Chapter 20

The next morning, Yin Xiaoman was startled awake by the sound of a military bugle.

She sat on the bed for a long time, momentarily unsure of what year it was or where she was.

Tucking Erniu’s blanket in a bit more snugly, she quietly got out of bed.

As soon as she stepped out of the room, she bumped into Shen Qingyun, who was fully dressed and about to leave.

Seeing her emerge, Shen Qingyun was momentarily taken aback. “Did the sound wake you up? You’ll get used to it eventually. The morning bugle goes off every day. It’s still early, so why don’t you go back to sleep? After the run, I’ll bring breakfast back.”

Yin Xiaoman, still muddled from a restless night, during which she hadn’t fallen asleep until the early hours, could only vaguely nod in response. She wasn’t sure how much of Shen Qingyun’s words she had actually absorbed.

However, after the man left, she found herself unable to go back to sleep.

Fetching some water to wash her face, she finally felt a little more awake. She decided it was time to organize the bundles she hadn’t had a chance to sort out the day before. 

After all, leaving everything piled up in the living room didn’t seem appropriate.

Opening the first bundle, she discovered it contained a bag of millet and soybeans. The sight of it made her chuckle involuntarily.

In truth, the luggage she had brought wasn’t packed with too many items. The heavier things had been left in her room at the palace. She had only packed the bulky but lighter items—such as cotton-padded clothes, pots, and pans—outside so she could later have an excuse for any hidden private goods she retrieved.

But as fate would have it, the moment she got off the train, she was met with Shen Qingyun’s complaints. Annoyed, she had taken advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention to swap the items in the room with those in the bundles. She replaced the cotton quilts and fabrics with the heaviest grains and coarse foodstuffs.

She reckoned the men must have been exhausted by the time they got out of the station yesterday.

Of course, she had no intention of letting that man find out about this.

Now, while the two children were still asleep and she was the only one at home, Yin Xiaoman decided to unpack all the luggage.

The same bundles that had given three grown men such a hard time were a breeze for Yin Xiaoman. 

She didn’t even need to lift them with her hands; she effortlessly placed everything exactly where it belonged. 

She gathered the bags of grain from the floor, stored them back into her space, and walked empty-handed to the kitchen built in the courtyard.

As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, she froze for a moment, then cursed Shen Qingyun mercilessly in her heart! 

The kitchen, visible at a glance, was completely barren except for the few bundles she had brought in yesterday. How could he shamelessly send a telegram claiming everything was prepared?

It was clear there hadn’t been any plans to actually cook here! 

No wonder he so casually said he would bring food back. If he didn’t, the whole family would have to starve!

Yin Xiaoman, having spent years in the Imperial Kitchen, had always been meticulous when it came to food. The one thing she couldn’t stand was someone being careless about meals.

Even in the dire conditions of Shuanggui Village, when she had just arrived, she had done everything possible to improve the meals.

And now, looking at this room, there were only a few pairs of chopsticks, a couple of bowls, and two lunchboxes. Not even a single pot!

How could she not feel her temper rising rapidly?

Yin Xiaoman didn’t waste any more time. She retrieved the pots and bowls she had brought from her bundles. 

She walked around the courtyard and finally found some firewood in a corner behind the house. This discovery brought her a small sense of relief.

She lit the fire, then took out the fine corn grits she had previously processed using a stone mill, and made a pot of porridge.

Next, she reheated the wild vegetable buns left over from the previous day. 

Thinking it might not be enough, she boiled one egg for each person. 

These eggs were ones Zhang Jinfeng had saved for her. She had stored them in her palace room earlier. 

Since the weather was still cool, the eggs hadn’t spoiled. She decided to pass them off as something she had prepared earlier for the journey, which could serve as a reasonable explanation.

Meanwhile, as soon as Shen Qingyun finished the morning exercises, he started running back home. But before he had gone far, he was stopped by Instructor Qi Feng.

“What’s this? Now that your wife’s here, you’ve turned into a sprinter? I don’t recall you running this fast before!” 

Qi Feng had been working alongside Shen Qingyun for over a year. The two of them cooperated well professionally and shared a good friendship privately. 

