Received A Wife From The Civil Affairs Bureau Ch.27

Su Yan’s concert was being held up north, not too far from Beijin, in a city called Beilin. The two agreed to take the high-speed rail together to reach their destination. 

Although Shen Yumo grew up in Beijin, she went to school down south, so she never had a chance to visit the northern city. She was not familiar with the area and so watched the scenery outside the window with great interest. 

Unlike in Beijin, there were mountains and freshwater that were more suitable for retirement. Beilin can also be considered a relatively large city full of thrills and liveliness. It was because of the city’s reputation that the famous superstar, Su Yan, decided to hold a concert there. 

Jiang Ziquan sat beside Shen Yumo, but because she constantly went up north to take on jobs, the same old scenery she has grown sick of seeing did not capture her attention. 

Instead, she was playing with the phone in her hand, taking a fierce bite out of her pear as her other hand furiously typed out words. Her radiant smile showed that something on the screen caused her to be in a happy mood. 

“Teacher Shen, I have a friend in Beilin, would you like to meet them?” Jiang Ziquan gulped down her bite of pear and asked excitedly as she tilted her head.

“Huh?” Shen Yumo’s gaze shifted from the scenery outside to Jiang Ziquan’s face. She glanced at the phone in her right hand and the pear in her right hand. Then she looked up at her raised eyebrows, her tall nose and finally, her eyes fell on that pair of luscious red lips.

There was some pear juice on her lips, a crystal clear glistening liquid that made her lips look unpredictable. 

Shen Yumo swallowed, her mouth feeling dry.

Jiang ZIquan blinked twice and then reached into the bag beside her to take out another pear. She thought that Shen Yumo wanted to eat one but was too embarrassed to ask. She smiled and handed one to Shen Yumo, “I’ve already washed these pears, so you can have one. They taste pretty well too.”

“Ah, thank you.” Shen Yumo bashfully accepted the pear, trying to dispel those strange thoughts in her heart and keep her expression neutral. She tried a bite, the taste was not bad, but the coldness of the fruit caused her gums to hurt slightly: “What were you saying just now?”

“The last time I went on a business trip to the north, I met a boss who now calls himself my brother. He was my client and took good care of me and Lin Cuo last time. He saw in my WeChat that I was going up to Beilin for a concert and said that he wanted us to stay at a hotel because he’s friends with the owner. Although I am quite familiar with Beilin, I don’t know anyone else who has a permanent residence near Beilin. So I guess you could say we are close friends now.” Jiang Ziquan explained, then seeing Shen Yumo frown, she hurriedly said, “However, it’s purely just friendship and he is happy marriage with a great woman.”

Shen Yumo gave her an annoyed glance, she wasn’t questioning their relationship, so she didn’t need to know any of that information. 

Jiang Ziquan carefreely took another bite and as if seeing through Shen Yumo’s thoughts, she smiled and explained, “Right now I am pursuing you, so I have to clarify my relationships with other people, whether they are opposite-sex or same-sex. What if you mistake something and thought that I was in an unspeakable relationship with another person? Wouldn’t that be bad?”

“I will not make such a mistake.”

Shen Yumo’s face was flushed slightly red as she glared at Jiang Ziquan.

“Ok, ok. You definitely won’t.” Jiang Ziquan raised her hands in surrender and nodded with a smile. It was rare to see Shen Yumo’s tsundere side, so she felt like it was so cute that her heart might explode, “Then you’re ok with meeting him?”

“En.” After saying so, Shen Yumo took another bite of her pear. She was sulking a little bit because of her embarrassing answer just now. 

Jiang Ziquan nodded and her fingers moved quickly as she typed out the words and sent the message. 

