Liu Xiaocheng fell silent again.
It takes two to clap. Even though Luo Yingshu was filled with annoyance, she had nothing to say after his cold - shoulder treatment.
In the quiet room, Luo Yingshu suddenly felt a chill. She looked out of the window. The room faced the door of Li Chuchu's house.
There were several pots of lush clivias placed outside their yard. Li Chuchu had always been so leisurely and elegant.
Luo Yingshu suddenly felt exhausted.
She used to be jealous of Li Chuchu, jealous of her freedom, her unfettered life, jealous that she could do whatever she wanted.
But jealousy also meant envy.
However, this was the path she had chosen for herself, and the man she had married. Her pride wouldn't allow her to admit that she had made the wrong choice. She could only grit her teeth and swallow her bitterness.
Sigh...
Liu Xiaocheng suddenly heard a sigh from behind. This woman, who was always so unreasonable and only knew how to pester others, could actually sigh?
He didn't think much about it and just turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
...
Shen Yanshan was taking Li Chuchu to work. They just happened to see Luo Yingshu and Liu Xiaocheng standing outside. Liu Xiaocheng was also about to go to work.
Li Chuchu was wearing a beige waist - cinched shirt - collar dress today, with a hairband of the same color on her head. Her outfit was simple yet beautiful, full of youth and charm.
Even Aunt Wang couldn't help but praise her when she saw.
In contrast, Luo Yingshu, because of taking care of the whole family, looked haggard and vicissitudinous. She was still wearing an oil - stained apron that she hadn't taken off. Luo Yingshu was only five or six years older than Li Chuchu, but at this moment, she seemed more than a decade older.
When these two women of similar ages were put together, it was inevitable that others would compare them.
Liu Xiaocheng silently withdrew his gaze.
"I'm leaving."
Luo Yingshu didn't respond. She turned around and went into the house. Even though there was deep fatigue on her face, she didn't have time to rest. She still had to make breakfast for Huzi and send him to school.
...
In the past, when Liu Xiaocheng went out, Luo Yingshu would always give him a lot of instructions. But today, she said nothing.
Li Chuchu thought it was strange. She guessed that the couple must have had a fight.
But this was normal. She just hoped that Luo Yingshu could discover the true face of the scumbag earlier.
When they arrived at the entrance of the Lotus Steel Factory,
Shen Yanshan gently smoothed a stray hair on Li Chuchu's head. "Work hard. I'll pick you up for lunch."
It was like sending a child to school.
Li Chuchu pouted and didn't bother to answer him. She said coquettishly, "Hurry up and go."
Shen Yanshan smiled. "Okay."
Although he was smiling, there was no real smile in his eyes. His eyes were as clear as spring water, hiding unfathomable depths.
Li Chuchu noticed his absent - mindedness and asked, "Has something happened recently?"
Shen Yanshan's smile froze slightly. But this moment of unease was only reflected in the stiff curve of his lips. Then he immediately relaxed and showed his usual, not - very - sincere smile. "No. Why do you ask?"
Li Chuchu felt that Shen Yanshan was hiding something from her.
"Okay."
She nodded understandingly. "But if there's anything, you can tell me. Maybe I can help you."
She was very calm.
Her tone somehow made people feel trustworthy.
The surrounding was bustling. Most of the workers were rushing to work. There were voices of chatting and laughing, hurried footsteps, and even the scolding of the gatekeeper.
But Shen Yanshan calmed down and only wanted to listen to Li Chuchu's voice.
There was a flash of surprise in his eyes, like a crack on the calm water surface. But the spring water was too deep. Even though ripples appeared on the water surface, in just a few seconds, it returned to normal.
A habitual, teasing smile appeared on his face again. "You want to help me?"
Shen Yanshan was good at using such a false expression to hide his true feelings. However, Li Chuchu said firmly, "Of course. We're husband and wife now! Husband and wife should love and help each other."
Li Chuchu's intention of saying this was to give Shen Yanshan a hard time. She hoped that little by little, she could keep the idea of divorce away from her.
However, at the moment when these words came out, Shen Yanshan felt a tremor in his heart.
This tremor was just like that night when Li Chuchu leaned against the door panel, with her rose - like lips slightly curving.
When she said that she would be with him.
She had a kind of quality that was always so determined and confident.
The former Li Chuchu didn't have such a clear and firm look in her eyes.
The current Li Chuchu was full of this kind of quality.
"I don't need your help. Just work hard."
Shen Yanshan didn't know how he said goodbye to Li Chuchu. He rode his bike out for several miles on autopilot, but his mind was still in a muddle.
She said she came for him,
She said she would live with him,
She said they should help each other like a real couple...
Every word was like a stone hitting his trembling and panicked heart. No one had ever said such words to him before.
Shen Yanshan, who had struggled in the mire for more than twenty years and climbed over every hurdle by himself, had never experienced such a strange feeling.
Shen Yanshan forced himself to calm down.
This must be just a casual joke from her. There was no need to take it seriously.
Moreover, there was no need to let her get involved in this mess, right?
Shen Yanshan liked Li Chuchu, but it didn't mean that he had to drag her into his mire. Li Chuchu just needed to sit at home peacefully, doing the things she liked, without being exposed to any hardships.
Just seeing her like this would satisfy him.
...
Li Chuchu looked at Shen Yanshan's back as if he was running away in a hurry. She curled her lips. So easily flustered.
On weekdays, he always said all kinds of nonsense.
But when it came to something serious, he couldn't stand it after just one or two sentences.
She returned to her workstation in the office. While getting a glass of water, she casually flipped through the latest newspaper on the adjacent table.
In this era, there were not many gossip and entertainment news. The newspaper mainly reported political activities, international news, and scientific research achievements.
One column in the newspaper was bolded,
which immediately caught Li Chuchu's attention.
Just then, Teacher Xie walked over. Seeing this part of the newspaper, he casually said, "Yu City has been cracking down on profiteers very strictly recently. Many people have been arrested, and it's said that supplies worth nearly a million have been confiscated."
Li Chuchu's heart skipped a beat. She asked, "What about Ning City? Will they also conduct inspections?"
Teacher Xie had worked in the central government before and was politically sensitive. "Yu City and Ning City are so close. If they conduct inspections in Yu City, they will surely do the same in Ning City. Since there's no news yet, they must be going after the big fish. It'll probably happen in the next few days."
Teacher Xie made himself a cup of tea and then returned to his own workstation.
Shen Yanshan was once arrested by the police station for smuggling. It seemed to be around this time.
No wonder he had been so distracted recently.
But logically, he should be busy with factory matters recently. How could he be involved in this? Moreover, he was always a cautious person and would never take risks during such a sensitive period.