Chapter 11

Qingda University was in the capital city of S Province.

It was just a three-hour drive from his army base—faster if you drove quickly.

This was actually better than her staying at home.

He didn’t want her stuck at home either. He only got to see her and their son for a few days each year.

Thinking this, he felt much more at ease.

Su Ruo hadn’t expected things to be this simple.

She wasn’t naïve—she knew how much trouble and danger she’d face if she tried to live alone with her son.

Even just dealing with Wu Guizhi could turn into a full-blown disaster.

If it didn’t interfere with her exams, going to the military district with him would definitely be the most convenient option.

Her only hesitation was… well, him—as her husband.

Su Ruo thought it over carefully, weighing the pros and cons. In the end, she didn’t say no. Instead, she asked, “This is all so sudden. Will it be convenient for you to make arrangements? And what about a place for me and Guoguo to stay…”

On the surface, Han Zecheng remained calm, but in reality, he’d been holding his breath waiting for her response.

Hearing her say that meant she was more or less agreeing, and he finally let go of the tension in his chest. His expression softened, and a faint smile touched his lips as he said, “It’s no trouble. I’ll submit the application for a married couple’s dorm as soon as I get back tomorrow. For now, we can stay in the guesthouse for a couple of days. There are plenty of vacant houses in the military district—it’ll be approved in a day or two.”

Normally, applying for married quarters would involve waiting in line, but the military district had recently undergone renovations and built new family housing. There were still many unoccupied units.

Given his rank, the application should go through quickly.

Was it really that easy?

Su Ruo looked at his smile, momentarily dazed.

This seemed to be the first time she’d seen him smile since she woke up.

He had sharp, serious features and always wore a stern expression that made people feel pressured just looking at him. But unexpectedly, his faint smile was quite good-looking.

She wanted to ask: if it was that simple, why hadn’t she followed him to the military district before?

But as her lips moved, she decided not to. The way he and his mother casually talked about divorce gave her a pretty good guess—their relationship probably hadn’t been very good.

And if things had been bad between them, who knew what kind of hidden landmines were buried in their past? She figured it was better not to ask for now.

She remained silent for a while, lost in thought.

Han Zecheng, misinterpreting her silence as hesitation, thought for a moment and said, “Ah Ruo, I know you’ve lost your memory. Don’t worry. Even if you go to the base, I won’t pressure you. Until you’re ready, we’ll just treat each other like ordinary family members. After all, you’re Guoguo’s mother, and I’m his father. No matter what happens, we’re still a family.”

Pressure her? Pressure her into what?

Su Ruo blinked, and suddenly, the memory of him kissing her the night before flashed through her mind…

Ah, but that wasn’t what she was worried about.

She didn’t think he was that kind of man anyway.

What she was really concerned about was how awkward it might be living together.

Even if he didn’t do anything, he was still her husband in name. Living under the same roof… especially sharing a bed…

She turned her face away, fiddling with the things on the table as a cover, then cleared her throat and said, “Mm, okay.”

After a pause, she felt that wasn’t enough and added softly, “Thank you.”

Han Zecheng noticed how flustered she looked—and how her ears were slowly turning red.

She hadn’t been this easy to talk to before.

She wasn’t this obedient. Or this soft.

She definitely didn’t blush this easily.

He didn’t quite know how to feel about that, so he stood there for a while just watching her before finally saying, “Alright. I’ll go get some water so you can wash your face. Once we’ve had breakfast, we’ll start packing. We’ll leave early tomorrow morning.”

They’d set out around 3 or 4 a.m., so they could arrive at the base before lunch. After settling her in, he could spend the afternoon handling all the paperwork.

He was really the efficient type.

Su Ruo didn’t have time to feel shy or awkward anymore. She quickly looked up and, taking a deep breath, shook her head with a smile. “No need. I’ll come with you. I haven’t met the others yet.”

Now that she’d decided to leave, she wasn’t afraid to see anyone.

She’d get a feel for things—if anything was off, it didn’t matter. She’d be gone by tomorrow anyway.

This time when the two of them went outside, the main room was empty.

Han Zecheng led Su Ruo straight to the kitchen.

Sister-in-law Liu Xiumei was just about to carry out some porridge when she saw them walk in. She greeted them cautiously, “Second brother, second sister-in-law.”

Han Zecheng returned the greeting and headed to the back to get Su Ruo a toothbrush and toothpaste. Seeing this, Liu Xiumei quickly set down the porridge, picked up the thermos, and began pouring hot water into a washbasin for Su Ruo. While doing so, she smiled and said, “Second sister-in-law, are you feeling better today? If not, just rest a couple more days.”

Su Ruo had heard that it was Liu Xiumei who had been looking after her the past few days while she was sick. She hurried forward and said, “I can do it myself. Thank you so much for taking care of me these past two days.”

Liu Xiumei had already finished pouring the hot water.

She skillfully scooped a ladle of cold water from the water vat to mix with the hot water and said with a smile, “We’re all family—no need to be so polite. And usually, my kids have troubled you plenty.”

She had three children. All of them had attended the commune elementary school, and it was Su Ruo who helped care for them.

Over the years, first her youngest son Laichun, then her daughter Laiqiu, had all relied on Su Ruo to bike them to and from school.

