Holding Shen Zhixia’s hand, he led her around the crowded throng toward the military jeep parked not far away.
Along the way, Fu Siyu kept turning his head to look at the wife he had not seen in three years.
As far as their marriage was concerned, it was practically a farce.
They had hurriedly married after being introduced by someone else, but on the day of the wedding, before they even had time to consummate the marriage, he had been summoned back to his unit.
Actually, every time he sent Shen Zhixia her allowance, he would write and ask whether she wanted to join him at his posting. She never responded, though, and eventually he stopped asking.
He simply assumed that she could not endure the poverty and harsh weather in the northwest.
So when she suddenly sent a telegram saying that she wanted to join him, he was genuinely caught off guard.
At first, he had wondered whether the two of them would feel like strangers or be awkward when they met after so many years. But when he saw Shen Zhixia alone at the railway station, looking around while carrying a cumbersome suitcase, there was only one thought in his mind.
Three years had passed, but his wife was still just as adorably foolish as she had been when they first met.
When he took the suitcase from her and saw the grievance in her eyes, he suddenly wanted to know whether something had happened during those three years to make her suddenly want to join him—even without discussing it with him first.
“My parents thought you were dead and forced me to remarry. I refused, so I came here.”
Shen Zhixia related what had happened at home over the past two days in a light, unconcerned tone.
Even if she did not say anything, Shen Wanqing would definitely tell him later. She might as well give Fu Siyu some advance warning.
“Remarry.”
Fu Siyu abruptly turned to look at Shen Zhixia, his voice rising several pitches.
The hand hanging at his side kept clenching into a fist. He wished he could return to He City right then and teach Shen Zhixia’s bloodsucking parents a harsh lesson.
And when had he died? Although he had not returned home in three years, his monthly allowance and letters had been sent back on time.
No wonder Shen Zhixia had suddenly come to join him.
“Were you hurt? Did they bully you?”
Shen Zhixia shook her head. “I’m fine. I got my revenge before I left.”
When she thought about it, the Shen family had been left with nothing but bare walls when she departed. She had even given away all their spare clothes.
Just imagining Shen Jianguo and the others waking up to find that their home was gone—and that the job they had arranged for their precious son had been sold by her—made her certain they would be furious enough to die.
The thought alone made her happy.
“Fu, Fu Siyu, you’re the only family I have now…”
You absolutely must not betray me. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you’re punished too.
Shen Zhixia’s sudden solemnity left Fu Siyu somewhat bewildered.
Hadn’t she said this… on the day they registered their marriage?
Fu Siyu still remembered how, after they had finished registering and walked out, Shen Zhixia had seriously called him back and told him that from then on, they would be each other’s only family.
Back then, however, he had seen sorrow and disappointment in Shen Zhixia’s eyes. This time, what he saw was the hope and light of welcoming a new life.
“Don’t worry. You’re my wife. As long as I’m here, I’ll protect you and make sure no one bullies you.”
At this point, the image Fu Siyu had of Shen Zhixia was still that of a pitiful girl who had cried after being scolded by her parents, secretly hiding in a corner to wipe away her tears, nervously twisting the front of her clothes, and awkwardly telling him about the exorbitant bride price her parents had demanded.
As they walked, passersby repeatedly turned their heads to stare at them. After all, no matter the era, people paid extra attention to those who were good-looking. A handsome man and a beautiful woman standing together were an especially pleasing sight.
Shen Zhixia lowered her head and looked at their joined hands, the corners of her lips curving up slightly. This feeling… seemed pretty good.
Along the way, Fu Siyu kept shielding Shen Zhixia from people who nearly collided with them. By the time they finally reached the vehicle, their clasped palms were covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Fu Siyu opened the front passenger door first and let her get in before climbing into the vehicle himself.
“It’ll take a little over an hour to get to the garrison from here. If you’re tired, you can sleep for a while. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
Fu Siyu covered Shen Zhixia’s legs with the thin blanket he had prepared in advance. Afraid she might take it off halfway there, he reminded her, “Don’t remove the blanket. The temperature difference between day and night is large here, and it’ll be a little cold on the way back.”
Shen Zhixia nodded and pulled the blanket a little higher, covering her stomach.
When she had been in the modern era, she had traveled to the northwest. It had been August then, yet people had already begun wearing long sleeves. In this era, when the air had not yet been polluted and global warming had not begun, it could only be colder.
After making sure she was covered, she turned her head to look at Fu Siyu, who was concentrating on driving.
She had to admit that he was truly handsome. His face was masculine and attractive, with sharply defined features. Sunlight streamed through the glass and fell across his face, allowing her to see even the fine hairs on his skin and the flutter of his eyelashes.
No wonder the book had said that although Fu Siyu was the contrasting counterpart to the male protagonist, Lu Ziming, after encountering setbacks in his military career and leaving the army to go into business, he had so many female business partners around him that they could circle the entirety of Beijing.
With that face and that physique, he certainly had the capital to do so.
“Where will I live after we arrive?” Shen Zhixia asked curiously.
In the book, she had never joined Fu Siyu at his posting, so he had always lived in the military dormitories.
Since she had decided to come at the last minute—and Fu Siyu had only just returned from a mission—she did not know whether he had managed to apply for housing.
“When I received your telegram, I went to the political commissar that very night to apply for a place in the military family compound. As it happened, the house where Company Commander Sun of 2nd Company had lived before transferring out was still vacant, so it was assigned to us.”
Thinking of the empty house, Fu Siyu awkwardly scratched his head. “I cleaned the house yesterday, but I haven’t had time to prepare much of the furniture. It’s still rather bare inside. I hope you won’t mind.”
Shen Zhixia nodded.
As long as they had a house to live in, that was enough. As for furniture, she was not worried. After all, she had practically moved the entire Shen family here with her.
The Shen family!
Shen Wanqing had come to join the military a year ago. Now that Shen Zhixia had come too and was living in the military family compound, wouldn’t she run into her every day?
“Shen Wanqing.” When she saw Fu Siyu looking over, Shen Zhixia quickly changed her wording. “My sister came to join her husband at his posting a year ago. Is our house far from hers?”
Preferably ten thousand miles away, so they would not have to see each other for ten days or half a month.
Unfortunately, Fu Siyu did not hear her wish.
“Not far. There are only three households between us. If you get bored staying at home, you can go over and visit her. She’ll probably be very happy when she finds out that you’ve come too.”
Shen Zhixia curled her lips.
Happy? How could she not be happy? Her contrasting counterpart had arrived. Shen Wanqing would certainly be delighted.
Who asked her to be the contrasting counterpart to Shen Wanqing, the darling of Heaven’s will? Only if Shen Zhixia lived miserably could Shen Wanqing live well.
Unfortunately, the person Shen Wanqing had encountered this time was none other than her—Shen·Niu Hulu·Zhixia, who had come specifically to deal with her.
The two of them chatted as they traveled, so the journey did not feel particularly long.
But when Shen Zhixia looked at the scenery outside the car window, she instantly felt that she had truly arrived in the 1970s.
At this time, the northwest was still the Great Northern Wilderness, and the economy had yet to develop. Desolation could be seen everywhere.
It was nothing like the modern era. Although it was still located in the northwest, it had already become highly prosperous—even prosperous enough to export seafood overseas.
The car rattled along for nearly two hours. Just as Shen Zhixia was beginning to drift into a hazy sleep, she felt herself fall into a warm embrace…