Chapter 54: Handwritten Note

Tang Hongmei didn’t know what else she had done to upset the woman. She just wanted to leave quickly, but the woman suddenly mentioned Shen Huaixu’s name.

“Shen Huaixu’s wife is from Ning City, and you’re from Ning City too. Why do I keep running into people from Ning City lately?”

Hearing this, Tang Hongmei asked uncertainly, “Are you talking about Shen Huaixu, the regiment commander of the first regiment?”

Zhang Wanyu was about to leave, but hearing Tang Hongmei’s words, she looked at her suspiciously. “Do you know Shen Huaixu?”

“Not really.”

But Zhang Wanyu didn’t believe a word. She asked unkindly, “You don’t really know him, then how do you know Shen Huaixu’s name?”

Looking at the aggressive Zhang Wanyu, Tang Hongmei finally explained, “My brother introduced Shen Huaixu to me for a blind date, but I missed it, and he happened to meet someone else and got married.”

“What… do you mean Shen Huaixu was supposed to go on a blind date with you?”

Zhang Wanyu looked Tang Hongmei up and down, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.  She wondered what kind of taste Shen Huaixu had. His blind date and his wife were both country bumpkins. But this woman, who didn’t succeed in a blind date with Shen Huaixu, appeared here. Was she feeling resentful?

Thinking of this, Zhang Wanyu smiled. “So that’s how it is. You really suffered a great loss.  Regiment Commander Shen is already a full regiment commander at a young age, and his family background is extraordinary. He’s from the famous Shen family in Beijing. You missed a huge opportunity.”

“What? He’s from Beijing?”

“Yes, didn’t your brother tell you? Maybe even your brother doesn’t know. Shen Huaixu is very low-key, and everyone doesn’t know his family background.”

Tang Hongmei looked straight at Zhang Wanyu. “Then how do you know?”

“Because I’m also from Beijing, so I naturally know about the Shen family and Shen Huaixu.” Because she knew, after transferring here, she had set her sights on Shen Huaixu. But unexpectedly, when she returned from her performance, Shen Huaixu was already married. It was infuriating.

Tang Hongmei’s mind was in turmoil.

She never expected Shen Huaixu’s family background to be so good.  She had fallen for the intellectual youth from the village because he was from the city, unlike the rough men in the village. And since Shen Huaixu was her brother’s comrade, she assumed he would have similar conditions. But who would have thought that Shen Huaixu’s conditions were even better than Zhang Dong’s?

Because of Zhang Dong, that heartless man, she had missed such a good match like Shen Huaixu.

Thinking of this, Tang Hongmei was filled with regret.

Seeing Tang Hongmei’s expression, Zhang Wanyu felt a surge of satisfaction, but she said comfortingly, “Don’t be too sad. You didn’t know about Shen Huaixu’s background.  It’s a pity that Tang Xiaorou got him. Otherwise, it would have been you marrying Shen Huaixu.”

It would have been you…

These words echoed in Tang Hongmei’s ears, and she didn’t even notice when Zhang Wanyu left.

When Tang Yuejin came, he saw his sister standing dejectedly by the roadside. He frowned. “Hongmei, what are you doing here?”

Hearing this, Tang Hongmei came to her senses. She looked at Tang Yuejin angrily and questioned, “Brother, why didn’t you tell me about Regiment Commander Shen’s background?”

“Why are you still mentioning Regiment Commander Shen? Let’s go home.”

Tang Yuejin was afraid of being overheard, so he quickly pulled his sister home.

Tang Xiaorou was completely unaware of the siblings’ situation, nor did she know that Tang Hongmei had come. After dinner, she played with the children for a while, then washed them and put them to bed.

Shen Huaixu waited and waited, but Tang Xiaorou didn’t come, so he went to the next room. He pushed open the slightly ajar door and saw Tang Xiaorou sleeping on the outside, with the two children sleeping on the inside. The three of them were already asleep.

He had planned to go back to sleep, but after thinking for a moment, he carefully picked up Tang Xiaorou and returned to their own room.

“Mmm, don’t move…”

Tang Xiaorou murmured softly, then quickly found a comfortable position to lean against.

Looking at the head nestled in his chest, Shen Huaixu’s heart softened. He gently put her on the bed and tucked her in.

The sleeping Tang Xiaorou had a serene expression. Her fuller face made her delicate features stand out even more. He remembered the thin and haggard Tang Xiaorou he had first met. After a period of time, she had become fairer, fuller, and more beautiful.

Shen Huaixu subconsciously reached out and gently touched Tang Xiaorou’s head before lying down beside her and closing his eyes to sleep.

The next morning, when Tang Xiaorou woke up, she found herself in the master bedroom. She was a little surprised. “Did Shen Huaixu carry me here?”  But Shen Huaixu had already gone to work, and she had to get up quickly to send the children to school and then go to work.

After sending Xiaoliang to school, Tang Xiaorou was about to send Xiaoyan to kindergarten when she saw Qin Xueqiong and Yao Bingcheng.

“Mom, did you need something?”

Qin Xueqiong nodded quickly. “Yes, come and see something with me.”

“Okay.”

Tang Xiaorou didn’t ask any further and followed them to the guesthouse.

Grandma Yao saw her and teased her with a smile. “You and your mother are very lucky.”

“Lucky?” Tang Xiaorou was puzzled. She hadn’t noticed anything lucky.

Qin Xueqiong smiled and took out the vanity case she had bought from the scrap yard yesterday. “Xiaorou, look at this. I brought this home yesterday, and Grandma Yao said it was made of rosewood. Then we found this.”

Qin Xueqiong excitedly opened the hidden compartment at the bottom of the vanity case. Inside was a yellowed handwritten notebook. “I don’t know many characters, but Grandma Yao looked at it and said it’s a very valuable secret recipe. See if you can use it.”

Tang Xiaorou curiously took it. After opening it, her face was filled with shock.

“This… these prescriptions are unheard of and unseen.” She carefully looked at the first three prescriptions, then quickly flipped through the rest, finally holding it in her hands with a treasured expression.

“Goodness, I can’t wait to make these medicines.”

Seeing her daughter’s treasured and excited expression, Qin Xueqiong couldn’t help but smile. “That’s great. It’s good that you find it useful.”

“Mom, this is incredibly useful. This time, it’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t looked at this vanity case, I wouldn’t have even looked at it.”

Hearing this, Qin Xueqiong couldn’t help but laugh. She suddenly felt that her luck had changed; she had even found such a notebook for her daughter.