Chapter 44

The day before Shulin’s rest day, it was school dismissal time. Li Hehua stood at the entrance of the academy, waiting for Shulin. Zhang Tieshan was with her, and of course, Heizi was there too.

Li Hehua knew that Madam Zhang wanted to see her grandson. It was only natural, and although she was reluctant, she couldn’t say no.

Once Shulin came out, she would have to coax him properly. Otherwise, that little fellow wouldn’t be willing to go back with Zhang Tieshan for a few days.

Li Hehua glanced at Heizi, who was sitting solemnly at her feet, staring intently at the academy gates. She thought, If I let Heizi go back with Shulin as a companion, maybe he’d be more willing?

She squatted down and hugged Heizi’s big head, rubbing it as she spoke gently, “Heizi, when Shulin comes out, he’s going to visit his grandma. But he doesn’t really want to go. When the time comes, can you help comfort him, play with him, and make sure he goes back willingly to visit his grandma, okay?”

“Woof… woo…”

Li Hehua lovingly patted Heizi. “Good boy, I know you’re obedient. I’m counting on you!”

“Woof… woo…”

She bumped her forehead against Heizi’s. “It’s a deal then!”

The two of them—one human, one dog—reached a cheerful agreement.

Zhang Tieshan watched this wordless communication between woman and dog, a soft smile playing on his lips. It was such a warm scene—this was the life he longed for.

Before long, the academy doors opened. Children began pouring out with small book satchels, running into the arms of their parents. Shulin came out last, only after most of the children had left.

The little boy slowly shuffled forward with his book bag, walking as if the very act of moving forward was a serious task. His little expression was so earnest it made hearts melt.

Li Hehua couldn’t resist calling out, “Shulin—”

At the sound of her voice, the little fellow immediately looked up. His eyes lit up when he saw her, his little mouth spreading into a wide smile—clearly overjoyed.

He broke into a run, leaving his teacher, Mister Gu, behind as he charged toward Li Hehua. But after just a few steps, he came to a sudden halt.

He lowered his head to think for a moment, then turned back. Facing Gu Zhijin, he cupped his little hands and bowed politely. His posture was formal, though the sight of his tiny body attempting the solemn gesture was oddly comical.

Gu Zhijin smiled and motioned for him to rise. “Alright, go on now. Your mother is waiting.”

With that permission, Shulin turned again and sprinted toward Li Hehua, his little satchel clattering with each step.

Li Hehua’s heart had already melted when she saw him bow to his teacher. Now, unable to contain her joy, she ran forward to scoop him into her arms and twirled him around. “Shulin, my good baby! You did such a great job just now, giving a proper bow to your teacher!”

The little boy blinked and wrapped his chubby arms around her neck, nuzzling against her like a kitten.

Heizi also bounded over, circling around mother and son affectionately.

“Shulin, look—Heizi came to pick you up too. Do you want to play with Heizi?”

Shulin nodded.

As soon as she set him down, he immediately threw his arms around Heizi’s head, rubbing affectionately. Heizi returned the gesture, nuzzling back and letting out soft whimpers.

Seeing how happy Shulin was, Li Hehua glanced at Zhang Tieshan, signaling him to bring up the topic of going back home.

Zhang Tieshan received her cue and walked over, lifting Shulin into his arms. He pinched the boy’s nose playfully. “You little rascal, pretending you didn’t see your dad, huh? Did you forget about me?”

Shulin blinked twice, then just like he had done with Li Hehua, wrapped his arms around Zhang Tieshan’s neck and buried his face into his shoulder.

He definitely hadn’t forgotten his father.

Zhang Tieshan patted his head, chuckling. “Alright, I forgive you. But Grandma and Uncle miss you a lot. They really want to see you. Come stay with us for a couple of days, okay?”

The little boy’s head shot up, and without hesitation, he reached out for Li Hehua again.

Mom, hurry! Dad is trying to take me away!

