The next day, they found that Yang Maolin had already cleaned the yard and bought a bunch of breakfast. They wondered if he hadn't left all night or if he had gone and come back. Liangliang and Zhuangzhuang wanted to eat, but Chen's mother stopped them: "Don't eat his food. Grandma will make you breakfast in a little while."
The two children looked at the adult with some confusion. Isn't this their uncle? Why can't they eat the things he bought?
Zhao Mingyue took Liangliang and Zhuangzhuang to brush their teeth and wash their faces: "Be good, listen to Grandma."
The two children nodded, looking bewildered. Fang Zhen returned from her night shift and saw that her older sister's family had arrived early that morning. Yang Maolin was squatting alone in the yard, ignored by everyone, and she didn't know what had happened. Zhao Mingyue quietly pulled Fang Zhen aside and told her what had happened. Fang Zhen's mouth dropped open: "How could this be?"
"Sigh, I don't know what I was thinking," Zhao Mingyue sighed.
Mother Shen steamed buns and cooked porridge for everyone. As they were eating breakfast, Shen Qixue returned. It seemed Shen Xuyue had called to tell him he had taken leave and was back. Shen Qixue looked at Yang Maolin squatting in the yard, called him into an empty room, and punched him hard twice. Although he was an officer, he had never stopped training, and his fists were like copper and iron, making Yang Maolin's stomach acid reflux. Shen Qixue said, "No matter the outcome, these two punches are for my older sister and nephew. Knowing my temper, you deserve to be beaten to death. Such a happy family, and you insisted on breaking it up. No one can sympathize with you no matter what."
Yang Maolin remained silent and did not retaliate.
They came out of the house, and everyone looked at Yang Maolin and knew that he had been beaten by Shen Qixue. No one said anything, and Yang Maolin still wouldn't let them into the house.
A night later, Shen Fuyu's eyes were still red and swollen, probably because she hadn't slept all night and hadn't eaten breakfast. She sat on the sofa without saying a word, and Shen Qixue went over to comfort her a few times. She didn't say anything either.
After breakfast, the two children were sent to play at the neighbor's house, and the family began to discuss the matter. Father Shen said, "Fuyu, what do you want to do?"
Shen Fuyu wiped away her tears and remained silent. She had probably thought about it all night and the idea of divorce wasn't as strong as before.
Shen Qixue said, "If you want to divorce, then divorce. I won't object."
Shen Fuyu glanced at her younger brother but remained silent.
Shen's mother said, "Even if we don't divorce, we can't let him off so easily." Shen's mother didn't sleep well all night. After thinking it over, considering all the factors, divorce might not be the solution. These days, there are too few divorces. If someone in a family gets divorced, it's big news.
Shen Fuyu asked her son, "Jingjing, if Mom gets divorced, will you stay with Mom?"
Jingjing didn't say a word, but simply turned to her mother and nodded.
Shen Fuyu looked at Zhao Mingyue: "Mingyue, what do you think?"
Zhao Mingyue looked at her and said, "Big sister, although we are family, we are still outsiders in this matter. So you have to make the decision yourself. No matter what, you have to think it over carefully. We will support you."
Mr. Shen said, "That's true. Why don't you two separate for a while, bring Jingjing back to live with you, and think it over before you decide?"
No one objected to the idea; breaking up is easy, but separating is difficult, especially with a child involved.
Shen Qixue went out to negotiate with Yang Maolin, and by the time he returned, Yang Maolin had already left. Shen Fuyu and her son then stayed at her parents' home.
Zhao Mingyue knew that Shen Fuyu might not have completely lost feelings for Yang Maolin, and she might not really want a divorce; she was just too disappointed, too heartbroken, and her pride couldn't take it anymore. Separating for a while to cool off was the best option.
Watching the couple's situation, Zhao Mingyue felt a pang of longing for Shen Xuyue. She adjusted the factory's work schedule, implementing alternating weeks of 5 and 6 days off. On the first weekend, Liangliang was on summer vacation. Knowing that Shen Xuyue wouldn't be back until next week, Zhao Mingyue prepared to take her son to see him. She set off with her son just as dawn was breaking; the weather was too hot, and leaving later would mean being scorched by the sun, so it was better to start early.
Liangliang was very excited: "Mom, are we going to see Dad?"
