Chapter 13 Setting up a Stall

It was the hottest time at the beginning of summer, and the three individuals who appeared in the courtyard were all somewhat disheveled, especially Shen Chi, whose slightly longer hair due to sweat clung together. His face had stains from who knows where, his lips were a bit chapped, and with both hands, he carried two packages almost as tall as a person. Without a free hand to wipe the sweat on his forehead, he strode toward the house.

Lin Xiaoguai was somewhat startled and was about to welcome him when Shen Chi said, "You stand still, don't move." After he spoke, he quickened his pace towards the inside.

"Don't mind it, Wanwan. Chi is scared you'd get hurt," Luo Yufang, who was following behind, explained in a hurry.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Shen Chi reappeared from the house, empty-handed, and headed back out.

"Sister-in-law, I'll go help brother with the goods," Shen Xiu, following behind, said in haste.

After putting down the package in her hands inside, Luo Yufang took Lin Xiaoguai by the hand and sat down saying, "The goods from Licheng were cheaper than expected, and with the help of the children's little aunt, Chi went all out and hauled back a whole cartload. To take care of us two old folks, Chi has been terribly busy on the road." Although her tone sounded like a complaint, the smile on her face clearly showed how happy she was about her grandson's filial piety.

"Old lady, stop just talking and go make something to eat," Shen Zhangming, who was washing his face by the basin stand, called out.

"Yes, right, I almost forgot, you wait..." Luo Yufang said as she was about to stand up.

Lin Xiaoguai quickly pulled her back, "Grandma, you rest. I'll prepare the meal." Without waiting for a reply, she hurried into the kitchen.

Previously, the family had traded wheat for two jin of flour, and these past few days, the hens in the yard had been laying eggs diligently. There were also a few ears of fresh corn in the cupboard. Lin Xiaoguai thought about steaming the corn, making some egg pancakes, and with the porridge that Shen Xiu had just cooked, it should be enough to make do for a meal for the three of them.

"Xiuxiu, help me pick a bunch of scallions!" she shouted towards the outside and then started to get busy.

After putting the corn to steam, Lin Xiaoguai began to knead the dough. Before long, a bunch of freshly washed scallions appeared at her side, and without lifting her head, she instructed, "Chop them into fine pieces."

Shen Chi raised his eyebrows, hesitated for a moment but ended up picking up the scallions to chop them.

Lin Xiaoguai did not notice Shen Chi's arrival. After she finished kneading the dough, she pushed her hair back from her forehead and began to mix the ingredients.

Shen Chi watched Lin Xiaoguai in front of him with some curiosity—he had seen her calmness while reading, her tenderness when teaching her nephews, but he had not seen her cooking before.

Lin Xiaoguai herself carried many halos, making others look up to her and unable to envisage her doing these ordinary, mundane tasks.

Yet Shen Chi was very pleased; this woman was making meals in her capacity as his wife.

"Xiuxiu, the scallions?" Lin Xiaoguai came back to her senses and, seeing the person she didn't expect, was startled and temporarily forgot to speak.

Shen Chi smiled faintly, passing over the bowl filled with chopped scallions.

Lin Xiaoguai silently took it and without a word turned back to continue her work.

Between him and her, there was always an indescribable awkwardness.

But Shen Chi was not disappointed. She was his legally recognized wife, and now she was carrying his child, so what was there to worry about?

Seeing her in a special condition, he granted her the luxury to act like a turtle shrinking its head for a while.

Lin Xiaoguai was unaware that she had become a turtle shrinking its head in Shen Chi's mind; she just didn't know how to face Shen Chi at the moment.

Or perhaps, it was because the impression left by the Shen Chi from her previous life was too deep.

She couldn't help but feel a bit scared.

In TV dramas, the overbearing, domineering, and single-minded male protagonists always induce screams. But in real life, being loved by such a man might satisfy one's vanity at first, yet soon it feels exhausting, and the urge to escape arises.

Especially when you don't love that man.

Undoubtedly, Shen Chi was such a man.

Lin Xiaoguai was acutely aware that when she had wanted a divorce to the point of death, Shen Chi had been exhausted to the point where he truly wanted to kill her.

His gun was pointed at her more than once, as both a threat and an emotional outburst.

He would always tell her: Don't push me.

Back then, Lin Xiaoguai was not afraid, but now she felt a tinge of fear.

She was no longer the Lin Xiaoguai who had nothing to lose and could go all-in.

Flipping out the last golden-brown pancake from the pan, Lin Xiaoguai was about to bring it out when Shen Chi had already stepped forward and snatched it away.

"I'll do it."

A plate full of egg pancakes and corn, along with the porridge Shen Xiu had cooked earlier, satisfied the three travel-weary grandparents and grandchild greatly.

"This egg pancake, was it made by Wanwan?" Luo Yufang's face showed unmistakable surprise.

"Grandma, it's delicious, isn't it? Whatever my sister-in-law makes is tasty!" Before Lin Xiaoguai could speak up, Shen Xiu, who had long been conquered by her cooking skills, eagerly interjected.

Lin Xiaoguai let out a light chuckle. Even though she was no stranger to such praise, having her hard work acknowledged by others still made her happy inside.

