Ch 86: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

The villagers, recalling the matter of selling eggs, approached the village chief, hoping he could mediate and persuade Shen Yunxuan to resume collecting eggs from them.

The village chief took a drag of his cigarette, looking conflicted. “It’s not that I don’t want to help. I just don’t know where she is. The town is big—how would I even begin to look for her?”

Hearing this, the villagers went to the Shen family to ask for the location of the Xiao family, intending to send someone to inquire.

Shen Jie, who was on summer vacation, frowned upon hearing their request. “Why do you want to find her? If she really cared about you, she’d have offered a higher price for your eggs than the supply and marketing cooperative—at least eight cents and a bit more. That would show some goodwill. She’s giving you the same price as the cooperative. Why bother?”

The group rolled their eyes at him. “What do you know, kid? We can exchange eggs for money without leaving the house. It’s so convenient! The eggs are fresh, too. If we have to save them up and trek to the cooperative in town, they’ll spoil, and we’ll have to deal with picky buyers. It’s just not worth it compared to trading with Yunxuan.”

Hearing this, Old Madam Shen, defending her eldest grandson, snapped, “My grandson is studying in town; of course, he understands! You’re just lazy and now want to beg Shen Yunxuan to take your eggs. She’s your junior—aren’t you ashamed?”

One villager retorted, “Old Madam, you’re really something. If you hadn’t stirred up such a scene that day, would Yunxuan have stopped collecting eggs? It’s your fault we have to lower ourselves to ask a younger person for help. Especially your second girl—so petty and spiteful—always sabotaging Yunxuan out of jealousy.”

Fang Fang, proud of her daughter’s status as the wife of an army captain, stiffened at this. “My son-in-law serves the nation and has earned countless commendations. What are you implying by talking about his wife like this? Don’t you respect military spouses?”

The villagers froze in surprise, then quickly grew indignant. As they left, they grumbled, “Oh, so now you’re accusing us of disrespecting military spouses? What a scheme! We said nothing of the sort. Don’t think you can bully us just because your son-in-law’s a captain. If this gets out to the town, let’s see who ends up embarrassed. Come on, let’s leave. Better not get involved with them—they’ve got a captain in the family now…”

Their voices faded as they walked away, their tones thick with disdain. Fang Fang’s face shifted between anger and frustration. She should have felt pride in their intimidation, but instead, she was left feeling stifled. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. With her daughter married to a captain and a prominent family, they should be basking in glory, not ostracized.

“It’s all Shen Yunxuan’s fault! If she hadn’t caused trouble, none of this would have happened,” Shen Jie muttered bitterly. Then, turning to Fang Fang, he snapped, “You lot are just as bad! Why did you agree to publish that notice? The kids in town spread the news to school, and now I’m a laughingstock. My classmates call me the spoiled young master of a landlord’s family, who enslaved his sister as a servant. Why didn’t you think it through? And you said the notice wouldn’t mean anything! You’ve ruined me!”

Though Shen Xuewei was the most accomplished, being married off, Shen Jie was the family’s only son and heir—their pride and future. Hearing his outburst, Fang Fang became flustered. “It was your second sister who insisted on it. She said the notice had no legal weight and wouldn’t matter.”

“Why do you listen to her? She also promised marrying the captain would help me. Now what? It’s been one or two months, and she hasn’t even sent me a single piece of candy! I hear she spoils the kids in the Xing family, giving them milk powder, candies, and cakes, but nothing for me. She lied to you! She just didn’t want to marry into the Xiao family, so she agreed to anything Shen Yunxuan suggested, as long as it got her into the Xing family. She doesn’t care about us!” Shen Jie’s resentment spilled over. His eldest sister cutting ties with the family embarrassed him; his second sister’s successful marriage had alienated them from the villagers, leaving him feeling utterly humiliated.

Slamming the door, Shen Jie stormed out. Fang Fang and Old Madam Shen chased after him, calling his name, but he didn’t return. Frustrated, they turned their anger on Shen Yunxuan and Shen Xuewei, cursing both daughters and dragging the Xiao and Xing families into their tirade.

