NOVPUB
Chapter 727: Chapter 717 Shen Yingxue Appears Again
No need for the young soldier to report the name, Shen Yunfang had just taken a few steps when someone walked out of the gatekeeper’s room and bumped right into her.
After a brief silence, the person opposite her broke into a huge smile.
"Yunfang, don’t you recognize me? It’s Yingxue, Shen Yingxue," Shen Yingxue stood coquettishly under the sun, tilting her head slightly with a look of joyful smile on her face as she watched Shen Yunfang.
Shen Yunfang slowly furrowed her brows; she, of course, recognized the woman before her. The fashionably dressed (by current standards), bright-colored woman was none other than her old best friend Shen Yingxue, who had no idea how many times she had tricked the original host.
"Hmm, I remember now. Is there something you need from me?" Shen Yunfang did not show any hint of joy. Her first impression upon seeing the visitor was trouble. This woman was trouble, and there was absolutely no good intention behind her visit.
Upon hearing Shen Yunfang’s distant words, the smile on Shen Yingxue’s face stiffened for a moment, but then she quickly put on an even bigger smile.
"It’s nothing important. I just heard from people back home that you moved to the Z Province Military Region. It just so happens I’m here as well, and after so many years, I’ve missed you, so I came to see you." As she spoke, she took a few steps forward, attempting to grab Shen Yunfang’s hand to show closeness.
Shen Yunfang was so annoyed by this person that she couldn’t possibly let her take her hand. Seeing her coming closer, she stepped back without courtesy, and naturally, her hand was not grasped.
"Who did you hear this from back home?" Shen Yunfang pressed.
All these actions and questions were quite discourteous towards Shen Yingxue. If it had been anyone else, they would probably have gotten angry and left, but the fact that Shen Yingxue still stood there smiling, bantering easily, proved that she was no simple woman.
Shen Yingxue didn’t expect her to dig so deep. After thinking it over, Shen Yunfeng was of no use to her anymore, so she bluntly betrayed her, "Your older cousin, she called me a few days ago and told me. I was really happy to hear it. I never thought we siblings could be so fated, to grow up in the same village and end up living in the same city after growing up."
Shen Yunfang frowned and thought to herself that it was again Shen Yunfeng who might have found out through Jian Hui, or maybe the information was revealed from her uncle and his couple to her second aunt.
Seeing that after hearing this Shen Yunfang still stood motionless, Shen Yingxue smiled and said, "Yunfang, we haven’t seen each other for so long, won’t you invite me to your house for a visit? I really haven’t seen what a military person’s house is like."
Shen Yunfang looked up at her and said with a straight face, "Sorry, but the military family compound isn’t somewhere just anyone can enter. If you have something to say, let’s talk here." That clearly meant she had no intention of taking her home.
Shen Yingxue’s smile began to falter; she hadn’t expected Shen Yunfang to snub her like this. Back when she was younger, if she wanted to drop the pretense, she just did, but she had heard that Shen Yunfang was now married, so how could she not at least feign basic cordiality?
"Heh, I don’t really have anything else. It’s just that it’s been so long since we last met, and I missed you quite a bit, so I came to see you. If it’s inconvenient for you here, then you can come to my place next time so we could have a proper chat. My place is on xx Road..."
Before Shen Yingxue could finish, Shen Yunfang interrupted, "Have you remarried?"
This question made Shen Yingxue’s smiling face completely freeze, "Why would you ask that? I’m still single." She awkwardly ran her fingers through her wavy long hair. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
She didn’t acknowledge her marriage to Zhao Dahai, not only was it denied by the Zhao family, but she didn’t acknowledge it either. After all, the two hadn’t even registered for a marriage certificate; what kind of marriage was that?
"And where is your child now?" Shen Yunfang unapologetically continued to probe her sore spots.
The conversation was really going nowhere; with a cold expression, Shen Yingxue responded, "Since you’re not convenient today, let’s meet up in the city next time. It’s getting late, I should go." After saying that, she didn’t glance at Shen Yunfang again, walked with her high heels clacking towards a black Santana parked nearby, opened the rear door, and sat inside.
Shen Yunfang narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking to herself that Shen Yingxue must have snagged a big fish, and today’s visit was likely just a show-off.
Shen Yingxue, sitting in the car, saw Shen Yunfang’s gaze turn toward her and slightly tugged at the corner of her mouth, saying to the driver in front, "Drive."
It wasn’t until the car disappeared that Shen Yunfang turned back to push her own bicycle and then, as she was about to enter the gate, she still made a point to inform the gatekeeper, "That woman just now isn’t my relative, just a neighbor of mine. I don’t get along with her very well, so if she comes looking for me again, please don’t let her in."
After having given these instructions, she pushed her bicycle into the family compound.
Along the way, she ran into several military wives who, seeing the basket tied to her rear rack, couldn’t help but crane their necks to peer inside. Upon spotting a large watermelon, some couldn’t hold back their spiteful comments.
"Wow, Xiaoshen, your family’s living conditions are really something. Eating watermelon in the heat of the summer is sure to be refreshing. Oh, and you’ve got a fridge, too. Chilled, it must taste even better," they said, their eyes gleaming at the sight of the large watermelon. Although they knew she wouldn’t share half with them, they couldn’t help but fantasize about it.
Shen Yunfang had no desire to engage with those who spoke with such jealousy; if not for all living in the same compound, she wouldn’t even bother to stop and chat.
"Yes, the watermelon tastes even better chilled. I can’t talk more, I need to hurry home and chill it. My child will be home from school and able to enjoy it," Shen Yunfang finished saying and walked away pushing her bike.
She made her way to her building with intermittent stops, securely locked her bicycle, and then carried the basket upstairs.
"Hey, can you believe that? I didn’t say anything wrong, and she gave me the cold shoulder."
"Don’t be upset, it’s just a case of different strokes for different folks. She got lucky, found herself a good man."
"Psh, what’s the big deal? It’s just a run-down farm. In the end, it’s still just farming, what’s there to boast about?"
...
Shen Yunfang was completely unaware of the idle gossip behind her back. If she had heard it, she certainly would have said, "So what if I have a run-down farm? So what if I’m just a farmer? So what if I have chilled watermelon to eat? I’ll die happy."
After returning home, Shen Yunfang first went to the bedroom to change clothes and placed her business plan on the dressing table before heading to the kitchen to slice the watermelon. She cored it, put the flesh on a plate, and placed it in the refrigerator to chill. She threw the rest of the watermelon into her storage space since in such hot weather, once cut, the watermelon would spoil in a day.
By the time Li Hongjun came home with the child, the dinner table was set with blanched noodles and a bowl of chilled watermelon.
In this hot weather, having some blanched noodles in the evening was refreshing and appetizing.
Li Hongjun and the child both enjoyed this dish. Seeing the meal laid out on the table, they cheered and ran to wash their hands in preparation for a hearty meal.
But just after Li Hongjun had finished a bowl of the blanched noodles, the home phone rang.
"Hello, who is this?" Shen Yunfang answered the call; most of the calls to the house were for her.
"Mhm, okay, I know, we will come to pick him up right away," Shen Yunfang said before hanging up.
"What’s the matter, who was that?" Li Hongjun asked her after she hung up.
"It was the gatekeeper, they said Li Shiguo came looking for you," Shen Yunfang replied.
