The Stunningly Beautiful and Delicate Darling in the 1980s Military Compound - Chapter 80

Chen Che’s mother, Zhou Fang, had wanted to visit for a long time. Ever since he got married, she noticed her son had changed—he rarely kept in touch with the family. Although he had always been distant, Zhou Fang had pushed him to marry hoping he would become more family-oriented. Instead, it seemed that after taking a wife, he had forgotten his own family entirely.

Of course, the primary reason for her dissatisfaction remained her disapproval of Song Mingyue. Zhou Fang had firmly opposed the marriage from the start, and the fact that Chen Che had remained so resolute only made her more resentful. However, hearing that Mingyue was pregnant had brought her a glimmer of joy. She and Chen Daoyuan only had one son, and he wasn’t close to them; if there were a grandchild, she would be content. Chen Che’s grandmother felt the same—the older generation cared deeply about continuing the family line.

Military compounds were not easily accessible to outsiders. But by chance, when Zhou Fang and her mother arrived at the gate, Yin Xiumei happened to be returning from an errand. Upon hearing they were Chen Che’s mother and grandmother, she offered to escort them inside. As they walked, Yin Xiumei observed that Zhou Fang possessed an air of elegance—no wonder she had raised such an excellent son as Captain Chen.

As they neared the house, Yin Xiumei asked, “Sister, does Mingyue know you’re coming?”

“Not yet,” Zhou Fang replied with a smile.

“She’ll be so happy when she finds out.”

Since Mingyue was brought up, Zhou Fang couldn’t help but ask, “How are Mingyue’s relationships in the compound?”

Yin Xiumei nodded. “Mingyue is a good person. She’s decisive and capable of great things—why, she’s about to open a store in the city.”

“Open a store?” Zhou Fang repeated.

“Yes! A while back, she even took someone else from the compound to Shanghai to source goods. It should be opening soon.” As they arrived at Chen Che’s door, Yin Xiumei peeked inside. “Captain Chen probably hasn’t finished his shift yet, but the door is open, so Mingyue must be home.”

Chen Che’s grandmother had been dying to ask about the baby but held back, remembering that one shouldn’t talk too much during the first three months of pregnancy.

After parting ways with Yin Xiumei, Zhou Fang and her mother walked into the courtyard. As they were talking, they looked up to see Chen Che in the yard, washing clothes. Washing clothes? Zhou Fang’s expression turned cold. What kind of successful man did manual chores like washing clothes?

Chen Che was shocked to see his mother and grandmother. “Grandmother, Mom, why are you here?”

Before Zhou Fang could speak, his grandmother’s tone turned icy. “Chen Che, what are you doing? It’s not like you don’t have a wife—how can you be doing chores like this?”

Knowing his family well, Chen Che understood that explaining would only make things worse, so he invited them inside. Song Mingyue, who was resting inside eating, heard the commotion and called out, “Who’s here?”

Zhou Fang, usually a kind-looking woman, could no longer contain her frustration. Even if she was pregnant, how could a woman without a job expect others to wait on her? Just as Zhou Fang was about to walk over to knock on Mingyue’s door, Chen Che stepped in front of her. “Mom, Yueyue is resting. Have a seat, I’ll go get her.”

Zhou Fang looked at her son, feeling as if he had become a stranger. Yet, Chen Che’s presence was so imposing that she had no choice but to compromise. Song Mingyue was pregnant; she would just have to put up with her acting spoiled.

Inside the room, Mingyue knew exactly who it was. She climbed out of bed, initially nervous, but upon hearing Zhou Fang’s sarcastic tone, she felt a strange sense of calm. It was clear they had come to cause trouble; if that was the case, no matter what she did, it would never be enough for them.

Song Mingyue changed her clothes and emerged to see Chen Che’s broad back. She walked out, touched his palm briefly, and said with a smile, “Grandmother, Mom, why didn’t you let us know you were coming? I wasn’t feeling very well, so Chen Che was home taking care of me.”

Seeing her looking rosy and healthy, Zhou Fang felt Mingyue was just using the pregnancy as an excuse to order Chen Che around. She didn’t hold back. “I heard from Manman that you’re pregnant. Your grandmother was worried, so we came to see you. You seem to be in decent shape.”

The grandmother leaned forward and patted Mingyue. “Is anything uncomfortable? What did the doctor say?”

Mingyue felt awkward; she had guessed the reason for their surprise visit early on. Just as she was debating whether or how to explain, Chen Che spoke first: “Mom, Grandmother, I don’t want this child.”

“What do you mean you don’t want it? I have a classmate who is a doctor; tomorrow, I’ll find her and get Mingyue a full checkup.”

Chen Che remained as calm as ever. “No need. It’s already gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean gone?” His grandmother was the first to get agitated. “Xiao Che, what nonsense are you spouting? How could my great-grandchild be gone?”

