Chapter 2: Buying a Store

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Jiang Banyue took the bus back to Chuan’an County, planning to buy a store, make a few simple renovations, and turn it into a home for herself and the babies. After checking, she saw that there was a total of 15,000 yuan in the bankbook Shen Yunhe had given her.

As she walked through the streets of the county, she asked about store prices. A shop of less than 80 square meters would cost over 18,000 yuan. She had around 600 yuan of her own, and with the 15,000 yuan from Shen Yunhe, the money in her hands was still not enough to buy a place.

She could go home and ask her parents for a loan, but… no, she wasn’t close to the original wife’s parents. How could she ask for money right when they met? Jiang Banyue hesitated, not knowing what to do.

Just then, a middle-aged woman walked up to her and asked,

“Miss, are you looking to buy a shop?”

“Yes!” Jiang Banyue said, running a hand through her hair in frustration.

“The shops are too expensive. I can’t afford them.”

The woman said,

“Miss, I have a shop available, just on this street. If you’re interested, I can sell it to you for 5,000 yuan.”

Jiang Banyue eyed her suspiciously. “Your shop is that cheap? There’s nothing wrong with it, is there?”

The woman let out a sigh. “If there’s a problem, it’s not a big one. When I built the house, I wanted to make it a little taller, but it turned out to be too high. The building is 8 meters tall and only about 60 square meters. My family didn’t want to live there, and shop owners didn’t want to buy it, so it’s just been left empty.”

Jiang Banyue’s eyes lit up. A taller building was a good thing—she could divide it into two levels during the renovation. The top would be for living, and the bottom could be the shop.

“Is the house really only 5,000 yuan? You won’t charge me extra, will you?”

“No, no!”

The middle-aged woman exclaimed with joy, thinking that it was a useless, run-down house that she could sell for 5,000 yuan. She felt like she had made a big profit.

Jiang Banyue also smiled brightly, her eyes curving with happiness.

“Ma’am, take me to see the house. If it’s suitable, I’ll take it!”

“Okay, follow me!”

The woman led Jiang Banyue to the entrance of the house. The area was filled with two-story buildings, and this house didn’t look much different from the others. When they opened the door, the inside was empty, about 60 square meters, with a pile of junk in the corner. Looking up, the ceiling was high, as though standing at the bottom of a well.

The woman awkwardly said, “I’ll clean up all the junk later.”

Jiang Banyue was quite satisfied with the house. She handed over the money and took care of the transfer procedures. The woman happily took her 5,000 yuan and went home. Jiang Banyue then went back to the shop and changed the locks.

She decided to go home for a visit first. She needed to tell her family about the divorce. Jiang Banyue’s parents worked at the factory and lived in a cramped dormitory. Jiang Banyue was the second child in her family.

She had an older brother named Jiang Chenggong, 25 years old, who also worked at the factory. His wife, Li Mei, was the daughter-in-law of the family, and they had a son and a daughter. They lived in the factory’s allocated housing.

Jiang Banyue had a pair of younger siblings: a fraternal twin brother, Jiang Qingfeng, and a twin sister, Jiang Qingyue, both 18 years old and currently in university.

Jiang Banyue had just turned 20. After finishing high school at 18, she didn’t get into college. While her family was worried about finding her a job, Jiang Banyue’s grandfather had arranged a marriage for her.

It turned out that Shen Yunhe’s grandfather and Jiang Banyue’s grandfather were old war comrades. When the two elders attended a veterans’ reunion, they shared about their families’ situations.

Shen Yunhe, already 25, was still unmarried. His peers, many of whom were already parents, made his family anxious and unable to enjoy their meals.

Jiang Banyue’s grandfather was also worried. His eldest granddaughter hadn’t passed the college entrance exam and was relying on others to help her find a job. When the two grandfathers chatted about their family’s situations, they exchanged a knowing glance. The marriage arrangement was made then and there.

Neither party voiced any objections, and they ended up getting married rather blindly. Now, just over a year later, they were divorced. Jiang Banyue could already imagine how her family would react.

She sighed, thinking to herself that whether she faced the situation head-on or avoided it, the outcome would be the same. Taking a deep breath, she walked quickly toward her family’s house.

As she climbed the stairs, a neighbor’s woman carrying a child walked past. Jiang Banyue stepped aside to avoid her. The narrow, run-down building creaked with every step, and the noise echoed through the whole building. Every conversation from one of the units could be heard.

When she reached her door, Jiang Banyue took a deep breath and knocked lightly.

“Coming!” Her mother’s voice called from inside. The door opened, and her mother exclaimed in surprise, “Oh, Banyue, you’re back!”

Jiang Banyue stepped inside, finding her grandfather and father at home. Her younger twin siblings were staying in the school dormitory.

Her grandfather, wearing reading glasses, was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper, while her father was on the balcony watering the plants. Both immediately set down what they were doing when they saw her return.

Her mother asked, “Banyue, why did you come back alone? Why didn’t Yunhe come with you?”

Jiang Banyue felt guilty and didn’t dare look them in the eye. Her parents and grandfather were waiting for an explanation, so she quickly said, “I got a divorce.”

Her mother stood up, shocked, and stared at her. Her father sat on the sofa with a serious expression, while her grandfather hadn’t quite understood. Seeing the reactions of her parents, he knew something was wrong.

“What? What did you just say? I didn’t hear you clearly. Say that again—what happened?”

“Grandpa, I’m sorry, I got a divorce from Shen Yunhe.”

The three elders exchanged glances, not knowing how to react. Her father asked solemnly, “Why did you get divorced?”

“Because I didn’t trust him. I suspected he was getting too close to other women. We fought and argued about it. He couldn’t take it, so we decided to divorce.”

Her grandfather looked at her in disappointment. “You’re being foolish. Yunhe is a responsible, good man. He would never do anything to hurt you. How could you divorce him so easily?”

Her mother, frustrated, retorted, “If Shen Yunhe were really a responsible man, why would he get so close to other women and make Banyue jealous? A married man should keep a distance from all other women. In the end, this is Shen Yunhe’s fault!”

Jiang Banyue couldn’t help but applaud her mother’s words. Her parents, though frustrated, accepted her decision. They reasoned that, in the worst-case scenario, she could find someone else—she was young and beautiful, after all, so she’d have no trouble remarrying.

Without giving her family any time to process the situation, Jiang Banyue dropped another bombshell.

“I’m pregnant… with triplets. I’m already one month along.”

“What?” Her grandfather, father, and mother were all stunned.

“Pregnant and you still got a divorce? Are you out of your mind?”

“No, this can’t be. You need to remarry. You can’t let the children be born without a father!”

Jiang Banyue hurriedly tried to reassure them, “Grandpa, Dad, Mom, listen to me. I bought a shop in the county town. I plan to open a cake shop. I’ll earn money and take good care of the babies.”

Her mother, still worried, advised, “How are you going to manage? You can’t even take care of three babies by yourself, let alone earn money.”

“I’ll hire a nanny!” Jiang Banyue replied confidently.