TIPS – Chapter 133

While they were waiting, Shen Junxi signed to him, “I hope my wife can often tell me how he’s feeling—whether he’s in a good mood or not, what he’s thinking about. If he’s angry with me, I want him to tell me right away so I’ll know what I did wrong. If there’s anything he’s dissatisfied with, he should tell me too so I can correct it in time.”

“……” Song Jingwei quietly watched his signing, nodding now and then. That was already the greatest encouragement.

“I get really scared when you have that blank face. When you’re not smiling, I think it’s because you don’t like me.” Shen Junxi gave a self-deprecating smile and quickly signed again, “Isn’t that really annoying? I think so too.” He knew he was being overly sensitive and sentimental.

“It is a bit,” Song Jingwei said with a smile and pinched his cheek affectionately.

“So please, I’m begging you, just put up with your husband a little.” Feeling reinvigorated by Song Jingwei’s affection, Shen Junxi wrapped his arms around him, playing coy.

“Don’t call yourself ‘your husband’ anymore. And please toughen up that fragile little heart of yours. I can’t be constantly catering to you,” Song Jingwei said, though there wasn’t much reproach in his tone. After all, in his eyes, he was the older one. Shen Junxi, to him, was just a young man fresh out of university and newly stepping into society.

Even though he himself hadn’t been that old when he died—only 28—he had started working in the family business as a teenager and had long been navigating various business circles. Compared to Shen Junxi, he was far more worldly.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded earnestly. He was working on it. Now that he had a child and a husband, he was the future head of the household—he couldn’t be more immature than his spouse.

But he couldn’t deny that Song Jingwei was truly strong, with a kind of overwhelming presence. Faced with such a partner, Shen Junxi inevitably felt like he was living under his protective wing. Besides, Song Jingwei didn’t actually like someone as strong as himself, which gave Shen Junxi every reason to show his vulnerability in front of him.

If Song Jingwei truly liked him, then no matter what he was like, it wouldn’t be a problem. Behind closed doors, who would know anyway? Thinking back on all this time, Song Jingwei had never once embarrassed him in public—for that, he was truly grateful.

“So you’ve been upset all day today just because of this?”

“……” Shen Junxi nodded solemnly, openly admitting it was indeed the reason.

“Life must be going too well,” Song Jingwei commented, meaning he had nothing better to do than overthink.

“……” Shen Junxi gave him a look of embarrassed frustration, but didn’t dare refute it—because he thought Song Jingwei was right. He really was overthinking it.

“But I do appreciate it when things are brought up directly,” Song Jingwei continued. “I like it when people are honest and open. Don’t scheme or hide things—just tell me everything and talk it through with me. Whatever you do, don’t act on your own without telling me first.” He looked at the young man and said, “I’m only telling you this because we’re close—I really hate people who think they’re clever.”

“……” Shen Junxi laughed softly. He was amused by that “because we’re close” part. But Song Jingwei was dead serious. Suddenly, he realized: maybe Song Jingwei’s serious expression wasn’t scary after all—it wasn’t something to fear. Because… he looked just as cute.

And Song Jingwei’s words addressed all of his worries just now, point by point. He said, “First, I don’t usually have a blank face when I look at you—because seeing you doesn’t put me in a bad mood. Unless you deliberately provoke me, which is rare. Second, of course I’m not going to tell you everything I think—that would be boring. I can’t exactly tell you every time I feel like farting, right?” Seeing the younger man start to chuckle again, he went on, “But I’ll definitely tell you the important things. Don’t worry about that. Third, my standard for ‘being in a bad mood’ isn’t just throwing a little tantrum. What counts as a real bad mood—I won’t tell you. I’ll just say, in this past year and a bit, I haven’t had a single bad mood. Fourth, if you ever do something wrong, of course I’ll correct you right away—you don’t even need to ask.”

“……” Shen Junxi couldn’t help being drawn to that “standard for a bad mood” part. After hesitating for a bit, he signed, “Why won’t you tell me?”

Of course Song Jingwei knew what he meant. He replied, “Why should ordinary things affect my mood? That’s just self-inflicted suffering.”

Shen Junxi looked at him. Ordinary things couldn’t upset him—because he had a different perspective, different priorities. But if it was something he did care about, even small things would matter—they would affect his emotions.

“You want to ask what counts as something important to me, don’t you?” Song Jingwei smiled at him, leaned forward, and kissed the corner of his mouth. Then he said, “I’ll tell you—just to make you happy.”

“……” Shen Junxi’s eyes lit up, full of anticipation.

“I like you,” Song Jingwei said. This time, he kissed his lips. “Not that over-the-top, dramatic kind of love. Not some sudden crush. Just… something that grew over time. A gift from time.”

Because their son was adorably dumb, he’d ended up staying by this young man’s side for over a year—long enough for that feeling to gradually blossom.

Shen Junxi wasn’t perfect. He had a lot of flaws. In modern society, he might’ve been the kind of guy who’d never find a wife and live alone forever. But they’d met—gone from strangers to indifference to acceptance to complete intimacy. It was a long process… but also, not that long, when you thought about it.

