Chapter 17.1

When Duan Xiaoying returned to Building 65, the courtyard was quite lively. Chen Lin, Wang Lixia, their husbands, and Han Bin were all there. Seeing that she looked unwell, Chen Lin stepped forward and asked: “What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you say you were going to visit the He family? What did you talk about that made you look so bad?”

“Nothing.” Duan Xiaoying shook her head, forcing a smile as she said: “I’m just tired. I want to go back and rest.”

Upon hearing this, Han Bin took the cigarette out of his mouth and said: “Then you should go back to your room.”

Duan Xiaoying nodded at him, lowered her head, and headed inside.

As soon as she entered the house, Wang Lixia shouted: “I don’t need to ask, Xiaoying must have been upset by Su Ting. I really don’t know what kind of eyes Colonel He has to marry such a disaster!”

“Alright, just stop talking.” Jiang Wei said with a furrowed brow. They were all neighbors, and he didn’t want to make things awkward.

Han Bin didn’t respond. He silently tossed the cigarette aside, stepped on it to put it out, and said: “You guys talk, I’ll go check on Xiaoying.” After speaking, he went into the house.

The layout of the Han family’s home was the opposite of the He family’s. Although it also had a living room upon entering, the second bedroom was on the left, and past that, horizontally, was the master bedroom. Next to the master bedroom were the kitchen and the bathroom in sequence.

Although they had three children, the oldest was only nine years old, and the youngest was just over four, so they all slept in one room. The living room didn’t have a bed at the moment.

Before the New Year, Duan Xiaoying had bought a sofa and had Han Bin find someone to make a coffee table, which was set up for receiving guests. So, the living room, while not crowded, could hardly be called spacious.

Han Bin crossed over the sofa and dining table, then pushed open the slightly ajar door to the master bedroom.

Duan Xiaoying had already calmed down. When she saw him enter, she even smiled and asked: “Why did you come back?”

“I came to check on you.” Han Bin sat next to his wife and asked: “What did He Dongchuan and his wife say?”

“It has nothing to do with Colonel He. I only talked with Su Ting for a bit.”

“What did you two talk about?”

“Nothing much. It’s just that He Yan didn’t do well on the test this time. Since she only has a middle school education, I thought she could help her child with his homework, so I wanted to advise her to put more effort into her child.” Duan Xiaoying laughed self-deprecatingly: “I guess I was thinking too naively, minding other people’s business.”

Although Duan Xiaoying was not very clear about the details, Han Bin knew the situation of the He family. Su Ting was He Dongchuan’s second wife, meaning she was He Yan’s stepmother.

Without asking, Han Bin could easily guess what Su Ting’s reaction must have been.

It was actually quite normal. Why is a stepmother’s reputation usually poor? Isn’t it because there are so few women willing to treat their stepchildren as their own?

Finding a good woman like Duan Xiaoying was a stroke of luck for him, but clearly, He Dongchuan was not so fortunate.

Han Bin gently patted his wife’s shoulder to comfort her. “You were just trying to help. If she doesn’t want to listen, then let it go. Anyway, her life is hers to live.”

Duan Xiaoying sighed and said: “I just feel sorry for He Yan, that child.”

“Then how about I go talk to Colonel He?”

Duan Xiaoying thought for a moment and shook her head. “Let’s not. I see Colonel He is in a good mood right now. If you bring this up, he might think we’re trying to stir up trouble between them.”

“That’s true.”

Han Bin clicked his tongue and couldn’t help but sigh. “You know, He Dongchuan is strange. Normally, he seems so perfect, but when it comes to marriage, he’s so clueless. I think you don’t need to worry too much. You’ve said what you needed to say. If things don’t go well for them later, that’s their problem. You don’t have to feel guilty.”

Duan Xiaoying softly responded and leaned into Han Bin’s embrace.

—

Su Ting finished all her drafts by Thursday and spent the next two days proofreading and refining the details.

In fact, there weren’t many details to refine. She had already thought through each illustration many times in her mind before drawing it, and before starting a new drawing, she would always double-check the previous one to make sure there were no issues before continuing.

But this was her first comic book after entering the story, and she felt a bit nervous before sending it out. She worried there might be something not quite right, and she felt anxious about it.

On Sunday morning, Su Ting went over the drafts one more time to make sure everything was fine before folding the letter, putting it into an envelope, and placing it in her bag.

The bag was the one the original owner used, a popular military green crossbody bag from this era. However, Su Ting thought it was a bit old-fashioned and hard to match with clothes.

