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Chapter 258: Chapter 248 Reception
After Dashuan’s wife left, Li Hongjun entered the room and discussed the matter with Yunfang, asking for her to make a decision.
Shen Yunfang, with an expressionless face, patted her son, admitting to herself that she also felt very conflicted. Setting other things aside, Uncle Shen had treated her well, and she was aware of and grateful for that. However, Shen Yunxiu had almost harmed her son, which complicated her feelings toward the family.
"Uncle Shen is Uncle Shen, Shen Yunxiu is Shen Yunxiu; the two should not be confused. Uncle Shen has taken good care of me for many years, and I shouldn’t forget his kindness because of what Shen Yunxiu did," Shen Yunfang finally decided. "You should still go and invite Uncle Shen over."
"Alright, I’ll go in a bit, and you don’t worry any more. Just point me in the right direction with these things; I’ll take care of the rest," Li Hongjun didn’t want his wife to worry. Now that he was back, he had to repay all that he owed his wife, and he, Li Hongjun, was not someone who could be easily taken advantage of.
Shen Yunfang felt much reassured by his words and smiled as she nodded at him.
The couple discussed the dinner menu. With Li Hongjun’s limited cooking skills, they decided to have hotpot for its simplicity and quick preparation time. They would surely manage it now.
After agreeing, Shen Yunfang continued to sleep on the kang, and Li Hongjun went to Uncle Shen’s house to extend the invitation.
Seeing Li Hongjun had returned, Uncle Shen’s expression was both joyful and ashamed. He was indeed embarrassed by his daughter’s role in causing his niece’s premature labor and felt he could no longer face the couple.
Li Hongjun didn’t mention any past conflicts between Shen Yunxiu and Shen Yunfang to Uncle Shen, and he was able to converse pleasantly with him. However, his attitude toward Shen Yunxiu at his side, who tried incessantly to talk to him, could only be described as cold as ice.
In Li Hongjun’s eyes, Shen Yunxiu might as well have been nonexistent.
After several rebuffs, Shen Yunxiu sulked, thinking how rude he was for ignoring her attempts at conversation—acting like he was some kind of leader or something.
Shen Yunxiu was genuinely frightened on the day Shen Yunfang fell, but once the doctors at the county hospital assured her that Shen Yunfang was fine, she felt relieved. Later, when she heard Sister Yunfang was making a fuss about staying in the city hospital, Shen Yunxiu couldn’t help but curse at home. "Just a villager who thinks she’s a city person because she married a soldier—so precious she can’t fit in the village or the county hospital, needing to strut off to the city to give birth. Humph, as if it’s any different having the baby in the city; she’ll still have to come back to the village with the child. If she’s so capable, let’s see her stay in the city and not come back." So Shen Yunxiu didn’t feel responsible for Shen Yunfang’s premature labor at all. In her mind, Shen Yunfang gave birth early because she was scared by a thief in the hospital ward at night, which had nothing to do with her.
Truth be told, Shen Yunxiu was jealous that she had to give birth in the village while Shen Yunfang got to go to the city to have her baby. Although the comparison was meaningless, Shen Yunxiu couldn’t help herself.
After telling Uncle Shen about the dinner invitation and receiving a positive response, Li Hongjun went home to prepare the meal. As for the second uncle’s family, he hadn’t visited them, nor did he want to. As for Aunt Shen, she and her husband had completely forgotten about her, not sparing a thought.
When evening arrived and the lanterns were lit, Li Hongjun moved the table into the main room, where several people started to eat and drink.
Uncle Shen picked up a cup of liquor to toast Li Hongjun, "Hongjun, I’m sorry to you and your wife."
Li Hongjun hung his head slightly and didn’t let Uncle Shen continue, "Uncle, the New Year is coming, and Yunfang has given me a healthy baby boy. Today is a day for celebration, so let’s talk only about happy things. We can talk about the rest later." Bringing up the past now was pointless. Anyone who owed his wife and son ought to repay him with interest.
"Right, let’s just talk about happy things today," Dashuan chimed in to smooth things over.
