Chapter 24

Yin Xiaoman washed Da Bao’s head with hot water as quickly as possible, then cleaned both of the children thoroughly.

Still not feeling at ease, she brewed some ginger and spring onions into water and forced both little ones to drink it.

Even though she added sugar, the water was still spicy and pungent. But seeing their mother with a stern face, neither of the siblings dared to speak out. They both wore bitter expressions and obediently drank it all.

Afterward, they were rushed back to their bed, just like little chicks being herded by Yin Xiaoman.

Watching his wife and children’s retreating figures, Shen Qingyun felt lighthearted, as if his heart was blooming with joy.

Seeing the kitchen door closed, he didn’t dare to barge in. Instead, he obediently went to the well to fetch water and washed himself clean.

After finishing, he found the door still closed, so he approached the window and peeked inside.

To his surprise, he saw the two children being forced to drink the ginger soup. His wife’s face was stern, and even from such a distance, he felt his heart ache.

She was really upset.

He rubbed his forehead in frustration.

In fact, once his mind had cleared, Shen Qingyun knew exactly why his wife was angry. Even though, to this day, he still thought it wasn’t a big deal—just washing with cold water, not something to make a fuss over.

But he didn’t dare to say that.

Sigh, how could he have forgotten that his wife had always been precious?

But her preciousness wasn’t just towards him, it was also towards the children, and even towards him, wasn’t it the same?

He thought about the meals she prepared every day, the hot water and soup always available…

Just the thought that from now on, even he would be cared for, Shen Qingyun felt his heart fill up.

Knowing that Yin Xiaoman was angry at the moment, Shen Qingyun wisely didn’t approach her.

He returned to the bedroom, pulled the blanket open, and planned to settle Da Bao into bed for the night. He figured by the time morning came, everything would be fine.

By then, his wife’s anger would definitely be gone.

However, when he finished tidying up and went to call Da Bao back to the room, he discovered that the kitchen was empty, and even the door to the adjacent bedroom was tightly closed.

So, his wife and children had decided to exclude him?

Standing in the living room, Shen Qingyun scratched his head with a bitter smile and had no choice but to return to the bedroom.

It was still early, and thinking about the upcoming grand competition, Shen Qingyun opened the drawer to take out paper and a pen, intending to write the next training plan.

But his eyes immediately landed on the passbook and money placed at the very front of the drawer.

Shen Qingyun froze for a moment.

He took the items out.

It was then he realized that Yin Xiaoman had already taken the living expenses and vouchers she would need for the month, but aside from that, she hadn’t touched a single cent.

Looking at the neatly stacked money and bills, and recalling his wife’s indifferent gaze when facing him, Shen Qingyun’s heart, which had been soaring in the air, fell back to the ground.

He suddenly realized that everything that had happened before might have been his own overthinking, a form of self-deception.

The young woman had made it clear she could distinguish things very well; she didn’t seem to have any intention of settling down with him for the long term.

Yin Xiaoman had truly been furious at the time, not even understanding how she ended up acting the way she did.

After returning to the room, once she saw the two children sleeping, she felt so embarrassed recalling the scene that she wanted to crawl under the bed and hide.

She didn’t dare to revisit it, didn’t want to think about how foolish she had been. But even when she forcefully closed her eyes, the silly smile on the man’s face still swirled around in her mind, refusing to go away.

Yin Xiaoman hadn’t slept well all night, but as soon as the morning call sounded, she immediately woke up.

Lying in bed, she wrestled with herself for a long time, debating whether to get up.

But the thought of running into Shen Qingyun as soon as she stepped outside, the awkward feeling as if she might explode from the tension, made it impossible for her to muster the courage to open the door.

Staying inside, she listened as the sounds of washing and brushing were gradually replaced by the pitter-patter of running footsteps. When she heard the faint sound of the yard door opening, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Yin Xiaoman opened the door to go prepare breakfast, but from a distance, she saw a note placed in a prominent spot on the living room table.