Shen Weiguo, clearly annoyed, barked, “Enough! Stop shouting! Aren’t you worried someone will hear? Haven’t we caused enough gossip already? Fang Fang, stop using your son-in-law to intimidate people. Do you see anyone falling for it? Tomorrow, go apologize to the villagers. Just say it’s not that we didn’t want to help—it’s that Shen Yunxuan isn’t buying eggs anymore because she’s losing money.”

Fang Fang hesitated. “How do you know?”

Shen Weiguo gave her a withering look. “Shen Yunxuan collected nearly a thousand eggs in three days and then stopped. Do you really think she sold them all? If you tried, could you sell that many?”

Fang Fang shook her head, and Shen Weiguo continued, “Exactly. You can’t sell that many eggs, so where would she sell them? She must have been stuck with them and was too embarrassed to come back. If she was making money, do you think she’d stop buying just because of a little argument? No way, right?”

“Right, that must be it.” Fang Fang felt a wave of relief. Somehow, the idea that her daughter was struggling and regretting her decision made her feel better. If Shen Yunxuan had thrived after leaving them, wouldn’t that prove they had truly mistreated her? Then the villagers would have even more reason to criticize them.

Before Fang Fang could fully process her thoughts, Old Madam Shen drawled, “What are you standing there for? Go make dinner! Do you want us to starve?”

Fang Fang froze, her expression stiffening before she lowered her head and shuffled into the kitchen. Cooking in the scorching summer heat was sheer torture. Ever since Shen Yunxuan had been old enough to cook at the age of eight, Fang Fang had rarely touched the stove. But now that Shen Yunxuan was married, all the housework fell squarely on her shoulders. If she moved too slowly, her mother-in-law would scold her.

Cooking three meals a day, washing a large family’s laundry, cleaning, feeding the chickens and pigs—it was back-breaking work, and her mother-in-law constantly found fault with her. Not a single day was peaceful. Fang Fang regretted it deeply; not only had marrying off Shen Yunxuan brought no benefit, but it also made her a target of gossip in the village. On top of that, she was now utterly exhausted every day. If she had known this would happen, she might as well have kept Shen Yunxuan at home as a spinster to help with the chores.

Next door, Aunt Ma chuckled mockingly to herself. As they say, what goes around comes around. This heartless family deserves their misery. Even with two daughters married well, they can’t gain a shred of benefit. Their lives are worse than ever—serves them right!

Fang Fang, feeling suffocated with frustration, hurried to find Shen Xuewei after lunch. She desperately needed proof that having two daughters married off was worthwhile—anything to silence the ridicule from others. Even a few yuan from Shen Xuewei would feel like a consolation.

But when Shen Xuewei saw her, she frowned deeply. “Why are you here? If my in-laws see you, they’ll scold me again. Go back home.”

Fang Fang’s heart sank. “What? Does this mean we can’t even visit each other anymore? How is that fair? And what’s wrong with asking for a little support? Shouldn’t Xing Kai, as a brother-in-law, help out his wife’s family? Isn’t it normal for a son-in-law to take care of his in-laws? You were the one who said marrying him would bring benefits. If we can’t rely on you, why did we even marry you into that family?”

Shen Xuewei snapped back angrily, “Why is your vision so narrow? I’ve told you, we need to think long-term. Right now, they’re watching me closely. How can I help you if I can’t even stand firmly here yet? If you mess things up for me, when will I ever gain a foothold? Xing Kai left the day after he returned and went on a mission. I can’t contact him. Those two brats cause trouble every day, and my sisters-in-law are constantly making snide remarks. I already have my hands full! Can you stop adding to my problems?”

“Oh, so you’re busy currying favor with your in-laws and taking it all out on me? You’re unbelievable!” Fang Fang retorted.

“I don’t care if you understand or not. Just remember not to contact me unless absolutely necessary. Once I gain footing here and have some say, I’ll naturally support my family. I’ll need to rely on you all someday, won’t I? That’s all. I’m leaving now.” Shen Xuewei, impatient, brushed off her mother’s complaints and walked away.

Fang Fang was left seething, her chest tight with anger. She had to catch her breath for a moment before sneaking back home, red-eyed and humiliated. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this. Her heart ached with bitterness. How did things turn out this way? Life used to be fine—why has everything gone so wrong?

