Chapter 24:

But she only thought of those things occasionally.

The college entrance exam was just around the corner, and she wouldn’t allow herself to be too distracted by anything else.

Once she settled down, she began studying seriously.

She joined a study group organized by Yu Wan’s younger sister, Yu Ling.

It was a mutual aid group formed by educated youths from the commune where the military district was located, all of whom had signed up for the college entrance exam.

They had gained the support of the commune leaders and cleared out an abandoned classroom at the commune middle school. Anyone who had time could go there to study. They had even invited a high school teacher from the provincial capital who was posted to the countryside, to come every day and give them one hour of tutoring.

The study group had a strong learning atmosphere. Everyone was racing against time to study. With the help of that teacher, they made study plans together, supervised and encouraged one another.

Su Ruo really liked the group atmosphere. Since the commune middle school was very close to the military family compound, and she didn’t have much to do at home, she went with Yu Ling every afternoon to attend the teacher’s lessons and study together with the others. If she had any questions, she would either ask the teacher or discuss them with the group. These discussions sparked her thinking, and her progress was much faster than studying alone at home.

Compared to the others, Su Ruo had a solid foundation and didn’t keep her knowledge to herself. When others asked her questions, she always explained patiently, so everyone liked her a lot.

And so the days passed, one after another.

At the end of November, Yu Ling caught a cold and had to skip the study group, so Su Ruo started going by herself after lunch each day.

That day, after discussing a composition topic with a male educated youth named Zhao Jin, Su Ruo checked the time and realized it was time to pick up Guo Guo from kindergarten. She packed up her books, said goodbye to the others, and was just about to go downstairs when Zhao Jin called out to her.

Zhao Jin stopped Su Ruo and walked over, saying, “Classmate Su, where do you live? I happen to be leaving too—how about I walk you back?”

Su Ruo had thought Zhao Jin was going to ask her an academic question, but instead, he offered to walk her home.

She was a little surprised, but seeing that his expression was natural, she didn’t overthink it and smiled, “No need, it’s just a short walk. I’ll be home soon. I can go by myself.”

Actually, it wasn’t that short—it took about twenty minutes. But even if there was nothing between them, a young man and woman walking together could still raise eyebrows if someone saw them.

Zhao Jin wasn’t too disappointed either. He smiled and said, “Then let’s leave the school together.”

This was also something Su Ruo found hard to refuse.

There was only one road, and both of them had to leave. She couldn’t possibly stop him from going, right?

Su Ruo replied with an “Okay,” and the two began walking out together. As they walked, Zhao Jin said, “Classmate Su, I think your foundational knowledge is very solid. You’ll definitely do well on this exam. I wonder if you have an ideal university in mind?”

After speaking, as if afraid Su Ruo might misunderstand, he gave a wry smile and added, “I’m also feeling quite lost, so I wanted to hear your opinion.”

This year, students had to choose their universities before the exam, but it just so happened to be the first year the national college entrance exam was reinstated. No one had previous years’ admission scores as a reference, nor did they know the competition level, or even the format or difficulty of the questions. Everything was completely unknown, so choosing a university left everyone at a loss.

Su Ruo understood this well.

She said, “I’ll probably apply to a university in the provincial capital, but I still need to think about which one. However, Zhao classmate, your foundation in math, physics, and chemistry is also very solid. You should be able to get into your ideal school.”

Qing University was a nationally renowned school. Although Su Ruo was confident, just as Madam Yaohong—Commander Gu’s wife—had said, this year was the first year the college entrance exam resumed. There were very few slots, yet there was a backlog of students who had waited ten years to take the exam. Many had been sent down to the countryside and had strong perseverance and determination. Especially after interacting with these educated youths lately, Su Ruo didn’t dare underestimate anyone.

And this was just a small commune.

Zhao Jin felt relieved when he heard her words.

As long as she was applying to a provincial capital university, that was good.

He smiled and said, “I want to apply to Qing University, but I honestly wasn’t very confident. Lately, thanks to your help analyzing essay topics, I’ve made a lot of progress. Otherwise, my Chinese would’ve dragged me down for sure.”

Su Ruo said, “You don’t need to be so polite, Zhao classmate…”

“A-Ruo.”

As Su Ruo was speaking and about to go down the stairs, she suddenly heard a familiar voice call out.

She was stunned for a moment, thinking she had misheard. She looked up blankly and saw someone standing at the stairwell corner on the upper floor.

It was actually Han Zecheng.

