Married but Untouched! Her Soldier Husband Came Home Dumbfounded! - Chapter 6

Ye Fangfei lived in the northern part of Su Province, where the main crops were wheat and corn.

It was June 1981. The land here had not yet been divided among households; they were still working under the collective work-point system.

Growing up in the city, Ye Fangfei wasn’t sure exactly which year the land-to-household policy would arrive—probably soon.

She opened the wardrobe, took out a bundle of clothing, and packed two changes of clothes. She planned to stay at her parents’ home for two days and ask her older cousin about his business ventures.

The last time the original host returned to her parents’ home, she’d heard her mother mention that her cousin was going to town every day to sell popsicles. The original host had been furious, thinking her cousin was dabbling in “speculation and profiteering,” disgracing the family, and even complained about him to her mother.

But Ye Fangfei felt this cousin was no simple man. The country had barely been open for two years; most people’s thinking was still very conservative.

It took courage to swallow one’s pride and go out to earn money in this era.

If she remembered correctly, in the book Sweet as Honey, Darling Wife, that cousin was mentioned too. His business wasn’t as big as the male and female leads’, but he was still a bold, capable person.

In the ’80s, he established himself in the city with a few brothers.
By the mid-’90s, he even acquired a bankrupt state-owned factory, managed it well, and became one of the city’s major taxpayers.

After packing up, Ye Fangfei began brushing her hair. The original host had jet-black, silky hair—smooth as satin—but far too long, reaching below her hips.

She braided it into a plait and thought to herself that she’d cut it shorter someday. Hair that long was too troublesome to wash and maintain.

She gently pinched her own cheek as she looked into the mirror.

A young woman in her early twenties was at the peak of her beauty. Although raised in the countryside, the original host seldom did heavy farm work. Her face was tender and well-kept, her skin practically glowing. Combined with naturally good features, she was a genuine beauty.

Her figure was just as pleasing—1.65 meters tall, slender but not scrawny. Ye Fangfei was very satisfied with both the appearance and the body she now possessed.

Carrying her bundle, she opened the door. The men of the Shen family had already left for the fields.

There wasn’t much work to do in the fields now, and with such heat, the women didn’t bother earning work points. They spend their time tending their private vegetable plots or doing household chores.

Since she was going back to her parents’ home, Ye Fangfei needed to inform her mother-in-law. Seeing Sun Xiujü sweeping the yard, she called out:

“Mom, my chest feels tight. I can’t do any work like this. I want to stay at my parents’ place for two days.”

“Does it hurt badly? Do you need to go to the county hospital?” Sun Xiujü asked worriedly.

Ye Fangfei rubbed her chest dramatically, exhaled, and said, “It’s not as painful as earlier. I think your elder sister-in-law and them just upset me. I’ll stay at my parents’ home for two days. If it still hurts, I’ll go to the hospital.”

Sun Xiujü glanced toward the main room and smiled.
“Alright, go ahead. Send my regards to your parents. If it gets worse, send word—we’ll take you to the hospital.”

Ye Fangfei nodded and headed for the backyard to fetch her bicycle.

Just then, Shen Zhanping and Liu Wenjing walked in side-by-side, Zhanping pushing her bicycle.

They spotted her as well.

“Sister-in-law,” Shen Zhanping greeted cheerfully, “Wenjing and I need to go to town for something. We’ll borrow your bicycle.”

“What a coincidence—I’m going back to my parents’ home today.” Ye Fangfei lifted her bundle. “See? I’ve already packed.”

Her bicycle had always been kept in the backyard shed. If anyone in the family needed it, they used it without asking. The original host had disliked it but never said anything.

Over the past two years, the bicycle has practically become communal property. Only when people bumped into each other like today did they bother saying a few words about borrowing it.

But Ye Fangfei was not as spineless as the original host. If her things were used yet she never got any gratitude… why pretend to be generous? She wasn’t a fool.

It was her bicycle. If others wanted to use it, they needed her permission. If she didn’t want to lend it, then no amount of persuasion mattered.

Besides, Liu Wenjing had just argued with her this morning. Even if she weren’t visiting her parents, Ye Fangfei still wouldn’t lend it.

Holding grudges? Yes. Absolutely.

