Chapter 50.1

Chen Xiangyun did not want her granddaughter to get involved in trouble. Even before Su Xi had a chance to speak, she had already refused on her behalf without hesitation: “Forget it, Yanzi. It’s fine for my Xixi to help you with seeing a doctor, but what can she do for you?”

Sister-in-law Wu was still unwilling to give up and persisted: “Actually, I just want Doctor Su Xi to help persuade my little sister-in-law. She’s someone who admires educated people the most. She even told me before that she regretted not studying when she was younger. Hongmei now looks at me and her brother as if we’re enemies. No matter what we say, she thinks we’re harming her…”

Su Xi exchanged a glance with Grandma Chen and looked helplessly at Sister-in-law Wu, who was full of hope: “Sister-in-law, it’s not that I don’t want to help. The main issue is that my previous interactions with Hongmei weren’t pleasant. She probably wouldn’t want to listen to me now.”

Sister-in-law Wu, unaware of the earlier conflict in the yard, asked curiously: “What happened just now?”

Grandma Chen took over the conversation and recounted the events at the yard’s gate, ending with a sigh: “This is also my fault. Xixi was worried about me falling and hurt Hongmei’s feelings a little by scolding her. I noticed Hongmei seemed quite unhappy.”

Sister-in-law Wu hadn’t expected this. She quickly looked up and assessed Grandma Chen: “Are you alright? That little wretch Hongmei, becoming more unruly. How could she push you? Even if I were twenty years younger than you, just falling like that could twist my waist.”

Chen Xiangyun smiled and waved her hand: “I’m fine. Xixi held me. She was just anxious and scolded Hongmei a few times. You don’t need to be upset with us.”

Although Sister-in-law Wu couldn’t read many characters, she was very reasonable. If she had known about this earlier, she wouldn’t have had the nerve to ask Su Xi for help: “Look at what you’re saying. It’s fine as long as you’re not upset with me. I have no face to ask you for anything.”

Chen Xiangyun, knowing Wang Xiaoyan’s character, spoke frankly. She glanced at the outside sky, then patted Sister-in-law Wu’s hand and stood up: “It’s getting late. I need to go. I’ll come see you again tomorrow. You should take care of yourself. I’m not saying this to upset you. As a sister-in-law, you’re already very genuine. Hongmei’s brother is worried about her. When she calms down, I’ll talk to her. She’s just being stubborn right now. Once she recovers, she will realize you’re doing this for her own good.”

Sister-in-law Wu could clearly hear that Grandma Chen was looking out for her. She expressed her gratitude with a full face of appreciation: “I understand. I don’t want to worry about it anymore. We’re not expecting her to be sensible. As long as she doesn’t cause more trouble, I’ll be grateful. But thank you anyway. Please come early tomorrow. I’m stuck in bed and feeling quite bored.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll come and keep you company after breakfast tomorrow,” Grandma Chen promised.

“Great, that sounds good!”

After returning home, Su Xi clearly felt that Xie Ying seemed much more relaxed.

When she saw Xie Zhen off at the door, she curiously asked, “What did you say to my sister? She looks so revitalized.”

Unlike before, even when smiling, her brows had been furrowed with worry.

—o—o—o—

On a chilly spring evening, Xie Zhen lifted his hand to brush the coolness from Su Xi’s cheek and answered the question indirectly: “Are you cold?”

Su Xi took his large hand in hers: “I’m not cold. Feel how warm my hand is.”

Xie Zhen opened his hand and wrapped her small one in his palm. He felt that, as she said, her hand was indeed warm, and he believed she wasn’t cold.

So he smiled and said, “I asked my old friend to help check on my brother-in-law’s whereabouts, which is why my sister is happy.”

Su Xi immediately understood: “So, is my sister going to look for my brother-in-law?”

Xie Zhen raised an eyebrow, not surprised by Su Xi’s intelligence: “It’s only a matter of time.”

Su Xi pressed her rosy lips together: “…It will be very tough!”

Xie Zhen’s expression darkened: “I think my sister is mentally prepared. Xixi, my sister and my brother-in-law are like us; they love each other deeply, so… you understand.”

Su Xi naturally understood. If this situation were to happen between herself and Xie Zhen, she thought her choices would be similar to Xie Ying’s.

In fact, she might not even be as composed as Xie Ying now, knowing her loved one was in dire straits, yet having to act as if nothing was wrong while facing everything.

So, she deeply understood Xie Ying’s urgency and determination to reunite with her husband despite the hardships.

But… she still felt a pang in her chest.

Su Xi’s expression was not very good. Xie Zhen bent down with some concern: “What’s wrong?”