She was wearing a white shirt with a deep blue skirt today, with the hair in front of her ears braided and secured with a hairpin. She felt like a little fairy, and overall, she thought she looked quite pretty.

But once she put on that bag, it felt odd no matter how she looked at it. Reluctantly, she changed her long skirt for straight-leg pants and paired it with a pair of black pointed leather shoes… Before carrying the bag, Su Ting thought she looked like someone selling insurance, still somewhat acceptable. But once she put the bag on, she was instantly reminded of the 1970s.

Well, might as well go with simplicity!

Su Ting finally decided to take out the braids and redo her hair into two thick plaits.

After finishing the braids, she looked at herself in the mirror and doubted her life. What had she been doing all morning?

Today, she absolutely had to buy a new bag!

He Yan was also curious about what she had been up to. After she came out of the room, he kept looking at her from left to right, making her feel uncomfortable. He finally asked: “Why are you staring at me?”

“I’ve been getting ready for so long, I wanted to see if there’s any change in you.” He Yan tilted his head, looking at Su Ting for a while, then said with confusion: “There’s no change.”

Su Ting’s face twitched, and she gave He Yan’s head a hard rub. “You little brat, what do you know about change?”

He Yan yelped, dodging her hand and covering his head. “You messed up my hair! Dad, do you think Mom looks different?”

He Dongchuan felt his son was truly causing trouble. He glanced at Su Ting and, without changing his expression, said: “Yes.”

He Yan’s eyes widened. “?!?” Could it be that adults have secrets that kids like him can’t see?

Su Ting gave He Dongchuan a look. “?!?” Was his vision really that bad?

Seeing the suspicion in their eyes, He Dongchuan thought to himself: “I should’ve just kept quiet.”

—

This time, they left later than last time. The dock was quite lively, with the line at least twice as long, and many of the people were soldiers, likely on leave and heading to the city for some fun.

When they saw He Dongchuan, a group of people in line immediately stood up and saluted him.

He Dongchuan had been talking to He Yan, but when he heard the sound, he quickly turned around, stood tall, and returned the salute.

It was a pretty ordinary gesture; even when he saw a superior in the family compound, He Dongchuan would salute them. It was just that Su Ting rarely went out with him, so she hadn’t seen it before.

Seeing him suddenly change like that was a bit surprising. It felt like she was encountering a different side of him.

She stared at him for a bit too long. When he turned his head and asked what was wrong, she quickly snapped out of it and said: “Nothing.” then took a big step ahead, walking past him.

After waiting for about ten minutes, it was finally their turn. Su Ting took out the money and bought two full-price tickets and one half-price ticket.

After buying the tickets, the three of them headed towards the gate.

The area by the gate was crowded, and worried that He Yan might get tripped, He Dongchuan picked him up before getting too close.

He Yan, who had only been able to see the backs of other people, was now able to see the tops of their heads. He was immediately excited, bouncing up and down in He Dongchuan’s arms. “There are so many people!”

“We’ll be fine once we get on the boat.”

“What does the boat look like?”

Su Ting casually said: “The boat is just like that. Didn’t you take a boat ride when you came?”

He Yan turned to his father and asked: “Did I take a boat when I came?”

“You were asleep.” He Dongchuan replied, giving Su Ting a sideways glance.

Su Ting immediately felt a chill run down her back from his gaze. Cold sweat started to bead on her forehead. She forced out an awkward smile and said: “Oh, right. My memory’s so bad, I completely forgot about that. Heh heh, heh heh…”

He Dongchuan calmly interrupted her awkward laughter. “The boat’s here.”

“Really? I didn’t hear anything.” Su Ting said, tilting her ear and standing on tiptoe to look ahead, but all she could see were dark heads.

“It hasn’t sounded the horn yet.” He Dongchuan replied.

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of a ship’s horn echoed from the sea.

A few minutes later, the ferry docked, and the gate opened. People began to pour off the boat, pushing through the crowd of those waiting in line. Everyone scattered to the sides and pushed forward.

Su Ting and the others were right in the middle of the crowd. As the people in front gradually dispersed, she unconsciously moved to the left. But after taking only a couple of steps, He Dongchuan grabbed her wrist firmly. “This way.”

As he spoke, the people disembarking moved a few steps to their left, while those behind continued to push forward. Su Ting felt as though she had turned into a sardine in a can, forced to stumble along with He Dongchuan’s pull.

She wasn’t walking steadily to begin with, and during the push, someone tripped her. She couldn’t stop herself from falling forward, and her scream turned into a distorted sound.

As she fell, she regretted it in her mind.