"Yes, let's give Dad a surprise, okay?" Zhao Mingyue dressed herself up beautifully, wearing light makeup, a pretty dress, and sunglasses pushed up on her head. Because she was going to drive, she had taken off her high heels and put them in the back seat, wearing a pair of flat cloth shoes instead. Liangliang also had a pair of small sunglasses on his nose; the mother and son both looked incredibly cool.
"What is a surprise?" Liangliang sat in the back seat of the car, strapped in by the seatbelt, his little head turning around to look at the scenery along the roadside.
Zhao Mingyue said, "The surprise is that Dad doesn't know we're going. When he sees us, he'll be very surprised and happy. That's what a surprise is."
Liangliang said, "Yay, I love surprises."
It was Zhao Mingyue's first time going to Shen Xuyue's place, and she wasn't very familiar with the roads. Fortunately, the roads weren't complicated these days, and she could quickly find the right place by following the signs. Even if she couldn't find it, she could stop and ask for directions; people were still quite kind-hearted these days. The car left Beijing and headed south. Liangliang kept craning his neck to look at the scenery outside the window, asking questions non-stop. With this little megaphone, Zhao Mingyue naturally wouldn't feel sleepy.
The mother and son stopped for breakfast in a small town by the roadside around 8:00 AM before continuing their journey. They finally arrived at their destination around 10:00 AM, when the weather began to get hot.
Zhao Mingyue drove directly to the municipal government. It was Saturday, and government offices were still open in the morning; they probably hadn't closed by 10 a.m.
Zhao Mingyue parked the car in front of the municipal government building, changed her shoes, and got out of the car with her son. At the gate, the security guard stopped them: "Who are you looking for?"
Zhao Mingyue took off her sunglasses and said with a smile, "Comrade, hello, I'd like to see Vice Mayor Shen."
The security guard, hearing her accent, sized her up and down: "What is your relationship with Mayor Shen?"
“He’s my dad.” Liangliang said coolly, wearing sunglasses.
Zhao Mingyue said, "He should still be at work. Why don't you tell me where Mayor Shen's dormitory is? I'll go to his dormitory and wait for him."
Hearing Liangliang's words, the security guard immediately understood that the mayor's wife had come from Beijing to visit. He quickly said, "No need, please go in. Mayor Shen's office is on the third floor. There's a sign on the door; it's easy to find."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and nodded, "Thank you so much. Would you like to see my work ID?"
"No need, no need, you can just register." The security guard quickly waved his hand.
Zhao Mingyue registered the information, then took Liangliang's hand and walked into the courtyard. Liangliang skipped and hopped all the way, because he would soon see his father: "Mom, it's so hot. The sun is bigger here than in Beijing."
Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "No, you don't get enough sun. Get more sun, that's good for your health." Boys should be a little rough around the edges, otherwise they'll be just like girls. Zhao Mingyue hoped her son would be a hardworking and resilient man.
These days, the municipal government compound isn't very big. A few official vehicles are parked in the yard, and the office building is just a three-story tile-roofed house. Zhao Mingyue led Liangliang inside, encountering many people along the way who curiously sized up the mother and son wearing sunglasses.
Upon reaching the third floor, Zhao Mingyue took off her sunglasses and looked around at the top of the stairs to see where the deputy mayor's office was. To her dismay, there were deputy mayor offices on both sides. Zhao Mingyue asked her son, "Do you think Dad will be over there?"
Liangliang glanced around and pointed to the left: "This way."
Zhao Mingyue glanced at it and said, "Okay, let's go take a look." She then took her son's hand and headed over. Just then, a middle-aged man in his fifties came out of an office and called out to them, "Comrades, what are you doing here? Who are you looking for?"
Zhao Mingyue said with a smile, "We're looking for Comrade Shen Xuyue."
The other person blinked, their tone softening considerably: "From Beijing?"
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Yes."
The other person quickly extended their hand: "Hello, hello, I am the mayor of XX City, my surname is Liao. You must be Comrade Xu Yue's wife, right?"
Zhao Mingyue quickly extended her hand to shake hands: "Hello, Mayor Liao. Yes, it's me, my name is Zhao Mingyue, this is my son Liangliang. Liangliang, please say hello to Uncle Mayor. Is Xuyue here?"
Liangliang greeted him sweetly, "Hello, Mayor."
