Chapter 35 : Deeply Calculated

Thinking about it, Shen Haifeng shook his head again. No, he couldn’t lose his principles just because the buns were delicious. That wasn’t acceptable.  

He thought back to how their previous stepmother had mistreated them. Could there really be such a thing as a good stepmother in this world?  

“Grandma, what are we having for lunch?” he asked.  

Zheng Lanhua sighed. “Let’s just have steamed rice with soy sauce like yesterday.”  

Shen Haifeng was secretly thrilled. At least it wasn’t any of those fancy dishes. Finally, his grandma recognized the glory of steamed rice with soy sauce.  

Across the yard, Shen Jinxia and Shen Haiping were happily eating at the dining table.  

Shen Jinxia, still a small child, found the buns much too large. Fang Xiaoluo had promised her two as a reward, but she was full after eating just one. She stared longingly at the second bun.  

Fang Xiaoluo gently said, “This one’s for you to save for dinner. Don’t overeat, or your stomach will hurt. If you make yourself sick over food, I won’t make anything delicious for you in the future.”  

Shen Jinxia nodded obediently. “I promise to listen. I’ll eat it later.”  

“Good girl.”  

Shen Haiping, sitting nearby, had eaten two meat buns before he finally stopped.  

Rubbing his now-rounded stomach, he smiled contentedly. “Thank you, Big Sister.”  

Outside, Shen Zheng and Chen Shisong were walking side by side.  

As they passed the gate to Shen Zheng’s house, Chen Shisong sniffed the air. “Commander, this smell is incredible. Are you steaming buns at home?”  

He still remembered how, in the past, the buns from Shen Zheng’s house could practically be used as weapons, so hard they could knock someone out.  

Shen Zheng also caught the scent. “You’ve got a keen nose.”  

Chen Shisong chuckled. “Commander, your house never used to smell like this. Looks like having a wife around is making a difference.”  

Shen Zheng shot him a glance. “If my mom hears you’re complaining about her cooking…”  

Chen Shisong quickly covered his mouth. “Commander, I didn’t say a thing! I’ll head home for lunch now. Goodbye!”  

Shen Zheng entered the house, and the aroma grew even stronger.  

After washing his hands, he went to the dining room, where a steaming tray of buns sat on the table.  

“Daddy, the buns Big Sister made smell amazing!” Shen Jinxia exclaimed, running over to hug Shen Zheng’s leg and looking up at him with her bright little face.  

Shen Zheng picked her up. “She’s not your big sister, she’s my wife. You need to call her Mom.”  

Shen Jinxia had only a vague concept of what a mom was. Her mother, Shen Jie, had passed away when she was so young that she couldn’t remember her at all.  

All she could recall was the previous stepmother yelling at and hitting them.  

“But I like calling her Big Sister.”  

Fang Xiaoluo took Shen Jinxia into her arms. “If you like calling me Big Sister, that’s fine. I’m still young, you know.”  

Shen Zheng didn’t push the issue further. It was something that could be adjusted over time.  

“Jinxia, take your brother to wash your hands.”  

Shen Zheng sat at the table and was about to reach for a bun when Fang Xiaoluo smacked his hand. “Wait!”  

Shen Zheng pulled his hand back, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”  

Fang Xiaoluo tossed a bag of walnuts onto the table. “Explain this. If you can’t, forget the buns, you’re not eating anything!”  

Shen Zheng looked even more confused. “Explain what?”  

“The source of these, how you got them, what you discussed, and whether there’s any emotional entanglement!” Fang Xiaoluo fired off her questions in one breath.  

In the kitchen, Shen Haifeng saw his father being interrogated by Fang Xiaoluo and immediately wanted to rush over.  

He had just lifted his foot when Zheng Lanhua stopped him. “You’re just a kid, don’t meddle in everything.”  

“But Grandma, look! The stepmother’s bullying Dad!” Shen Haifeng said in a small voice.  

Zheng Lanhua replied calmly, “If your dad can’t handle being ‘bullied,’ then he deserves it. Remember, men have to deal with the consequences of their actions themselves.”  

Shen Haifeng didn’t understand but decided not to intervene.  

Shen Zheng thought about Fang Xiaoluo’s words for a while and finally said, “That bag of walnuts was brought over by Old Qian’s wife. She said they were fresh from their hometown. I just took some for you to try. There’s no secret meeting, no ulterior motive, and absolutely no emotional entanglements between me and Old Qian.”  

“Who is Old Qian? What’s his wife’s name?” Fang Xiaoluo interrogated him as if she were solving a case.

Shen Zheng answered truthfully, “Old Qian is Qian Hongtao, the political commissar of the Second Regiment. His wife is Liu Lijuan. They live in our compound, just a house away from us.”

