Chapter 21

This made Zhou Jianshe feel a bit embarrassed—arguing with a rural village woman was truly beneath him.

He chuckled. “You didn’t offend me. I just thought, now that Cheng Yue is a battalion commander, his wife ought to be outstanding. Looking at you now, you’re not bad.” This was the only way he could put it; otherwise, his hostility would be far too obvious.

“I’ll do my best, don’t worry,” Su Qianqian replied.

As the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. Su Qianqian displayed herself as knowledgeable, reasonable, warm, and humble, leaving no room for criticism.

Cheng Yue felt Su Qianqian had truly changed. The Su Qianqian of the past didn’t care who stood before her; she would curse them outright. If that didn’t work, she’d lie on the ground and cause a scene. Many people avoided crossing her.

The two superiors stayed for a while before leaving.

After stepping out, Captain Yao couldn’t help but comment, “Old Zhou, you seem to have something against Cheng Yue’s wife.”

“I heard some things,” Zhou Jianshe admitted. “Back then, Su Qianqian clung to Cheng Yue. I felt bad for such a good young man being entangled with a shrew like her.”

“Really? I didn’t see her like that today,” Yao remarked.

Zhou Jianshe shook his head. “Not too sure. Let’s wait and see.”

---

In the hospital room.

Su Qianqian asked, “That was Zhou Yun’s dad, right?” The shared surname and the resemblance between father and daughter made it obvious.

“Yes,” Cheng Yue confirmed.

“Do you think he’s targeting me?” she asked, her innocent wide eyes twinkling with a teasing smile.

Though Cheng Yue was a rough man, he had felt it too. “A little, yeah.”

“Not bad, you’re not completely clueless. If you’re interested in Zhou Yun, then after we divorce, you can marry her and save yourself ten years of effort!” she joked.

She didn’t like Zhou Yun now and wouldn’t let her have an easy time. While divorce from Cheng Yue was an option, she didn’t want Zhou Yun to feel triumphant—she was too infuriating.

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m not interested!” Cheng Yue denied firmly.

“I don’t care if you’re interested in someone else. The kids are coming with me, that’s all.” As long as the children stayed with her, she didn’t care who Cheng Yue married.

The man was handsome, sure, but she wasn’t interested in him anymore.

“I need to go buy groceries. Give me the meat coupons and money,” she said. Her private savings needed to be preserved. Since Cheng Yue would eat the food she cooked, he should pay for it. Plus, she didn’t have coupons—those were key.

Cheng Yue handed her a stack of tickets, including quite a few cloth coupons. These were what she wanted most—she’d been hoping to make new clothes for the kids since their current ones were too plain.

She already knew where the market was and didn’t need to trouble Cheng Yuan anymore. As soon as she arrived, someone greeted her—it was Wu Sufen.

“Qianqian!”

“Sister Sufen, what a coincidence!”

“Running into you is great. I need to talk to you,” Wu Sufen said, pulling her aside. “Everyone in the family quarters is talking about you, saying you’re illiterate, ignorant, uncultured, and even abusive toward your kids.”

Su Qianqian froze. It had spread already? That was probably Zhou Yun’s doing. Otherwise, how would anyone know?

Was Zhou Yun planning to use public opinion to pressure her into leaving Cheng Yue?

“Well, people can say what they want. It’s their mouths,” she said with a sigh. After all, what they were saying wasn’t untrue—the original Su Qianqian had done such things, and she felt a bit guilty about it.

“You need to be careful! A lot of people are eyeing Captain Cheng, especially that Zhou Yun. She’s practically glued her eyes to him,” Wu Sufen said angrily. “Qianqian, we women just want to marry well. A man like Captain Cheng is one in a million. Don’t let someone else take advantage of you, or what will happen to your three kids?”

Su Qianqian sighed. “Zhou Yun has a good family background, looks, and education. If she really wants to compete with me for Cheng Yue, I can’t do much about it.”

“She’s just a shameless vixen seducing a married man. If Cheng Yue dares to divorce you, you should make a scene—take it all the way to the Captain if you have to. Don’t let them off easy!”

Su Qianqian nodded. “Got it. Thanks, Sister Sufen.”

Rural folks were warm-hearted and hated injustice. Since Zhou Yun was spreading rumors, Su Qianqian decided to return the favor. An eye for an eye.

At the market, Su Qianqian bought a lot of meat and even shrimp, not bothering to ask about the price.

“Hey, girl, why are you buying so much? You should save money where you can. As long as your Captain Cheng eats well, we and the kids can just make do,” said Wu Sufen.

