Chapter 44: Using a Bit of Roguishness to Find a Partner Isn’t Inhumane…

“Sizzle—” As the vegetables were tossed into the hot pan and started stir-frying, Shen Shaoyuan walked into the kitchen. He splashed some water on his face and, while drying off with a towel, asked Shen Mo’er, “I was riding over just now and I think I saw Comrade Fu running out of our house. He was running like there were bandits chasing him. What’s going on? Is there some emergency at the educated youth spot?”

Shen Mo’er let out a snort of laughter. After thinking for a moment, she decided to start with the less important part: “Comrade Fu brought over a rooster—alive, it’s in the chicken coop. He said the autumn harvest was too exhausting and he wanted to supplement his nutrition. It’s hard for them to cook anything decent at the educated youth spot.”

“So he and Comrade Zheng are coming over to eat at our place? They provide the meat, and we provide the grains. Sounds like we’re getting the better end of the deal.”

Fu Mingze and Zheng Jiamin had helped out at their house for quite a while, so Shen Shaoyuan was familiar with them. He casually asked, “Are we doing it tomorrow? Then I’ll bring back something else when I return from the commune.”

Buying meat required ration coupons. Shen Shaoyuan was thinking of getting something that didn’t need coupons—maybe some pork offal, like liver tips. After all, it was just one chicken. They couldn’t take too much advantage of them.

“You decide,” Shen Mo’er said while flipping with the spatula. She quickly scooped the stir-fried cured pork with string beans onto a plate, then ladled some water into the wok, added oil, and poured in the beaten eggs.

Watching Shen Mo’er’s skilled movements, Shen Shaoyuan felt a pang of sourness in his heart. His little Mo’er, truth be told, was more pampered than even the least favored princesses back in Daliang. Yet it had only been a few months, and now she was already so proficient with household chores.

Ah, such is the unpredictability of life!

Thinking of this, Shen Shaoyuan wrung out the towel and said, “Mo’er, Dad has a piece of good news to share.”

Shen Mo’er turned to look at him, smiling sweetly. “What is it?”

Shen Shaoyuan stepped outside first to pour out the water in the enamel basin. After returning and setting the basin down, he stood beside Shen Mo’er and finally said, “I’ll be made permanent next month.”

“Huh?!” Shen Mo’er’s hand slipped, and she pushed the wild mushrooms on the cutting board into the pan. “Aiya! I was going to make spinach and scrambled eggs!”

Shen Shaoyuan didn’t mind at all. “Then make scrambled eggs with mushrooms. We’ll have spinach soup.”

Shen Mo’er laughed. “Alright, that works.”

She gave the pan a few casual stirs, then turned her head to glance at Shen Shaoyuan again. “Dad, you’re amazing!”

Shen Shaoyuan grinned.

As Shen Mo’er continued to stir-fry, she said lightly, “Dad, I have something to tell you too. Hmm… it sort of counts as good news.”

Shen Shaoyuan was surprised. “Oh?”

To Shen Mo’er, the biggest piece of good news lately should’ve been the two kids winning awards and qualifying for the provincial competition. He couldn’t think of anything else.

Shen Mo’er turned to look at her father and smiled mischievously. “Comrade Fu just said he wanted to date me, and I agreed.”

Shen Shaoyuan: “???”

Shen Shaoyuan: “!!!”

He had been smiling just a moment ago, but his face darkened instantly. He snapped, “That’s good news?!”

Shen Mo’er chuckled. “Weren’t you just trying to arrange blind dates for me? That Zhang Junliang guy looks average, has an unreasonable mother, and most importantly, he’s not even willing to be a live-in son-in-law. But from what Comrade Fu said, he’s willing to be one.”

Shen Shaoyuan was speechless. “Willing to be a live-in son-in-law? He has to be! The guy’s dirt poor—what’s he going to do, marry a wife and keep sleeping on the shared bunk beds at the educated youth spot?! I could tell from the start that this kid isn’t some warmhearted fellow. Running around doing chores, helping us build a bathroom—clearly, he’s had this scheme in mind from the beginning!”

Shen Mo’er laughed so hard she nearly bent over. “Well, like you said, he’s been running around helping us.”

Shen Shaoyuan said angrily, “I knew it! You’re not unhappy with that damned Zhang Junliang at all — you’ve clearly had your eye on that pretty boy Fu Mingze from the start!”