Fang Xiaoluo thought for a moment and quickly caught onto something. “What’s Liu Lijuan’s relationship with Liu Qianru from the cultural troupe?”

“Liu Qianru?” Shen Zheng thought for a long time before remembering who she was. He vaguely recalled that someone had mentioned her as a potential match for him in a past blind date setup.

He shook his head honestly. “I don’t know.”

“She was the one the regiment suggested for me as a match. I heard she’s a female soldier in the cultural troupe.”

Fang Xiaoluo raised an eyebrow. “From what I hear, Liu Qianru is quite pretty and knows how to dance. You didn’t like her?”

Shen Zheng explained, “We never even met. The matchmaker said she wasn’t ready for marriage and didn’t want to go on blind dates.”

Fang Xiaoluo felt puzzled. From Liu Qianru’s demeanor today, it was clear she wanted to marry Shen Zheng. Could it be that she had a change of heart and now regretted refusing? Was this the classic case of realizing the value of something only after losing it?

She let out a cold chuckle. “You say you’ve never met her, but Liu Qianru doesn’t seem to think so. She claimed these walnuts were a gift for ‘you’, Captain Shen.”

“Captain Shen, you’ve brought back her gift and can’t even remember who she is. That’s quite the way to disappoint a young lady’s affections.”

Now Shen Zheng understood where the issue lay. He immediately declared, “Xiaoluo, I swear I have nothing to do with Liu Qianru. If she gave the walnuts to Old Qian, I’ll take them back and clarify everything right now.”

He grabbed the bag of walnuts and stood up, but Fang Xiaoluo pushed him back down.

She picked a few buns and placed them on a plate. “Eat first. I’ll take these buns over to Commissar Qian’s house. We’ve already eaten some of the walnuts, so it’s only polite to reciprocate with a gift.”

With that, Fang Xiaoluo carried the plate of buns and left the house.

Since she had chosen to marry Shen Zheng, she intended to cut off Liu Qianru’s lingering hopes as early as possible.

Stepping out into the yard, she casually asked a passerby and quickly found out where Qian Hongtao’s house was.

Standing at the door, she called out, “Is this Commissar Qian’s home?”

A moment later, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron came out of the house. She sized up Fang Xiaoluo before slapping her thigh. “Oh, you must be Cpatin Shen’s wife, right?”

Fang Xiaoluo smiled. “Yes, I’m Fang Xiaoluo.”

“Come on in,” Liu Lijuan said warmly, ushering her inside. ” Qian hasn’t eaten yet. I’m just cooking.”

As Fang Xiaoluo stepped inside, she was surprised to see Liu Qianru sitting there.

Liu Lijuan quickly introduced them. “Xiaoluo, this is my niece, Liu Qianru.”

“And Qianru, you should recognize this lady. She’s Cpatin Shen’s wife, Fang Xiaoluo.”

Liu Qianru hadn’t expected Fang Xiaoluo to show up here, and her expression was visibly awkward.

Fang Xiaoluo greeted her with a smile. “Sister, your niece is quite beautiful and has a great figure.”

Liu Lijuan beamed at the compliment. “Oh, she’s loved dancing since she was a child. She works in the cultural troupe now.”

“That’s wonderful,” Fang Xiaoluo said enthusiastically.

“By the way, Sister, my husband mentioned that the walnuts he brought home yesterday were a gift from you. I just made some fresh buns today, so I brought some over for you to try.”

As she spoke, Fang Xiaoluo placed the plate of buns on the table.

Liu Lijuan wiped her hands on her apron. “Oh, you didn’t have to! Those walnuts were just something my family sent from home, they’re not worth much.”

Fang Xiaoluo replied, “It’s just a few buns I made myself. Since I’m new here, I’ll probably need to bother you a lot in the future. Besides, even though my husband dotes on me and considers my feelings, he’s not always home. It’s nice to have someone to chat with, woman to woman.”

Liu Lijuan found Fang Xiaoluo’s words very agreeable. “You’re absolutely right, Xiaoluo. I’ll gladly accept the buns. Stop by often to chat, okay?”

“Of course! I’ll head back now and let you get back to cooking,” Fang Xiaoluo said as she took her leave.

Liu Qianru had been silent, but her mood sank as she overheard Fang Xiaoluo’s words. The mention of Shen Zheng’s attentiveness and consideration for Fang Xiaoluo had been intentional, and she knew it.

Fang Xiaoluo had come here to make her stance clear: Shen Zheng was hers, and their relationship was strong. The walnuts weren’t even from her.

This woman, with her innocent face, was truly devious!