Chapter 10: I Have Done Nothing to Betray Her Trust
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Jiang Zhixun listened clearly to the conversation on the phone. The request to transfer back to the capital city was solely his mother's idea. After three years in the far northwest, he felt it was quite good there. He planned to visit home every year from now on. As for Shen Qingqing, the choice was hers. She could choose to divorce at any time, and he would never stop her.
On the other end, his mother rambled on, subtly urging Shen Qingqing to support his career. She warned her not to cause trouble or bring him any problems... She even mentioned past events, the friendship between the Jiang and Shen families, and how Shen Qingqing was cared for by the Jiang family after joining them.
In the end, she told Shen Qingqing that although the marriage had started off poorly, achieving a good outcome would require effort. She urged her not to be stubborn, reminding her that the current difficulties were temporary and everything would be fine once they returned to the capital.
Shen Qingqing hardly had a chance to speak. Jiang Zhixun saw her standing there in a daze, barely able to hold the phone. She looked as if she had suffered a great blow, or perhaps her health had not yet fully recovered, leaving her too weak even to stand.
Without hesitation, he reached out and took the receiver. "Let her do whatever she wants. Don’t fill her head with those ideas," he said.
His mother was dry-mouthed from speaking so much, yet Shen Qingqing remained silent, and her son seemed ungrateful.
"I'm only doing this for your own good. If people in the northwest found out what happened when you two got married, wouldn't they laugh you to death?" his mother said anxiously.
Jiang Zhixun replied calmly, "We didn’t steal or rob anything. What’s there to laugh at?"
His mother was momentarily speechless.
"Anyway, you two should get along well and have a child as soon as possible. Once there’s a child, running around recklessly like before won’t be acceptable."
Jiang Zhixun glanced at Shen Qingqing. Whether it was his imagination or not, he saw a fleeting glimmer of tears in her eyes.
He said no more and hung up immediately.
“Rest at the guesthouse for a couple of days,” he said.
Shen Qingqing looked up at him, showing neither grievance nor feigned detachment—no emotion at all. Meeting her hollow gaze, Jiang Zhixun felt a sudden tightening of his heart.
His thin lips pressed tightly together, and the words to send her back to the capital inexplicably failed to come out.
At that moment, Jiang Zhixun suddenly understood why Shen Qingqing had chosen to move out of the compound to live alone. When he was not at home, all the pressure fell solely on her.
The more he thought about it, the deeper his frown grew.
The restless irritation soon became almost unbearable.
Shen Qingqing asked expressionlessly, “When will you apply to return to the capital? How long do I have to cooperate with you?”
Jiang Zhixun knew she had taken her mother’s words to heart.
His hand hanging at his side clenched and then relaxed. He did not disclose his plans.
Nor did he mention taking Shen Qingqing to the train station.
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The man’s face was impassive, returning to the cold, distant demeanor he had worn when they first met.
“I’ll go back to the capital with you at the New Year. I’ll handle the elders then.”
“Alright, then I’ll wait until the New Year.”
Just one month—she could wait that long!
Having said that, Shen Qingqing left the hospital ahead of him.
Jiang Zhixun followed behind, the distance between them too great. Though married, they felt more like strangers.
At the guesthouse, Jiang Zhixun placed the medicine in a prominent spot.
He boiled a kettle of hot water, warmed the steamed buns in the lunchbox, and also placed them where they would be easily seen.
Their relationship made it uncomfortable for them to be in the same room.
Before Shen Qingqing could say anything, Jiang Zhixun left after leaving the items.
The door closed quietly behind him.
His footsteps grew fainter and soon vanished altogether.
Shen Qingqing sat alone on the edge of the bed, staring absentmindedly at the steam rising from the cup.
After an unknown length of time, she took a small notebook from her coat pocket.
She wrote down her mother-in-law’s demands.
At the end, she wrote two words: Divorce!
Jiang Zhixun left the guesthouse but did not return to the dormitory immediately.
