Chapter 30.2

Su Ting estimated that the father and son had almost finished their conversation and was about to go out to find them when he saw He Dongchuan walking through the courtyard gate, carrying He Yan in his arms. The child had cried himself to exhaustion and had fallen asleep against his chest.

Afraid of waking He Yan, who was not yet in deep sleep, Su Ting silently mouthed: “What happened to him?”

He Dongchuan did not answer and simply said: “I’ll take him back to the bedroom first.”

Su Ting nodded and stepped aside, watching as He Dongchuan carried He Yan into the house, placed him on the bed in the second bedroom, and covered him with a thin blanket.

After finishing these tasks, He Dongchuan stepped out of the bedroom, closed the door behind him, and said: “I’m going to the Han family’s house later.”

“What are you going to the Han family for?” Su Ting asked in surprise.

Although their families lived in adjacent buildings, and Duan Xiaoying was even He Yan’s homeroom teacher, the two families were not close at all.

Their unfamiliarity was not just because Su Ting and Duan Xiaoying did not get along—though their strained relationship did affect interactions between the families. However, if He Dongchuan and Han Bin had a good relationship, the wives’ discord would not have necessarily prevented them from socializing.

Clearly, this meant that He Dongchuan and Han Bin were not particularly close either.

This was understandable. Although both men belonged to the Pingchuan Island Naval Police District, they were in different military branches.

The navy was composed of various units, including surface ship units, submarine units, aviation forces, marine corps, and coastal defense forces. It was essentially a combination of land, sea, and air forces.

He Dongchuan was in the Marine Corps, while Han Bin was in the surface ship unit.

As a result, though they knew each other, they rarely interacted outside of large-scale exercises, temporary assignments, or meetings at the general headquarters.

Moreover, both men had serious personalities and were not the type to easily befriend others. Their relationship remained lukewarm. In fact, after He Dongchuan was transferred to Pingchuan Island and repeatedly won in major competitions—leading his team to participate in a military-wide competition and gaining significant recognition—there was even a bit of rivalry between them.

Given all these factors, Su Ting was naturally surprised when He Dongchuan suddenly announced that he was going to the Han family’s house.

With a grim expression, He Dongchuan said: “Xiao Yan was kicked out of the choir performance. Han Bin’s wife made the decision.”

The surprise faded from Su Ting’s face, replaced by a serious expression. “What happened? Wasn’t he practicing well? Why was he kicked out of the program?”

“The explanation Han Bin’s wife gave was that at the beginning of the program’s preparation, Xiao Yan was unwilling to participate. Now that someone else has taken his place, she doesn’t want to force him into the performance.”

Su Ting reacted similarly to He Dongchuan. “When was Xiao Yan ever unwilling?”

“I asked him.” He Dongchuan rubbed his brow. “When Han Bin’s wife first approached him, he was hesitant, but he was eventually convinced.”

“If he was convinced, and he’s been performing so well recently, what right does Duan Xiaoying have to kick him out of the program?”  

If He Yan had chosen to withdraw on his own, Su Ting wouldn’t have said anything. But just this afternoon, they had been discussing how to support him during the performance, and after school, He Yan had been listless and downcast. It was obvious that he still wanted to perform.

As He Dongchuan put it, He Yan had been completely used and discarded by Duan Xiaoying—he had been *kicked* out.

Su Ting suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right. Xu Fen went to see Duan Xiaoying today.”

“Who is Xu Fen?” In the Family Residential Compound, there were many military wives, but He Dongchuan barely knew any of them.

“She’s the mother of a student in Xiao Yan’s class named Li Xiaoming. Li Xiaoming is probably the one who replaced Xiao Yan. This morning, when I went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, I happened to overhear her bragging at the entrance about how her son was going to perform on stage.”

Xu Fen had claimed that Duan Xiaoying was worried Li Xiaoming’s exceptional performance would overshadow the other children and damage their confidence. However, that logic made no sense—clearly, she was just boasting.

At the time, Su Ting hadn’t thought much of it. After all, adding or removing a child from a choir performance was normal, so she hadn’t paid it any mind.

