Chapter 22.2

As soon as He Dongchuan arrived at the base, he was caught by Shi Cheng, who immediately asked him whether he had done as he was told and where he had slept last night.

He Dongchuan tilted his chin and replied calmly: “I moved back to the Master’s Bedroom.”

Shi Cheng rolled his eyes, catching the faint sense of smugness in He Dongchuan’s flat tone. He thought to himself, it took more than a month of marriage to move into the Master’s Bedroom, yet here you are, getting it done so quickly!

Though he grumbled about it, he was genuinely happy for He Dongchuan.

He nudged He Dongchuan with his elbow and chuckled: “How was it last night?”

He Dongchuan gave him a sideways glance. “Why are you asking so much?”

He Dongchuan had met Shi Cheng on his first day at Pingchuan Island. The two had even been roommates for two years until Shi Cheng’s wife arrived to join the military and they moved out. Their relationship was as close as it could get.

Shi Cheng wouldn’t claim he was He Dongchuan’s closest confidant, but he definitely knew him well. The moment he heard He Dongchuan’s tone, he immediately realized that things hadn’t gone as planned last night. He exclaimed: “No way! Didn’t you sleep together? You mean you guys didn’t do anything? Old He, tell me, is it that you can’t do it?”

“Get lost!” He Dongchuan kicked at him.

Shi Cheng quickly jumped aside but came back shortly after. “Since it’s not that you can’t, then tell me what happened last night.”

He Dongchuan thought, what else could have happened? He had already said it. If she didn’t agree, he would just sleep without touching her. Even if it was uncomfortable that night, he would have to endure it. Was he supposed to break his word?

But these thoughts were too embarrassing to say out loud. It would make him look like a man who couldn’t even control his own wife.

He Dongchuan furrowed his brow and looked at Shi Cheng with an unkind gaze. “I swear, you’re always prying into other people’s business. I think you shouldn’t come here; the Women’s Federation is more suited to you.”

“I’m just looking out for you.”

“No, I just want some peace and quiet right now.” He Dongchuan rubbed his temples and asked: “About what we discussed yesterday, have you figured out how to handle it?”

When it came to business, Shi Cheng stood up straight. “I have some ideas, but they still need to be refined.”

“Alright, take your time to think it over. We’ll discuss it in the meeting this afternoon.”

…

If anyone was the happiest about He Dongchuan moving into the Master’s Bedroom, it was definitely He Yan.

As soon as he saw Su Ting in the morning, he flashed her a big smile and, during breakfast, even asked: “Mom, are you and Dad going to sleep together from now on?”

Su Ting: “…”

Didn’t they always say that kids these days were more innocent and less mature? How come her child was already concerned about whether or not Dad and Mom would sleep together?

Seeing that she didn’t answer, He Yan asked again, this time in a playful tone: “Is it? Is it? Is it true, Mom?”

“Yes, yes, yes, just eat your food!”

After receiving a definite answer, He Yan almost jumped three feet high, clenched his fist, and exclaimed: “That’s awesome!”

Su Ting couldn’t help but laugh. “You really don’t want to sleep with your Dad, huh?”

“No.” He Yan shook his head.

“Then why are you so happy that Dad’s going to sleep with me instead?”

He Yan slurped up some noodles and said: “Because everyone else’s Dad and Mom sleep together, so of course my Dad and Mom should sleep together too.”

Su Ting: This… really is a strange sense of competition.

He Yan’s competitive spirit didn’t just remain in his mind. After finishing breakfast, he grabbed his toy car and went outside.

Since the last time he was dragged into a game of house and told that his Dad and Mom’s relationship wasn’t good and they might get divorced, He Yan hadn’t gone to the playground alone. 

Recently, he’d been going to find Zhang Xiaokai first. If Zhang Xiaokai wanted to go to the playground, they’d go together; if not, they’d just play in Zhang’s courtyard.

Today, He Yan chose to go straight to the playground.

But to his disappointment, there were only a few kids swinging on the swings, and no one was playing house.

He Yan couldn’t bring himself to actively look for someone to play house with. He still thought it was a game for girls. If others asked him to play the role of Dad, that was fine, but for him to find someone and play house? That seemed a bit weird.

