Chapter 53: The Letter

Zong Shao finished reading the letter in a glance, his eyes skimming over it quickly. When he looked up again, his expression had already returned to calm. He greeted Liu Dan and said, “Weiwei is upstairs. I’ll go call her down.”

Liu Dan quickly said, “No need to trouble yourself. I saw her before I came in—she was watering the flowers and said she’d be down soon.”

Just as she finished speaking, Lin Wei came downstairs. After greeting Liu Dan, she said, “I’ll wash my hands first,” and walked outside with a dipper in hand.

Zong Shao casually folded the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope. Once Lin Wei came back inside, he said, “You two chat. I’m going out to buy a pack of cigarettes.”

“Cigarettes?” Lin Wei was taken aback. Zong Shao had been trying to quit for some time now. Although he hadn’t completely given up, it had been a while since he actually bought any.

Zong Shao didn’t explain and simply asked, “Do we still have cigarette ration coupons?”

“They’re upstairs.”

Though puzzled about why he suddenly wanted to buy cigarettes, Lin Wei hesitated for a moment and said, “I’ll go find them for you.”

“No need. You two chat. I’ll go get them myself,” Zong Shao said, picking up the envelope from the coffee table and heading upstairs.

After he left, Liu Dan noticed Lin Wei looked concerned. She lowered her voice and said, “He doesn’t seem to be in a good mood. His expression was off when he opened the letter.”

Lin Wei was lost in thought, and it took her a second to realize Liu Dan was speaking to her. She replied with a simple, “I see.”

The letter Liu Dan was referring to had arrived that afternoon via registered mail, sent from a military compound in the capital. Lin Wei had assumed it was something important.

So the moment Zong Shao got home, she brought it up. But he didn’t seem to care much about it and only opened it after dinner in the living room.

Now that she thought about it, his mood had changed then. But because he always had a stern face, and with dinner following soon after and the kids joking around, she hadn’t noticed at the time.

Just as she was thinking this, Zong Shao came back downstairs holding the letter. He said a few words to Lin Wei and left through the back door.

Lin Wei watched his figure disappear out the back door and couldn’t help but wonder: who lives in that military compound in the capital? What did the letter say? Why did it affect his mood so much?

“Weiwei? Weiwei?”

Lin Wei snapped back to reality and looked at Liu Dan. “What did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything—just called your name twice,” Liu Dan said helplessly. “Are you worried about Comrade Zong?”

“Just thought it was a bit strange.” Lin Wei smiled. “So, did you get any results?”

“Pretty much.” Liu Dan perked up and repeated what Xing Dong had said in detail. “Before I came, I also talked with Qi Tao. Judging from his reaction, I don’t think he knows what his mother has been doing behind the scenes.”

“And did you tell Sister Yang?”

“Not yet. I’m worried that if I go directly to Xiao Yang, Qi Tao will realize we’re testing him on purpose.”

Lin Wei thought for a moment and said, “Then wait a couple of days. Let’s see what Captain Qi plans to do first.”

Liu Dan nodded, then muttered, “From the way Qi Tao acts, I think he really has feelings for Xiao Yang. He probably won’t blindly side with that old witch.”

Hearing Liu Dan call her an “old witch,” Lin Wei couldn’t help but laugh. “Be careful not to let that slip in front of them.”

“You’re underestimating me! If I didn’t have at least that bit of sense, how could I have lasted this long in the military family placement office?” Speaking of work, Liu Dan remembered something. “Ever since you started substituting at the elementary school, our Director Luo has been in a foul mood. Lately we don’t even dare speak loudly in the office—worried she’ll find fault with us.”

Lin Wei frowned slightly. “Is it really that bad? It’s already been several days.”

“I used to think it wouldn’t be a big deal either, but looking back, our director’s really quite petty. Take Xiao Deng for example. It was Director Luo who first wouldn’t let go of her family background. Comrade Zhou only reported it to the military because she was upset, and in the end, nothing came of it. But even so, our director refused to assign her a job for years.”

