Chapter 21: She Is Really Busy!

Ye Xiaowu swallowed a mouthful of bun and quickly answered, “Sister Su went to the bus station to sell tea eggs!”

Zhou Jinchuan glanced at the tea eggs on the table, nodded, and didn’t say much.

After breakfast, Zhou Jinchuan washed the bowls and spent some time with the two children.

Noticing that Zhou Jinchuan seemed a bit distracted, Ye Xiaowu considerately said, “Uncle Zhou, if you have things to do, go ahead. I’ll do my homework while keeping an eye on my sister.”

Zhou Jinchuan nodded, got up, and headed back to the military unit.

When noon came, worried that the two children might not have had lunch, he returned again.

But he heard the children say they had already eaten.

“Where’s Comrade Su?”

“Sister Su just left.”

“Did she go to sell tea eggs again?”

“Not at all, she sold out in the morning! Sister Su went to the neighboring village to buy eggs from an old lady.”

“…”

“Sister Su left some food for you! It’s in the pot!”

Zhou Jinchuan: He really didn’t come here just for a meal.

Even though he didn’t come for the meal, after eating, Zhou Jinchuan voluntarily washed the dishes and tidied up the kitchen.

Before leaving, he reminded the two children, “If she comes back, let her know that she doesn’t need to save dinner for me tonight.”

In the evening, Zhou Jinchuan specifically ate at the canteen before coming over.

As soon as he entered the house, sure enough, he didn’t see her again! Even Ye Nuannuan was nowhere to be seen.

“Did Nuannuan go out?”

“Sister Su took her to Auntie Zheng’s house to learn how to mend clothes.”

Zhou Jinchuan thought to himself: She really is busy!

He glanced down at Ye Xiaowu’s pants, noticing that the lower part had clearly been patched on. Although the color was similar, the patch was still noticeable.

Zhou Jinchuan subtly furrowed his brow. “Xiaowu, tomorrow I’ll take you and Nuannuan to the county. The weather’s getting warmer, so it’s time to buy you both some new clothes!”

Children grow quickly, and he had been too busy lately to pay attention to that.

Without hesitation, Ye Xiaowu shook his head and refused. “No need, Sister Su just made us new clothes recently. My pants aren’t even torn on top, just a bit of added length, and Sister Su said this is a patchwork style!”

Zhou Jinchuan couldn’t help but smile, “Patchwork style?”

“Yes! Sister Su said not to care about what others think. As long as you’re confident, even patched clothes can be worn as trendy fashion.”

“Sister Su also said that money should be spent wisely—save where you can, and spend where you should. It’s okay if clothes are old, but not with food. She said that Nuannuan and I are malnourished and need to eat meat and eggs every day, or we won’t grow tall in the future!”

“Even though I wear patched clothes, the kids at school are all jealous of the big meat buns I bring for breakfast. Eating those buns, I don’t feel embarrassed about wearing patches anymore!”

Zhou Jinchuan noticed that Xiaowu mentioned “Sister Su said” so many times, far more than he used to speak before. He seemed to have grown more confident and self-assured, something Zhou Jinchuan knew was due to Su Yi’s influence. This realization touched him deeply.

“Does your Sister Su usually stay this busy?”

“Very busy! Uncle Zhou, did you see the vegetables in the yard? Sister Su waters and tends to them every day. She says that once they grow, we won’t have to spend money on vegetables anymore.”

“And then there’s the daily cleaning, cooking three meals a day, taking care of my sister—she’s so busy looking after us that she doesn’t even have time to go out and sell tea eggs. It’s only because you came back that she finally had a chance to take care of her own business!”

Ye Xiaowu’s words were full of support for Su Yi, not only because he genuinely felt that way but also because he was worried that Zhou Jinchuan might blame her or misunderstand her absence. After finally meeting someone who truly cared for him and Nuannuan, Ye Xiaowu didn’t want to lose her.

Zhou Jinchuan understood his concern. “Seeing how well you two are doing, I’m relieved. Has anyone caused any trouble recently?”

Ye Xiaowu quickly recounted how Su Yi had run into Qin Yunfeng and Bai Ruolin in the yard last time and how they publicly slandered her, accusing her of being a thief who steals children and things. He also mentioned how Qin Yunfeng later came to confront Su Yi but was driven away.

“They bullied her too much. Sister Su is too kind and doesn’t dare to provoke them. Uncle Zhou, please don’t let them drive Sister Su away!”

Su Yi, who was at a neighbor’s house: Kind?

Zhou Jinchuan nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it!”

…

Zhou Jinchuan acted swiftly.

The next day, Zhou Jinchuan directly summoned Qin Yunfeng and Bai Ruolin to his office.

In Bai Ruolin’s mind, Zhou Jinchuan had always been someone far beyond her reach. He had never spoken privately with any female comrades in the military. So when she suddenly received a notice to go to his office, her vanity soared. She even made a point of “accidentally” letting it slip in front of her fellow members in the cultural troupe before eagerly heading over.

However, as soon as she reached the building, she saw that Qin Yunfeng had also arrived.

“What are you doing here?”

“Colonel Zhou called me.”

“…”

Bai Ruolin felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, instantly sobering her up.

Could it be that that little wench, Su Yi, had complained to Colonel Zhou about them?

“Brother Qin, do you think it’s about that incident last time? Did Su Yi say something she shouldn’t have to Colonel Zhou?”

Qin Yunfeng frowned. “Colonel Zhou is the fairest person. He wouldn’t trouble us over someone insignificant.”

But as it turned out, their understanding of Zhou Jinchuan was deeply biased.

As soon as the two entered the office, Zhou Jinchuan immediately threw two self-reflection reports across the table at them. “Is this your self-reflection? Is there a single word here that shows genuine remorse?”

“If you’re dissatisfied with the organization’s decision, you can either file an appeal—or get out!”

Both of them were startled by Zhou Jinchuan’s fury.

Bai Ruolin shivered and quickly tried to explain, “Colonel Zhou, you’ve misunderstood what happened last time. You can’t just listen to Su Yi’s one-sided story.”

Bai Ruolin quickly added, “Besides, at the time, Deputy Company Commander Qin and I were just concerned about the children’s safety, which is why we wanted to clarify things publicly.”

Zhou Jinchuan glanced up at the two of them. “I’m talking about the self-reflection reports. Is that the same as what you’re talking about?”

“But since you brought up the incident, let me make this clear: Su Yi has been specially approved to stay in the unit to take care of the martyrs’ families. If you bully her again, it’s the same as bullying those families. I’m the one who decided to keep her here, so think carefully about your actions from now on!”

Bai Ruolin wanted to argue further, but a look from Qin Yunfeng stopped her.

“Colonel Zhou, we understand about Comrade Su. It won’t happen again.”

“But as for these self-reflection reports, weren’t they originally with Commissar Wang?”

Zhou Jinchuan let out a cold snort. “Are you implying that I’m meddling in things that aren’t my business? Let me tell you, there’s a new directive to strictly enforce military discipline, especially regarding personal conduct. If I think something needs attention, you can be sure I’ll handle it.”

Qin Yunfeng looked up at Zhou Jinchuan in disbelief.

He saw the deep, intense expression in Zhou Jinchuan’s eyes, completely different from the man he thought he knew. He had assumed that Zhou Jinchuan would be indifferent to such trivial matters, but now he realized just how naive he had been.

Colonel Zhou wasn’t simply kind-hearted; any man who reached his position had to have a ruthless side.

Qin Yunfeng finally conceded. “Understood, Colonel Zhou. We’ll go back, reflect on our actions, and rewrite the reports.”

“Get out,” Zhou Jinchuan ordered.