Received A Wife From The Civil Affairs Bureau Ch.21

Jiang Ziquan was hospitalized for two days, but Jiang Ziquan passed the time happily. In fact, based on Jiang Ziquan’s physique and fitness, she could’ve been discharged after a day, but Lin Cuo deliberately made Jiang Ziquan stay for another day. This was her way of creating more opportunities for Jiang Ziquan and her wife to be alone together. When Jiang Ziquan found out, she thought it was quite funny and it confirmed her belief that her friend was a tsundere. [1]

Shen Yumo helped fill out the discharge paperwork and then left to go back to work, which meant leaving Jiang Ziquan with no choice but to drive home alone. The moment she opened the door to her apartment, she saw her mother running around in her kitchen. 

“Mom, why are you here?” Jiang Ziquan hurriedly hid the magazines behind her back. This was an ingrained habit she had since high school, so her body automatically reacted. She couldn’t help but feel nervous and started sweating all over.

Mrs. Jiang didn’t notice Jiang Ziquan’s stiff movements and said worriedly, “How do you feel? Mom has cooked some chicken broth for you and I guarantee it will make you feel better immediately.”

When Mr. and Mrs. Jiang found out that Jiang Ziquan had fainted, they were scared to death and almost charged into the hospital. Fortunately, when the two found out, Jiang Ziquan’s condition was already stabilized and Lin Cuo stopped them from visiting by telling them that Shen Yumo was taking care of Jiang Ziquan. Only then did they calm down a bit and restrained themselves from visiting. 

However, the moment Jiang Ziquan was discharged, Mrs. Jiang had rushed over.

“Thanks, Mom, sorry for troubling you.” Jiang Ziquan expressed her appreciation and threw the magazines under the sofa. She walked over energetically and sat on the counter. Swaying her two, thin and long legs, she comforted, “Don’t worry, I’m better already.”

Mrs. Jiang leaned forward and carefully looked her up and down, then sighed, “You’ve become as skinny as a stick again. Not pretty at all, and your skin has become several shades darker.”

Jiang Ziquan pouted. Although she had lost a lot of weight, she hadn’t lost that much weight and her skin was actually lighter than usual. She had spent the entire time during her business trip inside, and when she did go outside she would be bundled up in several layers of coats. 

“I just finished cleaning your room, but you should probably look it over one more time. Yumo is moving in tomorrow and you don’t want her to think you are a lazy slob.” Mrs. Jiang said nonchalantly. 

“What?” Jiang Ziquan jumped up from her chair and exclaimed: “Why is Yumo living here?!” 

“She is your wife. If she doesn’t live here, where else do you want her to live?” Mrs. Jiang said it as if it was a matter of course and stared angrily at Jiang Ziquan, “Why are you staring at me like that?

“I-I didn’t mean to…Mom, can you explain a little bit more clearly what you just said.” Jiang Ziquan also felt that her attitude was a little over the top and fidgeted with her clothing. Anxiously, she said in a quiet voice, “You didn’t go to Yumo’s place, did you?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I went to visit the Shen Family’s home. I say, why don’t you think about Yumo’s situation a little bit? She had to wake up early and go to school every day and yet you can bear to watch her take that trip back and forth every day. Not to mention, she had to stop by the hospital too. With so much traveling, she must be exhausted.”

Jiang Ziquan rubbed her head, her long hair getting messed up by her movements. She asked, puzzled, “Ah? I thought she was staying at school?”

Mrs. Jiang wanted to knock her on the head, but then remembered that her daughter just recovered from an illness and stopped. She rubbed her hands together, “I think something is going on at the school. But whatever it is, she can’t live on campus anymore. I think since you were on your business trip, Yumo didn’t have the time to tell you. So, I went to the Shen family’s home and asked them to move in. At first, Yumo thought she would be troubling you and did not agree. However, since you fell ill, I hurried over to their home again to discuss the proposition. The main reason they agreed was that they took pity on you and let Yumo live here so she can take care of you.” 

Jiang Ziquan still felt somewhat shocked. They were going to live together? As for the reason why, Jiang Ziquan didn’t care if they thought she was disabled or something, as long as Shen Yumo agreed, she was happy. 

“Alright, that’s that. Hurry up and clean up the place. I don’t think Yumo will share a room with you though.” Mrs. Jiang’s tone held a bit of concern as she continued, “I think you should slow things down a bit. You should pay attention to your health.”

Jiang Ziquan nodded blankly and then grabbed the magazines back to her room. As she walked, her steps were a little unstable. Her mother had just cleaned this bedroom, so she didn’t need to do anything. 

