A Beauty in the 80s Goes on a Blind Date with Her Child, Captivating the Military Compound - Chapter 67

“Why did you come back alone? Where’s Chengfeng?” Xu Hongying held the bowls and chopsticks, finding Shen Sisi a bit strange. Her face was as red as a overripe apple. She couldn’t tell if Sisi was hot or if it was the cold air.

Shen Sisi hurriedly rushed into the kitchen to carry out the dishes, the scent of his body still lingering in her nostrils.

Just as the food was laid out on the table, Gu Chengfeng pushed the door open and entered. He was already fully dressed, though the top button of his collar was undone, revealing a good portion of his neck.

“You’re here. Hurry, wash your hands and eat.”

Gu Chengfeng looked at the iron basin nearby. The water had just been used by Shen Sisi to wash her hands. Just as she was about to change it for a fresh basin, he reached in without any hesitation.

“It’s dirty… let me change it!”

Gu Chengfeng gave a low grunt. “It’s not dirty. Don’t waste it.”

After washing his hands with soap and drying them, he took the initiative to pick up the empty bowls and start serving the rice. He handed Niuniu’s small bowl over first. “Let’s serve the child first, don’t let Niuniu go hungry.”

Shen Sisi didn’t even dare look him in the eye. She quickly took the bowl. “Thank you.”

Then, Gu Chengfeng looked at the palm-sized bowl in his hand, frowned slightly, and turned back into the kitchen to find a large soup bowl. Only a big bowl felt satisfying enough!

As he was about to turn around, his nose twitched; he smelled medicine in the kitchen. He had smelled Chinese herbs the last time he came home and wanted to ask Sisi about it but didn’t dare to open his mouth.

He looked at the dregs in the trash bin. Was this Niuniu’s medicine, or Sisi’s? Was Sisi sick?

As he pondered, his peripheral vision caught the two large barrels of oil. Last time, Sisi had gone specifically to find soybean oil. How did the house run out in just a few days? And why buy two massive barrels?

His fingers tightened slightly. He straightened his posture and walked out.

At the dining table, no one had touched their chopsticks except Niuniu. She was truly starving, holding a large marrow bone and gnawing on it until her face was glistening with oil. Xu Hongying sat beside her, rolling shredded pork and sweet bean sauce into flour wraps for the little girl.

“Sit down, quick.” Shen Sisi noticed the giant bowl in his hand. Gu Chengfeng can really eat… yet he wasn’t fat at all; he didn’t have an ounce of flab on him.

At the thought of “no flab,” the image of him sawing wood unbiddenly surfaced in her mind. That physique, those muscles, that lean waist… Truly impressive!

Gu Chengfeng sat down absentmindedly. After hesitating, he finally asked, “Sisi, are you feeling unwell?”

The fingers Shen Sisi was using to pick up shredded pork suddenly trembled. “Unwell? I’m fine…”

“Then that medicine…” Gu Chengfeng glanced toward the kitchen.

Shen Sisi suddenly realized—Oh, what a mess… he misunderstood. “That medicine isn’t for me, and it’s not for Niuniu. It’s herbs specifically for making medicinal oil.”

“Medicinal oil?” Gu Chengfeng’s eyes widened as if he had discovered a new world. “You know how to make medicinal oil?!”

“Yes!” Shen Sisi had intended to wait until she achieved some success before telling him, but it seemed she couldn’t hide it any longer. Since the topic was open, she simply spilled everything about her medicinal oil business and the oil mill.

Both Gu Chengfeng and Xu Hongying were stunned. They hadn’t expected that shortly after moving to the city, Shen Sisi had started a business—and a successful one at that, with an order for over a hundred bottles.

“This is what I’m thinking: rather than begging people for oil and worrying about quality and price, it’s better if I just take over that oil mill. The location is quite large, about seventy or eighty square meters. We can use machines to press cooking oil on one side and use the traditional method on the other.”

“If there are orders for medicinal oil, we prioritize those. If there aren’t, we can sell the cooking oil in bulk.”

“So, you’re building that handcart for the oil mill?” Gu Chengfeng asked.

“Yes. The elder said I have to learn the craft from him and I’m not allowed to have help—I have to be able to move the pressing rammer by myself. But he never said I couldn’t use tools!”

Shen Sisi’s eyes were wide, sparkling with a sharp light.

“Aren’t you a clever one!” Xu Hongying laughed.

“I’m certainly being a bit crafty,” Shen Sisi’s smile faded slightly, turning sentimental. “Actually, I can feel that the old man just wants to see my attitude. After all, he has deep feelings for that mill, his old craft, and his old workers.”

Gu Chengfeng’s deep eyes darkened for a moment. “I didn’t even know you were busy with all of this these past few days…” His tone was self-reproachful; he blamed himself for not paying enough attention to her.

When he accompanied her to the docks last time, he thought she was just being frugal and reluctant to use good oil, and he had brooded over it. If he had just asked back then, she wouldn’t have had to face all of this alone. Sometimes, when you care about someone too much, you become overly cautious. Gu Chengfeng hadn’t understood that before, but he felt it deeply now.

“Sisi, in the future, no matter what happens, tell me, okay?” Gu Chengfeng was silent for a while, his attractive phoenix eyes drooping slightly as he tried to hide his surging emotions.

Then, his voice turned firm. “You are not allowed to refuse me.”

Shen Sisi burst into laughter. She never intended to keep things from him; she just didn’t want him to worry. She spoke softly, “Alright!”

Gu Chengfeng saw his reflection in her clear smile. He hadn’t expected Sisi to be stronger than he imagined, though she clearly didn’t have to be so tough. “From now on, leave the heavy, dirty work to me.”

“You and your mother truly are related; you say the exact same things…” Sisi teased.

Xu Hongying was focused on feeding Niuniu. Seeing that she liked the pork wraps, her hands didn’t stop moving. “But Sisi, are you sure you want to take over that mill?” Xu Hongying looked worried.

“A young girl like you, going out and showing your face in public, even dealing with people at the docks… aren’t you afraid of what people will say?”

Xu Hongying meant well. The family didn’t lack food or clothing. Even if Gu Chengfeng’s allowance wasn’t enough, there was still the allowance from her husband, Old Gu. Their lives wouldn’t be bad. If Shen Sisi wanted to work, they could arrange a “respectable” job for her.

But Shen Sisi was determined to be an individual laborer (getihu). In this era, although the spring breeze of Reform and Opening Up was blowing everywhere, being an independent business owner was still something people pointed fingers at.

Shen Sisi had faced enough criticism already; she didn’t want those people wagging their tongues again.

However, she had already considered Xu Hongying’s concerns. Originally, for the sake of Gu Chengfeng’s reputation and career, she thought it best to keep a low profile. But the incidents where Yang Qiuxia and Zhang Xiuhong spread rumors made her realize something: even if she was kind and lived cautiously, trouble would still find her.

Living in this world, how can one avoid being talked about? Rather than hiding and living in other people’s spit, it was better to walk out boldly and do what she loved. Besides, earning money through one’s own labor wasn’t shameful!

If her business affected Gu Chengfeng’s promotion, that was easy—they could just divorce. She would never hold him back.

Shen Sisi had calculated everything in her heart. She thought that the idea of divorce would leave her indifferent, but surprisingly, her heart felt a dull, stinging ache.

What is going on?