Received A Wife From The Civil Affairs Bureau Ch.32

“Hello, you’re late”

Earlier….

The moment Shen Yumo stepped inside her grandmother’s house, her cousin, Yu Chengjia, had dragged her towards the bedroom. Shen Yumo let her hold her hand despite the fact that she didn’t like others touching her. This was because the two of them were the same age and had grown up together, so naturally, they were close to one another. 

Mrs. Shen didn’t mind either and instead happily let the two go do their own thing, “Chenjia, you take your time and catch up with Yumo. I’m going to speak to my brother for a little bit.”

Yu Chengjia nodded in agreement and pulled Shen Yumo into the bedroom. She fixed her eyes onto Shen Yumo as they sat down on the bed and smiled. 

Shen Yumo felt this feeling of someone scanning her and seeing through her thoughts was quite familiar….oh, that’s right. It was a bit like when Jiang Ziquan looked at her but not as intimate. 

Perhaps it was because she had suddenly remembered Jiang Ziquan because she suddenly felt awkward and pried her cousin’s hands off her shoulders and signaled with her eyes that she should start talking. 

Yu Chengjia conversed in some small talk with her and then got excited again as she asked in a tone that was fishing for gossip, “So did you really marry Jiang-senpai?”

To suddenly switch to this embarrassing topic and the asker was her close cousin, Shen Yumo’s face couldn’t help but turn red and she shyly brushed her hair behind her ears. However, she caught on to the keywords in that sentence and asked in a puzzled tone, “Jiang-senpai?”

“Yeah, I went to Mingxing too, remember? And Jiang-senpai was in the grade above me. Did you forget?”

Shen Yumo tried to remember the past. Her cousin had gone to school with her from kindergarten to junior high, but they separated after high school. She smiled and shook her head. It has been almost ten years so it was normal if she didn’t remember. 

“Now that I think about it, I seem to remember that was the first run-in with Jiang-senpai.” Yu Chenjia dug through her memories, vaguely remembering the situation at the time. She crossed her arms and began the story of Jiang Ziquan and Shen Yumo’s first encounter, although they both probably didn’t realize it at the time.

---

It was the spring of Yu Chenjia’s first year in high school. According to Yu Chenjia’s ‘accurate’ memory, it was the season when the flowers were in full bloom and everyone seemed to be falling in love. 

Back then, Yu Chenjia still wore her thick black hair in a long and straight style. She had bangs at the time a week and she was busy writing her homework when she heard a shout from one of her classmates. 

“Chengjia, your cousin is looking for you.” A high school boy appeared in her vision. He was full of energy as he smiled at her and although he was a boy, he wore his hair long enough that it covered his eyes and ear studs that were proudly displayed on his ears. 

Yu Chenjia shook her out of her geometry and looked up to see her cousin Shen Yumo, standing at the door and as beautiful as ever. No one stood within a meter of her like an invisible barrier had been drawn around her, but there were many students who watched her from afar. 

Yu Chengjia stood and walked over. The students at Minxing were not required to wear their school uniforms and each student had their own aesthetics. Every single one of them wore colorful and crazy clothes and they looked more like a circus than proper students. 

And there was Shen Yumo. Standing in the center, she wore a clean prim uniform that proudly displayed her status as a student from Bejin’s number one high school. Its classic style seemed to exude elegance with its pure white top and sleeves adorned with a light blue edge. Her pants were of a darker blue color that hugged her legs tightly. Maybe it’s because she’s been wearing it for two years now, but the uniform seemed to be worn out a little with some yellowing on the edges. Shen Yumo had also grown a little and her pants seemed a little short, revealing a little bit of her flawless skin.

Girls in high school also have well-developed figures but her somewhat baggy top had completely covered it. At first glance, she was just a somewhat tall-looking girl. However, that face of hers couldn’t be hidden. Her long and smooth face paired well with her high arched nose despite the lack of makeup. Although her black-framed glasses covered some of that beauty, it couldn’t hide the ruby red lips and those high cheekbones. Her hair was tied up, revealing the tender skin of her forehead and neck. All this made her stand out in the crowd of gaudily dressed students. Furthermore, as Yu Chenjia approached her, she swore she could smell the delectable scent of flowers blooming and it was coming from Shen Yumo’s body. 

Shen Yumo was biting her lip in apprehension. She felt anxious at being surrounded by so many people. There was a sense of helplessness in her eyes and light blush on her cheeks, an aggrieved expression on her face. These emotions that were so easily revealed on her face would later disappear when she became the strict Teacher Shen.

“Cousin, why are you here?” Yu Chengjia hurried forward and hugged her cousin’s arm, fearing that this shy cousin of her would die of embarrassment if she made her stand there any longer. At the same time, she shot glares at the nearby students and caused them to disperse. 