Compared to Zhou Fang’s scolding, his grandmother’s extreme grief hurt Chen Che more. Zhou Fang was also in disbelief. They had traveled so far just to see the baby, and she had even been debating whether to stay behind to take care of Mingyue. Being a woman of stature, Zhou Fang knew that shouting wouldn’t fix anything. She held her mother and asked Chen Che sternly, “So, you terminated this pregnancy without consulting anyone?”

“Mom, this is between Yueyue and me. I had concerns; the timing isn’t right.”

Before he could explain further, Zhou Fang delivered a sharp slap to his face. “Chen Che, I have never laid a hand on you in your life, but I won’t let you act this recklessly. I didn’t say a word when you chose to marry just anyone, but now you refuse to even have a child?”

Zhou Fang assumed it was his decision, not only because of his words just now, but because he had expressed to them more than once that he didn’t want children. That was, in fact, part of why they had rushed over.

Watching Chen Che take the slap, Song Mingyue couldn’t stand it. She was about to step forward to explain, but Chen Che gripped her hand firmly, signaling with his eyes for her not to. Song Mingyue knew that even if Zhou Fang hit Chen Che, she would eventually forgive him, but she would never forgive Mingyue. She didn’t care what Zhou Fang thought, but she didn’t want to make things difficult for Chen Che. Harmony was key; his work was hard enough, and she didn’t want to be a burden.

The atmosphere in the house plummeted. Zhou Fang, who had originally wanted to ask about the shop Yin Xiumei mentioned, lost all interest. They lived in a house with only two bedrooms, and Mingyue offered to let them stay in the master bedroom while she and Chen Che squeezed into the smaller one. Because he didn’t want to disrupt Mingyue’s recovery, it ended up with Zhou Fang and the grandmother in the master bedroom, Mingyue in the smaller bed, and Chen Che sleeping on the floor.

Zhou Fang refused to speak to Chen Che, but the grandmother couldn’t bear it—she hadn’t seen him in so long that she couldn’t stay cold for long. After all, they were still young; they could have more children.

That night, the lights were out. Song Mingyue lay on the small bed, tossing and turning. A hand reached out and gently nudged her. “Are you uncomfortable?”

Mingyue took his hand. “No. Maybe I just slept too much during the day.”

“Do you want to come up here? We can squeeze.”

“No, the bed is too small. I’m fine here.”

Mingyue asked, “Did the slap hurt today?”

“It didn’t hurt. Don’t take it to heart.”

Song Mingyue stared at the ceiling. In the dim moonlight, she could faintly see his silhouette—so heroic and upright. She hadn’t expected him to tell his parents that it was his choice. She knew he had been looking forward to the child, yet he hadn’t refuted her once. As she let her mind wander, she wondered if their future children, if they had any, would be like Chen Che—kind, ambitious, and useful to the country. That wouldn’t be so bad. She didn’t like having kids, but this would be Chen Che’s child. By the end of her thoughts, she felt she was going crazy—who was she kidding? She didn’t want kids at all.

The next morning, after Chen Che left for the institute, he didn’t go straight to his lab. Instead, he made a detour to the office where Jiang Manman worked.

Seeing him, Jiang Manman was delighted. “Brother, are you here to see me?”

“This isn’t about work. Let’s go out and talk.”

Jiang Manman happily put down her bag and followed him to a small path behind the building. “Where are we going?”

Chen Che turned around. “My grandmother and mother are here.”

Jiang Manman’s face froze, then she put on a look of forced joy. “My aunt is here? I’ll go see her after work.”

“Jiang Manman, I don’t like repeating myself. My affairs have nothing to do with you. I don’t know what the point of telling them Mingyue was pregnant was, but this is the last time. If you gossip about my life again, it won’t end as simply as this.”

After the warning, he didn’t wait for her explanation and walked away, leaving Jiang Manman stunned. The malice she had seen in his eyes just now was unmistakable. Why had he changed so much?

Zhou Fang, who hadn’t slept from anger the night before, woke up the next morning ready to play the role of the stern mother-in-law. She was thoroughly displeased with Song Mingyue—not just because of the situation, but because she truly felt Mingyue had overstepped.

When she got up, she saw her son in the kitchen cooking, while Song Mingyue had only just woken up.

Zhou Fang said coldly, “Mingyue, is Chen Che the one who makes breakfast every day? He’s so busy with his work; you need to be more considerate of him.”

Mingyue, exhausted by this endless drama, couldn’t help but retort, “His cooking is better than mine.”

Zhou Fang was even more furious. “Not knowing how to cook is no excuse. In most families, the woman handles the home. How can you rely on a man for everything?”

Song Mingyue completely disagreed with that sentiment.