Chapter 21.1

After returning from Rong City, Su Ting became busy. Every day, she was either in line or on her way to stand in line.

What line was she standing in?

Of course, it was the line to buy grain and meat!

There had been quite a few grain stations opening recently, at least one in every district. In reality, the grain stations were open for about half a month each month, often remaining closed for the rest of the time due to lack of supply.

The grain stations on the island were considered good, providing coarse grains that generally met the demand, available at any time. However, the finer grains were another story; they were usually only sold for a few days at the end of each month.

Originally, the grains should have been sold at the beginning of the month, and the grain tickets were also issued at that time. But in order to ensure the residents’ livelihood, the authorities would distribute the grain tickets in advance and open sales of the grains ahead of time. As a result, every month at the end, long queues formed outside the grain stations.

Standing in line was one thing, but the real hassle was that the fine grains had a limited daily supply, and once it was gone, that was it.

When Su Ting first started, she lacked experience. She would sleep until she woke up naturally and then go to buy grains, but the result was obvious—on those days, she didn’t even get to see the last bits of the fine rice.

The next day, He Dongchuan knocked on her door to wake her up. She arrived two hours earlier, but it didn’t help. A long line had already formed outside the grain station. She stood in line for hours and, when the station finally opened, rushed in with the crowd. But by the time it was her turn, the fine rice and noodles had already sold out.

On the third day… on the third day, Su Ting decided not to sleep at all. She stayed up until three in the morning and then took a stool to stand in line.

Just as she stepped out of the courtyard, He Dongchuan followed her.

The family compound was pitch dark at three in the morning, with only the crescent moon above casting a faint light, barely illuminating the surroundings.

Apart from the darkness, the family compound was especially quiet—no voices, no croaking frogs. The only sound was the wind blowing from the sea, whooshing.

When Su Ting heard footsteps behind her, scenes from the horror films she had watched in the past flashed in her mind. She unconsciously tensed up, kept her head down, and hurried forward. Even when someone called her name from behind, she didn’t dare to turn around. She even started running.

But after running for just a couple of steps, a hand landed on her shoulder. Su Ting’s eyes widened, and a scream got stuck in her throat. She was about to scream when a familiar voice sounded in her ear: “Why are you running?”

The sharp scream turned into a soft: “Huh?”

The person in front of her was no demon or monster; it was clearly He Dongchuan.

Su Ting let out a sigh of relief. “How did you come out?”

“I heard the door open, came out, and saw that you weren’t in the bedroom.” He Dongchuan explained, then asked: “Where are you going?”

“Standing in line to buy grains.” Su Ting replied.

“Going now?”

Su Ting nodded vigorously. “Yesterday I went at around five, and there was already a long line at the door. Today I’m going at three. I don’t believe I won’t be able to buy rice!”

Seeing her determined look, He Dongchuan said: “If you can’t buy it, then you can’t. If it doesn’t work, I’ll think of a way.”

Su Ting looked at He Dongchuan with sparkling eyes and lowered her voice to ask: “What method do you have?” Could it be that he planned to buy from the black market? But he was a soldier… She quickly asked: “Isn’t it unsafe?”

He Dongchuan didn’t answer the first question, only saying: “It’s safe.”

Su Ting didn’t press further. She felt that since He Dongchuan didn’t say anything, this channel might not be very legitimate. As for whether it was really safe, his answer might have been to reassure her.

“Then I’ll just continue to stand in line. It’s always better to buy more rice.” she said. This way, he wouldn’t have to take any risks. Su Ting thought to herself and told He Dongchuan, who was about to follow her out: “You go back. You still have to go to the base tomorrow. I can handle the line by myself.”

This was also the reason she hadn’t mentioned it to He Dongchuan earlier. She could catch up on sleep the next day after staying up, but he couldn’t. He had other important things to do.

He Dongchuan didn’t refuse, only saying: “I’ll take you there.”

“No need…”

Before Su Ting could finish her sentence, He Dongchuan said: “When I patted your shoulder just now, you shivered.”

Well, that was true!

She was indeed scared, but could she be blamed for it? Who wouldn’t shiver when walking alone in the dark of night and suddenly having someone pat their shoulder?

Thinking about the distance to the grain station and how persistent He Dongchuan was, Su Ting didn’t insist on being stubborn anymore. She nodded and said: “Alright then.”

The two of them walked side by side out.

It had to be said, having someone by your side really did make you feel safer.

Su Ting stopped hunching her shoulders, no longer playing horror films in her mind. She relaxed and started daydreaming.

On such a night, the two of them walked along the buildings, the sea breeze blowing around them. Just imagining it felt so romantic.

It wasn’t just Su Ting who was daydreaming. After walking for a while, the hand next to her reached out and enveloped hers.

She struggled slightly and looked up to the right.

