Chapter 16: Deep Affection Fades, Only Scheming Wins Hearts

Su Lüyun was like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. “That’s natural.”

Wang Guifen was furious!

May this stubborn girl say the same when she has to clean up his mess later!

“Take a basin and pour the chicken and chicken soup into it; I’m going back!” She didn’t want to stay and watch this stubborn girl’s antics.

Su Lüyun, of course, couldn’t let her mother leave so quickly. She took a clean large bowl and poured out the chicken soup.

But there was quite a lot of chicken meat.

After cleaning the food container, she smiled and hooked her arm through her mother’s. “Mom, don’t be angry. I know you’re worried about me.”

Wang Guifen scoffed: “If you want to suffer, I won’t feel bad for you. I’m busy too; I don’t have time to deal with your affairs!”

“My mom has always been sharp-tongued but soft-hearted; I know that,” Su Lüyun said, coaxing her mother with a smile, while also changing the subject.

She wanted to make a few new outfits for Zhou Changdong.

She had already sorted through the package his comrade had sent back. This man was truly hard on himself.

His socks were so worn that his toes were almost exposed; four of his five toes were peeking out, and the last one was about to!

Not just socks, his underwear also had several holes!

Goodness, she was stunned when she saw them yesterday while sorting; his “eggs” must have been chilling in the breeze!

How could anyone wear underwear like that and not change it?!

His intimate apparel was like this, and his outer clothes weren’t much better, pitifully few. Counting the set he was wearing, he only had one spare change.

Two sets each for winter and summer, and that was it.

Oh, he also had a padded jacket for winter, but that jacket was already stiff. She knew from touching it that he had worn it for many years; it definitely wasn’t very warm!

He probably relied entirely on that military overcoat to get through winter. Only that overcoat was decent; everything else was unusable.

But how much money was in the bankbook he left with her when he went away?

That bankbook had a full two thousand eight hundred yuan!

Zhou Changdong graduated from high school and joined the army at seventeen. When he returned at twenty-four to get married, he was already a company commander.

He couldn’t save much money when he was a regular soldier, but after he was promoted, he started to accumulate savings.

And to be able to save two thousand eight hundred yuan as “wife money” in just a few years, besides his salary, he must have received mission bonuses. But it also shows that this man was truly a saving pro!

However, from the clothes in his package, it was also evident that it wasn’t too surprising he could save so much money.

Because this man was truly too diligent and frugal.

Su Lüyun never thought frugality was bad. “Success comes from diligence, failure from extravagance”—that’s a famous saying passed down through the ages!

Being able to make money is indeed a skill, but being able to keep it is the true skill!

Now that Zhou Changdong was back, Su Lüyun, of course, wanted to make him more clothes.

And her mother had always taken on sewing jobs; this was a legitimate business.

Especially after the “spring breeze policy” (economic reforms) came down, she even set up a small tailor shop at home, specifically taking orders from neighbors.

Her mother had learned tailoring from her grandmother, and the clothes she made were not only high quality but also stylish, very famous in their area.

So, having her mother make clothes for Zhou Changdong was, of course, the most suitable option.

“What’s the point of making clothes for Changdong now? He can’t even wear them!” Wang Guifen, after hearing her daughter rambling about how frugal her son-in-law was, also knew he was irreproachable, but she said impatiently.

“How can he not wear them? Once they’re made, he can wear them! I’ll dress him! I have the fabric coupons and money for the clothes, Mom; you just make them for Changdong.” Su Lüyun said, then went to get the money and coupons.

She had exchanged for the fabric coupons, originally planning to buy fabric to make herself new clothes.

But Su Lüyun had checked; there were actually a lot of clothes in the closet. While she didn’t mind making two more sets for herself, wasn’t Zhou Changdong in greater need?

She would make clothes for Zhou Changdong first; she could make her own later when she had more fabric coupons.

