Chapter 43

Early May.

Between late spring and early summer.

The anxious Fang Cuihua finally received her special recruitment notice from the art troupe.

After receiving congratulations from her teachers, Fang Cuihua secretly visited Teacher Lin, who had changed her life.

“You want me to hold onto your acceptance letter?” Lin Ting asked, surprised. But knowing Fang Shuigen and his wife’s personalities, it wasn’t unexpected.

Since realizing that her parents disliked, even resented her and her sister, Fang Cuihua matured quickly. She knew exactly what she was doing: “I have to wait ten days before I can leave home. I… don’t trust my parents.”

After saying this, the girl, who looked slightly better due to her teachers’ secret support, pursed her lips and added in a low voice, “The clothes my teachers gave me were secretly cut up by my mother. My father saw but said nothing.”

Lin Ting frowned. She hadn’t known things were this bad. While some parents were indifferent, those who actively disliked their children were rare.

No wonder. No wonder Fang often wore a patched-up jacket and pants made from urea bags.

She had assumed the girl was just reluctant to wear new clothes.

With this in mind, Lin Ting readily took the notice from Fang Cuihua and agreed to keep it safe. Then she asked, “Can I visit your home? Do you want me to talk to your parents?”

Knowing the girl was smart, Lin Ting added, “For your teacher’s husband’s sake, maybe your parents will be more considerate.”

Fang Cuihua only shook her head. “If they find out I spoke about them, they’ll treat my sister even worse.”

Hearing this, Lin Ting’s frown deepened, and her dislike for Fang Shuigen and Ding Feiyan grew.

Seeing her reaction, Fang Cuihua tried to reassure her. “It’s okay, teacher. I’ll earn a salary soon. I can support my sister and send her to school. She’s even smarter than me. We’ll be fine.”

Maybe it was the pregnancy making her emotional, but despite the girl’s determination and future plans, Lin Ting couldn’t help but feel sad.

Finally, she gently rubbed Fang Cuihua’s head and said, “I believe in you. I know you’ll build a good life.”

Feeling the warmth of her teacher’s touch, Fang Cuihua suddenly felt a deep sense of reliance. Impulsively, she asked, “Teacher, can you give me a new name?”

Lin Ting was surprised. “Me?”

“Yes. I don’t want to be called Cuihua anymore. When I transfer to the art troupe, I want to change my name too.” Fang Cuihua looked at her with expectant eyes.

Lin Ting smiled and nodded. “Then I need to think carefully…”

She took out the pen and paper she always carried and began writing.

After some time, she handed the paper to Fang Cuihua, who saw two beautifully written characters: 艺桐 (Yitong).

“Fang Yitong…? Teacher, this name is beautiful.” The girl, who had been called Cuihua for over a decade, choked up.

Lin Ting’s smile softened. “Yitong has many meanings, but I hope you grow to be confident and talented.”

A name not only sounded nice but also carried her teacher’s expectations.

Fang Cuihua—no, Fang Yitong—repeated her new name and felt a surge of happiness. “Teacher, I’ll work hard to become an excellent person.”

Lin Ting found her so endearing. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the girl’s tears. “Your sister is very smart too. When she gets the chance, maybe she can change her name to Fang Yiling. ‘Ling’ means intelligence.”

There was no better suggestion.

Fang Yitong silently repeated both names several times before bowing deeply to her teacher. Then, she ran off happily.

Lin Ting watched her leave, a warm feeling spreading in her heart.

This, she thought, is what it means to be a teacher.

_

That night, at home, Lin Ting shared her worries about the Fang family with her mother-in-law and warned her to keep her distance from Ding Feiyan.

Of course, she kept her promise and didn’t reveal what Fang Yitong had confided in her.

Unlike Lin Ting, Hu Xiu had seen many families that favored boys over girls. She wasn’t surprised but still felt sympathy. “When the girl leaves, we should prepare some soap, toothpaste, and ten yuan with some ration tickets. Just enough for her first month.”

Lin Ting hugged her mother-in-law playfully. “I thought the same thing. Mom, we’re so in sync.”

Hu Xiu didn’t fully understand her words but guessed their meaning and grinned.

Nearby, the twins—a boy and a girl—were playing with building blocks. Seeing their mother and grandmother hugging, they ran over for a hug too, filling the room with laughter.

