Chapter 12

Su Ting’s reaction to He Dongchuan shaving was quite indifferent, while He Yan, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He was thrilled to see his dad looking younger and more handsome. Before heading home, he even dragged his dad around to show off to his little friends.

He no longer secretly glanced at his dad’s chin, nor did he openly show his disdain. As a result, that night, father and son were finally able to have a proper conversation before bed.

The conversation mostly revolved around Su Ting.

It wasn’t that He Dongchuan was particularly concerned about his new wife; rather, he wanted to learn from his son how things had been between Su Ting and He Yan while he had been away.

Although he noticed during dinner that He Yan was quite close to Su Ting and guessed that they must be getting along well, when it came to He Yan, he didn’t want to make any rash decisions. He wanted to hear directly from his son about how he felt toward Su Ting.

If they were getting along well, that would be the best outcome. But if they weren’t, or if Su Ting was two-faced, then he would have to consider sending He Yan back to the capital.

In fact, He Dongchuan hadn’t originally planned on bringing He Yan to Pingchuan Island so soon. Although he had married Su Ting, his impression of her was not good, and he couldn’t fully trust her. But after his mother’s repeated persuasion, he reluctantly changed his mind and decided to bring the child over.

Chen Xiaoman had her reasons for urging him to bring He Yan to live with them.

First, she knew that there was no emotional foundation between her son and Su Ting, so she thought that having a child around would provide a buffer if any conflicts arose between them. She also understood her son well enough to know that as long as Su Ting treated He Yan well, he couldn’t remain indifferent forever.

Second, He Yan was such a thoughtful child that it made one’s heart ache.

A few years ago, during phone calls, he would often ask when his dad would come home. But perhaps due to being disappointed too many times, or maybe because he understood that his dad was busy with work and couldn’t visit often, he hadn’t asked that question in a long time and didn’t talk about missing him anymore. However, Chen Xiaoman knew that he missed his dad. Every time the neighbor’s children played in the courtyard, He Yan would secretly peek out the window, his eyes full of envy.

This was also the main reason Chen Xiaoman had been urging her son to remarry for the past two years. Once he had a wife, he could apply for a military transfer and then bring He Yan over. By then, the father-son relationship could slowly improve.

So once the marriage was confirmed, Chen Xiaoman immediately brought it up to He Dongchuan. To her, it was better to do it sooner rather than later.

However, He Dongchuan didn’t ask about Su Ting right away. Instead, he asked He Yan if anything had happened at home during the time he had been gone.

He Yan immediately thought of Su Ting’s changes, but he liked her the way she was now, and since it wasn’t a big deal, he shook his head and replied: “Nothing’s happened.”

He Dongchuan noticed his hesitation and asked: “Really? Nothing at all?”

He Yan lay on the bed, his head tilted to the side as he looked at his dad, his face showing a hint of confusion.

“What were you hesitating about just now?” He Dongchuan asked, reminding him before He Yan could speak. “Dad’s work keeps me busy, and I can’t be with you all the time, but when I’m away, I’m always thinking about you. So, Dad hopes that if there’s anything, you’ll just say it directly. That way, I can feel more at ease when I have to leave in the future.”

Although He Yan didn’t fully understand his dad’s words, he wasn’t foolish. He could tell his dad was worried about him. After thinking for a moment, he said: “I feel like Mom has changed.”

Just hearing this, He Dongchuan immediately realized that He Yan had also changed—before he left for his assignment, He Yan hadn’t called her “Mom.”

But this also indirectly indicated that Su Ting had been good to He Yan. Otherwise, with He Yan’s personality, he wouldn’t have changed so quickly or spoken so smoothly.

Therefore, He Dongchuan asked in a softer tone: “How has she changed?”

He Yan turned over, crawled on the bed, and made his way to the spot close to He Dongchuan’s shoulder. He cupped his hands around his mouth and leaned into his dad’s ear, whispering: “I think Mom has started to like me.”

