Frankly, many military families had been trying to get close to her since her husband was promoted to chief of staff. It was understandable—his status and salary would increase, and people naturally wanted to be associated with that.

However, she couldn’t tolerate the fact that a child had nearly caused trouble in their home.

Not to mention how much it had scared her mother-in-law—if something serious had happened, their family would have been the ones in trouble.

Thinking of this, Lin Ting felt even more annoyed. Still, she reassured her mother-in-law, “Huo Xiao and the others are attending a meeting at division headquarters today. When they return tomorrow, tell him to speak to Deputy Chief of Staff Fang.”

Hu Xiu quickly waved her hands. “No, no, we shouldn’t ruin their work relationship. Besides, it won’t be an issue much longer. Didn’t you say it would be resolved by the end of the month? That’s just a few days away.”

Before she could finish speaking, there was a knock at the door, followed by a familiar female voice. “Auntie, are you home?”

Hu Xiu and Lin Ting looked at each other.

Hu Xiu sighed. “This is the third time today… I’ll go open the door.”

“No!” Lin Ting grabbed her mother-in-law’s arm.

Hu Xiu hesitated. “But isn’t that rude?”

Lin Ting pushed her mother-in-law to sit on the bed and motioned for little Guoguo to stay quiet. Seeing the child cover his mouth in surprise, she smiled and whispered, “It’s fine. When Ding Feiyan came here to cause trouble, was she worried about us?”

That was true, but Hu Xiu had never ignored a guest before, so she still felt uneasy. “But what if they ask about it later? We can’t just keep the door shut forever.”

Lin Ting calmly took out some fabric she had prepared for her parents from the box. Without concern, she said, “If she dares to ask, just say you weren’t home and had gone to take Miaomiao to school.”

Last week, after confirming that it was fine for the child to learn painting, Huo Xiao quickly found a teacher for him.

Coincidentally, Mrs. Pang, the wife of the brigade commander, was skilled in painting due to her family’s background. Though not famous, she was more than capable of teaching a three- or four-year-old.

Attracted by Miaomiao’s talent, Mrs. Pang agreed to teach her painting for two hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening, free of charge. However, Lin Ting and her family were not the type to take advantage of others. Since they couldn’t pay tuition openly, they found other ways to compensate her.

At this moment, Miaomiao was learning from Mrs. Pang.

With the matter settled, Hu Xiu was no longer anxious but still wondered if the visitor would leave soon. Just then, Tang Wenlan’s voice was heard outside.

Lin Ting and her mother-in-law instinctively listened in.

Outside, Tang Wenlan said with a fake smile, “Feiyan, what’s the matter? Ting Ting isn’t home. I just saw her and Aunt Xiu taking the child out.”

Ding Feiyan, holding a bowl with a few homemade cakes, looked slightly embarrassed. “Oh, thank you, sister-in-law. Aunt Xiu gave me some date cakes earlier, and since I had a few cakes at home in the evening, I thought I’d bring some for her to try.”

Tang Wenlan rolled her eyes. Lately, Ding Feiyan had been visiting both her own family and Ting Ting’s family frequently. Although she never came empty-handed, she always left with more than she brought, using her son as an excuse. After all, no one had the heart to turn away a child.

Tang Wenlan wasn’t mean, but she saw through Ding Feiyan’s tactics. She always cried about being poor, then subtly hinted at her husband’s promotion. However, Captain Huo and Mr. Xing had equal voting power in recommendations, and even if there was an internal selection, no one would choose someone like Ding Feiyan’s husband—someone petty in work and prone to crying to get favors.

Tang Wenlan glanced at the chubby child holding Ding Feiyan’s hand, his features barely visible due to his weight. With a sly smile, she said, “Bad timing. No one’s home. Try again tomorrow.”

With that, she shut the door.

Ding Feiyan frowned, hesitating as she stared at the closed door. Her expression darkened as she left with her noisy son.

Five minutes later, another knock sounded.

This time, Lin Ting answered the door and saw Tang Wenlan smiling smugly.

“I knew you were home,” Tang Wenlan said proudly.

Lin Ting laughed. “Sister-in-law, you’re so smart. I was wondering how to explain it later, but you already thought of an excuse for me.”

Tang Wenlan grinned. “Of course! I might not have studied much, but I have a good brain.”

Hu Xiu…?

Meanwhile, Ding Feiyan returned home, where her husband, Fang Shuigen, was relaxing, listening to a tape recorder. Her already sour mood worsened.

She didn’t dare lash out at him, so instead, she slammed the bowl on the table. Then, she turned and slapped her eldest daughter, who was cleaning the table. “Why are you wiping the table like that? It’s still dirty!”

Fang Daya, at 14, was frail and lacked the energy a young girl should have. She didn’t react to the slap, only biting her lip and continuing to work in silence.

Fang Shuigen frowned. “Did someone offend you?” He wasn’t upset about the girl being hit—he just disliked his wife’s lack of obedience.

Suppressing her temper, Ding Feiyan ordered Daya to serve food for her and her son. Then, she habitually started crying. “I’m just angry that Sister Tang looks down on me. She was so condescending! What’s so special about her? Her husband is just a regiment political commissar ^[1]a military officer responsible for political education and morale.. When you become a brigade commander ^[2]a military officer leading a brigade, which is larger than a regiment., let’s see if she still acts high and mighty!”