"Hey, good boy. Xu Yue is here." After saying that, he shouted loudly, "Comrade Shen Xu Yue, come out and greet the guests."
Upon hearing this hearty statement, Zhao Mingyue couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Less than a minute later, Shen Xuyue's head popped out from the deputy mayor's office on the left: "Who should answer..." Then the words caught in his throat, "Ming, Mingyue, Liangliang, what brings you here?"
Liangliang let go of Zhao Mingyue's hand and ran over: "Dad!"
Shen Xuyue picked up his son and said, "My good son, I missed you so much. Give me a kiss." He kissed Liangliang's little face and then turned to look at Zhao Mingyue with a silly grin.
Mayor Liao said, "You should go home now and take your wife and children to rest."
Zhao Mingyue waved her hand and said, "No need, we can just wait for him to get off work in his office. There's no rush, it'll be soon anyway."
Several offices in the next room had already heard Mayor Liao's roar, and everyone peeked out to see what was going on. They were all intrigued to find it was Shen Xuyue's wife and children. Shen Xuyue introduced Zhao Mingyue to her colleagues one by one, and everyone looked at her with amazement. They realized Shen Xuyue's wife was so beautiful; no wonder he never chimed in when people talked about the most beautiful woman in their workplace—she was simply unmatched.
After exchanging greetings, Shen Xuyue led his wife and son back to his office. Still reeling from the surprise, Shen Xuyue exclaimed, "I never dreamed you'd come! Why did you bring our son? Don't you have to work?"
“My son misses you. He asks you every day when you’re coming home. I’ve arranged for the factory to have a 5-day work week with alternating days off and weekends off. This week is a two-day weekend, so I brought Liangliang to see you. I didn’t know where you lived, so I came directly to your workplace,” Zhao Mingyue said with a smile.
Shen Xuyue looked at his wife, his eyes filled with tenderness. He knew that not only his son missed him, but his wife missed him too: "Didn't I say I would go back next week? You still came all this way. You must be exhausted after driving for so long." Shen Xuyue quickly poured them some water.
Zhao Mingyue said, "Even if you go back, you won't see him more than once a month. Your son is almost forgetting about you."
Liangliang held the enamel mug, gulped down more than half a cup of cold boiled water, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, took a breath and said, "I won't forget Dad." Then he jumped off the chair and began to look around his father's office.
"My son is so good." Shen Xuyue went to pour water for Zhao Mingyue again.
Zhao Mingyue said, "I can do it myself, you go ahead with your work."
"I've finished all my work for this week. Let me pour you some water. You can sit down and rest." Shen Xuyue took the water glass and continued pouring water from the kettle.
Zhao Mingyue said, "Your work environment here is quite nice, and your colleagues seem to be easy to get along with."
Shen Xuyue smiled and nodded: "Yes, everything is fine, so you don't need to worry. Is everything alright at home?" He already knew the follow-up to Shen Fuyu's matter from the phone call.
Zhao Mingyue said, "It's still the same. Yang Maolin comes over every day to cook and clean the house, and to take Jingjing to school, just like when we first came to Beijing. My older sister hasn't said anything about making up or getting a divorce; we're at a stalemate."
Shen Xuyue sighed: "If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place."
"Who can argue with that?"
As the couple chatted, Shen Xuyue's colleagues kept coming over to ask him questions or borrow things. Zhao Mingyue realized they were just pretending to ask, but actually there to see her, because their eyes kept glancing in her direction while they were talking. Zhao Mingyue thought to herself, "See? See? Let those ill-intentioned people know their place. Nobody can pull any tricks on Shen Xuyue and drag him down with them."
At noon, it was time to leave work. Shen Xuyue held his son's hand with one hand and helped his wife carry her handbag with the other, leading them back to the dormitory. Shen Xuyue drove Zhao Mingyue's car back to the dormitory compound. Although he lived alone, the dormitory arranged by the company was still a regular welfare apartment, a small two-bedroom apartment. Shen Xuyue usually just slept here, and ate all his meals in the staff canteen. The kitchen was basically never used.
Now that his wife and kids are here, they still have to eat out. Zhao Mingyue said she wanted to experience Shen Xuyue's daily life, so she went with him to the cafeteria for lunch. The cafeteria food was pretty good, with two meat dishes and one vegetable dish. The family of three each had an enamel basin and sat at a small table in the cafeteria to eat. It was Liangliang's first time eating in a cafeteria, and he was very excited and curious, shoveling rice into his mouth with gusto.
