Chapter 31 – Are You Running a Background Check?

Sang Feiyu’s eyes sparkled like the stars, showing not a trace of unease despite being in a new place. “Grandma bought it. Nice, right?”

“Very nice.”

“Come eat.”

“Mm.”

While opening the lunchboxes, Ning Zhiyuan said, “The cook was busy, so I had to make it myself.”

“Stir-fried pork liver and sweet-and-sour shredded potatoes. Just make do with it.”

The aroma of the food hit her nose, and Sang Feiyu firmly declared, “It’s not ‘making do’ at all.”

“This looks delicious.”

Ning Zhiyuan’s expression eased. “As long as you’re not picky.”

Sang Feiyu had already picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of pork liver. After a moment, she exclaimed, “It has wok hei!”

She wasn’t sure how things worked in Min Province, but back in Yangcheng, “wok hei” was the highest praise for a dish.

Ning Zhiyuan felt a surge of joy—this was the first time food at the base felt full of warmth and life.

After lunch, Ning Zhiyuan grabbed his belongings and prepared to return to the dormitory. “We haven’t registered our marriage yet. Living together would reflect badly on you.”

Sang Feiyu didn’t mind gossip, but she also had to consider how it might affect Ning Zhiyuan, so she said nothing.

“I’ll bring dinner back for you tonight.”

“Stay safe on your own.”

“Mm-hmm.”

But just as Sang Feiyu was about to nap, Ning Zhiyuan came back.

“I came to check if the house needs anything else, so I can apply for it.”

His thought process was simple: since he’d already taken his things to the dorm, others should understand they weren’t living together—at least for now.

“Door curtain, window curtain, plates…”

Sang Feiyu listed over a dozen items in one breath.

Ning Zhiyuan thought for a moment. “I’ll paste some newspapers on the windows for now. Later, I’ll find some fabric to make proper curtains.”

“I think there’s fabric in the package Grandma sent me. Don’t waste money buying it,” Sang Feiyu quickly said.

“Alright.”

Ning Zhiyuan acted immediately. After a quick trip out, he returned with a stack of old newspapers—and behind him followed a middle-aged woman with ear-length short hair.

“This must be Comrade Sang, right?”

Ning Zhiyuan promptly introduced her. “This is the political commissar’s wife—Sister-in-law Wu.”

“Hello, Sister-in-law,” Sang Feiyu greeted sweetly.

Wu Xiufen beamed brightly. “Oh, what a lovely voice.”

“So pretty and sweet-talking too. Commander Ning, you’ve struck gold.”

Ning Zhiyuan looked a little shy and said, “Please, have a seat.”

“No need to sit. I just came to see if there’s anything I can help with.”

Sang Feiyu asked tentatively, “Were you the one who cleaned our place earlier?”

“Yes, just something I did in passing,” Wu Xiufen said cheerfully.

Sang Feiyu invited her to sit down and went inside to grab a large handful of wedding candies. “Sister-in-law, have a sweet to sweeten your day.”

“Then I wish you a happy marriage, a lifetime of love, and an early baby!”

Wu Xiufen’s blessings poured out like a fountain, and the other two in the room couldn’t help but smile.

Meanwhile, Shen Yunyun was not so pleased. After her long trip, she returned to find a cold kitchen and a closed canteen. She had to cook noodles herself!

Once she had eaten, her cousin and cousin-in-law finally came home.

Cousin Ye Chen looked surprised. “When did you get back?”

Shen Yunyun remembered her goal and immediately asked, “Brother, did you know Zhiyuan-ge has a fiancée?”

Ye Chen looked surprised. “When did that happen?”

That’s it!

He didn’t know!

Shen Yunyun stood up and got ready to call her aunt to investigate Ning Zhiyuan’s fiancée.

Her cousin-in-law, Chen Ting, glanced at the unwashed dishes on the table and frowned. After Shen Yunyun left, she grumbled, “She didn’t even wash her dishes!”

From the start, Chen Ting had already had reservations about letting Shen Yunyun stay over. She hadn’t expected Shen Yunyun to be so lazy—never helping with chores, yet expecting meals and a tidy home.

Ye Chen tried to calm her down. “It’s just a couple of dishes. Just wash them.”

Chen Ting snapped, “If it’s so easy, why don’t you wash them?”

“And I told you to let her know she needs to start contributing to household expenses this month. When are you going to say something?”

“She can’t just live here for free while I serve her!”

“She’s not just a guest; it’s like we’ve invited royalty into our home!”

Ye Chen furrowed his brows. “She’s still my cousin. I’m her only family here, and she doesn’t eat much. I can’t bring myself to ask her for money.”

“If word gets out, won’t people laugh at us?”

Chen Ting’s anger surged. “She may not eat much, but she only picks meat and eggs. Even our daughter Xingxing isn’t eating enough now!”

Xingxing was their three-year-old daughter.

Ye Chen hesitated. “We’ll talk to her when she gets back.”

He really didn’t know how to broach the topic.

Shen Yunyun, unaware of all the conflict her stay had caused, had just reached her aunt, Shen Hongmei. She asked eagerly, “Aunt, did you know Zhiyuan-ge is getting married?”

Shen Hongmei was stunned. “No! What’s going on?”

She had originally hoped to pair Shen Yunyun with Ning Zhiyuan—a perfect match.

Shen Yunyun quickly shared everything she had learned. “Aunt, you have to help me!”

“I came here for him.”

“This life—I don’t want to marry anyone else.”

Shen Hongmei comforted her, “Yunyun, don’t worry.”

“I’ll call Zhiyuan’s mom right now and ask. What if he just found a random woman to trick you?”

Shen Yunyun hoped that was true, but deep down, she knew it wasn’t.

“He even brought her to live in the family compound. I doubt it’s fake.”

Shen Hongmei frowned. “That’s way too fast.”

“Let me hang up. I’ll call you back later.”

“Okay.”

…

At her workplace, Ning Zhiyuan’s mother, Gu Nanzhi, was surprised to receive a call from Shen Hongmei. “Sister-in-law, what made you call me all of a sudden?”

Shen Hongmei didn’t beat around the bush. “Nanzhi, tell me the truth. Is Zhiyuan getting married?”

“Did Ye Chen tell you?”

“So it’s true?” Shen Hongmei almost lost it.

“Yeah, it’s true.”

“Zhiyuan and his fiancée didn’t want a wedding banquet, so I didn’t notify the relatives. I thought we could just host a meal for the family when they come back,” Gu Nanzhi explained.

Shen Hongmei snapped, “Nanzhi, this is such a big deal—why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

Gu Nanzhi was stunned. “What’s wrong?”

“Did you find out something?”

Realizing her outburst was too intense, Shen Hongmei softened her tone and asked, “Where is Zhiyuan’s fiancée from?”

“What does her family do?”

“What does she do?”

Gu Nanzhi’s brows knitted together. “What is this… are you doing a household registry check?”