Shen Niannian looked at the fragrant scrambled eggs with tomatoes and the vinegar-stir-fried shredded potatoes on the table, and could barely keep her mouth from watering. She didn’t notice the look in his eyes.
She picked up a chopstickful of eggs and put it in her mouth. A look of pure satisfaction spread across her face. His cooking was truly excellent—the eggs were perfectly browned on the outside and tender inside, and the crisp outer parts had soaked up all the rich tomato sauce. Tangy and sweet, it was wonderfully appetizing.
As she ate, she replied casually, “Go back to your family home? Of course we should. It’s tradition to visit the parents on the second day of marriage!”
But after she finished speaking, there was silence across the table. She looked up and saw Gu Yanzhi’s handsome face burning bright red. He seemed to be struggling to say something, too nervous to speak, hesitating back and forth until his face flushed completely crimson.
Curious, Shen Niannian set down her chopsticks. “What’s the matter?”
Gu Yanzhi parted his lips, lowered his gaze, and finally, as if summoning every ounce of courage he had, spoke up. “Niannian… I… I must apologize to you first.”
“Apologize?”
Shen Niannian’s heart gave a sudden jolt. Could it be that he, like Wang Jiangang, has some woman he’s always loved deep down? She’d only just begun to feel a little fond of him, thinking they might build a good life together this time around. But if he truly held someone else in his heart… she wouldn’t force him. A relationship forced is never happy.
She felt a flicker of regret, but no deep heartache. If it comes to it, she thought, we can stay as good friends, just like in my past life… and later, we can agree to part ways…
Gu Yanzhi had no idea that with those few words, she was already contemplating divorce.
He nodded earnestly. “I… I have two children. They are not my own, of course. They belong to my eldest sister. She passed away in childbirth, and my eldest brother-in-law died while on duty in the Northwest Construction Corps. His parents had already passed away. My father and mother could not bear to see two helpless infants perish, so they brought them home to raise. We had intended for my elder brother and his wife to take them in… but my elder sister-in-law flatly refused. She said if we placed them with her, she would divorce my brother on the spot. Besides, my brother and his wife were both working as sent-down youth in the countryside back then… and so, the children were left in my care.”
He looked up cautiously, watching her expression closely. Seeing no sign of displeasure, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Shen Niannian, however, already knew about the children. In her past life, Shen Youyou had flown into a terrible rage the moment she found out—so angry she’d stormed back to her parents’ home the very next day, weeping and making a scene.
That was why she felt no surprise at all. “Understood. Don’t worry. If they are your eldest sister’s children, then they are our family. I have married you, and so they are my kin as well. There is nothing wrong with this at all.”
At her words, Gu Yanzhi’s hands resting on the table trembled, his tightly clenched fingers slowly relaxing. His face shone with emotion—gratitude, relief, and guilt all tangled together.
He reached out abruptly and seized her hand. “Thank you… thank you, Niannian. On behalf of the two children, too—thank you!”
Shen Niannian patted his hand gently, smiling to calm him down. Let go, I need to pick up my food! His sudden grasp had knocked the egg right off her chopsticks.
Gu Yanzhi realized it at once, and his face flamed scarlet. He released her hand in a flurry. “I’m so sorry… I lost control of myself for a moment…”
Shen Niannian picked the egg up off the table. Waste not, she told herself. Wasting food is a sin! Besides, he had polished the table until it gleamed—it was perfectly clean. She waved it off. “It’s fine.”
She took a sip of thick, creamy corn porridge, sweet and rich on her tongue. Glancing up, she found him staring intently at her. “Is there anything else?” she asked. “If there is, say it all at once!”
Truth be told, nothing could possibly be more surprising than the revelation she had just heard. And looking at him—Gu Yanzhi was plainly a decent, honest man. So much better than Wang Jiangang, who had been nothing but lazy and slippery. If there was anything else he needed help with, as long as it was within her power, she would gladly stand by him.
Gu Yanzhi, seeing that she was clearly not a petty or narrow-minded woman, visibly relaxed. Seeing that she was finishing the steamed bun in her hand, he broke off another half and handed it to her.
“Actually… there is one more thing I must tell you.”
Shen Niannian took the bun from him, picked up some spicy-sour shredded potatoes, and ate it with a bite of crisp, salty pickled vegetables. She was thoroughly content. “Go on. I’m listening.”
Gu Yanzhi took a deep breath and spoke clearly. “This apartment was allocated to my parents by their workplace. They have always lived here. But for our marriage… they moved out to the old family home. Two days ago, my elder brother and his wife returned from the countryside. They have nowhere to stay. My sister-in-law is pregnant, and she is throwing a fit—insisting on moving into this apartment. She says she will terminate the pregnancy if she doesn’t get her way. My mother has wept for days over this. But for the sake of our wedding… my father said that no matter what, we would wait until we were married to speak of it. I…”
Before he could finish, Shen Niannian cut him off.
“So you mean… you want this apartment to go to your brother and his wife… and you want me to move to the old family home instead?”
Gu Yanzhi looked utterly wretched with guilt. “Yes… and no. When we return this time, I intend to apply for housing through my unit. We have family quarters there. I was hoping… that you might come and live with me at the base. Would you… be willing?”
This gave Shen Niannian pause. Seeing her frown, Gu Yanzhi’s heart rose into his throat.
He did not know, however, that her hesitation had nothing to do with the old house. She was thinking of her father, Shen Dajun. If she moved away to the base with him… what would become of him? She had vowed to protect him this lifetime. And if Shen Youyou was reborn too… what cruel schemes might she hatch?
Shen Niannian had lived through the prosperity of the twenty-first century. She knew that the reform and opening-up would transform the world beyond recognition. In her past life, she had used her special gift to amass a collection of rare antiques and become a successful businesswoman. But more than that—she had gained genuine, profound knowledge of history and artifacts, so much so that historians had later invited her to lecture at their institutes. All that knowledge was etched permanently in her mind. And now, in this lifetime, she had her basement space. She had no doubt that she could build a life of success once more.
But she needed time.
And the old family home would suit her perfectly. She knew exactly where it stood, and she knew it held treasures—treasures that Shen Youyou had sold off cheaply in her past life. Shen Niannian could hardly wait to live there.
She glanced around the small apartment—plain, narrow, one bedroom and one living room. It was nowhere near as comfortable as the old house with its courtyard.
“Very well,” she said. “I agree. But as for moving to the base with you… let us wait a while longer. The year will be ending in a few months anyway, and we shall have to return here then.”