Chapter 39 : Pinky Promise  

Shen Haiping looked especially well-behaved.  

To the Fang family, he didn’t seem like a “fool” at all, just a pitiful child.  

Shen Zheng couldn’t help but feel grateful. He truly was incredibly fortunate to have found Fang Xiaoluo and her warm, kind-hearted family.  

At the Fang household, Fang Xiaoluo and Shen Zheng enjoyed themselves, eating and chatting in a cozy, cheerful atmosphere.  

Meanwhile, at the military base where Shen Zheng was stationed, the camp housed an entire regiment. Located near the provincial capital, Qingshi Town, where the base was situated, had excellent facilities and infrastructure.  

The elementary school Shen Haifeng attended was in Qingshi Town, like many children from the military district compound who went to school there for elementary and middle school.  

By the time school was over at noon, Shen Haifeng was already starving.

He and his classmates rushed home.

When he ran to the gate of the courtyard, Shen Haifeng yelled, “Grandma, is the meal ready? I’m starving.”

Zheng Lanhua, wearing an apron, stepped outside with a bucket of water. “It’s ready! Wash your hands and come eat.”  

Shen Haifeng dashed inside, sniffing the air as he entered. But there wasn’t the delicious aroma of food cooked by his stepmother, Fang Xiaoluo. Instead, it was the familiar, unappetizing smell of dishes his grandmother made.  

He glanced around as Shen Jinxia ran up and clung to his leg. “Big Brother!”  

“Where’s that woman?” Shen Haifeng asked.  

Shen Jinxia tilted her head up. “Sister went back to her own home.”  

When Shen Haifeng left for school that morning, Fang Xiaoluo and Shen Zheng were still at home. Frowning, he muttered, “They got divorced?”  

“Divorced, my foot!” Zheng Lanhua snapped as she walked by.  

Shen Haifeng felt a twinge of disappointment. Yet, oddly enough, he couldn’t pinpoint what he was feeling, something seemed missing.  

“They’re visiting her family. Newlyweds return home three days after the wedding,” Zheng Lanhua added. “Haiping went with them, too.”  

Shen Haifeng froze. “This is bad! The stepmom has already bewitched Haiping, and now she’s taken him to her whole family, Haiping’s in danger!”  

Zheng Lanhua didn’t pay him any attention and set the dishes on the table. “You think your dad is just decoration?”  

Shen Haifeng washed his hands and pulled Shen Jinxia to sit down at the table with him.  

On the table were several steamed buns and a single leftover meat bun.  

The steamed buns were all too familiar to Shen Haifeng and Shen Jinxia, the ones their grandmother made, infamous for their blackened, rock-hard texture.  

Zheng Lanhua served each of them a bowl of millet porridge and pointed at the dish on the table. “Eat quickly. Once it cools, the eggs will smell bad.”  

The dish was a simple tomato and scrambled eggs.  

It should have been vibrant red and yellow, but the eggs were burnt, making the dish far less appetizing.  

Shen Haifeng and Shen Jinxia were used to it. One picked up chopsticks, the other a spoon, as they silently focused on drinking their porridge.  

When they looked up again, both their eyes were fixed on the remaining meat bun.  

Shen Jinxia swallowed hard but didn’t move.  

Zheng Lanhua, noticing her gaze, picked up the bun and handed it to her.  

Shen Jinxia held the bun tightly. Though it wasn’t as fresh or tasty as yesterday’s, it still smelled delicious to her.    

Shen Jinxia hesitated for a while, then said, “Grandma, I ate two big buns yesterday. I’m full now. You and Big Brother can each have half.”  

Zheng Lanhua stared at the bun. “I don’t really want it either. If you’re not going to eat it, give it to your brother.”  

Shen Jinxia placed the bun in front of Shen Haifeng. “Big Brother, try it, it’s really delicious.”  

Shen Haifeng swallowed and turned his face away, reaching for a steamed bun that was so dense it could knock someone out. “I don’t want it.”  

