I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s
Chapter 104: Seeing Your Own Heart

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Seeing Your Own Heart

Shen Meng’s face lit up with joy as she replied, "That sounds wonderful!"

"Indeed, your sister-in-law and the rest of the ladies have all met her. She’s quite tall, nimble with her hands, and a great worker. What’s most important is that she’s delicately pretty, speaks sweetly, and suits your little brother perfectly. Both of them have taken a fancy to each other, and they’re just waiting for the house to be finished to get engaged!"

"Mother is right; Xiao Mei and I went along too. Xiao Bin couldn’t stop grinning foolishly at her from the moment they set eyes on each other. She seems like a very honest girl."

Lv Qinlan spoke with genuine happiness. Now that the house was being built, once Xiao Bin’s marriage was settled, the next step would be to work hard to earn work points to pay off the family’s famine debt, and then they could live a steady life.

As long as the Shen Family was doing well, Shen Meng was happy.

Lunch was simple; Lv Qinlan served the dishes with a spoon, and Su Xiaomei distributed steamed cornbread. They all enjoyed a simple pot of stew, eating until they were drenched in sweat, feeling completely satisfied.

The most important reason for visiting the Shen Family today was to deliver the money for buying bricks and tiles. Wang Guizhi felt anxious seeing Lu Zhenping working so hard to help the Shen Family. Her son-in-law had been in the military for so many years; it wasn’t easy for him to finally come home. He should be making the most of his time with her daughter and ideally get Xiao Meng pregnant again so the couple could have more children.

The Shen Family was building a house, and the daughter and son-in-law were contributing both money and effort. If it were any other family, Wang Guizhi and Shen Fugui would have been overjoyed, but they felt ashamed, burdening them with their own construction.

Not long after the meal, they hurried the family away. The house was in disarray, with no place even to take a nap.

The family returned home just after two o’clock. Shen Meng washed her hands and face, ready to cuddle with her youngest son and take a nap. Lu Zhenping also wanted to, but before he could follow his wife’s steps, Lu Jiasheng showed up with a hoe, wearing a face eager to please as he approached Lu Zhenping.

"Big brother, my homestead is overgrown with weeds. How about we clean it up together? Once we finish laying the foundation, we can start building the house right away. Oh, and I heard the brigade’s broadcast—these days are all sunny, perfect for building a house."

Lu Zhenping: "...."

Shen Meng turned around with Ming Kai, huffed at him, and then turned back into the house.

They worked until the evening, and Lu Jiasheng somehow managed to get a cigarette, which he offered to Lu Zhenping.

"Brother, let’s head back. I can take care of the rest. It’s getting late; you should hurry home for dinner!"

Lu Zhenping took the cigarette without lighting it, shot him a glance, and tossed the hoe into his chest, "Stingy quitter."

"Hehehe....."

Lu Zhenping didn’t bother with him and didn’t go home either. He went halfway up the hill to an old tree, wiped his hand on it, then sat down. He took the cigarette off his ear, lit it with a match, and began to smoke slowly.

"Cough cough... cough cough cough....."

Perhaps the cigarette had been stored too long and had become damp; he took a hard drag and couldn’t stop coughing, tears streaming down.

Sitting beneath this old tree, Lu Zhenping gazed at the moon slowly rising in the distance. Returning this time, he felt that much of the bleakness in his heart had been washed away.

After he became sensible, he realized who the woman he had accidentally seen at the age of five was, and why his parents were always so cold to him, their faces always smiling but never giving him a trace of warmth.

The only thing that made him feel like he had a goal, a driving force to move forward, and enabled him to live actively was the military. This was where he belonged.

He felt that he had always been a lone wolf, but he had finally found his pack; he fell in love with his days in the military and also met Squad Leader Zhou, a good squad leader who cared for him, helped him, and he told himself that on the battlefield, he would take bullets for Squad Leader Zhou and not let one hit him, as long as Squad Leader Zhou did not walk in front of him. That was an old soldier’s advice to a new recruit.

War is cruel, Squad Leader Zhou died in front of him, his lover couldn’t handle the blow and died with twins in her womb. The pitiable Mingyang was sent to the care of uncles, then transferred to relatives, and finally sent to the orphanage where there were many many children left behind by martyrs. When he went to pick up Mingyang, the child was unwilling to leave, clinging tightly to Ming Liang and Ming Fang.

Unable to let go, he had no choice but to take them all home. What difference was there between Ming Liang, Ming Fang, and Mingyang? All were descendants of martyrs and deserved respect. Initially, the children were too young, and he couldn’t take care of them properly.

He often had to go on missions, and the sisters in the military compound helped take care of the children for a while, but gradually, he felt that it was not a solution, so he had to send the children back home, promising that as long as the children were well taken care of, he would provide for their old age.

But as time went on, he still felt uneasy. Ma Xiang said that he needed to find a wife, that the children would be better off with a mother.

When Shen Meng married him, he saw at a glance that this girl wanted something. Those with desires were easy to deal with, and he was not stingy with his allowance, as long as the children were well taken care of. He felt he was not worthy of a warm family, that he was a product of confused emotions. Bai Shuyun, the woman who claimed to be his mother, Lu Zhenping could not understand her actions, even finding the decision to give birth to him absurd.

Yet it was such a girl with desires, who suddenly changed her temperament, making him somewhat confused. He hadn’t been back for long but felt like he had known her for a very long time, a feeling of cherishing each other as if they had a connection in a previous life. He was irresistibly attracted and wanted her.

This affection sprang up rapidly, different from the past. He saw Shen Meng’s intentions yesterday, but he did not act. He wanted to observe his own heart more.

The moon climbed higher and higher, Lu Zhenping finished the cigarette in his hand, then touched the tree again. This was like an old friend; when he was unhappy in the past, he often ran under the tree and stayed there. He thought that he probably wouldn’t come here again in the future.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard rustling noises and abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Shen Meng had waited at home for Lu Zhenping for a long time, and had no choice but to cook by herself. She made a pot of stewed noodles, coaxed the children to finish eating, then told them to wash up and do their homework.

She took advantage of the fact that the children were all in the room and Lu Zhenping had not come back, and immediately went into her space.

She found a steak and poured herself a glass of Bordeaux red wine, turned on the TV, and watched a movie while indulging in delicious food.

After she was full and had drunk enough, she could only exclaim, how wonderful it was!

Just after washing up and coming out of her space, the courtyard gate was pushed open. She saw Lu Zhenping dragging something quite large inside, and Shen Meng quickly sat up.

"What’s that?"

It was too dark to see clearly, Lu Zhenping "shushed" her, signaling her not to speak. Shen Meng waited for him to enter the courtyard, then hurriedly closed the courtyard gate.

Upon entering the main room, it was clear that he had brought two goats.