Especially since Qi Feng was a few years older, already married, and had his wife living with him in the unit, he often looked after Shen Qingyun in daily life.

Hearing this, Shen Qingyun didn’t feel the slightest bit embarrassed. 

He shook off Qi Feng’s grip on his sleeve and didn’t stop walking.

“I’m in a hurry to get home and grab the lunchboxes! If I delay and those bald-headed kids finish the food, I’ll just bring my wife and kids over to your place! When there’s no food left, and your sister-in-law kicks you out, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

At this point, Shen Qingyun unconsciously paused for a moment.

He found it odd—why was it so easy for him to mention his wife and kids? He hadn’t stuttered or hesitated at all.

And, strangely enough, he felt a sense of comfort after saying it.

Qi Feng, on the other hand, was nearly laughing from anger.

He pointed at Shen Qingyun with his hand. “You’re just teasing me, huh? If you make me mad, I won’t remind you of anything. Let’s see how you deal with your wife if you upset her and end up back to being single!”

At those words, Shen Qingyun finally stopped.

Seeing him halt, Qi Feng didn’t continue to push the matter. Instead, he took a couple of steps closer, his expression serious as he said, “Your sister-in-law mentioned to me last night that I must make sure to remind you—tell your wife the truth about Da Bao and the others’ backgrounds as soon as possible. A couple living together shouldn’t keep secrets like this. 

Besides, your little Yin is always going to be out and about, and the kids’ backgrounds won’t stay a secret in the camp. 

Hearing it from you will be very different from her hearing it from someone else. Don’t let your good wife get upset and leave over something like this.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyun couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

“I already told her. Yesterday, when Da Bao saw me, he called me ‘godfather’ right away.”

Qi Feng froze for a moment, clearly not expecting this turn of events.

He quickly became tense. “So, how did your little Yin react? She didn’t cause a scene, did she?”

“No,” Shen Qingyun shook his head.

“Last night, I told her everything and explained why I kept it from her. She wasn’t angry.”

“Wow, you’ve married well, your wife is very understanding!” Qi Feng chuckled when he heard this.

He gave Shen Qingyun’s shoulder a hearty slap. “Looks like little Yin really cares about you. No girl would willingly do this if she didn’t! Qingyun, you’d better treat her well and rein in that stubborn temper of yours. Otherwise, if your wife leaves, you won’t be able to find another like her.”

Shen Qingyun didn’t respond, but a complicated expression flashed in his eyes.

It was true that she willingly treated them well, but whether or not there were feelings involved was another matter.

As for whether he could keep her… well, that was something he didn’t want to dwell on.

Shen Qingyun didn’t want to think further. He swatted Qi Feng’s hand off his shoulder and shot him a glare.

“Stop talking to me like that, acting like you’re my father! My dad never talks so much nonsense! Enough already—are you done? I really need to go get the food!”

“You ungrateful person!” 

Qi Feng was exasperated, pointing at him again. “Fine, go then. And tell little Yin that once you’re done in the next couple of days, come over to our place for dinner! I’ll have my sister-in-law steam some bean buns for you!”

Shen Qingyun was about to leave when Qi Feng’s interruption made him realize it was already getting late by the time he got home.

The dinner call was already sounding outside.

His steps involuntarily quickened, worried that with the back-and-forth, there might be nothing left by the time he reached the dining hall.

As soon as he stepped through the courtyard gate, however, he stopped.

He seemed a little taken aback, sniffed the air, and then headed straight toward the kitchen.

The military unit didn’t lack much, except land. So, all the rooms in the courtyard were built fairly spacious.

The kitchen alone was nearly twenty square meters. In addition to the stove and cupboards, there was also a large square table that could seat eight people.

And still, there was plenty of space left over.

Previously, only Shen Qingyun lived in this house, and to him, it was essentially just a place to sleep.

Moreover, he usually checked on the posts during the night, and when on duty, he occupied most of the time. There were months when he didn’t even come back to stay in the courtyard more than a few times.

As a result, apart from one bedroom, all the other rooms were vacant.

