“At first, the woman said she’d take good care of them. Lin You was busy, so he left the three kids in her care. But it turned out she abused them. If they made the slightest mistake, she’d beat them—beat them nearly to death, and she was clever enough to only hit their bottoms. She’d warn the children not to say a word, or she’d kill them.”

“Later, Lin You happened to discover the bruises on the children’s backsides. If someone hadn’t held him back, he might have killed that woman himself.”

“After that, he never looked for another match. If anyone tried to set him up, he’d get angry with them.”

“What about Doctor Zhu? Isn’t she good with children? Last night those two boys were so upset they ran over to her place. Why didn’t Lin You end up with her?”