Chapter 17

This reminded her of their first time—their intimate night together. It was the night she had taken the place of the original Su Wan and shared a night of passion with Chen Yuan.

Her face flushed red, and Chen Yuan looked a little awkward too.

“Maybe… I should do it myself?” he offered.

Chen Yuan, who could face enemies without flinching, was now more nervous than ever—his heart pounding like thunder.

“It’s fine,” Su Wan replied.

Blushing, she waited until Chen Yuan finished urinating, then helped him pull his pants back up, straightened his clothes, and supported him back into the room.

This kind of awkwardness lasted until the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year. After a full medical examination, the doctors confirmed that Chen Yuan’s health was stable and he only needed to rest at home. On the 24th, he was transferred back to the Guangdong military base by ambulance.

They left at 6 in the morning and didn’t arrive until after 8 in the evening.

By the time they arrived, there were already people waiting at the base gate. The political commissar and the regiment commander were both present. As Su Wan helped Chen Yuan out of the vehicle, the two leaders shook hands with him, telling him to rest well—headquarters had already approved his leave.

“Oh, by the way, your families came to the base a few days ago. They’re inside right now, so we’ll leave you to enjoy a family reunion.”

After escorting Chen Yuan to the entrance, the others quietly left.

At the door, Su Wan saw two middle-aged women and a young man who looked somewhat like her, though with sharper features.

“Xiaomei (Little Sis),” the young man stepped forward and grabbed Su Wan’s hands, looking her up and down with concern. “Why have you gotten so thin?”

“Second Brother,” Su Wan greeted him.

According to the original Su Wan’s memories, this was her second brother, Su Jianguo. She then turned to the two middle-aged women behind him and said, “Mom, Mother-in-law.”

Both women responded, their attention quickly turning to Chen Yuan.

The shorter woman was Chen Yuan’s mother, Li Cuihua. At that moment, she was holding his hand and examining him from head to toe. Seeing the bandage on his head, her eyes filled with distress.

The taller woman was Su Wan’s mother, Zheng Aifang. She gently patted her in-law’s arm and said, “The son-in-law is okay now. Didn’t the senior leaders say he’ll be able to return to duty in the future? Don’t be too upset. Let the kids eat first—they’ve been on the road all day and must be starving.”

Li Cuihua nodded and wiped her tears, then looked at Su Wan with concern. “You’ve suffered too, Wanwan—you’re so thin now.”

“Mom, Auntie Chen, let’s go inside first. My brother-in-law still can’t stand for long. He needs to rest more,” Su Jianguo said.

The three of them helped Chen Yuan inside without giving him a chance to speak.

At that moment, Su Wan also wanted to know how her family had learned of Chen Yuan’s injury. But as soon as they stepped into the house, the aroma of food greeted them. The bubbling of stewing soup and the rich fragrance filled the air.

“You must be hungry. There’s chicken soup in the pot, and the vegetables are already chopped. Eat some chicken and have some soup to settle your stomach first.”

One mother cooked while the other ladled soup. Su Jianguo asked Chen Yuan a few questions. Seeing that he truly was fine, he finally relaxed.

“Second Brother, how did you all suddenly come here?” Su Wan asked.

“Well, you suddenly sent so much money back home and said you were running a small business. Mom and Auntie Chen were worried that you two were sending back all your money and keeping none for yourselves. Then, just before the New Year, our village installed a telephone. We called the base and found out your husband was injured and that you had gone to Ming Province.

“We wanted to get more details, but the base only said he had undergone brain surgery and was out of danger. They didn’t know much else because the leaders weren’t around.

“They told us you’d be hospitalized in Ming Province and wouldn’t return for around twenty days. Mom and Auntie Chen were worried and wanted to come here, so Big Brother and I waited at the ticket office and finally got tickets a few days ago. We didn’t want Mom and Auntie Chen traveling alone, so the family had me come with them.”

To rural folks, brain surgery sounded like something really serious.

Both families discussed and brought all the chickens they had at home—caught the ones they could, bought over twenty more in the village, and brought a total of forty chickens with them, wanting to help Chen Yuan recover.

They also brought over two hundred eggs. Together, the two families had gathered over seventy, then bought about a hundred more to bring along.

Chen Yuan was deeply moved.

He could understand his own family being this concerned, but seeing how worried his in-laws were as well—it really touched him.

In this era, chickens and eggs were rare commodities. Most families wouldn’t eat them casually; they’d usually be sold for money. But for the sake of his recovery, Su Wan’s family was willing to bring everything they could spare to nourish him.

“As long as you’re okay—that’s all that matters. When we heard the news, your mom cried her eyes out, and your dad sat by the village entrance smoking his pipe, frowning so hard he could kill a fly with his brows.”

Now that her son-in-law was fine, Zheng Aifang felt much more at ease. Her tone was visibly lighter.

“I’m sorry for worrying both you and Mom. The doctor said that with rest, I’ll fully recover and there won’t be any lasting effects,” Chen Yuan assured them.

“That’s good to hear. As long as you’re okay…”

Li Cuihua had already prepared three dishes and placed them on the table—two meat and one vegetable—all made specially to help Chen Yuan recover.

Su Wan called out to everyone, “Mom, Auntie, Second Brother—come eat too. You must’ve waited so long—you haven’t eaten yet, right?”

“That’s right. Your mom and Auntie Chen have been so worried they’ve barely eaten these past few days,” Su Jianguo replied.

Now that Chen Yuan was speaking clearly and eating well, both mothers finally relaxed and sat down to enjoy a proper meal.

After eating, they didn’t leave immediately. They let Chen Yuan rest and pulled Su Wan into the living room for a chat.

Su Jianguo spoke first.

“Little Sis, what kind of business were you doing to send 2,000 yuan back home in such a short time?”

“The other day, I invited Chen Yuan’s comrades and leaders from his unit to dinner. They all said my braised pork offal was delicious. I thought, since we’re in the era of reform and opening up, and there are a lot of street vendors in Guangdong, why not try selling some myself?

“I made some and brought it to sell—it sold out immediately. So I started doing it every day, trying to save up enough to start a clothing wholesale business in Guangzhou.”

The two mothers looked at each other in surprise. Su Jianguo, on the other hand, had eyes that practically lit up. “Really? Business is that good here in Guangdong?”

“Second Brother, making money depends on effort. And you also have to keep up with the reform and opening-up policies. I think this is a great opportunity. I’m not even 21 yet, and Chen Yuan’s only 23. With the one-child policy, we’re planning to wait a couple more years before having a baby. So I want to use this time to make more money and improve our family’s situation.”

Before Li Cuihua could say anything, Zheng Aifang grew anxious. “How can you be married and not have children? What will people say?”

“Mom, we’re not refusing to have kids. We’re just planning to wait a couple of years. Besides, Chen Yuan just had surgery and is on medication. It’s not suitable to try for a child right now.”