Chapter 23.1

“Is anyone here? He Yan is being bullied!”

Su Ting was tidying up the house when she heard a voice coming from outside. She quickly put down the broom and walked out, only to see Chen Shaomei’s son running in, out of breath. He hurriedly asked: “What happened?”

Chen Shaomei’s son shouted: “He Yan had an argument with someone, my mom sent me!”

Su Ting quickly went back into the house, put down the broom, and closed the door. As she walked out, she asked: “Where did He Yan have the argument? Who was it with?”

“At the front gate, the person he argued with is… is…” Chen Shaomei’s son paused, raising his finger and thinking for a long time before remembering who Yu Hongzhi was. “It’s Qian Honghong’s mom! He Yan was so angry!”

As soon as Su Ting heard it was Yu Hongzhi, her brows furrowed. “I’ll go over first.”

She quickened her pace and started running. On her way, she passed by a courtyard where she saw a bamboo pole leaning against the wall. She walked in and told the person sitting inside: “I’ll borrow this bamboo pole.” After grabbing it, she ran out again.

She came and went quickly, but the person sitting in the courtyard was frightened and jumped up from the bench. “What does she need a stick for? Is something going to happen?” The person hurriedly followed her.

Su Ting ran with the bamboo pole all the way. As she reached the edge of the open space, she saw a group of military wives standing in a circle. Without thinking, she raised the pole and charged toward them. “Let’s see who dares to bully my son!”

The military wives, upon hearing the noise, looked back and all widened their eyes in unison. They quickly moved aside, clearing the middle for He Yan and Yu Hongzhi.

Yu Hongzhi didn’t recognize Su Ting’s voice, nor was she like the military wives standing on the outside who could see her as soon as they turned their heads or looked up. So, when she saw them moving aside, she was somewhat puzzled.

But as the crowd parted, and there was nothing obstructing her view, Yu Hongzhi finally saw Su Ting, holding a bamboo pole and charging at her with a menacing look. Only then did she realize the situation was serious.

Yu Hongzhi quickly took a few steps back, raised her hand, and said with a face full of fear: “Y-y-y-you don’t have to be impulsive!”

In contrast to Yu Hongzhi’s attitude, He Yan’s eyes lit up the moment he turned and saw Su Ting. He jumped in place and shouted: “Mom!”

From the moment Su Ting shouted and started running toward him, only a few seconds had passed.

But those few seconds were enough for Su Ting to assess the situation. The argument had indeed happened, He Yan was probably very angry, but he hadn’t been beaten.

So, when she reached He Yan’s side, Su Ting stopped in her tracks. She didn’t strike with the raised bamboo pole but instead planted it directly into the ground.

However, she hadn’t anticipated the force needed, and the ground was harder than she had expected. Though she created a small pit, the bamboo pole cracked in two places and split into a V-shape.

The military wives watching let out an exclamation.

Yu Hongzhi trembled. “Y-y-y-you… let’s talk this out.”

Su Ting sneered. “Talk it out? Have you talked things through with me? You’ve been bullying a six-year-old child as much as you want, is that fun for you?”

In front of Chen Shaomei and the other bystanders, Yu Hongzhi could still put on a righteous posture when explaining, but in front of Su Ting, she shrank back. Especially when Su Ting was holding the bamboo pole, Yu Hongzhi gritted her teeth and, with little confidence, said: “I… I didn’t bully him. I just thought he was funny and teased him.”

Chen Shaomei, irritated, asked: “Teasing a child by bringing up their parents’ divorce? Are you shameless or what?”

A military wife chimed in: “Yeah, are you shameless?”

Yu Hongzhi felt wronged. “The divorce was just a guess, but you guys sleeping in separate rooms wasn’t something I started talking about. I don’t think it’s entirely my fault, right?”

“You said it yourself, so if it’s not your fault, whose is it? Yes, I’ve slept in a separate room from He Yan’s dad, but that’s because we didn’t know each other well at first, and I was embarrassed.” Su Ting said as she put her arm around He Yan’s shoulder. “Besides, Xiao Yan had just arrived in a new place, wasn’t quite used to it, and couldn’t sleep well at night, so I let his dad sleep with him. But that was just a transition. After Xiao Yan got used to the new environment, his dad moved back to the master bedroom.”

He Dongchuan had only moved back to the master bedroom the night before, but Su Ting deliberately blurred the timeline, so when the military wives heard this, they all thought they had been sleeping together for a long time. Thus, Su Ting’s explanation made sense.

It was normal for a child to want to sleep with their parents in a new environment, especially when they were just getting used to things. They had all experienced this when they first arrived on the island, though they usually slept together as a family.

However, the He family’s situation was special. He Dongchuan was remarried, and at first, the stepmother and stepson were not familiar with each other and were reluctant to sleep together. That was perfectly normal.

If they had remained distant, people could talk, but seeing the closeness between Su Ting and He Yan, no one would believe they were at odds. 

What did this prove?

Time revealed true feelings. After more than a month of getting to know each other, their relationship had improved.

This was the happily ever after everyone was rooting for, so naturally, they believed Su Ting’s explanation, nodding in agreement: “Yes, yes.”

Amidst the nodding of approval, Su Ting continued: “Even if my relationship with Xiao Yan’s dad wasn’t good, that’s our personal matter. What I don’t understand is why you, an outsider, are so concerned? If you really care, why don’t you say something to my face? Are you trying to stir up trouble between our family in front of the child?”

Yu Hongzhi’s face froze. She indeed had been trying to stir things up.