When Shen Xuewei returned home, she saw her in-laws wearing grim expressions. Feeling a twinge of irritation, she said, “What now? My mom just showed concern and didn’t even do anything. I’ve already sworn to cut ties with them—what more do you want?”

Mother Xing slammed the table angrily. “Don’t tell me you haven’t been using Xing Kai’s name to make promises to your family! Your mother’s been going around the village bragging about her son-in-law, calling him a captain and telling people not to badmouth you or her. She even accused others of disrespecting the military! What nonsense is that? I’m his real mother, and I don’t even show him off like that. Who does she think she is?”

Shen Xuewei was taken aback. “My mom never mentioned anything like that to me. She wouldn’t boast without reason—something must have provoked her…”

“Provoked her, my foot! People just wanted to ask where the Xiao family is so they could get Shen Yunxuan to come back and collect eggs. And your mother, after cutting ties with her own daughter, has the audacity to flaunt Xing Kai’s status to intimidate them? I’ve never seen such shamelessness!”

Though Shen Xuewei was also annoyed with her mother’s exaggerations, her mother-in-law insulting her mother as shameless was an insult to herself. If she tolerated this, how could she demand respect in the future? Without hesitation, Shen Xuewei began arguing back with Mother Xing.

Xing Kai’s two children rushed over and shoved Shen Xuewei hard. “Don’t you dare bully Grandma!”

Caught off guard, Shen Xuewei stumbled, hitting her stomach hard against the table before falling to the ground. “Ah—my stomach! It hurts so much!” she cried.

The Xing family initially thought she was being dramatic, but when they saw blood staining her skirt, panic set in.

Shen Xuewei also saw the blood and, with a pale face, glared at the two children. “You little brats! If I lose this child, I’ll make you pay!”

In a frenzy, the family rushed her to the hospital. The two children, initially cradled in their grandmother’s arms, were left unattended and grew scared.

“Brother, did we kill the stepmother’s baby?” the younger sibling asked nervously.

“Don’t talk nonsense! We didn’t know she was pregnant—it’s not our fault.”

“But… I’m scared. Will she beat us when she comes back? She looked so scary just now.”

“Hmph, I knew stepmothers couldn’t be trusted. Let’s go. I’ll take you to town. We’ll send a telegraph to Dad and tell him she bullied us first. That way, we get ahead of her!”

The two children waited until no one was paying attention, then stole the money Shen Xuewei had hidden in her cabinet and ran away.

At the hospital, Shen Xuewei narrowly avoided losing the baby after hours of treatment. The family heaved a sigh of relief, but the doctors insisted she remain hospitalized to ensure the baby’s health. Even minor mishaps could lead to a miscarriage, and she would need to stay for at least a month.

Mother Xing went to pay the bill and was shocked to find it nearly 100 yuan. She rushed back and forth, asking if it was possible for Shen Xuewei to recover at home instead, but Shen Xuewei was furious. “Are you seriously quibbling over money at a time like this? Xing Kai sends so much money home every month, and his child isn’t worth 100 yuan? Besides, I’m in this state because of your precious grandchildren. You should be paying this bill!”

Mother Xing shot her a glare. “If you hadn’t been arguing with me, would my precious grandchildren have pushed you? You only have yourself to blame. Why didn’t they push anyone else, huh?”

“I need to stay in the hospital! If word gets out that Captain Xing doesn’t care about his wife or child and won’t even let me recover properly, he can kiss his career goodbye!” Shen Xuewei was desperate to keep her child, knowing it would tie Xing Kai’s heart to hers. No matter what, she had to stay hospitalized.

This threat alarmed the Xing family, who feared it could indeed jeopardize Xing Kai’s career. They hurriedly paid the hospital bill. Soon after, Shen Xuewei began demanding nutritious food. Muttering curses under her breath, Mother Xing begrudgingly went outside to buy it. At the hospital entrance, she was shocked to see Xiao Jun running a bustling food stall.

She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t mistaken, then instinctively squeezed into the crowd and asked, “Why so many people?”

An older woman, who was a frequent customer, answered casually, “You’ve never bought from him before? His family’s food is amazing! See that tea egg? No one in town makes it better—not even the state-owned restaurants. And look at that spiced braised pork, roasted chicken, quail eggs, pig ears—all of it tastes fantastic! Even the buns and flatbreads are incredible, better than what the state restaurants offer, and they don’t require ration tickets.”

