Married but Untouched! Her Soldier Husband Came Home Dumbfounded! - Chapter 11

Shen Zhanping noticed Liu Wenjing’s awkward expression and understood immediately. Though slightly disappointed, he didn’t say a word.

This kind of thing was common in their area: if a family had sons, part of the bride price was usually kept by the girl’s family, sometimes even all of it—without any dowry.

Only parents who were particularly fond of their daughter would let her take the full bride price.

His eldest sister-in-law’s bride price had been kept by her natal family. His younger sister-in-law’s marriage had the same situation: her parents had kept everything.

In their family, it seemed only Ye Fangfei’s bride price had been fully brought back. Her parents even provided a dowry: thirty-six pairs of bed linens, several quilts, and numerous household items, filling the entire marriage room to the brim.

Liu Wenjing felt the same way—her family had been unfair. To keep all of a daughter’s bride price… was that really something a parent should do?

But it was too late to complain now. She was already married. Asking for the bride price back would be impossible—and humiliating.

All she could do now was appease Shen Zhanping and quickly arrange for the property division, hoping to see if they could claim some money from it. Once the restaurant opened, she was confident she could earn big.

Liu Wenjing glanced at Shen Zhanping, feigning hurt.
“Zhanping, you know my family’s situation. My parents kept the bride price and only gave me a small bit for myself.”

Shen Zhanping felt uncomfortable but saw his wife almost in tears. He quickly said,
“It’s fine. If they kept it, let them. I don’t blame you.”

Liu Wenjing looked at him, worry still on her face.
“But what about the capital for opening the restaurant?”

Shen Zhanping stayed silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth.
“If we divide the property, we should be able to get some money. We can borrow a little from my parents for now and pay it back once the business earns profit.”

Liu Wenjing smiled, holding his left hand tightly in her right.
“Don’t worry, Zhanping. Once the restaurant opens, I’m confident we’ll earn enough. We’ll repay them double.”

“Good,” Shen Zhanping smiled.

Perhaps it was the “protagonist effect,” or maybe just luck, but things really seemed to be going in their favor.

Next to the Hongxing Guesthouse was a small courtyard. On the street side were two shopfronts, long closed and somewhat dilapidated.

The owners were a retired teacher couple. Liu Wenjing chatted with the elderly woman for a while and learned that their daughter was married and their son was serving in the military.

When Shen Zhanping and Liu Wenjing expressed interest in renting the two front shops, the couple hesitated. Their main concern was their quiet lifestyle—they feared renting would disturb their peace.

The old man asked,
“What do you want to do with them?”

“We want to open a restaurant,” Liu Wenjing replied. Seeing their reluctance, she smiled warmly.
“Sir, Ma’am, there’s nothing in these rooms anyway. Empty rooms aren’t doing anyone any good. Renting them to us will earn you some income and help with household expenses.”

Shen Zhanping added,
“Don’t worry, we’re decent people. We live nearby, just down in Shenlou Village. My cousin is also in the military, stationed in the Northwest Military Region.”

“Really? That’s quite a coincidence! Our son is also in the Northwest Military Region.”

The elderly woman’s attitude changed immediately. She had been hesitant about renting, but now she became friendly, asking Shen Zhanping,
“Young man, what’s your cousin’s name? Next time our son calls, I’ll see if he knows him. They serve in the same unit—they can look out for each other.”

Shen Zhanping and Liu Wenjing were surprised by the coincidence. Exchanging a glance, Shen Zhanping hurriedly said,
“My cousin’s name is Shen Zhanxun. He’s been in the Northwest for nine years. When did your son enlist?”

“Our son’s been serving for seven or eight years,” the old man replied.

He had some insight. Hearing Shen Zhanping’s cousin had served nine years, he knew he must hold a certain rank—otherwise, he’d have retired already.

Now the couple treated Shen Zhanping and Liu Wenjing with much more warmth.

