Help others? It's better to help yourself - Chapter 47

Leaving Xu Jianshe behind and departing from Cao Village, Xu Jing’an felt as though she had just undergone a mental spa, a feeling of relaxation and comfort that radiated from within.

Shen He, seeing his wife, whose face was full of “I’m so happy,” couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Having been together for so long, he could say that he understood his wife fairly well.

Shen He had been 26 years old when he got married. In relationships between men and women, wasn’t it just a matter of that? What was there that he didn’t understand?

Moreover, he was good-looking, came from a good family, and worked in law enforcement. Many young women had shown interest in him. Since his middle school days, he had received notes and food from girls.

There were even beautiful girls who pretended to run into him, employing “indirect methods” — trying to win over his mother first, and some even planned to use the “slowly developing feelings” tactic to win him over. He hadn’t taken any of them seriously.

The reason was simple: First, he was young at the time and hadn’t thought about marriage; second, none of the girls made his heart race or left a lasting impression on him.

Besides, he had an older “bachelor” brother, so even though many of his peers had married and had children by the age of 26, he hadn’t felt rushed.

It wasn’t until the day he met Xu Jing’an. When he saw her, with her wrinkled clothes, messy braids, and red eyes, his heart suddenly went into chaos!

The next time they met, he realized that the girl who had been occupying his thoughts during this time was right in front of him. Moreover, she was his matchmaker’s choice! At that moment, he only had one thought: “A thousand-mile marriage is tied by a single thread.”

After several years of marriage, Shen He clearly realized that his wife really disliked trouble and had an extreme lack of security.

So, whether it was dealing with the household chores, work at the office, or taking care of his brother-in-law’s matters, he always did his best. He wanted his little wife to be happier because she was the girl he loved!

Xu Jing’an looked at Shen He, who suddenly burst out laughing, and saw the intense heat in his eyes.

Although she didn’t understand why her husband had suddenly become so emotional, it didn’t stop Xu Jing’an from recognizing his emotional needs at that moment.

She quietly reached out and tightly grasped his hand!

…

By 4 PM, after a bumpy journey, the two finally arrived home.

Just as they sat down to rest for a while, they heard loud arguing, cursing, and the sound of children crying from the neighbor’s house.

“We can’t live like this!” “Wah—wah—” As soon as Shen mother heard the noise, she quickly closed the door, afraid of waking up the two sleeping children. She turned around and went outside to see what was going on.

“Are you going?” Xu Jing’an poked Shen He with her finger.

Shen He grabbed her finger mischievously: “No. I can tell from the noise it’s just the usual small everyday problems. It’s a family dispute; if I go, it’ll make a small issue into a big one. They’ll come to me when they need me.”

Although it was noisy outside, Shen father and mother were not at home, and the children were asleep.

Xu Jing’an and Shen He took the rare opportunity to enjoy some sweet time together.

Shen He casually asked, “Are you rested now?”

Xu Jing’an replied, “I’m okay, not as tired anymore.”

“Since no one is home now, let’s take the chance to exercise a bit,” Shen He said as he pulled her close, rolling on top of her, kissing her eagerly and passionately.

The warm breath in her ear and the occasional whispered murmurs were swallowed by their kisses.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

When they were both finished and got dressed, Shen mother came back, still looking unsatisfied. The children were awake by now. Xu Jing’an immediately went over to pick up her daughter to nurse her. Shen He was coaxing their son to drink water and have some snacks.

Curious about what had happened, Xu Jing’an immediately asked, “Mom, what happened outside?”

Although Shen mother had been out late, she knew exactly what had happened.

“It was just the two grandsons from Old Chen’s family fighting over an egg. Every mother loves her own son!”

“The eldest daughter-in-law and the second daughter-in-law started fighting. In the end, the two sons fought over their wives and children. Now both families want to split up!”

Looking at how energetic Shen mother looked now, Xu Jing’an couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.

Her mother-in-law could still go out and enjoy the gossip, and Xu Jing’an was grateful that Shen Yue and Shen He, the two brothers, lived far apart and didn’t share the same roof.

Otherwise, Xu Jing’an couldn’t be sure if she and Gu Panpan would also be constantly fighting every day.

Thinking back carefully, Gu Panpan’s way of handling things—she was a woman with strategy, never one to suffer losses.

Yes, it seemed like neither of them would have any regard for the other! The possibility of bickering and even fighting was high!

By that time, it wouldn’t be surprising if others were sitting around eating sunflower seeds, watching the drama unfold in the Shen family!

With this thought, Xu Jing’an quickly pulled herself back from wandering thoughts. She silently muttered: ‘Amitabha’—thank you, Holy Mary!

After hearing what Shen’s mother had said, Xu Jing’an didn’t comment further. After all, materials were scarce now, and eight out of ten families were in the same situation.

Adding to that, when the whole family lived together, there were bound to be more conflicts. It’s not that there’s a lack of people, but a lack of fairness! Friction was inevitable.

Shen mother thought for a moment and then added, “Sigh, isn’t it all caused by poverty?”

Xu Jing’an had heard many people say this. It seemed like all the family conflicts and disputes nowadays were attributed to poverty.

She didn’t have an opinion on it!

Most of the people who said this were onlookers or speaking from a superior, condescending perspective. They believed that the things others fought over were trivial, even beneath their notice.

The meaning assigned to an object changes depending on the time and circumstances it appears in.

Normally, if someone gave you a steamed bun, you would just say “thank you” at most. More likely, you’d give it away without a second thought because it didn’t seem important to you.

But if you were on the verge of starving and someone gave you a steamed bun, you would definitely be deeply grateful.

Would you easily give that bun to someone else? No, you wouldn’t! If anyone dared to reach for it, you’d probably fight to the death.

At that moment, it’s not just food, it’s your hope for survival, the capital that allows you to live.

Just like the two families in the Chen household fighting over this egg—it’s not just food they’re fighting over! They’re fighting for the family resources, the foundation for whether they can live a better life in the future.

Once things improve, people rarely fight over food anymore. But by then, they’ll be fighting over houses, land, cars, and savings.

When they have more money, the fights will be over villas, courtyard houses, luxury cars, stocks, company shares, and management rights. There will be plenty of people fighting and suing each other.

At that point, how many people will still say lightly, “It’s all because of poverty”? And how many people will even have the right to say such a thing?

Anyway, Xu Jing’an certainly couldn’t. Not in two lifetimes!