The woman continued enthusiastically, seemingly advertising on his behalf. When a spot opened at the front of the line, she rushed forward and handed over money, buying two large bags of food.

Mother Xing watched in disbelief as the woman spent three yuan. Wide-eyed, she blurted, “Sick people can’t eat that much. Why buy so much?”

A young man nearby chuckled. “Auntie, you must be new here. More than half the people here aren’t from the hospital—they’ve come specifically to buy from him. That lady is probably buying for others or for a family gathering. You should try his scallion buns; they even come with a bit of chili sauce that has diced meat in it—it’s incredible!”

Mother Xing quickly asked, “Are the eggs in his cart for sale? Does he always have so much business?”

“Of course! He sells all kinds of food. Sometimes he’s in the residential areas near the factories, sometimes here at the hospital, or just along the street. His food is just that good! It’s the best in town,” the young man said, giving a thumbs-up, clearly a big fan.

Shocked, Mother Xing hurried back to the ward to share what she had seen. The family barely had time to react before Shen Xuewei’s sharp voice cut through the air. “Who did you say? Xiao Jun?”

Throwing off her thin blanket, Shen Xuewei got out of bed and started heading outside. Mother Xing grabbed her in alarm. “What are you doing?”

Shen Xuewei shook her off and ran a few steps ahead. “I’m going to see for myself. Don’t stop me.”

The Xing family quickly put down their things and followed her, only to find her standing at the hospital entrance, staring at Xiao Jun with a dark expression.

Xiao Jun noticed her staring and glanced up briefly. Seeing it was Shen Xuewei, he looked surprised but quickly went back to selling his wares, chatting cheerfully with customers as if she were just a stranger.

Just then, someone asked about his wife, and Xiao Jun beamed with pride. “All of this is made by my wife. She’s amazing, the backbone of our family, haha! My mom? Oh, my mom loves her—treats her like her own daughter. I feel more like the son-in-law sometimes.”

“And my sister-in-law? No conflicts there! My wife’s cold cream, hair ties—my sister-in-law bought all that for her. She even braids her hair! They get along like sisters. What can I say? My wife is just so likable. You’ll see when you meet her—she’s not only kind but also beautiful.”

“She’s not here today. It’s been too hot lately, so I let her stay home and rest. Besides, making all this food is exhausting enough. Running the stall is my job.”

As Shen Xuewei listened, her face grew darker. Xiao Jun’s complete disregard for her presence made it clear he didn’t care about her at all—she held no significance in his mind. But his glowing praise for Shen Yunxuan stung even more. Why? Compared to her, Shen Yunxuan was plain, skinny, and nowhere near as attractive. In her past life, after their marriage, Xiao Jun had been indifferent to Shen Yunxuan, even finding her annoying. He never showed any ambition to earn money and always dismissed her suggestions, claiming he’d already arranged for her to work at the factory. What more could she want?

Sure, in her previous life, they had secured her a job at the textile factory—but only as an apprentice earning a meager 16 yuan a month. Just because she was from the countryside, they thought she should be grateful. If they really cared, they could have arranged a better position in the office and paved the way for her to climb higher. Instead, they left her to stagnate in a role that would become irrelevant during the layoffs just a few years later.

Yet in this life, Xiao Jun supported Shen Yunxuan’s decision to start a business, accompanied her to collect eggs in the countryside, and even publicly defended and praised her. Most importantly, Xiao Jun was now earning money—significant amounts of it!

Mother Xing, noticing Shen Xuewei’s growing agitation, firmly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back toward the hospital. “Get back here! Don’t forget your status. Staring at a man you once considered for marriage like that—what exactly are you trying to do?”

Shen Xuewei finally snapped out of it, muttering as she walked back, “I just couldn’t believe that loafer could actually make money selling things, so I stared a bit longer.”

Sister-in-law Xing sneered, “Then why the sour face? What does his money-making have to do with you? Did he offend you?”

Second Sister-in-law Xing chimed in, “Exactly. What’s got you so upset?”

Shen Xuewei couldn’t answer. How could she explain that she was reborn and felt she should be doing better than everyone else? Seeing her ex thriving while she was stuck in the hospital was unbearable. Why was Xiao Jun allowed to succeed in business? Why had everything changed so drastically?

