After stirring up trouble, Tong Lili left.

Zhou Yi felt increasingly wronged, turned up the TV volume, and burst into tears.

A pair of cold hands rested on her shoulders, carrying the smell of pig organs.

“Yi, I’m sorry marrying me has brought you hardship. It’s all because I’m useless! Zhou Cheng is so young and already a Deputy Regiment Commander. If I could become even a section chief, you’d have face in front of your friends.”

Yuan Han was partly acting, but mostly genuinely bitter.

He considered himself capable, but the Zhou family kept holding him down, which made him deeply resentful.

Wasn’t a man’s youth precious too?

Whatever the Zhou family thought, willing or not, he was now Zhou Yi’s husband. Without promoting him, how could Zhou Yi have a good life?

Wasn’t a wife’s status tied to her husband’s success?

Yet Zhou Wenbing kept pushing Zhou Yi to work while firmly keeping him at home to care for her.

Even Yuan Han felt pathetic about it.

Hearing about Zhou Cheng’s promotion had severely provoked him.

Someday, he would return all the humiliation and grievances to the Zhou family…

…

Since even someone like Tong Lili knew about Zhou Cheng’s small promotion, it wouldn’t make sense if Liu Fen didn’t know.

“That boy Zhou Cheng, he’s dedicated to his career. I wonder if he’s told Xiaolan about this news.”

Tang Hongen, who happened to be in Beijing, heard about Zhou Cheng’s promotion to Deputy Regiment Commander. When Liu Fen praised his success, he let out a light snort:

“It’s just a Deputy Regiment Commander.”

Old Tang thought sourly that Deputy Regiment Commander was equivalent to a deputy county-level position. Zhou Cheng was still three major ranks below him – was that success? When he was Zhou Cheng’s age, he was already Secretary to Old Song. He too had been a promising young talent, but he never heard Ah Fen praise him for it.

Straightforward Liu Fen completely missed the sourness in Old Tang’s tone.

Noticing Tang Hongen’s unusual tone, she interpreted it as a father-in-law’s natural tendency to find fault with his son-in-law.

That night, during their intimate moments, after being tossed around for half the night until her eyelids felt like lead weights, Tang Hongen remained energetic and cleared his throat:

“Speaking of which, when I was 23… Ah, Fen?”

Liu Fen was dozing off, “Go on, I’m listening. What about when you were 23?”

How could she listen when her eyelids were glued together?

Tang Hongen felt childish himself and tucked the blanket around Liu Fen:

“Nothing, just go to sleep.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his simple-minded wife demonstrated her three-second sleep technique.

Tang Hongen also fell asleep quickly.

Strangely enough, he used to be an insomniac, lying in bed at night with his mind full of work matters. After remarrying Liu Fen, whenever she slept beside him, listening to her steady breathing, Tang Hongen’s insomnia was miraculously cured without medication.

Tang Hongen woke up refreshed and had forgotten about it by the next day.

But Liu Fen remembered during breakfast:

“You suddenly mentioned being 23 yesterday, what about it? Let me think, you were Secretary to Old Song then, and he introduced you to Ji-“

“Cough! Cough cough cough!”

Tang Hongen coughed violently until his face turned red.

Liu Fen quickly patted his back, “What’s the rush? Eat slowly! Did you choke?”

Grandmother Yu sat at the table, soaking her youtiao in soy milk, waiting for it to soften before eating slowly. She was used to this middle-aged couple’s mushiness, especially Tang Hongen, who completely forgot he was a mayor and sometimes acted quite shameless.

He had to bring up what he was like at 23, and now he’d dug himself into a hole – served him right!

Tang Hongen finally managed to swallow his food and refused to let Liu Fen recall their previous conversation.

Smart men know not to discuss ex-partners in reality.

No matter how virtuous and honest the current wife is, that’s no reason for a man to deliberately upset her, especially when there was nothing worth mentioning about his time with Ji Ya. Tang Hongen hadn’t even thought about that – he just wanted to show off a bit to Liu Fen… When a mature man has a moment of childishness, he must pay a painful price. Tang Hongen had to use Zhou Cheng to change the subject:

“Ahem, you misheard last night. I wasn’t talking about myself. I agree with what you said – I shouldn’t be too harsh on Zhou Cheng. Being promoted to Deputy Regiment Commander at 23 is quite good indeed.”

See, this was the price of childishness – having to praise that brat Zhou Cheng against his will.

Liu Fen felt guilty herself. When Tang Hongen said she was too tired last night, she knew exactly why she was tired.

Maybe she had misheard.

“I’m happy about Zhou Cheng’s promotion to Deputy Regiment Commander, but I’m not worried about his career prospects at his age. I’m even happier that he’s making efforts to arrange a trip to America.”

They’d just discussed making arrangements, and now there was definite news – he would leave for America on April 15th with some inspection team.

While the inspection team was in America, Zhou Cheng could stay there the whole time.

The young couple had been apart for so long – it would be good for them to spend more time together.

Liu Fen had wanted to tell Xiaolan several times but held back. Young people like surprises, and Zhou Cheng had specifically emphasized this, so she couldn’t spoil it.

This was the only action Tang Hongen could genuinely approve of:

“The fact that he’s finding ways to create opportunities to go to America shows some sincerity. Do you think Zhou Cheng isn’t worried? Who knows, maybe when Xiaolan returns from abroad, she’ll bring back a blue-eyed, blonde new son-in-law. By then, it’ll be too late for Zhou Cheng to worry!”

Liu Fen often saw foreigners herself.

The Blue Phoenix store in Xiushui Street frequently had foreign customers.

As the owner, she had been forced to learn some daily English phrases.

Though Liu Fen was used to dealing with foreigners – they were generous shoppers but still bargained, not completely foolish about prices… Despite being used to them, she was still very resistant to the idea of Xiaolan finding a foreign man.

Would he be able to eat Chinese food?

Would he understand what the family was saying?

Weren’t foreigners too casual about marriage?

If things went wrong and Xiaolan followed him abroad never to return, where would she go to see her daughter?

Liu Fen’s face turned pale: “No, no, she and Zhou Cheng are doing fine, why would she look for a foreigner? I won’t agree! Zhou Cheng needs to hurry up and go to America!”

Look at this – someone who scared herself with her imagination.

Tang Hongen felt a bit guilty again – why did he have to bring this up?

So, was it because he, as an elder, wasn’t broad-minded enough and too picky about Zhou Cheng?

Tang Hongen wasn’t so easily swayed.

He had just wavered for a moment – he still needed to comfort Liu Fen, but his views wouldn’t easily change… If he didn’t keep a tight rein, everyone would unanimously support Zhou Cheng, and things obtained too easily wouldn’t be cherished.

“That boy should feel some crisis, make him properly anxious!”

– Too bad he couldn’t emphasize to Ah Fen that he too had been a promising young talent in his youth.