Chapter 76: Doesn’t My Wife Miss Me at All?

Shen Zhengrong had been following Zhou Yubai since he was a child, in his heart, Zhou Yubai was his second older brother.

Now his older brother suddenly called him brother, although he wasn’t used to it, it didn’t prevent him from feeling a sense of elation.

He scratched the back of his head, shook his head, and said, “No.”

After thinking for a while, he said, “If you want my little sister to call or write to you, try not sending her money.”

He knew his little sister best.

She was an ungrateful little thing. He had been in the army for so many years, and his little sister wouldn’t think of him unless she ran out of money.

Only when she ran out of money would she write to him.

Usually, when his little sister wrote to him asking for money, her words were as sweet as honey, a proper sugar-coated bullet.

Sometimes, he thought, although his little sister had many flaws, she also had many endearing qualities.

Otherwise, he and Second Brother wouldn’t have been so conflicted for so many years, resenting their father’s partiality towards their little sister, but also spoiling her, fulfilling her requests.

Zhou Yubai frowned slightly at Shen Zhengrong’s suggestion.

Before he returned to the army, he had agreed with his wife that he would send her money every month when he got paid.

If he didn’t send her money now, wouldn’t he be breaking his promise to his wife?

A man of integrity, without integrity, what kind of man is he?

He looked at Shen Zhengrong sternly, “Bad idea.”

Then, he strode away.

Shen Zhengrong stood there for a long time before reacting and shouted at Zhou Yubai’s back, “Hey, I’m your brother-in-law now, why are you talking to me like that?”

Zhou Yubai ignored Shen Zhengrong’s shout, but felt a little uncomfortable.

Whenever he had free time, his wife’s soft and delicate appearance would unconsciously appear in his mind.

Doesn’t my wife miss me at all?

Why is there no letter or phone call?

“Achoo, achoo!”

Shen Chuning sneezed twice as soon as she got up in the morning.

She rubbed her little nose, “Who’s thinking of me?”

While muttering, she hung the tofu she had prepared last night on her bicycle, took the fish from the bucket and put it in a woven bag, and tied the bag to her bicycle.

She also tied a shabby gray-blue bag on the crossbar of her bicycle, which her father had given her last night.

It contained self-defense weapons.

Bamboo tubes filled with pepper powder and chili powder, and a simple spiked club.

Shen Chuning rode her bicycle out.

The sky was still dawning.

Peng Kaiyuan lived in the commune staff dormitory next to the commune office.

The staff dormitory was similar to the commune office, a small courtyard with a row of tiled houses.

Commune staff who needed to live in the dormitory could apply.

But most of the people working in the commune lived in the commune or nearby villages and didn’t need to live in the dormitory.

So now only Peng Kaiyuan and Yin Linjiang lived in the commune staff dormitory.

When she arrived, Peng Kaiyuan was squatting under the eaves brushing his teeth with an enamel mug.

Seeing her, the old man quickly brushed and rinsed his mouth and greeted her, “Girl, why did you come to my place instead of going straight to the office?”

Shen Chuning took down the fish and tofu from her bicycle, “Teacher, I made tofu last night, and my second brother sent some fish. I’ll put them here first, and I’ll make crucian carp and tofu soup for you at noon.”

Hearing Shen Chuning’s words, Peng Kaiyuan laughed, “You girl, you brought me braised pork yesterday, and you’re going to make crucian carp and tofu soup for me today, you’re not going to fatten me up, are you!”

When Shen Chuning took the crucian carp and tofu into the old man’s house, she understood why her second brother had specifically asked her second sister-in-law to remind her to take care of the elderly’s life.

Although the old man’s house was clean and tidy, the bedding on the bed was not only completely faded, but the cotton threads were also sparse because they had been washed too many times.

Even through the sparse net-like quilt cover, the cotton inside was yellow and black, at least twenty years old.

How could such cotton batting be warm?

Looking at the clothes hanging on the clothes rack made of two bamboo poles in the old man’s room, except for the Zhongshan suit he wore to work every day, which had fewer patches.

The other clothes on the clothes rack, although clean, were patched upon patched.

He only had one sweater for winter, and the hole on the back had been patched.

She didn’t see many shoes in the old man’s room, only the pair of straw-sandaled shoes he was wearing, the soles and uppers were already worn.

It seemed that she had to make another pair for the teacher.

After her assessment this month, the busy autumn harvest and planting season would be almost over.

Then she could take some time to learn knitting sweaters and making shoe soles from Sister He Hui.

When she was thinking about how to eat well and dress herself beautifully, and living a muddled life, she didn’t feel that she was useless because she couldn’t do anything.

Now that she wanted to live a good life, she realized what it meant to “feel the lack of knowledge when you need it” and “many skills never hurt”.

Sure enough, debts had to be repaid, and wasted time needed to be made up.

After secretly remembering the things she needed to buy for the teacher, Shen Chuning went to the commune with the teacher.

In the following days, Shen Chuning went between her home and the commune, and her study time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the weekend.

Shen Chuning was already used to getting up early, and she got up early on the weekend too.

The commune supply and marketing cooperative had limited supplies, she planned to go to the city’s supply and marketing cooperative to buy everything she needed for the teacher.

If the city’s supply and marketing cooperative didn’t have everything, she would go to the black market.

Chen Tao was still capable, in his black market, as long as you were willing to pay, there was nothing you couldn’t buy.

“Comrade, you’re here again? What do you want to buy this time, let Big sister get it for you.” As soon as Shen Chuning entered the supply and marketing cooperative, the familiar saleswoman greeted her with a smile.

“I want to buy thirty chi of cloth, twelve jin of cotton, half a jin of pure wool yarn, a porcelain basin, and a thermos bottle.”

The saleswoman was surprised to hear her list, “Little comrade, didn’t you just get married? Why are you buying so many things?”

Shen Chuning smiled, “Didn’t the family split up? I saw that my parents’ cotton quilts were old, so I bought them for them.”

The saleswoman gave Shen Chuning a thumbs up, “Comrade, you’re not only beautiful, but also capable and filial, no wonder you found such an excellent man!”