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Chen Guangbiao was very satisfied by the designs Jiang Ziquan and Lin Cuo had made for him. He understood how much effort the two girls put into working on his own house, so naturally, he had a good impression of them. Later, when Lin Cuo told him that Jiang Ziquan had fallen ill after going back to Beijin, he was heartbroken for her and almost cried tears of blood. People from Fengbei put extra emphasis on taking care of friends and family and last time, since Jiang Ziquan wanted to hurry home, they had only held a smiling farewell feast for them. This time, seeing as how Jiang Ziquan was coming up north with her wife, he wanted to give them the best treatment he had to offer and asked them to say at a hotel located in the city’s center. 

“Jiang Ziquan.”

Jiang Ziquan dragged the luggage behind her and at the same time helped Shen Yumo off the train. She looked around when she heard her name and saw Brother Biao standing to the side. She pointed a finger: “Yumo, he’s over there.”

Shen Yumo followed her ginger and saw a bearded man wearing a large green army coat. This was Chen Guangbiao. Just like Jiang Ziquan had said, although he looked somewhat rough, he did not look like a bad person. His slender wife stood beside him and she seemed like a hard-working woman. Standing side by side, the two looked perfect together. 

Jiang Ziquan carried their luggage and smiled as she walked over, “Brother Biao, Sister Wen, long time nos ee. This is my wife, Shen Yumo.”

“Hello, I am Shen Yumo.”

“Nice to meet you, I am Zhang Wen. Teacher Shen, you’re even prettier than your votes, like a celebrity on TV.” Zhang Wen’s eyes were curved like crescent moons as she smiled. However, her voice sounded a little hoarse, probably because she caught a cold.

“Sister Wen is also very pretty.”

Chen Guangbiao was not one for small talk and picked up the two people’s luggage and loudly said, “Ladies, this winter weather is not kind. It’s better to go inside and quickly warm up. If you have anything to say, wait until we get to the hotel.”

The two shared a glance. 

Shen Yumo: “Brother Biao’s has an adorable personality.”

Jiang Ziquan: “Told you that you would like him.”

Sitting in the passenger’s seat, Zhang Wen turned around and handed them each a hand warmer. Seeing the two stare at each other without talking, she sighed with emotion, “You two lovebirds remind me of when Guangbiao and I just got married. We were like two peas in a pod, stuck together like glue, and didn’t want to separate from each other. In a blink of an eye, so many years have passed. And in my opinion, I think you two will also happily grow old together.”

Shen Yumo didn’t know what to say and only smiled, her hands fidgeting with the hand warmer. 

Jiang Ziquan glanced at Shen Yumo fidgeting and felt pleased. In her heart, they were definitely going to live together happily and grow old together.

In the driver’s seat, Chen Guangbiao’s face was flushed red: “Why are you saying such embarrassing and gossipy words for?”

His expression, combined with his flushed face, looked out of place with his villain-like features, causing the other three to laugh. 

When Chen Guangbiao turned off the car, they had arrived at a restaurant. Jiang Ziquan told them in advance that Shen Yumo was more of a vegetarian, so with the vegetable dishes and the many plates of meat, they had ordered a full table of food and a few bottles of wine.

Remembering what happened the last time Brother Biao drank, Jiang Ziquan felt terrified. Brother Biao had a high alcohol tolerance and drank fiercely. Although she didn’t know how much Teacher Shen could drink, she estimated it probably wasn’t a lot and she wouldn’t just sit there and she wouldn’t be able to bear it if Shen Yumo felt uncomfortable afterward. 

Shen Yumo was also shocked by Brother Biao’s alcohol tolerance, but she did know that people from Fengbei tended to be good at drinking. However, she felt a bit worried for Jiang Ziquan and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “You should drink less and pay attention to your health.”

“I know.” Jiang Ziquan wasn’t stupid. Furthermore, tonight she was sharing the same bed with Teacher Shen. Although she didn’t expect anything to happen, it would be good enough if they could chat while lying next to each other. However, that can’t happen if she fainted from drinking too much.

After eating for a while, Shen Yumo stood up and went to the bathroom. Jiang Ziquan wanted to accompany her but then seeing Brother Biao winking at her, she stopped. 

