Chapter 16

“There’s a cafeteria in the army,”

Han Zecheng cut through Wu Guizhi’s scolding directly.

He said, “The army has a cafeteria and even a kindergarten. Guoguo is old enough to go to school now. This time when I bring him over, I’ll send him straight to kindergarten, so there’s no need to worry about taking care of him. Besides, Aruo is at home—she’s studying but can still take care of him. So there’s no need to trouble you, Mom.”

“What if your wife gets accepted into that university or whatever?”

Wu Guizhi said with a dark face, “If your wife goes to university, who will take care of Guozi then?”

“There are married student dorms at school,”

Su Ruo replied this time, “and also a kindergarten. I’ve already planned it out. We’ll choose a school in S Province’s capital, which is close to the Zecheng military district. It’s only a three or four-hour drive from the military district to the school. I’ll live with Guoguo in the married dorm. I’ll attend classes during the day, and Guoguo will go to kindergarten. When my classes are over, I’ll pick him up. Zecheng can come visit us when he’s off duty, so there’s no need to trouble Mom.”

At this, Su Ruo’s tone grew even colder than before.

It was one thing to dislike her, but to mistreat her son on top of that was truly unbearable.

Though Su Ruo spoke with a stern face, Han Zecheng, who had also been cold earlier, glanced at her and felt a bittersweet warmth rising in his chest.

But Wu Guizhi and the others were not reassured by this—they only grew more anxious.

She snapped sharply, “That’s all you saying! Who knows what it’s really like there? And what if you get a strange idea and run off with my grandson? No way! My grandson is the Han family’s grandson. If you want to leave, go yourself, but you can’t take my grandson with you!”

This time, not only did Su Ruo’s face turn green with anger, even Han Zecheng was completely enraged.

His voice was like ice, “He is my son. If you have a problem with that, I can take them and leave right now.”

Wu Guizhi wanted to throw a tantrum again but was held back by Han Heping.

Han Heping looked completely worn out.

He saw clearly that this time Han Zecheng was determined. If his wife continued to make a fuss, it would only drive them further apart.

If Han Zecheng took Guoguo away and never returned to Hanjia Village—cutting off even the money they sent—they would be powerless.

Then truly, everything would be lost.

Some things you want to hold onto, but if you can’t, there’s nothing you can do.

He sighed and grabbed Wu Guizhi’s arm, saying, “Zecheng’s mom, why do you always have this temper? You want to help Zecheng and his wife with the child, to lighten their burden so they can focus on work and school, but why does it always end up in a fight?”

Then he apologized to Han Zecheng, “Zecheng, your mom just can’t bear to part with you and Guoguo. She’s raised him all these years—from when he was just a tiny little thing. Suddenly, if you leave, it’s not just your mom—my heart aches too.”

His eyes reddened as he spoke.

Su Ruo looked at Wu Guizhi and Han Heping, then at Han Zecheng’s expressionless face. Suddenly, a pang of sympathy rose in her chest and slowly spread, making her nose sting.

She held Han Guo’s hand tightly, stepped forward, and gently took Han Zecheng’s hand.

“We should go back inside.”

Han Zecheng turned his face and looked down at her. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and his originally cold expression slowly began to soften.

He pulled away his left hand that she had grabbed, then turned around but took her small hand with his right. He whispered to her, “Let’s go,” and pulled her toward the room.

“Zecheng, sigh,”

Han Zecheng was leading Su Ruo inside when Han Heping called out from behind.

He squeezed Wu Guizhi’s arm, urging her to say something softer.

He knew Han Zecheng’s character too well—when he said he was leaving, he wasn’t joking; he absolutely would do it.

But if they let him leave like this, he might never come back again.

Han Heping was speechless with his own wife. How could a simple matter become so unpleasant when it came out of her mouth?

The child is little, the second son is busy in the army, and his wife is going to school—leaving the child at home to be cared for is only normal. Why did it have to escalate into this?

Han Heping squeezed hard.

Wu Guizhi’s arm ached sharply from the grip.

She pulled her arm back and, wiping tears, said to Han Zecheng, “Alright, alright, second son. Now that you have a wife, you’ve forgotten your mother. All my scolding is only because I care about you… But if you let her do as she wants now, when she’s in university and has someone else, won’t you have to send Guozi back to me to raise?”

Su Ruo, Han Zecheng, and the others: …

“What nonsense are you saying, mother-in-law?”

Han Heping was just exasperated with his wife.

Han Zecheng quickened his pace. In just a few steps, he dragged Su Ruo and Han Guo to the inner room’s doorway. If it weren’t for Han Guo’s small steps, he probably would have entered the room already.

Wu Guizhi shot Han Heping a sharp glance, then shouted again after Han Zecheng’s retreating figure, “Fine, you take them away. Whatever happens later, we’ll talk about it then. But life here is hard; the kids don’t even have enough to eat. Give me a clear promise—you send forty yuan home every month from now on. I won’t bother you for anything else.”