What’s more, Luo Shuzhi had held a grudge against Deng Xiangyun for years. Even when it came to assigning the hospital pharmacy post, she’d rather pick someone with worse credentials than Deng, just to avoid giving it to her. That showed just how much she disliked Lin Wei.

Thinking of this, Liu Dan asked, “So how long is your job at the elementary school supposed to last?”

“Three months, depending on Teacher Chen’s recovery.” Lin Wei looked up. “Why do you ask?”

“I just think, knowing how petty our director is, when your time at the school ends, she might make things difficult for you during the next job placement.” After voicing her suspicion, Liu Dan offered a suggestion. “So I think, maybe you should do your best during these three months and try to stay on as a teacher after?”

Lin Wei chuckled. “Elementary school jobs are one-to-one. Unless the number of students increases, no new positions will open up. You think if I perform well, I can just stay?”

“That’s how it used to be, but recently two teachers were hospitalized, and now some classes are teacherless. It’s possible Principal Feng might reconsider and add a position.” Liu Dan had a different take. “I really think you should take this seriously. Compared to other jobs outside the base, teaching is way more comfortable.”

Lin Wei smiled. “Aren’t your jobs comfortable too?”

“They’re alright, but first, there won’t be any vacancies in our unit anytime soon. And second, if you did join our unit, wouldn’t it be like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den?”

Lin Wei laughed harder. “Your mouth, seriously.”

Liu Dan grinned proudly. “Hey, I’m just speaking the truth.”

“Yes, yes.” Lin Wei nodded, then thoughtfully added, “I’ll definitely do my job well. As for whether I can stay or not, I’ll leave it to fate.”

Originally, she hadn’t planned to work until next August. But the elementary school was in urgent need, and the hours were fairly flexible, so she agreed.

If after three months the school didn’t expand the staff, she’d simply stay home for the next eight months. If she survived her life-or-death tribulation, she’d pick up her high school studies again. When the college entrance exam was restored, she’d give it a try. If she got in, she’d go. If not…

Lin Wei figured that although she only attended a little over a month of high school, and her foundation wasn’t as solid as those who had at least gone through second and third year, if she started reviewing over two years early, she should at least be able to get into a vocational college.

The biggest concern was Zong Shao and the children. While there was a university on the island, the school was in Yecheng (Ye City) in the northeast, whereas Yaxian was in the southwest—the distance was significant.

But one, Zong Shao’s job wasn’t completely unmovable. And two, Lin Wei thought that whatever decision she eventually made, preparing ahead was better than wasting time and cramming at the last minute, only to fail. At least she’d have more options.

Once the markets opened in the 1980s, whether she wanted to start a business or find work, her choices would be far better than now.

So, she wasn’t particularly anxious about the job. If there was easy work, she’d take it; if not, she’d stay home and prepare. As long as she could stay alive, the future was long.

…

Liu Dan had come to see Lin Wei just to update her on the situation. After that, their conversation drifted casually from one topic to the next. As the sky darkened outside, she hurried back home—there were still things to do.

Soon after Liu Dan left, Zong Shao returned. The envelope was gone, but he now had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket. When he drank some water, he casually took them out and left them on the coffee table.

Lin Wei, who was grading homework, leaned over and picked up the cigarette pack to look at it.

Only two had been smoked—not many.

Seeing her action, a faint smile appeared on Zong Shao’s face. He put down his water glass, leaned toward her, and asked, “Want to smell it?”

Lin Wei didn’t lean in, just asked, “Feel better after smoking?”

“More or less,” Zong Shao replied.

“Who sent the letter?”

“Someone unimportant.” A trace of disgust flashed in Zong Shao’s eyes. “From now on, if any letters come from this address, don’t accept them. Have the mailman return them directly.”