Instead, he made a phone call to check on what had happened to Shen Qingqing on the train.
Learning that she had been followed by a scoundrel into the restroom and had been pulled and pushed, he could not suppress the chill spreading through him.
“Comrade Shen reacted quickly and calmly, helping the attendants catch the harasser. They got off the train midway and sent the man to the police station.”
On the way back to the dormitory, Jiang Zhixun thought to himself: No wonder she cried so much when they met this time.
She was so different from the smiling Shen Qingqing he once knew.
She had truly suffered grievances.
The more he thought, the angrier he grew.
If he hadn’t noticed the injuries on her arm, would she have kept all the troubles hidden from him?
She was still running a fever but never mentioned it when they met in the cafeteria.
The more he thought, the angrier Jiang Zhixun became, and he returned to the guesthouse once more.
But as he went upstairs, he calmed down.
What could he say to Shen Qingqing?
Criticize her?
But she was the victim. If he criticized her, she would surely cry.
Standing on the stairs for several minutes, Jiang Zhixun turned and went to the front desk.
“My... wife isn’t feeling well. Could you please keep an eye on her?”
He glanced at his watch. “Knock on her door every two hours. If her fever doesn’t subside, please take her to the hospital immediately.”
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Shen Qingqing had not been there long, but the fact that she was Jiang Zhixun’s wife had already spread throughout the compound.
Several comrades had witnessed the recent incidents.
At first, they assumed the couple’s relationship was strained.
Later, Jiang Zhixun was seen rushing around at the hospital, worried she might go hungry, even buying food for her at the cafeteria.
The nervousness didn’t seem fake.
People thought the couple had reconciled, but unexpectedly, Jiang Zhixun left Shen Qingqing at the guesthouse and returned to his dormitory.
A sense of frustration filled the air.
“Old Jiang, your wife came all the way from the capital—why don’t you spend more time with her?”
“She’s living alone at the guesthouse in an unfamiliar place. Comrade Shen might be scared.”
“I heard Comrade Shen is sick. Some people saw you at the hospital. How is she doing? You’re not even by her side. Isn’t that risky?”
Jiang Zhixun sat by the table, picked up a book, and refused to answer those questions.
Someone timidly reminded him, “Old Jiang, you’re holding the book upside down...”
His mind was muddled. He really hadn’t expected to see Shen Qingqing here.
He slammed the book down in frustration and sat silently, cold air seeming to emanate from him.
“Old Jiang, did you have a fight?”
Before Jiang Zhixun could answer, someone else replied, “Comrade Shen seems to have a good temper, so probably no fight. It was likely Old Jiang who gave her the cold shoulder from the start, and Comrade Shen, not wanting to see that cold face, sent him away.”
Being teased, Jiang Zhixun said nothing.
He was irritated, unsure whether keeping Shen Qingqing here was right or wrong.
If she recovered and brought up having a child...
Just thinking about it gave Jiang Zhixun a headache.
If he changed his mind now and sent her back to the capital, would Shen Qingqing make a fuss?
Seeing his solemn, troubled expression as if facing an enormous problem, his comrades offered advice.
“Comrade Shen is sick and surely wants someone by her side. If you go care for her now, that’s a point in your favor. Once she recovers, she’ll naturally forgive you.”
Jiang Zhixun snorted, “I haven’t done anything wrong to her. Why should I ask for forgiveness?”
His comrades looked complicated. “How long has it been since you went home? If Comrade Shen hadn’t come looking for you, we wouldn’t even know you’re married. That alone hurts her. Don’t you think you owe her?”
“When Lin spoke to Comrade Shen like that in the cafeteria, you didn’t stop him. Your wife must have been deeply hurt.”
Jiang Zhixun didn’t want to discuss matters with Shen Qingqing with others.
Lin Fengmian was none of his concern.
If she had done wrong, her family would discipline her.
Counting the time silently in his heart.
Just one month.
Once he sent Shen Qingqing back to the capital, everything would be fine.