Fang Yi felt blood rushing to his throat, nearly spitting it out.
Were those words even human?
Everyone in the Compound knew it was Shen Qi who constantly orbited around him, always finding excuses to linger nearby.
Now she actually claimed he missed her so much that he came looking for her eagerly!
“Shen Qi, no one is as shameless as you!”
“Get lost if you have nothing to do. Seeing you annoys me.” Shen Qi pointed at the door, “Don’t let it hit you on the way out.”
“Shen Qi, you still haven’t answered my question! What exactly did you say to Grandpa?!” Fang Yi took a step forward, his height creating an intimidating presence, “Did you tattle to Grandpa, saying I only invited Baozhu to hang out and didn’t bring you?”
Shen Qi deliberately refused to give him a straight answer, “Guess.”
“Shen Qi!”
Fang Yi’s patience ran out, his voice unconsciously rising.
“I don’t want to see you.” Shen Qi turned away, “Seeing you makes me sick, and I don’t want to talk to you either. Please don’t come looking for me unless necessary.”
Arguing with Fang Yi was worse than chatting with Grandma He.
Grandma He was kind and wise – conversing with an elderly person like her was truly enjoyable.
Fang Yi grabbed Shen Qi’s arm, “We haven’t finished talking. Why are you in such a hurry to chase me away? Feeling guilty? Shen Qi, just tell me what you like about me so I can change it, okay? Stop playing these dirty tricks on me!”
Shen Qi was genuinely amused by anger.
Was it because she had been too humble, too much like a lovesick puppy in the past, giving him the wrong impression?
She had spoken so clearly, yet Fang Yi seemed to have installed a translator in his ears that converted her words into completely different meanings.
How did someone like him ever become a Regiment Commander in his previous life?
“I like you being alive.” Shen Qi said expressionlessly, “Can you go die?”
Fang Yi:!
“Watch your language!”
Shen Qi pulled her arm back, “You’re too noisy. I need quiet.”
Noticing Grandma He glancing toward the living room, Shen Qi toned down her attitude, “I didn’t tattle on you, so stop trying to pin false accusations on me. As for why Grandpa Fang scolded you, you know very well yourself.”
Fang Yi was seething with anger.
Compared to the previous Shen Qi who stuck to him like plaster, he hated the current Shen Qi even more.
He didn’t know what she had to be so arrogant about – things that could be explained clearly in one sentence, she always kept vague and ambiguous.
Because they were at Grandma He’s house, Fang Yi couldn’t make a scene and had to leave first.
He was afraid if he stayed any longer, he might lose his temper in someone else’s home, which would be utterly inappropriate.
After sending Fang Yi away, Shen Qi returned to the kitchen.
Grandma He had already cooked the noodles and fried two eggs as toppings, accompanied by her homemade Pickled Vegetables. The sight alone made one’s mouth water.
“Your cooking skills are amazing.” Shen Qi sincerely praised after taking a bite of noodles.
No one dislikes compliments – Grandma He’s eyes curved into crescent moons: “My Ling Xiao also loves my noodles the most.”
The Ling Xiao Grandma He mentioned was her only grandson Han Lingxiao. His father was a pilot who died in the line of duty, his mother remarried, and Han Lingxiao lived with his grandparents.
“Lingxiao Ge is fortunate to enjoy such good food.” Shen Qi appropriately played the sympathy card, “I’ve never tasted noodles cooked by my mother.”
Grandma He didn’t know how to respond to that, “Eat quickly before the noodles get cold.”
Shen Qi stopped talking and focused on eating.
After finishing the noodles, Shen Qi proactively washed the dishes.
Winter nights came early – streetlights were already lit outside. Shen Qi asked: “Grandma He, isn’t Grandpa Han coming back today?”
“He went to visit old comrades-in-arms, probably staying overnight.”
After washing up, Shen Qi watched TV with Grandma He. Around nine o’clock, Grandma He stood up to return to her room and sleep.