Shen Mo’er didn’t deny it. “He’s good-looking, isn’t he?”

Shen Shaoyuan snapped, “Can good looks fill your stomach?”

Shen Mo’er replied, “Looking at him makes me want to eat an extra bowl of rice.”

That made Shen Shaoyuan even more furious. “Girls always side with outsiders!”

Shen Mo’er smiled. “I told him — if my father doesn’t agree, then it’s off.”

Shen Shaoyuan was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he sighed. “How could I not agree? That pretty boy really is good-looking, and he’s dirt poor, willing to be a live-in son-in-law, and he’s got no parents around — so you won’t have to deal with a mother-in-law either. Honestly… he’s quite suitable.”

Those last three words were spoken very reluctantly, but they were undeniably true. If one didn’t nitpick, then aside from being poor, there really wasn’t much to fault about that pretty boy Fu.

After a moment of thought, Shen Shaoyuan still felt irritated and said, “Send that chicken back to him!”

Shen Mo’er scooped up the stir-fried wild mushrooms and eggs and started making spinach soup. She casually replied, “Mm, I’ll return the chicken to him in a bit.”

Shen Shaoyuan shot her a glare, then after a long pause, let out a melancholic sigh. “Girls always side with outsiders…”

And yet, the heavy stone pressing on his heart seemed to finally lift a little.

Next month would be Mo’er’s eighteenth birthday. In Dalin, girls her age who weren’t married yet were practically nonexistent. As for him, he had relied on his status as the Emperor’s younger brother and the Emperor’s deep affection for Mo’er, thinking that even if she married late, they wouldn’t struggle to find a worthy match across the entire nation.

And so, one year passed, then another.

When the rebel army surrounded the city, Shen Shaoyuan had already begun to regret it. After arriving in this new world and finding some stability, he had started to seriously consider the matter again.

Now, finally, everything was settled.

Shen Mo’er glanced at her father and suddenly said, “Dad, today Zhou Zhaodi’s stepmother came to stir up trouble with me.”

“Hm?” Shen Shaoyuan was pulled out of his thoughts. “That skinny little girl? Didn’t she just win an award and get chosen to go to the provincial competition? Her stepmother is still causing trouble?”

Shen Mo’er recounted what had happened today, and Shen Shaoyuan’s expression instantly darkened. “Trying to pull that nonsense on our family? No way. I’m going to give her a piece of my mind.”

Shen Mo’er didn’t try to stop him — she just said, “Let’s eat dinner first. Fill your belly before you go.”

After dinner and washing the dishes, Shen Shaoyuan fetched a basin of water, carefully scrubbed his hands clean, went back to his room to grab something, then took a wooden stick from beside the door and leisurely headed toward the village.

Shen Mo’er chuckled and followed behind.

When the father and daughter arrived outside the Zhou family’s courtyard, they heard Yang Daniu cursing inside.

“…Who do you think I’m doing this for? I’m doing it for this family! That job clearly could’ve gotten us more work points — why didn’t you go for it?! And that Shen teacher — her family’s got two workers, more money and ration coupons than they can spend, and they’ve even built a fancy brick house. Now she’s relying on that little money-wasting girl to get achievements, and I can’t even ask for a little money? Pah! A whole family of cowards!”

Zhou Xiaoshuan’s voice followed: “Keep your voice down! The brigade leader said this is a collective matter. Besides, didn’t Zhaodi already earn a bunch of work points? Just let it go.”

An unclear voice came from the back room — probably the old man of the Zhou family: “Listen to Mancang! He won’t mistreat us, he’s one of us after all. Just stay calm and have the baby safely…”

Yang Daniu snapped back, “If you care so much about this baby, why don’t you go buy milk powder and nutritional supplements from the commune? Raising a son isn’t easy — if he doesn’t get good food, why would a son even want to be born into your family?! A bunch of stingy cowards — no wonder neither of your brothers has ever had a son!”

Before she could finish, BANG! — the courtyard gate was kicked open.

Yang Daniu jumped up in shock. “Who?!”

Shen Shaoyuan stepped into the courtyard without a word. He marched straight to the clothes-drying rack and kicked it over with one swift blow. Then he flipped over the bamboo tray full of dried vegetables.

Zhou Xiaoshuan rushed over. “Who the hell—?!”

Shen Shaoyuan replied with great presence, “Your ancestor!”

