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During breakfast, Zhou Jinchuan shared his plan with the three of them to help reassure the children.
“I’m planning to find a way to formally adopt Nuannuan and Xiaowu. Are you willing?”
“What?”
“Really?”
Ye Xiaowu’s face lit up with excitement at the news that Zhou Jinchuan wanted to adopt him and Nuannuan. This meant that the woman would no longer come to take Nuannuan away.
Ye Nuannuan didn’t fully understand what it meant, but seeing her brother’s happiness, she knew it was a good thing.
Su Yi’s first reaction was disbelief. Could a single man even adopt children? But then she realized that since it was only 1980, the adoption laws hadn’t yet been implemented, so the process might not be very strict.
However, would the Zhou family in Beijing agree? And would the military, with Zhou Jinchuan’s promising future as a commander, approve it easily?
Realizing this, Su Yi directly asked, “If the adoption were done under my name, wouldn’t it be faster?”
Zhou Jinchuan was taken aback, not expecting Su Yi to care so much about the children.
The children’s father was his brother, and he would do his utmost for his brother. However, Su Yi had no direct connection to the children.
In truth, Su Yi hadn’t thought much about it; she was just considering which option might be simpler and quicker. Besides, being alone in this world, having two children to care for would mean having real family.
Upon hearing that the adoption could be done under Su Yi’s name, Ye Xiaowu and Ye Nuannuan seemed even more excited than before.
Seeing their excitement, Zhou Jinchuan shook his head with a smile, thinking to himself that Su Yi had made more of an impact in a few months than he had with his years of effort.
Turning to look at Su Yi, who seemed even happier than the children, he said, “Yes, it would be simpler and faster. But since your household registration is still in the countryside, you’d need to move it here first.”
Su Yi realized this; indeed, they wouldn’t easily agree to such a request. If she could use this opportunity to transfer her household registration from the countryside, it would be a gain for her.
“Is it easy to transfer my household registration?”
“It might be a bit complicated.”
Ye Xiaowu, hearing this, became even more anxious than Su Yi.
Ye Xiaowu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, “Uncle Zhou, I heard from Aunt Yao that if Sister Su Yi gets married in the city, her household registration could be transferred here.”
Su Yi gave him a mock angry look, “Oh, you little rascal, how can you eavesdrop on us from so far away?”
However, Ye Xiaowu’s suggestion made sense. If she got married, she would have a legitimate reason to transfer her household registration from her previous family, and she wouldn’t have to return to that home.
The problem was, she hadn’t planned on getting married!
[I don’t even have a potential partner, so how could I get married?]
[I’ve been putting off meeting the two people Aunt Yao and Aunt Zheng wanted to introduce me to.]
[Last time, Xu Xiaoqin mentioned her brother is quite a catch, but he’s still away on a mission.]
[Maybe I should at least check out the introductions from Aunt Yao. Who knows—]
“Cough.” Zhou Jinchuan couldn’t hold back any longer and interrupted, “You don’t have to go through the trouble of getting married. There’s another way—transferring your household registration through a work transfer is also possible.”
“If you want to transfer your household registration, we can certainly give it a try. As for the adoption, we can discuss that later.”
Su Yi was somewhat surprised. “But I’m just an external hire for the cafeteria. Do I even qualify?”
Zhou Jinchuan nodded seriously, “Yes, it’s possible.”
Su Yi’s face lit up with a smile. “If that’s the case, that would be wonderful!”
She hadn’t planned to return to her old home, but it seemed she would need to go back before the Spring Festival. It might be a good opportunity to completely sever ties with her past.
Ye Xiaowu, having overheard the conversation, hesitated and dared not speak up.
Is getting married that complicated?
He had been hoping to play matchmaker between Su Yi and Zhou Jinchuan, but before he could say anything, Zhou Jinchuan had interrupted.
Did Zhou Jinchuan not like Su Yi?!
Ye Xiaowu and Ye Nuannuan’s mother being chased away quickly became the talk of the compound, spreading like wildfire the next day.
Most people were sympathetic to the children, condemning their mother for being unfit and praising Su Yi for her protection of the children. Many said that if it weren’t for Su Yi, the situation might have escalated further. Some even remarked that the children’s reliance on Su Yi made sense because her care for them was far more genuine than their mother’s.
However, there were exceptions.
For example, Liu Aunt, who lived nearby and had previously lost a good job because of a quarrel over her child and had been publicly reprimanded after her report failed, harbored deep resentment toward Su Yi. She had been watching the commotion from her wall for a long time, clearly displeased with the situation.
After seeing the crowd disperse, Zhou Jinchuan went inside and did not come out again. The next morning, Liu Aunt saw him leaving the courtyard with her own eyes.
This discovery made her blood boil with excitement, justifying the long time she had spent peeking over the wall. It also confirmed her suspicion that Zhou Jinchuan must have been interested in Su Yi’s appearance, which led him to replace her.
Otherwise, why would he go to such lengths over such a minor issue?
Having learned from her previous reporting experience, Liu Aunt was now more cautious. She didn’t spread the news widely. Instead, she discreetly told a few close acquaintances that she had seen Zhou Jinchuan quietly leaving the courtyard early in the morning, advising them not to talk too much about it.
But as expected, such gossip about romantic entanglements was the hottest topic among the locals.
Everyone started piecing together bits and pieces of information, weaving a web of rumors about a possible romantic involvement between Su Yi and Zhou Jinchuan.
Su Yi was almost the last to find out. It was only when Auntie Yao and Auntie Zheng came to her, seeking confirmation, that she learned about it.
“You need to tell us the truth,” Auntie Yao said. “If you and Zhou Jinchuan are really together, that’s great! Then we won’t need to keep an eye on other potential matches for you.”
After all, no matter how impressive other potential suitors seemed, they paled in comparison to Zhou Jinchuan.
Su Yi was taken aback. “What do you mean by ‘if I’m with Zhou Jinchuan’? What’s going on?”
Seeing Su Yi’s shocked reaction, the two aunties realized she was just as surprised as they had been. They quickly explained the rumors circulating in the compound about her and Zhou Jinchuan.
Su Yi gasped. “That’s ridiculous. That day, the kids were terrified, so I stayed to calm Nuannuan down. Zhou Jinchuan stayed with Xiaowu for a while because he was restless too. But he definitely went back to his dorm. He locked the door from the outside and came back early the next morning to unlock it!”
The misunderstanding was entirely due to the local gossip and the fact that Zhou Jinchuan had stayed to comfort the children.