Chapter 15

After Yu Xiaofang received the recipe, she thanked Su Ting again.

Su Ting didn’t take credit, saying the recipe was dictated by He Dongchuan, and she was merely the transcriber. She also explained that the recipe was based on a standard amount of one jin (half a kilogram) of pork belly, and if the amount of meat changed, the seasonings should be adjusted accordingly.

In fact, there was no need for Su Ting to explain this specifically. Yu Xiaofang had been cooking since she was eight and had been doing it for over twenty years, so she was more knowledgeable about this than Su Ting. She smiled and said: “Alright, I’ll buy some pork tomorrow and give it a try. By the way, how was the chili sauce we had yesterday?”

“It was great. Xiao Yan’s dad really liked it.” Actually, He Yan also had a craving for it, but he couldn’t eat much spice, so he only managed to try a couple of bites.

But the chili sauce was definitely a great addition to the meal. Last night, Su Ting had eaten almost half a bowl of rice with just the chili sauce, and this morning, she used it to dip half a steamed bun, even though she usually didn’t eat buns.

Seeing that Su Ting truly liked it, Yu Xiaofang’s smile grew wider. “I’m glad you liked it. Did you finish the sauce from yesterday? I still have some at home. I’ll pack you some more.”

Though she said this, she didn’t wait for Su Ting to reply. She turned around and went straight to the kitchen, filling a jar with chili sauce for Su Ting.

Su Ting had intended to decline, but Yu Xiaofang was so enthusiastic that she couldn’t push back and had no choice but to accept it.

After that, the two of them became more familiar with each other.

Su Ting was actually quite passive in social situations, which made it seem like her relationships with others were good—she could get along with anyone. But if she really thought about it, she didn’t have any close, trusted friends.

Since her time after crossing over, this situation had improved slightly. It wasn’t that Su Ting had become more proactive, but rather that people in this era were very warm and friendly. Like the military wives she had met before, even after she stopped going to the playground, they would still come to her door to bring her food and chat.

Though her personality was passive, she wasn’t ungrateful. When someone came to her door, she would make sure to entertain them, and she would find ways to return the favor for whatever was brought. Over time, they became more familiar and could talk about more personal things.

Yu Xiaofang was also an enthusiastic person, and since they lived close to each other, it was easy for them to visit. For the next period of time, Yu Xiaofang would almost visit Su Ting every day to chat.

It was also from Yu Xiaofang that Su Ting learned that the Military Primary School was about to have their final exams.

Yu Xiaofang’s family had five children. The eldest was already in middle school, the second to the fourth were in elementary school, and the youngest was not yet five years old, still too young to attend school.  

Among the five children, the eldest and the youngest were relatively easy to manage—the eldest had good grades, and the youngest had yet to start school, so there was little to worry about. However, the three in the middle were increasingly mischievous and showed little interest in studying. Every exam felt like a tribulation to Yu Xiaofang, leaving her utterly exasperated.  

“Every day they come home, they don’t do their homework, they don’t memorize their lessons, they just run around like wild animals. Only when it’s time to sleep do they start cramming at the last minute.” Yu Xiaofang gritted her teeth and said. “Just wait and see. If they fail this time, I’ll make sure they learn their lesson.”  

Su Ting replied: “They’re still young. In a few years, once they understand the importance of studying, they’ll start working harder.”  

“Still young? The second one is already ten! When the eldest was his age, he was already helping me with housework.” Yu Xiaofang said angrily. “They’re just lucky to be born into the right family. If we were back in my hometown, at their age, if they didn’t study properly, they’d all be sent home to do farm work! Forget it, let’s not talk about them. How’s your Xiaoyan doing in school? I heard he transferred from the capital, so his grades should be pretty good, right?”  

As for He Yan’s transfer records, Su Ting honestly wasn’t sure. But she figured that even if he ranked first in every test, it probably wouldn’t mean much—after all, he was only in the Seedling Class.  

What could a Seedling Class possibly teach?  

Su Ting recalled her own kindergarten days. She had learned a few simple ancient poems and basic addition and subtraction, which couldn’t compare to what a first grader needed to study.  

The original story hadn’t mentioned much about his school life. After Father He and Mother He passed away one after another, the original He Yan had undergone a complete change. He had dropped out of school before finishing middle school and returned home. However, he was quite clever, with a natural talent for business. He was bold, daring, and willing to take risks. Before the age of twenty, he had already earned his first pot of gold.  

So Su Ting felt that even if He Yan’s grades weren’t up to standard for now, it didn’t really matter. Worst case, he could just repeat first grade next semester. He was still young—an extra year wouldn’t make much of a difference.

As for the future, it would be great if He Yan achieved good grades, but if not, it didn’t really matter. After all, in his previous life, he had managed to succeed despite such a difficult starting point. There was no way his life this time around would be worse than before.  

Because of this mindset, Su Ting didn’t take the midterm exam as seriously as Yu Xiaofang, who was determined to teach her children a lesson.  

However, she didn’t treat the exam too lightly either. That morning, she deliberately got up more than half an hour earlier and went to the canteen with He Yan for breakfast.  

