Shen Zhenbang, Shen Huaichuan's father, turned extremely pale upon hearing his son's question, his face darkening as if water could drip from it. He gave a cold snort and said...
"Hmph, if I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known that you, Shen Huaichuan, had grown so powerful that you even dared to use a military mission as a pretext to fool your parents!"
Anyone could hear the anger in those words.
Outside, there were delivery workers and Qin Lei and Zhu Yingying helping out, as well as the military wives who had been watching the commotion. It seemed that something was about to happen, so they all looked in this direction.
Shen Huaichuan's face tightened, but his tone remained restrained and respectful as he explained in a gentle manner:
"Dad, things aren't as you think. There are too many people watching outside. Let's move our things inside first, and I'll explain everything to you slowly once we're inside, okay?"
Shen Zhenbang's sharp gaze swept over the various sizes of packaging boxes and brand-new appliances on the ground and in the car, his dissatisfaction almost overflowing.
He let out a cold snort and left only one sentence:
"I'll be waiting for you inside."
After saying that, he didn't look at them again, turned around and went into the house, leaving the door ajar.
Zhou Qiqi and Shen Huaichuan exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.
Especially Zhou Qiqi.
She had only seen her father-in-law in photos before; this was the first time she had met him in person.
Although the old man hadn't looked at Zhou Qiqi once from beginning to end, the invisible pressure and scrutiny he exuded made her feel a slight chill down her spine.
She thought to herself that this old man had a much stronger presence than Shen Huaichuan. His eyes were like knives, making people feel intimidated at first glance.
The thought of having to get along with such an old man in the future made her feel completely insecure.
Zhou Qiqi composed herself; after all, now was not the time to overthink things.
She quickly joined Shen Huaichuan, and asked Qin Lei and Zhu Yingying for help, to move all the bags and packages of daily necessities from the doorway into the yard.
Zhou Qiqi could only apologize to the installer, saying, "Sir, I'm so sorry, something came up at home. Could you please leave the things in the yard for now? We'll contact you again tomorrow about the installation, okay?"
The deliveryman noticed the awkward atmosphere in the family and quickly nodded, "Okay, okay, no problem! Leave the things here, I'll come back tomorrow!"
After saying that, he and his companions carefully unloaded their belongings in a corner of the yard, gave some instructions, and then hurriedly left.
It was more than ten minutes later when Zhou Qiqi, Shen Huaichuan, and Qin Lei worked together to move the last batch of items into the corridor in front of the entrance.
In the living room, Shen Zhenbang sat upright in his chair, his back still straight, but his face was even more gloomy than before, so dark it looked like it could drip water.
Watching his son and daughter-in-law bustling in and out carrying in clearly valuable items, he finally couldn't hold back any longer and questioned them in a deep voice:
"Shen Huaichuan! Is this how you serve in the army? Is the allowance the army gives you for such extravagance? Don't you understand the importance of hard work and frugality?!"
Shen Huaichuan didn't immediately answer his father's question. He looked around the living room and, not seeing his mother, his heart tightened. He quickly asked:
"Dad, where's Mom? I can't find her."
He thought that no matter what, he had to let his parents meet Zhou Qiqi and formally introduce her.
We're all family; these things can be explained later.
But unexpectedly, instead of answering the question, he brought up his wife, making Shen Zhenbang's face even uglier. He slammed his fist on the table and demanded:
"How dare you mention your mother?!"
“Your mother just had surgery last month and was finally recovering! But then, your Uncle Lin called! He said that for the sake of a girl you married from the countryside, you got Lin Yao, with whom you were betrothed since childhood, arrested! She's still in the detention center, and I heard her condition is very bad!”
He continued, panting heavily:
"When your mother heard this news, she was so angry she almost fainted! Her health collapsed instantly! We originally wanted to come over immediately to find you and ask you what had bewitched you! But what did you do? You said you had a secret mission in the army and told us to wait! Your mother and I waited and waited, but we didn't get a single call from you! In the end, it was your Uncle Li who asked a question, and that's how I found out that you didn't have a mission at all!"
"You just don't want us to come! You don't want us to get involved in your affairs!"
Shen Zhenbang became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his chest heaving, and his face turning quite pale.
"Do you know how your mother has been coping this past month?! She's worried about you every day, can't eat, and can't sleep! Today she waited for you for ages and you didn't come back, and she was so upset. Just now she felt a tightness in her chest and went to the clinic!"
Upon hearing that her mother-in-law had gone to the clinic because she was upset, Zhou Qiqi immediately panicked and, forgetting her nervousness, quickly said:
"Let's not just wait here, let's go to the clinic and get checked out!"
Shen Huaichuan's expression also changed, and he immediately nodded: "Yes, Dad, we'll go there now..."
Shen Zhenbang waved his hand and refused in a curt tone:
"You don't need to worry about it! Your mother has someone to keep her company, so you don't need to pretend!"
He glanced at the already darkening sky outside the window and commanded:
"It's getting late, let's get your sleeping arrangements sorted out for tonight! Otherwise, when your mom gets back, there won't even be a place for her to rest!"
His words, ostensibly about arranging accommodations, but the words "hypocritical" and his deliberate disregard for Zhou Qiqi's existence felt like a thorn, causing her discomfort.
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