Missing parents, a woman going mad… Could it be that Wen Yining had gotten rid of his parents before coming to torment him?
But what Cheng Yifeng couldn’t understand was: what exactly did Wen Yining gain from all this?
She ruined his work—how did that benefit her?
She was just a useless, incompetent person. Without the allowance he gave her, without the home his parents provided, how could she even support herself and the child she bore, who was more of a liability than anything else?
Cheng Yifeng racked his brain and came up with no answers. One thing he did know: for the time being, he couldn’t go see Gu Yuxuan.
The political commissar had called him yesterday to ask about the situation. That meant the commissar had already been swayed by Wen Yining’s insane claims and had begun to question his character.
For the foreseeable future, the commissar would surely have someone monitoring his every move, assessing his conduct.
He absolutely could not be caught making any mistakes during this period. Otherwise, not only would his career be ruined, but Gu Yuxuan’s safety could also be jeopardized.
Who knew whether that crazy woman, Wen Yining, would go wreak havoc in the village?
…
Wen Yining had no time to trouble Gu Yuxuan. She spent the morning wandering around the courtyard with Li Xia, only returning home close to noon.
Yaoyao had been playing roughly with Zhang Xiaofan and came home sweaty, her normally neat hair sticking to her forehead like it had been chewed by a dog. She was a pretty little girl, but after running around she carried a certain tomboyish energy.
Wen Yining wrung out a hot towel to wipe Yaoyao’s face and hands. The flushed little girl took the water bottle from her hands and gulped down two big sips.
Yaoyao’s frame was so tiny that Wen Yining felt a pang of concern. Hoping she would gain some weight, she added the spirit spring water to the bottle.
The water tasted sweet, like sugar water.
Yaoyao held the bottle and took another sip, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at Wen Yining. “Mama, this water is so sweet. It tastes really good!”
“Then drink more and stay hydrated,” Wen Yining said, wringing out the towel again and wiping Yaoyao’s neck, placing a dry towel under her back to absorb the sweat.
The little girl hugged the water bottle like a treasure and whispered, “Mama, have you solved the problem with Papa yet?”
Wen Yining rinsed the towel and hung it on the basin rack, answering calmly, “Not yet. But from now on, you don’t have to call him Papa.”
Yaoyao blinked her big eyes in confusion. “Not call him Papa? Then what do I call him?”
Wen Yining couldn’t resist laughing at a mischievous thought from her future world. “You can call him Step-Daddy.”
“Ah?”
The adult world was so complicated. Isn’t a dad just a dad? Why a step-daddy?
Wen Yining imagined Cheng Yifeng’s expression if Yaoyao actually called him “Step-Daddy” and laughed even harder.
She pinched Yaoyao’s chubby little cheek and smiled. “For now, you can just call him Big Scumbag.”
Yaoyao didn’t understand why her mother was laughing, nor did she see anything funny.
But she had never seen her mother this happy back at her grandparents’ house.
If Mama was happy, Yaoyao would do anything for her.
Yaoyao nodded. “Okay, from now on I’ll call him Big Scumbag.”
In truth, Yaoyao had almost no feelings for Cheng Yifeng. From birth until now, she could count on one hand the number of times she had seen him.
Every time he came home, he wouldn’t let her get close or call him Papa, and his gaze held unmistakable disgust.
Although she didn’t understand why he disliked her, she realized she didn’t need his affection.
As long as she had her mother, that was enough.
Wen Yining didn’t know all the thoughts stirring in Yaoyao’s little heart, otherwise she might have added another jab at Cheng Yifeng.
That evening, Zhang Yonghua returned home for dinner, and Li Xia brought up the matter of finding Wen Yining a job.
“Xiao Wen’s living alone with a child isn’t easy. She needs an income. The military recruits every year, right? Help her find out if there’s a suitable position for her.”
Li Xia had studied for a few years and knew quite a bit. Though she had spent previous years at home raising children and caring for elders, her mindset was modern and more open than many military wives.
“It doesn’t have to be an office job. Logistics would work too,” Li Xia glanced at Wen Yining. “Xiao Wen isn’t delicate or picky.”
Zhang Yonghua didn’t immediately respond with a yes or no. He simply looked at Wen Yining. “Do you have any specific requests?”
Wen Yining didn’t hide anything. “I know a bit of medicine. If I could get into a health clinic, that would be best. If not, any job is fine.”
Zhang Yonghua nodded. “Alright. I’ll ask around tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Comrade Zhang,” Wen Yining said, raising her tea cup. “I’ll toast you and Li Jie with tea. Thank you both for taking care of me and Yaoyao. Once I find a job and get a dorm assigned, I’ll move there with Yaoyao and won’t disturb your family.”
“You’re too polite, girl!” Li Xia was straightforward. She clinked her cup with Wen Yining’s. “If anyone should be thanking anyone, it’s us thanking you!”
Li Xia patted Zhang Xiaofan’s head. “And this little rascal too. If old customs allowed, he’d have to kneel and toast you properly.”
Wen Yining imagined Zhang Xiaofan kneeling to toast her and nearly lost her composure.
“No kneeling. That’s not the custom now,” she said, pouring water for the two little ones. “When I get busy, I’ll need Xiaofan to help watch Yaoyao.”
Zhang Xiaofan puffed up his little chest proudly. “Don’t worry, Aunt Xiao Wen. With me around, no one will bully Yaoyao!”
Li Xia served Wen Yining a piece of pork belly. “Then we’ll just treat each other like sisters. No need for thanks.”
“Alright,” Wen Yining agreed.
Only Zhang Yonghua kept a solemn face and cleared his throat. “It’s fine. My wife and child are already with me at the base. A few days won’t affect our reunion.”
He, too, wanted a warm family life at home, but his wife had tasked him with finding out about Wen Yining’s scumbag partner. If there was any hope of salvaging that marriage, she would intervene and help Wen Yining.
Although Li Xia supported Wen Yining’s decision to divorce, she knew the world’s discrimination and unfairness toward women. She sincerely wanted Wen Yining and Yaoyao to live more easily.
If Wen Yining’s marriage couldn’t continue, Li Xia knew Wen Yining and Yaoyao would be her strongest dependents here. She would never let that man mistreat them.
Wen Yining paused, realizing the meaning behind Zhang Yonghua’s words, and smiled awkwardly but politely.
Li Xia, blushing, nudged Zhang Yonghua under the table. What was this man saying!
Zhang Yonghua’s expression remained unchanged, leaving Wen Yining even more embarrassed. “Uh… Li Jie, you kicked me.”