Su Ruo was generous too. Whenever she bought snacks or goodies for Han Guo, she’d also bring some for Laichun and Laiqiu.

Liu Xiumei wasn’t ungrateful. Unlike the third brother and his wife, who had been spoiled by their parents and took everything Su Ruo did for granted, she genuinely appreciated her.

Of course, Su Ruo didn’t know any of this.

She simply felt Liu Xiumei’s warmth and smiled back before taking the toothbrush and cup from Han Zecheng and heading outside with him to brush her teeth.

Liu Xiumei watched the two of them—one tall and strong, the other slender and delicate. They looked so good together, such a perfect match. She couldn’t help but sigh.

She’d overheard the argument earlier between her mother-in-law and Han Zecheng.

She understood her mother-in-law’s intentions clearly.

She just wanted Han Zecheng to marry some obedient village girl she could easily control.

That way, both Han Guo and Han Zecheng’s money would be firmly in her hands.

But she wasn’t thinking straight. Han Zecheng was a university graduate from a military academy, with a bright future ahead of him. Even if he did get divorced, how could someone like him ever fall for a meek, submissive village girl her mother-in-law picked out?

To be honest, it wasn’t just that her mother-in-law liked her — even among all the educated youths she’d seen, Su Ruo was the most attractive and graceful. She had never met a second person who could compare.

In her opinion, if her mother-in-law kept acting like this, no matter what ended up happening between Second Brother and his wife, one thing was certain — Second Brother would only grow more and more resentful of her, and of this household.

After washing up, Su Ruo helped her sister-in-law Liu Xiumei carry bowls and chopsticks into the main hall. By then, Han Heping and Wu Guizhi had also come out of their room.

Soon, Han Jiasong, Han Jialin, and the children from the other room all joined them for the meal.

With the whole family gathered, the previously spacious hall suddenly felt crowded.

Perhaps Han Heping had said the right things to calm her down, because although Wu Guizhi still looked unhappy at the table, she didn’t say anything unpleasant this time.

The Han family split into two tables for meals.

Han Heping, Wu Guizhi, and the men sat at a large octagonal table.

The daughters-in-law, along with the children — except for the eldest Han Laidong who was already working in the fields earning labor points — sat at a smaller square table.

On the big table, there was a large bowl of watery porridge and a dish of pickled vegetables. The pickles had been stir-fried with fatty pork, giving them a shiny, oily look that made them extra appetizing.

There were also several pieces of cornmeal steamed buns and a few thin pancakes made with wild vegetables and eggs.

Though the pancakes weren’t oily, the golden eggs with bits of green wild veggies still looked very tempting.

The children at the small table kept glancing over longingly at the big table.

And it wasn’t without reason — while they also had porridge, pickles, and steamed buns, they didn’t get any of those wild veggie egg pancakes.

When Han Zecheng sat down, he frowned and glanced back at Su Ruo.

Su Ruo smiled at him and shook her head gently.

She really didn’t mind.

Times were tough for everyone, but she had grown up in a well-off household. Lin Wanhua had never dared to skimp on her food. So missing out on a few good meals here and there didn’t matter to her at all.

Wu Guizhi noticed the little glance shared between her son and daughter-in-law, and it made her even more upset.

But she thought of what the old man had told her earlier and forced herself to hold back. She picked up the plate of pancakes and began handing them out at the big table, saying firmly, “Time to eat.”

As soon as the meal started, the youngest from the eldest branch, Han Laiqiu, and the only child from the third branch, Han Laibao, picked up their bowls and ran over to sit at the big table.

No one said anything, so it was clear this was the usual routine.

Only Han Guo stayed seated at the small table, not even glancing at the big one.

Su Ruo gave him a surprised look and felt a surge of pride — clearly, she’d raised her son well.

“Guozi, come sit with your dad,” Wu Guizhi suddenly said to him with a smile. “Grandma will give you some egg pancake.”

Han Guo looked up at Su Ruo first, then turned to look at Wu Guizhi, who was smiling at him.

He blinked and said, “Just because my dad is there? No thanks, Grandma. You eat it. My mom will buy me some later.”

That one sentence was packed with meaning.

Wu Guizhi’s face immediately darkened.

Bad bamboo produces bad shoots — even this little fox spirit’s son was full of schemes at such a young age!

The mood at the table instantly turned awkward.

Wu Guizhi stuffed the piece of egg pancake into Han Laibao’s bowl instead. The boy flashed her a big grin, all teeth, and whispered sweetly, “Thanks, Grandma! I knew you liked me best!”

Wu Guizhi finally looked a little more pleased.

She ignored Han Guo after that and continued handing out pancakes to the others at the big table.

Han Guo pouted and let out a barely audible snort.

Su Ruo almost couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud.

He was definitely her son, no doubt about it.

Holding back a smile, she picked up a cornmeal bun and stuffed it into Han Guo’s mouth, thinking to herself — once we leave here, I’ll teach him properly.

The rest of the meal passed without incident.

Han Zecheng, being a soldier, sat up straight even while eating. His expression remained cold and stern, which made everyone a bit tense. And with Wu Guizhi still upset from Han Guo’s remark and distracted with her own thoughts — even her favorite Han Laibao couldn’t cheer her up — no one else dared to speak much. So, the Han family’s breakfast that morning was particularly stiff and quiet