However, He Yan didn’t want to go back just yet. He wanted everyone to know that his Dad and Mom were sleeping together now. They definitely wouldn’t get divorced.

He stood still for a moment, then sat down on a bench with his toy car.

He waited for about ten minutes, and gradually, more kids arrived at the playground. Some went over to queue for the swings, others brought toys like marbles and shuttlecocks, and a few came over to He Yan, wanting to play with his toy car.

But no one was playing house.

Why weren’t the girls playing house anymore?

He Yan wondered, then stood up from the bench and walked to an empty space where he joined other kids playing with toy cars.

He hadn’t been playing for long when Zhao Lingling arrived.

When He Yan saw her, his eyes lit up. She was the one who had organized the last game of house.

But after Zhao Lingling arrived at the playground, she didn’t organize another game of house like last time. Instead, she started playing shuttlecock with the other girls, which frustrated He Yan. He wanted to rush over and tell them to stop playing with the shuttlecock and come play house instead!

But He Yan was a proud boy, so he struggled to hold back his impulse. He turned his gaze away and thought: “I’ll wait a bit longer.”

Maybe Zhao Lingling would stop playing with the shuttlecock soon and find someone to play house with.

However, he waited… and waited… and waited… until he couldn’t wait any longer!

“You guys keep playing.” He Yan said, standing up with his hands propped up, clapping his palms together as he pushed through the crowd and went to tap Zhao Lingling on the shoulder from behind.

Zhao Lingling turned around, and when she saw it was He Yan, her face broke into a smile.

Among the boys in the family compound, He Yan was very special.

Because he was very good-looking.

Pingchuan Island was at a low latitude, with long summers and strong sunlight. The kids on the island were used to playing outside and didn’t pay much attention to sun protection. Except for a few who were naturally fair, most of them didn’t have very pale skin.

But He Yan was exceptionally fair, especially when standing among the kids from the island. He seemed almost dazzlingly white.

He Yan was not only handsome, but he was also good-looking. His eyebrows were thick, his eyes were dark and bright, and his nose was straight. When he wore a shirt, long pants, and small leather shoes, he looked like a scene in itself.

Girls were also very appearance-oriented. Since He Yan was good-looking, many girls wanted to hang out with him. However, he wasn’t fond of hanging out with girls. He mostly stuck with Zhang Xiaokai. As a result, Zhao Lingling and he only knew each other but weren’t very familiar.

The last time they played house was a good opportunity for them to get to know each other better, but due to some incidents, things ended up on an unpleasant note.

Today was the first time they spoke after the house-playing incident. What made it even more surprising was that it was He Yan who sought her out. Zhao Lingling, playing with her pigtails, looked up at him expectantly and asked: “What’s up?”

“Uh…”

“Uh what?”

“Just…”

“What is it?”

Every time He Yan tried to speak, before he could organize his thoughts, Zhao Lingling would interrupt him, causing the courage he had just built up to nearly dissipate.

To avoid another awkward silence, He Yan took a deep breath and quickly asked: “I just wanted to ask, aren’t you going to play house today?”

“Do you want to play house?” Zhao Lingling asked, delighted.

He Yan quickly denied: “No, I don’t want to play house.”

Zhao Lingling pouted, looking at him unhappily.

He Yan realized he had upset her and regretted it a bit. Rubbing his head, he said: “I just… I was just asking. If you don’t want to play house, you can play with us with toy cars.”

“Did you come specifically to find me to play?” Zhao Lingling asked, her face filled with surprise.

Of course, he didn’t, but since he had already said he didn’t want to play house, that topic couldn’t continue. He sighed and said: “I was just asking.”

Although He Yan said that, Zhao Lingling still thought he had come specifically to invite her. She said: “Wait here.” and happily went to find her jump rope friends, telling them she was going to play with toy cars.

He Yan stood obediently in place, looking down at his left foot stepping on his right foot as he waited.

But before Zhao Lingling could return, an annoying voice rang out first: “Oh, look who it is! Isn’t this He Yan? Long time no see, why are you out today?”

