NOVPUB
Chapter 352: Chapter 342: Receiving the Notification Letter
Mid-January, Shen Yunfang finally received the long-delayed acceptance letter. Taking the letter handed over by Li Hongjun, she feigned calm and said, "It’s really slow, everyone else’s letters have arrived a long time ago."
In the entire military compound, only a dozen people applied to university, and including Yunfang’s, only two acceptance letters had been received. So, her comment was somewhat off.
"You, just go ahead and secretly rejoice." Li Hongjun pulled his wife into his arms and vigorously ruffled her hair.
How could he, as her closest person, not know about the worries his wife had these past few days.
"Ah, stop it, you’ll mess it up," Shen Yunfang laughed uncontrollably in his embrace, her face blossoming into a flower from the joy.
"Shame shame, Daddy and Mommy are shame shame," Pangpang, the little one, stood atop the bed, imitating his mother, with tiny hands covering his eyes, peeking at his parents through his fingers as they kissed.
Yunfang, delighted, so she kissed Li Hongjun and then rolled her eyes at her son, saying, "What’s there to be shy about? Your dad is mine, if I want to hug or kiss him, it’s all legal, you know or not?"
Li Hongjun had his spirits deflated by his wife, but what use was it explaining to such a small child? However, as for his wife’s hit-and-run tactics, he felt she deserved a penalty. So he pulled back the little one trying to leave his embrace, and while shielding the view from his son on the bed, he leaned in to kiss his wife’s lips.
"Shame shame, Daddy’s kissing Mommy, shame shame," Pangpang still covered his eyes with his hands but stretched his neck, trying to see what Mommy and Daddy were doing. Daddy was so annoying, being so tall and strong, he couldn’t see Mommy at all.
Shen Yunfang, her face flushed, pushed Li Hongjun away. This man had no sense of propriety, kissing in front of the child—wasn’t that teaching bad behavior?
Li Hongjun didn’t seem to care, saying the child couldn’t see much anyway, and even if he did, it was no big deal—it was good to start educating him early.
While Li Hongjun and his spouse celebrated at home, the news that Yunfang had received her university admission letter spread quickly throughout the family compound.
"Oh, did you hear? Li Hongjun’s wife really got into university." That was the curious one.
"I heard, I heard they just got the acceptance letter today." That was the envious one.
"Humph, who knows if it wasn’t just a fluke." That was the jealous one.
"Ha ha, no matter the means, a cat that catches a mouse is a good cat. I wish I could stumble upon a dead mouse myself, but not everyone has that luck." This was the more reasonable one.
"Humph, even if she got in, so what? Can she actually go? What about her two kids at home?"
"Exactly, just causing unnecessary trouble. If she dares to leave the kids behind, Li Hongjun will definitely divorce her."
"Nonsense, what divorce? If she goes to the university and comes back a college graduate, a city folk, Li Hongjun, a mere soldier, will have to suck up to her then."
"Oh my, you’re right, it’s exactly like that..."
Outside, rumors spread like wildfire, eagerly waiting to make a joke of Li Hongjun’s family. After everyone’s analysis, if it wasn’t Shen Yunfang abandoning her husband and child to chase a brighter future, then it would be Li Hongjun resigning from the military to pursue literature, becoming the man behind a woman. In any case, they were certain there would be no good ending.
Yunfang had no idea that such speculations were already circulating in the family housing complex. She was busy preparing for the New Year, busy getting ready to host guests, busy tidying up, and getting ready to head to S City after the New Year. She was also busy entertaining neighbors who seemed to spring up out of nowhere.
Ever since Yunfang received her university acceptance letter, neighbors had been coming in waves to her house as if to look at some rare animal, repeatedly coming over to admire her and offering their congratulations, which were actually cloaked in envy. Yunfang felt harried by all this, but since her reputation wasn’t that great to begin with, if she were to snub those who came to congratulate her, it would only add fuel to the fire of gossip.
Although she had been accepted to a university and could fly away, her family, especially Hongjun, was still there, so she had to be mindful of her reputation to some extent.
Fortunately, as the New Year approached, those idle gossips also went home to prepare for the festivities and Yunfang found some peace at last.
Getting into university was a cause for double celebration, especially with the New Year nearly upon them. So after discussing it with Hongjun, they decided to invite a few close families over for a meal before the New Year.
The couple had hosted dinners before, so they were quite experienced, adhering to the principle of giving their guests a good meal without going overboard.
For this dinner, besides the Wu Chaoyang and Wu Guoqiang families, Hongjun also invited his direct superior, the commander of the second regiment. The families gathered noisily at the Li family’s home for the meal, and everyone praised Yunfang for her role as a military spouse. She managed both home and work, never neglecting her personal growth. Despite graduating from high school years ago, getting married, and having a child, she had stuck to her principles of perseverance and ultimately managed to secure a coveted university spot, setting an exemplary standard among military spouses.
Yunfang, blushing with compliments, couldn’t help but giggle inwardly. She hadn’t expected the commander to be such a smooth talker and wondered how her usually stern-faced Hongjun managed to work under him.
The two tables were was lively during the meal, but only Liu Shuli from the Wu Chaoyang family remained aloof, offering only a perfunctory congratulations to the couple upon entering and spending the rest of the time mostly silent and eating little, sitting at the edge of the table. Whenever she was addressed, she spoke encouragements to Yunfang, like "Even though you’ve been accepted into university, you can’t become arrogant or complacent, remember that learning is endless," or "Getting into university was difficult, but attending it well and contributing to the country is even more challenging. Now with your child still young, you should still pace yourself."
Apart from the odd one out, Liu Shuli, everyone enjoyed the meal thoroughly, with the men toasting Hongjun, congratulating him on finding such a capable, educated, and beautiful wife. They laughed and chatted until they drank too much, each being supported back home by their respective wives.
After tidying up, Yunfang helped Hongjun onto the kang bed, then the two lay head-to-head with closed eyes, chatting casually.
"The New Year is almost upon us, are we going back to our hometown this year?" Yunfang asked. She didn’t plan to go back. The registration was at the end of February, and it was a tight schedule to go back to her hometown and then return, but if Hongjun wanted to see his parents, she would pack for him and let him go alone.
It took a while before Hongjun replied, "No, we’re not going back. Manman is too little; it’s suffering to squeeze on trains. Besides, right after the New Year, you’ll have to report to S City, and we won’t make it back and forth in time."
"Yeah, that’s what I thought too, but I just don’t know what your parents will think. You haven’t been back for two years; they might think I’m the one preventing you from going," Yunfang turned over, laying on her side next to Hongjun. She wasn’t being suspicious of others without cause—she knew her mother-in-law would certainly think that way, but as for her father-in-law, she couldn’t be sure.
Of course, Yunfang wasn’t trying to create problems out of nothing by bringing up his parents. With the New Year approaching, it was essential to set the tone, whether they would spend it back in their hometown or not; each had its own way of celebration.
"I see you’re not tired enough yet, having the energy to think about all these things," Hongjun suddenly exerted himself, turning over and pinning his wife beneath him.
"Hey, what are you doing, are you crazy... remember to mail the money to your parents..."