She should’ve known better than to go out today. She should’ve stayed home. This kind of fall could easily lead to a stampede. A broken arm or leg would be the best case scenario; the worst would be… death.

She had only been in this world for less than a month…

The next second, Su Ting felt her right hand being pulled up, and she was dragged straight into a firm embrace.

When she raised her head, still holding her sore nose, she couldn’t see He Dongchuan’s face clearly yet. She heard his deep voice: “Walk to the right.” She was guided by his arm around her waist toward the right side of the gate.

The whole way, Su Ting felt dizzy. It didn’t feel like she was walking on her own but was being dragged forward.

When they finally stopped, she couldn’t recover right away. She was still clutching her nose, and most of her weight was resting on the man in front of her. He Dongchuan asked: “Are you injured?”

Su Ting, still holding her nose, grumbled: “No.”

“Can you stand up?” He Dongchuan said as he lowered his head to look at her.

Su Ting followed his gaze and realized how close they were, with his left arm wrapped around her back, resting on her waist.

It was already late April, and the temperature on Pingchuan Island had risen. Although Su Ting was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, the fabric was thin, and she could almost feel the warmth of his palm.

“I’m fine.”

Su Ting lowered her head and moved her hands, using He Dongchuan’s firm arm to support herself as she stood up.

“That’s good.” He Dongchuan said as he loosened his grip. “We’ll head up later.”

Su Ting nodded. 

Although they were no longer in physical contact, they were still very close because of the crowd. Su Ting didn’t need to raise her eyes to see his arm, slightly raised, still hovering protectively behind her.

She remembered how a friend of hers had dated several boyfriends who were all athletes. The reason was that she thought they had strong, tall bodies, which made her feel protected and had a lot of “boyfriend power.” She even planned to introduce one to Su Ting.

At the time, Su Ting could only think of the stinky sweat on their bodies after they played sports and their overly muscular limbs. She couldn’t understand her friend’s preference and still preferred handsome men.

But just now, when He Dongchuan had picked her up and carried her out, she seemed to understand what “boyfriend power” and “a sense of security” meant.

However, Su Ting was someone who believed in love at first sight. She also felt that she didn’t have many shining points about her. With the same face and appearance, the original her had spent three years without making He Dongchuan fall in love with her. She thought… it was better to give up on love and focus on an easy life.

As she sighed, she heard He Yan suddenly say: “Mom, you’re blushing.”

Su Ting reflexively raised her hand to touch her face and quickly denied it: “I… I’m just hot!”

He Yan looked left and right, confused, and asked: “Is it hot today? I’m not hot. Dad, are you hot?”

“Yes.” He Dongchuan replied, then turned to Su Ting: “Let’s go.”

Su Ting looked up and noticed that most of the people on the boat had already disembarked, and those who were going to take the ferry had already boarded. The entrance was no longer crowded. She nodded and said: “Okay.” quickly following behind.

He Yan was being carried by He Dongchuan and didn’t need to walk on his own. Still, due to Dad’s answer, he curiously touched Dad’s face and neck, wondering why Dad was hot when he wasn’t sweating.

However, He Yan’s confusion didn’t last long. After the boat started, he no longer cared about whether it was hot or not. He leaned against the railing, screaming: “It’s moving! Dad, look, the boat is moving!”

He Dongchuan leaned against the railing and gave a faint “Mm.” as he had long been used to such things. He only spoke up to please his son.

He Yan didn’t really need a response from Dad. He was very excited, his left hand gripping the railing while his right hand reached out, feeling the sea breeze and the seawater splashing up as the ferry passed through.

During this time, he even tried to stretch his head between the upper and lower railings. Su Ting was startled and hurriedly pulled him down, saying: “Be careful, you might fall into the sea.”

The little guy was very confident. “I’m holding on, I won’t fall into the sea!”

Su Ting grabbed the two vertical railings in front of him and said: “Look how narrow this railing is. Even if you don’t fall into the sea, your head might get stuck if you stick it out.”

He Yan tilted his head, following her words, and still tried to stick his head further out.

Su Ting quickly grabbed him: “I told you not to do that, why are you still insisting on doing it?”

Before she could finish, He Yan hugged her. She looked down and saw the child grinning foolishly at her. “I was just teasing you!”

Su Ting felt her blood rush to her head. She couldn’t help but give him a light tap on the head, saying: “Are you asking for a beating?”

He Yan quickly covered his head and complained to He Dongchuan: “Dad! Mom hit me!”

He Dongchuan, who had been watching their playful banter with great interest, straightened up and, with a serious expression, said to Su Ting: “He needs a lesson.”

He Yan: “……”

—