Chapter 27.2

After more than half an hour of searching, Su Ting remained empty-handed. Her eyebrows furrowed tightly, and she looked very troubled.  

Seeing this, He Dongchuan took the initiative to say: “It’s okay if you can’t think of what to buy. Let’s just stick to what we discussed before.”  

Su Ting let out two fake laughs. *You wish!* She continued browsing.  

When they reached the section selling stationery, an idea suddenly came to Su Ting’s mind. She asked: “Do you write often?”  

“You want to buy me a pen?” He Dongchuan was a smart man. He figured it out immediately and said: “I already have a fountain pen.”  

Su Ting asked: “Who bought it for you?”  

“I bought it myself.”  

Su Ting, full of righteousness, retorted: “Does a fountain pen you bought yourself hold as much significance as one I buy for you? And this fountain pen will be purchased with the first payment I ever received for my writing. No, the first money I earned completely on my own!”  

He Dongchuan could tell that she was being unreasonable, but he had no choice but to accept her reasoning. This was a life-or-death question—if he answered poorly, he would be sleeping on the floor for the next half a month.  

Although their home was small and there was no space to sleep on the floor in the master bedroom, there was still a bed in the second bedroom.  

He Dongchuan said: “Of course not. The fountain pen you give me will be much more meaningful.”  

Su Ting was very satisfied with his attitude. Smiling, she asked: “Then, are you happy with this gift?”  

“I’m happy.”  

“That’s good.”  

Lifting her chin, Su Ting marched proudly toward the counter, feeling victorious.  

At that time, there were many fountain pen brands—Jin Xing, Yongsheng, Pilot, Hero, and more. But after the economic reforms, the one that ultimately stood strong was Hero. Many of the once-popular brands had been acquired by Hero in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  

Su Ting believed that since it was a gift, she had to choose the best. So, she didn’t even consider the other brands and set her sights on Hero.  

However, even within the Hero brand, the prices varied greatly. The cheaper ones cost two to three yuan, while the expensive ones went for over twenty.

Su Ting chose the most expensive Hero 100. She had used this model in her previous life—it was a gift from her dad. Because it was so smooth to write with, she had used it for several years before eventually switching to gel pens and setting it aside.  

As her fingers gently rubbed against the pen, she unconsciously fell into memories. It wasn’t until He Dongchuan asked what was wrong that she snapped back to reality. She looked up and smiled. “It’s nothing.”  

She had simply thought of her dad.  

In fact, over the past two years, without looking at photos, she had rarely thought about him.  

Although she had never found the right man to build a happy family with, she had grown strong enough. She had become accustomed to loneliness and solitude and had found a career she truly loved.  

She was no longer the naive and innocent girl who had once lived under her father’s protective wings. Nor was she the fragile person she had been when he had just passed away, crying at every thought of him.  

But the moment she saw this pen and heard its familiar name, the past memories caught her off guard and resurfaced in her mind. And just like that, she thought of him again.  

With a faint smile, Su Ting asked: “Is this pen a good choice?”  

He Dongchuan noticed the subtle change in her mood but had no idea what had caused it. Seeing that she didn’t want to talk about it, he simply lowered his voice and asked: “Do you like this one?”  

“Mm, I want to buy it.” Su Ting nodded firmly.  

“Then let’s buy it.”  

After paying, Su Ting’s mood had completely lifted. She handed the pen’s box to He Dongchuan and smiled sweetly as she emphasized: “This is the first gift I’m giving you. You have to use it well, okay?”  

“Okay.”  

As he spoke, He Dongchuan opened the box, took out the fountain pen, and clipped it onto the left pocket of his chest.  

Su Ting: “……”  

At this time, wearing a pen on the chest was considered fashionable—a symbol of being cultured. But in Su Ting’s eyes, it just looked outdated.  

What should she do now that she regretted giving him a pen?  

Noticing her strange expression, He Dongchuan straightened his chest and asked: “How does it look?”  

Su Ting forced a laugh. “It looks great… Very dignified, makes you seem mature and steady. Really great.”  

Having shared the same bed for some time now, how could He Dongchuan not tell which of her words were sincere and which were not? What he should take at face value and what he should interpret in reverse?  

Just like now—she said he looked mature and steady, but in her heart, she was probably thinking that he looked like an old man.

After leaving the fountain pen counter, He Dongchuan discreetly removed the pen from his chest pocket and placed it inside the fountain pen case.  