When Huo Xiao returned home from work, he saw his wife and mother bonding as soon as he stepped inside. He felt complicated.

While his comrades worried about their wives and mothers-in-law not getting along, his concern was the opposite—his wife and mother were so close they often forgot about him.

“You’re back?” Hu Xiu wiped her eyes and greeted him.

Lin Ting smiled. “Are you hungry? We waited for you to eat.”

As mother and daughter-in-law spoke, Guoguo rushed over like a little cannonball, grabbing his father’s leg and climbing up.

Miaomiao, though equally fond of her father, preferred cuddling with her mother. She simply called “Daddy!” in her soft baby voice and stayed by Lin Ting’s side.

Any sour feelings Huo Xiao had instantly vanished, replaced by warmth.

He picked up his son and tossed him in the air a few times before catching him. “Alright, Daddy’s hungry now.”

Hearing that, Hu Xiu immediately got up. “Let’s eat.” Then she turned to her daughter-in-law and said, “Just serve the rice. You don’t need to do anything else.”

Hearing this, Lin Ting stopped and took her daughter to the bathroom to wash her hands.

Huo Xiao followed with his giggling son.

The weather had warmed up, so they no longer needed to add hot water for washing hands.

Huo Xiao scooped some cold water into the basin and asked his wife to wash the children first. Then, he changed the water and put his hands over.

Lin Ting…

Seeing the man staring at her expectantly, Lin Ting sighed inwardly. He was getting better at acting spoiled. Still, she reached out and helped him wash his hands.

Huo Xiao lowered his eyes, watching his wife’s movements, his expression full of satisfaction. “How are you feeling today? Is the baby making a fuss?”

“No, it’s almost three months. The baby can’t fuss even if it wanted to.” His palms were broad, and his fingers were long, completely enveloping hers.

As Lin Ting washed his hands, she couldn’t help but compare their sizes.

She always thought her fingers were long, but why did they look so small now?

Huo Xiao was amused by her childish behavior and started helping her wash her hands instead. “It’s good you’re feeling fine. If anything bothers you, tell me.”

As expected, he always asked this sooner or later. Lin Ting sighed. “I know.”

Aside from some dry heaves on the first day she found out she was pregnant, she mostly just felt sleepy and tired. There was no real discomfort.

She thought of the baby as a sweet little blessing.

Hu Xiu was currently learning about Southern cuisine^[1]is known for its soups and light flavors.. She had heard that drinking soup before meals was good, so she made extra bowls. Everyone had a bowl of delicious fish soup alongside their rice.

Lin Ting drank half a bowl in one go and smiled. “This soup is really good. Mom’s cooking is getting better and better.”

Hu Xiu grinned. “Isn’t it fresh? It was still alive when Lihua brought it over.”

Since Pang Lihua, the wife of Captain Wei, taught Miaomiao calligraphy and painting, the two families had become quite close.

Hu Xiu, who had a good temperament, got along well with Mrs. Pang, who was of a similar age. They often exchanged food these days.

So, when Lin Ting heard it was from Mrs. Pang, she wasn’t surprised. She simply asked, “Did Captain Wei catch it again?”

Hu Xiu burst into laughter. “No, Lihua told me he’s very mindful of his reputation. Every time he goes fishing, he makes sure the kitchen team has fish available. If he doesn’t catch anything, he asks the guards to buy one from them.”

Lin Ting lingered in thought… She found it intriguing how much that man still cared about appearances, even at his age.

Thinking of this and remembering how her husband always caught fish when he went fishing, she suddenly looked at him suspiciously. “You… did you do the same thing before?”

Hearing this, Hu Xiu turned to look at her son with interest.

Huo Xiao’s scalp tingled. “Second brother called my office this afternoon. He’s coming over at 6:30. We have less than half an hour left—should we eat quickly?”

Just from how abruptly he changed the topic, Lin Ting already had her answer.

She wanted to laugh but spared his dignity and asked with a suppressed smile, “Second brother? Did he say anything? Did he get the notice too?”

Huo Xiao, relieved to escape the question, replied, “Nothing much. It must be that your parents miss you.”

Lin Ting nodded and quickened her pace.

Huo Xiao picked up a piece of fish. “Don’t worry, I calculated the time.”

Considering the distance to the camp, Lin Ting obediently slowed down again.

