NOVPUB
Chapter 181: 174
The next morning, Uncle Shen saw Shen Yunfang and Li Hongjun off at the entrance to the village.
"Take care on your way, do well in the army, don’t worry about home, we’ll take good care of Yunfang for you, we absolutely won’t let anything happen to her," Uncle Shen said with hands clasped behind his back.
"Thank you, uncle. I can rest easy knowing that you’re looking after Yunfang. If anything comes up, please call me at the military unit," Li Hongjun said with a grateful smile.
"Go on, go on, you’ll have to leave sooner or later, leave now or you might miss the bus," Uncle Shen urged.
So, with Uncle Shen’s waving farewell, Li Hongjun set off on his bicycle with Shen Yunfang riding behind, clutching a huge black travel bag.
On the road, both of them were silent as if all that needed to be said had been said over the past two days; now that they were about to part, they seemed unsure of what to say.
Shen Yunfang held the luggage with one hand and with the other, she reached forward to tightly hug Li Hongjun’s waist.
She never felt as upset as she did now during their previous separations; the thought of Li Hongjun leaving and the possibility of not seeing him for a year made her feel like crying.
Ah, to be such a grown person, and get sentimental now, Shen Yunfang scorned herself inwardly.
In silence they traveled to the county bus station, and seeing that the bus had started up and was ready to depart, Li Hongjun parked the bicycle and told his wife, "Stay out of trouble at home, remember what I said, think carefully before you do anything, and don’t panic in case something happens, I’ve got everything covered."
Li Hongjun was more worried about his wife now than ever, afraid that her simplicity meant she wouldn’t see deceit coming. The secret she held must remain so, absolutely no one else could know, not anyone.
"Yes, I know, I’m not stupid," Shen Yunfang sniffled once more for emphasis.
"Silly girl!" Li Hongjun tenderly whispered in her ear, "If you miss me, come to the military unit to see me."
Shen Yunfang nodded at him in response.
Li Hongjun let out a breath, "Then I’m off. You take good care of yourself, and don’t make me worry." With these words, he picked up his luggage and turned to board the coach.
Watching the coach grow distant, Shen Yunfang’s heart shattered.
This woman, it’s just that you can’t touch her feelings, because even the strongest person might soften.
At that moment, she suddenly didn’t know what she was holding on to, or why she insisted on staying in Gaijiatun. After all, she had money on hand, as well as enough food supply, and she didn’t plan to make any moves in the next few years, so wouldn’t it be perfect to join Li Hongjun at the military unit?
But then she thought of the wheat they had sown together on the hillside, as well as the old chickens and pigs, and Shen Yunfang’s impulse was squashed once again.
Even if she wanted to follow him to the military area, she definitely couldn’t make it happen this year, better wait and see.
So she rode home alone on the bicycle, as their old sow was expecting to farrow in a few days, and she couldn’t be wandering around, needing to stay alert.
That night, the old sow at her home indeed gave birth to a litter, ten piglets in total, small and not yet opening their eyes as they pushed towards their mother to nurse, looking very adorable.
Shen Yunfang was busy helping the sow give birth and caring for it postpartum, while at the same time taking care of the chickens and ducks at home and the crops on the hill, so busy that the sorrow of Li Hongjun’s departure didn’t last long before it was forcibly pushed to the corner of her mind.
As a result, she was beside herself with the commotion, and on the other hand, Shen Yunxiu also joined in the excitement.
Shen Yunxiu gave birth on the evening ten days after Li Hongjun left, at home, to a boy.
It was Shen Yunfang herself who came to notify her, and Yunfang acknowledged it, assuring her she would definitely come to help her nurse.
So, she took off her own big boots, changed into a dress decent enough for going out, tidied up her messy hair, then, with thirty eggs in hand and a coin in her pocket, she went to Old Shen’s house.
Because the conditions at the production team were not good, Shen Yunxiu gave birth at Old Shen’s house, so she was spending her confinement there as well.
However, in Yunfang’s view, this might well be one of Yunxiu’s tactics; stake out the spot early so that later on, she and her husband could smoothly move in.
Upon arriving at Old Shen’s house, there were already several people in Yunxiu’s room, all from Gaijiatun, come to help her nurse out of respect for Old Shen. 𝒏𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
Yunfang joined the others in praising the baby, who indeed was quite adorable. However, considering who the parents were, who knew what the future would hold?
After chatting merrily with everyone for a while, unable to stand the two aunts’ blatantly exaggerated praises, she hurriedly handed Old Shen a coin, dropped the eggs, and prepared to leave.
Ah, ever since last year’s sheep-losing incident, everyone in the village knew she had connections, so some people would openly probe her for information upon meeting her, then go on to flatter her excessively, to the point she couldn’t stand it.
Apparently, Shen Yunxiu was inherently at odds with her. Even bedridden after giving birth, she did not forget to flaunt her new status.
"Yunfang, this is my son, what do you think?" Shen Yunxiu lay on the kang, her hair untidily coiled, covered with a thick cotton quilt, looking a complete mess.
"Very nice, a nose is a nose, eyes are eyes, he looks quite cute," Yunfang replied, able to compliment just fine, but intolerant of Yunxiu’s boasting tone.
As if her son was some rare commodity; every woman is capable of giving birth, after all.
Yunfang was so angered by her that she couldn’t even lie still in bed, and wanted to get up to have a word with her.
Old Shen quickly pressed her daughter back down, "What are you doing? You want to die or something? Now is not the time for messing around; you can’t be exposed to the wind, just lie down properly."
"Exactly, Sister Yunxiu, your child may be wonderful, but you should wait until after the confinement period to make a fuss over him. I’ve heard that if you don’t take care of yourself during confinement, you’ll suffer for the rest of your life, so you be careful," Yunfang reminded kindly.
"What do you mean by that?" Though she didn’t get up, Yunxiu’s voice had the force of challenge.
"I didn’t mean anything, Sister Yunxiu, what are you thinking? Right now, it’s better for you not to think about anything." With her intellect already what it was, if she didn’t take care properly during confinement, there’d be even less to look forward to.
"Yunfang, Yunxiu hasn’t rested since the baby woke up this morning; let’s go out and let her sleep a while longer," Old Shen urged, fearing the two might start arguing and hastily tried to separate them.
"Ah, alright then, I’ll be leaving first. Some other day when I have the time, I’ll come to see you again, Yunxiu," she had wanted to leave much earlier; it was Yunxiu herself who insisted she stay and see the baby.
After returning home, Yunfang first went to check on the piglets in the backyard, observing the pigs she had cared for until they were clean and plump. She counted them with her fingers, saying, "Hmm, very nice, a nose is a nose, eyes are eyes, they look quite cute." In the end, she even nodded in agreement.
After saying this, she couldn’t help but bend over laughing at herself.