He Dongchuan also slightly turned his face toward her and said in a low voice: “It’s nighttime, and no one is watching us.”

Su Ting immediately thought of the time when they had been caught while flying kites in Rong City Park. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and the struggle in her hand stopped. She let him change their clasped hands into interlaced fingers.

The distance from the family compound wasn’t long. At Su Ting’s normal pace, they could have walked out in two to three minutes, but they walked for a full five minutes.

When they reached the open space near the entrance, and Su Ting saw the lightbulb hanging above the family compound’s gate, as well as the soldiers on guard bathed in orange light, she snapped back to reality. She pulled her hand from He Dongchuan’s and said: “There’s someone.”

He Dongchuan hummed in acknowledgment and reluctantly let go of her hand, walking beside her as they continued forward.

Standing guard was a monotonous job, especially at night. It was boring and tiring, which made it very draining. But the soldiers on guard couldn’t slack off. They had to keep alert, holding their rifles and watching their surroundings. So, when they saw the two of them walking side by side, the soldier was a bit confused.

At night, where were they headed, walking like this?

The guard saluted He Dongchuan. Though he didn’t speak, his face was full of questions.

To avoid any misunderstandings, He Dongchuan took the initiative to explain: “We’re going to stand in line to buy grain.”

“Going now?” The guard asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Yes, we’re afraid that the line will be long if we wait too late.”

The guard nodded to show he understood. “Thank you for your hard work.”

After passing the guard post, and as they once again disappeared into the darkness, He Dongchuan took Su Ting’s hand again.

This time, Su Ting didn’t resist. She softly said: “We’re almost at the grain station.” This was her way of hinting that he should go back.

He Dongchuan, however, diverted the conversation. “Aren’t you afraid to be here alone?”

Su Ting looked at the dark streets in front and behind her, feeling a little uneasy in her heart. Still, she blamed He Dongchuan. “I was fine at first… It’s all your fault for scaring me.”

He Dongchuan asked softly: “Then what if I stay and accompany you for a while? It’ll be my way of apologizing.”

Although she had blamed He Dongchuan with her words, Su Ting wasn’t unreasonable. She shook her head and said: “It’s fine. I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait. You should hurry back and get some rest.”

“I can rest here too.” He Dongchuan said.

Su Ting looked up. “How are you going to rest?”

He Dongchuan turned his steps, crossed his arms, and leaned against the grain station door. He closed his eyes and said: “I’ll rest standing.”

Su Ting immediately became energized. “You can sleep while standing?”

“I can, but I don’t sleep deeply.”

“Won’t you fall over?”

“I’ve never fallen.”

Su Ting gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re impressive.”

He Dongchuan opened his eyes, tilted his head slightly, and asked: “Can I stay here and keep you company now?”

Su Ting turned her body away, not looking at him, pretending to be indifferent. “If you want to stay, then stay. It’s your own work you’re delaying if you get tired tomorrow.”

He Dongchuan chuckled softly and emphasized: “I won’t get tired.”

Is that really the point?

Su Ting muttered in her mind, attributing his response to the strange vanity of men. She glanced at him and said: “Just go to sleep already!”

“Okay.”

The waiting process was quite boring, but with He Dongchuan standing there, Su Ting didn’t feel scared. She could let her mind wander.

For a moment, she wondered if he had really fallen asleep or was just resting with his eyes closed. If she pushed him now, would he fall? But because she was worried he might really be asleep, afraid that one push might make him tumble, she just kept it to herself.

Then, she thought about whether the first group of people coming to line up early would be surprised when they saw them. Would He Dongchuan open his eyes before they arrived, or would he wait until they were right in front of him?

Su Ting didn’t think about it for long. Just after four, there was movement near the guard post.

It wasn’t just one person, but several military wives arrived together.

He Dongchuan also opened his eyes just before they arrived, put his hands down, straightened his chest, and stood up straight.

The group of military wives looked at them in surprise. “When did you two get here?”

“A little while ago.” Su Ting said with a smile.

“Young people sure have energy, getting up so early.” said one of the military wives with short hair.

Su Ting thought, I didn’t wake up early at all, I haven’t slept all night. It’s all because of you early risers! But she didn’t say anything, just smiling and flashing a grin.

The military wife wearing a red and blue checkered shirt nudged the short-haired one with her elbow and teased: “Didn’t you see Colonel He also came? A couple working together is unbeatable!”

Her words made the group of military wives laugh, and the short-haired one curiously asked: “Colonel He is here to line up too?”

Su Ting was calm and unbothered by the teasing. She responded without a hint of embarrassment: “No, he just brought me here. He was worried I might be scared alone, so he stayed with me for a while.” She then turned to He Dongchuan and added: “Now there are people here, so you should go back and get some rest. I can wait in line by myself.”

This time, He Dongchuan didn’t refuse. He nodded and said: “If you need anything, just call me.”

“Got it.”

