Reborn in the 80s: Divorced and Spoiled by the Military Man

Chapter 143: Brother Shen Is a Good Buddy

“Whose man?!”

Xie Yunshu jumped at Lin Cuiping’s words, then immediately reached out and twisted her ear. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night, asking for a beating?”

Lin Cuiping yanked her hand away in irritation. “Quit playing dumb with me! You’re stuck together every day. If he’s not your boyfriend, what is he? Tell me, is he a section chief or not?”

Ever since she had met Shen Subai last time, Lin Cuiping had felt a little off whenever she went on dates with Feng Qiang. She had even gone out of her way to ask Feng Qiang, “If you had to fight a man who’s one eighty-five, could you win?”

Feng Qiang had been quite displeased with her over that. He believed a woman ought to be gentle and refined, and more than once he had corrected Lin Cuiping: “Don’t go around using crude language, and don’t curse at people. My parents are educated people. They don’t like women like that.”

Lin Cuiping genuinely liked Feng Qiang. She had never been good at school growing up, and before she even finished high school, she had taken over a family position and gone to work in a factory. She had a natural admiration for intellectuals. So when she found out Xie Yunshu had married Lu Zhixing, an overseas-educated student, she had been practically eaten alive with jealousy.

It was not that she truly liked Lu Zhixing. She just felt that no matter what kind of man she found in this life, he would never compare to Xie Yunshu’s husband. Later, when she learned Lu Zhixing was no good, she mocked Xie Yunshu out loud, but in her heart, she had also cursed Lu Zhixing soundly.

Xie Yunshu, who had bullied her since they were little, had actually been bullied by a man. Somehow, that made Lin Cuiping feel even more stifled than if she herself had been the one getting picked on.

Feng Qiang was also a college graduate. Although he had only graduated from a vocational college, to Lin Cuiping, that was still a height she could never reach. So when the two of them were introduced for a blind date, she had fallen for that gentle, scholarly man at first sight.

Xie Yunshu’s first thought was to clear Captain Shen’s name. As Lin Cuiping dragged her forward by the arm, she said, “Captain Shen and I are completely innocent. He only helped me because of work. Stop spreading nonsense. Captain Shen was even there when I got divorced!”

In other words, even if Shen Subai’s family background and status were not that high, nothing could possibly happen between them! Why start something impossible?

Lin Cuiping was not convinced. “So what if you’re divorced? It’s not like your face got ruined. Isn’t it normal for men to like you?”

After saying that, she stared at Xie Yunshu’s face for a while and grew jealous again. “Have you been secretly using more Snow Cream behind my back? Why is your face even fairer now? Did you put on powder?”

“Who put on powder?” Xie Yunshu shoved Lin Cuiping aside. “What exactly did you come looking for me for in the middle of the night?”

Lin Cuiping suddenly turned bashful. “Feng Qiang and I are getting married soon. When the time comes, you have to come to the wedding, and you have to give me a big red envelope!”

“Getting married?” Xie Yunshu was a little surprised. “That soon?”

She remembered that Lin Cuiping and Feng Qiang had not known each other for very long. Although free dating was not exactly popular at the moment, and most men and women were introduced by their parents or a matchmaker, then considered themselves a couple if they took a liking to each other, Lin Cuiping was still being a little too hasty, wasn’t she?

Lin Cuiping glared at her. “Cut the crap. If you don’t come, I’ll definitely fight you. And you have to give me a big red envelope!”

Seeing Xie Yunshu frown and fall silent, she grew anxious again. “Xie Yunshu, what’s that silence supposed to mean? When you got married, I gave five yuan! When you remarry in the future, I’ll have to give money again. No matter how I calculate it, I’m the one losing out. You can’t possibly not give me anything this time, can you?”

Xie Yunshu was speechless. “Can you even beat me in a fight?”

Lin Cuiping let go of her and ground her teeth angrily. “Then are you giving the money or not?”

“I am!” Xie Yunshu lazily kicked her, then asked, “Why not get engaged first? Why are you in such a hurry to marry?”

