Just thinking that the two of them were going to get divorced anyway, and that Shen Huai would eventually marry someone else and become another woman’s husband, made Lin Shu feel that none of it had anything to do with her.
He could believe whoever he wanted.
She, Lin Shu, wasn’t going to bother with him.
“Damn man! You don’t believe me! I’ll beat you to death, beat you to death!”
After getting off the bus, Lin Shu threw a series of punches at the air. To the passersby, the girl looked like she had completely lost her mind.
She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to notice the strange looks from others. When she finally realized people were staring at her, she quickly lowered her hands, straightened her clothes and hair, and hurried home.
When she arrived, her sister-in-law and little nephew were both there.
“Little Sis, is that you? Come take a look in the backyard!”
Jiang Jie’s voice was filled with astonishment. The little white dog at home had always had short fur, so how had it suddenly grown long fur overnight?
Lin Shu recognized it at a glance. This was the little white dog she had given spiritual spring water to.
“Mommy, Grandpa’s Xiao Bai has turned into Da Bai!”
Lin Xiaonan happily clapped his little hands.
Lin Shu smiled on the outside, but inwardly she was already regretting it.
Looks like she really couldn’t just use the spiritual spring water whenever she pleased in the future.
“Sis-in-law, maybe it’s a mixed breed and its long fur just happened to grow out at this time. There’s nothing strange about it. I’m hungry. Let’s go make something to eat.”
Jiang Jie was pushed away by her sister-in-law. She looked back at the little white dog, now covered in fluffy, explosive fur that even gleamed in the sunlight, and still found it strange.
“You know, if Dad finds out, he’ll probably be overjoyed. He already liked that dog so much.”
The old man had originally bought the dog through his work unit for an experiment. Later, when the experiment was put on hold, he simply kept the dog and had raised it for many years. Naturally, he had developed a deep attachment to it.
After the three of them finished eating, Lin Shu suggested that she sleep in the same room as her little nephew.
Lin Xiaonan was naturally delighted. He knew that his aunt was a good aunt now.
He really liked her.
Jiang Jie saw through the situation but wisely said nothing and let them be.
That evening.
Jiang Jie was just about to lock up the doors and windows when her brother-in-law, Shen Huai, came home.
“Oh, Shen Huai, why are you so late today? I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“Sis-in-law, we had a long meeting today. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Hurry upstairs and get some rest… Oh, right. Little Sis is sleeping with Xiaonan. Did you two have a fight?”
Shen Huai turned around without denying it.
“Sis-in-law, how was her mood when she came home?”
“She was pretty good. Little Sis is easy to coax. Just take the initiative and admit you were wrong.”
“Mm. I’ll go upstairs first.”
Shen Huai turned around, but his footsteps became noticeably heavier.
Jiang Jie watched helplessly as this grown man, Shen Huai, suddenly became completely dejected.
Looks like her father-in-law had indeed chosen the right husband for his little sister.
There was just one thing Jiang Jie had never been able to understand.
More than a year ago, although Shen Huai’s position wasn’t particularly high, he was still a politically clean young man with a promising future.
When his family had explained the Lin family’s situation to him, most people would immediately walk away.
Yet Shen Huai had stayed.
He even brought up something that had happened many years ago, when her father-in-law had casually given him a few yuan and Lin Shu had given him a meal so he could eat his fill.
But neither the father nor daughter had any memory of it.
During the famine, they had helped quite a few people. Whenever they encountered starving refugees on the road and couldn’t bear to ignore them, they would casually give them something so they could have a full meal.
If that was the case, then there had to be hundreds or even thousands of people who had received some kindness from the Lin family.
Yet Shen Huai was the only stubborn one who had actually come looking for them, saying that he wanted to repay the favor.
Even though he knew perfectly well that marrying into the Lin family would affect his future, he had still agreed without hesitation.
Before this, Lin Shu had been downright vicious toward him, treating Shen Huai as though he weren’t even a human being.
According to what her sister-in-law had said, it had all been caused by that evil ghost who had possessed her body.
After observing her for the past few days, Jiang Jie could indeed tell that her sister-in-law had changed.