Inwardly, she felt a little nervous and took out a cigarette as she sat down on the soft bed. After taking a few breaths, the shock in her heart had subsided. 

Jiang Ziquan glanced around her room, but there was nothing to clean up. Although she seemed like an unreliable person, her bedroom was still neat and tidy, with a few posters on the wall and a few sketches lying in the corner.

Last time, she didn’t bring Shen Yumo into her room because she was working on a sketch of Shen Yumo. She hadn’t finished it yet, so she was embarrassed to take it out and let anyone see it. Even now, she hadn’t finished it yet. First, it was because she hadn’t had the time to. Second, she felt that capturing Shen Yumo’s essence was something that could not be achieved in a short span of time. So the drawing still sat on the easel, covered with a black cloth. 

Jiang Ziquan went back out to drink some of her mother’s chicken broth. Seeing that it wasn’t as greasy as she thought it would be, she drank two bowls of it. Mrs. Jiang saw that her daughter looked a little better, so she didn’t force her to drink it all and continued the earlier conversation: 

“Yumo seems like someone who can take care of a house and family. In the future, you should let her manage your money, and I guarantee that you won’t starve to death. You also don’t have to work yourself ragged to make money, it will only break your body.”

“Furthermore, your father has plenty of money saved up, enough to last you a lifetime. Don’t cause us to worry and live a good life together with Yumo. Oh, I also bought you some rice, vinegar, soy sauce, and other things you might need. I swear, your kitchen is even cleaner than your face, there is nothing in there.” Mrs. Jiang rambled, fearful that her daughter might starve herself to death. However, she saw that Shen Yumo was a sensible person who knew how to cook and felt satisfied with the wife her daughter had chosen. 

Jiang Ziquan silently drank the broth without saying a word. She knew that her mother loved her dearly, but she was almost thirty, so naturally, she didn’t want to keep asking her parents for money. She can make enough money for herself and the illness this time was completely an accident, one which she can recover from quickly. The most important thing is that she had the option to spend her own money and she felt that Shen Yumo would not like a person who leeched off their parents. 

“I understand, Mom.”

Hearing this response, Mrs. Jiang stopped talking and relaxed. 

After sending her mother off, Jiang Ziquan walked to the school. It was still early, so Shen Yumo hadn’t finished work yet. 

Jiang Ziquan walked aimlessly around the school’s entrance, but this time the uncle guarding the gate didn’t bother her. Maybe it was because she had dyed her hair black and was wrapped up in several layers so she looked more like a strict and reliable person.

Well, she didn’t really care what he thought about her and smiled at him. 

Jiang Ziquan felt bored as she waited. It was snowing and she reached out to catch a few snowflakes. They felt cold as they floated onto their skin and couldn’t help but let out a playful smile. 

“Miss Jiang.”

A sudden shout and Jiang Ziquan was pulled back into reality. She looked up and it turned out to be Xu Yao. She frowned, her happiness suddenly reduced a few points. She felt no goodwill towards this person. 

“Miss Jiang, are you waiting for Teacher Shen?” This was Xu Yao’s first time seeing Jiang Ziquan near the school and he thought that maybe they were fighting and couldn’t help but secretly rejoice as he trotted over. 

“And you are?” Jiang Ziquan felt uncomfortable just looking at his face and so even if she knew him, she was going to pretend she didn’t. And she didn’t want to talk to him either. 

“I’m Xu Yao, a colleague of Teacher Shen. We met each other at Christmas dinner.” Xu Yao scratched his head. Every time he saw Jiang Ziquan he always felt like he wanted to explode in anger. 

Jiang Ziquan pretended to have just recognized him as she said, “Oh, so it turns out your my wife’s colleague. Thank you for looking after her.”

She put heavy emphasis on the word ‘wife’. 

Xu Yao likewise pretended to not care, and keeping up the honest teacher facade looked at his watch, “Teacher Shen won’t be coming out for another half of an hour. Do you have anything important you want to say to her? I can help pass on a message if you want.”

Jiang Ziquan immediately guessed what he was scheming in his heart. He wanted to use this as an opportunity to talk to Shen Yumo. Of course, she wasn’t going to just offer up her wife like that with both hands willingly. She replied with a melancholy expression: “That’s fine, I just came back from my business trip and really missed my wife. You probably already know, but Yumo is an exemplary teacher so she wouldn’t miss her work just for me. I also wouldn’t want her to do that so I can only wait here patiently for her.”

Xu Yao froze, his face slightly red as he coughed awkwardly a few times. Jiang Ziquan was basically telling him that her relationship with Shen Yumo was as good as ever, so he could only reluctantly reply, “You two have a great relationship.”