Brother walked over and patted her shoulder, a strange look in his eyes, “Sister Quan, although I’ve given you a chance by booking this love hotel, you must be the one to take control, got it?”

“L-love hotel?” Jiang Ziquan did not have any experience in this department and not to mention, they haven’t even progressed that far in the relationship. They were nowhere near that level, a thought that made Jiang Ziquan feel saddened as she gulped down her wine. 

“Also, don’t worry about this wine. Its alcohol content is very low so you can drink as much as you want without worry. Just think of it as liquid courage for later tonight.” Chen Guangbiao could tell that Jiang Ziquan was holding back on her drinking and he also guessed that for two young people to be alone together on a vacation, they were not there to just drink and eat. After all, he was a scoundrel at heart as well. 

Jiang Ziquan nodded and then looked over at Sister Wen’s approving glance. They were both looking at her with knowing gazes as if they knew some secret she didn’t. She understood that because she’s been single for the past 28 years of her life when it comes to matters of the heart and other things, she was still a child. Even Shen Yumo had a former fiance and maybe a few previous ex-boyfriends. Just the thought of that made her want to cry angry tears. 

When Shen Yumo came back out, she saw that Jiang Ziquan’s eyes were red. She thought that Brother Biao had bullied her into drinking too much and placed a few more vegetables into her bowl and comforted her softly, “You should eat some more vegetables.”

“Ok.”Fearing that Shen Yumo might notice something from her expression, Jiang Ziquan lowered her head and obediently ate her vegetables. 

After dinner, Brother Biao handed the keys to their room to Shen Yumo and then gave Jiang Ziquan one last look before starting the car.

Jiang Ziquan felt somewhat guilty and didn’t look Brother Biao in the eye. After drinking so much, although the content wasn’t high, she felt a little dizzy and her face was read. 

Sitting in the backseat with her, Shen Yumo saw that Jiang Ziquan was swaying. To make her feel better, Shen Yumo reached out her hand and gently pushed Jiang Ziquan’s head to rest on her shoulder. Jiang Ziquan moved around in the crook of her neck, trying to find the most comfortable position. It felt ticklish to her, but eventually, Jiang Ziquan stopped moving and the sounds of even breathing could be heard. 

“Her drunk self is pretty obedient.”

Half an hour later, Jiang Ziquan woke up, feeling a little groggy. She followed Shen Yumo into the hotel with her luggage, but she suddenly felt the urge to smoke. She hadn’t smoked since they got on the high-speed rail and now she was feeling a little agitated and badly needed to calm down. She knew that Shen Yumo would definitely not let her smoke inside, so she decided to go outside instead. 

Shen Yumo gave her a glance but went into the room first. 

Jiang Ziquan found a place to smoke and had just puffed out a breath when Shen Yumo came over with a flushed face. She scratched her head and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Yumo looked at Jiang Ziquan who was covered in a cloud of smoke. She wasn’t used to her smoking and then hesitantly asked, “This…did you book that room?”

Jiang Ziquan took one more puff and then put it out, throwing it in the ashtray with an uncomfortable expression. She had fallen asleep and forgotten about the fact that this was a love hotel, “No, it was Brother Biao who did. What’s wrong with it?”

Shen Yumo gave her a doubtful look, but seeing her expression she didn’t press her and said, “Go and take a look.”

Jiang Ziquan let out a sigh of relief. Technically, she wasn’t lying. The room was booked by Brother Biao and she only kinda knew about it. I feel like my shamelessness just went up another level. 

Jiang Ziquan confidently walked up and into the room. From the first glance, as least as far as she was concerned, it wasn’t that bad. 

The overall design of the room was slightly old-fashioned with a large round bed placed in the middle. There were purple curtains for privacy and pink and red rose petals scattered on the blankets. A light fragrant scent filled the room and the soft carpeting felt good beneath her feet.