Having spent her writing earnings on gifts for He Dongchuan and He Yan, Su Ting did not forget to reward herself. She bought herself a dress.  

Truthfully, she didn’t lack clothes. Although the clothes she had from before marriage were mostly winter wear, she had been spoiled at home, receiving new clothes every year. Since winter clothes required more fabric and cotton stuffing, most of the new clothes she got were summer wear.  

Girls were more careful with their clothing, and since her previous self had worked as a scorekeeper in the brigade—a light-duty job—her clothes hadn’t worn out quickly. She could still find several pieces among her old clothes that didn’t even have patches.  

Moreover, when she had bought clothes for He Yan earlier, she had also picked up a dress for herself. So she definitely had enough to wear.  

But, as every woman knew—there was always one piece of clothing missing from the wardrobe.  

Besides, this was the first payment she had received since traveling to this era. Naturally, she had to spend it on something that would make her happy. And nothing brought her more joy than a new outfit.  

In fact, Su Ting had wanted to buy more than just one dress. She had also set her eyes on a hat and a pair of leather shoes. But… she didn’t have enough ration tickets, so she had to prioritize the essentials.  

After finishing their shopping, the three of them prepared to head home.  

However, just as they stepped out of the department store, He Dongchuan suddenly said he had lost something and told Su Ting and He Yan to wait at the entrance while he went back to look for it.  

Su Ting immediately asked: “What did you lose? I’ll go with you to find it.”  

“It’s nothing important. I’ll take a quick look, and if I can’t find it, I’ll just leave it. You’ve been walking around for so long—you must be tired. Just wait here for me, I’ll be back soon.” With that, He Dongchuan quickly turned and walked back into the department store.  

True to his word, he returned shortly after. But aside from the large and small bags in his hands, he didn’t seem to be carrying anything extra.  

Su Ting asked: “Did you find it? What was it?”  

He Dongchuan opened his right hand. “A shirt button fell off.”  

“You found it that fast?” Su Ting was skeptical. Military uniform buttons weren’t much bigger than a fingernail, and they weren’t exactly eye-catching in color. More importantly, the department store was huge, and he had only been inside for a few minutes.  

Had it even been ten minutes?  

He Dongchuan replied: “I was lucky. It had fallen near the fountain pen counter. I spotted it as soon as I got there.”  

He sounded so convincing that Su Ting believed him. With that, the three of them left the department store and went to have a meal.  

After dinner, they didn’t visit any other places. Carrying their purchases, they headed straight home.

On the way back on the ferry, He Yan was undoubtedly the center of attention. His kick scooter attracted the gaze of every child on board. If He Dongchuan hadn’t stopped him, he would have ridden it around the deck a few times.  

Though he couldn’t ride on the ferry, as soon as he got off, he dashed away excitedly. One foot was on the scooter while the other pushed off the ground, propelling him forward at an impressive speed.  

The moment he entered the Family Residential Compound, he became even more unstoppable. Once he picked up speed on his kick scooter, he placed both feet onto the deck, grabbed the handlebars with one hand, raised his other hand high, and shouted: “I’m back!”  

Not only did the children at the playground turn to look, but even the adults sitting at the stone tables and benches stared at him as if he were a fool.  

But He Yan didn’t feel foolish at all. When his kick scooter started slowing down, he gripped the handlebars with both hands, lifted his right foot behind him, and ended his grand entrance with a dramatic tail flick. Feeling immensely satisfied with himself, he raised his chin at the children in the playground.  

Su Ting: “…”  

That was ridiculously silly.  

And this was only because He Yan was still young and had a charming appearance. If an adult had done the same thing, Su Ting would have had only one comment for them—*”My fate is in my own hands, not in the hands of heaven!”*  

Even though Su Ting found it unbearable to watch, the children were completely dazzled by He Yan’s display.  

Whether they were playing on the swings or shooting marbles, boys and girls alike all stopped their games in unison.  

If their vocabulary had been richer, they would have shouted: “Cool!”  

But instead, they could only gape in amazement.  

After a moment of stunned silence, they rushed toward He Yan, surrounding him and chattering excitedly.  

“What is this? Is it a new toy your dad and mom bought for you?”  

“It looks so awesome!”  

Trapped in the middle of the excited crowd, He Yan grinned so widely that his teeth showed, completely forgetting about his parents walking behind him.  

Su Ting shrugged and said: “Let him play.” Then, he walked home with He Dongchuan.  

…  

The first thing they did after returning home was try on clothes.  