At the canteen, Su Ting bought a bowl of noodles for He Yan and added two poached eggs for him.  

Seeing that Su Ting had given both eggs to him while she only ate buns and steamed bread, He Yan felt a little embarrassed and said: “One egg is enough for me.”  

“Giving you two eggs is to cheer you on for the exam. Look, one bowl of noodles and two eggs—exactly a hundred points.” As she said this, Su Ting suddenly realized that her words might create pressure, so she quickly added: “Of course, I’m just saying this as a hopeful wish, not because you have to score a hundred. As long as you stay healthy, I have no academic expectations for you.”  

Su Ting thought she was reassuring He Yan, but instead, the little guy across from her looked as if he was about to cry. He clearly didn’t feel comforted at all. After a slight pause, he asked: “Why do you have that expression?”  

“I didn’t even remember there was an exam today, but now…” He Yan smacked his lips, suddenly feeling like the poached eggs in his mouth didn’t taste as good anymore.  

Su Ting had assumed he was feeling pressured, but it turned out he wasn’t feeling any pressure at all. The corner of her mouth twitched as she said: “Forgetting about an exam? That’s impressive!”  

Hearing the sarcasm in her tone, He Yan chewed on his poached egg with a bitter expression and said: “Being a primary school student is so hard!”  

Su Ting: “…”  

…  

Although elementary school had quite a few subjects, the midterm exams only covered Chinese and math, and they were completed in just one day.

The next day was Saturday, but at that time, a six-day workweek was in place, so normally, there would still be classes. However, since the teachers were busy grading exams, and it happened to be the peak of the farming season, the school decided to give the students an extra day off. After all, at least half of the students at Military Elementary School were children from the island.  

With elementary school on break, the family compound became lively. The playground was packed with people day and night, and many children played on the beach as well—digging in the sand was one of their favorite pastimes.  

However, He Yan didn’t go out much. Despite complaining about how hard it was to be a primary school student, he still cared about his pride. Feeling that he hadn’t done well on the exam, he didn’t need anyone to push him—he automatically knew he had to put in more effort.  

Su Ting observed this and began to wonder whether she should encourage He Yan.  

She didn’t have high academic expectations for him, but since he was already showing initiative, as parents, they couldn’t afford to be too indifferent. Otherwise, it might dampen his motivation to study.  

So, on Sunday evening after dinner, while He Yan was in the bathroom taking a shower, Su Ting took the opportunity to discuss a reward with He Dongchuan.  

She chose this moment mainly because they had always slept in separate rooms. Since she wanted to give He Yan a surprise, she could only bring it up while he was occupied.  

However, He Dongchuan was unimpressed. “It’s just an exam. We don’t even know how he did yet, and you want to celebrate?”  

Thinking about He Yan’s situation, Su Ting explained: “Actually, my suggestion isn’t really about the exam. It’s more about encouragement—to help him maintain his motivation for studying.”  

While He Dongchuan didn’t think her reasoning was completely wrong, he didn’t find it particularly convincing either. In his view, if a child needed to be coaxed into studying, then maybe studying wasn’t all that necessary.  

But since this was the first time Su Ting had voiced her thoughts on He Yan’s education, after a brief silence, he asked: “What kind of encouragement are you thinking of?”  

Su Ting hadn’t fully decided yet, so she hesitantly suggested a few ideas. “Maybe buy him a toy? Or take him to the city for a nice meal? What do you think?”  

“Either works.”

Su Ting’s eyebrows shot up. “…It can’t just be ‘either works!’” She had been counting on him to come up with an idea.  

Her skin was fair, and her eyes were large and bright. Even when she raised her eyebrows, she didn’t look fierce—if anything, she seemed to be acting a little spoiled.  

He Dongchuan said: “Then next Sunday, we’ll take him to the city. He can pick out whatever toy he wants.” In other words, both.  

Su Ting thought about it for a moment and agreed. “That works too.” It just so happened that she only had four or five more illustrations left to complete in her comic book. If she finished and organized everything next week, she could send it out while they were in the city on Sunday.  

With that in mind, she asked: “Are you coming along?”  

He Dongchuan countered: “Didn’t you bring this up because you wanted me to go too?”  

Su Ting hadn’t actually thought that far. She had consulted He Dongchuan mainly because he was He Yan’s biological father—if they were going to encourage the child, his approval should come first.  

But when she saw his expression, she suddenly felt a little nervous. Shaking her head, she said: “No, I did want to ask you to come, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be free that day.”  

With an indifferent expression, He Dongchuan simply said: “I’ll adjust my shift schedule.”  

Su Ting let out a soft “oh.” and it wasn’t until she had finished her shower and was lying in bed that she suddenly realized something—  

Did this mean… she and He Dongchuan were going on a date?  

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it outright. A real date wouldn’t involve bringing a child along, and besides, the purpose of their trip was to encourage He Yan to study. It couldn’t be more proper—there was absolutely no connection to dating.  

She could only blame the power of good looks. A single casual remark had sent her imagination running wild.  

But what fault did He Dongchuan have? He was just being a caring father. The problem was with her own impure thoughts.  

Sinful. Truly sinful.