Su Xi shook her head, freed her hand from his grip, and then wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning affectionately into his embrace. Softly, she said, “It’s nothing, just feeling a bit sad.”

Xie Zhen’s eyes softened with tenderness. He gently reassured her, “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way. After this period, if the situation hasn’t improved, Father won’t ignore my brother-in-law’s suffering.”

Su Xi sighed, not very optimistic, knowing that this disaster had lasted for ten years: “Will my brother-in-law be able to hold on until you can help? From what you’ve seen outside, the situation for those people is very difficult.”

Hearing this, Xie Zhen recalled the scenes he had seen on the way back. His lips gradually pressed together: “Although my brother-in-law is a scholar, he is a strong person inside. He loves my sister and the two children very much. For their sake, he will endure. Moreover, I believe Father has already found a way to get in touch with him. As long as there’s hope, no matter how tough it is, he can hold on, right?”

Xie Zhen understood Xie Bo well. Xie Bo had indeed sought contact with Wen Yuan early on and had set a deadline.

Su Xi still had a worried look on her face and nuzzled closer in Xie Zhen’s embrace: “That’s good to hear. Do you know which city my brother-in-law is in?”

Xie Zhen replied, “H Province. But I only know the general area. For the specific location, I need to wait for Junzi, my old friend. His name is Zheng Jun. I’m waiting for him to update me. Junzi is not in the system, so he can move around more easily.”

When Su Xi heard that it was H Province, she stepped out of the man’s embrace and stared at Xie Zhen with her large, round, watery eyes.

After Xie Zhen finished speaking, her eyes, as beautiful as the world’s finest obsidian, glowed with a fiery light, and she looked at him with an expression that seemed to say, “Come on, ask me. I have a secret,” with a cute demeanor.

Xie Zhen was amused and played along, asking lightly, “What’s up?”

Su Xi, excited, said, “Didn’t you forget? My hometown is in H Province!”

Xie Zhen still didn’t understand: “I know. We first met at your county hospital. How could I forget you’re from H Province?”

Su Xi, with an expression that suggested Xie Zhen was being silly, patted his arm and said, “We can try to get my brother-in-law transferred to our Hongqi production team. No matter where he is, labor reform is still labor reform. If he’s in my uncle’s village, it would be much better for him.”

After all, Xie Zhen didn’t know, but Su Xi did. It was ten years, not just half a year or a year, which was truly hard to endure.

Xie Zhen chuckled and said, “Silly girl, H Province is very large. What if it’s still far away?”

Su Xi encouraged him, “Maybe it’s actually close? We have to hold onto hope.”

Xie Zhen nodded understandingly: “You’re right!”

Su Xi, with her eyes crinkling into a smile, asked, “By the way, did you send that wine to your old friend?”

Xie Zhen replied, “Yes, I was about to tell you. He’s very interested in that wine.”

Su Xi tilted her head and asked, “Did you tell him it was brewed by me?”

Xie Zhen shook his head: “Not yet, and I haven’t mentioned that I have a supply channel. We should discuss this further.”

Su Xi thought for a moment: “Let’s not tell him about the origin of the wine for now. We can do a direct transaction and see how it goes after a few cooperations.”

Xie Zhen had no objections and respected Su Xi’s decision.

The two of them continued to hold hands and chatted for a while.

Xie Zhen was usually not very talkative, especially since he was a typical taciturn person. However, when it came to his beloved, the couple seemed to have endless things to say to each other.

In the end, it was Xi Yan’nan, with a dark expression, who played the role of the “buzzkill,” separating the affectionate couple.

As they parted, the two of them made plans to go to the city together on their next day off. They had just over two months left before their wedding! It was time to shop for things in the city!

—o—o—o—

In the warm spring of April, with grass growing and birds flying, the mountains and fields were full of vibrant greenery. Even the dozen or so peach trees they had transplanted to the edge of the forest last year had blossomed with delicate pink flowers.

Yet, Xie Zhen felt that time inexplicably slowed down!

He wished time could pass as quickly as turning the pages of a calendar, directly reaching the fifteenth day of the lunar month.

That was their wedding day!!!

On their day off, Xie Zhen arrived at the Su family home early in the morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten. After breakfast, he took Su Xi directly to the city.

This time, they took a supply boat from the mess team, which Xie Zhen had arranged two days in advance.

The boat, equipped with an engine, was noisy but much faster than rowing. By the time they landed, it was still not yet 7 o’clock.

They hurried to the department store, but when they arrived, the store doors were still closed, though many people had already gathered outside.

In fact, most of the wedding preparations were already nearly complete. The major items were mostly taken care of.

