Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Wang Shuanzhu’s family situation was also a real headache.

"So the one who came looking for you at the bus station that day was your ex-sister-in-law?" Feng Yanwen said. "You could’ve just told me. And why did you have to go yourself? You could have easily told them that you have someone now. Legally or morally, there’s no reason you can’t cut ties with them."

Bringing this up made Wang Shuanzhu even more frustrated. "Actually, there’s something else I haven’t told you. She died young, and back then, her sister was still a child. The family didn’t have any plans back then. Later, when my financial situation improved a bit, they thought about setting me up with her sister. Even though I didn’t agree, they never gave up on the idea. Honestly, it’s my fault—I should have cut ties with them long ago."

But as the saying goes, you can run, but you can’t hide. He was still here, and it was easy for them to find him.

Feng Yanwen always knew that the reason he hadn’t gotten involved with anyone for so many years must have been due to complications.

His ex-in-laws were one problem; his own brothers were another.

He’d been on the fence before, but now he was dead set.

Feng Yanwen suddenly thought of her clever daughter and came up with a plan. "If you’re too embarrassed to confront them directly, then make them reveal their true colors themselves."

It was rare to see such an expression on her face—a mix of a grown woman’s charm and a girl’s playfulness. His heart raced, and his eyes lit up. "Tell me."

Feng Yanwen glanced around and beckoned Wang Shuanzhu closer. "Come closer, and I’ll walk you through it."

Wang Shuanzhu obediently leaned in, and a faint fragrance instantly filled his senses—perhaps from shampoo or soap, but it was pleasant. His head spun a little.

Were they too close...?

Perhaps it was the shared excitement of plotting together, but the two of them burst into laughter.

After whispering for a while, Wang Shuanzhu asked doubtfully, "Will this really work?"

Feng Yanwen replied, "If you’re not superstitious, go for it."

Wang Shuanzhu said, "I don’t believe in superstitions."

Feng Yanwen pinched his arm. "Then why’d you say you’re cursed when it comes to wives?"

Wang Shuanzhu flushed slightly. "That’s different."

Feng Yanwen asked, "So, do you want to try it or not?"

————

By 10 p.m., Feng Yanwen still wasn’t back.

After finishing her reading, Xu Meng knew something was off. Normally, Feng Yanwen would either be preparing lessons or reading at home—she’d never been out this late before. She got Huang Xiaoying, and the two sisters discussed it, figuring Feng Yanwen must’ve been upset about something today.

"I shouldn’t have opened my mouth," Xu Meng said regretfully. "I should have asked Wang Shuanzhu first to find out what he really meant!"

Well, now he wasn’t even "Uncle Wang" anymore—just Wang Shuanzhu!

The noise brought the three kids next door running.

The eldest held a flashlight. "Should we all go out and look for her?"

The second child nodded eagerly. "Yeah, yeah!"

The little one looked up, looking at his sisters and then his brother, before silently clinging to Xu Meng’s leg.

Though Xu Meng was anxious, she wasn’t about to send three children out to search in the middle of the night. If the adult wasn’t found and the kids got lost too, there’d be no one to turn to.

At this moment, having a sister here paid off. The sisters shared a look.

"We’ll go search together. You three stay at home," they said, linking arms.

The oldest was really worried: "Are you sure you don't need us to go? I know the neighborhood way better than you."

Xu Meng glanced at the three little ones: "We need someone to stay in case Mom gets back. Let her know not to go searching for us, or we’ll end up searching for each other all night."

The three kids all stared at her, then nodded.

The oldest sighed and said, sounding way too grown-up: "Here, take the flashlight."

Xu Meng also dug out a flashlight from the drawer, handing the one inside to Huang Xiaoying while keeping the one from the kids.

If you’ve never walked at night, you wouldn’t get it—a flashlight only lights up so much. It was only the ninth day of the lunar month, and the moon wasn’t very bright. By this hour, the lights in the alley were all off, leaving it pitch-dark outside. One wrong step and you’d step in who-knows-what. Xu Meng was seriously spooked by nighttime walks.

The oldest reassured her: "Don’t be scared. There are no ghosts outside."

Xu Meng: "..." I’m not scared!

The kids helpfully flipped on the yard light. The oldest even said like a tiny boss: "Just search around this area, then check Chang Xi’s place. Don’t go too far, or I’ll have to bang the alarm gong."

