Chapter 24: The Abandoned Wife of the 1950s (24)

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: The Abandoned Wife of the 1950s (24)

Zhu Yun smiled, a little sheepish, but she had a feeling it was about to become a reality.

’Oh!’ Originally, she’d been quite fond of the idea of living in a courtyard house. But now, after hearing what Aunt Zhao said, a thrilling thought flashed through Zhu Yun’s mind: ’After I marry Chu Shenyu, we could keep living right across the hall from Wang Xianbing and Lin Jin.’

’That couple is so scared of me swindling them out of their money that they probably wish they could take a detour every time they see me. Wouldn’t that mean I could watch the main male and female leads’ daily lives every single day?’

’What’s the fun of watching it on TV? It’s much better to be there in person. I could even help fan the flames a little and make things difficult for that family, all on behalf of the original Zhu Yun.’

Aunt Zhao continued to hold her hand, smiling as she said, "Xiao Zhu, you don’t have any family here, so I won’t beat around the bush. What do you think of Chu Shenyu?"

Zhu Yun glanced over at Chu Shenyu. The man sat ramrod straight, eating as if he were completing a mission—serious and meticulous, his brow slightly furrowed. If she didn’t know how much he adored her cooking, she would have thought the food tasted bad.

’He must be savoring it,’ she figured.

"Mr. Chu is great. He’s educated, capable, and handsome. More importantly, he’s a good person," Zhu Yun said with a sincere, light laugh.

’Just as I thought. The male lead belongs to the female lead, but the supporting male lead belongs to the audience. And since the audience has diverse tastes, the supporting male lead is always built to premium specs!’

"So, does that mean you’re also willing to become revolutionary comrades with Shen Yu and brave the storms of life together?"

Aunt Zhao’s words were tactful, but her smile was anything but ambiguous.

Zhu Yun didn’t hem and haw. She nodded forthrightly. "I agree. I’m not getting any younger, and I have to find someone to rely on eventually. Mr. Chu is a cut above the rest. Of course I’d agree to strive alongside him."

The rest of the conversation went even more smoothly.

Mr. Chu’s family situation was just as he had described. They were from the Capital City, both his parents worked, and his older sister and younger brother were already married. The entire family’s attention was focused on his marriage.

"Shen Yu’s intention is to provide the highest standard of betrothal gifts. The cash gift will be one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine yuan, plus a bicycle, a watch, a tape recorder, and a sewing machine."

"There isn’t much in the subsidized apartment he was allocated, so he’s been arranging to have a full set of furniture made. If you have any requests, just let us know. We should discuss everything between both sides."

Zhu Yun nodded. "That’s already wonderful."

The gossip was that Zhu Yun had a terrible temper. People said she’d used her hard work caring for the family elders as leverage to bully the couple, Lin Jin and Wang Xianbing. Not only did she make them buy her a courtyard house, but she also took a good deal of money and ration coupons from them, calling it compensation for her years of sacrifice.

Everyone in the family compound had heard these rumors. They thought of Zhu Yun as a country girl who would argue just for the sake of arguing, so it was only natural for her to make exorbitant demands.

Before Aunt Zhao arrived, she too had been a little nervous, afraid that Zhu Yun would make harsh demands.

But seeing her now, she thought this Zhu Yun was a good kid. She was pretty, and her words and actions weren’t crude at all. When she smiled, she was like a small animal, endearingly cute. There was no way to reconcile the person in front of her with the gaudy, ferocious "she-tiger" from the rumors.

"Then I’ll go tell Shen Yu, and we can pick an auspicious date for the engagement and wedding?"

Once again, Zhu Yun nodded in agreement.

As soon as he got her consent, Chu Shenyu immediately called his family.

Mr. Chu was the principal of the long-established No. 1 High School in the Capital City. His students were everywhere; many who graduated from his school went on to top universities across the country and became pillars of the nation.

Mrs. Chu was the school’s dean of discipline, secretly nicknamed the "Wolf Grandmother" by the students. She was actually quite attractive, with a slim, well-proportioned figure, but to keep the students in line, she always wore black-framed glasses and dressed in a staid, severe style.

Teachers at other schools had it easy. As long as they maintained the quality of their lessons and finished their assigned tasks, they didn’t have to clock in and out. They often arrived late or left early for personal reasons. Even in the office, when they didn’t have class, they would find ways to pass the time—knitting sweaters, cracking melon seeds, sewing shoe soles...

But at No. 1 High School, that wasn’t allowed. Mrs. Chu would patrol the grounds all day with one or two other staff members. If she caught anyone slacking, the punishment ranged from docked bonuses and written self-criticisms for minor offenses to official demerits, job reassignments, or even dismissal for serious ones.

To their faces, everyone respected and admired the couple, but behind their backs, people felt they were abusing their minor authority. Who couldn’t be a principal and a dean of discipline? Wasn’t it just one holding endless meetings and the other relentlessly finding fault with people?

But no one dared to voice their anger, so they could only resort to a few sarcastic remarks.

"Director Chu, you should take a break. A person can’t be wound so tight every day. You did your inspection today, so they’ll surely be on their best behavior for the next day or two. If you wait a couple of days to check again, wouldn’t it be more effective?"

"That’s right, Director Chu. You can’t just throw yourself into your work all the time. Your second son is almost thirty, isn’t he? Still hasn’t found a wife? In my opinion, you should ’marry daughters up and marry sons down.’ Don’t be so demanding of the woman. As long as she’s decent, that’s what matters. Otherwise, all the good girls will be snatched up."

"Director Chu, what about my niece I mentioned last time? She may be average-looking and only has a middle school education, but she’s a clerk at the supply and marketing co-op outside the school. That’s a good job, and her family is well-off..."

Mrs. Chu had just stepped into the office for a sip of tea when several other teachers started chattering away.

She gave a faint smile. "I don’t have much else to do, so I just walk around for exercise. The students lack self-control. Isn’t it our job as teachers to supervise them constantly?"

"Shen Yu has been independent since he was a child. His father and I can’t control him, so we just let him be. Besides, he’s the one getting married, not us."

"Mr. Liu, your niece sounds nice, but my son is too busy with work. He hasn’t even been home since the New Year."

"Then when your second son comes back, we’ll have them meet. They were even middle school classmates! My niece said she really admires a smart and capable man like him." Mr. Liu chuckled, completely missing the polite refusal in Mrs. Chu’s words and brazenly trying to set the arrangement in stone.

Mrs. Chu pressed her lips together tightly. ’This unpleasantness in the office,’ she thought, ’is all because everyone has too much time on their hands and feels the need to one-up each other.’

’If they were competing based on actual talent and knowledge, that would be one thing. But all this jealousy and inability to stand seeing others do well is just plain irksome.’

Before she could say anything, the phone on her desk rang.

She walked over and picked it up. Her voice was cool and formal as she spoke in a measured tone, "Hello, Capital City No. 1 High School office. This is Jiang Yunxuan speaking."

"Mom, it’s me, Chu Shenyu," the man on the other end of the line said, his voice tinged with a smile.

The gossips in the office perked up, their eyes meeting as they strained to hear the voice coming from the receiver.

"Shen Yu, is something wrong?" Mrs. Chu’s expression softened, and she asked with a light laugh. Noticing Mr. Liu craning his neck to listen, she added, "Since you’re too busy at work to come home, I’ll just come see you this weekend."

"I can bring you anything you’re craving."

"Mom, I was actually about to ask you and Dad to come for a visit. I’m getting engaged to Chef Zhu this weekend."

A bombshell dropped, sending the entire office into an uproar.