Chapter 20: Sheng Wanze Has Found a Partner
Hearing her grandson’s exhausted voice, Grandma Sheng immediately released him from her embrace and pulled him inside to sit down.
“Yes, yes, of course! Go wash up quickly. There’s hot water ready in the pot. Take a good bath, and I’ll go cook your favorite noodles.”
Without missing a beat, Grandma Sheng bustled toward the kitchen. Looking closely at her grandson’s expression, she knew he hadn’t eaten a single decent meal on the train. The heavy stubble on his jaw and the dark, pronounced circles under his eyes made her heart ache.
She had to make something rich and nourishing. She absolutely refused to let her grandson, a soldier defending the country, go hungry under her roof.
Sheng Wanze went to his old room, dropped his heavy bags, and took a quick, hot bath. Feeling slightly more human, he returned to the living room and sat down to talk with his grandparents.
“Grandma, where’s my sister?” Sheng Wanze asked between large mouthfuls of savory noodles.
He had been incredibly worried about Sheng Wanyan. The moment he received the letter from home stating that she might be sent to the countryside—and that their only backup plan was to arrange an immediate marriage—he had applied for leave and rushed back.
Knowing his sister might be forced to marry a stranger just to avoid a grueling rural assignment, how could he possibly sit still at the base?
“Your sister is at work,” Grandpa Sheng replied calmly.
Sheng Wanze paused, his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. He looked at his grandparents in confusion. Work? What job?
“Since you came back so quickly, you must have missed the second letter we sent you,” Grandpa Sheng explained. “Your sister secured a job. She’s officially a clerk in the Propaganda Department at the cotton mill.”
“How did she manage that? Did you guys buy the position?”
“Yes. When your sister got the official notice that she had to go to the countryside, the anxiety made her fall seriously ill.”
Sheng Wanze frowned deeply. His family hadn’t mentioned a word about her illness in their first letter. “How is she now? Has she recovered?”
“She’s fine now. She spent a month resting and getting her strength back. How long can you stay this time, Xiaoze?”
“Ten days.”
Hearing that it was only ten days, Grandma Sheng turned away to secretly wipe a tear from her eye. It was far too short.
“I’ll try my best to request a longer leave next time so I can spend more time with you, Grandma,” Sheng Wanze promised softly.
“You don’t need to stay here just to keep an old woman company,” Grandma Sheng replied, patting his hand. “We have enough to eat and drink here. Your duty is to serve the motherland well. Don’t waste your energy worrying about me.” She paused, a sly smile touching her lips. “If you really want to make me happy, just bring me home a granddaughter-in-law. Then I can truly live a good life.”
Sheng Wanze froze. He suddenly looked very awkward, sensing that her wish was about to be fulfilled much sooner than she anticipated.
Catching his expression, Grandma Sheng immediately knew something was up.
“Xiaoze… are you seeing someone?”
Grandpa Sheng’s head snapped up from his newspaper, his eyes wide. This was massive news for the Sheng family!
“Yes, I am,” Sheng Wanze admitted.
Grandma Sheng let out a gasp of pure joy. She immediately pulled her stool closer, firing off questions like a machine gun. “Whose daughter is she? What does she do? How long have you two been together?”
She demanded every single detail, and Sheng Wanze dutifully reported the situation.
“Grandma, she’s a comrade from our military region’s art troupe. Her name is Pan Yue, she’s twenty-one years old, and we’ve been together for about half a year.”
Smack!
Grandma Sheng slapped him hard on the shoulder. It was infuriating that he had kept such a massive development a secret while the whole family had been worrying themselves sick over his bachelor status.
“You’ve been together for half a year and you didn’t breathe a word of it in your letters?! Do you have any idea how stressed we’ve been?” she scolded furiously. If he wasn’t her own flesh and blood, she would have kicked him out of the apartment right then and there.
“So, when are you getting married?”
“Well, Grandma… her parents are actually coming here in two days.”
Hearing this, Grandma Sheng grew even angrier. He hadn’t given them any advance notice, and the family had absolutely nothing prepared! Furthermore, from the sound of it, the girl’s family was very satisfied with Sheng Wanze and was traveling here specifically to finalize the marriage arrangements.
“You really are… ugh! In these matters, it’s supposed to be the man’s family who travels to propose the marriage! You’re trying to give me a heart attack. Just wait until your mother gets home; let’s see how she deals with you!”
Sheng Wanze visibly flinched at the mention of his mother. He had simply wanted to lock the marriage down as quickly as possible.
“When exactly do they arrive?” Grandma Sheng demanded.
“In three days…”
Smack!
