Chapter 13: Reassurance

After a long day, Su Yi was utterly exhausted and practically collapsed onto the bed after her bath.

But as soon as she pulled the blanket over herself, she was enveloped by the scent of an unfamiliar man. The sensation was… a bit strange!

Reflecting on everything that had happened throughout the day, it all felt almost unbelievable.

She had only traveled to this world around noon, starting with being rescued after falling into the water. Then she ended up at the military base, had a confrontation with that pair of despicable people, unexpectedly helped two children, and even cooked a meal in someone else’s home!

By a twist of fate, she had secured a decent job that not only solved her immediate problems but also brought her closer to the male lead, fulfilling one of her goals.

The whirlwind of events left her with a mixture of disbelief and a sense of strange satisfaction, as if she had unknowingly taken a significant step forward in this new life.

Su Yi had thought she’d fall asleep quickly once she got into bed, but instead, she found herself increasingly awake.

Then she heard a knock at the door.

“Sister Su, can Nuannuan sleep with you tonight?”

Opportunity knocked just as she was struggling to stay awake! Su Yi quickly got out of bed and pulled Nuannuan in.

Sure enough, with Nuannuan by her side, Su Yi’s restless thoughts subsided, and both of them quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, when Su Yi opened her eyes, she was greeted by the unfamiliar and somewhat retro room. It was a stark reminder that she was indeed still in the 1980s.

As she was about to get up to make breakfast, she noticed that both children were already awake and were eagerly peering at her.

Su Yi smiled and greeted the children, “Good morning! Why are you up so early? Are you hungry?”

Ye Nuannuan giggled, “Brother was worried that when we woke up in the morning, you might be gone.”

Su Yi realized why Xiaowu had brought Nuannuan to her room the night before. The children were worried she might disappear! It was quite a nice feeling to be so cared for.

“Don’t worry, Sister isn’t going anywhere. Let’s see what we have for breakfast.”

Just as the three of them finished washing up and Su Yi was about to start making breakfast, she heard a knock at the door.

Hurrying to change into the clothes she had washed the night before, Su Yi opened the door to find several women standing outside. Two or three of them looked familiar—they were among the ones who had helped her confront the troublesome couple and Liu Dajie the night before.

Su Yi quickly greeted them with a smile.

When the women saw Su Yi at the door, they were surprised. “You… how come you’re here?”

Su Yi awkwardly smiled and quickly ushered them into the courtyard.

If she wanted to settle down comfortably in the compound, gaining public acceptance would definitely be the hardest hurdle. It seemed that the opinion of these women held significant weight in the compound.

Those who accompanied the troops had husbands with at least the rank of company commander or higher. Moreover, judging by their tone yesterday, they seemed to have considerable influence in the compound.

Thinking of this, Su Yi quickly brought out some chairs for them and greeted them warmly.

“Ladies, I was just about to look for you. I really appreciate your help with everything yesterday.”

One of the women explained, “We couldn’t stay at the guesthouse yesterday, and I saw that Commander Zhou was urgently looking for someone to take care of the children. Since I had no other place to go, I decided to stay and help out.”

When the others heard that Su Yi had stayed to take care of the children, they asked, “So that’s what happened. But since you’re not from our compound, how did Commander Zhou agree to it?”

Before Su Yi could respond, Xiaowu came over.

“Aunties, it was Nuannuan and I who asked Uncle Zhou to let her stay. Nuannuan was so scared yesterday; she kept holding onto Sister Su and wouldn’t let her leave. She even slept with Sister Su last night.”

Su Yi felt a warm surge of gratitude. Sometimes, it was better for the children to speak on her behalf rather than her explaining herself directly.

As expected, the women nodded in understanding. “Nuannuan must have been terrified by those troublemakers yesterday. Being hit and scolded, and even having people come to their door, shows just how much abuse they must have suffered in secret.”

“Indeed, Nuannuan is so young and has lost her mother. Seeing someone like Comrade Su, she must have developed a dependency.”

“Comrade Su, thank you for taking such good care of them. These two children are really pitiful.”

Su Yi nodded. “Sister, don’t worry. I also grew up in difficult circumstances, so I’ll definitely take good care of them. However—”

Noticing Su Yi’s troubled expression, the women immediately pressed for details.

“Sister, to be honest, my parents have threatened to break my legs and marry me off to a divorced old man if I go back home because of the broken engagement. I’m too afraid to return.”

“I initially thought it would be great to stay here and help with the children while having a place to stay. But since I’m new here and have already upset Deputy Company Commander Qin and Comrade Bai, I’m worried about being talked about.”

The women had already noticed how much the children liked and depended on Su Yi. They had come this morning to check on things and to bring some breakfast, as they were concerned about the lack of caregivers for the children.

With the issue of childcare settled, but still uncertain about her situation, the women reassured Su Yi. “Don’t worry about staying here. If anyone dares to talk badly about you, we’ll handle it!”

“Yes, just focus on taking care of the children. Leave the rest to us.”

Su Yi expressed her gratitude to everyone.

After the busy morning, the women left after giving a few more instructions and leaving breakfast. With a full meal and plenty of time ahead, Su Yi rolled up her sleeves and began tidying up. She started by taking off all the bedding and pillowcases to wash them, and she put the blankets and comforters out to air.

While Su Yi was busy, the children were not idle. One helped with sweeping the floor, and the other took a cloth to wipe down the tables and chairs.

After finishing the cleaning, Su Yi boiled a pot of hot water and washed both her and Nuannuan’s hair.

The sunny weather was perfect. After washing their hair, Su Yi and Nuannuan basked in the sun in the courtyard. Su Yi, feeling drowsy, reclined on the rocking chair and closed her eyes, resembling a contented cat.

Nuannuan, seeing this, followed suit, lying beside her and also closing her eyes. Soon, they were whispering and giggling together.

When Zhou Jingchuan arrived, he saw this scene: Su Yi and Nuannuan with their hair spread out like a waterfall on the chair, their smiles bright in the sunlight. The courtyard was adorned with clean bed linens and covers fluttering in the breeze.

Earlier that morning, Zhou Jingchuan had harbored some doubts, concerned about whether the twenty-year-old Su Yi could adequately care for the two children.

Zhou Jingchuan’s lingering doubts vanished as he saw Su Yi already hard at work early in the morning and the children’s happy smiles.

Xie Xiaojun, who had come with Zhou Jingchuan, was out of breath as he carried bags of rice and flour into the courtyard. Upon seeing Su Yi, he was startled. “Comrade Su, you really stayed! I thought Commander Zhou was joking with me!”

Su Yi, surprised by the sudden noise, quickly stood up with Nuannuan in her arms. “Commander Zhou, Comrade Xie, you’re here!”