Shen Xuyue picked out some meat from his own bowl and fed it to his son: "Liangliang, isn't the food here delicious?"
Liangliang nodded vigorously: "Delicious."
"Eat more if you like it." Shen Xuyue said to his wife with a smile, "I told you, don't worry, everything is fine here, except for being a little lonely."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Then I'll make more trips in the future and bring Liangliang to see you."
Shen Xuyue certainly wanted to see his wife and children more often, but he didn't want her to work so hard: "How about I go back? I'll work a little harder and leave after work this afternoon. I'll be home in the evening, stay overnight, and then come back. It's not safe for you to drive with the children."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Don't worry about that. You go home once a month, and I come to see you once a month, so we can see each other twice a month. Once Liangliang starts school, I'll occasionally ask him for half a day off to come over, but not often. I won't come in the winter; it's not safe to drive. You shouldn't go back so often either; safety comes first."
Thinking of his wife's good intentions, Shen Xuyue nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you. Just let me know before you come, don't come so abruptly like today."
Zhao Mingyue teased him, "I'm going to launch a surprise attack so I can find out if you've been doing something behind my back."
Shen Xuyue glared at his wife and said, "What are you thinking? I'm worried about what will happen if I go out to work down below and you don't run into anyone?"
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "I know. I called you yesterday before I came to make sure you were in the city before I came."
"Okay, let me know so I can make arrangements."
"There's nothing much to arrange. Just give me a key to your dorm room and get me an access pass. That way, when I come here, I can go straight to your dorm instead of going to the office, which would be inappropriate."
Shen Xuyue said, "You knew it would have a bad influence, so why did you swagger into my office?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "My son and I went there to make you proud. Don't you feel especially honored?"
Shen Xuyue smiled and lowered his head; today had indeed greatly satisfied his vanity.
The family of three was enjoying their meal together when someone came over to greet them: "Mayor Shen, have you started eating yet?"
Zhao Mingyue recognized the voice as a woman's. Turning her head, she saw a woman in her early thirties, quite dignified and attractive, carrying an enamel bowl, apparently there to get her food.
Shen Xuyue turned his head: "Director Ma, you're just getting here for dinner? This is my wife, and this is my son. They came from Beijing to visit me today. Mingyue, this is Director Ma from the office. Liangliang, call her Auntie."
Liangliang looked up from his bowl, said, "Hello, Auntie," and then lowered his head to eat again.
Zhao Mingyue extended her hand to greet the other person: "Hello, Director Ma."
The other person reached out and shook Zhao Mingyue's hand: "Hello. I'm going to get the food. You two take your time eating."
Zhao Mingyue looked at Shen Xuyue: "You're quite popular, aren't you? Everyone comes over to say hello when they see you."
Shen Xuyue laughed and said, "Isn't it because you're so popular that everyone comes to visit you?"
Zhao Mingyue raised an eyebrow: "Really?"
"Of course."
After dinner, Shen Xuyue washed a few bowls, and the family of three strolled slowly along the shady side of the yard. Zhao Mingyue looked around at the surroundings, while Liangliang wagged its tail happily like a puppy, looking here and there with great interest.
"Go back and take a nap later. Around four or five o'clock, I'll take you for a stroll around the city so you can see the city where I work," Shen Xuyue said.
Zhao Mingyue didn't care where they went, as long as the family stayed together.
The family of three had a wonderful weekend. When Liangliang left, he was still reluctant to leave: "Dad, I want to come see the monkeys again next time." They had seen monkey shows on the street while they were out, and Liangliang was particularly interested in the monkeys that could bow and salute, squatting there watching for over an hour. Zhao Mingyue knew the monkeys were pitiful, but the monkey performers also had a hard life, so she had no choice but to stay and watch with her son for a long time.
Shen Xuyue said, "Okay, go back and be a good girl and listen to your mother and grandma. Next time, your mother will take you to see the monkeys again."
Liangliang then left, satisfied.
For the couple, this kind of brief separation brings a sense of joy, which is the best way to keep their relationship fresh. Zhao Mingyue doesn't distrust Shen Xuyue; trust is the greatest guarantee of a happy marriage. However, nothing is a given; it requires careful management to ensure a long and lasting marriage and a deep and enduring love.
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