"Indeed, I've never tasted such delicious egg pancakes in my entire life," Luo Yufang said earnestly. While the pancakes looked ordinary, just more uniform in size and thickness than usual, their taste was unlike anything she'd ever experienced.

And the more she discovered the virtues of her granddaughter-in-law, the guiltier she felt for the harm her own family had caused her, which only made her want to treat her even better.

Shen Chi's own delighted surprise was even more indescribable. With increasing understanding, he kept finding more and more admirable qualities in Wanwan.

She was even better than he had thought.

So good, so very good, that his resolve to never let go grew ever stronger.

"Wow, these clothes are beautiful!" Shen Xiu exclaimed as she opened a cloth bundle and caught sight of the colorful garments inside.

Lin Xiaoguai looked over to see Shen Xiu holding up a pair of green bell-bottoms with fascination. She couldn't help but tug at the corner of her mouth, forgiving herself for not being in sync with the aesthetic sense of the era.

"The clothes look nice, but would anyone dare to wear them?" Shen Zhangming said skeptically. "Besides, everyone usually makes their own clothes, or buys fabric and asks a tailor to make them. People might not purchase them after seeing them; they might just buy the fabric and copy the design themselves."

"Grandpa, don't worry, some of our schoolmates wear them. I heard it's from relatives in the city; everyone is so envious, just that there's nowhere to buy them," replied Shen Xiu while flipping through the other clothes.

"Grandpa, rest assured, I've taken into account all those things you mentioned. That's why I picked brightly colored fabrics when sourcing the goods, ones you can't find in the county. Even if someone tried to make their own, they wouldn't look as good as ours," Shen Chi said as he squatted down to organize the clothes in the bundle. "Clothes probably won't sell too quickly. I plan to stock up a few more times in Licheng before I go back to report for duty, leaving grandpa and grandma to sell them at leisure."

"But what if we stock too much and can't sell it all? And brother, do you even have that much capital?" Shen Xiu asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, I have it figured out," Shen Chi said, patting her on the head.

"Wait a minute!" Shen Xiu suddenly realized something. "Brother, you're not planning on having sister-in-law follow the army?"

When it came to herself, Lin Xiaoguai couldn't help but look up, meeting Shen Chi's gaze that seemed to carry an inexplicable meaning.

Whether she followed the army or not, she didn't particularly care. Although she hadn't planned on focusing too much on her career, it didn't mean she intended to live without considering earning money. And following the army... she didn't fancy the idea of working as a cafeteria cleaning staff.

Having been a freelance writer all her life, Lin Xiaoguai found it somewhat difficult to picture living a regimented nine-to-five life.

"Mm," Shen Chi frowned slightly. He had his reasons for making such a decision and had hoped that Wanwan would understand. But seeing her dismissive attitude before even hearing an explanation, he wasn't pleased at all.

He looked to his grandparents, who were asking with their eyes, "Army regulations state that family members can only follow if one holds the rank of a regular battalion commander or a deputy battalion commander with 15 years of service. I'm at the deputy rank now, but I've only served for eight years, so I don't qualify for the family following application. That's why I need to find a way to get promoted first."

As he said that, there seemed to be a flicker of darkness in his eyes as if he had encountered some unwelcome thought, and then he continued, "All that aside, the living conditions at the garrison aren't great. Wanwan is currently pregnant, and my military training is rigorous with frequent missions. There wouldn't be many opportunities to care for her. Plus, military medics generally specialize in trauma care, which isn't convenient for a pregnant woman. Therefore, I was thinking it's best to plan for the family following after the child is born."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment. Luo Yufang then looked at Lin Xiaoguai, "Wanwan, what do you think?" They were certainly willing to take care of their granddaughter-in-law, but worried she might feel aggrieved.

"I don't mind," Lin Xiaoguai said with a light laugh. "I was a bit worried before about not being able to adapt to life in the army." Should she mention that she had never intended to follow the army before giving birth?

Once they understood her stance, both the elders and Shen Xiu breathed a sigh of relief, but Shen Chi's feelings were complex.

He was sure of it; there was a major problem in their marriage.

Unlike later eras where setting up a street stall willy-nilly could lead to being chased by urban management, in the streets of that time, as long as one didn't obstruct the entrance to a shop, there was basically no interference, and no need to pay for a stall.

Therefore, it didn't take much effort for Shen Chi to set up a small stall in the street after a quick walk around the area.

And it turned out that those brightly colored, bold-for-their-time garments really did draw the attention of many passersby, although none had bought anything. Just as Luo Yufang was starting to panic, the first customer finally arrived.

"Sold, it's sold!" Once the customer left, Shen Xiu excitedly clenched the three yuan in her hand.

Luo Yufang, too, was unabashedly delighted. One could only imagine her concern about being stuck with so many unsold clothes.

With the first customer making a purchase, the second and third slowly appeared, just as Shen Chi had predicted. Though the sales weren't fast, they never ran out of customers.

Seeing this, Shen Chi began to shuttle between Licheng and the county town. The stall was looked after in turns by grandpa, grandma, and Shen Xiu, while Lin Xiaoguai was responsible for cooking at home so they could come back to eat.

Of course, to look after Lin Xiaoguai, one of the three would always stay at home.

The whole family was busy, and before they knew it, the day had come for Shen Chi to return to the army for his report.