Chapter 6 Shen Family_2

Facing his wife's rare calm gaze, Shen Chi actually felt shy, his ear tips turning slightly red, as he hastily said, "I'm going to take out the trash," and fled in a panic.

Lin Xiaoguai found it amusing, while Shen Xiu laughed so hard she could barely sit up straight.

"Okay, stop laughing, careful your brother settles the score after the autumn harvest," Lin Xiaoguai chided as she knocked lightly on Shen Xiu's head.

"I don't want to laugh either, but I can't control it," Shen Xiu said, though her voice gradually grew softer.

Lin Xiaoguai just smiled without saying a word, but she thought to herself that she hadn't expected Shen Chi to have this side to him.

When Shen Chi returned, the time it would have taken to take out the trash ten times had already passed. Seeing that both his wife and his sister showed no abnormalities, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

He was usually unflappable, but having experienced what he always considered "weak emotions" was uncommonly complex and ...awkward for him.

Taking advantage of Lin Xiaoguai's nap, Shen Xiu pulled Shen Chi aside. "Brother, I've told sister-in-law everything."

"What things?" Shen Chi didn't get it at first.

"About the betrothal gifts and the family issues," Shen Xiu said, somewhat guiltily.

"Why would you mention that?" Shen Chi was startled when he heard this, his tone hard to hide his anger.

Hearing his tone, the previously guilty Shen Xiu became angry as well, and pushed him away as she angrily said, "I mentioned it, so what? Were you planning to keep hiding it from sister-in-law? She didn't have any affection for you to begin with, perhaps even held some grudges, and after this turmoil, do you still want to stay with sister-in-law?"

"It's all Wang Zhaodi's fault. If you don't clarify things, do you plan to take the blame for him?"

"That's not what I meant," sighed Shen Chi, "I didn't intend to keep it from Wanwan." He wasn't the sort to do good deeds anonymously, and he certainly wasn't used to swallowing his grievances.

It was just...

He reached out and touched Shen Xiu's head, "Your sister-in-law's pregnancy is not going well, talking about these issues will only lead to overthinking, it's better to wait until her pregnancy is more stable."

What he didn't mention was that, although he didn't mind, in his hurry to marry Wanwan, his actions were inevitably too rash and somewhat thoughtless. The scenario during the bridal procession combined with Wang Zhaodi's malicious mouth, surely led the villagers to believe he bought Wanwan for 3,000 yuan. Although similar incidents were not uncommon in the countryside, Wanwan's reputation as a "future university student" carried weight far and wide, and people inevitably possessed jealousy and malice, stepping forward to trample down others, even the decent ones couldn't help but cast a strange look.

He never doubted Wanwan's intelligence. Once she knew about the betrothal money, it wouldn't be hard for her to guess this situation. Scholarly types carry a bit of pride; such insults cause discomfort for common folks, but for Wanwan, it might completely infuriate her.

Now, he didn't dare take that risk.

It seemed he needed to hurry up with the paperwork for military relocation.

"Brother, are you being foolish?" Shen Xiu was somewhat speechless upon hearing this, looking incredulously at Shen Chi. "Sister-in-law is upset with you because she can't show you a happy face, do you really think you're helping stabilize her pregnancy by ignoring the root problem?" She had never seen her typically composed brother looking so "foolish."

Shen Chi was actually very astute, but his care was causing disorder, and now with Shen Xiu's comment, he was suddenly enlightened.

Shen Xiu covered her face, "People say a woman loses her wits for three years with pregnancy, sister-in-law isn't foolish yet, so why have you turned foolish first?"

"What are you talking about!" Shen Chi said a bit embarrassedly as he tapped her on the head.

"It's true," pouted Shen Xiu. "Brother, you should think about it, you're sister-in-law's man now. Her family can't depend on her anymore, who else can she rely on if not you? As long as you're good, she won't have grounds to be bad."

"Sister-in-law didn't know anything and married into our family. When I was home she was mostly unconscious, and I didn't have time to explain everything about the family to her, she definitely thought of Wang Zhaodi as her real mother-in-law, otherwise she wouldn't have let that family walk all over her."

She glared at Shen Chi and said, "Let me tell you, brother, just because sister-in-law used to let people bully her doesn't mean you can take her lightly. And as for my nephew, it's not that sister-in-law is weak and timid, it's because Wang Zhaodi is too nasty."

"Who told you these things?" Shen Chi frowned.

Shen Xiu looked upset, "It's that big-mouthed Shen Xiaohua." She said sister-in-law was useless, unable to even hold onto a child, a person without fortune.

Shen Xiaohua was Xiu'er's classmate from the same village. If she spoke like this, she surely learned it from her elders.

Realization flashed quickly in Shen Chi's eyes, and he appeared helplessly as he said, "Does Xiuxiu really distrust her brother so much?"

He felt too guilty about the child to even begin to blame Wanwan. People are naturally timid in strange environments, let alone in a den as unsafe as his own home. Wanwan's difficulties at the time were completely involuntary.

Shen Xiu truly trusted her brother; she was just being cautious as a preventative measure.

— Brother's intelligence seems to always falter around sister-in-law, she couldn't help but worry a bit.

"Alright, brother, the doctor said that there's no difference now whether sister-in-law stays in the hospital or not. Even if she gets discharged, it should be fine as long as we are careful. What's your plan?" asked Shen Xiu.

"Getting discharged is definitely better," Shen Chi said without hesitation. "Let's stay at grandma and grandpa's place for a couple of days."

"That's good, but before you go back to the army, you must make sure sister-in-law is settled," Shen Xiu insisted.

Shen Chi tapped his finger heavily on Shen Xiu displeasedly, asking, "Who's the elder brother here?" However, he felt quite relieved inside. He had been worried about his sister's meek disposition and feared she might suffer at her in-law's, but now it seemed that, when truly challenged, this girl did have her mother's spirit.