“Aunt wanted me to go home with you for lunch.” Shen Yumo pursed her lips, the blush on her face already fading. Her words were whispered in a soft voice, but it was different from the gentle, older sister voice she would later sound like and instead, it was the voice of a naive little girl. 

Yu Chenjia nodded and glanced up at the large round clock above the blackboard. It was already 12:20. Suddenly she slowed down as if she had forgotten something important. 

“Hello everyone, today I will be in charge of the lunchtime broadcast.” A voice sounded from the school’s PA system. 

“Ah! That’s right, how could I forget! Today is Jiang-senpai’s birthday!” Yu Chenjia’s face was flushed in a deep crimson color as she sat down at a nearby desk, pulling Shen Yumo to sit down next to her and her face full of excitement.

“Huh? Who is this Jiang-senpai?” Shen Yumo took a seat next to her and felt puzzled at her cousin’s excitement. 

“Jiang-senpai’s full name is Jiang Ziquan and she’s the Flower of Mingxing. I don’t know how many have fallen under her spell, but many had confessed to her, both male and female. Countless love letters had been thrown away by her hand and countless more confessions were rejected. Not only is she beautiful, but she can also sing, play the guitar and she’s good at drawing. She’s simply a goddess.” Yu Chengjia behaved like a crazy and obsessed fan as she wiped the drool that was falling from her mouth. Her voice raised in volume, “Today is Jiang-senpai’s birthday and she said she was going to write a letter for her future lover and perform it today.”

Shen Yumo looked down at her cousin who sighed dreamily, a vacant look in her eyes. She remembered that this type of madness had appeared in their school a few times. What did her teacher say it was again?

She racked her brains but could only come up with a few words, “Groupie? No, was it fangirl?” 

“Whenever Jiang-senpai speaks in that soothing voice of hers, I swear I am going to get pregnant. Cousin, you are really blessed to have witnessed something so divine today.”

Shen Yumo squinted at her in disbelief and said with disappointment, “Did you not listen during our Junior High’s biology class? How can you get pregnant just from hearing someone talk?”

Yu Chengjia: “……”

When the minute hand pointed to six, the sounds from the broadcasting room were cut off, except for the faint strumming of an electric guitar. 

“Hello everyone, I am Jiang Ziquan, a second-year student.” The Jiang Ziquan at the time had cut her hair short and no make-up on her face. Her face was clear and beautiful, but her figure was just too seductive, even for a high school student in her prime. She cleared her throat, and perhaps it was because she was trying to be serious, her voice sounded different from usual. 

“What do you think? Nice, isn’t it?” Yu Chenjia felt that Jiang Ziquan’s voice sounded even more sultry than usual and looked over at Shen Yumo. 

“Well, her voice is trembling a little.” As a person training to be a literature teacher, Shen Yumo also studied pronunciation of the language so that she could pick out speech patterns and other barely discernible differences in voices.

Yu Chenjia picked up her stacks of notebooks from underneath the table and set it between them, just so she didn’t have to look at her cousin’s strict expression anymore. She had never met anyone like her cousin that could make anyone feel so speechless.

Shen Yumo merely blinked twice and then said softly, “Cousin, your notebooks are too messy, let me help you organize them.”

After saying so, Shen Yumo immediately started sorting the pages in each notebook into different categories. Yu Chengjia couldn’t bother with her cousin’s OCD tendencies and focused with all her heart on listening to her goddess speak. 

“When I was younger, my parents told me that when the people in our family fall in love, it will always be love at first sight. They said it was a power granted to us from the heavens and they would always make me donate money at the temple as thanks to the heavens.” Jiang Ziquan paused as if she had thought of something. She smiled before continuing, “When I was ten years old, I would run to the park in the city center every day. There were so many people there that I thought that if I glanced into that vast sea of people, I would be able to tell that it was you at a glance. However, I am exactly seventeen today, and from that tender age of seven to this wild age of seventeen, from an ignorant child to a mature woman, I still haven’t found you yet in all these years. I can’t help but feel a little discouraged, a little sad. Have you lost your way on your journey to me? I often think that’s the reason why.”

A few low notes from the guitar sounded out and she continued, “I don’t even know you or what your name is. I don’t know if you’re like me and love blueberry-flavored milk tea or you are like the opposite of me and love drinking the hot chocolate that I hate. I don’t know if you are addicted to the mellow music of the Beatles or the strong rhythms of punk rock.”

“It doesn’t matter if we have similar likes or a completely different one, but I just want you to know that I am waiting for you. I will always be waiting for you. The books I’ve read have told me that seventeen is the most beautiful age for a girl. I want you to know that the love this most beautiful me feels for you is the most sincere and earnest of all love. Even if we haven’t even met each other yet, I believe that you will love me and I will forever love you. So, hey, are you just running late? Then when I meet you, I’ll say….”

“Hello, you’re late.” She said those last words so lightly and gently like they were floating in the wind.

