Help others? It's better to help yourself - Chapter 38

On February 4, the afternoon before New Year’s Eve, Shen He went to pick up Xu Jing’an from work. As soon as they reached the entrance, they could hear lively conversations coming from inside.

“Hurry, it must be big brother coming back!” Xu Jing’an said, patting Shen He’s back to hurry him along.

Upon hearing this, Shen He quickened his pace and walked inside. As soon as he entered, he saw a man dressed in military uniform talking to Shen’s father.

“Big brother, you’re finally back!” Shen He went over and embraced Shen Yue.

Shen Yue patted Shen He on the shoulder, looking at the much more mature Shen He with satisfaction. “It’s been a few years since we last met, and the second one has really grown up.”

“Brother, let’s have a drink later!”

“Sure!”

“Hello, big brother,” Xu Jing’an said as she stepped forward to greet him.

“This must be my sister-in-law, right? You just got off work?” Shen Yue said warmly.

“Exactly, we just got back. Brother, you sit down; I’ll go help Mom!” Shen He replied, then turned to Xu Jing’an, saying, “You’ve had a long day too; go rest in the room.”

“Go on and rest,” Shen Mother said as she came out of the kitchen, handing the baby, Zhuang Zhuang, to Shen Father. “You’re not needed here!”

Xu Jing’an returned to the room, lying on the bed, feeling that her back wasn’t as sore anymore. Listening to the conversations outside, she initially wondered why she hadn’t seen Shen Yue’s partner, but soon she dozed off.

That evening, the family gathered for a reunion dinner, and Shen Father and Shen Mother were extremely happy. The two brothers chatted excitedly, and after a few rounds of drinks, Shen Mother asked, “Didn’t you say you were bringing your partner back? Where is she?”

The whole family paused with their chopsticks, looking at Shen Yue.

Shen Yue smiled and said, “When I got off the train today, it was already 4 PM. I settled her in the guesthouse, and she’ll come over first thing tomorrow morning.” After all, they weren’t married, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to stay at the Shen family’s home.

“How old is she? What does she do? How long have you been together? What’s her family like?” Shen Mother fired off a series of questions, waiting for Shen Yue to answer.

Seeing this, Xu Jing’an realized it was a private matter for her uncle, and it wouldn’t be proper for the sister-in-law to listen in.

“Mom, I’ve finished eating, so I’m going back to rest,” Xu Jing’an said as she got up, took the child from Shen Mother’s hands, and went back to the room.

Shen Yue glanced over and couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved that his sister-in-law had left.

Of course, the second brother would eventually tell his sister-in-law, but at least it wasn’t awkward to say it face-to-face, right?

When Shen He came home that evening, Xu Jing’an noticed that his hair was still damp. She knew he was worried about smelling like alcohol and had gone to take a shower.

She turned to grab a new towel and carefully helped him dry his hair. Shen He grabbed Xu Jing’an’s hand, saying, “I’ll do it; you rest.”

“Don’t be so delicate,” Xu Jing’an replied as she finished drying his hair and hung the towel up. “Go to bed; it’s so late.”

“Okay, I will.” Shen He took off his clothes, glanced at the sleeping Zhuang Zhuang, and then held his wife in his arms. He felt a deep sense of happiness at being able to marry someone he loved!

As for Shen Yue’s partner, Shen He didn’t mention it, and Xu Jing’an didn’t ask anything either. What was there to ask? She understood more than Shen He did.

From the moment she saw Shen Yue, a book titled :The Happy Life of a Reborn Military Wife’ appeared in her space. The heroine of the book, Gu Panpan, was Shen Yue’s fiancée.

After reading it, Xu Jing’an felt sympathy for Shen Yue; he was so unfortunate in both lives!

After reading through the whole thing, it seemed that Shen Yue had never really been fond of Gu Panpan. He was simply unlucky—he went to visit his comrade’s mother in the countryside and was confronted by a girl from the same village who insisted on a marriage proposal.

With no choice, he gritted his teeth and agreed, but he had no intention of letting her join him in the military. It seemed to drag on for several years; by the time he was 35, still without children, he had to relent. But just before he could take her with him, he was injured on a mission and lost a leg, leading him to retire from the military altogether.

Gu Panpan wasn’t willing to accept this. Since they got married, she had still been living and working in the countryside while her husband only sent her five yuan a month for living expenses. After years of waiting, she finally had the chance to join him in the military, only to find out that he had retired. With her own hopes dashed and now having to care for a disabled husband, she quickly got a divorce and left to be with someone else.

During the divorce, Gu Panpan demanded money, but Shen Yue insisted that the divorce could happen without giving her a single penny. He suggested that if she didn’t want to do that, they could just make do with their marriage. Gu Panpan was furious, and before leaving, she hurled insults at her ex-husband, humiliating him.

In reality, after the heroine left, she didn’t end up living the good life she had imagined. Before she died, she saw her ex-husband on TV, now successful, and felt like she had missed out on a fortune. As a result, when she was reborn, she decided to cherish the ex-husband she had abandoned and give him a complete home. She wanted to have children with him and live a happy life together.

Seeing such a typical and cliché story happening around her, Xu Jing’an felt helpless.

Her own storyline was mentioned only twice in the book.

The first time was when the heroine went to meet Shen Yue after her rebirth.

At that time, the family quarters where Shen Yue lived were insufficient, and he couldn’t take her with him in the military. The heroine, who didn’t want to work in the countryside, thought about taking over Shen Mother’s job. However, when they met, she learned that Shen Mother had already retired. While it was possible to find someone else to buy a job, Shen Yue’s feelings were already clear, and the Shen family naturally wouldn’t help.

With no other choice, she ended up suffering in the countryside for several more years. It took her five years of constantly writing letters and sending things to express her concern, using a slow and steady approach to win over Shen Yue. Just before his next mission, Shen Yue agreed to let the heroine join him in the military.

The troops knew that Shen Yue was almost 35 and still had no children. The couple hadn’t seen each other for five years since their marriage. With his wife finally able to join him, they didn’t let him go on this mission, which happened to save his leg.

The second time was when the heroine became pregnant, and her mother-in-law, Shen Mother, came to the military district to take care of her for three years. During that time, she asked how things were at home. Shen Mother replied that there was a second daughter-in-law, so there was no need to worry.

Xu Jing’an felt that the plot had little to do with her since the two were so far apart. Similarly, she did not feel joy, only annoyance.

This in-law family was one she had carefully chosen, and she couldn’t even imagine how difficult life must be for those girls without any advantages.

How wonderful it would be to be single!