Thinking of this, Jiang Jie quickly locked the doors and windows, turned off the lights, and hurried back to her own room.
This old house had been through quite a lot. People had even died here during the years of war.
Thinking about it that way, perhaps it really was true that an evil ghost had possessed Lin Shu’s body.
The next morning, bright and early.
Shen Huai deliberately got up a little later than usual today. By six-thirty, he was almost late, yet he still hadn’t seen Lin Shu come downstairs.
As Jiang Jie was leaving to buy breakfast, she saw right through his little scheme and advised him, “Hurry up and go. Little Sis doesn’t want to see you right now. Come back early tonight.”
“Mm. Sister-in-law, I’m leaving first.”
Shen Huai left the Lin family’s old residence looking utterly lost.
At this point, he actually wished Lin Shu would curse him out like she used to.
Now that she was deliberately avoiding him, the two of them had no communication at all.
All night long, Shen Huai tossed and turned. In the end, he hugged her pillow and breathed in its faint fragrance, barely managing to sleep for three or four hours.
In just a few short days, he had already grown dependent on Lin Shu. Without her beside him at night, Shen Huai couldn’t sleep at all.
Upstairs, Lin Shu had already woken up early, and Lin Xiaonan opened his eyes as well.
She told her little nephew not to make a sound, and the two of them played a silent game in the room.
Only after the sounds downstairs had completely disappeared did she slowly get out of bed and stand beside it, stretching lazily.
Ever since she had told Shen Huai that they should live their lives properly together, she hadn’t had a single truly peaceful night’s sleep.
“Auntie lost! I won!”
“Okay. I’ll take you out later and buy you some tanghulu. How does that sound?”
“Yay! Thank you, Auntie!”
Lin Xiaonan got up by himself, put on his clothes and shoes, and followed Lin Shu to wash up.
When the two of them went downstairs, Jiang Jie had already returned.
“Come eat. After breakfast, we’re going to a celebration banquet.”
“Mommy, what’s a celebration banquet? Is it sweet or salty?”
Children’s innocent questions were always the funniest.
The two sisters-in-law laughed so hard they could barely stop.
“Xiaonan, they’ll have everything sweet, salty, spicy, and sour!”
“Wow! Then I want to go!”
At the dining table, Jiang Jie explained to the two of them that the research institute had recently achieved a major breakthrough that had shocked the central government, so the institute was organizing a banquet.
The researchers and their families had all been invited.
After breakfast, Jiang Jie urged the two of them to wash up and get dressed.
Lin Shu didn’t deliberately dress up. She looked just like she normally did.
At ten in the morning, the three of them finished getting ready and left the house.
As they walked along the road, Jiang Jie brought up the matter between Lin Shu and Shen Huai.
“You have no idea how heartbroken your brother-in-law was last night when I told him you were sleeping with Xiaonan. You two have argued enough. Make up soon so it doesn’t affect your relationship. Let me tell you something honestly, Little Sis. You really need to hold on to your brother-in-law and have a child with him as soon as possible. If something happens to the family in the future, you can simply draw a clear line between yourself and the Lin family…”
“Sister-in-law, stop!”
Lin Shu knew exactly what would happen in the future. Hearing her sister-in-law’s worries, her emotions became somewhat uncontrollable.
“I’m telling you the truth. Your brother and I both think the same way. Shen Huai has a promising future. If you live a good life with him, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
“Sis-in-law, don’t worry. Even if something happens to our family, I won’t abandon you. My surname is Lin, not Shen. Don’t say things like that anymore.”
Those words completely changed Jiang Jie’s perception of her sister-in-law.
She was certain now that Lin Shu had truly changed.
The old Lin Shu was back.
“Sister-in-law, even if something happens to our family, I won’t let you suffer. I’m already thinking of ways to make money.”
“Good. Your sister-in-law believes in you.”
Jiang Jie had been worried, but it was only a worry. After all, the family hadn’t done anything that violated discipline or political rules. Surely they wouldn’t be punished for no reason.
But hearing those words from her sister-in-law still made her happy.
I omitted the unrelated promotional/review links embedded in the excerpt.