Chapter 37: A Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household

“Haoxuan, what’s wrong?” A gentle female voice rang out.

Leng Haoxuan was instantly pulled back to reality. Seeing Xu Ruyan’s face full of concern, he revealed a relieved expression.

It turned out his choice hadn’t been wrong. After he registered his marriage without telling anyone, he did get a good beating from his father when he returned home, and at first, his family refused to accept Ruyan. But after just a few days of getting to know her, even his parents came around.

Especially his mother—her attitude made a complete 180. The two of them got along like real mother and daughter, and sometimes they’d even whisper behind his back.

The more Leng Haoxuan thought about it, the guiltier he felt. Xu Ruyan treated him so well, yet he was still trying to test Shen Nanqing’s attitude. He smiled and said, “Didn’t you want new clothes? I was thinking once I get my allowance this month, I’ll take you to have some made.”

Xu Ruyan beamed like a flower blooming. She said excitedly, “I knew you’d treat me the best!”

“Um… Nanqing’s back now. Should we give her some wedding candy?” Xu Ruyan looked toward the direction Shen Nanqing had just disappeared in. Her voice was hesitant, but a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes.

Leng Haoxuan’s smile faded slightly. “No need. We’re not that close.”

After Shen Nanqing returned to the dorm and put her things down, she went to take a shower. She had planned to take a nap afterward, but thinking of how Song Huaiwen was still waiting for her, the tiredness seemed to lift a little.

Ah… beauty clouds the mind—ancient wisdom rings true.

“Why didn’t you dry your hair before coming down?” Song Huaiwen frowned slightly, disapproval evident in his tone.

It was the height of summer, and even in the evening the lingering heat in the air was stifling. There was no need to dry one’s hair—just a few minutes in the breeze and it would dry on its own.

Shen Nanqing knew he was worried about her and didn’t want to ruin the mood, so she smiled brightly and said teasingly, “I was just in a hurry to come down and see you!”

Song Huaiwen cleared his throat and pretended to be stern, “Don’t let it happen again.”

“Yes, yes, yes, I promise next time!” Shen Nanqing giggled and clung to his arm coquettishly.

Song Huaiwen could tell she was just trying to placate him and hadn’t taken his words seriously. He couldn’t help but grumble, “You’re young now, so you think it doesn’t matter. But once you get older, you’ll suffer for it.”

Those were words Song Mother had used to scold Song Huaiwen back when he would wash his hair with cold water and casually dry it with a towel. She had painstakingly advised him again and again.

He never expected that he himself would end up repeating the exact same words to Shen Nanqing.

Maybe it was because no one had ever fussed over her like this before, but Shen Nanqing actually enjoyed being nagged. Maybe this was what it felt like to be cared for.

It warmed her heart.

She blinked at him. “Well, when I get old, I’ll have you with me—so I’m not afraid.”

Song Huaiwen could only smile helplessly. He figured, fine—he’d just take better care of her in the future. That way, nothing would go wrong.

Then, Song Huaiwen pulled a savings book out from his jacket pocket and held it out to her.

Shen Nanqing was briefly stunned. Her eyes landed on the booklet, full of confusion. “What’s this?”

“This is my passbook. All my savings over the years are in here,” Song Huaiwen said, his gaze gentle and resolute. He placed it into Shen Nanqing’s hand, his voice low and steady, “We’re both soldiers—we each have our own duties. In the future, there will be many times I won’t be able to stay by your side. Giving this to you makes me feel more at ease. At the very least, you won’t have to worry about making a living, and you’ll have money on hand if anything happens.”

Shen Nanqing was too shocked to speak. Waves of emotion surged in her heart.

She wasn’t actually as gentle and kind as she appeared on the surface. She was highly guarded and usually interacted with others out of some kind of calculated interest. She’d never encountered anyone like Song Huaiwen—so pure, so completely trusting.

They were only dating—they hadn’t even discussed marriage yet. And yet, he was already handing over his entire life savings to her.

She didn’t know whether to call him naive, or just… someone who trusted her deeply.

