CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: TRUE FAMILY

He slammed the door shut with a bang, no matter how Li Hongmei knocked from outside, he ignored her.

Anger.

Disgust.

At first, a mixture of emotions swirled, making He Chen feel extremely nauseous.

He couldn’t understand why his sincerity was returned with such sickening "familial affection."

But soon, he remembered that Ye Manman was almost done with her bath, and he should go get the water ready.

At this thought, the negative emotions in his heart suddenly dissipated.

He Chen suddenly realized what it truly meant to be family.

Perhaps he and Ye Manman hadn’t really consummated their marriage, but they seemed more like true family, genuine relatives.

He worried for her and cared for her well-being in every way.

And although Ye Manman often said coquettish things, in reality, she was always concerned about him.

She would pretend to be angry to make him eat with her, bought a bicycle with all her dowry, saying she feared he’d come back late and starve, but in truth, she didn’t want him to exhaust himself by walking too much.

She would share delicious food with him, ask him to buy things but often purchase useful household items herself, and diligently help him choose clothes...

Though they hadn’t lived together for long, there were countless such moments, so many that He Chen felt his heart, parched from years of Li Hongmei’s family’s oppression, had suddenly been filled with warmth.

His wife was truly wonderful!

He Chen once again marveled in his heart, deciding not to think about Li Hongmei’s family anymore, feeling like he had shaken off a massive burden.

When a person relaxes, their actions become lighthearted involuntarily.

Ye Manman was drowsily closing her eyes, and seeing He Chen suddenly bustling with energy as if reinvigorated, planning to do laundry again, couldn’t help but ask.

"Did something happen? Why are you so happy?"

Although He Chen didn’t show it, Ye Manman could feel that he was extremely happy.

She didn’t know why she had suddenly become so attuned to his emotions without reason.

It was a mysterious thing.

"Nothing, I’m just happy, grateful for marrying you."

"I’ll go do the laundry first, you’ve had a long day, go rest early."

Holding the clothes, he went out to the yard, leaving Ye Manman in a daze.

She burst out laughing.

"What a silly man."

She really didn’t know what went through his mind every day.

Unable to figure it out and feeling too sleepy, Ye Manman soon drifted into a deep sleep.

Outside, Li Hongmei and the others, who had faced He Chen’s rejection, still couldn’t quite believe it.

Liu Tiejun stood up angrily, brushing the dust off his pants.

"Didn’t you say he would definitely agree? It’s unbelievable, cousin being so cold-hearted."

Li Hongmei also couldn’t have imagined that He Chen would really sever ties with them.

Maybe it was because Ye Manman had been making decisions for He Chen, giving her false hope that He Chen might feel differently.

But reality slapped her in the face.

He Chen was not only smarter, earning money, but he had also become just like Ye Manman, talking endlessly about money; she now had no hope at all.

Thinking she had to go back to that old, leaking house that dripped water whenever it rained, with cold stoves and no meat, Li Hongmei regretted it deeply.

If she had known, she wouldn’t have stolen that rabbit out of greed!

But regret was useless now; the look and tone of He Chen made it clear he wasn’t going to soften.

The two could only slink back home.

Liu Dongliang was still sitting at the door waiting for them, seemingly unsurprised by their disappointed return.

"I’ve lit the firewood, and the water will be ready soon, go wash up and sleep early."

Having spent half a month in custody, bullied and mocked by others, he had come to understand.

A person like He Chen was protective; previously, with nothing at stake, he let them exploit him, simply too lazy to fight them. Now he had a wife, someone in his heart, and after being bullied, naturally, he wasn’t going to be soft-hearted towards them.

After all, it wasn’t a trivial matter; it involved many issues.

If he were in He Chen’s place, he wouldn’t forgive Li Hongmei either.

Li Hongmei was in a terrible mood, but life had to go on; she could only moan, accept her fate, slap her thigh in frustration, and run to the kitchen to get water for her bath.

...

Time passed quickly.

He Chen initially thought about getting the marriage certificate soon, but after the last incident, he put that thought aside.

Even though he knew he was capable, if more people or more insidious folks got involved, with the enemy in the shadows and him out in the open, it would be too dangerous.

He didn’t dare be reckless, nor take Ye Manman’s safety lightly.

So he decided to wait until a less busy day to go with her in the morning.

However, Ye Manman loved to sleep in, at least until eight or nine o’clock.

He Chen had to go to town early every day for the Sweet and Spicy Duck business and didn’t have the heart to wake her so early, so their schedules had been off for almost half a month.

The weather gradually cooled, and Ye Manman nearly caught a cold staying home every day.

The weather was getting colder day by day, and she had no clothes to wear; she hadn’t brought much when she got married, only two new sets she had bought herself.

They were summer clothes, short sleeves.

With this weather, short sleeves wouldn’t do at all.

So when He Chen came back at noon one day, Ye Manman coquettishly said.

"He Chen, I want to buy new clothes. When can we go to town again?"

She spent every day at home reading the new books He Chen brought, stacking them high in the room, yet the college entrance exam wasn’t until summer, leaving her bored out of her mind.

Upon hearing her, He Chen suddenly conjured a set of sky-blue new clothes from behind.

"...The weather changed these days, and I was afraid you’d catch a cold, so I got you a set first."

"Wanna try them on?"

His taste seemed pretty good.

Ye Manman took a look and saw there were three pieces.

A white long-sleeve shirt, a set of blue blazer-style jacket and pants.

"Did you match these as a set? You did the pairing?"

She was a bit surprised. If the first time He Chen bought her a dress with innovative style and perfect color, this time, the combination showed even better taste.

After all, he was a big straight guy, yet he could match clothes?

Facing her questioning yet appreciative gaze, He Chen bashfully murmured "yes."

"I bought them from two different stores. I feared you’d be cold in short sleeves and too warm with just a jacket, so I got a long sleeve. Worried the long sleeve might also be cold, I bought a set of jacket and pants."

"You will definitely look beautiful in them."

He delivered another direct compliment.

Ye Manman snorted with a smile, cheerfully saying.

"But I still want to go stroll in town, and we haven’t gotten the marriage certificate yet. Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away? I have a taste for handsome men."

After speaking, she darted to the room to change, leaving He Chen standing there dazed.

He was dumbstruck, then thought about the civil affairs office hours, instantly feeling today was a perfect time to get the certificate.

Not to waste time, he quickly went to wash his face and hair.

The farm work could wait, or be done later at night; today, the important thing was to handle the proper business first.

Sky blue wasn’t an easy color to wear, especially when the entire outfit was sky blue. If a person looked a bit sallow, ugly, or chubby, the clothes would just look tacky and ugly.

However, with Ye Manman’s slender fair skin and increasingly proportionate figure, her slender, smooth legs fit the suit pants perfectly, exuding a graceful yet gentle charm.

Ye Manman came out, did a twirl, feeling somewhat dissatisfied with her shoes.

"No, the shoes don’t match well."

Before she finished, He Chen agreed with a heavy "mm."

"Then let’s head to town now, to buy shoes."