She picked it up and read. It was from Shen Qingyun. The note said that they would be very busy with training over the next few days and might not make it home for dinner, so they should eat on their own and not worry about him.

Reading the note, Yin Xiaoman sighed in relief, but a sense of unease also surged in her heart. Everything seemed too coincidental.

If he was this busy, why didn’t he mention it yesterday during dinner?

“Mom, I’ll go start the fire.”

Just as Yin Xiaoman stood there with the note, feeling uneasy, Da Bao rubbed his eyes and walked out of the room.

Seeing his open collar, Yin Xiaoman frowned. “Hurry up and put your clothes on, don’t catch a cold.”

As she spoke, she reached out to pull his shirt back on.

This small interruption made her forget all about the note.

As expected, Shen Qingyun didn’t come back for breakfast.

So, the three of them ate quickly.

After finishing, Yin Xiaoman looked at the sky outside. She decided to go to the place Uncle Li had told her about to catch the tide.

She calculated the days, and today’s low tide should be in the morning. Leaving now would allow them to catch it just in time.

She had originally planned to leave the little ones at Cui Yan’s house for a while, but as soon as they heard she was going to catch the tide, both children insisted on coming with her.

Da Bao even confidently told her that when he was very young, he had gone to catch the tide with his father, so he was quite familiar with the area.

Unable to resist their persistence, Yin Xiaoman had no choice but to take them along.

What she didn’t expect was that Da Bao wasn’t lying; he really knew a lot about catching the tide.

In fact, just before they left, he even reminded Yin Xiaoman not to forget to bring salt.

This left her quite surprised.

The beach where Uncle Li had told them to go was not far, but they had to pass through a patch of rocks, which made the road difficult to walk. If they weren’t careful, they could easily cut their toes on sharp stones or shells.

Fortunately, it was winter, so everyone was wearing thick shoes.

Yin Xiaoman carried Erniu on her back, and Da Bao took the fish basket that he hadn’t returned to Uncle Li yet. The three of them walked carefully, and after more than ten minutes, they finally crossed the rocky beach.

Beyond the rocks was a much smoother beach.

The sand here in Hai City was very fine, golden-yellow, and under the warm sunlight, it seemed to reflect little bits of light, making the scenery look very beautiful.

It was far more beautiful than the beach she remembered from her hometown.

Da Bao and Erniu had grown up here. Even though they had been away for some time, they weren’t unfamiliar with it at all.

They couldn’t feel the surprise that Yin Xiaoman had in her heart. As soon as they arrived, both children seemed like little animals returning to their home, becoming lively and full of energy.

Without waiting for Yin Xiaoman to give instructions, Da Bao pulled out the coarse salt he had specifically packed from his pocket, bent over, and started searching the beach.

When Da Bao found a suitable hole, he skillfully sprinkled fine salt into it, then quickly took out a small shovel and started digging.

As for Erniu, despite her young age, she showed no hesitation at all.

While Yin Xiaoman was still admiring the clear blue sea, she suddenly heard the sound of the two children laughing and playing. Then, she saw Erniu happily running toward her, her hands raised high, and shouting, “Mom, clams! Look, I caught this one! It’s so big!”

Yin Xiaoman’s spirits were instantly lifted!

She quickly pulled her thoughts together and ran over to Da Bao’s side with Erniu.

Upon seeing her, Da Bao grinned, his hands covered in sand, and waved at her proudly. “Mom, there are so many here!”

Yin Xiaoman affectionately ruffled his head and quickly took out the fine salt from her bag. She joined them in digging for clams.

At this point, there weren’t many people at the beach, probably because these shellfish weren’t enough to fill a stomach, and preparing them was troublesome. For the locals, they didn’t hold much appeal.

Occasionally, there were a few people, but they were mostly gathered on the other side of the beach.

From their direction, Yin Xiaoman could vaguely see a few small boats docked over there.

“They went fishing before dawn and are all back now. Some people from our village used to do this,” Da Bao explained in a soft voice as he noticed Yin Xiaoman looking toward the boats.

