The content of the phone conversation was heard by Jiang Zhixun loud and clear.
The request to transfer back to Beijing was entirely his mother's idea.
For three years in the Northwest, he felt it had been fine.
From now on, he would return home every year to visit family.
As for Shen Qingqing, the choice was hers to make.
She could choose divorce at any time; he would absolutely not stand in her way.
On the other end of the line, his mother kept rambling, her words ostensibly reminding Shen Qingqing to support his career.
Don't cause trouble, don't be a burden to him...
She even brought up the past, talking about the ties between the Jiang and Shen Families, about how the Jiang Family had cared for Shen Qingqing after she married into the family.
Finally, she told Shen Qingqing that their marriage had started off poorly, and if they wanted a good ending, there would inevitably need to be effort.
Urging her not to be stubborn—current difficulties were temporary, and everything would be better once they returned to Beijing.
Shen Qingqing hadn't even had the chance to respond.
Jiang Zhixun saw her standing there in a daze, barely able to grasp the receiver in her hand.
She looked as though she had suffered a heavy blow, or perhaps her body wasn't strong yet; she barely had the energy to stand.
Without hesitating, he stretched out his long arm and took the receiver from her.
"She can do whatever she wants. Stop filling her head with these things."
Madam Jiang, her mouth dry from talking so much, found that Shen Qingqing hadn't uttered a single word, and that her son refused to appreciate her efforts.
"I'm only thinking of you two. If the people in the Northwest heard what happened when you got married, wouldn't they laugh you to death?"
Jiang Zhixun's tone was indifferent, "We didn't steal, we didn't rob. What's there to laugh about?"
Madam Jiang was momentarily stunned.
"Anyway, you two should get along well and try to have a child soon. Once you have a child, behaving as recklessly as before would be unacceptable."
Jiang Zhixun glanced at Shen Qingqing.
Was it his imagination, or had he seen a fleeting shimmer of tears in her eyes?
Without saying more, he ended the call directly.
"Rest at the guesthouse for a couple of days first."
Shen Qingqing looked up at him, showing neither grievance nor pretended detachment—there was no trace of emotion at all.
Facing her hollow gaze, Jiang Zhixun's heart suddenly tightened.
His thin lips pressed together tightly; he found it inexplicably difficult to say the words about sending her back to Beijing.
It was at this moment that Jiang Zhixun started to understand why Shen Qingqing had chosen to move out of the compound and live alone outside.
While he wasn't home, all the pressure had fallen solely on her shoulders.
The more he thought about it, the deeper his furrowed brows became.
Annoyance bubbled up, almost impossible to suppress.
Shen Qingqing expressionlessly asked, "When are you applying to return to Beijing? How long do I have to cooperate with you?"
Jiang Zhixun knew she had absorbed his mother's words.
His hand at his side clenched and then relaxed; he didn't reveal his plans.
Nor did he mention taking Shen Qingqing to the train station anymore.
His face appeared calm, but he had reverted to the cold indifference he showed when they had first met.
"I'll go back to Beijing with you during the New Year. I'll handle the elders myself."
"Alright, then I'll wait until New Year's."
Just one month—she could wait.
After speaking, Shen Qingqing left the hospital first.
Jiang Zhixun followed behind, but the distance between them was too great—for a married couple, they appeared more like strangers.
At the guesthouse, Jiang Zhixun placed the medicine in a conspicuous spot.
He also fetched a kettle of hot water, reheating the steamed buns in the food container and putting them in an obvious place.
Their relationship felt uneasy sharing the same space.
Without waiting for Shen Qingqing to say anything, Jiang Zhixun left the items and walked out.
The door closed with a soft sound.
Then the sound of his footsteps grew fainter and fainter, without a pause, disappearing quickly.
Shen Qingqing sat alone on the edge of the bed, staring at the steam rising from the cup, lost in thought.
After an indeterminate amount of time, she pulled out a small notebook from her coat pocket.
She wrote down Madam Jiang's requirements.
Then added two more words.
Divorce!
Jiang Zhixun left the guesthouse but didn't return to the dormitory immediately.
Instead, he made a phone call to investigate the incident Shen Qingqing had encountered on the train.
He learned that she had been followed into the restroom by a lecher who pulled at her, and that she'd assisted the train staff in apprehending the man before stopping at a transfer station to hand him over to the police.
