Chapter 014

Once life falls into a routine, full adjustment isn’t far off.

As the new week began, Zhenzhen’s daily life remained centered around cooking and studying.

When she got tired of studying, she would take a break to stretch her legs—sweeping the floor or spending a few minutes playing with Dabai.

Two days later, Old Zhou’s wife arrived.

Just as a jeep pulled up in front of the house diagonally across from hers, Zhenzhen had just finished lunch and stepped out to enjoy some sun.

She sat on a stool and looked across the way, where a young driver got out of the car and opened the other doors. A woman and four young boys stepped down.

The boys ranged in age, the oldest looking about fourteen or fifteen, and the youngest around six or seven.

The driver unloaded several large parcels from the jeep. He carried one inside first, the woman followed with another, and the children carried the rest.

As Zhenzhen was watching this scene, Li Shuang returned from work.

She held He Ziran by the hand and greeted Zhenzhen, asking, “What are you watching?”

Zhenzhen stood and gestured across the road. “Looks like Old Zhou’s wife has arrived.”

Li Shuang glanced in the direction Zhenzhen pointed and saw a woman stepping out of the house.

The woman was dusty and disheveled, with a broad face and a barrel waist. She had a rather stern expression—and bore a striking resemblance to Old Zhou.

Zhenzhen asked, “Should we go over and say hello?”

Li Shuang pulled her gaze back and replied, “I’m not going. If you want to, go ahead.”

Then she turned to head home, but halfway there, she remembered something and came back. “Oh right, we told the tailor shop to rush your clothes a bit. They should be ready—you can probably go pick them up now.”

Zhenzhen had almost forgotten about that. “Oh, okay. I’ll find time to go.”

Li Shuang asked, “Do you remember the way?”

Zhenzhen thought for a moment. “I think so.”

Li Shuang said, “If you can’t find it, ask Shi Huaiming to go with you.”

With that, she called over He Ziran, who had run off to play with Dabai, and went home.

Zhenzhen still wasn’t sure if that woman really was Old Zhou’s wife, so she didn’t rush over to say hello.

She stood there hesitating for a moment before picking up her stool and book and heading back inside.

Once inside, she recited the multiplication table again. Just then, Shi Huaiming came back.

The two of them washed their hands, grabbed their bowls and chopsticks, and sat down to eat.

Zhenzhen asked, “Was that Old Zhou’s wife who just arrived across the street?”

Shi Huaiming looked up at her. “You saw them?”

Zhenzhen nodded. “They just got here.”

Shi Huaiming thought for a second. “Probably. Want to go over and introduce yourself?”

Zhenzhen nodded eagerly. “Yes—I don’t know many people here.”

Shi Huaiming replied, “I’ll take you over after lunch.”

Zhenzhen smiled. “Okay.”

After a few bites, she remembered the clothes at the tailor shop. “Sister-in-law Li Shuang said the clothes I ordered are probably ready. She told me to pick them up.”

Shi Huaiming said, “I’ll go get them for you when I have time.”

With nothing more to say, Zhenzhen lowered her head and quietly continued eating.

After lunch, she went with Shi Huaiming to Old Zhou’s house.

The front door was ajar, but Shi Huaiming still knocked on the doorframe twice.

Old Zhou came and opened the door fully. “Come in, come in,” he said with a smile.

Seeing that Shi Huaiming was carrying something, he added, “You didn’t need to bring anything!”

Shi Huaiming stepped inside and handed the items over to Old Zhou.

Zhenzhen followed him in and saw that the room was cluttered with all sorts of things.

Old Zhou’s wife had brought nearly everything from the countryside—besides clothes and shoes, there were bowls and chopsticks, a sieve, sewing supplies, vegetable seeds, melon seedlings…

There was so much stuff that Zhenzhen only glanced around briefly.

Old Zhou wanted them to sit, but there really wasn’t a decent place to do so.

Of course, Zhenzhen and Shi Huaiming hadn’t planned to stay long anyway, so they remained standing.

Old Zhou called out to his wife and kids.

When they came in, he introduced them with a grin: “This is my wife, Wu Dafeng. These are my four boys—Da Wa, Er Wa, San Wa, and Si Wa. Easy to remember!”

Zhenzhen quickly greeted them: “Nice to meet you, sister-in-law. Hello Da Wa, Er Wa, San Wa, Si Wa.”

The four boys chorused politely, “Hello, Uncle! Hello, Auntie!”