But she wasn’t foolish enough to admit it. She pinched her thigh, forcing out two drops of tears, and said: “I didn’t… I didn’t mean it. I just… I just heard you two were sleeping in separate rooms and was worried about you. I didn’t think too much about it…”

Su Ting chuckled: “Didn’t think too much? I think you’ve thought way too much! And I have reason to suspect that you’re deliberately making malicious assumptions.”

Yu Hongzhi raised her voice slightly: “Comrade Su, that’s too much. What do you mean by malicious assumptions? I have no grievances with you, so why would I speculate about you like that?”

“If it’s not malicious speculation, then it’s just pessimistic thinking. People who think pessimistically usually don’t have a very smooth life. Comrade Yu, how is your relationship with your husband?”  

Su Ting’s tone wasn’t heavy, but every word struck directly at Yu Hongzhi’s sore spot.  

Why couldn’t she stand to see others doing well? It was simply because her own life was unsatisfactory.  

As for why her life wasn’t going well, the reasons lay within her family—having given birth to four daughters and having an average marital relationship.  

Yu Hongzhi’s face turned red with anger, but she didn’t want to lose face in front of everyone, so she stiffly replied: “We’re doing very well, no need for your concern!”  

“It’s great that your relationship is good. Unlike you, I don’t go around hoping others have a bad life.” Seeing that Yu Hongzhi was about to deny it, Su Ting quickly interrupted and repeated: “Yes, yes, yes, you had no ill intentions, you just naturally thought that way. But I think—”  

Su Ting looked at Yu Hongzhi, her eyes devoid of laughter as she asked: “You saw that my husband and I live in separate rooms, so you assumed our relationship was bad and we were getting a divorce. Then, if I see that you’ve given birth to four daughters, sending the first three back to your hometown to be raised, wouldn’t I also be able to assume that you favor boys over girls? That you had so many children because you were trying for a son? And that you didn’t raise your first three daughters because you didn’t want to see them, meaning your relationship with them must be terrible?”  

“You—”  

Before Yu Hongzhi could respond, Su Ting raised her hand and said: “That might sound unpleasant, but I believe you, Comrade Yu, won’t mind. After all, my words aren’t malicious speculation either—just natural thoughts that arose, don’t you think?”  

Although Su Ting hadn’t used a single curse word, the military wives watching felt utterly satisfied hearing her response.  

Previously, when Yu Hongzhi had spread the rumor that Su Ting and He Dongchuan were headed for divorce just because they lived in separate rooms, everyone had simply been too engrossed in the gossip to see the problem.  

But now that Su Ting had broken it down, Yu Hongzhi seemed like a real troublemaker!  

If they were actually getting a divorce, then fine, it could be discussed. But they had only been married for a month, and she was already spreading such rumors—wasn’t that just being spiteful?  

And then there was the fact that Yu Hongzhi never dared to say such things in front of the adults but instead targeted He Yan, a six-year-old child, to bully. That made everyone’s impression of her plummet even further.

Yu Hongzhi never expected that she had kicked an iron plate this time.  

From their previous encounters, Su Ting had seemed like an ordinary girl—one who constantly wore a troubled expression because of her cold relationship with her husband and who complained endlessly about her stepson.  

But then, one day, Su Ting suddenly became sharp-witted and stopped paying her any attention.  

If Su Ting had always been this shrewd, Yu Hongzhi might never have provoked her in the first place. She wouldn’t have sought a sense of superiority from her, nor would she have been so desperate to see Su Ting’s downfall once that superiority vanished.  

And if none of that had happened, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point.  

Yu Hongzhi deeply regretted it, but regret was useless now. With everyone pointing fingers at her, all she could do was feebly deny: “No, it’s not like that. That’s not what happened.”  

In the end, Yu Hongzhi fled in embarrassment, while Su Ting emerged victorious.  

—  

That evening, as soon as He Dongchuan stepped into the family compound, he was called over by a group of military wives chatting at a stone table.  

He found it a little strange. He was always busy with work and rarely interacted with the military wives, let alone these particular ones—women he had seen before but barely spoken to.  

Still, no matter how unfamiliar they were, they all lived in the same family compound. So, He Dongchuan stopped and asked: “Is something the matter?”  

“It’s nothing too serious.” said one of the women in an old military uniform, grinning. “Just that your wife nearly got into a fight with Yu Hongzhi this morning. Do you know about it?”  

He Dongchuan had just returned from the military camp, so he naturally knew nothing about it.  

But he did know who Yu Hongzhi was now. His brows furrowed unconsciously as he asked: “Is my wife okay?”  

Another military wife eagerly chimed in: “Of course she’s fine! Colonel He, you don’t know, but Comrade Su was amazing today! She charged in with a bamboo pole and scared Yu Hongzhi senseless! The woman was completely stunned!”  

He Dongchuan was momentarily stunned. “A bamboo pole?”  

“That’s right! And it was this thick!” The woman in the old military uniform gestured with her hands, forming a large circle. “Then, after charging up to Yu Hongzhi, Comrade Su drove the pole straight into the ground, and it split right in half! Look, the hole from the bamboo pole is still there.”  

The circle she indicated was at least the size of a fist. Then, she sighed in admiration: “Comrade Su is really strong!”  

He Dongchuan: “…”

Although He Dongchuan hadn’t witnessed Su Ting’s dramatic charge with the bamboo pole, he was well aware of her strength. She wasn’t so weak that she couldn’t lift things, but to say she was particularly strong? That wasn’t quite true.  

Besides, the hole in the ground was at least half the size of what the military wife had exaggerated with her hands.  

He wasn’t sure if she was just prone to embellishment or if the version she had heard was already exaggerated.  

Still, even if the details were a bit stretched, the general events were likely accurate. His wife clearly hadn’t suffered any losses, so he nodded along with the conversation, said a few perfunctory words, and quickly found an excuse to head home.  

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