At that, Lin Cuiping’s voice dropped a little. “It’s not that I’m in a hurry. My parents are the ones getting anxious. After New Year’s, the Packaging Factory hasn’t been doing well. There’s word they might lay off some people, and now a lot of people are going to the factory director with gifts…”

The reason she had managed to catch Feng Qiang’s eye was partly because she was genuinely good to him, and partly because both she and her father were permanent employees at the Packaging Factory. Her family had little financial burden, and they did not ask much of the groom’s side. Feng Qiang might be a section chief, but he still had two younger brothers in school…

So when the Feng Family proposed keeping the wedding simple-no engagement, just marriage, no bride price or jewelry, only buying her one new outfit and calling it done-her parents agreed. After all, everyone at the Packaging Factory was on edge these days, afraid that changes really were coming.

Xie Yunshu pressed her lips together. Of course she knew the Packaging Factory would not last much longer. Layoffs were only the first step. The factory director was bent on embezzlement and taking bribes, without the slightest interest in actually running the place. After the state-owned enterprise reforms, they would not even be able to pay wages. In the end, the Packaging Factory would shut down altogether.

She had to admit, the Lin Family parents were right to think this way. In a while, if the Packaging Factory really did go under, who knew what the Feng Family would say then?

Xie Yunshu pinched Lin Cuiping’s plump cheek. “Be smart. Keep your own wages in your own hands.”

At the very least, she should not be as foolish as Xie Yunshu had been, giving everything she had to a man…

Lin Cuiping lowered her head and mumbled an “oh.” By the time she looked up again, Xie Yunshu had already gone back inside and shut the door. Only then did Lin Cuiping stomp her foot in frustration. “You still haven’t told me how much wedding money you’re giving me!”

But when she thought about Xie Yunshu denying that Captain Shen was her man, Lin Cuiping’s mouth curled into a smile again. At least on her wedding day, Xie Yunshu would not be able to bring a man over and steal the show. In a way, she would finally get to show off in front of that woman for once!

That damned competitive streak of hers, the same one she’d had since they were little!

Starting night school would not happen right away. Even with a letter of introduction, she still had to wait for the enrollment procedures.

But Song Shanchuan soon quit his job at Haicheng Restaurant and came to the small courtyard to help Xie Yunshu cook. He could not speak, but he could read. Xie Yunshu wrote down the dishes that needed to be stir-fried each noon, and Song Shanchuan would follow her menu and cook them on his own.

Despite his skinny arms, the boy was surprisingly strong. When he swung a wok spatula, he was both fast and steady, and he could lift a large iron wok with one hand. Xie Yunshu quietly compared things in her mind and felt that the fifty yuan had been money well spent. Once the canteen officially opened, she absolutely had to give Song Shanchuan a raise.

With that, Xie Yunshu finally had time to herself. Each day at noon, aside from going to the Construction Site to sell meals and making another trip to the market in the afternoon, she could spend the rest of her time studying.

The Xie Siblings were both born to study. Teaching herself high school material was not too difficult for Xie Yunshu, and whenever she ran into something she did not understand, she could ask Mingcheng. Now, all she had to do was wait for the canteen to open and for night school to start.

At the Project Department, Tian Hao entered Shen Subai’s office with a frown.

He dropped into a chair, his face full of confusion. “Strange. A couple of days ago, there were several young guys asking me about Xie Yunshu. But the moment I mentioned asking you to help introduce them, their faces turned as weird as ghosts. You’re only a little serious when you’re working. What the hell are they so scared of?”

Shen Subai raised his brows slightly. “And then?”

Tian Hao curled his lip. “What do you mean, and then? Looks like you won’t be playing matchmaker after all.”

The corner of Shen Subai’s mouth lifted faintly. “Then forget it. I don’t have that much time anyway.”

Tian Hao clicked his tongue. “I think they only care that the girl is pretty. Not a single one of them is sincere!”

As he spoke, Shen Subai had already stood up and pushed the door open to leave. Before he went, he left one sentence behind. “I’ve been busy lately. Keep an eye on the canteen for now. If any problems come up, come find me anytime.”

Tian Hao gave a grunt of acknowledgment. When he looked up again, the man was already gone. His heart filled with emotion once more. Technically, he was the manager of the Logistics Department, so the canteen’s operations should have been his responsibility. Yet Brother Shen had taken all of it onto himself.

Brother Shen was so busy, yet he still worried about the canteen for his sake. What a true brother!