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Chapter 175: Chapter 168 Shen Yunxiu Returns (Part Two)
Shen Yunxiu felt her face becoming hot to maintain her composure, and Madam Shen surreptitiously pinched her daughter as a sign to behave.
"Yunfang, try this. It’s a specialty your sister Yunxiu brought back from the Capital, what’s it called again?"
"Sausages." Shen Yunxiu regained her pride.
Shen Yunfang glanced at it, considering that at that time, sausages were only sold in big cities. Villagers from Gaijiatun, who spent their whole lives within a ten-mile radius, wouldn’t have seen such a thing. It was indeed something novel to show off.
"Right, that’s it. Your sister Yunxiu finds it inconvenient to bring back many things from her husband’s place, so she bought some of these novelties for everyone to try, just for that purpose. Don’t be shy, everyone stretch out your chopsticks and eat," encouraged Madam Shen with a hearty laugh.
Shen Yunfang, giving face, picked up a thin slice of sausage with her chopsticks and chewed it slowly, nodding in response to Madam Shen’s expectant look. "Very good, very tasty."
"Hehe, I’m glad you like it. Yunfang, don’t just focus on chatting; eat some more," Madam Shen said with a smile as she served her another helping of food, relieved that eating more would mean talking less, thus avoiding conflict.
"Yunxiu, what does your in-law’s family do for a living?" Madam Li shifted the topic.
She was conflicted inside; she didn’t want Yunxiu’s in-laws to be more capable than her own family, overshadowing them, yet she also hoped Yunxiu’s in-laws were impressive, so she could bask in reflected glory as their relative.
Shen Yunxiu’s face stiffened for a moment but quickly returned to normal. "Oh, they don’t have to do anything special daily, just ordinary common folk."
The tone of her voice suggested her in-laws held high positions; it was just that she chose not to boast.
"Aiyo, no need to pretend with your family. Are there really ’ordinary people’ in the Capital?" Aunt Shen didn’t believe it.
"Haha, Aunt, you didn’t catch on that Yunxiu is just being modest," spoke up the eldest sister-in-law at last. "But Yunxiu, with your in-law’s family being so capable, when will you go back with your husband? It’d be great for our family to have relatives in the Capital. It sounds prestigious to mention."
Due to Shen Yunxiu’s marriage, a small ’revolution’ once erupted at Grandpa Shen’s place; the two sisters-in-law, fearing a loss of face, insisted on separating houses. Now, it seemed they were looking to mend fences, probably eyeing Yunxiu’s anticipated success.
"Cut it out, now you want to take advantage of me. What were you doing all this time?" Shen Yunxiu retorted without civility.
She was somewhat wary of Shen Yunfang because since her return, her father had been praising Li Hongjun in front of them, and Fang Chengjian had specifically instructed her not to provoke Shen Yunfang. But she would not be polite to this sister-in-law. She still remembered the unpleasant things her eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law had said when she got married. Humph, now that they saw her living well and about to move back to the Capital, they came to cozy up—no chance.
The eldest sister-in-law had spoken earlier with a forced bravado, and, seeing her sister-in-law’s lack of respect, she too felt embarrassed.
"How can you talk to your older sister like that? You visit the Capital just once, and you forget how to watch your mouth," Madam Shen quickly admonished her daughter, fearing the lack of tact among them would result in an awkward confrontation.
Besides, it was better not to air the family’s dirty laundry in public. Sisters-in-law at odds attracted negative gossip, affecting both their reputations.
Having heard her mother’s words, Shen Yunxiu just snorted and refrained from saying anything more offensive.
Shen Yunfang secretly nodded in approval. The Capital really did refine people; her cousin hadn’t been there for even a month, but she’d already improved, at least in the way she controlled her tongue.
Later on, Madam Shen seemed reluctant to let the conversation return to Shen Yunxiu’s in-laws, and instead, pressed Shen Yunfang for details about Li Hongjun’s recent life in Gaijiatun. In reality, she was inquiring whether he’d adjusted well, how his leg injury was healing, if their in-laws had kept an eye on the couple, and if there was any news from the military.
