Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 814 - 804: Third Class Military Merit

"Hey, have you heard about the fire in the cinema in town?"

"Goodness, that’s old news—it happened weeks ago!"

"Hehe, sister, that’s exactly what I’m talking about! Did you know, that very day Group Leader Li and his family happened to be at the cinema..."

"I know about that. Group Leader Sun’s wife hasn’t stopped talking about it; she acts as if it wasn’t Li who fought the criminals but her instead, tsk tsk!"

"Good grief, what else did that fool say? Poor Li, having such a sister is really bad luck."

"Stop talking about that woman, hurry up and spill any news you’ve got."

"Hehe, I heard from my man that just yesterday, the Public Security Bureau sent our military region a letter of commendation and a banner, thanking the Li couple for helping catch the criminals at the cinema."

"Well, looks like Li is going to be in the spotlight again, and his tone-deaf sister will have something to brag about once more. Seriously, some people are just lucky, aren’t they? Imagine, just taking your wife and kid to watch a movie and ending up catching criminals—it’s like military honors delivered straight to his doorstep."

"Exactly, it’s all fate. My man mentioned that this time the military region will award Li with a third-class merit, and his wife will receive verbal commendation."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I should have sent my man to the movies back then; imagine, we could have shared in the honors."

"Haha, you think it’s that easy to earn merits? I heard from my man that it wasn’t easy for Li this time. The cinema was really dangerous; the fire was massive, packed with people, plus there were these two villains wreaking havoc, apparently even had guns. A slight mistake and they could’ve been goners."

"Really, that dangerous?"

"Absolutely, the two criminals even fired shots. I heard Li fought them with his bare hands, talk about luck—the criminals ended up shooting one of their own, while Li managed to escape unscathed."

"Wow, Li must be really incredible."

"Of course, what did I tell you? If he wasn’t capable, would he have become a group leader? Right?"

"You’re right, oh, quick, stop talking, isn’t that Group Leader Sun coming this way?"

"Really? He’s by himself, won’t he be going to Li’s house?"

"Definitely, they’re relatives, he’s surely going to deliver a letter to the Lis’ home."

"But why on his own? I heard Group Leader Li is out on a mission. It looks a bit improper for brother-in-law and sister-in-law to meet alone."

"You know as well as I do that the Lis’ and Suns’ don’t get along. The Lis’ wouldn’t even let the Suns’ step through their door. It must be Sun going alone, delivering the good news."

"Ah, Li is really capable, but his family is a bit messy—always some drama."

"That’s how it is; no one’s perfect. Li is competent, his wife is beautiful and earns well, they have both a son and a daughter. If their family were also harmonious, it’d be too much—how could others compete?"

"Ah, look, Group Leader Sun has already entered the building."

Shen Yunfang was in the kitchen cooking when she heard someone knock on the door, "Pangpang, go open the door."

With a sizzle, she poured the sliced meat into the wok and stir-fried it.

"Mom, Uncle Chengbin is here," Pangpang shouted from the living room.

"Oh, ask Uncle Chengbin to sit in the living room for a while, Mom will be out after finishing this dish," Shen Yunfang busied herself while pondering why Sun Chengbin would visit at this time.

Sun Chengbin was usually considerate. He generally visited only when Li Hongjun was home, sometimes bringing Niuniu along, and occasionally having a meal there. Knowing his sister-in-law disliked his wife, he mostly visited alone without bringing Li Xianghe.

Shen Yunfang was quite satisfied with Sun Chengbin’s tactfulness, so she never skimped on hospitality, whether it was him or Niuniu visiting.

After finishing the last dish, stir-fried pork with hot peppers, Shen Yunfang carried it out of the kitchen.

"Chengbin is here, just in time for dinner. Let’s eat together," Shen Yunfang cheerfully set the dish on the dining table and greeted the standing Sun Chengbin.

"No need, Sister-in-law, Xianghe is waiting for dinner at home," Sun Chengbin discreetly glanced over the dishes on the table.

Whenever he visited his cousin’s home, the food was always this good. The white rice wasn’t mixed with any other grains, and there were four dishes on the table, two meat and two vegetarian. Not to mention the dishes contained meat, but also the large sea fish, uncommon in Z City at this time, along with the hot peppers and cauliflower that not every household could afford.

Though outwardly composed, Sun Chengbin felt envious inside; envious that his cousin’s life was better than his, having married a beautiful, educated, and earning wife. If Shen Yunfang were his wife, might he also have such a life where everything was provided for him?

"Chengbin, did you come today for a particular reason?" Shen Yunfang was unaware of his internal turmoil; otherwise, she would have scorned him, thinking, "If I had to choose, I wouldn’t marry the likes of you."

Sun Chengbin quickly snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes, Sister-in-law, the military district sent a notice to Li Hongjun today about the cinema fire incident recently—he received a third-class merit. I guess Hongjun isn’t home, and you might not know yet, so I came to let you know and share the good news."

Shen Yunfang was genuinely surprised; it was indeed unexpected that merit could be awarded for that incident. She knew that without battlefield action, military honors were hard to come by, so the news genuinely pleased her.

"Oh my, if you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known. Your brother has been out on a mission these days, and I’ve been busy with the farm, so I haven’t paid attention to the military side of things. Chengbin, thank you."

Shen Yunfang was sincere; aside from occasionally receiving gossip-filled calls from Wang Dan, she had devoted herself entirely to large-scale mushroom farming.

For her first large-scale cultivation, Shen Yunfang chose enoki mushrooms, which were economically beneficial and relatively easy to cultivate.

She had spent her days in the mushroom sheds, showing workers hands-on how to prepare the substrate, how to bag, sterilize, inoculate, etc.—she had personally handled all the initial work, keeping her very busy.

"Sister-in-law, it’s nothing. Now that you know, I should be going," said Sun Chengbin as he bent to pick up his military cap from the sofa.

"Hehe, then I won’t keep you for dinner. Take care going back, and bring Niuniu over sometime," Shen Yunfang escorted him to the door.

After watching him descend the stairs and out of sight, she closed the door.

Reflecting on the shock she had experienced that day still frightened Shen Yunfang. It was the first time since she had crossed over that an outsider had discovered her use of her spatial abilities.

Although Li Hongjun had taken care of the imminent threat then by executing the man, dealing with the aftermath had been troublesome. One misstep could have led to an investigation and possible disciplinary action.

Knowing now that higher-ups were no longer pursuing the matter and had even awarded an honor, her mind was finally at ease.

This incident served as a cautionary reminder: she must be careful when using her spatial abilities in the future.