Jiang Ziquan raised an eyebrow, mission accomplished. She smiled, “Naturally.”

Xu Yao felt a shiver go down his back and quickly came up with an excuse as he walked away. 

Jiang Ziquan watched the angry Xu Yao walk off and felt relieved. Hmph, trying to steal my wife? Let’s see if you have that ability!

After waiting a while, Shen Yumo finally came out. Seeing Jiang Ziquan, she could guess what happened. 

“Have you eaten yet?” Shen Yumo asked. She was a little worried about Jiang Ziquan’s body. It was the middle of winter and it was snowing. Jiang Ziquan had just been released from the hospital and her complexion still hasn’t returned to the usual healthy glow. 

“No.” Hearing her concerned tone, Jiang Ziquan felt her heart sweeten up. She smiled and shook her head. She then looked over at Shen Yumo and handed her the cup of milk tea she had just bought on her way here. 

Shen Yumo glanced at it but did not accept it. Instead, she gently brushed off the snow piled on Jiang Ziquan’s shoulders. Perhaps because she had gotten used to Jiang Ziquan’s foolish face and staring, she didn’t say anything and propped open an umbrella, “It’s snowing and yet you didn’t bring an umbrella.”

Jiang Ziquan took the umbrella and held it, handing her the milk tea again. She was a little taller than Shen Yumo: “It’s such a short distance, so I didn’t think it was necessary to bring one.”

Shen Yumo glanced at her sideways without speaking and felt her hand grow warm from the tea in her hands. The last time milk tea was delivered to her was over half a month ago, but to her, it seemed like a lifetime. In this half of a month, without Jiang Ziquan appearing in front of her every day, Shen Yumo felt absent-minded and at a loss. 

“Teacher Shen, did you really agree to move in with me?” Jiang Ziquan asked carefully, “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. No need to take my mother’s words to heart.”

“Which words?”

Shen Yumo tilted her head and asked doubtfully. 

Jiang Ziquan felt somewhat embarrassed, her mother never said anything good about her and she replied sullenly, “Saying I’m a home economics idiot or something.” 

After blurting out that sentence, Jiang Ziquan felt ashamed and blushed bashfully. She avoided Shen Yumo’s eyes and didn’t dare to look up. 

“Haha.”

Shen Yumo laughed lightly, it was like looking at a blooming lotus on a snowy mountain. 

Every time Jiang Ziquan saw Shen Yumo’s genuine and gentle smile, she felt like she had met a fairy who had fallen from the heavens. Whenever those delicate pink lips moved, her heart would easily begin to beat faster. 

And so, even if she might get scolded by her mother for three or four days, she felt like coming out here to see Shen Yumo was worth it. 

“You really don’t know how to take care of yourself.” Shen Yumo didn’t want Jiang Ziquan to get angry and suppressed her laughter, “Auntie is right, however. As your wife, it is my responsibility to take care of you.”

Jiang Ziquan looked at Shen Yumo’s serious expression and couldn’t retort. Well, she didn’t really want to defend herself anyways. Having Yumo live with her was something she was happy about whenever she thought about it, so she only nodded dumbly in response. 

“Then thank you in advance.”

After some small talk, they arrived home. She drove Shen Yumo back to the Shen Family home to start moving Shen Yumo’s things. After tonight and another trip tomorrow, they should be able to move all of Shen Yumo’s into her apartment. 

Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen was more concerned about Jiang Ziquyan’s health. After seeing that there were no problems, Mrs. Shen relaxed and told her, “You need to pay more attention to your health in the future, money is only a materialistic thing, not something to sacrifice your body for.”

Jiang Ziquan scratched her neck. She never really worked that hard usually, and this time just wanted to make a little more money. However, as a result, she was hospitalized. Inwardly feeling a little embarrassed and said, “Mother, I understand, no need to worry.”

Mrs. Shen nodded with a smile. 

After dinner, Jiang Ziquan helped Shen Yumo pack up her things. Shen Yumo had just moved in with her parents to this new place, so a lot of her things were still packed up into cardboard boxes. Jiang Ziquan just had to pick up those boxes and throw them into her car. 

After a few trips up and down, Jiang Ziquan felt tired and there was sweat flowing down her forehead. 

“If you’re tired, you don’t need to continue.” Shen Yumo gave her a cup of hot water, “You should watch your health.”

Jiang Ziquan nodded, took a sip and wiped her sweat. She felt a little ashamed in her heart. Shen Yumo carried the same weight and yet she still looked relaxed. 

Jiang Ziquan could only blame it on her illness and that her strength hasn’t recovered yet. Therefore, it was only natural that she didn’t have as much energy as Shen Yumo. 