This kind of affection was simply too heavy. Shen Nanqing felt a bit conflicted. She pushed the bankbook back to him and joked,
“I’m a big spender. If you leave this with me, I’ll definitely splurge it all away. I don’t want you ending up penniless. It’s safer in your hands.”

Song Huaiwen chuckled softly. “I make money for you to spend. If it runs out, I’ll just earn more.”

He placed the bankbook firmly back into her palm and held her hand tightly, his attitude resolute—leaving her no room to refuse.

Truthfully, Song Huaiwen had his own selfish reasons for doing this. He knew Shen Nanqing loved money, and he admitted he was being a little cunning. He wanted to use money to tie her to him.

Seeing that, Shen Nanqing didn’t insist anymore. Worst case, she’d just keep it without using it.

Still, she was curious how much money Song Huaiwen actually had. One glance—and it almost knocked her flat.

“So much!!” Shen Nanqing’s eyes lit up with a flash. In the 1970s, having ten thousand yuan made you considered extremely wealthy. Song Huaiwen actually had over twenty thousand in savings!

“Does this mean I’ve hitched myself to a sugar daddy?”

“Sugar daddy?” Song Huaiwen looked confused.

Shen Nanqing’s smile froze a little—she had gotten a bit carried away. People in this era lived modest and honest lives. The phrase “sugar daddy” hadn’t even entered common usage yet.

“Where did you get all this money from?” Her eyes sparkled with excitement and joy. At this moment, Song Huaiwen looked to her like a walking, talking God of Wealth.

Song Huaiwen didn’t think much about money. He always felt it was just something to use when needed. But now, seeing how happy she was, he secretly wondered if he should try earning a bit more.

“I don’t usually have much to spend on. I’ve just been saving my allowances over the years, and some of it is from gifts by my elders. It all just piled up little by little,” he explained.

Shen Nanqing couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up. Unlike her—she was a classic “moonlight tribe” member, spending everything the moment she earned it. All her savings combined probably didn’t equal the pocket change in his account.

She wanted to take back her foolish thoughts. Spending your man’s money? That was absolutely natural.

As the saying goes: women are meant to be beautiful like flowers, and men are meant to make money and support the family. Perfect arrangement.

After dinner, Shen Nanqing returned to the dorm with the heavy bankbook in her pocket. She was just wondering where to hide this golden lump when she suddenly felt a chill crawl up her back.

She turned her head and saw Xu Ruyan staring at her with an eerie look. “You… got something?”

Facing Shen Nanqing’s delicate face, Xu Ruyan’s expression suddenly changed into something meaningful. She stepped forward and placed a few White Rabbit milk candies on the table.

“Here, have some wedding candy.”

Shen Nanqing was a little surprised, but still offered a polite, “Congratulations.”

She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but Xu Ruyan’s smile gave her the creeps. Something felt… off.

In the scorching afternoon sun, the road to the communications office was blazing hot. The pavement seemed to sizzle under the heat, and the parasol trees drooped listlessly. Their leaves hung limp from the sun, rustling softly only when the occasional breeze passed through.

Xu Ruyan came out of the communications office seemingly unaffected by the stifling weather. In fact, she looked ecstatic, unable to hide her excitement as she burst into laughter.

Just as she was reveling in her joy, she bumped head-on into Song Huaiwen, who had come to pick up a telegram.

Song Huaiwen was cold by nature, but he still had basic manners. However, this was the first time he’d ever felt such strong disgust toward a woman. If Xu Ruyan had been a man, he would’ve already taught her a lesson.

He cast her a look of open disdain, then turned and deliberately walked toward the sun-exposed side of the road, making it clear he wanted nothing to do with her.

But Xu Ruyan acted as if she didn’t sense his rejection at all—and insisted on following.

Song Huaiwen’s brows instantly furrowed into a deep crease, his tone ice-cold as if frost would form from his words.

“Move.”

Just two words, but sharp and commanding, allowing no room for argument.

Xu Ruyan froze on the spot, instinctively wanting to step back. But then she remembered what Li Yanhong had said over the phone, and that gave her a sudden boost of confidence.

“I know something about Shen Nanqing’s past. Do you want to hear it?”