Xu Meng: "Please don’t bang the alarm gong."

If that happened, she’d never live it down.

Ever since their home was burglarized, every house had a noisemaker ready in case of thieves. One clang, and the whole block would come running to catch the intruder. Xu Meng didn’t want her reputation on Changchun Street to grow any further and promised she’d stick close.

The five of them stepped out the gate together.

The oldest even considerately walked them to the gate.

Not long after Xu Meng left, the oldest noticed a faint flashlight beam from the other direction.

The kids freaked out: "A ghost!"

The second child: "Didn’t Sister just go that way? Why is the light coming from here?"

At this hour, there usually wasn’t anyone else around.

The oldest: "Seriously? It’s obviously someone else."

The second child: "Should we go back inside?"

The oldest: "Maybe we should wait and see?"

The three huddled together like scared little chicks, staring at the approaching light.

As it drew nearer, they could make out two figures pressed close together.

When they finally recognized who it was, they gaped. The two were arm in arm, clinging tightly—like one of those lovey-dovey street couples. And one of them was someone they knew all too well.

It was Teacher Feng!

Coincidentally, the other was also familiar—Uncle Wang.

The two were chatting, completely unaware of the three figures in the dark. By the time they were almost upon them, nearly colliding, Feng Yanwen let out a small gasp and quickly covered her mouth: "Ah—"

In the darkness, the three little quails just stood there, staring.

Feng Yanwen clutched her chest, "I was scared to death!"

"You three, what are you doing standing here so late?" Feng Yanwen quickly let go of Wang Shuanzhu's hand.

But Wang Shuanzhu didn’t let go and even tightened his grip. They’d been holding hands the whole way, and if he hadn’t escorted her home, he still wouldn’t have wanted to let go.

The middle kid rolled his eyes, glancing back and forth between them, pointing at one and then the other: "Wait, I thought you two broke up?"

Feng Yanwen was so exasperated she almost laughed: "Who told you that?"

The second child pointed toward the street not far away: "Auntie Fang! When you went back for the New Year, she told everyone—"

Auntie Fang was the neighborhood busybody on Changchun Street.

The oldest stomped on his foot: "Stop blabbering! Auntie, you’re home. Just now, Sister and the others went out looking for you."

Feng Yanwen sighed: "When did they leave?"

She’d lost track of time—totally her fault. By the time she realized how late it was, it was already ten o’clock.

Xu Meng had always been scared of the dark and afraid of walking at night. That she’d go out searching so late touched her mom’s heart.

The eldest quickly pointed in the direction they had gone: "They headed that way just now, probably to Sister Chang Xi’s house."

Wang Shuanzhu immediately released Feng Yanwen’s hand, muttering, "I’ll go find them," before taking off. Luckily, they hadn’t gone far, so Xu Meng and the others were just arriving at Chang Xi’s place when Wang Shuanzhu, flustered, called them back.

They hadn’t even reached Chang Xi’s house before being summoned back.

The moment Xu Meng spotted Feng Yanwen from a distance, she didn’t even watch her step and rushed over: "Mom! Where were you? You had us so worried coming home this late!"

Wang Shuanzhu smiled faintly. Earlier, Feng Yanwen had spoken to him about her feelings for Xu Meng.

He didn’t have children of his own, but being constantly cared for like this felt nice.

Huang Xiaoying rushed over, babbling: "Yeah, we were so worried! Oh, and why are you two together?"

Xu Meng froze. Why was it always her cousin who noticed these things? Was she really that clueless, or just blind to the obvious? She widened her eyes, looking back and forth between them, her expression full of confusion.

This time, even Wang Shuanzhu couldn’t hold back a laugh.

They hadn’t planned to make it public, but now that they were here together, there was no need for a special explanation.

The second child scoffed: "Teacher Feng probably tripped earlier. I saw Uncle Wang helping her back. Teacher Feng, are you feeling okay now?"

The eldest nodded: "Auntie Feng, are you hurt?"

These kids were clueless—clueless.

Now everyone was awkward—awkward for no reason.

Xu Meng wanted to strangle these two. How could they be this dense?

Feng Yanwen cleared her throat lightly: "Okay, I’m fine. Everyone, go back to sleep now. Shuanzhu, you should head home too—it’s very late. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Eldest, take your brothers back to bed. Xu Meng, go inside."

