Chapter 27: Moving In With Him

September 2, 1982. Clear, cloudless skies.

When Meng Shuyue received her marriage certificate and birth permit, she was still in a daze, wondering how she had managed to marry a stranger so impulsively. Looking at the name "Shen Jin" written on the marriage certificate, she felt a sudden pang of regret for agreeing to a marriage that hadn't even been preceded by a formal introduction. At the time, all she wanted was to marry quickly to spite the three Song brothers who had tried to humiliate her in public. After all, she was not the type of person to be bullied and just sit back and take it. Consequently, she agreed to marry this man named "Shen Jin," asking only that he keep the news of her remarriage from the Song brothers for the time being.

She never expected him to be so efficient; the documents were processed in just two days. Furthermore, good news had arrived from the countryside in the south: her brother’s return to the city was finally scheduled for next June. The heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart for so long finally lifted.

Little did she know that this "Shen Jin" was actually the legendary figure of the Shen family, "Shen Jinxiao." When his birth was registered, one character had been accidentally omitted from his name, so his official records had always read "Shen Jin," a fact known to very few.

That evening, a jeep sent by the Shen residence drove Meng Shuyue to the traditional courtyard house where Old Master Shen had previously lived. As she watched the driver unload her two large trunks, her heart began to flutter with nervousness. Her mother had told her that the man she was marrying was a distant grandnephew of Old Master Shen, currently serving as a political instructor in the military. The Old Master had announced his plans to return to the countryside and had insisted that she and her new husband live in this house for a while to cultivate their relationship.

Stepping into the elegant, opulent, and antique-filled residence once more, Meng Shuyue felt strangely more nervous than before. She worried about her "bargain" husband’s temperament—would he be easy to get along with? She didn't care much for his appearance; she only hoped for a husband who would treat her with mutual respect and support her career as a doctor.

The driver placed her luggage in a spacious room illuminated by a long fluorescent bulb. In the center stood a yellow rosewood canopy bed, carved with auspicious bird-and-flower patterns—clearly a piece of immense value. She had heard that in the old days, wealthy families would provide such beds for newlyweds to encourage them to start a family early. The implication of Old Master Shen arranging for her to stay in this room was unmistakable: he hoped she and this descendant of the Shen family would conceive a child soon. But she was already pregnant—how could she conceive another?

Meng Shuyue took a thermos to the washroom to mix a bucket of warm water. After bathing thoroughly, she changed into the new dacron vest and floral-patterned trousers her mother had bought for her. She sat before the bed, her cheeks flushed, waiting for the husband she had never met. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, recalling the arduous day and night she had spent in a tree with a handsome soldier over a month ago. Her face grew even redder, burning so hot she feared she might be running a fever. She prayed to the heavens to grant her a husband who would be tender and considerate in the bedroom. As she pondered, her eyelids grew heavy, and she eventually drifted off to sleep leaning against the bedpost.

Outside the courtyard, the military jeep pulled up. Shen Jinxiao adjusted his collar and peered into the rearview mirror, checking his appearance from every angle, hesitating to get out of the car. His guard, Xiao Wu, seeing his unusually fastidious behavior, couldn't help but remark, "Regimental Commander, are you nervous about meeting your wife? Why are you so concerned about your appearance?"

Shen Jinxiao’s hand, frozen in the air as he smoothed his hair, stiffened. He felt an inexplicable strang