He Dongchuan: “…”

He felt like his son had become a bit narcissistic.

……

Su Ting opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the curtains hanging on the window.

The curtains were dark blue, plain without any patterns, not particularly pleasing to the eye. Moreover, they weren’t thick enough to block out the light properly. She had disliked these curtains ever since she put them up, thinking they were both unattractive and ineffective.

But no matter how much she disliked them, she still had to use them. In this era, buying fabric required fabric ration tickets, and having curtains at all was a symbol of a relatively well-off family. Many families used cardboard to cover their windows instead.

As she looked at the light reflected on the curtains, Su Ting guessed it was probably late. She reached over to grab the watch from the vanity table and squinted in the dim light.

Sure enough, it was already 7:20.

Su Ting put the watch down, rubbed her eyes, and sat up. In the dim light, she picked up the dress she had hung at the end of the bed last night and put it on. Then, she pulled back the curtains, walked around the bed, opened the door, and stepped outside.

It was bright outside.

The door to the room next door was open, and Su Ting peeked inside. The bed was made neatly, with the blankets folded into perfect squares—clearly, He Dongchuan’s doing. He Yan, like her, didn’t like to make the bed.

There was no one inside or outside. She wondered if He Dongchuan had gone to the base.

Su Ting was lost in thought as she walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, squeezed some toothpaste, and started brushing her teeth and washing her face.

Just as she was twisting the towel to dry her face, she heard footsteps from outside. She hurriedly wrung out the towel and wiped her face. Then, she took a step back and looked out.

She didn’t see anyone, so she asked: “You’re back?”

He Dongchuan replied: “Mm.”

Su Ting finished drying her face, placed the towel in the basin and lightly rubbed it, then wrung it out and hung it on the clothesline before walking out.

He Dongchuan was placing items on the dining table. When he saw her come out, he raised his left hand and showed her the aluminum lunchbox. “I brought breakfast. You can have some.”

Su Ting nodded but her gaze landed on his military uniform.

He was still wearing the blue-gray military uniform, but it was made of a much lighter fabric, like a summer version.

To Su Ting, the military uniform’s color was a bit dull, and without his striking appearance, it could easily look aging. But his good looks balanced it out, and after shaving off his beard, he appeared more energetic and less disheveled.

Su Ting’s appreciation for He Dongchuan ended there. She suddenly realized that her thoughts were getting a little dangerous. She quickly averted her gaze from his face and let it travel down to his right hand.

He was holding several ropes, with silver-white sea fish strung on them and a few crabs tightly bound in twine.

Su Ting tried to start a conversation: “Did you go to the seafood supply station?”

“I just took a quick round.” He Dongchuan said as he put down the lunchbox, passed Su Ting, and carried the fish and crabs into the kitchen.

Su Ting responded with an “Oh.” and walked over to the dining table to open the lunchboxes.

There were two lunchboxes. One contained two steamed buns and two baozi, which were slightly deformed due to their large size being pressed by the lid. The second lunchbox held three-flavor noodles.

Su Ting turned her head and asked: “Did you have breakfast?”

“No, I didn’t.”

No wonder. She had thought she was the only one, but it was unlikely that he would have bought so much food just for her.

However, the two lunchboxes contained quite a bit of food. Based on his appetite from yesterday, Su Ting suspected there would be leftovers. She wondered if he hadn’t eaten enough last night, actually had a big appetite, or if he had underestimated her appetite.

Su Ting set the lunchboxes down and, while undoing the braid she had tied last night, walked into the master bedroom. But just as she reached the vanity table, her movement stopped.

Wait a minute!

Just now… did He Dongchuan see her with her hair all frizzed up from sleep?

Su Ting couldn’t help but cover her face, but then she thought to herself that it didn’t really matter if He Dongchuan had seen her looking like a mess. After all, even if she appeared perfect in every way, based on the original plot, the chances of him falling in love with her weren’t high.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Su Ting felt a sudden jolt in her heart. She keenly sensed that her thoughts were a little dangerous.