“When will it ever be life or death?” Shen Junxi felt a sweetness in his heart upon hearing his words, yet he still hoped that one day Song Jingwei would love him more and more.

“I don’t know. Let’s wait. Not for now,” Song Jingwei said with a smile.

“Your heart is too hard.” Shen Junxi pulled his hand and pressed it to his own chest, signing, “For me, it already is life or death. If you hadn’t come back, I would have been a dead man.” Dead from sadness, his heart would have died too. Then he would just live with Benben, like an ascetic monk.

“So, the reason I gradually accepted you is because you forced me,” Song Jingwei said—half-joking, half-serious. It was hard to tell if it was true, but he didn’t feel unwilling. After all, it was his own choice.

“…” Shen Junxi couldn’t respond and could only smile helplessly at him. The other man clearly knew he liked hearing sweet words, yet always used a slightly painful phrase to tug at his heartstrings. If Song Jingwei truly wasn’t willing, truly didn’t want to stay by his side, Shen Junxi would be devastated.

“Don’t overthink it. Just live life well,” Song Jingwei said, patting his forehead.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi rested his forehead against the other’s shoulder, then felt the need to do something intimate to fill the emptiness inside.

“You really know how to control me. I have to admire you for that,” Song Jingwei said while hugging and kissing him, sighing at the same time. He had willingly come into this embrace, willingly handed over his feelings—even his body. And yet the other man was someone he would never have given a second look to in the past, just an ordinary young man.

“I like hearing you say things like that,” Shen Junxi signed. At that moment, he felt grounded and a little proud.

“Smug.” Song Jingwei gave him one final kiss on the lips and said, “Lie down and sleep. Tomorrow, go help out.”

Shen Junxi didn’t object, although he did want to stay home. He figured that since the straw hut was already built today, tomorrow was just about moving things—it would be quick.

“Oh right, the day after tomorrow, make sure to sell the pigs at home. Wait too long and we won’t get a good price,” Song Jingwei said as he lay down.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi had already been reminded twice. Thinking back to how he hadn’t taken care of it earlier, he felt a bit annoyed. But going to sell them the day after tomorrow was fine—maybe he could go to town with his “wife” and the two of them could stroll around.

Seeing what the young man was thinking, Song Jingwei shook his head and said, “I’m not going. The pigs stink. I can’t stand it.” Asking him to herd a bunch of pigs to market? No thanks.

“…” Shen Junxi thought to himself, Fine, if my wife won’t go, I won’t either. Selling pigs was always something his father had done anyway. He signed: “Then I won’t go either. Let Dad go.”

Song Jingwei seriously twisted his ear and said, “Ungrateful child. I’m disciplining you on your father’s behalf.”

Shen Junxi signed in grievance, “My dad likes selling pigs. He can hide some private money from Mom that way.” As soon as he finished signing, he quickly pulled his hands back, as if he’d just accidentally said something that betrayed his father.

The next day, the Lu family finished preparing their place in the mountains, so Shen Junxi brought up the pig-selling matter with his father, Shen Dongming.

Shen Dongming had already been planning for it. He told his son, “Sell them—just what I was thinking. I’m planning to sell eight, and keep two to slaughter.” The weather this month looked decent for now. He figured he’d dry whatever he could. If they didn’t dry well, they could always just eat them as cured meat. Once they moved into the mountains, if there was no meat to eat, how would they get by?

Shen Junxi nodded and relayed Shen Dongming’s idea to Song Jingwei.

“Just keep one. Cured meat doesn’t last as well as dried meat,” Song Jingwei suggested. “Buy some long-lasting food while you’re in town.” He then wrote out a list and gave it to Shen Junxi.

So the father and son went together. Shen Dongming was in charge of selling the pigs; Shen Junxi was in charge of buying supplies.

After they got the money from selling the pigs, Shen Dongming handed all the silver to his son—it was meant for food purchases. He said, “It’s either I’m too short-sighted or your wife is just more thoughtful.” As long as there was money in hand, there was nothing they couldn’t buy.

The income from selling nine pigs was considerable. When Shen Junxi saw his father hand over all the money, he hesitated and signed, “Aren’t you keeping any for yourself?” His father had always been a bit stingy. Whenever he had the chance, he’d secretly stash some money away—it wasn’t really a bad thing.

“Hey!” Shen Dongming scratched his head sheepishly and smiled. “I’ve already quit smoking and drinking. What’s the point of hiding money now?”

Shen Junxi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So the whole point of hiding money had just been to smoke and drink? If he couldn’t do either anymore, he didn’t even have the motivation to squirrel money away.

Well, that wasn’t so bad, he thought.

There was everything one could need at the town’s market. Shen Junxi followed the list and bought each item: cured meats, dried fish, cured duck, and more. For vegetarian staples, he bought taro, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and potatoes—enough to fill an entire ox cart.

Shen Dongming chuckled as he looked at the fully loaded cart and said, “With this haul, plus the grains we’ll have in the mountains, we can eat well for a year or more.”