Who could have predicted that Duan Xiaoying, in a moment of foolishness, would kick He Yan out just to make room for Li Xiaoming?

No one could convince her these two incidents were unrelated. In the morning, they added one person to the program, and by the afternoon, He Yan was removed. To claim there was no connection was absurd—Su Ting wasn’t buying it.

He Dongchuan didn’t believe it either. His brows furrowed slightly. “I’m going to the Han family’s house now.”

“Who are you going to see?” Su Ting asked.

“Han Bin’s wife.” He Dongchuan replied. “She’s Xiao Yan’s homeroom teacher.”

Ideally, this should be handled at the school, but his work schedule kept him busy from dawn to dusk. By the time he had a break, the school would also be on holiday. Next Saturday was Children’s Day—there was no time to delay.  

Taking time off just to deal with a child’s performance issue would be an overreaction, so his only option was to confront Duan Xiaoying at the Han family’s house now.

These thoughts ran through Su Ting’s mind, and she decisively said: “You don’t need to go to the Han family. I’ll go to the school tomorrow to talk to Duan Xiaoying about this.”

Su Ting felt that in the Navy Compound, due to its unique situation, there was a very clear division of responsibilities—”the man works outside, the woman takes care of the home.”

If it were another unit, Su Ting would definitely point out the flaw, arguing that women can also work and earn money. Why should women be the ones managing household affairs, while men only focus on their jobs? But when it came to the military, she had nothing to say.

First comes the country, then the family.

The men in the Family Residential Compound had heavy responsibilities, so it was understandable if they neglected their families. After all, it’s often said that being a military wife is not easy.

To be a military wife, one had to be mentally prepared, capable of making sacrifices; otherwise, life would be difficult to endure.

Su Ting hadn’t had that mindset before, so she never considered marrying a soldier. But now, although her awareness hadn’t greatly improved, what else could she do? She was a military wife.

She was someone who was highly tolerant in some aspects. If He Dongchuan’s looks or personality didn’t match her ideal partner, she would have stopped at the fake marriage stage and later found a way to divorce him. But his looks and personality were quite good, so his other shortcomings weren’t a problem for her.

Furthermore, his career was not a flaw.

He had a high rank, and Su Ting was already living in the Family Residential Compound, so they didn’t have to live apart. He was also diligent—he cooked at home, and when he wasn’t home, she could eat at the canteen.

So, up until now, Su Ting hadn’t minded his career. When faced with decisions requiring sacrifices, she had been content with their life.

But Su Ting didn’t think their life would always be this easy.

As long as He Dongchuan didn’t retire, they would face the same problems as other military families. When he became busier, or if they had children, she would definitely need to contribute more.

Su Ting didn’t feel it was unfair. After all, they were a family. How could one keep score like that? As long as He Dongchuan continued to treat her well, she was willing to reciprocate.

Clearly, after her time in this world, her mindset had improved, even if not entirely.

Back to the point, because of the clear division of roles in the family, there were some unspoken rules in the Family Residential Compound. For example, if two children were arguing, the first one to intervene would definitely be the woman. If they couldn’t resolve it, the man would step in.

If the woman handled it and the issue was resolved, it wouldn’t be a big deal. If it escalated and the man had to get involved, the two families would likely end up with hard feelings.

If one side had the man intervene directly, and he won, he would be considered petty, fighting over something trivial with a woman. If he lost, he would be criticized for not being able to win an argument with a woman.

If the conflict led to physical fighting, and both parties were women, the Women’s Federation would intervene to mediate. The outcome would generally be to downplay the issue, turning a big problem into a small one, or at most a verbal reprimand.

Of course, this didn’t apply if there were issues involving improper thoughts or unethical conduct. If that happened, it would be a serious matter—at best, they would be publicly criticized, and at worst, they could be given a bad reputation.

But it was different when the fight involved men. The discipline in the Military Unit was strict, and even a minor altercation could result in a reprimand. In severe cases, it could lead to reassignment, affecting their post-service arrangements. If a man fought with a woman, it was even more serious—regardless of the reason, the consequences would definitely be harsh.

