After giving Dongfang Huaiyu a drink of the spiritual spring water, Shen Fuyao began recounting the Wang family’s misdeeds.
“Auntie, luckily I woke up in time last night. When Wang Chaomei came back, I heard the noise and woke up. She said that Wang Chaoying has a lover in the army, someone named Xia Yulan. They’ve been together for years. Even Zhuo’er and Caifeng—the two siblings—were actually born to Xia Yulan and Wang Chaoying.”
Shen Fuyao spoke with deep emotion, her beautiful willow-shaped eyes glistening with faint tears.
After all, in her previous life, she had died because of this family of ingrates. The tears were for the short life she had lost.
“Absolutely heartless, utterly heartless,” Dongfang Huaiyu’s voice rose with anger.
“Fuyao, your fate has been harsh. If only I had money four years ago…”
Dongfang Huaiyu sighed. A few years ago, her son Dongfang Yunqi had been on a secret mission and had little contact with the family. Only this year did he write back, being transferred to Hunan Province and sending money. If the money had arrived earlier, Shen Fuyao’s grandmother could have been treated properly, and Shen Fuyao wouldn’t have had to marry Wang Chaoying.
“Auntie, that’s fate. But now I see the true colors of the Wang family. Once I get to the army, I’ll make sure the leaders know the truth and then sever all ties with them,” Shen Fuyao said firmly.
“Yes,” Dongfang Huaiyu nodded in agreement. “I support you. If you divorce and can’t return to your family, come to my home—I’ll take you in as my daughter-in-law.”
These were not idle words. Dongfang Yunqi was twenty-eight this year. A few days ago he had written home saying he hadn’t found a partner yet but now wanted to marry, asking his mother to find him a good girl.
She had to be younger, trustworthy, preferably from the Phoenix Brigade, fair-skinned, beautiful, with willow-shaped eyes, intelligent, independent, and a small upturned nose.
It was almost like Dongfang Huaiyu was describing Shen Fuyao directly.
She had always liked Shen Fuyao. Before, Shen Fuyao was married, so she couldn’t intervene. But now, after Wang Chaoying’s misdeeds and Shen Fuyao’s potential divorce, Dongfang Huaiyu fully supported her.
Besides, Shen Fuyao was well-educated and cultured. It didn’t matter if she had been married before; as long as her character was good, that was enough. But for the sake of future generations, appearance, height, and intelligence also mattered.
Shen Fuyao was 1.68 meters tall, and Dongfang Yunqi was 1.88 meters—a twenty-centimeter height difference, which was ideal. Most importantly, Shen Fuyao was stunningly beautiful, with delicate features, a petite figure, and large, expressive willow-shaped eyes that gleamed like autumn waters. Willow-shaped eyes were rare, and hers were overwhelmingly beautiful.
The more Dongfang Huaiyu looked at her potential daughter-in-law, the more she liked her. She handed Shen Fuyao some breakfast: cured sausages, corn, and eggs.
“Fuyao, it’s almost noon. Eat something first. You probably didn’t sleep at all last night. Rest well, and I’ll call you for dinner later,” she said.
“Thank you, Auntie,” Shen Fuyao smiled, taking the food. She didn’t respond to the daughter-in-law comment, treating it as a joke to comfort her.
Once fed, people naturally feel sleepy. Having stayed up all night, Shen Fuyao yawned and leaned against the window to rest.
Dongfang Huaiyu, a light sleeper, picked up her knitting to make a scarf while keeping an eye on the luggage.
Perhaps the author didn’t like including the usual train scenes with kidnappers or pickpockets common in historical novels, because this train journey was completely safe. They spent two days and a night traveling without incident.
On the third day after her rebirth, around five in the afternoon, Shen Fuyao and Dongfang Huaiyu arrived at the military family compound in Xingcheng.
“Comrade, I’m here to see my son. His name is Dongfang Yunqi,” Dongfang Huaiyu said at the gate. She and Shen Fuyao had discussed it beforehand. They were worried the Wang family might contact Wang Chaoying first, so they claimed they were looking for Dongfang Yunqi directly.
“Are you a commander?” a young guard asked.
“I’m his mother,” she replied.
“Please come in. The telegram only went out this morning—how did you get here so quickly? Are you staying nearby?” the guard asked, opening the gate.
“What telegram?” Shen Fuyao asked.
“The telegram about Division Commander Dongfang being seriously injured. He’s currently in the hospital at the military family compound,” the guard explained, then gave instructions to another soldier. “Comrades, I’ll take you to see the commander.”