Han Zecheng’s eyes darkened.

He released Su Ruo’s hand, stood by the door, and turned sideways to say to Su Ruo, “You take Guoguo inside first.”

Su Ruo glanced at him, then held her son’s hand and went into the room.

But once inside, she didn’t move further in—she just stood there watching.

Han Zecheng looked at Wu Guizhi and said, “Back then, you left me and remarried. Grandma almost starved to death. I didn’t die only because my uncles and elders took pity on me and gave me a bit to eat. Later, my dad came and gave you money to take me away, but I didn’t go. It wasn’t because I had any affection for this family, but because I didn’t want to live in someone else’s house again.”

“I stayed. I studied at the commune primary school for five years, but from middle school on, I left home. From university onward, I sent money to you. If I had gone with him back then, could you still chase me for money now? During that great famine, if it weren’t for the money and grain my dad sent, how many of us would have survived, do you even know?”

“When I say grandma nearly starved to death and I didn’t die because my uncles helped, your face turned pale.”

At that moment, Wu Guizhi’s face suddenly went deathly white.

All the anger, grief, and rage that had flared like a blazing fire was doused by a bucket of ice water and instantly reduced to ashes.

She stood stunned for a moment, then widened her eyes and said, “Nonsense! Second son, where did you hear such lies? Who made this up? If it weren’t for your eldest uncle back then, your grandma and you would have long been starved to death.”

Her chest rose and fell sharply with her anger.

And these things were indeed true.

Even if he only sent a few handfuls of grain each month, he really did send them.

He felt no affection for his mother, but precisely because of that lack of affection, he had to remember the debt of those handfuls of grain.

But that was enough.

He didn’t want to argue.

In fact, he never liked to say much to her.

He looked at Han Heping and said, “Uncle, please take my mom back inside. I used to send ten yuan home every month. Later, I added fifteen yuan for Aruo and Guoguo’s living expenses. Now that Aruo and Guoguo aren’t living here anymore, that fifteen yuan naturally doesn’t need to be added. From now on, I’ll still send ten yuan each month—it’s for Mom’s pension.”

After speaking, Han Zecheng turned and went back inside.

If he hadn’t feared complications before transferring Aruo and Guoguo’s household registration, he would have said all this earlier.

The amount dropped suddenly—from the original twenty-five, no, including the second son’s wife’s ten yuan, a total of thirty-five yuan—down to ten yuan.

And now the second son’s wife was gone. The second son definitely wouldn’t keep sending good food, grain coupons, and oil coupons home every now and then. His wife also wouldn’t keep buying things to help out. The gap was not just big; it was huge.

Everyone in the room was stunned by Han Zecheng’s words.

Wu Guizhi couldn’t bear it and almost fainted, her eyes rolling back.

But Han Heping was chilled to the bone by the look Han Zecheng just gave him.

Even though he felt like his heart had been cut out, he knew that if they made more trouble, they might lose even this ten yuan… and then they truly would have no way out.

He was both shocked and scared, so he didn’t say more. He dragged the nearly fainting and crying Wu Guizhi back into the room.

The door closed, and inside the room, Su Ruo stared blankly at Han Zecheng, unsure whether to comfort him or say something else.

Originally, she thought her own troubles were already enough to be upsetting, but now, compared to him, they seemed insignificant.

At least her troubles were over, and now she could quietly rely on her own strength to study for university.

But he still had to face his mother.

And back then, he was just a little child but witnessed his grandmother starve to death. What kind of feeling was that?

Just thinking about it made Su Ruo shiver.

She murmured, “Are we really going to leave now?”

Han Zecheng glanced at her and said, “Get a good night’s sleep tonight. We leave early tomorrow. Otherwise, you won’t be able to take it. See if there’s anything else to pack. I’ll take Guozi to brush his teeth and wash his face.”

With that, she called Han Guo to come out.

“Big Brother Han.”

Su Ruo called out to his retreating back.

Han Zecheng turned to look at her, but when Su Ruo caught his gaze, she didn’t know what to say.

To her, he was basically a stranger they’d only known for less than two days.

How could she comfort him?

She thought of what his mother kept emphasizing—that she was bad to him, that if she went to university, she would run off with someone else.

Those words must have been humiliating for him too.

And yet, he was still so good to her.

So should she tell him that even if she went to university, she wouldn’t run off with anyone else?

She… of course she wouldn’t run off with anyone else.

But she just couldn’t say that to a man she’d only known for two days…

The bitterness in her chest swelled, choking her. Finally, she took a couple of steps forward, reached out and grabbed his hand, unsure what to say. She stared at the back of his hand for a long moment before softly saying, “I’m not like what they say.”