The only thing that suggested something ambiguous about the room was the traditional painting hanging above the bed. In the painting, there were two women wearing very little clothing as their legs were intertwined, lying next to each other, their eyes suggesting something. 

Jiang Ziquan suddenly felt her body was on fire and took the scarf off her neck. Brother Biao’s taste wasn’t overly suggestive and it was actually a nice design. If it was a specifical color with an overt sexual design, she knew that Shen Yumo would definitely slit her throat in anger. Sister Wen probably helped with the design. 

“Do you want to change rooms?”

“Do you feel satisfied now?” Shen Yumo had a sullen look on her face. She was already 28-years-old, how could she not know the meaning behind this room? She naturally understood what was going on.

“I-” Jiang Ziquan sighed, a rare frustration in her voice. She found a wooden chair to the side and sat down, her tone a little impatience, “I understand what you are thinking, but I will not touch you. Of course, you probably didn’t have any such thoughts about me either.”

Shen Yumo could hear a few degrees of grievance in her words, but feeling that she had done nothing wrong, she refused to reply. Then she went back to unpacking. 

The room was silent and although Shen Yumo was quietly unpacking, every move she made sounded loud in the awkward silence. 

Jiang Ziquan just sat there and watched. She knew she was acting like a child throwing a fit and that she was the one in the wrong. Without asking and without her permission, she had brought a strict and serious person like Shen Yumo to this love hotel. Although she didn’t expect the room to be like this, she did agree to it by not refusing Brother Biao. Also, it was technically her victory since she was actually able to get Shen Yumo to agree to stay in the room together in the first place. 

However, there was a sense of frustration building that threatened to overwhelm her. It was like something was choking her heart and suffocating her, but she didn’t know how to relieve that pain. 

She didn’t know what she should do, but in the end, she just knew that she was unhappy and continued to watch Shen Yumo.

Shen Yumo finished unpacking and looked up to see that it was 10 in the evening. She glanced at Jiang Ziquan who was still sitting there in a daze and said uncomfortably, “I’m going to take a bath.”

“Oh.” Jiang Ziquan nodded dumbly and gave her a puzzled look. Why was she telling her this?

Shen Yumo frowned and gave her a look. Jiang Ziquan blanked for a moment and then glanced towards the bathroom. The design, like the room, was old-fashioned, so the bathtub was styled like the ones in an ancient drama with a touch of the modern look. It was also an open bath, so from where she was sitting, she could clearly see everything. Jiang Ziquan blushed and stood up quickly, stiffly walking to her luggage to take out a cloth sash, a makeshift blindfold, “This cloth is effective at blocking out light.”

Afraid that Shen Yumo wouldn’t believe her, she handed it to her. Shen Yumo glanced at it but didn’t reach out to take it. 

Jiang Ziquan pursed her lips and then stood up to sit further into the room. After sitting far enough, she really couldn’t see anything, but she turned her back to the bathtub and put on her blindfold anyways. 

Shen Yumo bit her lip. Maybe she was being too vigilant against Jiang Ziquan. Plus, Jiang Ziquan seemed to be angry about something and wasn’t focusing on her. Thinking like this, she prepared the bath and then gently took off her clothes as she gingerly entered the water. The hot water soaked her tired body and she let out a small sigh in satisfaction. 

Soon her half of the room was covered in steam so that no half of her body was obscured by the mist alone. Seeing some roses next to the tub, she reached out and grabbed some, sprinkling it gently into the water. 

There was also some soothing music coming from who knows where, so the Shen Yumo who was immersed in the water, felt that her fatigue was being washed away. Her mood significantly improved as she relaxed. 

But Jiang Ziquan was suffering. She had put on a blindfold that robbed her sight but had heightened her hearing, increasing her sensitivity by a few degrees. The small sounds of water splash seemed to be amplified several times in her ears. 

Slippp….

The sound of Shen Yumo stripping off her clothes. 

Splash…

The sound of Shen Yumo entering the water.

Drip, drip, drip.