She made sure everyone got the message.

The next morning, before the family had even gotten up, Wang Shuanzhu—now officially her boyfriend—arrived.

Waiting under the eaves, he heard voices inside and called out softly, "Teacher Feng."

Feng Yanwen came out bundled in a coat and, seeing him in an old jacket, figured they'd probably need to visit the Sun family today.

Let's face it, if the issue with the Sun family wasn’t resolved—or if they didn’t have a falling-out—then no matter what Wang Shuanzhu did in the future, his in-laws would always stick their noses in.

“So early,” Feng Yanwen glanced at the time—it was only 7:30. “You’re going to their house this early?”

Wang Shuanzhu gave her a long look.

Last night, he had been too keyed up to sleep much, tossing and turning all night. He only dozed off briefly in the early hours, but now he was bright-eyed. He had gotten up at first light, tidied the house, and by the time he finished, it was only 7:30.

“What do you want for breakfast? I’ll go buy it now.”

Only then did Feng Yanwen notice the thermal food container in his hand.

Originally planning to steam a big batch of buns, she thought for a moment and said, “Just get some soup dumplings from the East Gate Market. Two baskets will be enough. Have you eaten yet?”

Wang Shuanzhu shook his head. “The lunchbox isn’t that big. I’ll eat first and then bring a box back.”

The styrofoam container worked fine—it could hold about two baskets.

After speaking, Feng Yanwen closed the door.

Voices came from inside from two girls.

“Who was that, coming so early? Looking for you?”

“At this hour, definitely not for me. Do you want to sleep a bit more?”

Wang Shuanzhu glanced inside a few times before heading toward the East Gate Market.

So when Xu Meng got up, she saw a lunchbox of soup dumplings on the table and said with a sneer, “Oh, who sent these special delivery dumplings?”

Huang Xiaoying also rushed out. “Who brought the soup dumplings?”

Feng Yanwen ate one, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Just eat your dumplings. So many questions.”

Yet a faint smile lingered on her lips.

She had always eaten breakfast she bought herself—this was the first time someone had delivered it right to her doorstep.

By around noon, Wang Shuanzhu returned.

Feng Yanwen had just finished lunch when she noticed someone lingering outside. She stepped out and saw Wang Shuanzhu standing there. When she emerged, the two walked away together, only speaking once they were farther off.

“How did it go?” Judging by his expression, it must have gone smoothly.

Wang Shuanzhu rubbed his palms together. “As soon as I brought it up, their attitude changed.”

No matter how nice they had been before, the moment he mentioned his current difficulties, the Sun family wanted to drop him like a hot potato.

At first, they didn’t believe him, but when Wang Shuanzhu presented convincing evidence, they immediately accepted that he was strapped for cash. Over the years, he had bought plenty of things for the Sun family and given them gifts during holidays. In nearly a decade, he must have spent at least eight or nine grand on them.

Yet today, when he merely mentioned needing to borrow 800 yuan for an emergency, his ex-father-in-law’s expression soured.

They wouldn’t even lend him 80, let alone 800.

At first, they just doled out solemn lectures, but later, they straight-up jabbed a finger at him and scolded, “If you can’t handle a big bowl, don’t take that bite. We told you long ago to keep your business small. That thing you call a ‘power outage protector’—nobody's heard of it on the market. Who would buy that? You’re going to sink yourself and take us down with you.”

Wang Shuanzhu still pulled the guilt card, unwilling to give up. Over the years, he had given them plenty of money—just 800 yuan. He never expected them to straight-up turn him down, acting like they were doing him some big favor.

If the Sun family had been willing to lend him that 800 yuan, he would have treated them as relatives from then on. After all these years, there was still some affection between them.

In the end, he realized that the so-called affection was just his own wishful thinking.

Finally, the other party said flatly, "Actually, she's been dead for so many years, and we have no real connection anymore..."

The conversation ended on a sour note, and as he was leaving, he overheard the elderly couple muttering, implying that he had only made money in the past few years by sheer luck, and now that government jobs were declining, what's a small business owner gonna accomplish anyway?

With their daughter gone, there was no real bond left between the two families. As for most elderly people, how many would willingly take money out of their pockets once it's in?

Their yelling was loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.