Having lived so many years, how could Uncle Shen not understand Li Hongjun’s intent? He tipped back his head and downed the liquor in his cup, the spicy liquid burning all the way to his heart.
Li Hongjun also tipped back his head and finished the liquor in his glass.
"Come on, don’t just drink, have some meat, too. I’ve been craving this hotpot for so long. I even made it twice at home, but it just couldn’t match this flavor." Dashuan placed a couple of chopsticks’ worth of meat into Elder Shen’s and Li Hongjun’s bowls.
"Hehe, this is Yunfang’s secret recipe," Li Hongjun said, beaming with pride.
"You lucky guy. Seriously, Sister Yunfang is a good girl. Whatever she does, she excels at—nothing to complain about. You’re blessed to have married her, now rejoice in your good fortune," Dashuan now considered himself part of the family.
Li Hongjun felt pleased hearing others praise his wife, so he lifted his glass and clinked it with Dashuan’s.
Just as they were enjoying the meal, someone knocked on the courtyard gate again.
Li Hongjun had just gotten up to open the gate when the curtain to the east room was lifted, "You all keep eating, I’ll get the door," Dashuan’s wife came out from inside.
When they arrived in the evening, Mrs. Wang said she wouldn’t come, so in the end, it was just Dashuan and his wife who brought their two kids over. Since the men were eating and drinking outside, Dashuan’s wife took some meat and vegetables inside to join Yunfang for the meal.
It wasn’t long before Dashuan’s wife returned with a troubled look on her face, leading in two newcomers—it was Shen Yunxiu and her husband.
"Ah, you guys have started without us, it seems we’re late. After Chengjian got back this evening and heard you were hosting, he hurriedly dragged me over here. After all, since you’re new to our village, you don’t know many people," Shen Yunxiu entered the room chatting up Li Hongjun with an undertone of condescension.
Fang Chengjian also had a smile plastered on his face, chatting with Li Hongjun with the same air, "I was at the brigade today, and when I got back, Yunxiu mentioned you’d returned from the army. So we thought we’d come over and see how you’re doing. You all keep eating, you keep eating; I’ve already had my dinner at the brigade."
Li Hongjun’s face wore an expression of frosty indifference as he didn’t spare even a glance for the self-absorbed couple.
"Hongjun, look, I’ve come to apologize to you. You know how Yunxiu is—direct and stubborn, but she doesn’t have a bad bone in her..."
Before he could finish his preamble, Li Hongjun interrupted him impatiently.
"Since you’ve already eaten, I won’t keep you any longer. Please leave, I won’t see you out." His tone was very cold, and in an instant, it snuffed out Fang Chengjian’s feigned warmth.
Fang Chengjian and his wife had come with the intention of establishing a rapport. Through Elder Shen, they had heard that it was very likely one of Li Hongjun’s fellow soldiers who had influence and had helped arrange this matter. So Fang Chengjian felt tempted to use Li Hongjun’s connections to see if he could move back to the city. Last month, two people from the educated youth post had already returned to the city, which made his heart itch. He simply hadn’t expected to be shown the door before he’d even sat down.
Shen Yunxiu stood outside the courtyard gate, knocking furiously and cursing as she did, "What are you worth, acting like you’re something special just because you served in the army? Let me tell you, Gaijiatun is Shen family territory. Here, even if you were a dragon, you’d have to coil up before me, you shameless wretch!" She inadvertently slipped out a phrase Fang Chengjian often used.
Fang Chengjian looked at the tightly closed courtyard gate with an ugly expression on his face.
"Hmph, unreasonable," he said curtly, and then turned to leave.
Seeing Fang Chengjian so angry took Shen Yunxiu by surprise; he was usually an easy-going person who always had a smile no matter what anyone said. She had never seen him angry before. Right, she thought, he must have been utterly infuriated by Li Hongjun today. "Chengjian, don’t be mad. Just wait; I will definitely get back at him for you. Hey, where are you going? Don’t leave. Wait for me."
