Chapter 10

As soon as He Yan ran into the courtyard of Building No. 66, he was stopped by Wang Lixia, who asked: “Xiao Yan, your dad is back. Are you happy?”

“Happy!”

It was exactly because several people had said his dad was back that He Yan had rushed all the way here, abandoning his response and not saying much more. He immediately ran back and shouted: “Dad!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw a man in a shirt and military pants walking out of the bathroom.

He Yan thought the man looked a bit familiar but wasn’t quite sure. His dad hadn’t had that much facial hair before he left, and his steps seemed to hesitate. It wasn’t until the man asked: “School’s over?”

He Yan was more familiar with He Dongchuan’s voice than his appearance. He had lived with Grandpa and Grandma in the capital after he was born and had rarely seen his dad, sometimes not even once in a year. But after they moved to the island, that half-month was the longest they had spent together.

They spoke on the phone often, almost once a week.

When He Yan saw He Dongchuan, he didn’t feel distant at all, mainly because they had talked so much. Otherwise, even if they were father and son, it would have felt strange after not seeing each other for a year or two.

So, upon hearing the voice, He Yan was almost certain the person in front of him was his dad, and he blurted out: “Dad, what happened to you? Why do you look like this?”

He Dongchuan stopped walking toward his son and asked: “What do you mean by ‘like this’?”

He Yan wrinkled his nose and said: “You’ve gotten older, and you’ve gotten uglier.” He preferred the more handsome version of his dad from before.

Su Ting, who had folded the clothes and walked out of the Master’s Bedroom, chuckled. When He Dongchuan’s dark gaze turned toward her, she quickly stopped laughing, making a motion as if zipping her lips.

He Dongchuan: “…” He had already seen it.

…

At dinner in the canteen.

When He Dongchuan heard about this, he cast a subtle glance at Su Ting.

Although his gaze was discreet, Su Ting keenly noticed it. She wanted to ask: “Do you have a problem with it?” but when the words almost came out, she thought that asking in such a direct manner would be too confrontational and not conducive to their future peaceful coexistence, so she swallowed the question back.

He Dongchuan didn’t say anything. When it came to dinner, he chose to eat at the canteen instead of the dishes Su Ting cooked.

On the way to the canteen, the family of three attracted quite a bit of attention.

But no one asked who He Yan was. News traveled fast in the family compound, and most people had heard about He Dongchuan returning from a mission. When they saw the family walking together, even if they couldn’t recognize him at first glance, a quick mental run-through would lead them to guess his identity.

Once they figured it out, everyone couldn’t help but glance at He Dongchuan a couple of extra times. It wasn’t for anything special, but rather because of his beard.

From everyone’s reactions, Su Ting felt that He Dongchuan must have not kept a beard before. The beard either started growing recently, or he hadn’t shaved because he’d been too busy with his mission.

But no matter the reason, Su Ting had no intention of commenting.

First, they were said to be married, but their relationship was extremely plastic, and it was very likely that this relationship would end with either one of them, He Dongchuan, dying or them getting a divorce. She felt that she had no right to interfere with He Dongchuan’s choices.

Second, Su Ting thought that He Dongchuan wouldn’t look bad without his beard. But living with a handsome man was too much pressure, especially since they had to live under the same roof for at least three years. She really couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t fall for him.

According to the original story, love was the root of all disaster. If the original heroine hadn’t fallen in love with He Dongchuan, she wouldn’t have married him and wouldn’t have tortured the male lead out of love, which eventually led to her imprisonment.

Although Su Ting thought that even if she did fall in love with He Dongchuan, she wouldn’t behave as the original heroine did, tormenting the child, no one could guarantee the outcome of something that hadn’t happened yet. And even if she managed to maintain her resolve, unrequited love would be too agonizing.

She just wanted to peacefully get through these three years, then part ways with the male lead and his son on good terms. She completely didn’t want to experience the bitterness of love.

Thus, He Dongchuan’s beard was actually a good thing for Su Ting. At least when she looked at him with his scruffy appearance, Su Ting felt that ending things without emotions at the grand finale wouldn’t be a problem for her!

…

The chef at the canteen performed steadily, and tonight’s dishes were not only good in color, aroma, and taste but also delicious. Su Ting even finished all the shredded chili peppers as part of the side dish.

The only issue was that too much rice had been served, and there was a little bit left over.

The portions at the family compound canteen were fixed. The dishes were served per portion, paid for with tickets, and rice was self-served based on how much one wanted.

After eating the meals that He Yan brought home the last couple of days, Su Ting had a general understanding of the portion sizes at the canteen. When she ate there herself later, she made sure to take the standard amount of dishes, but for rice, she only took half a liang.

How much is half a liang of rice?

If using an aluminum lunch box, half a liang of rice could barely cover a thin layer.

The staff at the window on the street corner was surprised when Su Ting asked for half a liang of rice. These days, stir-fried dishes had less oil, so people generally ate more staple food.

For an adult man, four liang of rice per meal might not even be enough, especially for those who did physical labor. Some people’s monthly food supply could easily be 40 to 50 jin just for grains.

Even for women, two to three liang of rice per meal was necessary, with larger appetites requiring more.

Half a liang of rice wasn’t enough to fill even a three-year-old, and He Yan, who was only six, needed at least two liang of rice per meal.

In fact, Su Ting wasn’t satisfied either, but there was nothing she could do. The rice at the canteen was so tasteless that she had no choice but to swallow it down with large bites of vegetables. Half a liang of rice was her limit; anything more would have felt like torture, not eating.