Seeing him act like he was being kidnapped, Li Hehua felt both exasperated and amused. It’s just two days at home with his father, and he’s acting like it’s a life-or-death situation. Poor Zhang Tieshan. Not doing so well as a dad, huh?

She didn’t pick him up, but spoke gently instead, “Shulin, Grandma and Uncle really miss you. If they don’t see you soon, they might get so sad they fall sick. Being sick is painful, and Shulin doesn’t want them to suffer, right?”

Shulin’s outstretched hands paused. He stared at her, unsure.

Li Hehua pressed on, “Look, if you just stay with them for two days, they’ll feel better. And then you’ll be right back with Mom again, just like now. Doesn’t that sound good?”

His little arms slowly dropped a bit as he hesitated.

Li Hehua smiled. “And you won’t be alone—Heizi will go with you. You can bring him to play in Shangshui Village. That used to be his home too, you know. He misses it as well.”

His arms dropped a little more, his eyes blinking pitifully.

Li Hehua’s heart ached. If she could, she wouldn’t be apart from him for even a day. But adults couldn’t be as willful as children—she had to coax him.

“I know Shulin is the best boy, right?”

Shulin pouted miserably, looking so wronged that Li Hehua almost burst into tears herself.

What’s wrong with me? It’s just two days. Why does this feel like a heartbreaking farewell?

She wiped her eyes quickly. Seeing that Shulin was almost convinced, she turned and walked toward Gu Zhijin to ask for a leave of absence.

“Mister Gu, I’d like to request two days off for Shulin. He needs to visit his grandma in the village. It’s quite far, so coming back and forth for school isn’t convenient. Would that be alright?”

It was indeed inconvenient for students coming from the village. Shulin’s coursework wasn’t particularly urgent either. As long as the missed material was taught later, it’d be fine.

Gu Zhijin nodded. “That’s fine.”

Li Hehua smiled and thanked him.

He looked toward the man in the distance holding Shulin and gave a polite nod. Only when he saw the trio—man, child, and dog—walk away did he return inside.

Since Zhang Tieshan was taking Shulin straight back to the village, they parted ways at the end of the alley. Li Hehua held back her sadness and handed Zhang Tieshan a small bundle.

“I made lots of snacks for Shulin—there are fries, cakes, candied hawthorns, and jerky. All his favorites. When he finishes them, he can come back and see Mom again.”

The little one’s eyes welled up. His mouth twitched, but he stubbornly refused to cry. He looked absolutely pitiful.

Li Hehua’s heart shattered. She couldn’t bear to look any longer. “Zhang Tieshan, just take him and go. I’m leaving.”

She quickly turned and walked away, head down, without daring to look back. If she saw Shulin cry, she might just regret everything.

Only after she rushed home and shut the door did she lean against it and bite her lip, trying to calm her emotions. But the big, empty courtyard without that little figure made her heart ache even more. She wanted to rush out and bring her child back.

Afraid she’d miss Shulin too much, Li Hehua busied herself in the kitchen preparing ingredients for the next day’s business. When Xie Saozi arrived, she chatted non-stop to distract herself.

Still, that night, without Shulin beside her, Li Hehua couldn’t sleep. Before dawn, she was already up grinding soybeans.

As she pushed the heavy stone mill, her mind was filled with Shulin. Who did he sleep with last night? Zhang Tieshan or Madam Zhang? Is he used to it? He never liked eating before unless it was food I made… Will he eat now with Madam Zhang’s cooking?

Her head buzzed with worry.

Just then, a knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

So early? Who could it be?

“Who is it?” she called as she walked to the door.

“It’s me,” came the reply.

Li Hehua’s eyes widened. Zhang Tieshan? What’s he doing here? Shulin’s not even with me!

She opened the door in surprise. “Zhang Tieshan, what are you doing here?”

He furrowed his brows slightly but didn’t answer. Instead, he walked in, rolled up his sleeves, and started grinding soybeans.