Grandma Sheng hit him again. Sheng Wanze rubbed his shoulder, thinking his sweet grandmother had suddenly developed a terrifying fondness for physical violence.
“You can break the news to your mother yourself. I’m not helping you,” Grandma Sheng huffed.
Sheng Wanze nodded nervously. He had found a wife; surely his mother would be thrilled… right?
Mother Sheng: “…” I want to kill this rebellious son.
When Father Sheng, Mother Sheng, and Sheng Wanyan returned home from their shifts that evening, they were met by the sight of Sheng Wanze, whom they hadn’t seen in over a year.
Mother Sheng let out a cry of joy. She rushed over, grabbing his arms and looking him up and down, checking every inch of him. Only after confirming he was completely whole and uninjured did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“You didn’t even tell us you were coming back, you brat…” she scolded, wiping away tears.
What she missed and worried about most in the world was her son stationed far away at the military base. She lived in constant, quiet fear that one day she would receive a telegram bearing devastating news.
“Dad. Mom. Little sister,” Sheng Wanze greeted them warmly.
Father Sheng stepped forward and clapped him firmly on the shoulder. With just that one solid gesture, father and son communicated volumes of unspoken pride and affection.
Sheng Wanyan stared at her brother, feeling a sudden wave of dizziness. As expected, he looked exactly like her older brother from her previous life.
“Mom, please don’t cry,” Sheng Wanze said softly, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
But looking up at her tall, grown son only made Mother Sheng cry harder.
“You haven’t written home in months! You really have no conscience,” she sobbed, continuing her barrage of complaints.
Sheng Wanze had anticipated this exact reaction. He had grown up dealing with her fiery, emotional temper, and he knew these complaints were simply her way of expressing how deeply she missed him.
After wiping her eyes, Mother Sheng hurried into the kitchen to prepare a feast. Her son only came home once a year; how could she not feed him the best food she had? She pulled out the absolute finest ingredients in the pantry, utilizing every culinary skill she possessed.
Sheng Wanyan went into the kitchen to help, leaving Sheng Wanze in the living room to catch up with his father, discussing his progress in the military over the past year.
“How many days do you have for leave this time?” Father Sheng asked.
“Ten days.”
Father Sheng sighed softly, fully understanding the strict demands of military life.
“As long as you’re safe. That’s what matters most,” Father Sheng said finally.
Sheng Wanze nodded. “Dad, is Wanyan still going on blind dates?”
“We called off the blind dates since she secured the factory job,” Father Sheng replied. “But at her age, she really should be looking for a partner. If you have any solid, reliable comrades in your unit, you should introduce them to your sister.”
Sheng Wanze easily read between the lines. “Is someone trying to target her?”
He instantly grasped the core issue. Given their family’s stable financial situation and the fact that his sister now held a highly coveted city job, there was no reason to rush her into marriage—unless there was an external threat.
“Which household in this entire building isn’t eyeing your sister’s salary and her job?” Father Sheng scoffed. “Just yesterday, Old Man Chen from upstairs cornered me at the plant to push his useless youngest son on us.”
Father Sheng gave his son a quick rundown of the neighborhood drama, and Sheng Wanze’s expression darkened with anger.
“The Chen family? They really think highly of themselves! What a calculated scheme.”
“Exactly,” Father Sheng agreed. “With your sister’s age and excellent conditions, if she doesn’t have an official partner, she will constantly be targeted by vultures. I’m not worried about people admiring her, but I am terrified someone will try to actively sabotage or trap her.”
Sheng Wanze nodded slowly, acknowledging the grim reality. If a family like the Chens successfully trapped his sister, her entire life would be ruined.
“Understood. When I get back to the base, I’ll keep a sharp eye out for a good match for her.”
Once the men finished their conversation, Mother Sheng called them to the table. It was a genuinely sumptuous feast: braised pork belly stewed with thick vermicelli, a whole braised fish, and a rich, savory tomato and egg soup.
“Mom,” Sheng Wanze said, swallowing a large mouthful of pork. “I have a comrade coming over for dinner tomorrow.” He figured it was best to give her advance notice.
“That’s wonderful! I’ll ask to leave my shift early tomorrow so I can buy some extra groceries to properly entertain him,” Mother Sheng replied instantly.
Hearing that one of her son’s military comrades was coming over, she didn’t feel a single ounce of stinginess regarding the food. When her son’s brothers-in-arms visited, she had to show them the utmost hospitality. Her son was stationed thousands of miles away, and these comrades were the ones looking out for him daily. As parents, they didn’t have the political connections to pave a smooth career path for their son, so the least they could do was ensure they were never an embarrassment or a burden to him.
“There’s… one more thing,” Sheng Wanze added cautiously.