Fang Shuigen liked hearing this, but he knew that reaching the rank of brigade commander wasn’t easy. Even becoming deputy regimental commander ^[3]a second-in-command officer in a regiment. was highly competitive.

He sighed. “Enough crying. I know things have been tough. What did Huo Tuan say? How are things with Lin Ting?”

Ding Feiyan hesitated, then muttered, “Lin Ting wasn’t home. Mrs. Tang said she took the child to the brigade commander’s house for lessons.”

Fang Shuigen scoffed. “What child studies at that age? She must have another motive. You should learn from her. Look at how quickly Huo Tuan’s wife befriended Mrs. Pang.”

Ding Feiyan finally understood and smirked. “I didn’t expect Lin Ting to be so crafty… Hey, how about we send Xiao Bao there too?”

Fang Shuigen glanced at his chubby son, who was stuffing his face with pancakes, and turned away, speechless.

In the kitchen, Daya, who had secretly hidden a steamed bun for her younger sister, curled her lips in silent sarcasm.

Lin Ting was unaware of the malicious gossip behind her back.

And even if she knew, she wouldn’t care.

The next morning, Lin Ting left home half an hour earlier than usual.

She first went to the communications room to send a package to her hometown before heading to school.

After more than half a month, Lin Ting had fully adapted to teaching. She had a good relationship with her colleagues and even made some friends. However, not everyone liked her. Liu Wenyan, for instance, always looked at her with disdain.

At this moment, Liu Wenyan rolled her eyes and snorted when she saw Lin Ting. However, Lin Ting had grown used to it and didn’t let it bother her.

Her new friend, Gu Fang, the wife of the third regiment commander, wasn’t as patient. “Doesn’t Liu Wenyan get tired of acting like that every day? You’re too good-tempered. If it were me, I’d snort right back at her.”

Lin Ting chuckled. “She does this every day. It’s nothing new anymore.”

Gu Fang, who was only 24 years old, was more lively. She muttered, “Isn’t it hard for her to roll her eyes? Her eyes are so small that if you don’t look carefully, you wouldn’t even notice she’s doing it.”

Lin Ting burst out laughing and quickly reminded her, “Don’t say that to others.”

Gu Fang snorted. “I know, but I wouldn’t care even if Liu Wenyan heard it. She always makes fun of me for being short.”

Lin Ting believed her. Gu Fang came from a well-off family, and the third regiment commander’s family was influential.

Lin Ting glanced at her petite friend, thinking she was actually very cute.

Gu Fang narrowed her eyes. “What was that look just now? That’s the same expression my husband makes when he calls me cute. You know, for me, ‘petite and cute’ is just another way of saying ‘short’!”

Lin Ting, eyes sincere, replied, “Nothing… Oh, look, my Huo Xiao is here to pick me up.”

Gu Fang suspected she was changing the subject but still turned toward the entrance. Sure enough, standing there was Huo Xiao, looking upright as always, alongside an elegant man—her own husband, Wen Rongxuan.

Excited, Gu Fang immediately ran toward him, shouting, “Brother Rongxuan!”

Lin Ting didn’t know how Wen Rongxuan reacted, but her scalp tingled.

Her own husband, Huo Xiao, had been obsessed with the idea of her calling him “Brother Xiao.”

As she approached him, she saw the expectation in his eyes and sighed internally.

Lin Ting put on a polite smile and called him “Brother.”

Inside, she thought, One day, I’ll annoy him to death by calling him ‘brother’ in the most exaggerated way possible!

Huo Xiao, satisfied, reached for her bag and curled his lips. “Shall we go home?”

Lin Ting nodded. When she looked back, Gu Fang was already a few steps away, completely focused on her husband, having forgotten all about her friend.

Not wanting to disturb the couple’s reunion, Lin Ting chatted with Huo Xiao as they walked home, asking about his return and if he faced any difficulties while away.

Soon, they reached the family compound. Once inside, as Lin Ting played with the twins, Huo Xiao handed her two pieces of clothing.

She checked the size. “For me?”

“Yeah, I had time to visit the department store and bought them,” Huo Xiao replied. The department store in the city center had a better selection, so he took the opportunity to buy gifts for his mother, wife, and children.

Lin Ting was surprised and pleased. She immediately picked up the clothes to try them on.

Unexpectedly, Huo Xiao had bought her a dark gray Lenin suit ^[4]a type of simple, utilitarian clothing popular in socialist countries.. The workmanship and style looked great, and the size seemed just right.

Curious, Lin Ting asked, “How did you know my size? And why this color?”

Seeing that she liked it, Huo Xiao felt relieved. “I guessed based on gestures.”

In truth, he had found a saleswoman with a similar build to Lin Ting and had her try it on.

As for the color… Ever since Wang Xiuqin had warned him about the general political atmosphere of the next decade, he had been careful not to bring anything too eye-catching into their home. He wouldn’t buy bright clothes for his wife either.

But he didn’t want to alarm his family, so he kept it to himself.

Unaware of this, Lin Ting happily took the clothes to the bedroom to change. Just then, her mother-in-law commented with disdain, “Xiao has such poor taste. Why buy such an old-fashioned color when you could have picked something with small flowers or bright red? That would make you look much prettier.”

Lin Ting: “I like it this way.”

Bright red or floral prints? No, thank you.