Jiang Lin said with sarcasm, “You really have no shame, thinking that I’d be impressed by your tricks. You’re just pathetic.”

Then, with a sense of relief and ease, she added, “Bian Haitao, thanks for not marrying me; I won’t hold that against you. But as for tampering with my admission notice, you owe me an explanation.”

Bian Haitao squinted, his eyes momentarily darkening, but then he quickly recovered, smiling. “Look at you, still as headstrong and thoughtless as ever. I wrote the letter out of concern. As for the admission notice, what notice? Did you get into college? Congratulations! But I don’t know anything about it.”

Seeing that Jiang Lin was no longer infatuated with him and was instead showing disdain, he decided against reminiscing and instead adopted a condescending attitude before turning to leave.

Dai Guohua, who had originally intended to find Cheng Rushan, stayed put when he heard Bian Haitao call Jiang Lin’s name.

Once Bian Haitao left, he seemed to understand something and, to avoid making Jiang Lin uncomfortable, pretended he hadn’t heard anything and quickly went to find Cheng Rushan.

Jiang Lin had no intention of reporting Bian Haitao to anyone.

It concerned her reputation, and she didn’t want Cheng Rushan to suffer because of it.

Plus, a letter like that wouldn’t really affect Bian Haitao; otherwise, he wouldn’t have written it.

As for the small pencil-written “Bian” on the admission notice, it was tiny and not very noticeable.

If she pressed him, he would probably deny it, and others might think it was added by someone else by mistake.

Since many people handled the notice, the appearance of the “Bian” could easily be dismissed as a coincidence.

Given Bian Haitao’s attitude, Jiang Lin suspected he either wanted to use the notice to threaten her or to flaunt his power, with the latter being more likely.

But now that she was cold towards him, he denied everything.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao had been quietly standing by her side, clearly hearing the entire exchange between Jiang Lin and Bian Haitao.

Now that they were 8 years old, the twins had matured a lot compared to when they were 6.

They immediately recognized Bian Haitao as the man mentioned by the wicked Meng Yiyi!

He was the one who urged their mother to leave them and their father to come to the city to find him.

They knew he was a bad man, their family’s top enemy, and they needed to be very cautious.

The twins exchanged glances, silently agreeing that they had to tell their father about him.

Bian Haitao didn’t leave.

Instead, he adopted a haughty demeanor and positioned himself in a hidden spot behind a wall, observing Jiang Lin.

He thought Meng Yiyi was suspicious and might have secrets.

He wondered if Jiang Lin also had secrets or if she had truly fallen in love with Cheng Rushan.

Her look at him earlier had been completely different from before—there was no tenderness or longing, just the look of someone who detested a familiar face.

This shouldn’t be the case!

At this moment, Cheng Rushan arrived carrying two lunch boxes and accompanied by two service personnel.

Jiang Lin and the children quickly went to greet him. “Did everything go smoothly?”

She was worried that Bian Haitao might have made things difficult for Cheng Rushan.

Cheng Rushan smiled at her, “No problem.”

He introduced the two service personnel, one named Gao Xiaochuan and the other named Xin Liancai.

“Thank you for your help.”

“No trouble at all. We’re all one family in the military district,” the two service personnel said cheerfully, quickly jumping into the truck to help with the moving.

Cheng Rushan handed the lunch boxes to Jiang Lin and the children.

Inside were a few steamed buns and dumplings, along with some pickled vegetables. “This will do for now. We’ll have a proper meal tonight.”

He then took them to their dormitory, which was about ten square meters.

It had a double-decker wooden bunk bed, a table, and space for a copper basin rack.

With these items, the room was nearly full.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao went inside to have a look around.

They noticed that the place was much smaller than their home, but they didn’t say anything to avoid making it obvious that they were from the countryside.

Dai Guohua brought over a thick army green mattress, an army blanket, and a copper basin.

Jiang Lin quickly invited him to eat some steamed buns to fill his stomach.

Dai Guohua and Cheng Rushan drank some hot water and quickly finished a steamed bun each.

After eating two buns, they continued moving things.

Seeing this, Da Bao took a big bite of his bun, trying to imitate his father because he thought it looked manly.

Jiang Lin hurriedly stopped him, “Da Bao, eat slowly, or you’ll choke.”

Xiao Bao laughed, “Da Bao, your mouth isn’t as big as Dad’s. How can you eat as much as him?”

Da Bao didn’t respond and just silently nibbled on his bun.

Soon, they moved everything to the doorway.

Cheng Rushan thanked the two orderlies and told them to go back to their duties.

Then, he and Dai Guohua started arranging the bed.

Usually, beds are placed according to the shape of the room, but they were used to sleeping on a kang (a heated brick bed) in the countryside, which was aligned north-south.

So, they arranged the bed in a north-south direction.

The kang cabinets and clothing boxes were temporarily placed on the floor.

The room also had a public table, a chair, and two benches that could seat two people each.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were playing with the light cord.

The electric light bulb gave off a dim glow, but it was better than an oil lamp because it didn’t smoke or get blown out by the wind, and it would be brighter when it got dark.

At their grandpa’s house the previous year, they didn’t dare to play with it, but this time, with no one watching, they could play as much as they wanted.

Cheng Rushan set up the bed, laying out the mattress and bedding for Jiang Lin and the children so they could rest.

Meanwhile, he went with Dai Guohua to install the stove.

Since there was no heating bed here, they needed to use the stove in the winter.

A properly installed stove was crucial to avoid smoke issues and carbon monoxide poisoning.