Jiang Zhixun couldn't suppress the icy coldness that radiated from him upon hearing this.
"Comrade Shen reacted quickly, kept her composure, and helped the staff catch the troublemaker. During the stopover, he was handed over to the police."
On his way back to the dormitory, Jiang Zhixun thought about how it was no wonder she kept crying during their meeting.
She was indeed different from the Shen Qingqing of the past, who used to greet him with soft smiles.
It turned out she had really been wronged.
The more he pondered, the more his anger bubbled.
If he hadn't noticed the bruise on Shen Qingqing's arm, would she have kept everything to herself, not telling him about her troubles?
She had been feverish, yet when they met in the cafeteria, she didn't mention a word of it.
The more he thought, the more agitated Jiang Zhixun became, prompting him to return to the guesthouse.
But as he ascended the stairs, he calmed down.
If he saw Shen Qingqing now, what could he say?
Would he criticize her?
But she was the victim—so wronged already—that one word of reproach might make her cry.
He stood at the stairwell for several minutes before turning and heading to the front desk instead.
"My… wife's not feeling well. Please keep an eye on her condition for me."
Checking his watch, he added, "Knock on her door every two hours. If her fever doesn't subside, please send her to the hospital first."
...
Shen Qingqing hadn't been here long, but the fact that she was Jiang Zhixun's wife had already spread throughout the compound.
A few comrades had even seen what had happened not long ago.
Initially, they had assumed the couple's relationship wasn't good.
Later, seeing how Jiang Zhixun had taken her to the hospital, busying himself with care, constantly worried about her being hungry and purposefully buying food from the cafeteria for her, his nervousness didn't seem fake.
They had thought the couple had reconciled, only to find out Jiang Zhixun had left her alone at the guesthouse, returning to the dormitory himself.
It was like watching someone stubbornly struggle—infuriatingly hopeless.
"Old Jiang, your wife came all the way from Beijing; why not spend more time with her?"
"She's in an unfamiliar place, staying alone in the guesthouse—Shen Comrade might be scared."
"I heard Comrade Shen is unwell. Someone saw you two at the hospital—what's her condition now? Leaving her unattended, aren't you worried something could happen?"
Jiang Zhixun sat at the table, picking up a book, refusing to respond to these questions.
Someone quietly reminded him, "Old Jiang, your book is upside down…"
Jiang Zhixun's mind was chaotic; he hadn't expected Shen Qingqing to show up here.
In a moment of petulance, he put the book down, sitting in silence as icy indifference emanated from him.
"Old Jiang, did you two have a fight?"
Before he could answer, someone interjected, "Comrade Shen looks like she has a gentle temperament—she probably wouldn't argue. It's Old Jiang who hasn't softened his attitude from the beginning. I bet Comrade Shen didn't want to keep looking at his cold face and sent him away."
Jiang Zhixun didn't offer any explanation for the teasing.
Right now, he felt deeply agitated, unsure whether keeping Shen Qingqing here was the right decision or not.
If she recovered and brought up the matter of having a child again...
The very thought made Jiang Zhixun feel a headache coming on.
If he changed his mind now and decided to send her back to Beijing, would Shen Qingqing cause a scene with him?
Seeing Jiang Zhixun's serious expression and troubled demeanor, as though confronted with an enormous problem, his comrades began to offer advice.
"Comrade Shen's sick; she'd definitely want someone by her side. If you go take care of her now, it'd earn you points, and when she gets better, she'd naturally forgive you."
Jiang Zhixun snorted, "I haven't done anything to wrong her. Why do I need her forgiveness?"
His comrade gave him a complex look, "How long has it been since you went home? If Comrade Shen hadn't come looking for you herself, we wouldn't have known you were married. Just that alone is pretty hurtful—don't you think you owe her?"
"At the cafeteria, when Lin Comrade spoke to Comrade Shen like that, you didn't even step in. Your wife must've felt terribly wronged."
Jiang Zhixun didn't want to discuss matters between him and Shen Qingqing with others.
Lin Fengmian had nothing to do with him either.
If she'd made a mistake, the Lin Family would naturally discipline her.
Silently, he began counting down the time in his mind.
Just one month.
Once he sent Shen Qingqing back to Beijing, everything would be over.