Thanks to this connection, renting the shops went smoothly. For sixteen yuan a month, they secured the two shopfronts along People’s North Road—a bargain.

The elderly couple even gave them a few days to prepare before rent officially started on the first of next month. They didn’t ask for a deposit and agreed to clean out the adjacent storeroom for use as a kitchen.

Shen Zhanping and Liu Wenjing understood—the couple was so accommodating largely because of the military connection with Shen Zhanxun.

Meanwhile, Ye Fangfei had no idea that the couple was already benefiting from her husband’s reputation.

She was at her parents’ home, braising pig intestines. First, she caramelized sugar, then added water and spices before placing the blanched intestines into the pot.

“Mom, this probably won’t be enough for tonight. Go pick some vegetables from the field. We can cook them in the broth, and make a batch of pancakes. That should be plenty.”

Zhou Hongyu nodded.
“This morning your eldest sister-in-law brought a winter melon, and the beans in the field are ready too. I’ll pick some. We also have a few potatoes—let’s use them before they sprout.”

“Mom, where are the potatoes? I’ll get them.” Ye Fangfei’s eyes lit up. Sliced and cooked in the broth, potatoes were her favorite.

Zhou Hongyu grabbed a bamboo basket and headed out.
“They’re in the west room. I’ll go pick the beans.”

“Mom, pick some chili too!” Ye Fangfei called out.

“Got it,” her mother replied.

Little Dogdan watched his grandmother leave and asked eagerly,
“Auntie, when will the pig intestines be ready to eat?”

“You little glutton,” Ye Fangfei laughed, tapping his forehead.
“When your parents and uncle and aunt come back, you’ll get to eat.”

While fetching the potatoes, Ye Fangfei noticed a roll of kelp hanging on the wall and soaked it in warm water.

Following her usual method, she braised the intestines for forty minutes, then simmered them in the pot for another hour to absorb the flavors.

By evening, the fieldworkers returned, and the children were home from school.

Ye Fangfei plated the braised intestines, while the sisters-in-law prepared the stews and pancakes.

The Ye family was large, so they set up two tables in the yard. Each table had a big bowl of stew, a plate of braised intestines, a plate of stir-fried intestines with green peppers, and a large plate of potato slices and kelp knots.

The dishes smelled irresistible, making the children drool.

Zhou Hongyu took a big bowl of vegetables and a few sponge cakes to the eldest son, asking him to deliver them to the grandparents.

Though nearly seventy, Ye Fangfei’s grandparents were healthy. They lived at the old house on the west side of the village. Because the grandmother’s bound feet made walking at night difficult, they didn’t come over for dinner.

Seeing the sun begin to set, Zhou Hongyu asked Ye Fangfei, who was setting the table,
“Qiaolan, go see if your third uncle and West Uncle are back yet.”

“I’ll go now, Grandma.” Qiaoyun replied.

Just as she reached the doorway, Ye Sanhu and Ye Xihu arrived, laughing and joking.

“Third Uncle, West Uncle, you’re back! Come in quickly—we’ve been waiting for you to start dinner,” Qiaoyun said, grabbing their hands excitedly.
“My auntie came today and bought pig intestines. It smells amazing!”

“You haven’t visited in a long time,” Ye Xihu said, pulling two candies from his pocket for his niece, his sunburnt face beaming.
“We could smell the aroma from afar. Lucky us—today’s our treat.”

Hearing Ye Xihu’s voice, the other children ran over in a frenzy. Little Dogdan eagerly asked,
“Third Uncle, West Uncle, how many ice pops are left today?”

Ye Xihu laughed heartily.
“It’s hot today, all the ice pops are gone. But Third Uncle and I bought some tangerine candies for you.”

Ye Sanhu raised the paper package in his hand, smiling.
“And we also bought big meat pies.”

The children shrieked with joy, surrounding Ye Sanhu and Ye Xihu as they entered the house.