In warmer weather, they would use a coal stove for cooking and heating water instead.

By the time everything was sorted, it was nearing dinner time.

Cheng Rushan took the meal tickets, money, and went with Dai Guohua to get dinner.

Typically, if both spouses were working and the children were in school, families would cook their own meals at night.

Cooking at home not only saved money but also ensured better taste.

Eating out of large pots every day quickly became unappetizing.

Jiang Lin let Dabao and Xiaobao rest in bed, as they were quite tired.

At that moment, a service personnel, Gao Xiaochuan, arrived with two meal boxes, knocking on the door. “Team Leader Cheng.”

Jiang Lin hurried to the door and saw it was Gao Xiaochuan. “He went to get the meal.”

Gao Xiaochuan said, “Director Di asked me to bring these dishes.” He noticed the stove was installed and commented with a smile, “Team Leader Cheng, you’re quick with your work.”

Jiang Lin took the dishes and offered Gao Xiaochuan some peanuts and sunflower seeds, while also asking about Director Di’s family, his spouse, and other details.

It wasn’t confidential, and she knew she would have to interact with women in similar situations in the future.

Gao Xiaochuan willingly shared information.

He and Xin Liancai were service personnel for Director Di.

Many people looked down on them, considering their work as minor, like doing chores, buying groceries, and running errands.

However, Cheng Rushan never belittled them.

Whenever he brought back items from a trip, he made sure to include something for them, ensuring they were always appreciated.

“Gao Xiaochuan told Jiang Lin, ‘Sister-in-law, actually, don’t be fooled by the Housing Management Office. The person who really decides on the allocation of houses and courtyards is the Political Department Director.”

Jiang Lin didn’t quite understand the military organization, so she asked which director he meant.

Gao Xiaochuan replied, “Director Fang, not Director Feng from the Logistics Department, but Commander Fang. He is the director of the Political Department, second only to the Military District Commander.”

Jiang Lin thought it wouldn’t be of much use knowing this, as they didn’t have any chance to meet Commander Fang, but she was still grateful to Gao Xiaochuan for telling her.

After chatting for a while and seeing that Cheng Rushan hadn’t returned yet, Gao Xiaochuan left because he had more errands to run.

Soon, Cheng Rushan and Dai Guohua came back with food, and Jiang Lin told them about Gao Xiaochuan’s visit.

Dai Guohua laughed and said, “Gao is right, but it’s rare to see Commander Fang.”

Cheng Rushan told Jiang Lin to eat first and then called Da Bao and Xiao Bao to eat as well.

Jiang Lin tried the food.

Although the taste was average, the portion was generous.

For one mao (a dime), they got a small basin of cabbage with glass noodles and several large pieces of meat.

There was also a spinach and tofu dish for three cents without meat.

The only downside was that it was too salty, making Da Bao and Xiao Bao drink a lot of water.

The big steamed buns were quite large. Jiang Lin felt full after eating just one, while Da Bao, with his growing appetite, ate about as much as she did.

After dinner, Dai Guohua asked Cheng Rushan if he wanted to visit Director Di’s house.

Cheng Rushan replied, “Today is too chaotic. Let’s settle in and visit tomorrow.”

Dai Guohua then said goodbye and went to rest in another dormitory, with Cheng Rushan seeing him off.

Dai Guohua hesitated, wondering if he should tell him about Bian Haitao, but then thought that someone as sharp as Cheng Rushan must already know.

So, he decided to keep quiet.

When Cheng Rushan returned, Jiang Lin had already boiled water for Dabao and Xiaobao to wash their faces and feet.

She was talking to them about whether Wen Sheng and their grandparents were also eating dinner.

Their family usually ate early, finishing dinner by 5:30 or 6:00 at the latest.

Jiang Lin said, “Wen Sheng must be working hard at the brick kiln. He’s probably having dinner and getting ready for bed now.” She soothed the children, telling them to listen to the radio for a while before sleeping.

After Dabao and Xiaobao went to bed, Jiang Lin sat by the stove, lost in thought, recalling how Wen Sheng ran after their car, which always tugged at her heart.

Cheng Rushan cleaned the dishes and lunch boxes, fetched water to wash up, and then came back to sit next to Jiang Lin, holding her gently. “I’ll find a way to bring them here as soon as possible.”

There was no need to transfer their parents’ and Wen Sheng’s household registrations, as their food rations were with the village team.

They could bring the grain over periodically, so they just needed to solve the housing issue.

It would be ideal if they could get a two-bedroom apartment or a two-room suite.

However, the military district was crowded, and housing was tight.

Some people occupied old houses without returning them even after being assigned new apartments, which made the housing shortage worse.

If nothing else, they could try to get an extra dormitory room, but it wasn’t appropriate to ask for that immediately upon arrival.

It would be better to wait a while.

Jiang Lin leaned against his chest. “If we can’t get a place here, we can rent a house outside.”

Besides factory units and state-owned collective housing, there were also some private residences in the provincial capital.

These had been requisitioned as rental properties but were supposed to be returned to the original owners.

However, after twenty years, they still hadn’t been returned.

Some of these houses had been repurposed, but some were still available for rent.

Cheng Rushan reassured her, “Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out.”

After a tiring day, they got ready for bed early.

Jiang Lin suggested she take Xiaobao to the top bunk while Cheng Rushan slept with Dabao on the bottom bunk.

Instead, Cheng Rushan placed both boys on the bottom bunk, tucked them in, and climbed into the top bunk to share the bed with Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin was speechless.