When the money and coupons were thrust into her hand, Wang Guifen felt a pang in her heart!

She knew the fabric coupons were originally for her daughter to make clothes for herself, but her vain daughter was willing to give them to her son-in-law!

She realized this girl was truly devoted to her son-in-law!

However, Wang Guifen didn’t say anything to her face, because her daughter had that kind of personality: the more you tried to stop her, the more determined she became!

So, she proceeded to measure her son-in-law’s height and waist.

“My Changdong’s figure is impeccable, wouldn’t you say?” Su Lüyun said with a smile.

Wang Guifen gave her a sidelong glance.

But she had to admit, this son-in-law was truly unusually tall and imposing, it was just a pity he ended up like this!

Wang Guifen quickly finished measuring: “Alright, I’ve got the measurements. I’ll send them over when they’re done. Give me Changdong’s old padded jacket too; I’ll take it back and redo it for him.”

“Thank you, Mom,” Su Lüyun went to get it.

Wang Guifen packed up the items and didn’t plan to stay any longer.

“Mom, you don’t need to worry about me here; I can manage. You’re very busy too,” Su Lüyun said as she saw her mother out.

Wang Guifen was indeed busy and truly had no time to linger.

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After seeing her mother out, Su Lüyun went inside to coax Zhou Changdong. “Soon you’ll have new clothes to wear! Even if you’re in a coma, I’ll still dress you up handsomely and eye-catching.”

Zhou Changdong said nothing, but the colors on his forehead changed continuously.

Sometimes it was gloomy gray, other times pink bubbles. Since his mother-in-law spoke those words this morning, his emotional state had fluctuated between these two colors.

Clever as Su Lüyun was, she could, of course, read his mood.

The gloomy gray represented his guilt, his shame for not being able to wake up and give her hope.

The pink bubbles represented joy, the dependence and attachment arising from her deep, unwavering love and steadfast devotion to stay and care for him, along with intense affection and love.

So, his current mood was quite mixed.

Su Lüyun secretly chuckled to herself.

She didn’t feel at all that staging these theatrics was excessive.

It was just making him feel a little guilty; it wouldn’t kill him.

Besides, “Since ancient times, deep affection doesn’t last, only scheming wins hearts!”

One simply couldn’t be too honest!

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Meanwhile, Wang Guifen.

After leaving her daughter’s house, she saw some neighbors outside. Without a second thought, she opened the packed parcel and showed it to them.

She also said, “Yunyun asked me to make Changdong a few new clothes, saying he doesn’t take care of himself and doesn’t have many clothes to change into. And this padded jacket too, the cotton inside has hardened. She asked me to take it back and replace it with new cotton.”

She wanted to make sure they didn’t think she was there to loot her son-in-law’s house!

The neighbors, of course, quickly expressed that Changdong’s wife truly knew how to care for her man.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Guifen went to find her niece, Zhao Yuzhu, again.

Zhao Yuzhu smiled, “Aunt, did you come to see cousin?”

“Yes, where’s the child?” Wang Guifen pulled out a few milk candies and said, “I brought a few milk candies for my grand-nephew.”

“He went to kindergarten,” Zhao Yuzhu said with a smile.

“He’s still so young, and you have free time, why send him to kindergarten?” Wang Guifen told her to take the candies and save them for the child.

“I’m pregnant again, so I’m a bit overwhelmed with care,” Zhao Yuzhu replied.

“Pregnant again? When did that happen?” Wang Guifen was a little envious.

“Mhm, I just found out recently,” Zhao Yuzhu touched her belly, a hint of pride in her eyes.

“You two sisters got married around the same time, but you already have two children, while your cousin still has no prospect.”

“That’s true, but I’m different from cousin. Brother-in-law hasn’t been back for three years; that can’t be blamed on cousin.”

After a few sentences of family gossip, Wang Guifen got to the point: “Yuzhu, you and your cousin grew up together; you really need to advise your cousin!”