“You’ll sleep in Ling Xiao’s room tonight. The bedsheets and duvet cover have been washed, so rest assured.”
“Thank you, Grandma.”
TV programs were limited in this era, and many channels would turn to static snow before ten o’clock.
Shen Qi turned off the TV and also went back to her room.
In fact, Grandpa Han held a very high rank—he was one of the Founding Generals—and could have applied for a better Western-style house than the Fang Family’s.
But neither Grandpa Han nor Grandma He had any such intention.
They said that with only the two of them at home, and their grandson Han Lingxiao often away with the troops, a Western-style house would be too large and empty, making it less comfortable than living in an apartment.
So the elderly couple opted for this three-bedroom unit, using the smaller room as a study and the other two as bedrooms.
Han Lingxiao’s room was clean and tidy, clearly well-maintained and frequently cleaned.
The furniture was simple: just a full wall of cabinets and a bed.
The bedsheets and duvet cover were dark blue and neatly spread.
Shen Qi took off her outer clothes and slipped under the covers. The quilt was soft and warm, carrying the scent of having been sun-dried.
She thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, given how much had happened that day and how excited her mind had been.
Unexpectedly, as soon as her head touched the pillow, Shen Qi fell into a deep sleep.
She slept soundly through the night without any dreams and woke up at six the next morning.
Finding herself in an unfamiliar room, Shen Qi felt a bit disoriented at first. Sitting up and looking around, the memories of the previous day slowly came back to her.
She had been reborn.
Not only had she hit Fang Yi with a soda bottle, but she had also used the threat of jumping off a building as a springboard to expose the Shen Family’s favoritism in its entirety.
Shen Qi got out of bed, dressed, tidied the bedding, and planned to make breakfast for Grandma He.
She was used to waking up early.
In the Zhou Family, she hadn’t been allowed to sleep in, and after returning to the Shen Family, she had always been the one to get up early to make breakfast.
It was the same after she got married.
Later, in prison, she had to maintain a strict schedule of early to bed and early to rise.
After her release, discarded like trash by the Fang Family, with no education and a criminal record, she struggled to find decent work.
She could only take on low-paying manual labor jobs, which also required early rising.
But Shen Qi didn’t dislike waking up early; she considered it a good habit.
Grandma He was also awake, fiddling with the honeycomb coal stove.
“Grandma, let me do it.”
The Compound wouldn’t start central heating until next year, so everyone relied on burning honeycomb coal for warmth.
The first task every morning was to get the coal stove burning brightly.
The ash at the bottom of the stove had to be cleared out; otherwise, clogged air vents would make it hard for the coal briquettes to catch fire.
Clearing the coal ash was a messy job, and it was easy to end up with a face full of grime if one wasn’t careful.
Grandma He didn’t insist and made way for Shen Qi. “Then I’ll go make the meal.”
Shen Qi quickly cleared the ash, swept up the dirt from the floor, and dumped it all into the trash.
She then replaced it with a new coal briquette, opened all the vents, and waited about ten minutes for it to burn fully.
Shen Qi took the opportunity to sweep the entire living room and take out the trash. By the time she returned, breakfast was already on the table.
Breakfast was simple: millet porridge, boiled eggs, and two plates of pickled vegetables.
The millet porridge had red dates added to it, making it sweet and easy to eat.
Shen Qi ate with satisfaction.
It wasn’t even seven o’clock by the time they finished eating.
Grandma He said, “I’ll go back with you. Your father will be leaving for work soon, and we don’t want to miss him.”
“Okay.”
The two of them went out.
The Shen Family home was in chaos at that moment.
Xu Ailian hadn’t been watching the pot, and the porridge boiled over, extinguishing the flame. When she tried to relight the liquefied gas stove afterward, it simply wouldn’t ignite.
“Mom, why is there no hot water? How am I supposed to brush my teeth and wash my face?!” Shen Jinan rushed over to complain. “The coal stove’s fire is out too, and the house is freezing. Hurry up and fix it.”