“Ziquan!!!! Run, quickly run! Old man Zhao is coming!” A young man’s voice suddenly interrupted the serene silence. His blonde hair was a mess as he hurried over to report the news to Jiang Ziquan, a sheen of sweat dripping down his face. 

In the broadcasting room, Jiang Ziquan jumped in surprise. She quickly grabbed her guitar and was ready to dash out the door when she hadn’t even taken two steps yet before she stood face to face with an angry old man. 

“Jiang Ziquan, what are you doing!” 

The loud shout caused Jiang Ziquan to freeze-up and she could only look over at the blonde-haired boy, “Didn’t you say that old man Zhao was going out for lunch today?”

The blonde-haired boy could only shake his head and shrugged. Although it was his boss’s birthday today, it seemed like she won’t be able to avoid the fate of a stern lecture. 

This fat and old man was the head of the teachers, his surname is Zhao. Everyone called him Old Zhao, and to be caught by him, well, to put it simply, they were screwed.  

“You sure are brave, to actually dare to confess in the broadcasting room.” Old Zhao stomped his way over, glaring at Jiang Ziquan as he loomed over her. Then realizing that the PA system wasn’t turned off yet, he glanced at the trembling blonde boy. 

Beep……

“Pft-!” Yu Chengjia was moved to tears by Jiang Ziquan’s confession but was now laughing at this sudden change. She felt both worried and happy for her senpai and then gave Shen Yumo a complicated look as she asked, “So, cousin, what do you think of Jiang-senpai’s love letter?”

“Well, it’s okay overall.” Shen Yumo said hesitantly. Although she wasn’t a fangirl herself, she understood that fangirls will get angry if they’re stars are criticized. She didn’t know if she should tell the truth or not and only said something vague. 

However, Yu Chengjia was not used to seeing this version of Shen Yumo. She didn’t care if her cousin told her the truth, after all, her dear cousin was more important than someone like Jiang Ziquan. 

“I think she used a few words in the wrong way, there were some contradictions in there.” Shen Yumo lowered her head and then commented, “Her writing can still be improved.”

What Shen Yumo didn’t know was that this love letter with its few mistakes was the final product of Jiang Ziquan’s days of hard work. Jiang Ziquan had consulted many different books and researched so much to write something of this level, so if she had heard this comment she would’ve died of embarrassment.

Yu Chenjia burst into laughter at her cousin’s remark, “No wonder you’re going to be a teacher in the future, you’ve already started grading other people’s writing.”

Shen Yumo gave her a smirk in reply. 

And thus this concludes the story of Jiang Ziquan and Shen Yumo’s first encounter without actually meeting one another.

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Yu Chenjia waved her hand in front of the dazed Teacher Shen who was so different from her high school self. She smiled and said, “Do you remember now?”

“Ah, so it turns out that Little Jiang and Yumo had such a fateful encounter back in high school.” They didn’t know when Mrs. Shen appeared or how much she had heard, but from her words, it seemed like she had heard quite a bit, “Little Jiang is such a thoughtful child. She is very sincere and id good at a lot of things.”

Yu Chenjia nodded and then took out a box from beneath her bed, taking out a yellowed envelope, “Cousin, this love letter is for you, so I believe it’s time to return it to the rightful owner.”

Shen Yumo looked at her in surprise and then looked at the letter.

Yu Chenjia giggled a few times and explained, “Back then, Senpai had hand-written a total of 17 copies of her letter, and then numerous more were photocopied and distributed to various Mingxing students.” Seeing Shen Yumo’s expression, she waved her hand, “I only had a photocopy of the letter at the time, but I brought this topic up some time ago at our class reunion and I got a handwritten version from my Class President.”

Shen Yumo bit her lip and looked up at Yu Chengjia and then at her expectant mother. She hesitantly accepted the letter. It felt warm to the touch and seemed to burn in her hands. 

After eating, Shen Yumo naturally sneaked away to look through the letter carefully. Her hands brushed against the letters on the paper, and one could still feel the groves of it. She could tell that Jiang Ziquan had written it with all her heart. 

Her handwriting had changed over the years. The characters were decent and because she was writing a love letter, Jiang Ziquan had tired her best to make it elegant and fairy-like. However, from this letter, she could tell that Jiang Ziquan had matured. 

She felt that it was a little strange. It was clear that the Jiang Ziquan she knew was the matured version and although she looked unreliable, she puts all of her heart into the things that really matter and was actually someone you could rely on. 

Before she could think of anything else, her phone started ringing. 

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Shen Yumo laid on the bed, her thoughts on Jiang Ziquan’s letter and Jiang Ziquan’s panicked expression as she fled. 

“Childish in high school and mature after graduation.” Shen Yumo murmured a few words and then smiled. However, that childish Jiang Ziquan from high school hasn’t completely faded away yet.

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