Chapter 10: A Missed Opportunity

Jiang Banyue was busy in the shop when her mother entered, holding the three children.

“Banyue, your dad and I are going out tomorrow. Your cousin is getting married, so we’ll take a few days off and go to your grandmother’s house.”

Jiang Banyue’s grandmother lived in another city, and her mother had married into this county.

“What about Grandpa?” Jiang Banyue asked while filling a box with cake and turning to her mother.

“Your grandpa is staying at your elder brother’s place for a few days. We’ll pick him up when we get back.”

Jiang Banyue took out ten yuan, wrapped it in red paper, and handed it to her mother.

“Mom, I’ll give my cousin a red envelope. Please give it to her for me.”

“No need!” Jiang’s mother rejected the offer. “Your dad and I are giving her one, and your elder brother is giving one as well. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Mom, take it!” Jiang Banyue insisted, pressing the money into her mother’s hand.

“Your envelope is yours, and ours is ours. Since I can’t attend my cousin’s wedding, I still have to send a red envelope.”

“Alright, I’ll give it to her. I was just thinking about how you’re raising three children on your own, and everything costs money. You should save what you can.”

“It’s fine. My cousin’s wedding is an important event. This is the only time, so I must give it.”

At this point, a few more customers came in. Jiang Banyue couldn’t continue her conversation with her mother and quickly began assisting the customers.

Her mother, holding the youngest child, turned to chat with the two nannies. In the afternoon, her mother planned to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things, as they would be returning to her maternal home the next day.

“Banyue, I’ll leave now.”

“Okay, Mom. Take care on the road!” Jiang Banyue stood at the door, watching her mother leave, then turned and went back inside the shop.

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The next day, early in the morning, the Shen family packed up and left for the county town. On the bus, Shen Yunhe sat beside his grandfather, taking care of him…

“Grandpa, how are you feeling? Are you dizzy?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” Shen Laoye was seventy years old this year. When he was young, he served in the military and fought in wars, which left him with many health issues. He had to take medicine for many years.

The bus bumped along for an hour and a half before finally reaching the county.

Jiang’s father spoke up, “Yunhe, go to the school and pick up Yunlin and Yunshuang. We’ll head to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things.”

“Okay.”

Shen Yunlin was the second son, twenty years old, a third-year university student. Shen Yunshuang was the third child, seventeen years old, in her senior year of high school.

Shen Yunhe first went to the high school and spoke to the person at the gate.

“Hello, I’m looking for Shen Yunshuang from Class 8 of the senior year. I’m her older brother.”

After he finished speaking, he stood off to the side to wait for her. Dressed in a new military uniform, tall and handsome, Shen Yunhe attracted the attention of the passersby. The schoolgirls all rushed out to shyly look at the handsome soldier brother.

Shen Yunhe stood at the entrance, his gaze forward, as if standing guard. After a while, a lively teenage girl ran up to him, beaming with a smile.

“Big Brother, what are you doing here?”

“Ahem!” Shen Yunhe clenched his fist and lightly coughed into it.

“Go ask for leave, I’ll take you out for a bit.”

“Huh?” Shen Yunshuang looked at him with confusion.

“You’re taking me out? Big Brother, where are we going?”

“Don’t ask, hurry up!” Shen Yunhe urged.

“Okay, okay, Big Brother. Wait for me, I’ll be right back!”

Shen Yunshuang then ran back to the school to ask for leave, and quickly returned after.

“Big Brother, let’s go!”

Shen Yunhe led Shen Yunshuang toward the university. The further they walked, the more confused Shen Yunshuang became.

“Big Brother, are you taking me to find Second Brother?”

“Yeah.”

“Big Brother, why did you call both me and Second Brother out? What’s going on?”

Shen Yunshuang was so curious. She couldn’t understand why her older brother was acting so strangely. At the university entrance, Shen Yunlin ran out from the school.

“Big Brother, Yunshuang, what are you both doing here?”

“Let’s go!” Shen Yunhe didn’t know how to explain to his younger siblings, so he just led them to meet their parents.

Shen Yunlin and Shen Yunshuang followed behind, whispering to each other.

“What’s going on with Big Brother?”

“I don’t know!” Shen Yunshuang shrugged, helplessly looking at Second Brother.

When they reached the supply and marketing cooperative, the siblings saw their grandfather and parents. They eagerly ran over.

“Grandpa, Dad, Mom, what’s going on today? Why is everyone here?”

Shen Yunshuang linked arms with her mother, smiling happily. It had been a month since she had seen her family, and she was excited.

Shen Father sneered lightly, giving his eldest son a sideways glance.

“Your big brother and your sister-in-law got divorced. Today, we’re going to apologize to the in-laws.”

“What? Big Brother and Sister-in-law got divorced?” Shen Yunlin and Shen Yunshuang exchanged shocked looks before both turned to look at Shen Yunhe.

“Big Brother, Sister-in-law is such a good person, why did you divorce her?” Shen Yunshuang couldn’t understand. Her sister-in-law had such a good temperament, and Big Brother was steady and caring. How could such a good match fall apart?

“Big Brother, do you regret the divorce? Do you want to remarry her?” Shen Yunlin directly pointed out what Shen Yunhe was thinking.

Shen Yunhe had regretted the divorce more than once. He had just been scolded by Grandpa and his parents at home, and now his younger siblings were interrogating him. Feeling embarrassed and at a loss, he turned and walked away.

“Let’s go.”

The Shen family carried gifts and headed to Jiang’s house. They knocked for a long time but nobody came to open the door. A neighbor walking by approached.

“Don’t knock, no one’s home.”

Shen Father quickly asked, “Where did they go?”

“They have relatives getting married and went to the wedding. It’s quite far, they won’t be back until a few days.”

“Oh, thank you!”

“No problem!” The neighbor waved and walked back to their own house.

“Alright, let’s head back,” Shen Father said, pushing everyone away.

The Shen family walked back, disappointed. Shen Yunhe, who had arrived feeling excited and anxious, now felt a crushing sense of loss. His heart felt empty, and his steps grew heavier.

He looked back at the closed door, finally realizing that ever since the divorce, he had missed her. He longed to see her, to hold her. He couldn’t live without her.

Shen Yunshuang and Shen Yunlin hadn’t seen their family in so long and didn’t want to leave just like this. Grandpa said,

“It’s almost noon, let’s find a restaurant and have a meal. The two kids hardly get a chance to come out.”

“Yay!” Shen Yunshuang shouted excitedly, but as she turned and saw that everyone else had serious expressions, she quickly covered her face with her hands and suppressed her smile. How could she forget? Big Brother had divorced, and the whole family was upset. She couldn’t act so happy.

The five of them went to a restaurant on the county’s streets, found a place to sit, and quietly ate. Shen Yunshuang, who was lively and talkative, almost opened her mouth several times to speak, but when she looked up at the serious expressions of the others, she swallowed her words.

For the first time, she felt so much pressure while eating. “My sister-in-law, please come back soon. I can’t handle this atmosphere,” she thought.

She finished her meal quickly, and as she looked up, she smelled the sweet fragrance of cream cake drifting from the shop in front of her.

Shen Yunshuang inhaled deeply. The scent was so sweet, the cake must be delicious. She really wanted to try it. Turning around, she saw her family still looking down, lost in their thoughts. She only wanted to eat, which she knew was selfish. “Forget it, I’ll come back next time and buy the cake for myself,” she thought.

After finishing their meal, the Shen family walked out of the restaurant. Shen Yunshuang looked at the cake-scented store and made a mental note to return next time and buy a cake.