Chapter 38

Bai Hongmei is wearing something beautiful today.

He wore a patched yellow-green work jacket on his upper body and black cloth trousers on his lower body.

He was completely different from the one Qiao Baozhu had met him in the supply and marketing cooperative before.

“Brother Shen, you just came back and you don’t know what happened at home. Your fiancée Qiao Baozhu got six carriages of dowry and showed it off at the gate of our family compound for a whole day.”

“I can understand why she did this. She’s a country girl whose adoptive parents are both disabled. She finally managed to get close to you, so she must be afraid that you’d look down on her, so she deliberately created such a big scene.”

Shen Xiao was stunned for a moment, “Six carriages of dowry? Sister-in-law, are you sure it’s Qiao Baozhu’s?”

Bai Hongmei was very humble, lowering her head to hide her unhappiness.

Yesterday she specifically asked about Qiao Baozhu. She thought that the person who could marry Shen Xiao would be very remarkable, but she didn’t expect that she was just an unpresentable country girl.

You have to know that Bai Hongmei is a city dweller and a beautiful woman who works as a telephone operator. The men who pursued her in the past were all very handsome and impressive. If she hadn’t been unlucky and hadn’t run into trouble, she wouldn’t have condescended to marry a short-lived person like Wei Yanda.

How could someone like Qiao Baozhu find a partner like Shen Xiao who has a good family background, strong abilities, and good education?

We are all human beings, and she should be the one who lives a better life.

Bai Hongmei raised her head and smiled gently.

“Brother Shen, don’t be angry. It’s normal for my sister-in-law to like to show off when she’s young. She doesn’t understand the simplicity of the military style, nor does she know how to pay attention to influence. When I have time in the future, I will teach her more.”

Bai Hongmei’s gossip successfully annoyed several people present.

Qiao Baozhu was not angry. First, she had been prepared for this. Second, Bai Hongmei’s little trick was really not good enough. What she was really interested in was how Shen Xiao would react.

Shen Xiao had no expression on his face, and he could not tell whether he was happy or angry. He said calmly, “I know about my sister-in-law’s reaction. I will talk to Comrade Qiao when I get home.”

Bai Hongmei felt secretly happy, as if she had already seen Qiao Baozhu being scolded.

But she pretended to be worried, and advised in the tone of a caring elder sister: “When you talk, you should pay attention to the way you talk. I told you this because I am worried that your sister-in-law’s high profile will have a bad influence on you.”

“You know me. I’m afraid of causing trouble to others, and I’m not good at sweet talk. If you two quarrel over this, I’ll feel terrible.”

Before Shen Xiao could speak, the old ladies around Qiao Baozhu couldn’t stand it anymore.

“If you can’t speak, just shut your mouth. You won’t die from holding it in.”

“With your insincerity and nonsense, it would be strange if the couple could live happily together.”

“Thanks to this girl for being so kind and bringing things to see you, Bai Hongmei, is this how you repay her?”

Bai Hongmei was startled by the sudden appearance of several old ladies. She was furious when she heard their mouths firing like machine guns.

He pointed at the old ladies angrily and said, “How dare you eavesdrop on other people’s conversations? You are so rude and uneducated.”

A few old ladies were not willing to be outdone and retorted with confidence.

“Who has nothing better to do than to come here and listen to you talking behind someone’s back? Do you think we are like you, living in someone else’s house for several months without doing any work in or outside the yard? We are here to accompany Comrade Shen’s family.”

“That’s right. If it weren’t for helping Comrade Shen’s family, who would be willing to come?”

Qiao Baozhu walked out slowly from behind a few old ladies, her pretty little face looking particularly fair and bright.

Bai Hongmei felt relieved when she saw Qiao Baozhu coming over. She was worried that Qiao Baozhu was too timid to come over.

I just didn’t expect this woman to be so stupid. Why couldn’t she come to her house alone? She had to bring so many people with her, and I heard what she said.

How hateful!

Bai Hongmei’s eyes were red and she pulled Shen Xiao’s sleeve in panic.

He said aggrievedly: “Brother Shen, will my sister-in-law listen to the instigation of those outsiders and misunderstand us?”

After saying that, Bai Hongmei shook her head at Qiao Baozhu: “Sister-in-law, Brother Shen and I are just close friends, please don’t misunderstand.”

In this era, men and women can’t even be close friends with each other in the street, even unmarried couples are not allowed to hang out with each other on the street.

Just like this time, Shen Xiao would just stand in the yard and listen to Bai Hongmei talk, and would never go into the house.

Bai Hongmei seemed to be explaining, but in fact every sentence she said was hinting at the ambiguous relationship between the two.

Shen Xiao raised his eyebrows and glanced at Bai Hongmei coldly. Before she could finish her words, he ran towards Qiao Baozhu.

“Why are you here?”

Qiao Baozhu raised her head and said calmly, “I heard that the child was sick, so I came to see him. Does he have a fever or a cold? Is it serious? Should he be sent to the health center?”

Shen Xiao didn’t even look at Bai Hongmei, and explained helplessly: “The child is not sick.”

“By the way, how did you know the child was sick?”

Chen Jinhua felt guilty listening to this, and was afraid that Qiao Baozhu would foolishly say that he was the one who informed her, so he quickly shouted, “Didn’t you ask Wei Fang to report it?”

“That girl Wei Fang ran away after saying something. My sister-in-law wanted to come over and see but couldn’t find the place, so I came with her.”

Qiao Baozhu glanced at Chen Jinhua, and she removed herself in a few words. She also framed Wei Fang and waited for an opportunity to take revenge on the child for his disrespect for her.

This woman’s character is worrying.

Shen Xiao didn’t know about Chen Jinhua’s little trick. He looked at the bewildered Bai Hongmei with a dark face.

The moment he found out that Wei Hong was not sick, he realized that Bai Hongmei had lied to him. He did not leave because he wanted to see what Bai Hongmei’s purpose was.

She made accusations and said bad things about Qiao Baozhu, which made Shen Xiao unhappy. This woman was getting more and more outrageous.

“I didn’t ask Wei Fang to report it, Brother Shen, don’t listen to her nonsense. This group of people usually like to gossip, and you never know what they are doing behind my sister-in-law’s back.”

Bai Hongmei explained to Shen Xiao incoherently with a panicked look on her face, feeling extremely annoyed.

She had clearly planned everything out, so why did things turn out differently from what she had imagined?

Everyone saw herself and Shen Xiao standing together, why didn’t Qiao Baozhu scold her?

Qiao Baozhu met Bai Hongmei’s eyes pretending to be calm, and said to Shen Xiao: “Now is not the time to discuss who came to me to report the news. On the way here, I heard that Wei Hong’s child is very prone to illness. The child’s health is a big deal, you should take her to the health center for a check-up.”

Bai Hongmei got anxious when she heard this. “Wei Hong’s kid has been weak since birth, and she was upset after her father got into trouble. He doesn’t need to go to the clinic. He will be fine after two days of rest at home.”

Qiao Baozhu pretended not to hear anything. She looked into Shen Xiao’s deep eyes and smiled meaningfully.

“It’s really touching to see such a young child always sad and upset about her father’s affairs.”