A Beauty in the 80s Goes on a Blind Date with Her Child, Captivating the Military Compound - Chapter 13

“I have to go out.”

Shen Sisi put down her chopsticks and resolutely handed Niu Niu to Zhao Shilan. “Auntie, can you please feed Niu Niu…”

Niu Niu was in the middle of chewing a piece of braised pork when she was suddenly transferred to her great-aunt’s arms.

She widened her eyes. It was the first time she had seen her mother so flustered.

Shen Sisi stood up, wrapped her red scarf around her, and headed for the door.

Chen Jianguo threw his chopsticks down in a fit of anger, nearly hitting her. “You’re not even eating lunch! Where are you going?”

She was startled, her heart pounding, but she didn’t hide her intention. “I’m going to find him.”

This seemed to touch a nerve. Chen Jianguo’s face instantly turned dark. “You’re not allowed to go! You’ve been dumped, and I’ve been fooled. Isn’t that enough of a disgrace?”

Shen Sisi listened to his hysterical shouting without backing down at all. “He wouldn’t do that. Senior Gu isn’t that kind of person.”

With that, she ignored her uncle’s expression, opened the metal gate, and slipped out. Her mind was racing, trying to recall the exact location of Gu Chengfeng’s aunt’s house.

She vaguely remembered it was in the county government residential compound, but she couldn’t recall the exact building or floor.

She was worried and her pace quickened.

Before she could get out of the compound, a strong hand grabbed her.

Chen Jianguo, his face reeking of anger, caught up and grabbed her arm. “Come back with me! Did you hear me?”

Shen Sisi used all her strength, desperately trying to pull away from his rough hand. “I’m not going back!”

Chen Jianguo’s expression became increasingly grim, but he kept his voice low. “Shen Sisi, don’t force me to do something right here…”

“Go ahead. Try it.”

She lifted her head defiantly, a fearless, almost arrogant look on her face.

He stared for a moment in disbelief, then exploded in a rage.

She had gone too far! She had gone against him!

“I will hit you! I’m your elder, and it’s my right to teach you a lesson…” He expertly raised his arm, infuriated, and swung it hard.

Shen Sisi nimbly spun around, perfectly dodging him.

Chen Jianguo lost his balance, his swing landing on nothing, and he fell flat on his face.

“Uncle, did you really think I’d just stand here and let you hit me?”

Shen Sisi patted the sleeve he had touched.

She couldn’t be bothered to argue with Chen Jianguo and was in a hurry to leave after getting rid of him.

Chen Jianguo lay on the ground, dazed and disoriented from the fall.

Seeing a few neighbors coming to watch the spectacle, he covered his chest and started to wail. “This is an outrage… A niece is beating her uncle in the street! Someone’s going to die here…”

It took Shen Sisi a moment to realize what he was doing. She was stunned for a second, then quickly understood he was faking.

With his shouting, a crowd gathered and began to scold Shen Sisi, blocking her from leaving.

“How can a junior raise a hand against an elder? Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?”

Shen Sisi was furious, but she managed to pinch her own thigh hard, which finally calmed her down. “Uncle, you say I hit you, but where did I hit you? Do you have any proof?”

Chen Jianguo was taken aback for a few seconds. Then, he got worked up like a rooster with ruffled feathers. “I’m like this! Do I need proof?”

Compared to his frantic anger, Shen Sisi was too calm.

Her eyes darted around, and tears came to them instantly. Her voice was choked with sobs. “Everyone knows how tough you are, Uncle, hitting your wife every other day. How could someone like me… I dare to touch you? And you’re telling them I knocked you to the ground? Who would believe that?”

The people who were initially indignant were now enlightened by her words.

“Yeah, who doesn’t know that Lao Chen never takes a loss? He’s the one who bullies people; no one bullies him.”

“Sisi is as thin as a sheet of paper. How could she beat a big brute like you?”

“This is an embarrassment!”

Chen Jianguo groaned miserably, glaring fiercely at Shen Sisi.

He had wanted to save face for this girl, but now he had completely lost his own!