Yin Xiaoman nodded.

She already knew about this, as Cui Yan had told her a lot the day before.

Although everything had been collectivized now, as fishermen, their livelihood still depended on the weather. How much fish could be caught each day was unpredictable.

So, some people secretly used discarded old boats to fish near the shore to make ends meet. As long as they didn’t go too far, no one usually bothered them.

Just like Uncle Li, whom Cui Yan had introduced her to—despite being the village chief, he also secretly fished to sell, right?

It was just a matter of the public not getting involved.

However, this wasn’t something Yin Xiaoman concerned herself with. Her nature meant she couldn’t bring herself to be someone who would pay attention to the lives of others.

At this moment, all her focus was on how to find more delicious things to eat.

“Mom, there’s a lot of seaweed over there! I’m going to collect it!”

Erniu, being young and lacking focus, soon lost interest in digging sand and pulling clams after watching her mother and brother for a while.

Her little head then turned toward the green sea cabbage that had sunk into the shallow water on the beach.

After shouting excitedly, she didn’t wait for an answer and immediately tried to run toward it, but was swiftly grabbed by Yin Xiaoman. “No!”

Erniu froze, clearly not expecting her actions to be stopped. She stood there, her little mouth pouting in a very displeased way, feeling wronged.

“Stay put and don’t move!” Yin Xiaoman didn’t offer any explanation but gave her a stern look until the little girl gave in, crouching beside her brother. Only then did Yin Xiaoman turn back to continue her own task.

Yin Xiaoman had already noticed the sea cabbage in the water.

However, it was winter, and even though the water wasn’t too cold here, she didn’t want the children going in. 

Digging for clams on the beach, looking for shells, or picking up jellyfish was already enough for her; going into the water really wasn’t necessary.

Looking at the seaweed floating in the shallow water and the rocky beach not far off, a trace of regret passed through Yin Xiaoman’s eyes.

She knew there would be many good things beneath those rocks. Even if there weren’t, she could always find sea snails or crabs.

Had it not been for the serious illness she had gotten from going into the water last winter, which left a deep shadow in her heart, Yin Xiaoman felt she might not have been able to resist the temptation and would have gone there herself by now.

“Sigh!” A long, deep sigh escaped her from the depths of her soul.

Maybe her sense of longing was so deep that even Da Bao noticed it.

The little one hesitated for a moment, then rubbed up against her side and said, “Mom, there are rubber boots under the bed in Dad’s room.”

“Rubber boots?” Yin Xiaoman raised an eyebrow, slightly confused as she asked.

Da Bao realized his mom didn’t understand. He knew that there were many things she hadn’t seen or heard of before.

However, being clever, he knew she didn’t want others to notice, so he never spoke of it out loud.

He patiently explained to Yin Xiaoman: “They’re black, tall, made of rubber, waterproof—when you wear them, water can’t get in.”

He gestured and explained in detail for a while, and then Yin Xiaoman suddenly remembered that she had indeed seen a pair of boots next to the wooden basin at Uncle Li’s house the other day.

But at the time, she hadn’t known what they were for.

Upon thinking that there was actually such a pair of items at home, her eyes instantly lit up!

Although she had not gone into the sea, the harvest still far exceeded Yin Xiaoman’s expectations.

They not only caught a lot of clams, but also picked up several jellyfish that had been washed up on the beach, as well as many, many small crabs, about the size of a fingertip.

There were so many crabs on the beach that when Yin Xiaoman said she was going to catch some, even Da Bao showed her a look of disdain.

Yin Xiaoman curled her lips, reached out, and patted the little one’s head, but did not explain.

How could a child understand the deliciousness of drunken crabs?

By the time they got home, it was already close to noon. Even though Shen Qingyun had left a note saying he might not come back for lunch, Yin Xiaoman still seriously made lunch.

And indeed, that person did not come back.

