Chapter 42

Cheng Jingmo’s face showed no expression, and he simply responded with an “Mm.”

To Yu Xiangnian, this reaction meant that Cheng Jingmo didn’t care at all about her affairs. Whether she stayed or left made no difference to him; he was indifferent.

Cheng Jingmo had gone to check on his ex-girlfriend and even brought her the wild rabbits he had hunted as soon as he came back.

Yet, when he learned of her resignation, he had no reaction. He didn’t say, “Don’t worry, I’m here for you,” or even ask, “Why are you resigning?”

Yu Xiangnian was already upset about being cheated out of two hundred yuan, and Cheng Jingmo’s reaction made her feel even more aggrieved.

She had come to this place with the expectation of relying on a husband, but he didn’t care about her at all.

Her eyes immediately turned red. “What’s with the ‘Mm’? You never care about my affairs!”

Cheng Jingmo: “…”

Seeing Yu Xiangnian’s red eyes, Cheng Jingmo felt a pang of discomfort and was somewhat at a loss.

He didn’t understand what had made Yu Xiangnian unhappy.

At that moment, Yu Xiangyang ran over with the bicycle key. Yu Xiangnian snatched the key from his hand and said to Cheng Jingmo with a sharp tone, “I’m taking Xiao Jie home for dinner today. You can eat however you like!”

As Yu Xiangnian stormed off, Yu Xiangyang looked at Cheng Jingmo and asked, “What did you do to upset her?”

Cheng Jingmo replied, “She said she resigned.”

“And then?”

“What do you mean, ‘and then’?”

Yu Xiangyang said, “When my sister said she resigned, what did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Yu Xiangyang scratched his head in confusion. “You didn’t say anything to her, so why is she angry?”

He then patted Cheng Jingmo on the shoulder and comforted him, “Don’t take it personally. She’s always had a quirky temper!”

Yu Xiangnian took Xiao Jie back home. Zhao Ruozhu immediately noticed that something was wrong.

Zhao Ruozhu asked Guangming and Duoduo to take Xiao Jie out to play, then asked Yu Xiangnian, “Did you have another fight with Cheng Jingmo?”

Yu Xiangnian leaned lazily against the sofa and said, “No, I resigned.”

It would have been better if she had fought with Cheng Jingmo, as it would mean she still mattered to him. But Cheng Jingmo didn’t care about her at all and didn’t even bother to argue.

Zhao Ruozhu was not surprised by Yu Xiangnian’s resignation.

She knew her daughter well—immature and not serious about work.

Two years ago, they had worked hard to get Yu Xiangnian a job at the daily chemical factory, but she quit after just six months.

“Resigning from jobs is nothing new. Why act so bitter?” Zhao Ruozhu said.

“I have no income now. I’ll have to rely on you to support me in the future!” Yu Xiangnian said, seemingly justified.

Zhao Ruozhu laughed, “You’re married now, with a husband to support you. It’s not our responsibility to support you.”

Yu Xiangnian irritably said, “Don’t mention anything about a husband!”

It was the same as having none!

Besides, she wouldn’t take a single penny from Cheng Jingmo!

“Oh! And you said there was no fight?” Zhao Ruozhu laughed even more. “Look at you, acting like a resentful wife!”

Just then, Yu Jiashun came home. Seeing Yu Xiangnian, his eyes brightened.

“Nian Nian!”

Yu Xiangnian pouted, looking aggrieved. “Dad, you’re back.”

“What happened to make you feel wronged?” Yu Jiashun asked with concern.

Zhao Ruozhu interjected, “What’s there to feel wronged about? She just quit her job and has nothing to do, so she came back to see you.”

Yu Jiashun sat next to Yu Xiangnian, lovingly patting her head. “Why did you resign again?”

Yu Xiangnian rested her head on his shoulder, acting coy. “Dad, that job is so meaningless. It’s something only old men in their seventies or eighties would do!”

“Hmm!” Zhao Ruozhu said with frustration, “You complained about the hardships and exhaustion at the daily chemical factory, and now you have a less demanding job, but you find it meaningless. So tell me, what kind of job would you be satisfied with?”

Hearing that a job might be found for her, Yu Xiangnian perked up immediately. She sat up straight and said, “Dad, didn’t the military district just establish a translation department? I want to work there.”

She could read those obscure medical texts with ease.

Given her language skills, she thought working as a translator would be no problem.

It would allow her to support herself while also improving her language skills in preparation for next year’s college entrance exams.

Although Yu Jiashun was indulgent with his daughter, he took military matters very seriously and certainly disagreed with her request.

“Nian Nian, the personnel in the translation department are all professional soldiers who have undergone specialized training and strict selection. They handle many sensitive work secrets. You haven’t received any professional training and you’re not even a soldier. How could they possibly let you work there?”

With this, Yu Xiangnian couldn’t insist any further and asked with some disappointment, “When is my brother coming back?”

Zhao Ruozhu replied, “Your brother has been so busy these past few days that he’s been staying at the factory.”

“What happened at the factory?” Yu Xiangnian asked.

“I heard that a batch of rain boots didn’t sell well, and your brother and the others are trying to figure out how to handle it.”

Rain boots unsold in Nancheng?

This place is mountainous and coastal, with abundant rainfall all year round. Rain boots are a necessity for every household, and everyone, young or old, has at least one pair.

Yu Xiangnian planned to go to the factory tomorrow to see if she could get some rain boots and sell them secretly.

With a clear goal for making money, Yu Xiangnian’s previous despondency was lifted, and she enjoyed her meal.

After dinner, she rode her bicycle back home with Xiao Jie.

On the way, they chatted happily.

When they got home, Cheng Jingmo had just finished a thorough cleaning, and the whole house was bright and clean.

Yu Xiangnian didn’t want to deal with him, so she went to her room after her shower and left the clothes she changed out of for him to wash.

Cheng Jingmo could sense Yu Xiangnian’s coldness.

He had analyzed in detail why Yu Xiangnian was upset this afternoon. She mentioned her resignation and blamed him for not caring.

But how was he supposed to show concern?

When they had just married, Yu Xiangnian had warned him not to meddle in her affairs!

Moreover, he secretly hoped she would resign.

She was in constant contact with Ding Yunfei, and he had heard all the gossip about them.

That night, as they were getting ready for bed, Xiao Jie mentioned today’s events.

“Uncle, my aunt said she wants to make a lot of money, buy a big house, and move out. She also wants to study in Beijing.”

Cheng Jingmo’s eyes narrowed as he asked, “Did your aunt say anything else?”

“My aunt also scolded you!” Xiao Jie said. “She said that once she makes money, she’ll dump you and look for eight-pack abs men, and she wants you to go find your Dr. Wu.”

Dump him? Look for eight men?!

Cheng Jingmo was quite angered.

Moreover, he had nothing to do with Wu Xiaomin; why would he seek her out?

“Don’t listen to your aunt’s nonsense,” Cheng Jingmo said.

“What if my aunt really goes to Beijing?” Xiao Jie asked.

He only knew that Beijing had Tiananmen and Chairman Mao, and that it was very far away.

Cheng Jingmo: “…”

If Yu Xiangnian could sneak off to a foreign country, going to Beijing was not out of the question.

But he truly didn’t know what to do about it!