Lin Zhidong watched the drama unfold, unperturbed by the chaos.
"When Old Jiang becomes a dad, I wonder who will be more important, Miss Shen or the child."
Zhou Xiaomei joined in, "It's definitely Miss Shen who's more important. If the wife isn't happy, where will the child come from? They're not going to just pop out of a crack in the rock."
Jiang Zhixun seemed to be lost in thought.
Being teased constantly, Shen Qingqing also felt a bit uncomfortable.
She wiped Xiao Bao's mouth with a tissue, played with him, and deliberately avoided the awkward atmosphere.
Xiao Bao sat on Jiang Zhixun's lap, which inadvertently brought the two closer.
At a glance, they looked quite like a family of three.
Lin Zhidong, happily married with a wife and kids, wanted Jiang Zhixun to be just like him.
"You're married now, so why all this awkwardness?"
Clearing his throat, "Old Jiang, don't just sit there. Peel some sunflower seeds for Miss Shen."
Jiang Zhixun just wanted to say two words.
Pretentious!
Shen Qingqing is a grown woman. If she wants to eat sunflower seeds, can't she shell them herself?
Xiao Bao understood his dad's words, reached over to grab a handful of seeds, and placed them in Shen Qingqing's hand.
Mumbling something indistinctly.
From his expression, he was urging Shen Qingqing to eat.
The adults were amused by him, "Old Jiang, you're not even as good as a child!"
Jiang Zhixun lowered his gaze; the little kid in his arms was laughing foolishly, his eyes never leaving Shen Qingqing.
He found it curious.
Do kids also prefer pretty women?
Seeing Xiao Bao grinning, showing a few tiny teeth, Jiang Zhixun couldn't help but pinch the little guy's ear.
"Is he going to be a little pervert?"
Shen Qingqing glared at him, silently scolding, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Their close distance left a teasing taste in the air, and Jiang Zhixun instinctively held his breath.
Seeing his expression suddenly tense, avoiding eye contact, Shen Qingqing thought Jiang Zhixun was upset again.
She smirked inwardly.
She should keep her distance from Jiang Zhixun, so she doesn't have to worry about his moods all day.
Isn't this just asking for trouble?
Luckily, he'll be back with the team tomorrow; she just has to wait for news.
Not having to meet with Jiang Zhixun, the upcoming days shouldn't be too hard to endure.
The atmosphere had subtly shifted, unnoticed by Lin Zhidong.
With pride on his face, he said, "My son takes after me!"
Zhou Xiaomei blushed, teasingly said, "If Xiao Bao were older, he'd be competing with Captain Jiang for a wife."
Shen Qingqing found it amusing.
She teased back, "Then I'll wait for him for twenty years."
Zhou Xiaomei laughed so hard her hands shook, almost cutting herself.
Lin Zhidong quickly took the knife away, raising his voice, "Miss Shen, are you thinking of divorcing Old Jiang?"
Divorce, those words are too inauspicious.
Zhou Xiaomei nudged her husband's arm, signaling him to speak properly and not jinx things.
Lin Zhidong also realized his words were inappropriate and quickly shut his mouth.
Shen Qingqing was still playing with Xiao Bao, seeming not to take it to heart.
In just a few days, this was the second time Jiang Zhixun heard the word divorce.
Last time, when he called home from the hospital, his mother mentioned it once.
If they continued the cold war, they might as well get a divorce.
Every time he heard it, Jiang Zhixun's mood worsened.
Marriage is a lifelong affair; if divorce were so easy, would he need to come to the Northwest?
Seeing Shen Qingqing's indifferent expression again just made him feel more stifled.
Jiang Zhixun couldn't help but wonder if during these three years in Beijing, Shen Qingqing had thought about divorce.
He then remembered this year on his birthday; Shen Qingqing hadn't called him.
Clearly, it wasn't like that in previous years.
If she couldn't reach him by phone, she would write him a letter.
Jiang Zhixun realized something seemed different.
He looked at Shen Qingqing with some inquiry.
Could her visit this time be her last attempt to make things work?
His slender fingers curled slightly; the man wore a perplexing expression.
Shen Qingqing's attention was fully on Xiao Bao and didn't notice Jiang Zhixun's anomaly.
There weren't many dishes, but with only one coal stove at home, cooking efficiency was seriously affected.
Once the chicken was stewed to tenderness, there was finally space to fry other dishes.
The aroma of food in the air grew stronger.
Lin Fengmian, who was silently weeping in her room, grew restless.
If she didn't go out now, wouldn't she just let Shen Qingqing have all the meat?
She wasn't going to do something so foolish!
Suddenly, the tightly shut door opened, and Shen Qingqing instinctively looked up.
Only to see Lin Fengmian carrying a washbasin, stepping heavily with a dark face out of the house.
There was no separate bathroom in the house.
For daily washing, brushing teeth, doing laundry, and using the toilet, everyone had to go outside.
Shen Qingqing retracted her gaze indifferently, a smile playing at her lips, as a bad idea popped up.
As long as she doesn't take things to heart, she's not the one who'll feel bad!
Zhou Xiaomei worried her sister-in-law might throw a tantrum again, so she went out with a small bucket, under the guise of fetching water.
She found Lin Fengmian downstairs.
Her eyes red and face tear-streaked caught her off guard.
Jiang Zhixun hadn't even dated her, so why was she reacting so strongly?
Seeing her sister-in-law looking so pitiful, Zhou Xiaomei couldn't bring herself to say what she'd planned.
Softly, she said, "Why not use the hot water at home? What if you catch a cold?"
"If I get sick, it's Shen Qingqing's fault. She had a fever a couple of days ago, and who knows if she's fully recovered. Running around like that, what if she infects others? Seriously, no sense of responsibility!"
Zhou Xiaomei: "..."
Having found a target to vent on, Lin Fengmian added sarcastically, "You even let her hold Xiao Bao, don't you know kids have weak immune systems and get infected easily?"
Zhou Xiaomei felt a headache coming on.
"Does any of this make sense? Just don't say anything foolish in front of them, or you'll be laughed at."
Seeing Lin Fengmian looking unwilling, Zhou Xiaomei played her trump card.
"Jiang Zhixun is from Beijing, doesn't have an ordinary background. The women around him must be like Shen Qingqing. To him, unreasonable women are likely savage."
Lin Fengmian looked like a chicken with its neck pinched, "Who's savage? I'm stating the facts!"
Her momentum clearly weakened a lot.
Sullenly, she wiped her face and picked up the basin to go upstairs.
As she passed by Zhou Xiaomei, she stubbornly said, "I won't give Shen Qingqing the chance to belittle me."
"Miss Shen isn't that kind of person; don't overthink it."
Zhou Xiaomei admired Shen Qingqing's patience; if it were anyone else, they'd have started a row with Jiang Zhixun long ago.
Xiao Mian didn't give her any face, and Shen Qingqing didn't say anything either.
Zhou Xiaomei knew that Shen Qingqing was being considerate of her and Lin Zhidong, afraid of affecting Jiang Zhixun's camaraderie with them.
Her constant thoughtfulness for others only made people feel more sympathy for her.
Suddenly, Zhou Xiaomei thought about the word divorce again.
As a woman, if Lin Zhidong treated her like this, she'd definitely get divorced.
So was Miss Shen really here in the Northwest to reconcile?
If she was, why wasn't she clinging to Jiang Zhixun at all?
They were staying in separate accommodations, one in a guesthouse, one in a dormitory...
Shouldn't she try to get Jiang Zhixun to stay overnight?