Lin Wei was a little surprised. Although she hadn’t known Zong Shao for that long, she thought she understood him fairly well. He was actually quite reserved by nature. When he disliked someone, he wouldn’t express it bluntly. Instead, he would distance himself quietly and wouldn’t make his dislike obvious.

Even when he occasionally mentioned Gao Xiulian, he would merely frown and clearly disapprove of her way of doing things — but never showed such overt disgust like he did now, just from hearing a name.

Though she was curious who that person was and why Zong Shao disliked them so much, she didn’t ask further. She simply replied, “Okay,” and raised her hand, saying, “To help you quit smoking more effectively, I’m temporarily confiscating this pack.”

Zong Shao didn’t object to her taking the cigarettes, just looked a bit surprised. “You were helping me quit?”

Lin Wei looked even more surprised. “If it wasn’t because of my urging, why would you have quit?”

Faced with Lin Wei’s confident response, Zong Shao began to question his own memory. He thought back over everything that had happened since Lin Wei had joined him in the military camp, then finally decided to swallow his pride and ask, “Can I ask how exactly you urged me to quit?”

“When we first got to the island, I counted the money and ration coupons you handed in — didn’t I mention then that Rui Rui was still young, and breathing in smoke wasn’t good for him? You even said you’d try your best to quit. Wasn’t that urging? And a couple of months ago, didn’t I drag you to get a physical, specifically checking your lungs? Isn’t that urging too?” Lin Wei said earnestly, “We’re adults now. Do you really need me to follow you around every day nagging you to quit?”

Zong Shao: “…”

“But now that you’ve raised this doubt, I gave it some thought and I think you’re right. If I keep letting you go unchecked, who knows how many years it’ll take you to actually quit,” Lin Wei said, pretending to reflect seriously. After a moment, she added, “Let’s do this — starting today, if anyone offers you a cigarette, you’re not allowed to take it. And every day when you come home, I’ll check your fingers and your clothes, so you can’t say I didn’t do my part as a supervisor.”

Zong Shao asked, “What if I do take one — will there be punishment?”

“Of course.”

“What kind of punishment?”

“Random. Depends on my mood.”

Zong Shao gave an “oh” and said, “Then what if I don’t take one — will there be a reward?”

Lin Wei looked up at him. “What kind of reward do you want?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t be random. Just a kiss from you will do.” Zong Shao had a face that said, “See how reasonable I am?”

Lin Wei turned her head away with a snort. “In your dreams. If you actually manage to quit for good, maybe then I’ll consider it.”

“What exactly is it?”

Lin Wei turned her head back. “What do you think?”

“I think…” Zong Shao lowered his head, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her lips. “This is what it is.”

Lin Wei opened her mouth to speak, but he took the chance to press in. His kiss was fast and fierce, leaving her breathless. As her breathing quickened and her strength gave out, she leaned back against the sofa.

By the time the kiss ended, Lin Wei’s body had gone soft. Her hands rested weakly on his shoulders, her head tilted back, and her eyes hazy as she looked at the man just inches from her.

He rested his forehead against hers, softly kissing the tip of her nose and her lips now and then. His voice was slightly hoarse. “Actually, the person who sent the letter isn’t all that unimportant.”

He paused his kisses and said slowly, word by word, “She’s my father’s current wife.”

Lin Wei froze, her eyes clearing a bit.

Even though she had been married to Zong Shao for four years, she didn’t know much about his family. All she knew was that his parents were divorced and he had a bad relationship with his father. When they got married, he didn’t even inform him.

At the time, her dad was a bit upset — after all, his parents were divorced, not dead. How could his father not attend the wedding? But her mom had immediately snapped back, saying, “He might as well be dead. Don’t worry about it.”

So from then until now, Lin Wei had never met Zong Shao’s father — and didn’t even know he had remarried.

Gently stroking his tense jaw, clenched from the pressure of his teeth, Lin Wei said softly, “If you don’t like her, then she’s someone unimportant.”