“I’m buying more so I don’t have to keep running out,” Su Qianqian replied perfunctorily. She didn’t want to argue with someone like Wu Sufen, whose traditional mindset was deeply ingrained due to her upbringing. It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong—just a difference in perspective.

“Well, that works too. But it’s pretty hot out—won’t the food spoil?”

“I’ll preserve it. Besides, Cheng Yue has a big appetite; it won’t be a problem,” she explained.

Satisfied with the explanation, Wu Sufen dropped the subject. In her view, no hardship should ever fall on the man of the house.

After buying groceries, Su Qianqian went back to prepare the meal. She made boiled shrimp with dipping sauce, stir-fried celery with tofu skin, and stir-fried pork with chili peppers.

“Time to eat! Babies, go wash your hands,” she called out.

The three children quickly washed their hands and sat down eagerly for the meal.

“There are ten shrimp in total—everyone gets two,” she said, carefully dividing the shrimp into pairs.

The kids had never seen shrimp before, let alone eaten it, but they instinctively knew it was something special. Daya and Sanya each picked up one shrimp to give away.

“Mom, this one’s for you,” Daya said.

“Mom, this one’s for brother,” Sanya offered.

Cheng Yue glanced at the shrimp in front of him and said, “I won’t eat mine. Let the kids have it.”

Su Qianqian shot him a glance and objected. “If we can afford it, there’s no need for this sacrificial act. Everyone gets two—it’s fair. Giving yours up won’t be enough to go around anyway. It’ll either cause arguments or create unnecessary politeness.”

Cheng Yue was taken aback. He hadn’t thought of it that way, but after hearing her reasoning, he realized she had a point.

How could an illiterate woman know so much?

“Daya, Sanya, everyone gets two. You’re all the same, and girls can eat two shrimp too, got it?”

Su Qianqian peeled the shrimp for the children. “For the two shrimp, eat one plain and dip the other in the sauce. Try the different flavors. From now on, there’s no need to be overly polite. When there’s something good, Mom will make sure everyone gets their fair share. What’s given to you is yours to enjoy.”

She knew she needed to gradually change the girls’ mindset to raise them well and avoid perpetuating the tragedy of favoring boys over girls.

Cheng Yue found himself even more puzzled by Su Qianqian. How had she suddenly become so knowledgeable?

The shrimp were fresh and delicious, even without the dipping sauce, with a faint sweetness in every bite.

“Mom, it’s all so good,” the three little ones said sweetly.

“Good. If you like it, Mom will buy more next time.”

She resolved to improve the children’s nutrition, helping them grow chubby and healthy.

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Six days later.

Cheng Yue’s recovery was going well. The doctor said he could be discharged and continue his recovery at home.

Normally, patients needed to stay in the hospital for two to four weeks, but with the help of the spiritual spring water, Cheng Yue’s recovery time was significantly shortened—he was ready to go home after just 11 days.

When he was discharged, he could already take a few simple steps. His swift recovery shocked the doctors and nurses, and even Cheng Yue himself. He began to wonder if he had some sort of miraculous healing ability. After all, he had seen the X-rays of his leg and knew the injury was severe. He had even mentally prepared himself to live as a cripple.

But the recovery had exceeded all expectations.

“Thanks for taking care of me these days. Here’s 100 yuan—you’ve earned it,” Cheng Yue said. He believed in fairness; Su Qianqian had cared for him diligently, and he felt it was right to compensate her.

“Then I won’t hold back,” she said, accepting the money and putting it in her pocket. She felt it was well-deserved. Taking care of a patient wasn’t easy—she had to handle his hygiene, cook his meals, and even use the spring water. One hundred yuan was far from a profit, but it was better than nothing.

Cheng Yue noticed that Su Qianqian didn’t seem the least bit excited about the money. For someone from the countryside, who would rarely see a 100-yuan bill, her calmness was surprising.

“By the way, now that I’m discharged, people will probably come visit. I’d like to treat everyone to a meal. Can you cook a feast? You can take the money and coupons from me.”

“No problem,” Su Qianqian agreed readily. “But you’ll need to ask Cheng Yuan to go with me. There’s going to be a lot to buy.”

Cheng Yue frowned. Why did it have to be Cheng Yuan again?

Could Su Qianqian have her eye on Cheng Yuan? Was that why she was so calm about the divorce? Maybe she preferred someone younger and healthier, like Cheng Yuan, who was two years younger than him!