He Yan looked up and gave Yu Hongzhi a glare, pressing his lips together and saying nothing.

Yu Hongzhi chuckled: “Are you still upset? Still holding a grudge over what I said last time? Oh, you’re a bit clueless, aren’t you? What I said was all reasonable and justified. Did you go ask your parents? What did they say?”

He Yan lifted his head, pretending to look fierce as he loudly declared: “My mom and dad have a great relationship, they wouldn’t get a divorce!”

However, Yu Hongzhi didn’t see any fierceness in his face; instead, she felt like he was just bluffing. She covered her mouth and laughed: “Your mom and dad have a good relationship? If they’re so good, how come they sleep in separate rooms? That’s just something they tell little kids. You actually believe it?”

He Yan had been waiting for her to say that, so he immediately puffed out his chest, raised his head, and smugly said: “My mom and dad sleep together, their relationship is great!”

Yu Hongzhi’s smile froze. She stared at He Yan, her eyes filled with suspicion. “Didn’t you say last time that they sleep separately? How come they’re sleeping together now? Oh, I get it. They’re just putting on an act, trying to fool you.”

He Yan’s temper flared. “They’re not fooling me!”

At that moment, a few military wives arrived, each with their child. Noticing the tense atmosphere between the two, Chen Shaomei, who was walking in the middle, quickly stepped forward and asked: “What’s going on here? Yu Hongzhi, you’re an adult, shouldn’t you stop bullying little kids?”

Yu Hongzhi was the type who bullied those she considered weaker than herself but softened her stance in front of people she thought were better off. 

And Chen Shaomei, in her eyes, was someone who had a better life and a stronger personality.

Both had four children, but Chen Shaomei had three strong, healthy boys, while Yu Hongzhi had all daughters, who she considered less valuable. Since they lived close by and saw each other often, Yu Hongzhi always felt like she was inferior to Chen Shaomei.

So when she heard Chen Shaomei ask like that, Yu Hongzhi didn’t get angry. Instead, she smiled and said: “You’ve misunderstood. I was just talking to him, not bullying him. Little Yan, you tell them, right?”

He Yan was not going to go along with her. He shouted loudly: “You’re bullying me! You’re a big bad person!”

Yu Hongzhi was furious when she heard that and scolded: “How can you be such a bad child? I kindly told you the truth, and instead of appreciating it, you accuse me!”

He Yan was quick with his words, immediately firing back: “I didn’t accuse you! You’re just mean! My mom and dad are fine! It’s you! You keep saying they’re getting divorced and that my mom’s going to abandon me! But I asked my mom and dad, and they won’t get divorced, and my mom won’t abandon me.”

While they were arguing, another group of military wives came by. Upon hearing He Yan’s words, one of them spoke up in defense of him: “Comrade Yu, this is where you’re wrong. Other people are living happily, and you go up to them and say their relationship is bad and they’re going to divorce. What’s that all about? You’re free to say whatever you want, but why are you dragging the kids into it? What, you think children are easy to bully?”

The surrounding military wives all agreed: “Yeah, it’s wrong to say such things in front of children.”

Yu Hongzhi, seeing everyone pointing fingers at her, grew anxious and flustered. “Yes, I did say that, but it’s not my fault! Last time, you were the one who said your mom and dad sleep in separate rooms. If they sleep in separate rooms, how can their relationship be good? If the relationship isn’t good, how can the marriage last? I’m not spreading rumors for no reason.”

If this had been before, everyone would have believed Yu Hongzhi, since the source of the gossip had been He Yan, and her speculation seemed reasonable.

However, among the crowd of military wives, two had asked Su Ting about this matter when they were queuing for grain at the grain station that morning.

What had Su Ting said?

Seven days a week, seven times a day—shameless!

They all spoke up: “Cut it out! Comrade Su already said she and Comrade He always sleep in the same room, and their relationship is great. You should worry about whether your own life is going well, instead of sticking your nose into other people’s marriages.”

Although He Yan didn’t understand how it had turned into his mom and dad always sleeping in the same room, that didn’t stop him from agreeing: “That’s right, that’s right! My mom and dad are fine!”