Because of this, if He Dongchuan handled the situation with He Yan directly, whether they were right or wrong, they would likely be at a disadvantage. It would be easier for Su Ting to handle it instead.

However, the approach would need to be discussed and agreed upon with He Dongchuan first.

After a moment of contemplation, Su Ting asked: “Xiao Yan wants to perform, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then…” Su Ting paused, thinking carefully about her words before asking: “Have you considered transferring Xiao Yan to another class?”

“Transfer classes?”

“Yes, I think Duan Xiaoying is unfair. If Xiao Yan is going to perform, I might have to confront her head-on. In that case, leaving him in Class Two wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Although first grade wasn’t as crucial as the third year of middle school or high school, it marked the beginning of his education. The teachers he encountered during this time, whether good or bad, were very important for him.

Actually, Su Ting had thought about having He Yan transferred after her unpleasant encounter with Duan Xiaoying during the home visit. But at that time, He Yan’s midterm exam results weren’t great, and Duan Xiaoying’s home visit hadn’t been entirely out of the blue. She felt that if she had him transferred just because their conversation hadn’t gone well, it would seem like making a mountain out of a molehill.

At the time, she wasn’t sure if Duan Xiaoying would hold a grudge against He Yan, so she decided to abandon the idea. But now, Su Ting was sure that Duan Xiaoying was indeed petty.

Since it had come to this point, it was unrealistic to think that she could persuade Duan Xiaoying to let He Yan return to the choir program peacefully. To get her to back down, they would have to take a more forceful approach, but doing so would certainly anger her further.

Given that, allowing He Yan to stay in Class Two after Children’s Day clearly wasn’t a wise decision.

It was important to note that in the Military primary school, teachers typically stayed with a class from first grade through to fifth grade. If He Yan didn’t repeat the year and remained in Duan Xiaoying’s class next semester, he would be under her guidance for the next four years.

Having figured this out, He Dongchuan was inclined to change classes, but considering He Yan, he hesitated for a moment and said: “I’ll ask Xiao Yan’s opinion first.”

“Okay.”

Su Ting nodded and looked toward the tightly closed door of the second bedroom. “Should we call him to get up and take a shower now?”

“Later. You go wash first.” He Dongchuan patted Su Ting’s back and said: “After you’re done, I’ll go call him.”

…

He Yan didn’t mind transferring to another class, because he hadn’t been at the Military Primary School for long—just a little over two months—and he sat at the back of the class. His grades weren’t outstanding, and he had never received any special attention from the teacher, so naturally, there hadn’t been much of a teacher-student bond formed.

As for classmates, he did have some good relationships. He sat next to Zhang Xiaokai, and there were classmates in front of him and across the aisle with whom he got along well. He indeed felt a bit reluctant to leave them.

But his dad had said that even after transferring, he could still play with his friends after school; the only difference was that he couldn’t talk during lessons.

Upon hearing this, He Yan quickly said: “We don’t talk during class.”

This, of course, was a lie. He and Zhang Xiaokai had often whispered to each other during class, but He Yan wasn’t about to admit this in front of his dad—he was afraid of getting beaten.

He Dongchuan wasn’t so easily fooled and didn’t believe his explanation, but instead of arguing with He Yan, he smoothly went along with it and said: “In that case, transferring won’t affect your friendship, right?”

What could He Yan say?

Of course, he could only nod and say: “Yes.”

Thus, the decision to transfer classes was settled. After hearing about it, Su Ting didn’t have any more doubts and patted her chest, saying: “Leave Xiao Yan’s performance on stage to me. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Because it was time to sleep, Su Ting wasn’t wearing a bra. Her soft, close-fitting pajamas clung to her body after she lightly patted them, revealing the contours of her figure.

He Dongchuan’s gaze immediately changed. With his left hand around Su Ting’s slender waist, he pressed her onto himself, and his right hand gripped the back of her neck, pulling her toward him.

Su Ting said: “…We’re discussing serious matters!”

He Dongchuan, without changing his expression, said: “The discussion is over.” He tilted his head and bit the delicate chin of the woman beneath him.