After dinner, knowing the couple had something planned, Hu Xiu took the painting supplies and offered to take Miaomiao to her painting lesson, bringing Guoguo along as well.

Lin Ting and Huo Xiao headed straight to the communications room.

There weren’t many people waiting to make calls, and Huo Xiao had arranged for an appointment in advance.

So, they only had to wait a few minutes before being called.

Lin Ting assumed her second brother wanted to talk about special recruitment. She also thought her parents must miss her.

But when she picked up the phone, what her brother said was completely unexpected.

The smile on Lin Ting’s face faded, and her brows furrowed. “…How did you handle it? Is our elder sister okay? How about our parents? Okay, hold on, let me ask Huo Xiao…”

The noise on the line was loud, but Huo Xiao was leaning close, so he could hear bits of the conversation. When his wife turned to him, he immediately nodded.

Lin Ting looked grateful and quickly said into the phone, “Huo Xiao has no objections. Brother, don’t worry, tell our parents and sister not to feel burdened… Okay… I’m fine… Alright, I’ll pass the phone to him.”

The call time was limited, so Lin Ting spoke quickly before handing the receiver to her husband.

While Huo Xiao spoke on the phone, she patted her cheeks, which had turned red with anger.

“Why are you hitting yourself?” Huo Xiao asked, frowning as he hung up the phone and held her hand.

Lin Ting took a deep breath. “Let’s go home first.”

This wasn’t the place to talk. Huo Xiao let go of her hand, paid for the call, and led her away.

Once they were far enough and alone, he took her hand and squeezed it gently. “It’s okay. Don’t be mad. It’s not worth it.”

Lin Ting understood the logic.

But… she still couldn’t help feeling angry and disgusted.

This feeling lasted until they returned home.

Hu Xiu, who was playing with her grandson, noticed their shift in mood. “What happened? Did something happen at home?” she asked worriedly.

Lin Ting clenched her teeth and said, “My elder sister is so unlucky!”

As she spoke, she took her mother-in-law’s hand and shared the news she had just received.

After receiving a special recruitment notice, Lin Wei transferred the job opportunity to his eldest sister, Lin Shuang. He believed that placing her in a familiar environment, with her former colleagues watching over her and her elder brother and Minister Hu overseeing things, would ensure her safety.

However, despite all precautions, an accident still occurred.

Wang Meimei’s ex-husband, who had previously had an affair with Zhao Kai, saw Lin Shuang working as a salesperson at the supply and marketing cooperative and fell for her at first sight. Convinced that they were both victims of failed marriages and had children, he felt they were a perfect match. With unwarranted confidence, he asked a matchmaker to propose marriage. Even after being rejected, he refused to give up.

In those times, divorced women were often criticized. Lin Shuang, being beautiful, became the subject of gossip. At first, people sympathized with her, but due to Wang Meimei’s ex-husband’s persistence, her reputation took a turn for the worse, and many began looking down on her.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Kai and Wang Meimei’s family stormed into the supply and marketing cooperative, spreading false rumors that Lin Shuang was involved with Wang Meimei’s ex-husband and that their child was innocent in all this.

There are always people willing to believe such accusations. Although the majority dismissed the claims, a small group viewed Lin Shuang as an immoral woman. This encouraged some street boys to visit the supply and marketing cooperative, loitering and pestering Lin Shuang under the assumption that she was an easy target.

Lin Wei, despite his influence, couldn’t stop the gossip. In the past two days, curious onlookers had even come to the village to witness the drama. Deciding that his eldest sister needed to leave for a while, Lin Wei arranged for her to stay elsewhere for a month.

After much thought, he concluded that the safest place was the army, leading to today’s phone call. He didn’t mention his ultimate plan of securing a permanent job for Lin Shuang to keep her away from the turmoil of her hometown.

After hearing everything, not only was Lin Ting furious, but even Hu Xiu slammed the table in anger. Having lost her husband young, Hu Xiu had suffered similar malicious rumors in the past and understood the unfair treatment women faced.

She patted her daughter-in-law’s hand and reassured her, “Let’s not waste our anger on those people. Have your sister come live with you. She can also keep your mother company.”

Though she expected her mother-in-law’s approval, Lin Ting was still touched. She hugged her and rubbed her head against her shoulder, saying coquettishly, “Mom, you’re so kind~”

Huo Xiao, who was sitting beside his wife…