The sounds of Shen Yumo wiping her body. 

Jiang Ziquan almost collapsed from the stimulation and the steam from the hot water gradually drifted over, clinging to her skin. It only heightened her imagination and she could only hold on by chanting Buddhist mantras in her heat. This wasn’t helping, it was only saying for her to suffer. 

After a while, Jiang Ziquan couldn’t stand it anymore. She stood up and blindly touched the walls, trying to find the door. On the way out, she didn’t know how, but she must’ve accidentally bumped the switch that turned on the music. Fortunately, it wasn’t the jarring type of music, so she left it alone and quickly found her way outside. Then she went down the stairs to smoke again. 

Although there was some heating outside, it couldn’t be compared to the warmth inside and she had walked out barefoot. The chill went straight to her bones, so those strange thoughts of hers flew away. In fact, she was more afraid of becoming a frozen popsicle at this point. 

Shen Yumo finished the bath and stepped out, looking around. She wondered where Jiang Ziquan had stumbled off too. She had her eyes closed and her back facing her, so she didn’t know when Jiang ZIquan had walked out. 

Jiang Ziquan stood frozen outside for more than an hour. Thinking that Shen Yumo was probably done by now, she quickly ran back inside and entered the room. 

“Where have you been?” Shen Yumo asked, pausing her hair wiping motion. She thought that maybe Jiang Ziquan was still angry. 

Jiang Ziquan waved a hand, suppressing her perverted thoughts and put on a serious expression, “I’m going to take a bath too.”

However, in Shen Yumo’s eyes, this made it seem like Jiang Ziquan was still angry and the serious type of anger. Yet, she couldn’t do anything and turned her back to Jiang Ziquan, “I’m nearsighted and can’t see well, so you don’t need to worry.” 

Jiang Ziquan: “…”

I am so unlucky.

Shen Yumo turned on the hairdryer and the sound was loud. Although Jiang Ziquan didn’t enjoy the same quiet atmosphere that Shen Yumo did during her bath, the hot water was still soothing to her body. She felt better and there were even nice smelling roses floating in the water. Even if she wasn’t able to do that with Shen Yumo, at least she got to enjoy something out of it. So this trip could be said to have been worth it.

Shen Yumo dropped Jiang Ziquan’s dirty clothes into the laundry basket. The clothes had a strong stench of tobacco on it. Although Jiang Ziquan smokes, she wasn’t addicted to it. Sometimes when Shen Yumo did her laundry, she could smell a faint tobacco scent, but this was the first time it was so obvious. 

Did she perhaps misjudge her and unjustly blamed Jiang Ziquan?

Was Jiang Ziquan so aggrieved that she had gone outside to smoke?

Jiang Ziquna didn’t know what Shen Yumo was thinking and enjoyed her bath. After stepping out of the water, she looked at the pajamas prepared for her by the hotel. The pajamas were….erotic to say the least and exposed a lot of skin. It didn’t look pretty at all. She threw it to the side.

Forget it, I’m going to wear my own. 

Jiang Ziquan put on her own pajamas from home and jumped into the bed. It was unexpectedly quite soft and she closed her eyes in content. She rolled forward and sank into the soft mattress. 

Although the person doing this movement had pure intentions, if another person saw it, they would not think so. Such as a certain Teacher Shen. 

Teacher Shen was still finishing up her nightly routine and putting on her moisturizer when she saw Jiang Ziquan arching her body forward like an earthwork. Accompanied by the creaking sound from the bed, one can imagine what type of scene that was. 

Jiang Ziquan turned around onto her bed, her two slender legs crossed as she scrolled through her phone. She was looking through her Weibo but was frowning, causing Shen Yumo to feel a little guilty and that maybe she had overblown the matter. 

In reality, Jiang ZIquna was frowning because her favorite esports team had lost so naturally, she was in a bad mood. Just as she wanted to type in some comments, she felt the mattress suddenly dip. For some reason, she instantly felt a sense of shyness.