She could only blame how powerful looks were to someone obsessed with appearances.

Yesterday, she had thought that maintaining a calm and peaceful mind for the next three years would be no problem, but today, she couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander.

Su Ting sighed, pulling herself together as she twisted off the cap of the Snow Cream, scooping out a bit with her finger to rub into her palm, then massaging it into her face.

As she applied the cream, her movements gradually slowed down, and she found herself admiring her reflection in the mirror.

The face in the mirror resembled her past life’s by about 80 or 90 percent, but she looked younger, with smooth, fair skin, and, more importantly, there wasn’t a single wrinkle on her face. That was probably the only advantage of time traveling.

With her looks as a foundation, even if she had just woken up with her hair in disarray, she didn’t look unattractive. In fact, there was an accidental lazy beauty to her appearance.

Su Ting was absentmindedly touching her face when, without realizing it, she locked eyes with He Dongchuan, who had walked to the door. In an instant, she switched from touching her face to covering it.

He Dongchuan asked, his tone neutral: “Aren’t you having breakfast?”

Having been a corporate drone for so many years, Su Ting, though feeling embarrassed and self-conscious about being caught in her narcissistic moment, quickly calmed herself down under the comforting illusion of “if you don’t say anything, I can pretend this didn’t happen.” She replied: “I’ll come eat after I finish doing my hair.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Su Ting immediately wished she could bite her tongue. Why on earth had she said she needed to do her hair first?

Luckily, He Dongchuan didn’t pay much attention to her hair and simply urged her: “Then hurry up. Breakfast will get cold.”

Su Ting responded, nodding quickly. She untied her braid, divided her hair into two sections, and brushed it smooth, then tied it up into two thick, glossy new braids, securing them with hair ties.

After finishing her braids, Su Ting didn’t linger in the bedroom any longer. She went out and sat at the dining table, picking up a salted vegetable bun and taking a bite.

Seeing this, He Dongchuan pushed the lunchbox with half a bowl of noodles left toward her and said: “There’s still noodles.”

Su Ting hesitated for a moment, then honestly said: “…I don’t eat noodles.”

“Hmm?” He Dongchuan raised his head in surprise. Noodles were considered a good dish in these times, and it was rare for anyone not to like them.

Su Ting hesitated, then said: “I just don’t like them. I prefer rice noodles.”

He Dongchuan knew that people from Hu Province often ate rice noodles, but when they were at the Su family’s house, he had seen them eat noodles twice. From what he gathered, the main reason they didn’t have noodles often was that the local area didn’t grow wheat, and the countryside didn’t have the same supplies as the city. It wasn’t because they didn’t like it.

However, he wasn’t sure whether Su Ting liked noodles or not. Even though their engagement had been decided quickly, he hadn’t taken the time to get to know her preferences. So, he could only say: “At least have a couple of bites.”

Su Ting gave a firm refusal: “I really don’t like them. I can’t swallow them.”

It wasn’t just noodles Su Ting didn’t like—she also didn’t like steamed buns. She hadn’t touched them at all. She had only eaten one and a half baozi, and the remaining half was too much for her to finish.

In the end, the lunchbox with noodles, two steamed buns, and half a baozi all ended up in He Dongchuan’s stomach. During the latter part of breakfast, Su Ting couldn’t help but watch him eat.

Su Ting felt like He Dongchuan’s stomach was a bottomless pit. Not only had he eaten that large bowl of noodles—about four taels—but the steamed buns and baozi, each about one tael, were also all gone. He had eaten six and a half taels of staple food in one meal!

The most unbelievable part was that, after eating so much, he didn’t gain even a bit of weight!

She couldn’t help but feel envy and jealousy.

After this breakfast, He Dongchuan had gained a new understanding of Su Ting’s picky eating habits.

What surprised him even more was that, despite eating so little every day, there was still some flesh on her body.

Impressive, indeed.