Many of these items had been sent from J City over the past year, as many good things could not be bought locally.

They were all stored in the house allocated to Xie Zhen by Commander Zhang.

Since Xie Zhen was a regiment-level officer, he didn’t get an apartment but rather a house with a layout similar to Su Xi’s family home—a three-bedroom house with a living room.

Knowing that Su Xi was particular about cleanliness, Xie Zhen used his free time to freshen up the house with a coat of whitewash.

Although it couldn’t be compared to modern paint, it was still cleaner than the newspaper-covered walls of other houses.

The only downside was that it was prone to getting white dust all over if touched.

Xie Zhen also followed the layout of Su Xi’s family home and built a small separate washing room in the yard.

The house was located directly in front of Su Xi’s family home. It was spacious and comfortable for the young couple.

After receiving the house, Xie Zhen and Grandma Chen continuously added more items to it.

Watching their home gradually become more complete, Su Xi was very satisfied.

The purpose of their visit to the city today was to buy some everyday items, like a kettle, ceramic bowls, pots, and so on. These had to be chosen according to Su Xi’s preferences.

Previously, when Xie Zhen was on a mission, Su Xi felt that it was meaningful to select these items together for their small home.

That was why they had delayed it until now.

“Actually, even if we buy pots, bowls, and other items, we won’t use them much. After we get married, we’ll still be eating at Grandma Chen’s place!”

Su Xi’s cooking skills were average, and her sewing skills were also poor. Last year, she had spent several months learning to make a suit for Xie Zhen, and she barely managed to succeed.

Although she learned in her spare time, it was quite far from the “little genius” image she projected to others. Her photographic memory was of no use when it came to sewing. Despite her knowledge and keen eyes, her hands just wouldn’t cooperate.

She couldn’t understand why she could stitch up surgical wounds beautifully but had so much trouble with sewing clothes. It didn’t make sense!!!

To make matters worse, by the time she finished the summer clothes, the weather had turned cold, and she had to store them away until the next year.

Su Xi was quite a perfectionist. She had ripped and resewn the clothes multiple times, wasting two pieces of fabric before she was finally satisfied. Fortunately, Grandma Chen managed to resize the wasted fabric for her, or Su Xi would have been in serious trouble.

The good news was that Xie Zhen was not at all bothered by her slow progress and was very pleased.

Later, when Aunt Shi Yun learned that she could sew, she specially sent a sewing machine over.

Su Xi had been troubled by this. She no longer wanted to make clothes, and the sewing machine still collected dust in the new house, never having been used.

Xie Zhen, happy to hear about her thoughts on married life, smiled and said, “We still need to buy these things. Without them, the house feels a bit empty. But I agree, eating at Grandma Chen’s place is quite nice. How about we give Grandma Chen the ration tickets and money?”

Su Xi quickly nodded, looking very obedient: “Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I don’t really want to cook. My cooking skills are poor, and our schedules are unstable. It’s not that I’m being lazy!”

Xie Zhen didn’t point out her reluctance to cook. He agreed with a smile: “I understand. Grandma Chen has already talked to me about this. After we get married, we can continue eating there as we do now. Once my sister leaves, we can either visit Grandma Chen often or have her stay with us.”

Xie Zhen wasn’t trying to avoid cooking. Since Su Xi didn’t enjoy it, he took on the task himself. Since last year, he had consciously learned to cook from Grandma Chen. Although his skills were not yet on par with Chen Xiangyun’s, they were quite good.

He had agreed at that time, considering Grandma Chen’s old age. Elderly people always wished to have their grandchildren close by. This task was not difficult, so he naturally wanted to fulfill the elder’s expectation.

At most, he would be a bit more diligent. As long as time allowed, he would help with cooking, trying not to tire Grandma Chen.

Su Xi hadn’t expected that the man had privately already discussed this with Grandma Chen. Her eyes sparkled as she sweetly complained, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Xie Zhen chuckled lightly, “I didn’t think it was a big deal, so I didn’t remember to mention it to you.”

As Su Xi was about to say something else, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “The doors are opening! The doors are opening!”

This shout acted like a signal, causing the crowd to immediately become restless.

Fortunately, there were people maintaining order in front of the department store; otherwise, with so many people pushing and shoving, a stampede could easily have occurred.

Xie Zhen and Su Xi were positioned towards the back. When the two of them squeezed in, they did not compete with others but went straight to find the store manager.

Having acquaintances made things easier!

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T/N: Hello! Thank you so much for reading this novel~ Btw, I have new schedule:

Schedule of Updates: 1 Chapter every Monday, Thursday and Saturday

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