When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 103: Chapter 55: The 1950s’ Unpolished Wife

It had been a long time since they’d been this passionate. Zhu Yun squinted slightly. ”But you haven’t had dinner yet...”

”You’re thinking about that now? Worried your man won’t have the strength to take care of you?”

Her man gave her a playful bite, proving with his actions that he could satisfy his wife even if he went three days without eating.

After expending so much energy, not only was Chu Shenyu hungry, but Zhu Yun was starving as well.

The young couple stealthily cleaned up, then squeezed into the kitchen to boil some dumplings.

Chu Shenyu still remembered her earlier question and answered patiently, ”Just as you said, one must always be vigilant. Our country was only founded a short while ago; it’s not an impenetrable fortress.”

”Among our seemingly kind and friendly neighbors, there might be some who have been turned by outsiders.”

”The food supply is a critical matter. Some people might get impatient. They might risk exposing themselves just to incite unrest and stir up trouble in the chaos.”

”The research institute just had a breakthrough recently, and many people have their eyes on it. There’s no guarantee they won’t try to exploit this situation.”

”I’m afraid that even if we hadn’t brought the grain inside, someone would have deliberately claimed we did...”

Many things could be involved in this, so Chu Shenyu picked out the more overt aspects to explain to her.

”Our work unit was formed from a collective military transfer. Our material supply and product sales are all fixed, and they’ve been vetted again and again. The only loopholes are the transient family members and procurement.”

”It’s never wrong to be a little more alert.”

The dumpling skins were chewy, the filling savory and fragrant. Dipped in vinegar, they were exceptionally delicious.

Zhu Yun ate about ten, and Chu Shenyu finished the rest.

Over the next few days, her young apprentices came over during the day to ask for lessons on carving decorative radishes. In the evenings, they would all receive tutoring from their master’s husband.

The college entrance exam was a strange beast. One could say it was difficult, yet it tested the most basic things. One could also say it was simple, yet its scope was vast, weaving numerous test points together into a single question. The slightest carelessness could lead you right into a trap.

For students who had never experienced the exam and hadn’t yet mastered the material to its core, it was truly a mess. They clutched a pile of formulas in one hand and a stack of practice questions in the other, their knowledge scattered and fragmented. Grinding through problems could drive them mad.

Chu Shenyu had a sharp mind and his own effective study methods. Facing his wife and his wife’s apprentices, he wasn’t the least bit stingy, systematically organizing the key concepts for them.

Suddenly, the knowledge was no longer fragmented. It became like a fish skeleton, with everything connected, clear, and comprehensible. Their problem-solving became twice as effective with half the effort!

The apprentices were full of sweet words, praising their master’s husband to the skies. Learning became a process of accumulating achievements. ’No wonder their master’s wife—wrong, their Master—was so confident about getting into university.’

Now, they felt they could do it too!

After they left, the lights in the family housing building went out one by one. Only then did Chu Shenyu walk outside, moving very lightly.

The building wasn’t soundproof, especially on winter nights. Aside from the roaring north wind outside the window, it was almost completely silent.

The SWISH-SWISH of someone upstairs lulling a child to sleep and cleaning up, the CLINK of a water glass hitting a table from downstairs in the middle of the night—all of it came through as clearly as if amplified.

One day, Lin Jin woke up thirsty. As soon as she stepped out of her bedroom, she heard the door across the hall open and the sound of voices.

She clenched her fists, tiptoed over to her door, and pressed herself against the wall to listen.

She could only make out that it was Zhu Yun and Chu Shenyu’s voices, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying specifically. A moment later, the door closed, and Chu Shenyu went downstairs, slowly and carefully controlling the sound of his footsteps.

Lin Jin thought about the endless stream of kitchen apprentices visiting the apartment across the hall every evening. She also recalled the gossip she’d heard from Guo Meiyun and Old Mrs. Wang. Unable to resist, she went to the window and peered through a crack in the curtains. She watched Chu Shenyu, dressed in a heavy military greatcoat and a hat, so bundled up his figure was unrecognizable, as he walked toward the factory area.

She poured a glass of water, returned to her room, and lay down.

Wang Xianbing rolled over, pulled her into his arms, and asked groggily, ”What took you so long?”

Lin Jin said in a low voice, ”Mr. Chu from across the hall just left. I don’t know what kind of mission he’s on.”

”You know Zhu Yun and I have never gotten along. I was afraid the sound of me pouring water would alert them and make her overthink things, thinking I have nothing better to do all day than spy on their family.”

Wang Xianbing fell silent. ’That does sound like something Zhu Yun would do,’ he thought.

’The second we make a sound, she acts like she wants to grab a bag of sunflower seeds and listen in. That woman has no sense of propriety, not an ounce of shame. It would be one thing if she just listened quietly from behind her own door, but she’s so blatant about it. Back in my village, I never met a single person so eager and shameless about gawking at other people’s business!’