He scrambled up from the ground in a rage, pointing at Shen Sisi and cursing. “Isn’t this all your fault? What kind of a scoundrel did you find? He promised to bring the bride price by noon, so where is he?”

“He didn’t even show his face or send a letter. He just dumped you! And you still have the audacity to go chase after him…”

“You might not have any shame, but I do! My Tingting is getting engaged soon. How is she supposed to get married now?”

The onlookers, who had been confused at first, now understood why Chen Jianguo was shamelessly faking an injury.

They looked at Shen Sisi with mixed expressions.

There was sympathy, pity, and also disdain and ridicule…

“So he ran away from the marriage…”

“They were holding hands in this compound just yesterday, and today it’s over.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I knew it. How could anyone want a second-hand woman like her? And a bride price… She’s a naive young girl, but you, Lao Chen, were dreaming, too!”

The chattering around her grew louder, and Shen Sisi’s gaze became heavy.

She had been misunderstood and ridiculed countless times over the years, and her heart had long become invulnerable.

But today, for some reason, it ached faintly.

“He wouldn’t run away. He’s a man of his word!”

Shen Sisi muttered to herself, but her words were immediately drowned out by the noise around her.

“Don’t be silly, girl. He won’t come. He probably ran and hid a long time ago.”

She would rather Gu Chengfeng had regretfully run away.

The thought that something might have happened to him, that he might be trapped by some difficulty, made her feel suffocated.

“No, I have to go see…”

Ignoring everyone’s protests, Shen Sisi was determined to push through the crowd.

“Get back here…” Chen Jianguo grabbed a handful of Shen Sisi’s hair, and just as he was about to pull, the roar of a car engine grew louder, approaching from a distance.

Honk! Honk!

The piercing sound of a car horn echoed through the compound, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

Shen Sisi took advantage of the distraction and pulled her ponytail away.

The dramatic scene was interrupted by the car.

Everyone turned their heads to stare at a silver pickup truck decorated with red flowers, which was slowly and ostentatiously driving toward them.

The vehicle was a rare sight; you could hardly find two of them in all of Lin County. People usually used flatbeds or tricycles for deliveries, and those with better means used tractors.

This was the first time a small pickup truck had ever driven into the compound.

They gathered around the truck like they had just seen something out of the ordinary, peering inside and trying to figure things out.

Whose car was this?

Soon, the driver set the handbrake and hopped out of the truck. He looked at the dense crowd of people in front of him and asked, “I’ve come from the provincial capital specifically to deliver a bride price. Which is the house of Chen Jianguo?”

From the provincial capital, and a bride price, at that.

Everyone immediately thought of Chen Jianguo’s future son-in-law, Yang Huaidong.

Even Chen Jianguo thought so and wondered why Huaidong had suddenly decided to send the bride price.

He quickly adjusted his clothes, brushed off the dirt, and walked forward, looking as pleased as a peacock. “That’s me…”

He couldn’t have looked prouder, like a peacock with its feathers fanned out, his tail feathers nearly touching the sky.

The crowd quickly gathered around him, showering him with compliments.

“Look at that! The son-in-law from the provincial capital is something else. The bride price is being delivered by a pickup truck! There must be a lot of stuff, right?”

Chen Jianguo’s smile was so wide it almost went up to his ears. “Oh, my Huaidong is so thoughtful. The big families are just different…”

“Lao Chen, you’re a lucky man! Your Tingting is so lucky…”

They all flattered Chen Jianguo and his daughter, their gazes toward Shen Sisi growing more and more pitiful.

Both were sisters, but Chen Ting was a pure young woman and a star performer at the arts troupe, so the treatment was naturally different.

Unlike Shen Sisi, who was unmarried with a burden and had been cheated and dumped by a man.

How ironic!

Shen Sisi knew exactly what they were thinking. She couldn’t be bothered by it and was about to use this opportunity to slip away when she heard the driver call her name.

“Comrade Shen Sisi, is Comrade Shen Sisi here? I need a signature.”