Shen Zhanping thought about how close her parents’ home was. Just the next village—ten minutes’ walk at most.

He tried negotiating.
“Sister-in-law, the sun’s not strong yet. How about walking? Wenjing and I have something urgent in town.”

Ye Fangfei burst out laughing. She didn’t expect the male, and female leads to be so thick-skinned.

Hooking the bundle onto her handlebars, she said with a faint smile,
“Zhanping, I’m still feeling chest pains after being angered by your mother and wife this morning. I really don’t want to walk today. So, sorry—the bicycle stays with me.”

Shen Zhanping’s face darkened. He didn’t expect her to be so unreasonable. Before today, whenever she went home, if the family needed the bicycle, she always walked. It wasn’t far anyway. But now she was clearly doing this to embarrass him.

His younger sister, Shen Cuihua, couldn’t stand it. She glared at Ye Fangfei with open disdain and snapped:

“It’s just a lousy bicycle! What’s so great about it? Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, don’t use hers.”

Ye Fangfei took the bicycle from Zhanping and nodded approvingly.

“Cuihua’s right. Just a lousy bicycle—nothing impressive. If you want to ride one, buy your own. No need to be shameless and keep using someone else’s, right? Some people really take advantage but act like they’re doing others a favor.”

“You are calling me shameless?” Cuihua roared, glaring like she wanted to bite her.

Ye Fangfei sighed inwardly.
The original host really was a pushover. No wonder everyone felt bold enough to yell at her. She let people use her things freely and still earned no goodwill. What was she even doing?

Shen Cuijuan overheard the quarrel, dumped her bedsheet back into the basin, and marched over to support her sister-in-law.

“Is my sister-in-law wrong? If you look down on her ‘lousy’ bicycle, why did you want to ride it? Isn’t that shameless? Don’t forget—this bicycle was my brother’s bride price for her. She can let whoever she wants to ride it.”

“Zhanping, forget it.” Liu Wenjing shook her head, lips curling upward with disdain and superiority. “Since Sister-in-law needs it, we’ll just take the bus.”

She acted like speaking even one more sentence to Ye Fangfei or Cuijuan would lower her status.
A bicycle—such a big deal? How petty.

Seeing that expression, Ye Fangfei almost laughed.

This woman lived more than forty years in her past life, yet she still had this ridiculous, condescending attitude? Does being a transmigrator make her superior? Even successful entrepreneurs in the future didn’t look down on people like she does.

Ignoring them all, Ye Fangfei tugged Cuijuan along and walked forward with her bicycle.

Cuijuan huffed and followed.

Ye Fangfei handed her the room key.
“Cuijuan, I’ll be gone for two days. Sleep in my room at night. Lock up when you leave—don’t let anyone go in.”

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I’ll watch your room.” Cuijuan accepted the key solemnly.

But her guilty expression made Ye Fangfei somewhat regret entrusting her.

After thinking a moment, she went back inside and stuffed all her money into her own pocket.
This was her startup capital—she couldn’t afford any accidents.

Just as she reached the courtyard gate, her mother-in-law came hurrying out. She walked with her all the way to the empty edge of the village and took two yuan from her pocket.

“Fangfei, since our household hasn’t split yet, I can’t let you take things from the house. Take the money—buy some pastries for your parents at the commune.”

Normally, a daughter-in-law visiting her parents should bring some food.

But since they hadn’t split, everything was stored in the old lady’s room. Sun Xiujü had hinted earlier, but the old lady pretended not to hear. She had no choice but to give money instead.

“Mom, I have money.” Ye Fangfei declined. In the past, whenever she visited her parents, this mother-in-law often gave her money. She was a reasonable person.

But Sun Xiujü insisted, stuffing the two yuan into her bundle.
“Take it. You haven’t visited for half a month. Buy a jin of pastries for your parents and some fruit candies for your nephew and niece.”

Ye Fangfei didn’t like arguing over such things. Seeing that her mother-in-law was determined, she simply said, “Thank you, Mom.”

Sun Xiujü glanced around, then whispered,
“Buy from the back of the school. There are vendors there—no ration tickets needed.”

Ye Fangfei hadn’t expected the commune to already have street stalls.
Looks like there are always quick thinkers everywhere.

Smiling, she nodded, mounted her bicycle, and rode off toward the commune.