She glanced back out the door and saw two of Xiao Jun’s friends approaching him. Her steps faltered, and she sneered in disdain, finally feeling a little better. So much for earning money honestly—he’d probably discovered selling was profitable and was just trying to make more to gamble away with those lowlifes. With Shen Yunxuan having no family to support her, she likely wouldn’t dare complain even if Xiao Jun lost everything.

Feeling comforted by this thought, Shen Xuewei returned to her bed, lying back comfortably to rest. No matter what, she was going to give the captain a son, secure her position, and become the wife of a regimental commander. Her life was destined to be the best.

While Shen Xuewei was busy consoling herself, Mother Xing was observing her with growing suspicion and wariness. Her gaze even lingered on Shen Xuewei’s stomach. In this era, the boundaries between men and women were strict. While casual greetings were normal, staring at a man she had once been matched with for marriage was highly inappropriate.

Mother Xing couldn’t help but suspect whether Shen Xuewei had once been infatuated with Xiao Jun. Otherwise, why had there been rumors of the Shen family wanting to marry a daughter into town? And now, was she regretting her decision after seeing Xiao Jun succeed financially? Could it be that the child she was carrying wasn’t Xing Kai’s but Xiao Jun’s instead?

The more Mother Xing thought about it, the less at ease she felt. She decided to have her eldest son write a letter to Xing Kai. The letter detailed Shen Xuewei’s incident of causing harm to the fetus, emphasized her recklessness, and mentioned her staring at Xiao Jun for an extended period. It also expressed doubts about the child’s paternity, urging Xing Kai to investigate thoroughly.

After finishing the letter, it was already dark. That’s when the family realized that the two children were missing. They searched the house and the village to no avail. Alarmed, they gathered the entire village to search the mountains. Finally, a child mentioned seeing the siblings heading toward town. They expanded the search, involving the police, but after a long night of searching, the children were still nowhere to be found.

Mother Xing cried several times. She added the children’s disappearance to the letter and rushed to have it sent, continuing to search frantically.

Captain Wang Zhijun also led his team to search for the children. Passing by the Xiao family home, he saw Shen Yunxuan in the courtyard and approached to ask, “When you spotted those four human traffickers earlier, did you notice any signs of accomplices?”

Shen Yunxuan was startled. “No, I didn’t. What happened? I saw the four of them heading toward the station, but they didn’t interact with anyone suspicious there.”

Captain Wang sighed. “I’m just asking to be thorough. Two children are missing. Maybe they just wandered off and are hiding somewhere. I’ll keep looking.”

As she escorted him out, Shen Yunxuan casually asked, “How old are the children? Wasn’t anyone watching them?”

“Eleven or twelve. Oh, they’re from your village, actually,” Wang Zhijun suddenly realized. “Hey, isn’t Xing Kai your former brother-in-law? It’s his two kids who are missing.”

“What?” Shen Yunxuan was genuinely shocked. Although the children had been abducted in her previous life, that hadn’t happened for several more months. Could her earlier capture of the four traffickers have caused their accomplices to act sooner? If that was the case, there were likely more victims involved.

Feeling uneasy, Shen Yunxuan said, “I’ll join the search. Kids their age shouldn’t get lost easily. If they were abducted, the situation is serious.”

Captain Wang immediately shook his head. “No way, no way. A young woman like you shouldn’t go. It’s too dangerous if you run into criminals. I shouldn’t have brought this up. Stay safe—I’ll be going.”

After pacing her yard twice, Shen Yunxuan still couldn’t shake her unease. She tucked a knife into her waistband and headed out, cautiously approaching the location where traffickers had hidden their victims in her past life. The spot was empty—no sign of anyone. Relieved, she continued searching, focusing on areas near the homes of the kids’ friends.

After about an hour, she heard faint voices in an alleyway. Approaching quietly, she found Xing Kai’s daughter crying.

“Brother, I’m so hungry. I want to go home.”

“We can’t go back. That wicked woman said she’d kill us. And Chen Peng—he’s no real friend! He wouldn’t even let us stay at his house.”

“Why did Dad marry a stepmother? I hate her! Are we going to be abandoned now?”

