NOVPUB
Chapter 290: Chapter 280 Visiting Neighbors (Part 3)
Shen Yunfang carried her child out of Sister Wu’s house and then proceeded next door to the home of Battalion Commander Wu, whose name is Wu Chaoyang and who is thirty-eight years old this year. His wife Liu Shuli is a primary school teacher from the provincial city, and they have one daughter, who is ten years old this year.
When Li Hongjun and his wife moved in, Wu Chaoyang was already out leading his team in training, so Shen Yunfang had only heard of him but had never actually seen him. She did see Liu Shuli once, on the night they moved in, but after that, since the family was away for work and school in the provincial city, Battalion Commander Wu’s home was always empty.
Today was the weekend, and Shen Yunfang thought that Liu Shuli and her child would be at home, so after bringing some things to Sister Wu’s house, she decided to carry some items over and pay a neighborly visit. After all, among the third battalion, Wu Chaoyang, Wu Guoqiang, and Li Hongjun were the closest comrades-in-arms, and Hongjun held the lowest rank among them. Although she did not expect anything from them, it was still important to prevent them from setting up an obstacle that could affect a fair development environment.
For that purpose, as a military wife, she needed to engage in some "first lady diplomacy" from time to time; doing so may even help Li Hongjun out.
"Is Sister Shuli home?" Shen Yunfang was equipped just as before, carrying her son in her right arm and holding items in her left hand.
"Who is it?" This time, the door was opened by a little girl with a round face with equally round eyes and mouth. Although not particularly beautiful, she was quite adorable.
This must be Battalion Commander Wu’s daughter.
"You must be Ruotong, right? I’m your neighbor; we just moved in a few days ago. Is your mom at home?" Shen Yunfang asked with a gentle smile.
"Ah, I know! Are you Auntie from Uncle Liu’s house? My mom is at home. Please, Auntie, come in and have a seat," Wu Ruotong invited the guest in like a little adult.
Shen Yunfang was quite fond of her upon seeing this; she was obviously well-raised by her parents.
"Ruotong, who is it?" A woman’s voice came from inside the house.
"Mommy, it’s Auntie from next door, Uncle Li’s house," Wu Ruotong answered crisply.
As soon as her voice fell, footsteps were heard from inside, and then the door curtain was lifted by someone from within. The person who appeared was Liu Shuli.
"Is it Little Li’s wife? What a rare guest. Please come in and have a seat," Liu Shuli said with a smile as she welcomed Shen Yunfang into the house.
Although Liu Shuli had a smile on her face, Shen Yunfang somehow felt that she was not very welcome.
"Sister, you can call me Yunfang. Hongjun and I haven’t been here long, and I’ve been wanting to drop by for a visit, but you and Battalion Commander Wu were never home, so only now could I come over." Regardless of how she felt, since she was there, she had to say what needed to be said and do what needed to be done; there was no turning back now. Shen Yunfang could only pile on a smile and exchange pleasantries.
"I work in the provincial city, so I’m rarely home. I really apologize for that," Liu Shuli said as she and Shen Yunfang took seats on the sofa in the living room.
Yes, the sofa.
The layout of Battalion Commander Wu’s house was the same as her own, but the interior decoration was quite different.
Well, how should I put it? Although they also had a traditional heated brick bed known as a ’kang’, the way it was dressed up was quite lavish. The ’kang’ was covered just like a bed, and underneath was something she couldn’t identify, but on top, there was a large bed sheet with a white base and broken flowers spread over the entire ’kang’.
There were lace curtains on the windows above the ’kang’, which was the first time Shen Yunfang had seen lace since crossing over. Even if they were not very elaborate, they were still quite rare here.
Then there was the room’s lack of a traditional kang table; instead, there was an eight-immortal table placed against the wall with several small round stools beneath it. It looked quaint and unusual, but this set of furniture seemed somewhat out of place and discordant in this room.
Then there was the sofa she was sitting on. She had only seen one like it at her older cousin Shen Yunfeng’s mother-in-law’s house in the county and hadn’t expected that Commander Wu’s home would also have one.
The entire frame of the sofa was wooden, and the cushions and backrest were made of sponge. To protect the sofa, and also to facilitate cleaning, a cotton cloth was draped over it, which looked like a folded bedsheet placed on top.
Although Liu Shuli hadn’t said anything, Shen Yunfang couldn’t shake the feeling that it was because she looked dirty, and that’s why she was allowed to sit on the sofa.
Of course, that was just how Shen Yunfang felt; Liu Shuli didn’t show any sign of this.
"Aiyoh, sister-in-law, don’t say that. I just came by because I had nothing else to do, just to introduce myself. Now that we’re neighbors, we should help each other out if needed."
"Haha, I only get to come back and stay for one day on the weekends, so I won’t be much help to you," Li Shuli said with a laugh.
Was this shutting the conversation down? How was she supposed to continue chatting?
Shen Yunfang pretended not to understand and tried to find other topics to talk about for a while, but eventually gave up. They were not on the same wavelength; conversation was awkward. Besides, she wasn’t there to beg for anything. Exchanging a few pleasantries was one thing, but she wasn’t willing to act like a bootlicker.
"Sister-in-law, I originally wanted to bring something nice over since it’s my first visit, but our means are limited at home, so I just brought some things we grew ourselves. I hope you don’t mind, sister-in-law. And this is a little something for the kids," Shen Yunfang said, pointing to the items on the table, ready to end the topic.
Li Shuli glanced at the items on the table, a large cabbage and a package wrapped in brown paper, clearly unimpressed, her lips curling into a slight smile, "You’re really too polite. We don’t lack for these things at our home."
There was no way to continue the chat; what could she possibly know about what your family lacks?
"Hehe, there’s actually another reason for my visit today." As soon as Shen Yunfang finished speaking, Liu Shuli’s face showed an expression that seemed to say ’as I thought,’ making Shen Yunfang feel truly belittled.
Trying to contain her irritation, she repeated what she had said at Commander Wu’s wife’s house, but of course, only mentioned the invitation to eat. She wasn’t brazen enough to expect them to come and help her.
After listening, Li Shuli pondered for a moment, seemingly weighing her schedule, "I can’t say for sure right now. As you know, I’m quite busy with work, especially with the new school term starting, so I’m not sure if I can make it back next weekend. But if I can make it home next week, I’ll definitely come."
Shen Yunfang nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. If they were busy and couldn’t come, she couldn’t insist. Requesting presence was, after all, more important than asking for dinner hospitality; she understood that.
"Alright, let’s settle on that then. Sister-in-law, I’ve been out for a while now, and Li Hongjun should be about to head home, so I better get going. Let’s chat more another time," Shen Yunfang said as she stood up from the sofa, repositioning the chubby Pangpang in her arms.
Yes, she had been indoors for over ten minutes, and the child she had been holding in her arms still had the little blanket unwrapped. Now it was convenient to leave.
"Alright, then I won’t see you out. I just got home myself and still have to tidy up," Liu Shuli said as she stood up and walked her to the front door.
Wu Ruotong came out from the next room to say goodbye to Shen Yunfang with a polite ’Goodbye, auntie,’ before heading back inside.
"Your child is really sensible," Shen Yunfang genuinely complimented.
That comment apparently hit the sweet spot, as Liu Shuli smiled modestly, "When a child reads more, they naturally understand more right from wrong."
