NOVPUB
Chapter 743: Chapter 733 The Trouble Back Home
Ever since the Logistics Department of the military region announced the job recruitment at "Feiyang Farm" and posted a large recruitment notice with salary and benefits on the bulletin board in the family housing area, Shen Yunfang’s door had been constantly knocked on.
Each of these military spouses brought something with them when they came to visit; it wasn’t a big head of cabbage then it was a few eggs, and at the very least, it was a handful of sunflower seeds. The main reason for their visit was to inquire about the salary, whether there were any holidays, and if they themselves could be hired, among other details.
Shen Yunfang saw that there were too many people, and it was simply impossible to respond to each one individually; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to live a normal life at home. So she didn’t accept anything that anyone brought, and for questions about salary and holidays, she directed them to go look at the notice board, where everything was clearly stated, including the basic requirements for the job. As for whether they could be hired, that would depend on the specific circumstances at the time of recruitment. At this moment, she couldn’t give them a definitive answer.
One day at noon, when Li Hongjun came home from work, he seemed to be in a bad mood.
"What’s wrong? Did someone upset you?" Shen Yunfang glanced at him and asked. She knew that definitely wasn’t the reason. Li Hongjun wasn’t someone to be trifled with at work. In fact, he was never someone to be trifled with—it was hardly realistic for anyone to want to push him around.
"No, don’t overthink it," Li Hongjun said, knowing his wife didn’t like to hear about the annoying matters from his hometown, so he chose not to talk about it.
Seeing that he wouldn’t say anything further, Shen Yunfang didn’t press the issue, "All right, I won’t overthink it. You hurry up and take the kids to wash their hands, we’re about to eat soon."
After a quiet lunch, it was time for the family to take a nap.
Shen Yunfang was dozing off in bed when suddenly Li Hongjun nudged her awake, "Hey, wife, I’ve got something to tell you, but let’s make a deal first—you can’t get angry after hearing it."
"Ah, for goodness’ sake, when I want you to speak, you beat around the bush, and now when someone is trying to sleep, you come over to talk. Tell me, aren’t you just a pain?" Shen Yunfang said, annoyed.
"Hehe, isn’t that just the case? What’s wrong with me, I just can’t keep things to myself. I’ve been pacing in and out all afternoon, and if I don’t talk to you, I don’t feel at ease anywhere. I wasn’t like this before," Li Hongjun said sheepishly, trying to cozy up to his wife.
"Go away, get out of here. It’s not enough for you to be bothered by those petty issues from your hometown, you have to bring them up to make me worry too, right? You want to transfer your misery to me, and still you make it sound so noble," Shen Yunfang wasn’t fooled.
"Hehe, wife, you’re just too smart. I haven’t even started and you already know it’s those petty issues from back home," Li Hongjun praised his wife with enthusiasm.
"Of course, the moment you stick out your butt I know exactly what kind of crap you’re about to dump," Shen Yunfang accepted the compliment with complete ease.
"Watch your language, you’re a teacher," Li Hongjun chided her for speaking disrespectfully.
"Hmm, if you want to talk about civility and call me a teacher, then I’ll give you a lecture," Shen Yunfang said, side-eyeing him.
Li Hongjun immediately shook his head like a rattle drum, "Forget it, forget it, my wife is perfect just the way she is."
"Alright, enough of that useless talk, hurry up and tell me, what’s happened at your dad’s place again?"
"My older sister called me this morning, said there were two things going on at dad’s. The first thing is, Li Hongqi’s wife and her mother are back. Remember, after they moved in, her mother and father-in-law got divorced, right? Well, they went back to their old home in the city, and her dad had already remarried. He took over the whole place, and there wasn’t any room for the two of them. They fought and made a fuss, but her dad was set on not wanting them back. In the end, they had no choice but to return to Taoshu Village. Our dad felt sorry for them, so he let mother and daughter stay."
"Originally, Zheng Guilin’s mom and dad did divorce, but Li Hongqi and Zheng Guilin themselves didn’t. So, there’s still Zheng Guilin’s room in the old house. Now, with nowhere else to go, they had to come back to the old place as a temporary solution."
Shen Yunfang listened, seeming somewhat distracted, then sighed, "It’s so fast, how does it feel like just a blink of an eye, and a whole year has passed? No, that’s not right, we’ve already been living here for a year and a half. Counting the days, it’s been over two years now. Where were they living before?"
Li Hongjun had a strange look on his face and, twisting a little, still spoke up, "I heard from my older sister that they came back last year. They fought with her husband’s family for half a year, and finally gave up when they saw it was hopeless. Then Zheng Guilin’s mom found another old man, lived with him and her daughter for a while, but I don’t know what conflict arose with his family. Anyway, they were kicked out again." My sister didn’t go into details, but that’s roughly what happened. The gaps in the story can be filled in with a little imagination.
Shen Yunfang was stunned; that family really knew how to make a ruckus. But then she remembered that their old house was not much quieter, so who was she to judge?
"So your dad just let them stay?" Shen Yunfang asked incredulously, thinking that this was only possible because Li Hongjun’s father was an old single man living alone. If Qiu Shuping were at home, those two wouldn’t just be staying there—they’d be chased off in no time.
"Didn’t I just tell you? My sister said dad felt sorry for them, so he let them move in," Li Hongjun said, feeling helpless about his father housing just anyone without consideration for future trouble.
"It’s not about pity. Your dad is a lone elderly man, and now he’s living under the same roof with his divorced in-laws, a widower and a widow—it just doesn’t look good," Shen Yunfang couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about the situation, "Besides, after the New Year, your mom will be out, right? When she comes back and sees these two at home, how will that be peaceful?"
Li Hongjun touched his nose, "Wife, the house won’t be peaceful even without my mom coming back. I heard from my older sister that in the end, dad brought in Aunt Xue to take care of him. Over the past six months, it seems the two old folks have gotten along really well. At first, Aunt Xue used to come over to clean and cook for my dad, but later it was my dad going over to her place to carry water and chop firewood. I really don’t know what’s going on." As a son, Li Hongjun also felt embarrassed about these matters.
Shen Yunfang was dumbfounded, "Do we even need to go into detail? I think it’s already quite explicit. Haha, let me tell you, Li Hongjun, even if they call you next year and tell you that knives are raining from the sky and insist you come back, you are not allowed to go, okay? You can’t get mixed up in this sort of thing; you’ll just end up being disliked by everyone and attract nothing but trouble." Shen Yunfang hurriedly gave him a preventative warning, worried that Hongjun might be led astray by those with loose morals.
She could already imagine the intensity of the war that would erupt when Qiu Shuping returned next year and saw the two elderly women her husband had brought home.
