Lin Shu gave a sly little laugh. “Shen Huai, are you going to listen to me, or are you going to listen to your father-in-law and your brother-in-law?”
The moment she said that, Shen Huai had a feeling that he was definitely about to get himself into some trouble.
Still, he firmly chose his wife.
“I’ll listen to you. I guarantee I’ll complete the mission!”
“Do you know that a few days ago, the director of the steel factory had his home searched and his family property confiscated because of a newspaper?”
The incident had made the local news, so Shen Huai had heard a little about it.
“I know.”
She lowered her voice and whispered to him in the corner that her older brother was in contact with foreign friends, which was why she was worried.
But if she, as his younger sister, brought it up, Lin Hui probably wouldn’t take it seriously.
However, if his brother-in-law a good military officer of the country warned him, he would definitely listen. He might even immediately burn all those letters.
“You mean Big Brother exchanges letters with foreigners?”
“Yes. But believe me, it’s purely academic communication. Our family would never sell out or betray the country!”
Shen Huai covered her mouth with his hand. Even though there was no one around, it was still better to be cautious.
“Mm. When Big Brother comes back, I’ll find a chance to remind him.”
But Lin Shu shook her head. “You can’t just remind my brother. You have to make him take it seriously. Ideally, you need to scare him into being suspicious of every little thing around him! Do you understand?”
She looked at Shen Huai fiercely, like a strict superior giving an order to her subordinate.
The man solemnly acknowledged the order, then smiled indulgently.
Having thought of the perfect way to resolve the situation, Lin Shu was so happy that even her steps became lighter. She practically skipped along.
She still had that childlike streak in her. There was nothing she could do about it. After all, she had become a ghost when she was still a student.
Now that she had finally become an adult, there was no way she could suddenly transform into a mature, steady adult overnight.
The fact that she could now remain calm and handle her family’s affairs properly, using the opportunity presented by the jade bracelet to protect the lives of her future family members, was already the greatest effort she could make.
The two of them returned home at around seven in the evening.
It was midsummer, so the sun set late. Even at this hour, it was still bright outside.
Children were happily running through the alley while rolling iron hoops, and after dinner, families sat at their doorways enjoying the cool evening air.
After walking through the noisy alley, the young couple slowly made their way home. It was much quieter here.
Lin Shu took out the key and opened the gate. The moment she looked up, she spotted her father and older brother returning together in the distance.
She immediately nudged Shen Huai with her elbow.
Shen Huai understood the signal and nodded.
The two of them stood there for a moment. From far away, Lin Shu waved and called out to her father and brother.
The two men quickened their pace and soon reached the gate.
“Where did you two go?”
“Dad, we went to Shen Huai’s commanding officer’s house for dinner.”
Hearing this, Lin Tianlun couldn’t help worrying. “Were you well-behaved today?”
Lin Shu pulled a face. “Hmph, I’m not telling Dad. I’m going upstairs to sleep.”
Lin Shu deliberately walked away, signaling to Shen Huai to hurry up and say what he needed to say.
Shen Huai understood immediately. As soon as he entered the house, he took the initiative to bring up the topic. Once two men started talking about something they were both interested in, they could go on endlessly.
It was just after seven, normally the time to listen to the evening news, but the three men were so engrossed in Shen Huai’s topic that they simply stood in the courtyard with their arms folded, chatting.
Lin Shu secretly watched them from upstairs.
After more than ten minutes, Lin Hui took a step back.
“Brother-in-law, are you serious?”
“Big Brother, what’s wrong? This is what our commanding officer told me. It may not be long before something happens. A few days ago, the director of the steel factory in the western part of the city had his entire family beaten and persecuted just because of a few letters and a newspaper. You all should know about that. Things may look fine on the surface because the authorities are keeping a close watch now, but people above us are watching everything. Especially people with sensitive class backgrounds. Dad, Big Brother, both of you need to be careful in your daily lives. I’m worried…”
Shen Huai did not continue. He left the father and son to fill in the blanks themselves.
Lin Hui thought about the letters he exchanged with his friends. They were nothing more than academic opinions and greetings about their lives, but…
What if his own actions really ended up dragging his entire family into trouble?
“Dinner’s ready! Dad! Lin Hui! Haven’t you two eaten dinner yet?”
Jiang Jie and her son had eaten early. Seeing that the two men still hadn’t come inside and that the food was about to get cold, she called out to them.
Lin Hui was now panicking. Without eating dinner, he went straight back to his room.
Using a lack of appetite as an excuse, he went upstairs and gathered all of his letters. Without hesitation, he tore them into pieces. But he was afraid someone might piece them back together, so he took them into the bathroom, shut the door, pulled out a lighter, and burned every last piece to ashes.
Still not feeling reassured, he searched every corner of his room. Only after making absolutely certain that nothing remained did he collapse weakly into his chair.
He wrote one final letter.
Perhaps for many years to come, he would no longer be able to keep in touch with those few close friends who understood him so well.
Lin Hui’s expression was solemn, and every stroke of his pen felt unbearably heavy.
At that moment, Lin Shu was secretly listening outside his door.
When she heard her brother rummaging through everything in his room, she finally relaxed.
In any case, the only things in the house that could potentially be found and used as evidence now were probably just the photographs of several of their grandfathers displayed on the family altar.
Looking at it this way, Shen Huai had really done her a huge favor.
Late at night, everyone in the Lin family returned to their rooms to sleep.
Lin Shu went to bed early and waited for Shen Huai.
Every night before going to sleep, Shen Huai wrote in his diary.
Lin Shu had secretly looked through it before. It was all boring stuff about his training.
Suddenly, Shen Huai lay down on the bed and turned off the light.
Lin Shu hadn’t even had time to react.
“Shen Huai… mm…”
She still had something to say to him. If she gave in to what he wanted right now, she wouldn’t get a chance to talk for the rest of the night.
So she firmly refused him. Every time the man tried to approach her, she dodged him, stretching out her hands and doing her best to keep some distance between them.
Being rejected, Shen Huai couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
“What is it?”
It was pitch-black, but Lin Shu could still hear the hurt in his voice.
Lin Shu had a very clear understanding of her own beauty, but surely Shen Huai couldn’t be completely devoted to her simply because she was pretty, could he?
A man as capable as him could actually be defeated by a woman?
All she had done was refuse to sleep with him. Why was he acting as though he had suffered some enormous injustice?
Unable to bear it any longer, Lin Shu waved her hand and pulled the man’s head toward her.
“Oh, come on. I have something to tell you. Why are you acting like some lovesick young boy? Don’t be upset.”
“What?”
His warm breath brushed against her chest as he spoke, making her feel ticklish.
“Don’t talk. I just wanted to thank you. My brother really took your warning to heart. I’m just afraid that one day our family might have our home searched and everything confiscated. You know our family’s class background is rather dangerous…”
From the moment Lin Shu had asked him to put on that act for her earlier, Shen Huai had already realized that she was filled with a deep sense of insecurity.
He took the initiative, pulling her into his arms instead.
Wrapped tightly in his embrace, Lin Shu felt a little unaccustomed to it.
“Don’t move. A-Shu, remember this: as long as I’m here, I won’t let you suffer. If that day really comes for your family, don’t worry. Wherever you are, I’ll go too.”
Shen Huai’s deep yet gentle voice sounded above her head.
For the first time, Lin Shu truly fell hard for a man.
But Shen Huai would have a woman he loved in the future.
Shamefully, she found herself wishing that the present could move just a little more slowly.