Once He Dongchuan left, the military wives began gossiping, showering him with compliments, praising his good character and how considerate he was of his wife. But soon, the topic veered off course, and they began subtly asking if Su Ting and He Dongchuan really slept in separate rooms.

At first, Su Ting remained calm, but as soon as she heard the words “separate rooms.” she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

How could children be such troublemakers?

She and He Dongchuan were the prime example.

Ever since He Yan played house outside and thanks to the gossip spread by Yu Hongzhi, the whole family compound knew that she and He Dongchuan slept in separate rooms.

Although this era was conservative, this was public knowledge, and the things married women could talk about—well, let’s just say, it was quite a topic.

While she used to wish they would gossip even more when it was about others, once the topic turned to her, Su Ting just wanted to run away.

After this happened a few times, those who were closer to her knew she was thin-skinned, so they stopped bringing it up when she was around.

But the military wives who came to line up didn’t know her well, and they loved gossip. Since she had no choice but to buy grain, she couldn’t avoid them. She gritted her teeth and came up with an excuse, saying: “No, where did you hear that from? Oh, kids just play house. It’s nothing to believe. Everything’s fine with Old He and me! Haha, hahaha…”

But these women weren’t satisfied and kept asking if He Dongchuan was okay, if he came over a few times that night.

At first, Su Ting was hesitant and didn’t want to say anything, but once they revealed their husbands’ details and promised not to tell anyone, she reluctantly boasted about He Dongchuan. “He’s okay. We don’t sleep together often. We usually do it about four or five times a week, sometimes four, five, six, or seven times.”

The group: …

After Su Ting had her fun, the topic was finally dropped. No one asked her for more details. She subtly turned her body, sighed in relief, and felt that the moment had passed.

From then on, they avoided discussing late-night topics, and instead, the conversation shifted to gossip about other things, like whose kid got punished or which couple was fighting again.

As they talked, the line grew longer, and the streets became livelier. Military men in uniforms started coming out of the family compound. When they saw their wives in the queue, they greeted them before leaving. If their wives weren’t there, they just walked around the group.

He Dongchuan also came over to greet Su Ting, but instead of heading straight to the base, he went to the canteen, bought two steamed buns for her, and filled a water bottle with hot water to keep her fed.

It was an ordinary gesture, but it made the military wives around them envy.

“Why don’t our men act so thoughtful?”

Not only did everyone envy this moment, but He Yan also came over when Su Ting was at school and asked her if she was hungry. She heard that Su Ting had eaten two buns before leaving.

It wasn’t just the men—her children weren’t that thoughtful either. Sigh!

After school, there was another half-hour wait before it was time for the grain station to open.

When the grain station door opened, Su Ting rushed to the counter first. She took the prepared ticket and money out of her pocket, clenched them in her hand, and extended them toward the staff, shouting the name of the rice she wanted to buy, just like the others around her.

Maybe it was because she was the first one to rush in, or maybe it was because she shouted the loudest, but the grain station staff was the first to take the money and ticket from her hand.

Counting the money, checking the ticket, and weighing the rice.

Since she bought fine rice, the combined supply for the three people wasn’t much. A bundle of burlap sacks, Su Ting could carry it back herself.

Well, carrying it home was a bit difficult. She rested twice in the middle, and then, by chance, she ran into Chen Shaomei, who helped carry it back.

Buying the grain wasn’t the end of it. In the following days, Su Ting also stood in line to buy meat.

Of course, it wasn’t pork. The island had a sufficient supply of pork, and it was available every day. If you went to line up around six or seven in the morning, you could usually get some. Even if you went later, you could still buy it the next day. After all, each household had a limited supply of pork, so you couldn’t eat it every day.

What she lined up to buy was beef.

At that time, beef and mutton were considered precious items. While the price wasn’t really high, they were rare. The butcher’s shop might not even sell them many times throughout the year.

This time, the supply was just over fifty pounds, and there was no need for a ticket. Each person was limited to buying two pounds, first come, first served.

So, the day before the beef was available, Su Ting still stayed up the whole night. She went to stand in line at three or four in the morning. That day, there were quite a few military wives who, like her, went to line up at dawn.

There was no way around it. In these times, it was truly not easy to get something good to eat. Those tasty foods were always in short supply. When there was little supply, they had to limit how much they sold. When the supply was limited, the common people craved it, and when it was available, they would line up overnight to buy it.

Like Su Ting, in her previous life, she never had to worry about food or drink. When she was lazy, she didn’t even want to go out for ready-made meals and preferred to order takeout at home. But after crossing over, with no food to eat, she was willing to stay up all night and queue just for a bite.

She had truly regressed in her life.

However, despite the hardships, when she tasted the soft and flavorful stewed beef, she felt that everything was worth it.

What did “regressing in life” matter? As long as there was food, she was willing to stay up for ten nights straight!

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