Su Ruo was pleasantly surprised. Why had he come?

She quickly bid Zhao Jin goodbye and hurried over to Han Zecheng. Looking up at him, she asked, “Why are you here?”

Her smile was full of joy.

Seeing the undisguised happiness in her eyes, Han Zecheng finally felt a bit better.

He said, “I finished everything today, so I came to pick you up.”

In fact, he often wanted to come pick her up.

But she usually came and left with Yu Wan’s younger sister, Yu Ling, so he didn’t feel it was appropriate.

After he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Jin, who still hadn’t managed to hide the surprise and faint hostility on his face. Han Zecheng asked, “A-Ruo, is this your classmate?”

Only then did Su Ruo remember she had come out with a classmate… or at least someone she studied with, so yes, a classmate.

She turned back and responded with a soft “Mm,” then introduced, “Yes. Brother Han, this is Zhao Jin, Comrade Zhao, a sent-down youth from the Hongqiao Farm. He also signed up for the college entrance exam and has been studying with us.”

She then introduced Han Zecheng to Zhao Jin, “Zhao classmate, this is… this is my husband, Comrade Han Zecheng.”

Zhao Jin: …??

Hu—Husband?

He thought he had misheard.

He never would’ve guessed that the seemingly under-20-year-old girl Su Ruo was already married.

No… Husband? That must be a mistake, right?

Maybe she just meant boyfriend.

He mumbled, “Classmate Su, this is… your boyfriend, right?”

You can’t just casually use the word “husband.”

When Han Zecheng heard Su Ruo introduce him as her “husband,” his expression had already softened.

But after hearing Zhao Jin’s comment, his expression instantly darkened again.

He gave Zhao Jin a glance, and Zhao Jin felt as if a cold wave swept over him—an instant chill ran through his body.

At first, Su Ruo had felt a bit shy saying the word “husband,” but after saying it, she felt it wasn’t such a big deal.

She had probably gotten used to it lately.

Seeing Zhao Jin’s shocked expression, she even found it a bit funny and said, “Mm, he’s my husband. We’ve been married for five years.”

But amusing as it was, since Han Zecheng was here, she had no plans to invite Zhao Jin to walk with them.

She said, “Zhao classmate, I’ll head off with my husband now. See you tomorrow.”

Then she turned back to Han Zecheng and smiled happily, “Brother Han, let’s go.”

She looked up at him, eyes curved with joy—clearly very happy.

Was she happy because he had come to pick her up?

Han Zecheng thought so, and the earlier frustration he felt when he saw her chatting and laughing with another man finally eased.

He reached out to take the books she was holding. Seeing a strand of hair covering her cheek, and ignoring the dazed and heartbroken Zhao Jin beside them, he reached out and gently brushed it aside. “Let’s go.”

The two of them walked down the stairs and across the schoolyard. Han Zecheng casually asked, “That was a classmate from your study group just now?”

Su Ruo nodded, “Yes, he’s a sent-down youth from the provincial capital. His parents are middle school teachers, and he’s very good at math, physics, and chemistry. His fundamentals are solid, but his Chinese is weak, especially his essays. I heard this year’s exam will place heavy weight on essay writing, so he’s at a disadvantage with that kind of imbalance.”

Su Ruo was in a good mood, so she talked more than usual.

She talked about Zhao Jin in passing, and also praised the other members of their study group for being hardworking.

But for Han Zecheng, it all felt like a punch to the chest.

Just when his mood had lifted after seeing her happy that he came to pick her up, those feelings were stirred up again… Earlier, seeing her standing with that Zhao Jin, hearing them chatting and laughing, and especially seeing the unmistakable affection in Zhao Jin’s eyes when he looked at her, had already made him very uncomfortable.

She hadn’t expected that just by joining a study group, she would already know everyone’s background and level of education so clearly.

She was just too open and unguarded with people.

And his discomfort wasn’t just because of that male educated youth.

It was because he knew—this was only the beginning.

Once she got into university and entered a wider world, there would definitely be many young men around her who admired her and shared common interests—attending classes together, studying, discussing things side by side.

Spending so much time together, it would be hard not to develop feelings.

And as for the relationship between the two of them—he never had much confidence in it to begin with.

Not because he doubted her feelings for him.

But because he simply wasn’t around her much. And even when they were together, there wasn’t that much they could talk about.

She was very pure right now, and gaining her feelings in the moment wasn’t hard. But maintaining them might prove difficult.

Not to mention, their marriage had come about under unusual circumstances.