In the evening, she took the soaked jellyfish, shredded it, blanched it in water, then sprinkled fine salt, vinegar, and mixed it with the shredded cabbage. Finally, she poured over hot oil that had been fried with Sichuan peppercorns.

The fragrance was so strong that even from a distance, it could be smelled…

But Shen Qingyun still didn’t return for dinner.

That night, after sending the two children back to their room to sleep, Yin Xiaoman sat on the small stool in the center of the living room, patiently washing the small crabs she had caught that morning, one by one.

Crabs were eaten for their freshness, so they couldn’t be kept for too long. Once they died, they were completely inedible.

So, she had to clean them all that night.

The crabs were so small, washing them one by one was not an easy task. It took several hours to finish, and by the time she had cleaned them all, Yin Xiaoman felt like her whole back had stiffened.

She tried to stand up from the stool but couldn’t keep her balance, almost falling over!

“Be careful!”

Just as she was panic-stricken, reaching out to grab something, her arm was supported by a warm, large hand.

That hand was strong, and the moment it touched her, Yin Xiaoman’s heart immediately calmed down.

Instinctively, she tightened her grip on Shen Qingyun’s arm, holding it tightly until the dizziness in her head passed before finally letting go.

She raised her head, intending to say “thank you,” but what met her eyes was Shen Qingyun’s furrowed brow.

“What are you doing, not sleeping so late?” 

The man glanced at the empty basin on the ground and the ceramic jar beside it, his face full of disapproval as he scolded her.

The gratitude in Yin Xiaoman’s eyes instantly vanished.

She took a step back and replied淡ly, “It’s nothing,” then bent down to pick up the ceramic jar.

Before she could reach out, Shen Qingyun had already stepped forward, taking the jar from her hands and placing it on a table nearby.

“What is this?” He curiously looked inside.

That glance made him furrow his brows even tighter, and he instinctively took a step back, even rubbing the goosebumps on his arms.

“What are you doing with this?” He looked at Yin Xiaoman with a speechless expression, his eyes filled with complexity.

The events from last night—seeing the passbook and money—had hit him hard. He hadn’t slept all night.

The things that had happened during these few days of interaction with Yin Xiaoman played like a movie in his mind, replaying over and over again.

The more he thought about it, the more his heart was filled with melancholy.

It felt like a child suddenly getting a big pancake, still too surprised to be happy, only to have it snatched away. And then, that person specifically told him, “That pancake wasn’t for you; it was a mistake. It has to be returned.”

That feeling was worse than never having had it at all.

When he woke up in the morning, Shen Qingyun felt a dull headache and an inexplicable sense of unease.

He suddenly realized he was somewhat afraid to face Yin Xiaoman, afraid she would look at him with those innocent and straightforward eyes and seriously say, “I don’t intend to be your wife, don’t overthink it.”

Shen Qingyun felt that if that really happened, he might not be able to hold himself together.

So, he hurriedly wrote that note and, for the first time, like a deserter, fled from this home.

He spent the entire day at the camp, making plans, writing reports, and training with the soldiers, keeping himself busy.

For all three meals, Gao Chong helped him bring them back.

Seeing him like this, Qi Feng was very touched and offered to help him several times, but Shen Qingyun dodged him with various excuses.

Even in front of an old friend, he couldn’t bring himself to speak about the unease he felt in his heart.

But even with such a busy schedule, his mind was constantly preoccupied with these thoughts, especially during meal times.

He would instinctively think, “What did Wife cook for lunch?” “Will they mention me?” “I wonder if they’ll save me some food?”

He often found himself thinking about it so much that he wouldn’t even know what he was eating.

In the evening, after finishing his report, he went to check the post again. He even stood with the sentry at the guard station for a while. This was a common occurrence for him, as he often spent several days away from home when busy.

But today, the more he stood there, the more uneasy he felt, as if there was something trying to break free from his heart.

Eventually, he suddenly figured it out—he realized that he liked this little Wife of his even more than he had thought.

He could never let her go, and he definitely wouldn’t let her go for some damn idea of “letting her pursue a better life!”

