Married but Untouched! Her Soldier Husband Came Home Dumbfounded! - Chapter 46

Time flew, and another month had passed.

Shen Zhanqiang was set to start school the day after tomorrow. Sun Xiujü asked him to stop by home first, tidy up the vegetable garden, and take some retirement money and grain to his grandparents.

Shen Zhanqiang helped pack up the ingredients for the braised meat, then went inside to change into a fresh set of clothes.

As he was leaving, Sun Xiujü followed him out, reminding him, “On your way, swing by your sister’s house to see Tingting. If she’s free, have your sister bring her to the city for a visit.”

“Mom, didn’t my sister just come a few days ago? You miss her again?” Shen Zhanqiang teased with a grin.

Sun Xiujü patted his back, smiling. “You little rascal, that’s your sister—you’ve grown up with her. Don’t you miss her?”

There were some things Sun Xiujü hadn’t told her son.

The last time Cuilan had brought Tingting over, Sun Xiujü noticed her daughter’s mood seemed off. The smile on her face looked forced, no matter how one looked at it.

She had asked several times, and the girl always replied with a laugh, claiming it was nothing and blaming the heat and lack of sleep.

Still uneasy, Sun Xiujü decided to send her son to check on her.

Hearing their conversation, Ye Fangfei quickly packed two bags of egg cakes for Shen Zhanqiang. “Take the large one for Tingting, and the smaller one for your grandparents to try.”

As for Shen Chunsheng and Shen Zhangshi, Fangfei didn’t want to waste her thoughts on them. She had never met such selfish elders. They were sharp when it came to cunning, but utterly incompetent when it came to doing things properly.

If it weren’t for showing respect to her father-in-law, Fangfei wouldn’t even bother giving them any of these treats.

Shen Zhanqiang looked at the two packages—one weighing about two kilograms, the smaller one just over half a kilogram—and couldn’t help but grin. “Sister-in-law, aren’t you being a little biased?”

Fangfei raised an eyebrow, answering matter-of-factly, “I’m happy. What’s it to you?”

Then she lightly patted him on the head. “Go on now. School starts the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the department store to buy clothes.”

“Really, Sister-in-law?” Shen Zhanqiang’s eyes lit up with excitement. He seized the opportunity to ask, “Then can I get a pair of white sneakers and another pair of pants to switch with?”

Fangfei snorted, pretending to scold him. “Did you just call me biased?”

Shen Zhanqiang immediately backpedaled. “Sister-in-law, I misspoke! You’re not biased at all—you’re the most fair and upright person in the world.”

Fangfei laughed heartily at his antics.

Sun Xiujü, listening to the two of them banter, shook her head with a smile. “Alright, now go. Pull some weeds in the vegetable patch, water the plants, and harvest whatever’s ready to eat.”

“Got it,” he replied obediently.

When Shen Zhanqiang arrived at the commune, he ran into Shen Zhanping and Liu Wenjing, riding a brand-new bicycle toward the little road leading to Shenlou Brigade.

Shen Zhanqiang pretended not to see them, pedaled hard, and overtook the pair.

He didn’t go home immediately, choosing instead to visit his eldest sister’s house first.

Zhou Hongqi, seeing Shen Cuilan crying, snapped impatiently. “Big brother’s gone, sister-in-law has to work, and she’s taking care of two children. I’m just trying to help out a little, and you’re here making a fuss—don’t you think it’s a bit much?”

“Zhou Hongqi, you’re supposed to help your sister-in-law, yet you even care about what she does in bed. How dare you say such things?”

“You’re being ridiculous. I’m not arguing with you,” Zhou Hongqi muttered, seemingly wounded, grabbing his water jug and heading out.

He was handsome and the brigade’s tractor driver. Popular during matchmakings, his mother had finally chosen Shen Cuilan for him.

Cuilan was delicate and capable, both at home and outside. Zhou Hongqi was pleased, and for a while, their days had been sweet and inseparable.

Last year, Zhou Hongqi’s elder brother died in a dam accident. The two brothers were only two years apart and had always been close. With his brother gone, Zhou Hongqi treated his nieces and nephews as his own children, prioritizing their care even over his own household chores.

Shen Cuilan, not petty by nature, had never complained.

But over time, she began to notice something off. Zhou Hongqi would find any chance to be with her, often more than at his own home, and the village was buzzing with whispers.

Shen Cuilan refused to believe her husband could be that kind of man. Her sister-in-law, Wei Hongyan, a 24-year-old primary school teacher, could easily remarry if she wanted. There was no way he’d be involved with a younger sister-in-law.

She told others this and tried to convince herself.

Yet deep down, doubts gnawed at her. She knew her husband’s subtle changes better than anyone else.

Shen Cuilan felt embarrassed and refused to make a scene. She had argued quietly with Zhou Hongqi a couple of times, asking him not to go too far and to preserve some dignity for both of them.

But his heart had changed. He found her complaints irritating and preferred to believe in the village gossip rather than her.

Looking at his cold words, Shen Cuilan felt hopeless. She didn’t dare tell her parents, ashamed and afraid of worrying them.

After slamming the door, Zhou Hongqi left. Shen Cuilan, eyes red, held her child in one arm and a large basket in the other. She intended to harvest all the fruits and vegetables from her personal plot and send them to her sister-in-law’s family, asking Da Hu to take them to the city—so they wouldn’t fall into the hands of that shameless, conniving fox.

Before reaching the brigade, Zhou Hongqi encountered his brother-in-law, Shen Zhanqiang.

“Brother-in-law, going to work?” Shen Zhanqiang hopped off his bike and greeted him cheerfully.

Zhou Hongqi looked uneasy, a little guilty, but forced a smile. “Zhanqiang, you came! Head home. Your sister is there. I have some matters at the brigade but will be back at noon to talk with you.”

Shen Zhanqiang nodded. “Don’t worry about me, brother-in-law. I’ll deliver some treats to Tingting and be on my way.”

Relieved that Shen Zhanqiang would leave soon, Zhou Hongqi exchanged a few polite words before hurrying to the brigade.

Thinking he really had urgent matters, Shen Zhanqiang didn’t pay much attention and pedaled on toward his sister’s house.

Shen Cuilan, holding her child and carrying a large basket, was about to lock the door when the sound of a bicycle bell rang behind her.

“Sis, where are you going?” Shen Zhanqiang called with a grin.

Cuilan immediately turned around. “Little brother, why are you here?”

“My parents asked me to bring grain and retirement money to grandparents, and I wanted to check on you and Tingting,” he explained, placing the large bag of egg cakes from his sister-in-law in the yard.

“Why so many egg cakes again? We haven’t even finished the last batch you brought.” Cuilan hurriedly took the bag and ushered her brother inside.

Since getting married, she had never helped her maternal family, only causing her parents to worry.

Ever since her sister-in-law opened the dessert shop, she had occasionally sent her brothers-in-law egg cakes to bring over.

Shen Cuilan felt a little guilty about it.