The Stunningly Beautiful and Delicate Darling in the 1980s Military Compound - Chapter 41

A cousin?

Song Mingyue had never heard Chen Che mention a cousin, and fifty yuan was a significant amount of money in the 1980s. The cash she had brought from her family was nearly gone, so she had to weigh every penny.

The two officers asked again sternly, “Comrade, are you saying you really don’t know this Jiang Manman?”

Mingyue answered honestly, “I don’t know her, but I can’t speak for Chen Che.”

Whoever’s cousin she is can deal with it, Mingyue thought. She really didn’t want to part with fifty yuan to bail out a complete stranger.

When the officers asked how to find Chen Che, Mingyue explained, “He’s likely in the military research lab right now. If it’s not an emergency, you can ask him when he returns.”

Hearing that he was doing research, the officers didn’t push further. “We’ll go back and verify. When Comrade Chen Che returns, please ask him if he knows a Jiang Manman. If he does, please have him come to the West City Station.”

Mingyue found the whole situation suspicious. Given Chen Che’s background, it was unlikely a relative of his would be in jail over money. “Why exactly does she owe fifty yuan?”

“She doesn’t owe us,” the officer explained. “She’s a young girl who took a long-distance bus here and refused to pay the fare. The driver brought her to us.”

In this era, it was no small feat for a young girl to travel alone. Mingyue asked, “Where did she come from?”

“W City. It’s a very long way, which is why the fare is so expensive. If we can’t find her family, we really won’t know what to do with her.”

W City was right next to Pingcheng; the two places were very close. For some reason, hearing “W City” made Mingyue suspect this Jiang Manman really was Chen Che’s cousin. Otherwise, the hometown wouldn’t match up so perfectly.

After the officers left, Zhang Jingjing looked worried. “Mingyue, that girl definitely knows Commander Chen. If you don’t bring her back, will he be angry with you?”

Jingjing had grown up in a crowded apartment block where family drama was common. She had seen many happy couples fall apart because of the husband’s relatives. “It’s still early. Why don’t I go to the station with you just to see what’s going on?”

“No need, Jingjing,” Mingyue analyzed calmly. “I don’t know her, and skipping a bus fare isn’t exactly a glorious thing. If I go alone to meet a stranger in that setting, it might make things awkward later.”

Jingjing nodded, her admiration for Mingyue growing. “You’re right. If I were meeting my husband’s relatives for the first time, I wouldn’t want it to be like that either.”

That afternoon, Chen Che went out with a military supply truck.

Thanks to his tireless work, he had finished processing the data from S County by 2:00 PM. With his tasks completed, he was technically still on his wedding leave. Remembering Commander Zhao’s words about work-life balance, his mind began to wander.

It was only the second day after their wedding, and he had left at the crack of dawn. Would Mingyue be upset? He knew she was supportive of his career, but that only made him feel more anxious to make it up to her.

Young Xiao Zhang from the logistics department noticed Chen Che’s distraction. Xiao Zhang was going out to the wholesale market and, seeing Chen Che, offered him a ride.

Chen Che spent the afternoon buying a hodgepodge of items. He had never really shopped for a gift before and didn’t know what to get. Xiao Zhang watched him pick up mundane items like dates, red beans, and toilet paper, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Commander Chen, are these for the Sister-in-law?”

“Yes,” Chen Che replied stiffly.

Xiao Zhang, being more social, offered some advice. “You can’t just buy household supplies! Girls like to be pretty. Buy some rouge or powder; no woman can resist those.”

“Rouge? I rarely see her wear any,” Chen Che noted.

Xiao Zhang recalled Mingyue’s face. He had assumed she wore makeup like the other officers’ wives, but realized her skin was just naturally that perfect. He pivoted to his ultimate advice: “If she doesn’t need makeup, there’s one thing no woman can refuse: gold jewelry.”

In those days, gold shops were only for the wealthy. But Chen Che had never been one to worry about money. He asked Xiao Zhang to drop him off at a jewelry store.

The shop was quiet. Gold styles back then were simple, but influenced by Hong Kong and overseas trends, some shops were beginning to sell more intricate pieces. Chen Che walked in and his eyes immediately landed on a gold pendant shaped like a moon.

It was a modern design with a high labor cost. Chen Che had brought all the cash he had, but he still had to borrow twenty yuan from Xiao Zhang to clinch the deal.

The Moon and Mingyue. The names shared the same meaning. To Chen Che, this was the perfect symbol for her. He tucked the box away, planning to surprise her.

However, before Chen Che could deliver his surprise, Mingyue gave him one of her own.

As soon as he walked through the door, she asked point-blank, “Do you have a cousin named Jiang Manman?”

Chen Che blinked, the name barely registering at first. “Jiang Manman?”

He did have a cousin by that name, but they weren’t close. She wasn’t his biological cousin; she was his uncle-in-law’s daughter from a previous marriage. She had been six or seven when his aunt married in. They had only met a few times, and she had always been even more silent and introverted than he was. The last time he’d seen her was three years ago.

“Why are you asking?” Chen Che asked, confused.

“So you do know her,” Mingyue said, grabbing his arm. “The police were here. She’s at the West City Station waiting for you. You need to go, right now.”

Mingyue was worried. A young girl spending the night in a police station would be terrified. “I’ll go with you.”

Chen Che was still thinking about his gift. As Mingyue pulled the bicycle out, he handed her the jewelry box. “This is for you. A gift.”

“What is it?” Mingyue set the box inside the house and grabbed some extra cash. “Let’s go to the station first. We can look later.”

On the way, she asked, “What kind of cousin is she? You never mentioned her.”

“My aunt’s stepdaughter.”

He was about to explain they weren’t blood-related, but Mingyue was preoccupied. “The police said she tried to skip out on a long-distance bus fare. She must be in trouble.”

Chen Che tried to soothe her. “Don’t worry. We’ll be there soon and find out what’s happening.”

Mingyue laughed softly. “Why are you the one comforting me? It sounds like you’re not worried about her at all.”

She was right. Chen Che still hadn’t fully processed why a girl as quiet as Jiang Manman would suddenly show up hundreds of miles away at a police station.