Chapter 431: Chapter 431
In the prefab house next door, Shen Chun heard the noise of the door opening and closing, and turned over to lie on her side with her back to the door, eyes tightly shut. Although her expression was unclear in the darkness, her tightly curled body revealed her bad mood. The clenched fist showed she was trying hard to control her emotions.
When Ye Ling woke up in the morning, she heard some noise in the room. Her sleepy eyes took a while to clear as she turned her head to look at Shen Bin, who was getting dressed. She frowned slightly—did he come back to sleep in the middle of the night, or did he just return this morning to wash up?
Shen Bin, hearing movement on the bed, turned his head. His face was cold and hard, but his attitude was good. "You’re awake? I cooked porridge and put in two eggs. One for you and one for Chun’er. I noticed the weather on this mountain isn’t too hot. Steaming dry food at night won’t spoil by morning, so it’s convenient."
Ye Ling responded with a faint "Mm." She was thinking the same, but since they just arrived on the mountain, the company hadn’t given them much, only two pounds of white flour and no coarse flour. So, the amount of dry food they could steam wasn’t much. She planned to save it until they could go down the mountain to buy coarse flour and mix them.
"I’ve eaten. I’m heading to the company first. I’ll be out for a few days to check the geology, so the house is in your hands," Shen Bin said seriously as though assigning an important task.
Since he put it that way, Ye Ling wouldn’t be petty and give him the cold shoulder. She nodded, "Don’t worry. This is the mountains. Nothing much will happen at home."
Unless your sister causes some trouble.
This last thought, Ye Ling only said in her heart. She didn’t dare voice it.
"Chun’er goes to logistics during the day and comes back at night. Look after her," Shen Bin dared not say much, fearing his wife might misunderstand again.
Seeing his wife’s acknowledgment, he left.
Ye Ling got up, tidied the room, and washed up, pondering over what had transpired the day before and this morning. She felt that everything needing to be said had been said. Although Shen Bin’s attitude wasn’t too clear, it was evident that he was being mindful. All she needed to do was wait and see. Besides, she just didn’t like Shen Chun’s way of jumping at everything, especially matters related to Shen Bin. Thinking back to when they were in the village, Shen Bin and Shen Chun grew up together, with Shen Chun accustomed to caring for Shen Bin. It was just hard for her to accept all at once.
From another perspective, having someone help isn’t a bad thing, and she could be more relaxed.
Having thought this through, Ye Ling decided to disregard everything Shen Chun did from now on. With this mindset, she found herself not disliking Shen Chun so much and could even treat her calmly. After eating and tidying up, they each went their separate ways.
As Shen Chun walked to the vegetable garden, she pondered Ye Ling’s attitude. Last night had been full of anger directed at her, but today it was as if nothing had happened, making it hard to understand what was on her mind. This unsettled her even more.
Throughout the day in logistics, Shen Chun silently followed along in work, doing whatever tasks were pointed out to her. When others talked to her, she just smiled, and when pressed, she would merely respond with simple "ums" and "ahs." Eventually, people saw she wasn’t talkative by nature and stopped trying to converse with her.
Ye Ling didn’t go home for lunch at the unit, opting to eat in the cafeteria. The only concern was Shen Chun. During lunch break, she walked to the logistics area, found Shen Chun wasn’t there, and learned she had gone home. So Ye Ling headed back to the house, and from a distance, she saw Shen Chun talking with a woman. Since Shen Chun had her back turned, she didn’t see Ye Ling approach, but the woman facing Shen Chun did. However, she didn’t greet Ye Ling as she was listening to Shen Chun talk.
"You’re saying you know my brother? Are you colleagues? How long have you known each other?" Ye Ling heard Shen Chun asking as she drew closer, frowning slightly.
Shen Chun looked like a parent from this angle.
If Shen Chun were clueless or tactless, these questions might be acceptable. But normally, she was knowledgeable and cautious in handling matters. Even when invited for lunch by the logistics team, she didn’t stay, showing she was careful and understood social nuances. Yet here she was questioning her brother’s friend from the standpoint of a sister, a behavior Ye Ling didn’t appreciate.
The other party evidently had no intention of answering Shen Chun. Seeing Ye Ling, she smiled and greeted her, "Ye Ling, long time no see."
Ye Ling smiled back, "Gao Tian, how did you end up here?"
Ye Ling knew Gao Tian had gotten into university, being the only girl from the neighborhood who joined Jiang Yan and others in getting accepted. While in the district, Ye Ling had never had any major conflicts with Gao Tian, and meeting here naturally felt close.
Shen Chun’s face turned pale, "Sister-in-law, you know her? Just now..."
"I got transferred here for work. I heard you and Shen Bin were around, so I decided to drop by and happened to meet Shen Bin’s sister." Gao Tian explained directly, picking up where Shen Chun left off.
Ye Ling nodded, smiled, and said, "Come in."
Handing her lunch box to Shen Chun, she added, "Chun’er, go have your meal. This is Gao Tian, we lived in the same district."
Blushing, Shen Chun took the lunch box, "Sister-in-law, then I’ll go eat."
Gao Tian and Ye Ling stood watching as Shen Chun took the lunch box inside. Only then did Gao Tian smile and say, "Shen Bin’s sister is quite vigilant, so nervous."
"She’s just timid," Ye Ling found a reason to brush off Gao Tian’s observation of the peculiarity.
Gao Tian nodded and followed Ye Ling into the house, "Indeed timid, secretly observing everyone. But it’s understandable, growing up in the countryside does that."
Ye Ling knew Gao Tian didn’t look down on rural people, only stating the truth, and naturally, she didn’t take it to heart. But within earshot, Shen Chun felt it piercingly, holding onto her lunch box without eating a bite. Later, she overheard the two discussing what they’d been doing over the years, normal topics, until it was time for them to head back to the camp.
Before leaving, Ye Ling called out to Shen Chun, "Chun’er, from tomorrow on, have lunch at logistics. It’s provided, no problem." Latest content published on novel⟡fire.net
From inside, Shen Chun, still clutching her untouched lunch box, responded. Hearing this, Ye Ling caught up with Gao Tian, and the two headed toward the camp.
In the evening, Ye Ling was the first to return. After searching around the house for a lunch box and not finding it, she went to Shen Chun’s room next door. Seeing an empty but unwashed lunch box on the table, she didn’t think much of it. But as she turned with the lunch box, she noticed something unusual in the room.