chapter 49

Lu couldn’t keep himself staying on the bed. His wound hadn’t completely healed but he had already started his work. Although he couldn’t lead the training himself, he still got himself busy day and night working out the operation plan to increase difficulty.

When Ai felt she had nothing to do, she would go to Yang’s home. Sometimes she guided Pei Xiaopang to do homework. Sometimes she chatted with Yang Anxin or learned cooking. Now she was on the way to being a housewife.

Yang told her that when Lu was just in the army, those new recruits provoked him by challenging him. Lu said directly, “Save your energy. Don’t do it one by one. Fight me together. You guys decide what we are going to compete .”

The first was shooting, which involved running through 13 obstacles in 36 seconds and hitting five targets in one shot.

The best of them took 40 seconds, and it still took him a lot of work.

Lu saw it and spitted out the toothpick in his mouth. “None of you can beat me even if I add ten seconds to your score.”

Eventually, Lu finished all of them in 28 seconds under the condition of adding ten seconds. That meant he only took 18 seconds, half of the criteria.

The second was fighting. Lu fought against ten people at the same time and beat those rookies out of wits.

The third was weight-bearing diving. This time, they started to play trick by arranging eight people to obstruct Lu. And the other two swam to the opposite bank secretly. Because they would win only if any one of them was faster than Lu. Lu realized it as soon as he got down into water. But it was not easy for them to catch Lu. They didn’t even see his shadow under water.

And they underestimated the difficulty of weight-bearing diving. They had to wear equipment that weighed 10 kilograms. So it was not easy to swim across a one-kilometer-wide river.

Some of them gave up in the middle. It was Lu who saved them from the water. When Lu dragged the second person to the bank, the guy who crossed the river on his own finally reached the destination.

Those rookies finally surrendered and stopped challenging Lu.

Ai felt her blood stirred when she heard it as if she really witnessed the situation. Seeing Lu being vigorous and powerful, there was an ardent admiration in her heart.

So after Lu came back home, he received a warm entertaining by Ai. Not only could he enjoy delicious dishes, but also he was welcomed by Ai’s smiling face and zealous sight.

Lu had his meal, raising his eyebrows at the same time. “’Is there anything wrong with her? Why do her eyes look so scary?”

If Ai knew he thought in this way, perhaps she would be speechless.

Of course he came back not only for a meal. He came with a mission.

Because of the social club, they had to prepare several programs and Military General Hospital would do it as well for the party. Pei Mu was busy with preparing it, but except a chorus and a sketch performed by soldiers, they designed a woman-friendly program to reveal how colorful the military life was. So they thought about Ai.

A young and beautiful girl was supposed to be good at singing or dancing. Pei Mu was too embarrassed to say it face to face, so he asked Lu to invite her. After all, he was her husband.

Ai was certainly good at singing and dancing. She also intended to compete with others when she heard she was going to perform with those nurses. And she could deter them from coveting her husband.

So Ai agreed immediately, “That’s just a little thing. I can promise you an eye-opening performance.”

Lu thought for a while. The memory came to his mind that when they went to Yang’s home Ai wore a super short skirt and heavy make up. He started to feel not good. He said slowly, “Don’t do it too openly or overwhelmingly. After all there are young guys. The situation will be difficult to handle if there is something bad happening.”

Ai thought, “I can’t perform an extremely sexy dance and I have to perform in public.” So she said, “I know what I am supposed to do. Don’t worry.”

Ai went to Yang’s home after Lu left because she planned to dance with Yang.

Yang shook her head as soon as she realized what Ai was going to do, “No. No. No. I can’t. I never dance before. And my legs and arms are already stiff at such an age. That’s too tiring for me.”

Yang received a traditional education all the time, so her goal in her life was staying at home with her husband and children. She never touched men’s hands before she married Pei Mu. Needless to mention dancing in public. It made her feel embarrassed to just imagine the situation. There was no way she would agree.

Ai didn’t expect that the first obstacle would be finding a partner. It would definitely take great effort to persuade her into joining her since Yang was so determined.

“Anxin. It is a good opportunity. And you have your advantage. You look so beautiful. Why can you let others discover your beauty?”

“I can’t. I have no idea how to…”

“I can teach you if you don’t know. Just as you taught me when I didn’t know how to cook. As long as you want to learn, you can learn it well. Don’t you want to let Pei see another side of you? You only live once.”

“I…” There was a flash in Yang’s eyes. She seemed to be persuaded but she refused immediately. “No. No. It was embarrassing to just think about it. There gonna be someone gossiping about me. I can’t.”

Ai was speechless. “Why it is worth gossiping? It is a natural thing to show your dance and talent. It’s nothing. Don’t they want to go on the stage and give a performance? They definitely want to show the best part of themselves to others. Whoever gossips about it must be a bad guy who is always jealous. We don’t have to care about others’ opinions. Just be yourself. Only those who dare to challenge themselves have the right to laugh at those cowards. Because they can only hide behind a group of people and look at others enviously.”

“Changhuan…”

“Come on, Anxin. We are so young. Why don’t we get crazy for once. And there is something you can recall when you get old. Right? Why should a woman’s life be going around with man, children and kitchen? They should have their own fantastic lives. You have already contributed your most beautiful life to Pei. So, next, you should live for yourself for once.”

“Emmm…” Yang took a deep breath. She grasped Ai’s hand and wanted to say something but she chose to escape, “I can’t. Go to find someone else. I can’t dance.”

And she wanted to run away. Ai followed her hurriedly, dragging her arm. “Don’t go. Think about it. Don’t refuse me mercilessly.”

“Don’t force me. I can’t cross the line. I…” Yang should be the one who was speechless. If she had known that Ai came for finding a dancing partner, she would not have opened the door for her.

It was really beyond her bottom line to dance in public. First, she should think, what if she messed up. She would squirm in front of the whole regiment. And Pei would be embarrassed too. She was afraid that he would be mocked in the army.

And even if she didn’t screw it up luckily, Pei would consider her as a dissolute woman who gorgeously dressed herself up and coquetted in front of all the men in the army. Then Pei would still be embarrassed. So, no matter what Ai said to her, she would never agree.

Ai even wanted to beg her on her knees. She then saw Pei looking at them in shock. She explained hurriedly, “Pei Xiaopang. Pei Weizhi. Do you want to see your beautiful mom dressed up like a fairy? Do you want others to envy you having a beautiful mom?”

Beauty was a fatal lure for Pei Xiaopang. Ai knew it from the first time they met and Pei looked at her in that way. So Pei clapped his hands laughingly, “Yes!”

Ai gave him a favorable look and she said to Yang, “Anxin. You just heard what he said. He really wanted to see. Can you help him realize his wish?”

Pei Weizhi nodded his head vigorously, “I want. Mom. Go dance with her.”

Ai gasped and said exaggeratedly, “Yeah. You should not only let him see how beautiful you are, but also make Pei Mu see that. And then you are not just a woman busy around the stove in his memory. He will remember the most beautiful moment of you so he will feel nothing when he looks at other women. Because you will always live in his heart.”

Yang was in silence. She didn’t refute Ai. She had to admit she was persuaded by the last sentence. “It is true. Is there any woman who doesn’t want to show the most beautiful side of herself to the one she loves? I have already missed one chance. Can I make up now?”

She didn’t want herself to be a dirty old woman in Pei’s memory. She wanted to change. She wanted to break the shell. She wanted to be the most beautiful woman living in his memory.

After consideration, she finally said, “OK. I am in.”