NOVPUB
Chapter 353: Chapter 343: The Model Military Spouse
Seven to eight years of Spring Festivals had whooshed by in a blink. After the New Year, Shen Yunfang tidied up the house thoroughly, and then after the tenth day of the first lunar month, she held her younger child in one arm and led the older one with the other, followed by her husband, who of course had to carry the luggage. The family of four boarded the train to S City to report for duty.
This time, Li Hongjun had requested seven days off, intending to settle his wife and children before returning. Initially, he was hesitant to ask for such extended leave, but to his surprise, his military unit’s leadership approached him first for a talk. The gist of it was that Li Hongjun’s wife had fearlessly passed the university entrance exam, becoming a model, a pacesetter, a role model for wives throughout the military district. Her deeds were to be properly promoted so she could serve as an example for other soldiers’ wives, who might otherwise be idly gossiping and stirring up trouble without anything better to do.
Li Hongjun’s thoughts were straightforward and his attitude clear regarding what the leadership had said. His wife’s ability to gain university admission was not just due to his unit’s cultivation and assistance—though they indeed had been the solid backing for their whole family. As for setting an example, he thought it might be better to skip that. The university registration date was approaching, and his wife had already started packing for the journey.
The leadership felt reassured upon hearing Li Hongjun’s gratitude towards the military. He was a good kid, not one to forget his roots. However, it wouldn’t reflect well on the military’s emphasis on the only university-enrolled military wife if she didn’t ask for anything. Thus, they kindly inquired if Li Hongjun had any difficulties in life, assuring him that the military would find a way to resolve any issues for the couple.
This played right into Li Hongjun’s hands, and without a hint of shame, he frankly spoke about his wife’s need to juggle child-rearing with her studies and shared some of their current difficulties. In the end, he assured the leadership with an earnest expression. Although they faced hardships, they didn’t want to trouble the military and would try to resolve matters themselves. However, now his wife was about to report to the university with children in tow, so they needed a man to accompany them to help find housing and communicate with the school. Therefore, he hoped the leadership would grant him a few days off to go to S City and settle his wife and children.
The leadership was so delighted by his subtle flattery that they immediately granted him a week’s leave and promised that if there were any difficulties with the school, the military could intervene on their behalf.
Hearing this, Li Hongjun gave the leaders a standard military salute, thanking them for looking after his entire family.
So, after the tenth day of the lunar month, the family of four embarked on their academic journey.
On the train, their family of four attracted a lot of attention. Not to mention the young and beautiful Shen Yunfang managing two children was shocking enough, Li Hongjun’s military uniform stood out conspicuously in the train carriage.
Fortunately, there was no repeat of the kind of person they had encountered last time; no one demanded seats from Li Hongjun as he held his child, so he and Shen Yunfang were able to keep their seats.
As the journey from the provincial capital to S City was only a little over five hours, Li Hongjun had decided not to buy sleeper tickets—hard seats would suffice.
When people learned that Li Hongjun was sending his wife off to university in the course of their conversation, awe turned into envy, and the friendly gestures showered upon the couple multiplied.
A neighboring lady, looking at the two taking care of their children, couldn’t help but express envy laced with concern, "My, getting into university is such a wonderful thing, but I see you’re taking the child with you to study. With such a young child, all this back-and-forth is worrisome."
Manman, nestled in her mother’s arms without a fuss, listened to the adults’ conversation. As soon as the lady finished speaking, she earnestly looked up at her with a small face, and let out an "ah" as if responding to the woman’s words.
This endearing act melted the hearts of the surrounding uncles, aunts, and elders. "Oh my, she’s like a little adult, chatting with me! How adorable is that?" The lady couldn’t resist reaching out to gently caress Manman’s small face, exclaiming at the smoothness of her skin, as soft as silk.
"Hehe, she’s small but quite the character. Barely ten months old and she’s already trying to talk," Shen Yunfang said with a smile, watching her daughter charm everyone.
Indeed, Manman enjoyed bantering with others; at home, she would often exchange babble for words with her mother, and they could go on harmoniously. Later, when Shen Yunfang discovered her daughter’s unique fascination—it was with English. Whenever Manman heard her mother speaking English while reviewing for the college entrance exam, she would gleefully clap her little hands, looking very pleased.
Shen Yunfang noticed her daughter’s keen interest, so she often sang English songs at home, and sometimes, when there were no outsiders around, she would deliberately speak in English. Several months had gone by, and while the extent to which the youngest one understood was uncertain, the two men in the house could both say "I like eat meat" now, which was an unexpected surprise.
As for Shen Yunfang’s proficiency in English, she might not always score the highest on exams, but communicating with foreigners was no problem for her. In her previous life, she had started out in foreign trade.
"Just by looking at your two kids, you can tell they’ve got that smart spark, and no wonder, with one parent a military officer and the other a college graduate, there’s no way the children could be anything less," said a middle-aged man with glasses.
"Really, thank you for the compliment. It’d be great if what you said comes true," Shen Yunfang humbly replied, feeling that it was better to be modest since the other person was clearly an intellectual and her own family’s achievements were comparatively modest. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
"You’re going to school and taking care of your children, how will you manage that in the future? Can your husband take care of the two children by himself?" A young wife who had been waiting for an answer for quite a while grew impatient and asked.
She too was a high school graduate and had been excited when the restoration of the college entrance exam was announced. However, as she was already married with a child, she ultimately chose her family over schooling. Seeing another woman in the same situation as herself getting into university, she was very eager to know how the other woman had managed her arrangements.
With a smile in her eyes, Shen Yunfang replied, "The children will come to school with me. Their father is a soldier and doesn’t have the time to take care of them."
"Oh my, you’re taking care of the children yourself, can you manage that?" the elder woman exclaimed in shock.
The middle-aged man frowned, his face showing disapproval.
The young wife was the most agitated, "You’re taking care of the children yourself? Didn’t you get into university? Can you bring the children to class?" It seemed unthinkable, since a university isn’t a childcare center or kindergarten.
"Hehe, it’s a necessity, I’m an orphan, the children’s grandparents aren’t able to come over and help us, and their dad is so busy. So, I have no choice but to take care of the children myself," said Shen Yunfang with an expression of helplessness. If the conditions allowed, who wouldn’t want to go to school unburdened? It’s just that her circumstances didn’t permit it.
"Then, what will you do with the children when you’re in class?" the young wife persisted in asking.
"This time, my husband and I are going to the school ahead of time specifically to look for a suitable house to rent nearby, so that the children and I will have a place to stay. We’re considering hiring someone to help look after the children during the day. If we can’t find anyone, we’ll see if there’s a daycare nearby. If there isn’t one, then we will have to discuss it with the school." Actually, Shen Yunfang was quite optimistic about the last option. She had heard that many of the first group of students taking the newly restored college entrance exam were of various ages and many had children. Situations like hers were common. Many schools were quite accommodating and provided special considerations for students with unique circumstances, allowing them to live in dormitories with their children, and even bring their children to class. Such accommodations had been made before.
As for whether the university she was about to attend would be accommodating? There were military leaders to consider, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, she couldn’t voice this thought out loud, it was enough that she understood it herself.
After hearing Shen Yunfang’s plans, the young wife looked bewildered and mumbled to herself, "You can do that, you can do that?"
It took a while for the young wife to snap out of her daze, her eyes shifting from confusion to determination. She gave Shen Yunfang a big smile and said, "You really are a role model for us women. I’m also a high school graduate. I didn’t take the college entrance exam this time because of my child, but now I regret it. Next year, I’ll take the exam. I want to go to university, just like you."