At that time, people dressed quite conservatively, so the clothing styles were all loose-fitting. As long as the size was correct, any purchased clothes would generally fit.

They weren’t too particular about clothing back then. Whether the waist was cinched, whether the shoulders were broad or narrow, or whether it made someone look chubby—none of these details were given much thought. As long as the size looked about right, that was good enough.  

Because of this, neither the **Supply and Marketing Cooperative** nor the **Department Store** had fitting rooms. Winter coats could at least be tried on over other clothes, but buying summer outfits was purely a matter of eyeballing the size.  

Su Ting figured this was probably the main reason why people in this era rarely bought ready-made clothes. Not being able to try them on was one thing, but there was also no **seven-day return policy for no reason**—if the clothes didn’t look good after bringing them home, they simply had to accept their bad luck. If it were her…  

Hmm. Well, she would still buy them—after all, she couldn’t make her own clothes.  

Fortunately, since she had studied fine arts, she had her own sense of style and could tell what kind of clothes suited her. The two outfits she had bought previously fit well.  

This time was no exception.  

After putting on the dress, Su Ting untied the braid she had done in the morning, ran her fingers through her hair, and then used a wooden comb to lift the roots, creating a voluminous wavy effect.  

Then, she stepped back a few paces to see her upper body fully reflected in the mirror. Looking left and right, the more she examined the dress, the more she liked it.  

Just as she was admiring herself, **He Dongchuan** walked in. His gaze landed on her face, which looked even fairer against the contrast of her dark hair.  

“Beautiful.” he said.  

“Right? I think this dress looks great too.” Su Ting replied with a smile.  

His eyes slowly moved downward, taking in the sight of her dress.  

It was a **shirt dress**, with structured shoulders and a thin belt at the waist that, when fastened, accentuated her figure. Su Ting had already tied the belt, outlining her slender waist.  

She wasn’t wrong—at certain moments, a man’s mind could easily be filled with *inappropriate* thoughts.  

Just like now—when He Dongchuan saw her delicate waist, he thought of how smooth it would feel under his touch. When he noticed her fair, slender legs beneath the hem of her dress, his mind immediately drifted to the feeling of those very legs wrapped around his waist.  

He didn’t say a word, but the fire burning in his gaze made the temperature in the bedroom steadily rise.  

Su Ting took half a step back and reminded him: “You were the one who said you were satisfied with your gift.”

He Dongchuan chuckled at her words.  

Some people who rarely smiled would look stiff when they did, while others would appear exceptionally attractive. He belonged to the latter.  

When he smiled, it was like ice melting in the spring—the cold, stern demeanor faded away, replaced by a warmth that was unexpectedly radiant.  

Su Ting had no resistance to this version of him. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest, and it wasn’t until he pulled her into his embrace that she managed a weak reminder: “It’s still daytime.”  

“We live at the very end.” He Dongchuan said, his arm tightening around her waist while his left hand unbuttoned his military jacket one button at a time.  

By the time there was only one button left, Su Ting glanced down and caught a glimpse of his skin beneath the slightly loosened shirt—  

It wasn’t pale, but firm, with well-defined muscles that looked impossibly strong.  

Dazed, she tilted her head up and let out a soft, questioning “Hmm?” as she struggled to grasp the full meaning of his words.  

He continued: “Behind us is the mountain. No one comes here.”  

As he spoke, he slid off his military jacket, unfastened the belt at his waist, and pulled his shirt free from his trousers. The fabric, once held taut by his form, now draped loosely, concealing his abdominal muscles.  

Su Ting reached out, pressing her fingers against his abs through the fabric. In a quiet voice, she asked: “And then?”  

“Then…” His voice dropped into a low murmur as he took her hand, lifted his shirt, and placed her palm directly against his bare skin. “Whatever we do at home, no one will know.”  

The original owner of this body hadn’t had particularly delicate hands. Even though she had been doted on at home, she still had to help with chores like laundry and cooking, and she had never been one to maintain an extensive skincare routine. When Su Ting first arrived in this body, she often felt that her hands were rough and dry, so she had deliberately bought a tin of clam oil to soften them.  

The results had been remarkable.  

Now, her hands were smoother than the skin of his waist, soft and warm. She pressed against his taut abs absentmindedly, her fingers kneading slightly, making his muscles tense even more beneath her touch.  

Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he lifted her onto the vanity table, slipping his hand beneath the hem of her dress, his touch slowly exploring upward.