Yang Daniu quickly followed. Her eyesight was better than Zhou Xiaoshuan’s, and she recognized him right away and started cursing, “Shen Old Seven, you bastard! What the hell are you doing at our house, throwing a fit?!”

Suddenly, the item in Shen Shaoyuan’s hand flashed — click! — a beam of bright light from a flashlight lit up Yang Daniu’s face. In the next instant, he jabbed the stick in his other hand toward her.

“You filthy thing, you dare frame my daughter?”

As he spoke, he swung the stick to the side, knocking over a nearby bamboo chicken cage. The chickens inside, startled from their sleep, screeched sharply and pitifully.

The beam from the flashlight froze both Yang Daniu and Zhou Xiaoshuan for several seconds before they regained their senses.

“Old Seven, what are you doing?!” That was cowardly Zhou Xiaoshuan, all bark and no bite.

“Shen Old Seven, I’ll fight you!” Yang Daniu clutched her waist and charged, only to be blinded by the flashlight again. Just as she hesitated, Shen Shaoyuan smashed the stick down on the already overturned clothes rack with a loud crack, making Yang Daniu jump back in fright.

“She’s pregnant!” Zhou Xiaoshuan shouted in alarm.

Shen Shaoyuan sneered, “She’s carrying your Zhou family’s child, not my Shen family’s. If she dares come at me, I’ll beat her. If she loses the baby, that’s her own fault. At most, I’ll give you a few bucks for nutrition. Don’t worry, I can afford that now.”

Yang Daniu didn’t dare move at all.

She’d only dared to act out because she was pregnant, thinking no one would lay a hand on her. And it had worked — both Zhou brothers jumped at her command.

But now, looking at Shen Shaoyuan, she truly believed he might actually do it.

He had threatened to hang himself when begging his elder brothers for money. Villagers all said that Shen Mo’er nearly starving to death had driven him mad.

And looking at him now, he really did seem crazy enough not to fear anything.

Yang Daniu loved money, but she wouldn’t risk losing her baby for it — she was counting on this child to cement her position in the Zhou family.

“If you dare upset my daughter again, I’ll beat you to death.”

Shen Shaoyuan gave her a final glare, then kicked aside the debris on the ground and stepped out of the courtyard, treading over the scattered clothes.

Only when he was completely out of sight did Yang Daniu let out a loud wail: “Zhou Xiaoshuan, you coward! You just stood there and watched your wife get bullied?! I can’t live like this!”

Shen Mo’er had been standing under a tree just outside the Zhou courtyard, watching her father come out with a flashlight in one hand and a stick in the other, the sounds of wailing behind him like dramatic background music. She couldn’t help laughing. “Dad, you looked just like a thug bullying the weak.”

Shen Shaoyuan said quietly, “You guessed right. One year, I ran into that scoundrel nephew of Consort Cao’s in Qinghe Lane — he ordered his servants to smash up street stalls, and this was exactly how he acted. I just copied him a bit.”

After a pause, he added, “Don’t worry. She definitely won’t dare mess with you again.”

Shen Mo’er laughed. “Of course not. My dad’s amazing. Hey, let me hold the flashlight for a bit. It doesn’t need a candle or fire, and it’s still so bright. What a cool gadget. Section Chief Xu is such a good guy, giving you stuff like this.”

She had originally been waiting at the gate, thinking that if her dad couldn’t handle the Zhou couple, she’d rush in to help. But she quickly realized it wasn’t necessary. The moment her dad switched on the flashlight, he had both Yang Daniu and Zhou Xiaoshuan completely stunned.

That flashlight — one cost five or six yuan, plus industrial coupons. Almost no one in Yangliu Brigade could afford that.

Which made her father’s casual threat to pay a few yuan in compensation sound all the more convincing.

No wonder she had known how to sweet-talk the Crown Prince’s older brother since she was little—her acting skills were impeccable.

—

The next morning, the entire village was buzzing with the news that Shen Shaoyuan had gone and smashed up Zhou Xiaoshuan’s house. During a break between classes, Shen Lingling, for once, didn’t speak sarcastically. Instead, with a complicated expression, she asked, “Shen Mo’er, I heard your family even has a flashlight now?”

Her own family didn’t even have one.

Strictly speaking, there were maybe only one or two households in the village that had one. Even then, those families rarely brought them out—it cost money to replace the batteries.

Shen Mo’er replied casually, “That’s an office tool issued by the factory for my dad. Sometimes he has to work overtime, so he needs it to see what he’s doing, and it helps light the road when he comes home late.”