Shen Yunfang shared what she could; she had no interest in discussing her in-laws’ affairs either.
After the meal was over, Shen Yunfang sighed with relief. The conversation had been unbearably dull, revolving solely around Shen Yunxiu’s in-laws and the wonderful things from the Capital.
As for Shen Yunxiu, she was evasive about her in-law’s affairs. She certainly couldn’t be keeping quiet out of modesty; possibility her in-laws were indeed just ordinary people, with nothing for her to boast about. Embarrassed to say it outright, she left it vague, allowing others to speculate.
In fact, Shen Yunxiu seemed quite familiar with the big shopping malls of the Capital; it was likely that during her trip there, she had spent a fair amount of time exploring.
After finishing the meal, Shen Yunfang made an early departure home, using Li Hongjun’s leg injury as an excuse.
The two of them got busy as soon as they got home; they might have had their dinner, but there were still over a hundred mouths to feed in the backyard.
Li Hongjun took up the task of feeding the chickens and ducks, while Shen Yunfang took charge of heating the water for their baths. By the time they both lay on the kang after finishing all the chores, Shen Yunfang let out a sigh.
It’s truly tiring, day after day.
"Tired," Li Hongjun immediately embraced her with concern.
"Yeah, emotionally drained," Shen Yunfang found a comfortable position in his arms and lay down. "What are you doing?" Her face turned red as she pressed down on his big hand that was wandering on her thigh.
"I’m giving you a massage," Li Hongjun withdrew his hand and continued to knead and rub.
Shen Yunfang murmured in agreement.
"You heard what my cousin said today, didn’t you? What do you think?" Shen Yunfang wasn’t sure about her own guesses and wanted the scout beside her to help analyze the situation.
After all, which woman isn’t a gossip at heart?
"I don’t have any thoughts." Li Hongjun wasn’t interested in other women, only in caring for his wife; he now wanted to focus on massaging her.
"Then do you think what she said about her in-laws is true?"
"Yeah, it’s true." That woman loved to show off; she had been flaunting all evening. If her mother-in-law’s family was really capable, she wouldn’t have just breezed over it, acting like she didn’t want to dwell on the subject.
"Oh, Shen Yunxiu is going to be disappointed then. She has always wanted to marry better than her older female cousin. When she chose Fang Chengjian, she nearly praised him to the heavens, claiming his qualifications were unmatched," Shen Yunfang couldn’t help but want to laugh when she remembered Shen Yunxiu’s pretenses at home, "It seems she was duped as well, and now she’s found out that things aren’t as they seemed, she has no choice but to swallow her pride."
She felt quite wicked for feeling so elated that Shen Yunxiu had been tricked.
"That was her choice," Li Hongjun commented without much judgment. "And you should limit your contact with that Fang Chengjian in the future."
"Why’s that?" Shen Yunfang looked at him curiously, thinking he had discovered some big secret.
Li Hongjun frowned at her, his roaming hands expanding their territory, "That man doesn’t have good intentions."
Shen Yunfang nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I also think he’s not a decent person. Plus, the way he tries to act high and mighty while slyly prying into other people’s affairs is intolerable. You have no idea, during the few times I interacted with him, he was always prodding."
"What does he want to pry from you for? He’s already married." He was very displeased, and the outcome could be severe.
"What are you talking about, he has no interest in me. I’m just a young girl with nothing special, why would he be into me?" Shen Yunfang rolled her eyes, "Hey, where are your hands going?" Shen Yunfang caught her breath.
Li Hongjun didn’t respond but let his hands become even bolder.
"You’re not tired from working all day?" Shen Yunfang pointed out.
"No matter how tired I am during the day, I’ve got to do the night’s work well," said Li Hongjun.
Shen Yunfang felt there was something off about that statement.
Li Hongjun didn’t give her time to think or speak, as he leaned in completely.