Shen Yumo lifted the covers and entered the bed, moving her long hair to the side as she asked, “You’re not going to keep laying?”

“En.” Jiang Ziquan nodded dumbly. Sitting up to put her phone on the bedside table. She slowly lifted the covers and laid on the bed. 

Both of them stared at the ceiling, seeing the stars that were projected by a lamp above them. 

“Teacher Shen, do you know about the Jiang family’s legacy?” Jiang Ziquan placed a hand behind her head, blinking as she looked at the stars above her head. She felt like the mood was right to say something.

“En.” Shen Yumo had heard Jiang Ziquan’s mother mention that the Jiang family had an ability that allowed them to fall in love with their soulmates at first sight. She also understood the idea of love at first sight, but why did Jiang Ziquan bring it up now?

Jiang Ziquan sighed almost inaudibly. 

“Ever since I could remember, our family had this almost cheat-like ability. With one look we can tell whether we love that person or not and without the unsure feelings that most people usually have, our family seemed to chase after the person we love with all our might. We were told, depending on the outcome, we would either be happy our entire lives or live a life of loneliness. But we only had this one chance. Doesn’t this seem like a cheat-like ability to you?”

She smiled self-deprecatingly.

“The first person to confess to me was a girl. At the time I was only seven or eight. I don’t remember what she looks like anymore, I only remember her pale face vaguely. I was so young then and didn’t understand, so I smiled and told her: ‘I don’t like you. My love at first sight is not you.’ That girl’s lips trembled and she ran home, crying without pause. When my brother found out, he punched me, but I didn’t understand why.”

“After I grew a little older, I asked my brother why he had hit me that day. Do you know what he said?”

Shen Yumo looked at the serious expression on her face and shook her head. 

“He told me that not everyone can meet the right person the first time like us. Most people accumulated their experience through repeat failures and then find the one that suits them the best. She said that the girl might not have been the right person to me and it was fine to refuse her. However, by using the ‘love at first sight’ reason was a perfunctory refusal, a cold-hearted rejection that could’ve scarred the girl. If in the future she is unable to find love because of this setback, she would have become the biggest victim.”

“I still didn’t understand what he meant, but I listened to his advice. So whenever I rejected someone, I would always reject them seriously.”

This was Shen Yumo’s first time hearing Jiang Ziquan talk about this. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat touched. A young Jiang Ziquan must’ve had countless confessions, “You do this to show respect to the other party?”

Jiang Ziquan smiled, “Yes, but that’s not quite correct. It’s not only to show respect to the other person but to show respect to you as well.”

“Me?” Shen Yumo frowned.  

“You probably guess it by now, but you are my love at first sight. Therefore, my first love, my first kiss, my first everything will only be yours.”

“However, I’m like a level 0 newbie when it comes to love. I don’t know how to pursue you, I’ve only accumulated experience from rejecting people. My brother also said that the attitude I have towards the people I like determines how they will treat me.”

Shen Yumo looked into those chestnut eyes and didn’t know what to say. Maybe others wouldn’t have believed Jiang Ziquna’s story, but she believed most of it. After all, her grandfather was also an unbelievable existence with unfathomable powers.

“Teacher Shen, although I’m level 0 when it comes to pursuing, I know not to cross the line. So, Shen Yumo, please don’t be angry, ok?”

Jiang Ziquan was staring straight into their eyes, those eyes filled with nothing but deep and restrained love for her. Jiang Ziquan didn’t know how she could express that deep love without scaring her away. 

Shen Yumo turned her head away, her face flushing and heart beating fast as she whispered, “You’re obviously already at the maximum level.”

However, poor Jiang Ziquan was still overwhelmed by her distress and did not hear what she said. 

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T/N notes:

Do you know how many words this chapter was?!! 4, 632 English words! That’s longer than an average chapter of Harry Potter! Ahhhh my hands, they hurt so badly!! 

Open baths look kinda like this:

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