What was this so-called “better life”? Couldn’t life with him be “better”?

If it wasn’t, then he would make it beautiful!

Once he had figured this out, Shen Qingyun felt a sudden sense of relief.

He knew that if Yin Xiaoman still wanted to go to school, whether it was high school or university, he would continue to support her and do everything in his power to help her achieve that wish.

But divorce? No way.

He could be called shameless, thick-skinned, or accused of not keeping his word… whatever. But one thing was certain—he would never let go of her hand.

Feelings could be cultivated over time.

She had accepted two kids; Shen Qingyun couldn’t believe that he couldn’t warm up her heart too?

After being in the army for so many years, the most important lesson he had learned was resilience and strength, never giving up.

No matter the difficulties and dangers ahead, he would march forward without hesitation, never shrinking back.

The idea of being a deserter was something that didn’t exist in Shen Qingyun’s dictionary!

So, even if his Wife’s heart was like a stone, he had made up his mind to warm it up.

With this thought clear, he didn’t want to spend another minute at the camp. He rushed home as fast as he could.

But as soon as he entered the door, he saw his Wife swaying, nearly on the verge of toppling over. It almost gave him a heart attack!

The reprimanding words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Seeing the cold expression on his Wife’s face, Shen Qingyun almost wanted to hit himself.

He hated himself for being so foolish!

But at this point, it was too late to say anything. Yin Xiaoman had already ignored him and picked up the ceramic jar herself.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Shen Qingyun hurriedly reached out to grab it. “Where should I put it?”

“In the kitchen,” Yin Xiaoman replied, not bothering to argue with him. She turned to clean up the wooden basin on the floor.

After taking the items to the kitchen and placing them on the stove as Yin Xiaoman had instructed, Shen Qingyun found himself with nothing to do.

But he had no intention of leaving. Instead, he aimlessly wandered around Yin Xiaoman, not knowing what to do.

Yin Xiaoman was confused by his behavior.

Hadn’t he been avoiding her earlier, acting angry with her?

What was he doing now?

When she had gone into the room to fetch her rubber shoes that afternoon, Yin Xiaoman had seen the passbook and money messily thrown on the table by this man.

In that instant, she understood the meaning behind the note.

The moment she thought about how the man had so joyfully handed her the money back then, she felt a rare pang of guilt. She started to reflect on whether her actions had hurt his pride, making him feel embarrassed.

By this late hour, she had actually intended to explain herself a little to him.

But unexpectedly, as soon as she walked through the door, he didn’t ask anything, just immediately scolded her.

That made the small bit of guilt she had feel like it vanished entirely.

She turned her back to him, choosing to focus on seasoning the crabs instead, pretending not to notice him at all.

Shen Qingyun hovered for a while before finally thickening his skin and moving behind Yin Xiaoman, leaning over her shoulder to ask, “What are you doing?”

“Crabs,” Yin Xiaoman replied without turning her head.

“I know it’s crabs,” he said. “What are you planning to do with these little crabs you brought back?”

Shen Qingyun had come closer intending to get a little closer to his Wife, but he just so happened to see her pouring high-quality yellow wine into the ceramic jar.

At that moment, his heart ached with regret. He couldn’t help but feel like he wanted to grab it from her hands!

Since the famine years, how many years had it been since they had seen alcohol, let alone such good quality? It was obviously brewed from pure grains!

Shen Qingyun’s mouth opened several times, but he dared not say anything.

His rationality was still intact, and he knew that in this situation, it was not his place to say anything. No matter how good the yellow wine was, it had been left behind by her father, and it was entirely her choice how to use it.

But as he smelled the rich fragrance of the wine and watched it being poured into the jar with the little crabs, he couldn’t help but lean forward again, taking a deep breath, wanting to savor the scent of the wine more.

Yin Xiaoman had never been this close to anyone before, let alone a man.

Shen Qingyun’s chest pressed tightly against her back, his warm breath brushing past her ear, and in that instant, she felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.