As soon as Shen Lingling heard it was provided by the factory, she felt a lot more at ease. Although both she and her father were getting wages now and their life wouldn’t be too bad in the future, the idea of someone’s life improving so quickly that they could buy a flashlight outright was still hard for her to accept.

If it was issued by the factory, then it was fine. Just like when the factory handed out labor gloves—nothing out of the ordinary.

Cheng Tao, who was listening nearby, chuckled and said, “Seventh Uncle Shen is really something. The most other factory workers get are gloves or something like that, but he even got a flashlight? Impressive!”

Shen Lingling’s expression turned sour. She got up and left. As she reached the classroom door, she overheard a few old ladies who had come to drop off their grandkids chatting about the same topic. Pretending to chime in casually, she added, “The flashlight wasn’t bought. How could their family afford it? It was issued by the brick factory so he could use it when working overtime in the dark.”

The old ladies suddenly understood and began to say, “That’s really great. Old Seventh Shen sure is capable—imagine the factory issuing him a flashlight. Tsk tsk, getting a flashlight for free, how nice.”

Shen Lingling: “……”

That’s not the point! The point is their family doesn’t have money—no money!

—

Shen Mo’er, on the other hand, had no idea about Shen Lingling’s petty calculations. Early that morning, she had called Zhou Zhaodi into the office to ask a few questions—mainly because she was worried that after being rattled by her father, Yang Dani might not dare make trouble for them anymore and would instead vent all her anger on Zhou Zhaodi.

Zhou Zhaodi shook her head. “Maomao taught me. If she yells at me, I run outside the gate and cry. If she wants to hit me, I run too. She can’t walk fast, so she can’t catch me.”

This little girl had been hanging out with Chen Maomao every day lately, and she did seem a lot bolder. Shen Mo’er patted her head and said, “If anything happens, tell the teacher. If the teacher can’t help, your Seventh Uncle will definitely stand up for you.”

Zhou Zhaodi’s eyes lit up, and she gave a bright “mm!”

She hadn’t been in the yard last night—she’d been hiding in the kitchen and secretly watching. Seventh Uncle Shen was really amazing. Even though he had smashed up her house, Zhou Zhaodi felt it was justified. Her stepmother had picked a fight with Teacher Shen first, so of course her Seventh Uncle would react. She didn’t think he was wrong at all.

On the contrary, she actually envied Teacher Shen. Teacher Shen was also a girl, but no one called her a burden or a jinx. When she was wronged, her father had her back.

—

That evening, Shen Mo’er walked Zhou Zhaodi home and stood outside the gate for a while, listening. She heard Yang Dani cursing and calling Zhou Zhaodi a worthless burden and an ungrateful brat, forcing her to go do chores. But she didn’t actually lay a hand on her, so Shen Mo’er took Maomao by the hand and walked away.

“Where there’s a stepmom, there’s a stepdad too. Zhou Zhaodi’s stepmom is awful, and her dad’s awful too,” Chen Maomao said with an air of solemnity. Then she looked up with her clear, slightly silly eyes and innocently asked, “Sister Mo’er, can we ask the brigade leader to give Zhou Zhaodi new parents?”

Shen Mo’er burst out laughing. “And who would you swap with?”

She teased the brat: “You want to trade? Zhou Zhaodi can live with your family, and you go live with hers. What if her stepmom hits you?”

Maomao sighed. “I’m not really afraid of being hit. If she tries, I can run away—she can’t catch me anyway. But she swears all the time, and I really can’t stand that.”

—

“Comrade Shen Mo’er!”

Fu Mingze came from the other end of the path. When he got close enough to be within arm’s reach, he stopped and glanced down at her, then looked at Maomao who was staring at him curiously. “Zhou Zhaodi—did she get home?”

Shen Mo’er: “Mm, just dropped her off.”

Fu Mingze asked, “Did her stepmom give you any trouble?”

“We just dropped her at the gate and left. Her stepmom was in the yard yelling at her—calling her a burden, saying she was ungrateful, and making her wash clothes. Her stepmom is super mean. Her dad doesn’t help her at all. Where there’s a stepmom, there’s a stepdad!” Maomao jumped in and started rattling off.

Fu Mingze gave the child a glance. “Alright, then we’ll take you home now.”