It wasn’t until he knew that Yin Xiaoman had agreed to accompany the troops that he specifically went to the barracks to borrow some furniture, filling the house up.

As for the utensils, Shen Qingyun knew very well that they weren’t very complete.

So, when he pushed open the kitchen door and saw the two little ones sitting neatly at the table, waiting for their meal with a table full of delicious food, Shen Qingyun was truly stunned.

Seeing him enter, Yin Xiaoman wasn’t surprised. She didn’t even turn her head; instead, she casually said, “Wait a bit longer, I think the food might not be enough, so I baked two more pancakes. It’ll be ready soon. Sit down and wait over there.”

Shen Qingyun glanced at the steaming congee on the table, then at the woman who was still busy at the stove with her back to them. He felt that this kind of family scene should only exist in a dream.

“Alright.” He replied in a daze, not sure who he was answering.

He then obediently sat down on the stool next to Da Bao, but his eyes never left the busy figure.

At that moment, Shen Qingyun felt that even if he were dreaming, he had never dared to dream of something so beautiful.

Yin Xiaoman brought the baked pancakes to the table and then sat down beside Erniu.

Once she sat down, both children smiled at her and then picked up their chopsticks.

“Eat.”

After Yin Xiaoman spoke, she picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a vegetable dumpling into each child’s bowl, then served one for herself.

After seeing her take a small bite of the vegetable dumpling, the two children happily picked up their own and started eating.

Watching this scene, Shen Qingyun felt a bit dazed.

He had joined the army early, and Yin Xiaoman was much younger than him. In fact, he had never really interacted with her before.

He only knew that there was such a family in the village and that the girl was the only child, pampered from a young age, with a high-spirited personality. She was also a rare educated person.

But he never knew that not only was she pampered and educated, but she also lived such a refined life!

Look at this table full of dishes…

And the fact that the family used serving chopsticks to eat?

Those are called serving chopsticks, right?!

Shen Qingyun suddenly felt a headache coming on.

He recalled the things that Gao Chong had said on the phone, about how his sister-in-law had bullied Yin Xiaoman, made things difficult for her, and felt a cold sweat start to form on his forehead.

What kind of woman had he married?

And how had he so carelessly left her alone at home, not thinking about her at all…

She must have suffered a lot.

At this thought, the guilt in Shen Qingyun’s heart grew heavier.

He felt that he might truly not be able to keep this little wife…

Yin Xiaoman swallowed the dumpling in her mouth, then noticed that the man across from her was staring at her blankly, silent, and not eating.

She froze for a moment.

Her gaze shifted between her and the children’s bowls before falling on the empty bowl in front of him.

Was it because she hadn’t served him any food?

Yin Xiaoman furrowed her brows, hesitated for a while, then picked up the serving chopsticks, placed a dumpling into the man’s bowl, and said, “Eat.”

Shen Qingyun looked at the dumpling in his bowl, and for a moment, his heart was filled with an indescribable sense of loss and melancholy.

“In the future, I’ll go to the mess hall to get the food. You don’t need to cook. If you have time, you can just read.

Although I don’t know when school will resume, don’t worry, I won’t forget what I promised you.”

“When school resumes, if you want to go back, you can. If you don’t, I can also help you find a high school in Haicheng for the last six months after you finish your studies…”

Shen Qingyun said something more, but Yin Xiaoman didn’t hear it.

As he spoke, a series of images flashed quickly before her eyes, and she suddenly opened the door to her memories, recalling the words Shen Qingyun had said to the original owner before their marriage registration.

At that time, the original owner’s mother had just passed away, and her father had asked the old party secretary to take care of her right in front of her. The panic she felt was understandable.

She couldn’t go against her father’s wishes and refuse the marriage, but she was also unwilling.

After all, at that time, she was wholeheartedly focused on going to university.

So, when she met Shen Qingyun, she immediately poured out all her thoughts to him.

The original owner didn’t have any ill intentions, nor did she try to force him to agree to anything.

She had been raised too innocently by her parents, so she was habitually unaware of hiding her feelings.