Li Hehua frowned. “Zhang Tieshan, what are you doing?”

He replied calmly, “Grinding soy milk.”

She knew that! What she wanted to know was why he was doing it today, when Shulin wasn’t even here. Shouldn’t he be home with his son? Why was he at her place?

Her thoughts became a jumbled mess again, all those half-formed suspicions creeping back into her mind.

Just like before, Zhang Tieshan ground the soybeans, helped set up her stall, and stayed to assist until she packed up in the afternoon and returned home.

Li Hehua spent the whole day distracted. When they got back, she finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Zhang Tieshan, you don’t need to help me now that Shulin’s not here. Go home and spend time with him.” Without waiting for his reaction, she shut the door and leaned against it, listening for his footsteps until they faded away. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

She’d been on edge all day. Zhang Tieshan’s behavior had shaken her. She used to think he was only helping because of Shulin. But if that were true, why was he still coming even after Shulin left?

Could it be that… Zhang Tieshan really… liked her?

It felt impossible. She tried to deny it.

How could he? He used to hate me. His mother and younger brother hated me even more. When I first came to the Zhang household, I had no room, no food, only misunderstandings… I was driven out with nowhere to go.

Those were the most humiliating days of her life.

She’d never even been in a relationship before, let alone married. But she understood one thing—marriage wasn’t just between two people. It was between two families. A good husband meant nothing if the in-laws hated you. She couldn’t risk that.

Her modern-day girlfriends had warned her time and time again: find a mother-in-law who likes you, or at least doesn’t hate you.

So even if Zhang Tieshan was a good man—reliable, responsible, and kind—she couldn’t consider him. She couldn’t handle his family.

Hopefully, he got her message when she told him not to come anymore.

The next day, Li Hehua nervously got up, praying he wouldn’t show up again. To her relief, the door stayed quiet. No one came. She smiled, thinking he must’ve gotten the hint.

She went about her morning stall duties cheerfully, gradually regaining her light-hearted smile.

But just as she relaxed, Zhang Tieshan appeared again—casually stepping behind the stall and tidying up bowls and utensils like always, as if nothing had changed.

Li Hehua’s smile froze. She wanted to confront him, but with customers around, she couldn’t find the right moment. And so, the day passed.

Back home, after he parked the cart, she finally spoke up.

She took a deep breath, looked him in the eyes, and asked, “Zhang Tieshan, did you understand what I said yesterday?”

He stared at her without answering, expression unreadable.

The weight of his gaze made her uneasy, but she forced herself to continue, “You really don’t need to help anymore. We’re not related. If people see this, they’ll start gossiping, and that won’t be good.”

Truthfully, she didn’t care about gossip. It was just an excuse. But surely Zhang Tieshan, who valued propriety, would take the hint.

His lips pressed into a thin line, expression deepening with complex emotion.

She looked away. “Go home. Thank you for your help today.”

But instead of leaving, Zhang Tieshan grabbed her arm and said in a low voice, “Will you marry me?”

Not remarry me—but marry me.

Li Hehua’s heart skipped a beat. She stared at him in shock.

He wasn’t joking. He was serious.

Panicking, she yanked her arm free and stepped back. “What are you saying?! I… You already divorced me. What are you doing now?”

Zhang Tieshan clenched his fists, then slowly said, “You know I divorced Li Hehua—not you. I want to marry you. Not her.”

A buzzing filled Li Hehua’s ears. Her face turned pale. She stared at him, stunned. “I… I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

He stepped closer. “You know what I mean. I know you’re not the original Li Hehua. I see the difference. I like you—the real you. Not anyone else. I want to marry you, love you, take care of you. Will you give me a chance?”

She stumbled back, still reeling from the shock. He knows? How? Is this a joke?

Her heart pounded wildly. Unable to face the situation, she pointed at the door. “Leave. I don’t want to talk right now. Close the door behind you. Thanks.”

With that, she ran into her room and locked the door from the inside.

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