Old Zhou chuckled and turned to introduce Shi Huaiming. “This is my good comrade, Shi Huaiming…”

Before he could finish, Wu Dafeng jumped in loudly, “Oh wow! You really look the part—just like those battle heroes in the movies!”

Then she looked at Zhenzhen. “Is this your younger sister?”

“…”

Old Zhou was speechless and gave her a disapproving click of the tongue, but Wu Dafeng ignored him.

Shi Huaiming had to explain, “This is my wife, Lin Zhenzhen.”

“Your wife?” Wu Dafeng’s eyes widened. “Seriously? No way! She doesn’t look like she’s been married at all!”

She looked more like a young girl than someone who had been married for years.

Zhenzhen smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, I am his wife. My name is Lin Zhenzhen.”

Wu Dafeng looked from Zhenzhen to Shi Huaiming and then laughed. “Well, I have to admit—you make a good-looking pair.”

Zhenzhen and Shi Huaiming didn’t stay long. The house was too messy, and even standing room was limited. Plus, they had other things to take care of, so after a few pleasantries, they said goodbye and returned home.

Back home, they entered the room and sat down.

Without hesitation, Shi Huaiming said directly, “Alright, time to focus again.”

Zhenzhen was already somewhat used to this. She nodded, took a deep breath, and adjusted her mindset, slipping back into study mode.

Following the textbook, Shi Huaiming continued teaching her the remaining letters.

Once she had a solid grasp of pinyin, learning Chinese characters would become much easier.

For characters she couldn’t remember, he marked them with pinyin. Copying them repeatedly helped to reinforce her memory.

This kind of memorization was rote learning—there weren’t really any shortcuts.

Now that she had a good foundation, Shi Huaiming was also able to teach new material more efficiently.

After covering that day’s lesson, he stood up and said, “Same routine—read it a few times, then copy it until you can write it from memory. You keep studying here, I’ll go pick up your clothes from the tailor.”

“Okay.” Zhenzhen watched him leave the room, then turned her focus back to reading aloud: “zh… ch… sh…”

…

Shi Huaiming rode his bicycle to the tailor shop.

By the time he brought the clothes back home, it was nearly time for class.

He handed the clothes to Zhenzhen, took a sip of water from his cup, and then left again.

After hearing the door open and close behind him, Zhenzhen refocused on her studies.

But with the new clothes freshly delivered, her willpower wavered. As she studied, her gaze kept drifting toward them—she really wanted to see how they looked.

She kept getting distracted, unable to concentrate.

After a moment of hesitation, she put down her pencil, picked up the clothes, and went to her room.

She closed the door behind her, took off what she was wearing, and tried on the new spring-autumn outfit. Then she stood in front of the mirror.

The fabric and style Li Shuang had picked for her looked really nice—stylish yet not flashy, and they suited her perfectly.

After trying on the long-sleeved top and pants, she changed into the blue floral dress.

It was the first time she had seen herself in a dress.

The dress cinched tightly at the waist, emphasizing her slim figure.

With a full chest and a narrow waist, even she felt a bit embarrassed looking at herself in the mirror.

If she wore something like this in the countryside, people would definitely whisper and point fingers.

Still, the dress was undeniably fashionable and beautiful.

Satisfied after trying everything on, Zhenzhen carefully folded the dress and pants and put them in the wardrobe.

With the curiosity satisfied, she felt more at ease. She returned to Shi Huaiming’s room, sat down, and resumed studying.

She studied until evening, then cooked and waited for Shi Huaiming to return for dinner.

Just as she was reviewing the multiplication tables, a knock sounded at the front door.

Zhenzhen thought it was Li Shuang, so she opened the door and was about to greet her. But standing outside wasn’t Li Shuang—it was Old Zhou’s wife, Wu Dafeng. Zhenzhen paused in surprise.

Wu Dafeng looked at her and asked, “Don’t recognize me?”

“No, I do,” Zhenzhen quickly replied with a smile. “I just thought it was the neighbor, so I didn’t react in time.”

Wu Dafeng said, “City life is such a hassle—you even have to knock just to visit someone. Back in the countryside, we don’t even lock our doors at night.”

Zhenzhen smiled and quickly invited her inside.

But Wu Dafeng didn’t come in. She said, “I just finished tidying up the house and finally found a bit of time to come see you. I brought you some fermented soybeans—homemade back home. They’re delicious.”

As she spoke, she lifted the bowl in her hands and handed it to Zhenzhen.

