I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s
Chapter 54: Specially Prepared for You

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Specially Prepared for You

Cheng Yuan was momentarily stunned, and it wasn’t until his mother nudged him with her elbow that he snapped back to reality. He watched the beautiful girl walk towards him and immediately straightened his back. It wasn’t until his mother said, "Mr. Shen," that he fully came to his senses.

At first, he was only looking for middle-aged women, considering the platoon leader of his team was already quite old. There was no way it could be a beautiful girl.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"No, no, just got here a while ago. Let’s talk inside, Yu Fen isn’t seeing any patients right now. We can have some water and talk slowly."

Cheng Yuan couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful. His fiancée was decent-looking, but compared to the person in front of him, there was a considerable difference. Though it felt inappropriate, he didn’t miss the chance to strike up a conversation with her.

"You, you must be Mr. Shen, right? I don’t even know how to address you."

Shen Meng frowned slightly, feeling that this person’s smile was rather greasy.

"Just call me Mr. Shen."

Cheng Yufen tidied up the table and poured everyone a cup of warm water. The enamel cups were ones she had brought from home that morning; otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough.

"Mr. Shen, I’m sorry for what I said yesterday. I shouldn’t have said those things. This is my son, Cheng Yuan. He knew I caused trouble and insisted on coming to apologize. Oh, this is something from our home, worth nothing much. Please accept it."

Wang Jine had thought over and over how to smooth things over with Shen Meng. Being able to speak so fluently now was thanks to her quiet practice.

She handed Shen Meng a package of eggs, canned yellow peaches, and some dried vegetables. Except for the canned yellow peaches, none of it was particularly valuable, but Shen Meng sensed something unusual from her eager demeanor.

"Hey, I can’t accept this. I actually have things to do later, so let’s keep it short. This is a radio, brand new and unused. Pay upon delivery, and we are even. As long as Dr. Cheng keeps his peace, I have no time to fuss over other things."

"Yes, yes, I’ll make sure my mother doesn’t come over and bother my aunt anymore. Oh, here’s the money for the radio, please count it."

Shen Meng glanced at the money and nodded towards them.

"Okay, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. You all take care."

"Hey, wait, Mr. Shen, please take these. We’re more at ease if you do. Besides, no matter what, the platoon leader was a soldier under your husband. It’s proper to show some respect."

Shen Meng turned and smiled at everyone, "That won’t do. That would be wrong. I don’t take a needle or thread from the people. Mr. Cheng, are you trying to bribe me?"

Cheng Yuan only wanted to feel at ease. He hadn’t expected this woman wasn’t someone who would fall for money, which made him like her even more.

"No, I didn’t mean that. This is specifically for you. If you truly don’t want it, that’s fine. Oh, I’m a militiaman, so if you need help in the future, just ask. We’re all from the same county, right?"

"Hmm!"

Shen Meng nodded and started walking out of the hospital. In the office, Cheng Yufen cleaned the enamel cups which had barely been touched.

"Sister-in-law, you and Xiao Yuan should head back first. I have more patients to see this afternoon."

Wang Jine rolled her eyes at her and packed up the things she had brought.

"It’s better if she didn’t take it. I’ve been saving these eggs for a long time. I’ll make sure Xiao Yuan gets well-nourished. That woman thought I’d just prepared some worthless stuff. There are two pounds of good pork hidden in those dried vegetables, for which I paid extra to be reserved. Hmph!"

Cheng Yufen sighed and looked at the self-satisfied Wang Jine, "Sister-in-law, she must have known something was off. If she had taken the stuff, we would’ve really been caught."

"Fine, fine, you all think you’re so smart. I’m the idiot. It’s so late already. Yu Fen, you didn’t even think to prepare some food for me and Xiao Yuan. Seriously...."

"Mom, you just promised Mr. Shen, let’s go home. Aunt, don’t mind my mother. Please attend my wedding!"

After Cheng Yuan finished speaking, he left the office, looking around the corridor but not seeing the beauty’s shadow. Thinking about his imminent wedding, he felt a wave of melancholy, missing his previous sense of anticipation.

"Alright, son, let’s hurry home. Don’t worry too much about what Mr. Shen said. They surely won’t make it difficult for your aunt, but we still need to maintain these family ties."

She was already thinking about how, when Cheng Yuan got married, she would make sure Cheng Yufen gave a significant gift. An aunt giving some money for her nephew’s wedding was only right, and it couldn’t be considered making things difficult.

Watching her sister-in-law and nephew’s departing figures, Cheng Yufen thought of her own family’s cold demeanor last night. She couldn’t help but recall Shen Meng’s words. Had she really been wrong all these years?

Leaving the hospital gates, Shen Meng carefully counted the money in her hand. Not a cent was missing; it was just right.

After riding her bike all day, she was utterly exhausted. She wished she could take out the jeep from her space and drive back. However, during a time when even bicycles were rare, driving a jeep down the rural roads, where all the workers would surely stop to gawk, was out of the question.

Reluctantly, she found a secluded spot, enjoyed a sirloin steak and two sips of red wine from her space, and then pedaled towards Shenji.

By the time she reached the Shen family, it was already 2:30 PM. When she entered the courtyard, everyone from the Shen family was there, even the children, who hadn’t gone out to play and were waiting in the yard.

"Xiao Meng is back. Were you out for so long? You must be starving, we saved some food for you. Come and eat."

"Big Brother, I had something on the way, I’m not hungry. Why is everyone home?"

Shen Shoutian chuckled, "We heard you were coming back and wanted to see you. If you returned in the afternoon, I wouldn’t have had the chance to see you."

His wife, Lv Qinlan, also smiled at her.

The eldest couple of the Shen family were honest folks. They had three children, the oldest being thirteen and the youngest six. The cousin that Lu Mingyang mentioned was their child, Shen Xiaohu.

Shen Yutian was the second eldest in the Shen family, holding a sleeping child in his arms. Beside him was his wife, Su Xiaomei. She seemed exceptionally timid, her gaze averting as she glanced at people. This was due to her right foot being slightly crippled, a lingering effect of polio she had suffered as a child.

The youngest son of the Shen Family was Shen Xiaobin, who was currently out running and playing with several nieces and nephews.

"Brother, I’m not hungry. Let’s save the food for dinner. We’re leaving tomorrow."