Shen Junxi nodded with a smile. His “wife” had said they needed to prepare for a year or a year and a half—anything less wouldn’t be enough.

The two returned home, and the very next day, they transported all the supplies up into the mountains.

The Lu family, seeing this, also hurried to prepare food for themselves. They didn’t want to trouble the Shen family’s main house too much—Qiao Lang and his brother could manage on their own. They borrowed an ox cart and went to town themselves, returning with a full load of food.

Shen Dongming also helped them get in touch with a few families who were willing to sell grain. Bit by bit, they managed to gather enough to last through this winter and until April next year.

“Let’s hope we won’t actually need all this,” everyone prayed the same way.

“Yeah, now that everything is ready, the waiting is the hardest part.” Not knowing how long the peace would last made people anxious—they’d get through one day and immediately start worrying about the next. In some more anxious households, the entire family was weighed down with worry.

Things were better in the Shen family’s main house. They were all easygoing people, living life as usual.

If you asked Shen Junxi, he would say that this period had been the happiest time of his life. His relationship with Song Jingwei had improved—it was no longer as uncertain and unsettling as before. At least now, when something bothered him, he could speak up without hesitation.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t been able to speak before, but back then, even if he did, it wouldn’t have mattered—Song Jingwei simply didn’t care about him.

Now it was different. Now, Song Jingwei truly cared. As long as Shen Junxi spoke up, the other would take it seriously and never disappoint him.

These were good days—facing the one he adored every day. You smile at him, and he smiles back. You say something, and he listens, comforts, and cares.

A happy life is probably just like this.

Shen Junxi sat in the courtyard, holding his increasingly heavy baby son, sitting side by side with his spouse as they enjoyed the winter sun together.

At the other end of the courtyard, Yang Shi and Lin Shi were working on pickling sour cabbage. They already had several vats ready and looked like they were planning to make even more.

Song Jingwei said quietly, “Just thinking about eating sour cabbage for several months makes my teeth ache.” It wasn’t that sour cabbage wasn’t tasty, but eating one dish for months on end would make anyone sick of it.

“…” Shen Junxi chuckled softly and signed to him, “We’re not going to make you eat sour cabbage every day.” They’d prepared more than just that—there were other things too.

“No matter what, it’s still most comfortable at home,” he said.

“Mhm,” Shen Junxi nodded. Naturally. No matter how good the environment was in the mountains, or how cozy the accommodations, it still couldn’t compare to home. But he didn’t mind—so long as his spouse, child, and family were there, that was where he felt at peace. Everything else didn’t matter. That was what he thought, and that was what he signed to Song Jingwei.

Song Jingwei picked up their chubby son who was gnawing on his little fist, kissed his cheek, and then said to the young man, “Being content is a good thing, but one still needs ambition, understand?”

He was smiling as he said this, so Shen Junxi didn’t take it too seriously. He signed, “I do have ambition. My ambition is you.” And his family too. Just like his father Shen Dongming said—everyone being safe, healthy, and together for a long time, that was more than enough.

“Pfft…” Song Jingwei couldn’t help but laugh at him, but he didn’t dislike this kind of “ambition.”

Shen Junxi glanced around—everyone was busy and not paying attention to them—so he leaned in quickly and planted a kiss on his spouse’s cheek.

“…” For him, that was already very bold. He really couldn’t help himself, but after doing it, he felt both happy and satisfied. Then he carefully observed the other’s reaction. When he saw that Song Jingwei didn’t react at all and looked completely unfazed, he felt a little helpless.

It seemed that what he considered daring was completely normal to the other person. Shen Junxi had this feeling, though he wasn’t sure if it was right or wrong, and he didn’t know how to ask.

As a modern adult, of course Song Jingwei didn’t see a kiss on the cheek—especially when no one saw—as a big deal.

After feeling helpless for a while, Shen Junxi signed to him, “Tonight, let’s send Benben to stay in Dad and Mom’s room.”

Song Jingwei turned to glance at the young man and said, “When Benben grows up, he’ll resent you.”

Shen Junxi signed with a smile, “He’s still young. If no one tells him, he won’t know.” Unless Song Jingwei deliberately went and told him later—but how could you tell a child something like that? He shot a reproachful look at Song Jingwei, clearly saying, “Don’t you dare.”

Song Jingwei noticed, but didn’t respond.

That evening, when Yang Shi saw her son taking the initiative to bring over her grandson, she smiled and asked, “He’s staying in my room tonight?” Her chubby grandson hadn’t stayed in her room in a while, so she happily took him and snuggled him close.

Benben had been raised by his grandmother often. Though he usually liked sticking close to Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi, he was just as well-behaved with Yang Shi. He wasn’t a fussy child—very sweet and gentle.

“Mhm,” Shen Junxi smiled and signed to his mother, “Let him sleep in your room tonight.”

His smile had been extra bright lately. Yang Shi had long noticed, but she still wanted to hear it from him personally. In a low voice, she asked, “Be honest with me—what’s going on between you and your spouse?”

Shen Junxi had expected her to ask and had already thought about how to answer. He signed, “My spouse said that after the war is over, we’ll give Benben a little brother.”