Chapter 13 The Man Who Squanders Wealth

At noon, just like the day before, An Yan brought lunch to Lin You. Although he had told her not to wait for him for dinner, he still needed to eat lunch. When she arrived at the regiment headquarters, she didn’t see Lin You anywhere, but fortunately Jiang Weiguo told her that Lin You had driven down the mountain, saving her a long wait.

As she left the headquarters, she happened to run into Zhu Yan, who was also carrying a lunchbox. An Yan could only sigh inwardly at the woman’s devotion.

—Why must women make things difficult for each other?

“Dr. Zhu, Lin You isn’t here. Why don’t you come over to my place for a while? We can talk,” she offered.

“Talk? There’s nothing for us to talk about!” Zhu Yan snapped. “Don’t think you’ve already won, An. Let me tell you, unless you and Brother Lin are married, nothing is set in stone!”

Clearly, Zhu Yan was less composed than An Yan had hoped. With Lin You absent, she simply turned and left with her lunchbox.

Lin You and his group didn’t return to the compound until evening. At the entrance to the family quarters, a cluster of women were gathered, chatting animatedly as they sorted and washed vegetables.

The hottest topic these days was the arrival of a little fairy at Captain Lin’s home. Naturally, the rivalry between the little fairy and Dr. Zhu was also a favorite subject of gossip.

“Who do you think Captain Lin will end up marrying?” one asked.

“My bet’s on Dr. Zhu. After all, she’s the general’s daughter. The girl at his house might look like a fairy, but her status just can’t compare.”

“I agree. If I were a man, I’d choose Dr. Zhu, too.”

“What do you know? How long has Dr. Zhu been around? Don’t you think Captain Lin knows she’s interested in him? He’s never agreed, so it’s probably hopeless. But look at the little fairy—she’s only been here a few days, and Captain Lin is already... tsk tsk.”

“What about her? Go on, say it!” another urged.

“I...” The speaker was about to continue, but was interrupted. “Look! What’s that truck full of? Is someone moving? Look at that wardrobe—my goodness, a three-door wardrobe with a mirror, how beautiful!”

“There’s a bed, a table—this whole truck must be worth a fortune.”

“But I haven’t heard about any new families moving in.”

Everyone put down their work and crowded forward, watching as the truck stopped right in front of Lin You’s house.

“Why did it stop at the captain’s house? Are all those things the little fairy’s dowry? Goodness... with gifts like that, she must be from a wealthy family.”

“Who was it just now who said her status wasn’t good enough? Come out and say that again!”

When Lin You stepped off the truck, the rumor about the “dowry” was instantly confirmed in everyone’s minds.

“Captain Lin, is this your fiancée’s dowry?”

“Such extravagance! That wardrobe must have cost a fortune.”

Lin You was swarmed with questions the moment he got down, leaving him bewildered.

Li Guoxiang, who had come down from the truck as well, waved a hand and called out, “Ladies, what are you talking about? Dowry? These are just things Captain Lin bought in the city.”

“What? Captain Lin, you bought all this yourself?”

Lin You nodded, and a wave of astonished murmurs rippled through the crowd. In their minds, Lin You was now labeled as a spendthrift.

Inside the house, An Yan was about to start cooking dinner when she heard the commotion outside. Thinking something big had happened, she scooped up Lin Nuannuan and went out.

She saw Lin You and two vaguely familiar soldiers unloading items from the truck.

“Captain—Lin You, where did all this come from?” Remembering Lin You’s previous reminder, she quickly corrected how she addressed him.

“Bought it in the city today,” Lin You replied coolly as ever. “Go open the door, we’ll bring the wardrobe in.”

“Oh.”

An Yan hurried to open the door. Looking at the wardrobe, she guessed it was for her. This man hadn’t even said a word about it.

Without another word, Lin You carried the wardrobe into his own room and moved the old cabinet into Nuannuan’s room.

The house was spacious enough, but with all the new things, it suddenly felt a bit cramped.

“Comrades, thank you for your help. Why don’t you stay for dinner tonight?” An Yan said, seeing sweat pouring down the two soldiers’ faces.

Li Guoxiang and his companion glanced at Lin You, not daring to agree to anything on their own.

Lin You shot them a glare. “If you’re asked to stay for dinner, stay.”

“Thank you, sister-in-law,” they chorused.

They were well aware of An Yan’s cooking skills. The aroma from the captain’s lunchbox the other day had told them enough.

But as An Yan watched more and more things being carried in, she was left dumbfounded. “What a spendthrift—how could he buy so much!”

At that moment, Wang Guilan arrived with Erdan to see what all the fuss was about. “Xiao An, Captain Lin bought all this? Good grief, this must have cost a year’s salary.”

“Oh my, that wardrobe is beautiful. How much did it cost?”

Just then, Li Guoxiang, carrying several enamel basins, chimed in, “Aunt Wang, that wardrobe was expensive—fifty-five yuan!”

“What? Fifty-five yuan? That’s outrageous!”

“That’s right, it’s two months’ salary for me,” Li Guoxiang agreed.

Hearing the price, An Yan was shocked. That old-fashioned wardrobe cost fifty-five yuan? It looked like something from her mother’s era. Then it struck her—she was living in exactly the era she’d been born in.

Wang Guilan pulled An Yan aside and whispered, “Xiao An, you need to keep an eye on Captain Lin. You’ve got three kids to raise already, and you’ll have your own in the future. Money will be tight everywhere—you can’t let him be so extravagant. Besides, with everyone watching outside, they’ll just say you asked for all this.”

An Yan nodded quickly. If she’d known Lin You was going home for the passbook to buy all this, she’d have stopped him for sure.

After nearly half an hour of work, everything was finally moved into the house.

By then, An Yan had finished making dinner. The three children were delighted with all the new things, and even Lin Hongzhe, who rarely smiled, showed a hint of happiness.

During the meal, Li Guoxiang and his companion focused on eating, but kept praising her cooking. “Sister-in-law, your food is better than the dishes at the state-run restaurant we had for lunch.”

“Oh? Captain Lin took you to a state-run restaurant today? I’ve never even been,” An Yan said, glancing at the man shoveling rice into his mouth, her tone a little odd.

“The food there isn’t as good as yours. No need for you to try it,” Lin You replied, detecting the change in her voice.

“Oh? Should I take that as a compliment, Captain Lin?” An Yan teased, winking at him.

Li Guoxiang and his companion watched the couple’s playful back-and-forth and couldn’t help but feel envious. Li Guoxiang even ventured to ask, “Sister-in-law, do you have any sisters at home?”

“Sisters?”