Mr. Shen, on the other hand, although slightly older, is still a man so physically he had a bit more strength than young girls who haven’t done any hard labor. The trips up and down weren’t so bad for him. 

He also walked towards them and worried over Jiang Ziquan’s health. 

That made Jiang Ziquan feel even more embarrassed. She didn’t even do much and yet was being treated like she had overworked herself again. She replied, “I’m fine, after a few days I will be back to normal.”

When they almost finished, Jiang Ziquan looked out the window and saw the weather outside. It was snowing and the wind was howling crazily. It looked like a blizzard was coming. 

“Ziquan, why don’t you stay here for the night? The snow is piling outside and the temperature is freezing at night, we don’t want you to catch a cold.” Mrs. Shen persuaded her. 

Hearing Mrs. Shen’s words, Jiang Ziquan immediately looked over at Shen Yumo. She had no expression on her face and Jiang Ziquan awkwardly fidgeted, “Mother, I need to clean my apartment before Yumo moves in, so I won’t be bothering you tonight. 

Mrs. Shen looked at Jiang Ziquan then at Shen Yumo and sighed, “Fine, be careful on your way out and drive safely.”

“Relax, I will.” Jiang Ziquan charmingly winked and then stood up, stretching, “Then I will be leaving first.”

“En.”

After saying goodbye to the Shen couple, Shen Yumo sent her out. The apartment was on a lower floor, so Jiang Ziquan didn’t bother going to the elevator and walked straight towards the stairs.

“There’s an elevator over here.” Shen Yumo quietly persuaded her when she saw Jiang Ziquan ready to take the stairs instead.

“Ah? This…well, walk with me for a bit.” Jiang Zioquan froze. When she had arrived, she followed Shen Yumo into the building and forced herself to take the elevator. This time, she didn’t even think about it and walked over to the stairs. She really didn’t like taking the elevator. 

Shen Yumo looked at her with doubt but saw the other party smiling back and could only say, “Ok.”

Although this building was in a more remote community, the facilities were up to date and the bright lights lit up as they walked down the stairs. 

Jiang Ziquan walked behind Shen Yumo, only seeing the back of her head and the sound of high heels clicking against the ground. 

One, two, one, two. Jiang Ziquan deliberately adjusted her pace so that it matched Shen Yumo’s and watched as their shadows overlapped. 

In the stairway, although there were two people walking, only one pair of footsteps could be heard. 

Shen Yumo stepped forward with her left foot, but didn’t lift her right foot and leaned against the stairs as she looked behind her. 

Jiang Ziquan appeared behind her and knowing that her thought must’ve been discovered, she could only smile.  

The two stared at each other for a while, silently without moving. Even the motion-activated lights in the stairwell had snuffed out. 

Shen Yumo fixed her stance and clapped her hands twice, the lights came on again. Her eyes were still adjusting to the lights and she didn’t know when, but Jiang Ziquan had appeared in front of her, her eyes now level with hers. 

Jiang Ziquan was naturally taller and smiled once more before leaning forward to hug Shen Yumo. Shen Yumo was shocked by the sudden hug and pushed, but fortunately, Jiang Ziquan used a lot of strength and held Shen Yumo tightly. Otherwise, Shen Yumo might’ve fallen. 

Shen Yumo’s body stiffened, the hot breaths tickling her neck caused her to subconsciously squirm a little as she whispered, “Ziquan?”

Jiang Ziquan breathed deeply, her nose filled with Shen Yumo’s scent. She wanted to hold the woman in her arms forever, but she knew now was not the appropriate time. She could only let go reluctantly and forced a smile as she calmly said, “Good night, Teacher Shen.”

With that said, Jiang Ziquan hurriedly ran down the rest of the stairs and disappeared in the next moment. Only the sound of her shoes could still be heard. 

Shen Yumo touched the area where Jiang Ziquan’s arms held her. Although it was surprising, she did not feel repulsed by it. Remembering the little movements Jiang Ziquan had made earlier, the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly. 

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T/N notes:

*Remember, Jiang Ziquan doesn’t like taking elevators. Something about being claustrophobic, it was in the earlier chapters.

[1] tsundere: outwardly cold but deep and passionate inside (The original text didn’t actually write tsundere but it was the same meaning so I thought this common phrase fit the situation well. In Chinese, there really isn’t a phrase to categorize it so it would’ve been wordier. That’s why I decided on using tsundere. Yes, I’m a weeb, I admit it. So what, fight me.)

Also, sharing an umbrella is sooooo cute~~ Relationship goals~~

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