But Maomao rolled her eyes and huffed, “You two just want to be a couple. I’m not tagging along!” And with that, she took off running toward her own house.

The little rascal ran around the village chasing chickens and scaring dogs all the time—he didn’t need an escort home anyway.

Fu Mingze was silent for a second, then chuckled under his breath.

Smart little brat.

Shen Mo’er shot him a side-eye but didn’t say anything. She turned and started walking ahead.

They were still in the village, so Fu Mingze didn’t rush after her. He followed at a leisurely pace, watching her back from afar—his target, no, his future target.

When Shen Mo’er got near the brigade office, Fu Mingze finally sped up and caught up to her. He entered the courtyard with her and, without waiting for her to act, automatically nudged a rock with his foot to hold the door open.

Shen Mo’er saw this and couldn’t help laughing.

Seeing her laugh, Fu Mingze let out a quiet breath of relief and said, “I’ll go boil some water first. Once it’s ready, I’ll kill the chicken.”

No wonder he came so early—he was planning to help out.

Shen Mo’er didn’t say anything to stop him. She had already decided to be in a relationship with him. If they were going to be together, he should help with chores too. Same would go after they got married—they’d need to split the work.

While Fu Mingze went to get water, Shen Mo’er went inside to fetch some dried wild mushrooms. Then she thought for a bit and added some angelica root and codonopsis. She cut a piece of clean linen and bundled them all with spices into a little sachet tied with thread.

Fu Mingze quickly returned, poured the water into a pot, covered it, and then crouched behind the stove to light the fire.

His fire-starting skills looked a little clumsy. Shen Mo’er asked curiously, “Didn’t you take turns cooking at the educated youth camp?”

Fu Mingze glanced at her. “People who can’t cook chop wood and carry water.”

Got it—Comrade Fu must’ve been in the chopping wood group.

Though inexperienced at lighting the fire, Fu Mingze was good at keeping it going. The flames soon roared, and steam rose from the pot. Shen Mo’er placed the mushrooms in a bowl and ladled some boiling water from the pot to soak them.

Fu Mingze pulled the wood out of the stove and buried it in the ash to smother the flames, then said, “I’ll go kill the chicken.”

Shen Mo’er looked at him. “Do you know how?”

Fu Mingze hesitated a moment. “I haven’t done it before, but I asked someone.”

Shen Mo’er laughed. “Who’d you ask?”

Fu Mingze: “Aunt Cai. She said… just be quick and clean—slice the neck in one motion.”

Shen Mo’er: “…I better do it.”

Although she hadn’t killed many domestic chickens before, she had plenty of experience with wild ones—and rabbits too. Her hands were steady, and her cuts precise. As Fu Mingze said, quick and clean—one slice and the chicken was done.

She tossed the dead chicken into a basin of hot water. After soaking, the feathers were easy to pluck. The two of them sat across from each other on low stools and began working.

The basin wasn’t big, so their seats were close. When Shen Mo’er shifted slightly, her knee bumped his. She immediately felt awkward and moved again—only to bump his other knee.

“…”

This guy’s legs were way too long. He took up too much space.

Just as she looked up to adjust her stool, Fu Mingze also looked up—and they bumped heads.

His warm breath brushed her face, slightly tickling. Shen Mo’er suddenly felt her breathing grow uneven, her heartbeat quickening. Instinctively, she leaned back and stood up.

At the same time, a damp hand caught her wrist.

His callused fingertips unconsciously stroked her skin. Shen Mo’er’s face flushed instantly. She turned and glared at him. “What are you doing?”

Fu Mingze didn’t let go. His deep black eyes locked onto hers. After a moment, he asked, “Did you talk to your dad?”

Shen Mo’er: “What if I did? What if I didn’t? Let go first!”

Fu Mingze: “No.”

He stubbornly said, “If you already told him, then you’re my girlfriend. If not, I’ll tell Uncle Shen myself later.”

Shen Mo’er nearly laughed from anger. “Why are you being so shameless?”

“Mhm,” Fu Mingze nodded seriously. “Isn’t a little shamelessness normal when pursuing someone?”

You sound proud of it.

Shen Mo’er stared at him for a few seconds. She thought, This guy already looks so good with his usual cold face. Why does he look even better being cheeky like this?

How was she supposed to argue now?

“…Fine, I told him already.”

She said helplessly.

And just like that, Fu Mingze suddenly stood up. The light dimmed for a second—and he leaned down and gently kissed her cheek.