Zhenzhen politely said, “You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

Wu Dafeng replied straightforwardly, “What trouble? This is just how it is in the countryside. Everyone shares food. I heard you’re from the countryside too—isn’t it the same where you’re from?”

It was true—it was the same.

So Zhenzhen stopped refusing and took the bowl, planning to transfer the contents into one of her own bowls.

Before she could turn around, she saw Li Shuang returning.

As she passed by, Li Shuang greeted her. Zhenzhen introduced the two: “Sister-in-law Li Shuang, this is Sister-in-law Wu Dafeng. She just arrived this afternoon.”

Li Shuang smiled at Wu Dafeng. “Nice to meet you, Sister-in-law Wu.”

Wu Dafeng looked Li Shuang over and asked, “You’re also the wife of one of Old Zhou’s comrades?”

Li Shuang smiled. “Yes, my husband is He Shuo. He and Old Zhou are very close.”

Wu Dafeng, never one to be shy, asked directly, “We made this soybean paste ourselves—want some? I can bring you a bit.”

Li Shuang glanced at the bowl in Zhenzhen’s hands, smiled, and said, “No need, but thank you. That’s very kind.”

With that, she didn’t linger. She said goodbye to Zhenzhen, “You two go ahead. I’m heading home.”

Watching her leave, Wu Dafeng turned her attention back to Zhenzhen.

Zhenzhen explained, “Sister-in-law Li Shuang is from the city. Her husband is too. They’re both locals from Xicheng.”

Wu Dafeng snorted and rolled her eyes. “Big deal.”

Zhenzhen smiled and said, “They’re good people.”

The conversation wrapped up there. Zhenzhen went back inside, transferred the soybeans to her own bowl, and returned the dish to Wu Dafeng.

Wu Dafeng took the bowl and warmly added, “I liked you from the moment I saw you. I think we’ll get along. I’ll come by and hang out sometime, okay?”

Zhenzhen nodded. “Sure, Sister-in-law.”

Wu Dafeng left with the empty bowl, and Zhenzhen closed the door behind her.

She sat back down at the table, but had only written a few lines when Shi Huaiming returned.

She put down her pen and went outside to eat.

As they sat for dinner, Zhenzhen told him, “These soybeans were from Sister-in-law Dafeng.”

Shi Huaiming listened and reached for a bite.

–

At the table next door—

He Shuo took a sip of porridge and said to Li Shuang, “Huaiming and Xiaomianhua went over to Old Zhou’s at noon. She met his wife. Should we bring something over and visit too?”

Li Shuang didn’t even lift her eyelids. “I don’t want to go.”

He Shuo: “What’s the matter with you?”

Li Shuang: “I just don’t want to go. What’s the point of getting to know so many people? I’m not that bored.”

If it weren’t for her previous thought of playing matchmaker between Awen and Shi Huaiming, she honestly wouldn’t have any interest in Huaiming’s wife either.

He Shuo: “But Old Zhou is my comrade, my brother.”

Li Shuang: “He’s your brother, not mine. I don’t care. As for Old Zhou’s wife—just one look at her face and I knew I didn’t like her.”

He Shuo: “Didn’t you also say you didn’t think much of Xiaomianhua at first? But now you two get along just fine.”

Li Shuang: “When I said Xiaomianhua wasn’t much, I meant she wasn’t a good match for Shi Huaiming. Standing next to him, they don’t look like husband and wife—more like siblings, like she’s just a kid. But I never said I disliked her. And the reason I get along with her is because I choose to, not because we naturally click.”

He Shuo: “So you’re just choosing not to get along with Old Zhou’s wife.”

Li Shuang: “Exactly. I don’t want to. I’m not interested. Total waste of time.”

He Shuo: “Come on, dear wife, my beautiful wife, just give me a little face—just go say hello, that’s all.”

Li Shuang: “…”

–

After dinner, Li Shuang took He Ziran and went with He Shuo to visit Old Zhou’s place.

He Shuo knocked on the door. From inside, Wu Dafeng shouted in her loud voice, “Who is it? The door’s not locked, just come in!”

He Shuo turned back and glanced at Li Shuang before pushing the door open and entering.

Old Zhou came out to greet them when he saw who it was, smiling and warmly inviting them, “Come in, have a seat.”

There were many people in the Zhou household, so there were plenty of stools around the table. But Li Shuang just smiled politely and declined, not sitting down.