This was also the reason she had been frequently running to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative lately. If the main food didn’t fill her up, she had to use snacks to fill the gap.

That evening, as usual, Su Ting asked for half a liang of rice, but for some reason, the woman at the window served her a portion that looked nearly two-thirds bigger than usual.

Su Ting wasn’t sure whether the woman was being extra generous today or if she had miscalculated the portion, but whatever the reason, it was certain that she wouldn’t be able to finish the rice.

Su Ting felt a little troubled.

If she hadn’t transmigrated, she wouldn’t have cared about such a trivial matter. She would just have thrown away the extra rice. But having come to the 1970s, a time of scarcity, wasting food made her feel guilty, even if no one said anything.

As Su Ting ate, He Dongchuan kept watching her.

It wasn’t that he had suddenly been charmed by Su Ting after returning from his mission, though she did indeed seem more beautiful than before. Strangely, though, her facial features hadn’t changed, her face was still the same, but the feeling she gave off was completely different from before.

It was clear that He Dongchuan had a sharp eye, but he didn’t really understand women.

Su Ting’s facial features hadn’t changed, but she had shaped her eyebrows and slightly extended their ends with a brow pencil.

The change wasn’t big, but anyone could tell that the shape of someone’s eyebrows was crucial in determining whether they appeared gentle or strong, downtrodden or spirited.

By shaping her eyebrows, Su Ting looked much more energetic.

But at that moment, He Dongchuan wasn’t focused on Su Ting’s appearance. What caught his attention was that she had only taken half a liang of rice, and there was still half of it left on her plate.

As for Su Ting, He Dongchuan didn’t feel any particular fondness for her.

It was obvious, after all, that it would be hard for anyone to feel positively toward someone who had calculated and manipulated their life.

He had agreed to marry Su Ting mainly because of his mother’s attitude.

His mother was getting old. That was the first thought that popped into He Dongchuan’s mind when he saw Chen Xiaoman this year.

Though his mother was three years younger than his father and had appeared much younger a few years ago, now his father was still strong and healthy, while his mother’s hair had already turned gray.

He Dongchuan knew this was because of the illness she had last year at the end of the year.

It wasn’t a terminal illness; it was just a regular flu. But she had spent many years following the army and fighting in battles, leaving her body drained. She had seemed to recover over the years, but in reality, her health was still very poor. One illness had exposed all her underlying health issues.

That was why she had been so happy when she received the letter from her hometown. As people age, they become nostalgic for the past.

This was also why He Dongchuan had gone back to his hometown with her. His father couldn’t leave, and since it had been two years since his last break, he had taken a little more than half a month off to accompany her back for a visit.

Then, the incident with Su Ting happened.

But no matter how much he disliked Su Ting, he didn’t want anything to happen to her health.

Seeing her sitting there, holding her chopsticks and not eating, He Dongchuan asked: “Why aren’t you eating?”

Su Ting hesitated for a moment before saying: “…I’m full.”

He Dongchuan frowned. “You only took half a liang of rice.”

“This can’t be half a liang.” Su Ting replied. “The half a liang I normally take would be less than half of what I got today.” She really felt that the leftover rice wasn’t her fault.

He Dongchuan didn’t argue with her about how much rice she should have had. He simply said: “That’s still only one liang. You used to be able to eat two liang of rice.”

Su Ting gave a dry laugh. “Times change.”

He Dongchuan didn’t believe that. He had only been away for half a month, not half a year. In such a short time, not only had her appetite decreased by three-quarters, but she was even leaving food behind. Something was definitely wrong.

He Dongchuan asked: “Why are you eating so little now?”

Of course, it was because the rice was too awful!

But telling the truth didn’t align with the current value of frugality, so Su Ting hesitated to say it out loud. She was trying to cover it up, but before she could speak, He Yan, who was sitting next to her, answered instead: “Mom says the canteen’s food scratches her throat!”

Su Ting: “!!!”

Who says kids are angels? Sometimes, they’re more like assassins!

Su Ting opened her mouth, wanting to deny it. “I didn’t…” But when she saw He Yan’s eyes widen in surprise, she sighed and admitted: “What he said is true.”

He Dongchuan frowned. “I remember the rice at your house was the same kind.”

That was a polite way of putting it. The rice at the Su family’s house was even coarser than the one at the canteen, and he recalled Su Ting complaining about how bad the rice was when he had visited her family.

He Dongchuan’s words were clear, and Su Ting understood them. She knew that her behavior was inconsistent and that she had a flaw, but she didn’t want to force herself to maintain the persona of the original person, because she and the original were different people.

Even though she was an outsider, the moment she arrived in this world, the original person ceased to exist. The next several decades would be her life, and she couldn’t pretend to be someone else forever.

Even if it was just for a year or two, she didn’t want to do it. Being unable to eat what she wanted or having to force herself to eat things she didn’t want would be pure suffering.

If transmigrating was just about suffering, she’d rather die and maybe get lucky enough to transmigrate back.

Of course, she didn’t want to die just yet, so she had to find a way to explain her changes. Whether He Dongchuan believed her was his business; after all, he had no proof she was from another world.

With that thought in mind, Su Ting tried to cover it up: “What if I told you that I used to eat this rice just fine, but one day, while eating, I suddenly felt really uncomfortable and just couldn’t get used to it anymore? Would you believe me?”

He Dongchuan: “…”