If she had met someone else, the marriage would have been immediately called off. After all, no one would marry a wife whose heart wasn’t in the home and who was always preoccupied with pursuing her own future.

But, unfortunately, the person she met was Shen Qingyun.

Shen Qingyun was somewhat unwilling to marry Yin Xiaoman under these circumstances.

As a young man who joined the army, his thoughts were pure and upright.

He felt that taking advantage of this situation to have an eighteen-year-old girl become a stepmother for two children was somewhat exploiting the situation.

Thus, the two of them easily reached an agreement.

Shen Qingyun promised the original owner that once the college entrance exams were reinstated, no matter how difficult it was to break the military marriage, he would let her go, and he would clear all the hurdles for her.

The original owner promised that, before leaving, she would do her best to take care of the children for him.

In the end, Shen Qingyun even took the initiative to offer her ten yuan a month as a reward for taking care of the children.

…Yin Xiaoman finally understood everything.

She understood the strange things Shen Qingyun had said yesterday.

She also understood why the original owner, even when being kicked out of the house by Zhang Chunxia and filled with anger, hadn’t forgotten to take the two non-biological children with her.

They were both sincerely fulfilling their promises.

Unfortunately, fate was cruel.

Shen Qingyun didn’t have time to send the heroine off to school before he sacrificed his life, and the heroine, failing to fulfill her promise, had become so desperate that she gave up her own life.

At this thought, Yin Xiaoman, who had always considered herself to be cold and detached, couldn’t help but feel sorrow for the two of them.

Shen Qingyun had been talking for a long time, but the person across from him didn’t respond at all, which made him feel somewhat displeased.

It felt as though he had put a warm face against someone’s cold backside, and it was hard not to feel upset.

“Did you hear what I said?” His voice involuntarily became a little colder.

“How much is your monthly salary now?” Yin Xiaoman suddenly asked.

Shen Qingyun had never expected her to ask such a question.

Immediately, he found himself choking on his words, unable to speak for a long while.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, Yin Xiaoman looked up: “Am I not allowed to ask?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Shen Qingyun hurriedly waved his hand: “You can ask, I just didn’t react in time. Thirty-seven and a half yuan. I’ll probably be promoted after the New Year, and then I’ll have nearly forty.”

In Shen Qingyun’s heart, this girl seemed to want to distance herself from him as much as possible. He truly couldn’t understand why she suddenly cared about his salary.

But no matter what, she was still his wife, and it was only natural for her to know these things. So he didn’t hide anything and answered frankly.

Yin Xiaoman nodded, then began to calculate: “You need to send ten yuan home to your parents every month, give me ten yuan, and that leaves you with just seventeen and a half yuan.

For four people’s food, clothing, and other expenses, do you think this little bit of money is enough? Don’t tell me that by mid-month, your whole family will be eating plain dough balls!”

As a former housekeeper, Yin Xiaoman didn’t even need to think twice about such small calculations.

Although she didn’t know the prices of food in the military unit, she had made sure to inquire about the national grain purchase prices.

With the purchase price set, the cost of meals at the mess hall would only be higher, not lower.

Even though Shen Qingyun received meal subsidies, they did not.

Based on the meal quality from yesterday, that seventeen and a half yuan would probably only last until mid-month at best.

Shen Qingyun felt somewhat embarrassed.

He hadn’t expected that on the first day of their time together, he would be questioned by his wife to the point that he couldn’t come up with an answer.

“Well, I still have a little savings. I won’t let you all eat plain dough balls.”

Yin Xiaoman gave him a dissatisfied look: “You don’t keep any savings at home? What if there’s an emergency?”

Seeing Shen Qingyun’s embarrassed expression, she didn’t want to argue further and simply gave a faint order: “From now on, give me the meal allowance. We’ll eat at home.”

After speaking, she buried her head in the congee, not even glancing at him.

“Okay.” Shen Qingyun answered, feeling an immense sense of relief.

As the head of a battalion, it had been many years since anyone had spoken to him like this. But to Shen Qingyun, hearing it from his wife made him feel a sweetness bubbling up from deep inside.

Someone was finally willing to take charge of his money for him!