Shen Jinxia pouted. “If you guys aren’t eating it, I’ll eat it.”  

With that, she took a big bite.  

The juices had blended into the soft bun skin. Shen Jinxia squinted her eyes in satisfaction. “It’s so delicious!”  

Shen Haifeng nibbled on the dense, unsatisfactory bun, his eyes glancing at Shen Jinxia. He was so hungry, so desperate to eat… but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it…  

Meanwhile, Xu Yaqiu and Zhou Yanwen had been arguing the entire way back and had bought some things before returning to Xu’s family.  

When Xu Yaqiu and Zhou Yanwen arrived, Xu Zhigang and Zhao Lihong were already waiting at home.  

Before they even entered the house, Zhao Lihong glanced out the window and saw the troubled expressions on their faces.  

She turned to Xu Zhigang and said, “Looks like the young couple had a fight.”  

Xu Zhigang frowned. “Yanwen really went too far. Just got married, and already arguing with Yaqiu? What’s that supposed to mean?”  

Zhao Lihong patted his shoulder. “I’ll quietly ask Yaqiu about it later. You don’t need to say anything for now.”  

But as soon as Xu Yaqiu entered, she threw herself into Zhao Lihong’s arms and began crying. “Mom, you have to help me. Xiaoluo, she… she lets that fool of a son bite me!”  

As she spoke, Xu Yaqiu rolled up her sleeves. “Mom, look at what that fool did to me!”  

Zhao Lihong looked and saw the state of Xu Yaqiu’s arm. She was immediately heartbroken.  

“Tell me slowly, what happened?”  

Xu Yaqiu exaggerated the story, and Zhao Lihong shook with anger. “This Fang Xiaoluo… I can’t believe I raised her all these years for nothing!”  

Xu Zhigang slammed the table. “Isn’t she supposed to be a military spouse? Last time, we let her get away with it, but this time, I want to see if the army cares about this matter!”  

Xu Yaqiu’s face lit up with hope, but she pretended to hesitate. “Dad, but… won’t this be bad for Xiaoluo? She didn’t do it on purpose.”  

Zhao Lihong felt pity. “You’re too kind, child. That ungrateful Fang Xiaoluo isn’t like you. If she were as kind-hearted as you, would she have let her fool of a son bite you?”  

“Wait, Fang Xiaoluo’s stepson is a fool?”  

Xu Yaqiu wiped her tears and nodded. “Yes, that child doesn’t seem right, he doesn’t talk to anyone, and his eyes are dull. I think Xiaoluo hasn’t had an easy life in the Shen family.”  

Zhao Lihong sighed but still said, “Lucky you didn’t end up with that Captain Shen back then. If you did, I can’t imagine what life would have been like.”  

Zhao Lihong took Xu Yaqiu to the hospital to treat her injuries and wrap them up before they went to a restaurant.  

Meanwhile, Fang Xiaoluo and Shen Zheng stayed at the Fang family’s house until around 2 PM before preparing to leave.  

Fang Xiaoluo wanted to stop by the Jiangcheng Embroidery Factory to pick up some pieces to take home and work on, which would also help her earn a little extra money.  

Though she wanted to work in the fields, crops take time to grow, and you can’t harvest and sell them the next day.  

Before they left, Fang Xiaoluo handed Fang Shijun a bottle of soda with diluted spiritual spring water inside. “Dad, this is a health tonic I learned to make from a book. It has no taste, but if you trust me, you should drink a little every day. It should help improve your health.”  

Fang Shijun cheerfully took the bottle. “Of course I trust my own daughter. Lately, I’ve been feeling better and better every day. Whatever you’ve been giving me might just cure my paralysis completely.”  

Fang Xiaoluo smiled. “That’s great. Dad, if you finish it, I’ll make more for you. This is our little secret, okay?”  

Fang Shijun nodded. “Alright, it’s our secret. Let’s pinky swear.”  

Fang Xiaoluo looked at Fang Shijun’s rough fingers and put her delicate fingers on his. “Let’s make a promise and never change it for a hundred years…”