Chapter 36: New Clothes Spark a New Wave of Jealousy

“He has to give his money to the family?”

Chen Mingchuan laughed in anger: “Mom, you’re thinking too much!”

“If you want me to give you all my money, I can do that!”

“But first, you calculate how much my brothers have given you over the years!”

“When they’ve given you as much as I have, then come ask me for money!”

With that, Chen Mingchuan turned and left.

In the woodshed, Li Xinyue heard every word between the mother and son.

She looked at the new clothes in her bag for her son, considering whether to let him wear them in the next few days.

If she let him wear them, she worried they wouldn’t be able to keep them once they were seen!

Just then, Chen Mingchuan returned.

“Don’t stay in this woodshed.”

Li Xinyue looked back at Chen Mingchuan: “If we didn’t have to, it’s better not to live together, don’t force yourself.”

Chen Mingchuan’s face was grim, his brows furrowed tightly.

“Since you’re coming with me to the army, we’ll have to live together eventually.”

“In the army, unless there’s a mission, couples aren’t allowed to live apart.”

“A harmonious family is a basic requirement for soldiers.”

Does the army manage that much?

But she couldn’t verify it now!

It wasn’t that Li Xinyue was being fussy by making this request, she was just afraid that Chen Mingchuan would misunderstand her as someone who was taking advantage of the situation!

Since he said so, then they would move!

It’s just living in the same room!

It’s not like they have to sleep in the same bed!

Anyway, this woodshed wasn’t a good place!

It leaked everywhere, not to mention the mosquitoes at night were so numerous they would bump into your eyes.

If it wasn’t for a tattered mosquito net, there would be no way to sleep at night.

Li Xinyue went to pack her things, while Chen Mingchuan took the two bags he had just put down and went to the main room.

Liu Xiulan’s face was swollen, and she hadn’t gone to work for the past two days.

“Mom, we need to hurry, otherwise the third son’s money will all be spent by her!”

Mrs. Chen was furious: “Yes, let the fourth son’s wife go back soon, since she’s back, the opportunity has come.”

Liu Xiulan’s eyes gleamed with malice: “That’s right, even tigers have their moments of drowsiness, there will be opportunities!”

Li Xinyue didn’t know about the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law’s conspiracy.

After she packed her things and moved them to the room where Chen Lifang slept, she noticed a new mosquito net hanging on the bed…

“Where did you get the cloth coupons?”

“Black market exchange.”

This guy dares to go to the black market?

He’s an officer!

Although things have opened up a lot in big cities these past two years, those people shouldn’t be so bold as to exchange with him, right?

Li Xinyue twitched her lips: “You’re in military uniform, would anyone dare to trade with you?”

“I asked a comrade to exchange it for me.”

“The year I joined the army, there was a big recruitment drive, and there were eighty-eight people from my county who were new recruits with me.”

“At that time, we new recruits were all together for three months.”

“After new recruit training, forty-seven of them were assigned to the same division as me, and seventeen of them were assigned to the division headquarters like me.”

“However, of the eighty-eight people, only thirteen are still in the army now.”

So, he has so many comrades!

Okay, comradely love surpasses everything!

The three ironclad things in life: fighting together, sharing loot together, and whoring together.

Comradeship is the first ironclad thing!

After hanging up the new mosquito net, Chen Mingchuan went to move the old bed and mosquito net from the woodshed and placed them in the front room.

Li Xinyue sighed in relief: Okay, this is considered separate living!

“Are you tired? Rest for a while, I’ll take care of the rest.”

Seeing Li Xinyue start wiping the table and windows, Chen Mingchuan immediately walked in.

“I’m fine, not that tired.”

Not tired?

He didn’t even have any energy in the car.

Chen Mingchuan took the rag from Li Xinyue’s hand: “Let me do it, you try those two new outfits on Yiyi.”

“If it’s too big, there’s a tailor in the third team. You can ask him to alter it.”

Chen Yiheng was playing with the little knives and swords his father bought him. Although they were made of wood, he loved them.

But as soon as he heard about new clothes, his big eyes lit up like stars in the sky: “Mom, do I have new clothes?”

Li Xinyue nodded, holding him on the table beside her, then took a towel and washed it in a bucket of water…

“Come, wash your hands, face, and feet. We’ll try on the new clothes later!”

“Great! Thank you Mom, thank you Dad, I have new clothes, I have new clothes!”

Chen Yiheng was so happy he jumped up and down. This was the first time in his life he had new clothes, he was so happy!

The clothes fit pretty well, just the sleeves were a bit long.

“Mom will go to my aunt’s house later to borrow a needle and thread to shorten them for you. We’ll wash them tomorrow, and we’ll wear new clothes when we go to the army with Dad.”

“I’m worried someone will steal them if I hang them out to dry!”

Chen Yiheng was a good boy.

Now that he had good food, good toys, and new clothes, he was even better!

“Mom, when I grow up, I’ll earn money to buy you new clothes!”

“Buy you lots and lots of new clothes, so you can wear new clothes every day! Whoever steals them, I’ll beat them up!”

What a sweet son!

Li Xinyue couldn’t help but kiss him: “Okay! Mom is waiting, waiting for my baby son to buy me new clothes!”

Chen Mingchuan was a little jealous.

“Yiheng, Dad bought the new clothes, aren’t you going to buy Dad new clothes in the future?”

Huh?

Chen Yiheng’s eyes widened…

“Yiheng, your dad bought the new clothes, and the new shoes too!”

Chen Yiheng nodded vigorously: “Dad, I’ll buy you new clothes too, so you can wear new clothes every day, just like Mom!”

Wear new clothes every day?

He’s not a spendthrift!

“I don’t need to wear new clothes every day, but I’m happy that you’re filial.”

“When I’m old, you can take care of me.”

“Okay! I’ll take care of Mom too!”

I take care of you when you’re young, you take care of me when I’m old, this is a Chinese tradition!

Although Li Xinyue knew that she wouldn’t need to rely on her son to support her in the future, she loved that he was filial and would accompany her.

“Okay, Mom remembers that! Then you have to study hard in the future, or you won’t be able to earn money.”

“If you don’t earn money, you won’t be able to take care of Dad and Mom!”

Is that so?

Chen Yiheng wanted to study most of all: “Mom, I’ll study hard, I’ll study the best books!”

Study the best books… Li Xinyue’s teeth ached: What does it mean to study the best books?

However, her son needed to be praised!

“Yes, Mom believes you, believes that my Yiheng will be a top student in the future, always getting first place in exams!”

Chen Mingchuan: “…”

Always getting first place in exams, his son is under a lot of pressure!

The family of three was happily together. If anyone saw them, they wouldn’t believe this was a couple who were ‘only superficially harmonious’…

After tidying up, the Chen family returned from work at noon.

Chen Mingzhong and his wife saw Chen Mingchuan and immediately ran over to greet him: “Third brother, how is your sister-in-law?”

“She’s much better, thanks for your concern, Second brother and Second sister-in-law.”

“But after all, she had a high fever, she still doesn’t have much strength, she needs to rest for a few more days.”

That’s right.

This lung disease is no small matter.

Chen Mingzhong nodded: “I’ll go talk to the captain this afternoon, and ask for a few more days off for your sister-in-law.”

“Please, please, please, take a day off every day, what will you eat?”

“Chuanzi, why are we country people so delicate?”

“Let her go to work tomorrow, or she won’t eat!”

As soon as these words were spoken, Mrs. Chen bombarded them with a string of complaints…