Fang Shuqin rushed out like a gust of wind.
Song Tian, puzzled, followed her.
Just as they reached the gate of the bungalow, a loud CRASH echoed.
Song Tian quickly looked up and saw Fang Shuqin standing about ten meters away, hands on her hips.
Next to her was a military jeep, one side of its wheels hanging over the roadside drainage ditch. The exhaust pipe, like an old man, trembled as it puffed out two black clouds of smoke before going completely silent.
Song Tian hurried forward and checked her from all sides. “Mom, you weren’t hit, right?”
“I’m fine,” Fang Shuqin said with a gentle smile.
But when she turned her head, her expression suddenly became fierce.
She pounded on the car door, eyes blazing, “You little brat! Just got married and trying to run away? Who taught you to be a deserter!”
Fang Shuqin was forty, but her skin was flawless, with barely any wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Angry as she was, she looked even more alluring.
Lu Beizhen stepped out of the car, his handsome face expressionless, but the lines of his features were a little tense.
Fang Shuqin noticed his movements were already very smooth, just like before the accident.
Clearly, earlier that morning, his coordination had been slightly off.
The speed of his recovery was astonishing.
All thanks to Xiao Tiancai.
And yet this little brat wanted to run away.
“Trying to secretly ditch Xiao Tiancai, huh? Hmph! Even heaven couldn’t stand it, so it broke your car. Serves you right!”
Xiao Tiancai?
Lu Beizhen furrowed his brows. What kind of name was that?
He didn’t comment further, lowering his cold eyes. “I’m just returning to the military base as usual.”
“Returning? Hah, why sneak away quietly for that?” Fang Shuqin directly called out his lie.
Previously, Lu Beizhen would just stop by at home before heading back, but he always gave a heads-up.
Today, leaving without a word was clearly guilty behavior.
Lu Beizhen pursed his thin lips.
Fang Shuqin snorted again. “If you’re going back to the military base, fine. Xiao Tiancai and I are going too—we’ll follow you, move into your residential compound!”
She wanted to see where he could hide now.
Besides, dating in the residential compound might be even more interesting.
“Wait here. Xiao Tian and I will go pack our things. If you run off, you’re not getting away with it.”
Fang Shuqin dragged Song Tian back inside and hurriedly packed.
Song Tian had just married yesterday, and her wicker trunk only held a few clothes.
Since last night had been so unpleasant, she hadn’t even opened it—now she could just pick it up and go.
Fang Shuqin only packed a few clothes herself, locked the door, and rushed Song Tian outside.
She was afraid Lu Beizhen would try to sneak off again!
But when she looked, Lu Beizhen was still standing in place.
Fang Shuqin immediately smiled triumphantly.
“Xiao Tiancai, look! He’s still standing there obediently, obviously looking forward to you moving into the residential compound!”
Fang Shuqin imagined the scene vividly.
Lu Beizhen pretended not to care, but his eyes glanced at the house, checking if his little wife had finished packing.
Fang Shuqin almost laughed out loud.
Song Tian stood there, hesitating.
Could it be that he couldn’t leave because his car was broken?
Lu Beizhen had already propped open the hood and checked all the parts, but couldn’t find the problem.
His handsome brows were deeply furrowed.
After a moment of thought, he was about to inspect again.
Song Tian stepped forward. “Want me to take a look?”
“You can fix it?” Lu Beizhen frowned, his gaze cold.
Cars were still rare at this time, and most people couldn’t even drive them, let alone repair them.
Song Tian said she’d give it a try, and Lu Beizhen doubted her every step of the way.
“I’ve watched others fix cars, so I know a little. I’ll try—anyway, the car’s broken now. Who knows? Maybe I really can fix it,” Song Tian said.
She didn’t sound overconfident—she had never handled this old jeep before.
Its parts were long obsolete; she wasn’t sure if her learned skills could be applied.
Lu Beizhen stepped aside, letting her through.
It wasn’t that he believed her.
If she actually made it worse, he could just say she only knew how to cause trouble and keep her at home.
Half a year apart, then file for divorce.
Song Tian leaned over, her face almost touching the engine, focused.
Her slender, fair fingers carefully explored the connected gears and hoses.
This seventies-era manual jeep was simple: turn the key to start, nothing too complex.
She checked for a bit and quickly found the problem.
“Do you have pliers and wrenches? Sizes six and eight,” Song Tian asked.
Lu Beizhen’s expression shifted—surprised.
She even knew the wrench sizes—could she actually fix it?
He opened the trunk and got the tools she needed.
Song Tian got to work.
Tools of this era were not very precise, so nuts and wrenches didn’t fit snugly and slipped easily. She worked carefully, her forehead soon dotted with sweat, her baby-faced features tense.
Lu Beizhen glanced at her, his astonishment fading.
Sure enough, there was no way this woman could fix a car. All that talk she’d heard and repeated on him—could she actually do it?
Just talking and doing were not the same.
He was thinking this when suddenly—whoosh—a black liquid poured from under the car, spreading across the ground.
She had made it leak?
The black fluid spread everywhere.
Lu Beizhen’s face turned dark as he grabbed Song Tian away.
Seeing this, Fang Shuqin quickly patched it up. “Ah, this car was going to break anyway. It would stall constantly and roar like a motorcycle—my eardrums almost shattered! Now it’s perfect, I can finally decide to get a new car. And since I get car sick, I can take the train today. Xiao Tiancai, have you ever taken a train? I’ll buy you a sleeper ticket—enjoy it!”
Song Tian didn’t respond—she jumped into the ditch beside the road, using both hands to push the half-suspended car back onto the street.
Her incredible strength stunned both Lu Beizhen and Fang Shuqin.
Lu Beizhen lowered his eyes, realizing Song Tian was truly extraordinary.
Fang Shuqin almost cried.
To impress Lu Beizhen, Xiao Tiancai had worked so hard!
If this isn’t love, what is?
Covered in grease from the ditch, Song Tian spoke earnestly.
“I didn’t break it. This is just carbon buildup in the engine pipes mixed with gasoline, that’s why it’s black.”
Earlier, the car always roared and stalled because the excessive carbon had blocked the spark plugs.
Song Tian lifted her eyes, bright and deep, looking at Lu Beizhen. “Try it now.”
Lu Beizhen doubted it but turned the key.
The engine, which had been lifeless before, now purred smoothly, almost silent.
Surprise flickered in Lu Beizhen’s eyes but quickly vanished.
Fang Shuqin was full of pride.
“See? Since Xiao Tiancai came to our home, the ‘vegetative’ husband woke up, the broken car runs again, and I can even eat two bowls of rice in the morning!”
Lu Beizhen cut her off. “You could eat two bowls of rice in the morning even before.”
Fang Shuqin: “….”
A little embarrassed, she changed the subject. “Enough, let’s go!”
She climbed into the back seat.
Song Tian climbed out of the ditch, ready to get in too.
“Don’t get in.” Lu Beizhen reached out, stopping her.