“Don’t worry. If she dares treat us badly, we’ll yell and let the whole village know. We’ll put it in the papers for everyone to see and write to Dad’s unit. Someone will stand up for us.”

Shen Yunxuan smirked slightly. So, the two kids ran away from home after a conflict with Shen Xuewei. It seemed Shen Xuewei was quite capable—she had caused so much trouble in the Xing family that even the children had fled. She wondered what had happened. But these two were just ungrateful brats. In her past life, she had treated them well, yet they had never shown any gratitude. Now that they were clashing with Shen Xuewei, it was like dogs biting each other.

Still, Captain Wang Zhijun and his team were good officers dedicated to serving the people, tirelessly searching the streets under the hot sun. Since Shen Yunxuan had found the children, she naturally felt obligated to take them back. Walking up to the two kids, she said, “Come with me to the police station. Your grandmother reported you missing and is worried sick, afraid you might run into trouble. Don’t make your family worry.”

The two kids looked at her warily, deliberately raising their voices. “If we go back, our stepmother won’t let us off! We know who you are—you’re that wicked woman’s sister.”

“I’ve already cut ties with that family,” Shen Yunxuan said calmly, turning to walk away. “Follow me. With so many people in your family, they can surely protect you.”

“You don’t understand! That woman was bleeding! The baby’s gone! Boohoo!”

Shen Yunxuan froze mid-step, turning back in shock. “Was it your doing?”

“It wasn’t on purpose! She was fighting with Grandma! It’s her fault! We were just trying to help Grandma!”

“Yeah, it’s all her fault, and your old family’s too. They used my dad’s name to show off in the village, making Grandma angry. Now they’re practically like rats crossing the street—everyone hates them. They’re all bad people!”

Shen Yunxuan felt like she’d stumbled upon some surprising revelations. So, after she left, Shen Xuewei and the Shen family were having such a rough time? Why did she feel a bit happy about that?

Suppressing her amusement, Shen Yunxuan said evenly, “The police station is the most impartial place. Nobody will hurt you there, and they’ll give you food. If you’re scared, ask the officers to contact your dad. It’s better than starving out here. Don’t forget, there were human traffickers in town recently.”

The two kids hesitated, now a bit frightened. Bowing their heads, they followed Shen Yunxuan to the police station.

In her past life, she had a strained relationship with these two kids at first. Even later, when they got along on the surface, their relationship remained distant. But Shen Yunxuan knew them well enough to understand how to make them obedient. With that, she safely delivered them to the police station.

When Captain Wang Zhijun received the news, he hurried back. His first reaction was to sternly remind Shen Yunxuan never to risk her safety like that again. Then, with a mix of concern and admiration, he added, “You’re too responsible, Comrade Shen. You even carried a knife to look for the children because of the trafficker scare. Luckily, this time it was just kids running away. It could’ve been dangerous.”

When the Xing family arrived, they scolded the children but softened upon seeing the condition they were in. They then turned their ire toward Shen Xuewei for scaring the kids into running away. Seeing that the children were still hesitant to return, they reassured them that Shen Xuewei’s baby was fine and recovering at home. Only then did the kids relax, immediately straightening up and indignantly saying, “She’s fine? And she threatened to kill us! Officer, if anything happens to us someday, it’s definitely our stepmother’s doing. You have to arrest her!”

The Xing family was mortified, hurriedly silencing the children. After learning the full story, they finally noticed Shen Yunxuan and awkwardly approached her to thank her. Meanwhile, Mother Xing couldn’t help thinking about all the praise she had heard about Shen Yunxuan’s abilities and how much money Xiao Jun was making. Looking at Shen Yunxuan, she wondered why there was such a vast difference between two sisters from the same family.

Shen Yunxuan remained composed as she faced her former in-laws. After all, in her past life, she had already put them in their place. Every grievance they had caused her had been returned tenfold, leaving them unable to complain. Now, meeting them again in this life, they were nothing more than strangers to her.

But Mother Xing couldn’t shake her suspicions about Shen Xuewei and Xiao Jun. Seizing the chance, she pulled Shen Yunxuan aside and asked, “Do you know how far things went between Shen Xuewei and Xiao Jun when they were matched for marriage?”

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