Of course, nothing is absolute, and Shen Chi made an exception only twice—the first time was in his past life when he didn’t insist on keeping Lin Xiaoguai and agreed to the divorce to let her go; the second time was in this life, also for Lin Xiaoguai, only she hadn’t realized it yet.
Although Shen Chi didn’t know about his past life’s matters, just by looking at the compromises he made in this life, he understood that his feelings for Wanwan were far deeper than he had thought.
He didn’t even feel regret afterward.
Therefore, he must, absolutely must fully possess her.
Shen Chi’s gaze grew deep as a faint smile curved his lips, and he closed his eyes while holding his wife and son.
Early in the morning, Lin Xiaoguai was dug out of her bedcovers by Shen Chi, and after washing up, she wasn’t even allowed to make breakfast; they went out directly with their son.
When presenting their passes at the security office, the family of three attracted quite a crowd—the young Lieutenant Colonel who had just arrived, along with his beautiful wife and adorable son, were already the talk of the military region.
Now that Shen Chi had reached a rank at which requesting a car was simple, and having learned to drive in the military, he didn’t even need to find a driver.
Little Niangao was extremely excited to ride in a small military jeep for the first time, most interested in the steering wheel held in his dad’s hands; without Lin Xiaoguai holding him back, he’d probably have pounced on the steering wheel already.
Since he wasn’t familiar with the roads, Shen Chi had asked around prior to coming and brought a map, but at that time, the roads were easier to find, and they didn’t spend much time reaching the city center.
After parking the car, Shen Chi took his wife and son to eat breakfast at a bun shop. The cost of living in Shanghai was indeed higher than in county or provincial cities but wasn’t as exorbitant as in the future since those luxury brand stores had yet to appear.
"By the way, do you have a color TV ticket, refrigerator ticket, washing machine ticket, and Bicycle Ticket with you?" Lin Xiaoguai suddenly remembered after leaving the bun shop.
"Of course, I have them," Shen Chi replied, somewhat amused and helpless. He hadn’t expected his wife to have such a forgetful moment.
After parking the car, Shen Chi led them to the First Department Store in Shanghai. Back then, the store wasn’t as large as in later years—just a two-story building with textiles, audiovisual products, watches and glasses, stationery, and other goods on the first floor, while various appliances were displayed on the second floor.
At that time, there wasn’t much variety in appliances, so it didn’t take much effort for them to pick out a twenty-one-inch color TV, the largest capacity refrigerator, a drum washing machine, a permanent-brand bicycle and a red bicycle, and also a pushcart for Little Niangao.
However, Lin Xiaoguai wasn’t quite satisfied with the wicker pushcart they had bought; everything else was fine, but the lack of a sunshade and the inability to fold made it inconvenient for her.
There was no way they could carry all these items home at once, fortunate Shen Chi spoke with the store manager, who agreed to help deliver the refrigerator, washing machine, bicycle, and the second bicycle after seeing how many valuable appliances they purchased. On hearing Shen Chi mention the Military District’s address, the manager’s attitude became even more respectful.
The color TV and baby pushcart, on the other hand, fit perfectly in the military jeep.
Furthermore, Shen Chi also took Lin Xiaoguai to buy some expensive fabrics and money. Passing by the market, they also picked up some vegetables to take home.
"By the way, where are we going to put the bicycle and the second bicycle?" Lin Xiaoguai thought of an issue when they got home.
At that time, bicycles and Soviet-style bicycles were considered valuable property; it wasn’t that she mistrusted the quality of soldiers, rather that all kinds of people exist in the world, and any group might contain individuals who harm the collective. Not to mention, civilian families lived in the military residential building as well.
Nobody had decreed that military dependents had to be of impeccable character.
"Don’t worry, I’ve thought it all through," Shen Chi reassured her, pulling out a key from his pocket, "There’s a two-square-meter stairwell on the first floor that nobody uses; it’s enough to store two bicycles. I got the key from the logistics office."
Lin Xiaoguai felt relieved and instructed Shen Chi to move the color TV to the center of the living room, plug it in, and turn it on.
Back then, there weren’t as many channels as in later years, and of course, there weren’t as many commercials either. In fact, due to the scarcity of entertainment, people even found commercials captivating.
Lin Xiaoguai flipped through several channels and found only the "Huo Yuanjia" show worth watching, so she put down the remote control.
She didn’t have high expectations for the color TV herself, but Shen Chi was not the same. Little Niangao was even more intrigued by that box with people inside it, staring with wide eyes, unblinking.