Shanghe Village
Shen Yunhe carried his luggage and walked back home.
At the village entrance, the villagers who saw someone in a military uniform looked at him with admiration. Only when he got closer did they realize it was Shen Yunhe.
A man in his forties greeted him with a smile.
“Yunhe, you’re back.”
“Uncle Zhang, hello. I’m back for a visit.”
Shen Yunhe stopped and exchanged a few words with the villagers. People who had been sitting and chatting at the village entrance gathered around.
“Yunhe, why did you come back alone? Where’s your wife?”
He paused for a moment and then smiled.
“She had something to do and couldn’t come back.”
A curious middle-aged woman teased him.
“You’ve been married for over two years now, right? Is your wife pregnant yet?”
Shen Yunhe scratched his nose and pointed toward his home.
“Uncles, aunts, I’ll head home first. My grandfather is waiting for me.”
He quickly walked away, finally letting out a sigh of relief, and shook his head as he headed home.
..
Entering the house, he called out:
“Grandpa, Dad, Mom, I’m back!”
With a loud “bang,” the door opened. Shen’s mother came out with tears in her eyes, staring at her tall and handsome son. Shen’s grandfather and father also came out.
“My son, you’re back! Mom missed you so much!”
Shen’s mother hugged him, laughing and crying at the same time. Shen Yunhe put down his luggage, wrapped his arm around her, and gently patted her back.
“I’m back now. Don’t cry.”
“Mm.” She wiped her tears, then looked behind him—but didn’t see her daughter-in-law.
“Son, where is my daughter-in-law?”
Shen’s grandfather and father also looked at him, their eyes carrying the same question:
“Where is the daughter-in-law?”
Shen Yunhe felt guilty and did not dare meet their eyes. If he said she was gone, would his grandfather beat him?
“Let’s go inside first. I’ll explain inside.”
The three elders walked inside with confusion. After entering, they all looked at him anxiously.
Shen’s grandfather suddenly struck him with his cane.
“Where is my granddaughter-in-law?! Speak! Did you fight with Banyue? Did she go back to her parents’ home?”
“Grandpa, Dad, Mom… I divorced Banyue.”
“What!”
Shen’s grandfather raised his cane again and hit his back.
“Did you bully her?! That’s why she divorced you! Such a good girl married you, and you have no conscience!”
“Grandpa…”
Shen Yunhe lowered his head and let his grandfather hit him. A few hits were fine—he deserved it. He also regretted the divorce deeply. Why had he agreed so easily? He wondered if he could still win her back.
Shen’s mother suddenly clutched her chest and sat down, her head hurting badly.
“Mom, what’s wrong…?”
He rushed forward to support her, while Shen’s father also held her from the other side.
“Wife, your headache is acting up again?”
Shen’s mother was a woman Shen’s father had rescued while driving a truck in another region. According to him, she had been covered in injuries and lying unconscious in a desolate area. He thought she was dead, but when he got closer, he found she was still alive. He took her to the hospital, where she survived—but lost her memory.
She remembered nothing and had lived with the Shen family ever since.
Shen’s father angrily hit his son.
“You made your mother angry! You managed to lose such a good wife! I think you should just stay single for life!”
Shen’s mother stopped him and looked up.
“Old Shen, let’s go to the Jiang family. No matter what happened between the young couple, we should visit them and apologize.”
“Alright.” Shen’s father glared at his son.
“We’ll go tomorrow. When we reach the county, we’ll bring Yunlin and Yunshuang from school too. The whole family will go together. At least let them see our sincerity.”
Shen’s grandfather leaned on his cane and spoke.
“I’m going too!”
“Dad, you’re too old for all this travel. The bus is bumpy—it’s not good for your health.”
“It’s fine. I haven’t seen my old comrades in a long time anyway. I can visit them too.”
Seeing this, Shen Yunhe felt deeply uneasy. It was all because of him that his family was worried.
“Grandpa, Dad, Mom… I’m sorry. I’ve caused you trouble.”
The old man snorted and turned away with his cane.
Shen’s father helped Shen’s mother into the bedroom to rest. As he passed by Shen Yunhe, he paused.
“Think carefully about what you’re going to do next. Do you want to remarry her, or marry someone else?”
Shen Yunhe’s eyes were firm as he clenched his fist.
“Dad, I want to remarry Banyue.”
Shen’s father gave a cold laugh.
“You want to remarry? Do you think it’s that easy? Do you think she’ll still want you? You think you’re some hot commodity? You can just do whatever you want?”
He helped Shen’s mother away, leaving Shen Yunhe alone in the room.
Shen Yunhe sat down, lit a cigarette, and stared quietly ahead, silently repeating a name on his lips.
“Banyue…”