Xu Ruantang would never indulge him.
She immediately got up from Chen Ji's arms and walked back to the kitchen, saying in a light tone, "Never mind, I don't really want to know anyway."
When it comes to gossip, whoever gets anxious or upset will feel uncomfortable.
It's painful to want to speak but hold back, and the feeling of keeping quiet isn't much better either.
Chen Ji is too good at getting leverage. Xu Ruantang didn't understand his tricks at first and fell for them every time, getting completely taken advantage of each time.
Over time, she also became smarter.
Chen Ji was stunned for a few seconds before he realized that his arms were suddenly empty.
His wife became smarter and wouldn't fall for his tricks, so he took the bait himself.
"Do you remember the night Lu Shishen was injured, I sent someone back with a message saying that there was something to deal with in the military?"
Chen Ji walked to Xu Ruantang's side, took the knife from her hand, and skillfully chopped vegetables.
Xu Ruantang nodded, picked up a small stool, sat down next to him, and listened attentively, becoming a serious audience member.
Her obedient appearance stirred Chen Ji's heart.
It turns out that Chen Ji wasn't busy with work that day; rather, he knew Lu Shishen was injured and led his men directly to raid that group's hideout.
The military originally had no right to interfere in such matters, but if a soldier, or even an officer, was injured, the nature of the situation changed.
Dao Ge and his men captured him easily, and Chen Ji led his men to interrogate him overnight.
After a night, even the most stubborn person will eventually vomit something.
But that group was used to being arrogant and didn't even respect the military region.
In Chen Ji's eyes, they were bait, and he didn't care how much real stuff they could spit out.
Sure enough, the big fish behind them were eager to bite, and they took the bait one after another the next day.
They seized on the fact that the military did not have the right to interrogate, trying to make Chen Jizai suffer a setback.
The rest went smoothly, thanks to Chen Lin's help.
Chen Ji described it as a simple matter, but Xu Ruantang, having spent a long time in the compound, knew that it was not so simple in practice.
Moreover, Chen Ji didn't mention any of the risks involved.
Xu Ruantang pulled up Chen Ji's sleeve and pointed to the faint red marks on his arm, saying, "Was this also done by the people behind them?"
Chen Ji said somewhat awkwardly, "It's nothing, just a minor injury."
Those people who are capable of such heinous acts are certainly not kind-hearted individuals; they engage in underhanded tactics behind the scenes, and their methods are far more ruthless than those of ordinary people.
Xu Ruantang felt both heartache and anger.
"Don't hide it from me anymore. If you get hurt, I'll bandage it for you."
Chen Ji chuckled, "Wrapped up like a rice dumpling?"
Xu Ruantang swallowed back the tears that had just welled up in her eyes.
......
A few days later, a rumor began to circulate in the courtyard—the Li family's daughter had gotten divorced!
The incident began when the women in the courtyard went out together and met the son-in-law of the Li family at a state-run restaurant.
During the Spring Festival, the Li family held a banquet in the courtyard, and most of the people in the courtyard attended.
Many people only got to know Shen Qingwen around that time.
The son-in-law of the Li family had a refined and scholarly appearance, and most importantly, he wore glasses, making him look like an intellectual.
Several women went shopping together, and when it was time to eat, they wanted to go to a state-run restaurant for a better meal. As luck would have it, they ran into the son-in-law of the Li family.
At first, they all thought they had mistaken someone for someone else, because the person sitting at the same table as the son-in-law of the Li family was a girl.
And that girl wasn't Li Shuhe.
They sat at the table behind the Li family's son-in-law and heard the entire conversation between him and the woman.
It turns out the two were on a blind date!
The son-in-law of the Li family said, "I've been married before, but I'm divorced and have no children. If you don't mind, we can continue our conversation."
The woman lowered her eyes and said shyly in a low voice, "I know, the matchmaker mentioned it when they introduced us, I don't mind."
The women's mouths were agape, wide enough to fit eggs. What had they just heard?!
The group looked at each other, and couldn't help but think of the time when the Li family girl had been staying at her parents' home.
At first, everyone assumed that she worked in the performing arts troupe and lived at her parents' home, which was close to her workplace.
Moreover, the son-in-law of the Li family would visit frequently, and the two seemed to get along well, not at all like they were arguing.
The women held their breath and listened intently as the two continued.
The woman remained meek and submissive, but her words were anything but soft: "My mom said I absolutely must have the four essential items."
Shen Qingwen adjusted his glasses. "I know about the 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a specific type of revolving door, watch, and radio).
To everyone's surprise, the woman burst out laughing. "The matchmaker said you work at a research institute?"
Shen Qingwen nodded, not understanding.
"Then why are you still so old-fashioned? The 'three turns and one sound' are no longer popular. Go ask around outside. The four major items now are refrigerators, televisions, watches, and washing machines."
The woman finished speaking in one breath, then lowered her head shyly.
Shen Qingwen was truly dumbfounded. Before he could even speak, someone from the next table stood up and walked over.
The women looked over and saw that it was a thin old woman.
The old lady gritted her teeth, walked over to Shen Qingwen's table, and suddenly raised her voice, "What four essentials?! With my son's conditions, you should be secretly laughing that he's willing to go on a blind date with someone like you! Look at you, you have no shame, no shame, you might not even be able to give birth to a son, and your family is still being picky!"
The state-run restaurant was bustling with people. Overcome with anger, Shen's mother lost control of herself, and everyone turned to look at them.
The crowd was buzzing with discussion.
"Why does this old lady speak so rudely?"
"Exactly! She even came with her son on his blind date. How worried she must be? This guy is a grown man; can't he make his own decisions?"
"I just heard that her son has already been divorced once! He must have been driven away by this old lady."
Someone shouted, "Girl, run! Why go on a blind date with this kind of person? This family doesn't look like good people at all."
The woman was initially startled by Shen's mother's loud voice and stood there stunned, unable to react.
By the time she realized what was happening, a crowd had already gathered, and everyone was talking at once. The woman's face instantly turned red, and she wished she could disappear into a mouse hole.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Completely unaware that she had made a mistake, Shen's mother almost jumped up and shouted, which Shen Qingwen couldn't stop her from doing. "This little slut started talking nonsense first. With her looks, she still wants a TV and a washing machine from my son. If she has these things, what's the point of us marrying her?! She just waits to eat and drink, and she can't even give birth to a son?"
"Grandma, you're being too harsh. These days in Beijing, the four most popular wedding favors for daughters are washing machines and watches, aren't they? It's perfectly normal. Don't you ever ask around before you get your son a wife?"
Someone immediately chimed in, "Yes, besides these things, when my nephew got married, the bride asked for 500 yuan. They just got married a while ago."
Someone looked at Chen's mother and asked, "Wasn't your son married before? Didn't he receive the four essential items (property, accessories, and diapers) back then?"
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