Su Ruo didn’t know what he was thinking. She was still talking: “Before, I thought I wouldn’t have any trouble getting into Qing University. But now I’m feeling like a frog at the bottom of a well.”

“These days, after interacting with these classmates—even though some of them have weak foundations and have forgotten a lot over the years—they have rich life experience and incredible perseverance. They’ve picked up the books again and are learning fast. Their progress is amazing. You really can’t underestimate them.”

“And this is just a small commune. It already feels like there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers here. Who knows how many more there are across the whole country? It’s a competition between students from an entire decade. I’m honestly starting to get nervous.”

She was truly a bit anxious.

She didn’t want to wait another year.

Han Zecheng wanted to say that it didn’t matter to him whether she got into university or not.

Sometimes, he even had selfish thoughts—hoping she wouldn’t go to that university.

But every time those thoughts surfaced, he’d ruthlessly push them down and felt disgusted with himself for thinking that way.

He said, “You’re working very hard.”

Of course, he knew how much she valued this opportunity.

Su Ruo’s eyes curved as she smiled.

In the past, seeing her smile like that would fill him with joy, but now it only made him feel stifled.

He asked, “Have you thought about what major you want to choose?”

“Cultural Relics and Art,”

Su Ruo smiled. “I’m planning to apply for the Cultural Relics and Art Department at Qing University.”

“Cultural Relics and Art?”

Han Zecheng was surprised. “I remember you originally planned to study architecture. Why the change?”

Architecture…

She had planned to major in architecture at first, mostly influenced by her father and Aunt Yuan’s family.

Her father was an architect.

The Yuan family were all in architecture too. Grandpa Yuan had even studied abroad in earlier years—the whole family was a dynasty of architects.

She had grown up close to them, and Aunt Yuan (Aunt Shu) had treated her like a daughter. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she’d been raised like one of their own. That was where she’d first been introduced to the field. She did genuinely like ancient architecture, so when Aunt Shu encouraged her to study architecture, she had agreed.

But this time, after thinking it through, she wanted to change paths.

She said, “I do like architecture, but I thought it over carefully. What I really love is ancient culture and ancient architecture, especially restoration work. I’m not actually that interested in architectural design. So the Cultural Relics and Art Department seems more aligned with my interests—restoration work needs a lot of knowledge about artifacts, while architecture programs focus more on things like structural engineering, building mechanics, and systems, which I’m not keen on.”

Han Zecheng gave a quiet “Mm,” feeling just a bit better.

But only a bit.

He knew well the connection between the architecture field and the Yuan family.

Her former fiancé—and his whole family—had all studied architecture.

That night, Su Ruo made dinner.

Usually, all the housework was done by Han Zecheng. Even breakfast—he’d bring it back from the canteen after his morning run. But Su Ruo insisted on cooking dinner herself. Han Zecheng said there was no need—he could just buy food from the canteen, or cook if he came home early. But Su Ruo said studying all day made her brain stiff, and cooking dinner helped her relax. So Han Zecheng let her be. When he came back early, he’d prep all the ingredients, so she just had to do the cooking.

Su Ruo’s cooking skills weren’t great, but she loved experimenting with new dishes—many times, the results looked good but didn’t taste great, with strange combinations.

But Su Ruo would argue that cooking was about color, aroma, and taste, right?

Her dishes had the color and aroma down—it was just the taste that needed work. At least the food was cooked, and she believed she’d improve over time.

What could Han Zecheng and Guoguo say to that?

After a month, whether they’d gotten used to it, or their taste buds had gone numb, or maybe Su Ruo had actually gotten better—they’d both started to find her cooking acceptable.

That evening, she made sweet-and-sour pine nut fish, stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, and osmanthus steamed tofu.

Han Guo mumbled that the fish was too sweet and the tofu looked better than it tasted, but father and son still finished everything, giving her face.

After dinner, Su Ruo did what she always did—turned on the radio and had Guoguo look at picture books while she went to the kitchen to watch Han Zecheng wash the dishes.

Every night, after she finished taking care of Guoguo, she’d come watch him clean up and chat a little. Most of the time, it was her talking and him listening.

It had become a kind of habit.

She watched him for a while. When he was almost done, she asked, “Are you upset today?”

Han Zecheng paused for a moment, but still efficiently scrubbed the last bowl, dried it, and placed it on the rack before turning to look at her.

Su Ruo continued, “You’re always like this, but today you seem especially unhappy.”