Heavens!
When Tang Jin looked inside the bamboo tube, she found silver dollars wrapped in oil paper—bundle after bundle. Whoever had hidden them there was a genius!
Carefully, she wound the string back into place and searched the surrounding area to see if the same person had hidden anything else nearby.
Sure enough, she discovered a small wooden stool. One of its legs was tied with a rope of the same color. Without examining it too closely, Tang Jin picked up both items, dragged along her sack, and said to Ning Ru:
“Comrade, my family happens to need a stool. How much do I owe you for it?”
“Just take it. If it stays here, it’ll only end up as firewood.”
No matter what Tang Jin said, Ning Ru refused to take any more money from her. Delighted, Tang Jin left the recycling station carrying her treasures.
Her curiosity was too strong to wait until she got back to the guesthouse. Finding a secluded spot, she immediately entered her space.
After removing the string from the bamboo pole, she took out eight oil-paper packages filled with silver dollars. Then she dismantled the stool leg and found four more packages hidden inside.
Each package contained ten silver dollars. Some of the coins were types she had never seen before. In total, there were 120 silver dollars, which would probably be worth quite a fortune in the future.
Grinning from ear to ear, Tang Jin then opened the sack of seeds. After some thought, she poured a packet of vegetable seeds into a small basin and added some well water.
She wanted to see whether the well water could really revive the seeds. If it could, she’d strike it rich!
After all the day’s running around, it was already getting late.
By the time Tang Jin leisurely walked back to the guesthouse, Song Yunli was waiting outside.
Zhang Mei was rolling her eyes so hard it looked ridiculous, while Song Yunli approached Tang Jin with a dark expression.
“What kind of nonsense is she throwing a fit about now?”
“Your sister probably said something to her.”
Tang Jin recounted everything that had happened during last night’s phone call.
“Song Yunli, your family is your responsibility. You deal with them.”
Tang Jin never wasted energy torturing herself. Just as her own troublesome relatives weren’t his problem, his relatives weren’t hers.
“I’m sorry. You’ve been wronged.”
His face was full of guilt.
“I’ll handle things with my mother. But there’s something I need your opinion on.”
“Go ahead.”
Although Tang Jin had originally thought Song Yunli was excellent in many ways, his family was making her reconsider. Divorce in the future might still be the best option.
“The housing application should be approved soon. I’d like to take a day off and bring you for a prenatal checkup first. What do you think?”
He spoke cautiously, afraid she would think he didn’t trust her.
Fortunately, Tang Jin wasn’t that sensitive. She nodded.
“Sure. I’ve actually taken my own pulse, and everything seems fine. But if we go to the hospital, we can get ration coupons for baby formula. If the children end up needing formula, we can start stocking up now.”
“You know medicine?”
Song Yunli remembered that her grandfather came from a family of traditional Chinese physicians. It wasn’t strange that she knew some medical skills.
Tang Jin nodded modestly.
“A little.”
“These are dried plums and apples I asked someone to buy. If you can’t eat regular meals, have these instead.”
After asking around, Song Yunli had learned that dried plums could help with morning sickness, so he had specially gotten them for her.
Meeting his earnest dark eyes, Tang Jin’s heart skipped a beat. On the surface, however, she remained calm and smiled.
“Alright, I’ll take them. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to be so polite with me.”
Song Yunli always felt there was an invisible barrier between them. They seemed like strangers, yet he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to get closer to her.
“Brother, aren’t you afraid your superiors will criticize you for running over here every day?”
Song Yunting stared directly at the bag of dried plums in Tang Jin’s hand, her tone dripping with jealousy.
Song Yunli’s face darkened.
“Why are you still here? Do I really have to force you to leave?”
“You don’t have the right to chase me away.”
Song Yunting snorted.
“I want to show Sister Wenfang around Yangcheng. It’s not every day we get to come here. We can’t leave empty-handed.”
Song Yunli was speechless.
Wenfang added,
“My brother is away on a mission, but he should be back in a few days. I have to see him before I leave.”
The two women clearly had no intention of going home, giving Song Yunli a splitting headache.
“You should head back to the army.”
Tang Jin popped a preserved plum into her mouth. The pleasantly sour flavor immediately lifted her mood.
“Let them stay.”
She wanted to see who could outlast whom.
In a few days, she would probably move into the military family housing compound. Once that happened, Wenfang and Song Yunting would naturally have to leave.
“Alright.”
Still planning to return a phone call to his mother, Song Yunli personally escorted Tang Jin upstairs before hurrying back down.
Unexpectedly, Wenfang was waiting for him outside the guesthouse.
Tears filled her eyes as she stepped in front of him.
“Brother Yunli, even if you’re angry, I have to say this. Tang Jin doesn’t even respect Auntie. How can she possibly be sincere about being with you? I—”
“Enough!”
Song Yunli interrupted furiously.
“Comrade Wenfang, you’re not allowed to slander my wife.”
His wife?
The words hit Wenfang like a bolt from the blue.
She swayed, nearly fainting. Biting her lip hard enough to hurt finally brought her back to her senses.
“Why? Exactly how am I worse than her?”
“Comrade Wenfang, I’ve only ever thought of you as a younger sister.”
Song Yunli’s expression remained rigid.
Wenfang nearly lost control.
“Impossible!
Auntie always said I was the most suitable person for you. Song Yunli, you can’t do this to me!”
“That was my mother’s wishful thinking!”
Song Yunli’s voice turned icy.
“Wenfang, the only reason I’ve tolerated this until now is because of your brother.
But please stop using Yunting. She considers you her best friend. What about you?”
With that, he strode away.
Left standing alone, Wenfang laughed and cried at the same time, looking almost insane.
Even Tang Jin, standing on the second floor, could hear her.
Song Yunting hurried downstairs.
“Sister Wenfang, what’s wrong?”
“Yunting, I’m so miserable.”
Grabbing Song Yunting’s hand, Wenfang poured out her grievances.
“Your brother is completely heartless!”
“Let’s go back to the room first.”
Song Yunting helped the devastated Wenfang back upstairs, unaware that Zhang Mei had witnessed the entire scene.
After returning to the army base, Song Yunli immediately made an urgent call home.
The phone rang only once before Mother Song answered, as though she had been waiting for it.
“Yunli? Is that you?”
“Mom, it’s me.”
Exhaustion filled Song Yunli’s voice as he got straight to the point.
“Have Yunting and the others return to the capital.
Tang Jin and I are already married. Tell Wenfang not to waste her time on me anymore.”
“What?!”
Mother Song’s shrill scream came through the receiver.
“Song Yunli, say that again!”
“Tang Jin and I are already married. Please show my wife some respect.”
Every word landed clearly in his mother’s ears.
“If you don’t want to accept her, that’s your choice.
Then I’ll stay stationed with her and won’t disturb you. But please don’t send others to disturb us either.”
“Yunli, you’re threatening me!”
Mother Song’s blood pressure surged as she ground her teeth.
Her son had grown up.
“I’m not threatening you.”
His tone softened slightly.
“When I have leave, I’ll come back to visit you myself.”
As for Tang Jin, until his mother accepted her, he had no intention of bringing her home to suffer mistreatment.
After all, his mother’s temper was far from pleasant.