Chapter 27.1

Just as Su Ting was racking his brain over what gift to give He Dongchuan, He Yan brought back good news.

The Military Elementary School was planning to hold a gala on Children’s Day, inviting parents and Military Unit leaders as the audience, while the performers would be the children. Each class had to present two performances.

In He Yan’s Class 1, Grade 1, the two chosen performances were a solo dance and a choir performance.

The solo dance was assigned to a girl named Feng Li. Before joining the military as a dependent, her mother had been part of the city’s cultural troupe. Although she could no longer continue her previous profession after moving, her dance skills remained intact. Feng Li had been learning dance from her mother since the age of four, making it three years now. While there were no formal exams for dance proficiency in those days, her foundation was solid, and performing a technically challenging dance routine on her own was not difficult for her.

Compared to dance, the selection criteria for the choir were much less strict. The main considerations were twofold: first, looking good, and second, being willing to open one’s mouth to sing.

It was often said that dancing required thirty percent talent and seventy percent effort—no matter how gifted one was, the body would become stiff if not trained regularly. Singing, however, was different. Talent played a much bigger role, and a good voice could determine everything.

Of course, this was merely an elementary school gala, so the vocal requirements for the children were not too high. As long as their voices were clear, they could hit the notes, and their singing did not sound overly jarring, they would be fine.

Since choir singing was performed standing still, the teacher also took appearance into account when selecting students.

As a result, He Yan, whose voice was bright and who could sing the notes well, was naturally chosen for the choir. Moreover, because he was good-looking, he was assigned the role of lead singer in the center.

The little guy was very pleased with himself, almost as if he had grown a tail that was about to wag. However, he still pretended to be indifferent, acting as if he had no interest in singing and was only joining because the teacher insisted.

Seeing this, Su Ting couldn’t resist reaching out and roughly ruffling his hair, laughing as he said: “Alright, hurry up and eat, our great singer!”

He Yan let out a small “oh.” buried his head, and shoveled two spoonfuls of rice into his mouth. Then, remembering something very important, he spoke while eating: “Will you guys come to watch me sing that day?”

Because his mouth was full, his voice sounded a little muffled, but Su Ting and He Dongchuan both understood him.

Su Ting agreed immediately, while He Dongchuan asked: “What day of the week is June 1st?”

“I don’t know.”

Su Ting got up and walked to the cabinet, reaching for the calendar on the wall. Flipping to the page for June 1st, he turned his head and said: “It’s a Saturday.”

Since the Military Unit required at least one leader to remain on base during holidays, He Dongchuan had one duty Sunday each month, with his rest day adjusted to a Saturday accordingly.

As for which specific Saturday he would have off, it depended on the duty roster. However, the schedule was not set in stone, as the Battalion Commanders could swap shifts among themselves.

Since it was only the middle of the month, the duty roster had not yet been released. He Dongchuan said: “I’ll check at the end of the month. If there’s no issue, I’ll go.”

He Yan took this as a promise from his father and said: “You guys must come, okay? Otherwise, I will be very, very sad!” After all, this was the first time in his life that he would be performing on stage.

The corner of He Dongchuan’s lips twitched slightly. “I’ll try my best.”

…

“Colonel He, Comrade Su, are you two going to the city again?”

Since they had agreed to buy a gift, on Sunday morning, after finishing breakfast, Su Ting and He Dongchuan took He Yan and prepared to take a boat to the city.

On their way out of the Family Residential Compound, people kept greeting them and asking if they were heading to the city. Upon receiving a confirmation, some expressed envy, while others clicked their tongues and commented on how leisurely their life seemed.

However, in their words: “leisurely” was far from a compliment. Though they said it casually, deep down, they probably thought that going to the city every few days was an irresponsible way to live.

But Su Ting had a natural filter in her ears—she readily accepted any compliments, and as for criticism, she only heard what she wanted to.

Just like now, she acted as if she didn’t catch the underlying meaning of their words and responded with a bright smile: “It’s alright, mainly because Old He is willing to accompany us.”

That was her response when speaking to women. If a man made a sarcastic remark, she would add: “What? Do you never take your wife and kids out?” Then she would click her tongue in feigned disappointment.

As a result, those who tried to make them uncomfortable either ended up getting shown off to their faces or feeling so disdained that they questioned their own lives.

Seeing their displeasure only made Su Ting happier. She had held back a little while still inside the Family Residential Compound, but once they were outside and there were fewer people around, she stopped restraining herself. She laughed heartily and asked: “Did you see their faces just now? Wasn’t it hilarious?”

He Dongchuan curled his lips slightly. “Mm.”

“Hmph! Trying to judge me? Let’s see if I don’t piss them off first!” Su Ting muttered. Then, realizing who those people were, she hesitated and asked: “Did I go too far just now? Will they hold a grudge? They won’t cause you trouble later, will they?”

But He Dongchuan remained calm. “You didn’t say anything wrong. They wouldn’t be that petty. Besides, they were the ones who started it.”

Hearing this, Su Ting felt relieved. She moved to the other side of He Dongchuan to tease He Yan, and mother and son ran and jumped ahead together.

Once they left the residential area, the number of people on the road gradually increased. Some were soldiers walking from the direction of the Military Camp, while others were commune members from nearby brigades. There were also other military wives and children from the Family Residential Compound, just like them.

Some were heading out for leisure on their day off, while others were traveling to the city for errands or visiting relatives. The former were mostly empty-handed, while the latter carried large bags and parcels.

After boarding the ferry, Su Ting sat next to a military wife, with He Dongchuan seated beside her. Further down, He Yan and the military wife’s two children knelt on the bench, gripping the railing with both hands as they watched the sea.

Since they were heading in the same direction, after disembarking at the city port, the two families continued traveling together until they reached the Post and Telecommunications Bureau, where they finally parted ways—the military wife went to mail a letter, while they went to call He Dongchuan’s family.

After finishing the call, the three of them headed straight to the Department Store.

However, once they stepped inside, their pace slowed.

He Yan had yet to decide what toy he wanted, and Su Ting still hadn’t figured out what gift to buy for He Dongchuan.

The selection of gifts in this era was extremely limited, especially considering that He Dongchuan was a soldier.

Everything he wore—his military coat, pants, leather shoes, belt, and hat—was issued by the Military Unit. The only exception was his shirt, which had to be custom-made, but even then, it required military-issued cloth tickets, which were distributed quarterly.

When it came down to it, the only things he had to buy himself were undershirts and underwear.

Hmm… actually, underwear wasn’t a bad gift idea. After all, they were husband and wife, and there were no taboos when it came to gift-giving. Choosing such a personal item as a present would make it both unique and intimate—she felt that He Dongchuan would probably be happy with it.

The problem was that underwear was too private, and it was easy for people to take it the wrong way.

Before they had shared a bed, Su Ting had always thought of He Dongchuan as a serious, reserved man, almost ascetic. If her thoughts ever wandered in a suggestive direction, she would scold herself for having an impure mind.

But now, she had a whole new understanding of him. Serious and reserved? That was all an act! Once in bed, his mind was filled with nothing but indecent thoughts, and he was full of mischief. Even if he knew she had no ulterior motives, he would probably still tease her about it.

She couldn’t win against him.

So, the idea of gifting underwear was promptly pushed aside—she would only consider it if she truly couldn’t come up with anything else.

But if she ruled out intimate clothing, there really weren’t many options left. In the future, when people picked gifts for their boyfriends or husbands, it was usually the same few categories—clothes, shoes, or accessories like necklaces, watches, and lighters.

Necklaces were out of the question. Outside of major cities, there were hardly any jewelry stores. Even in big cities, gold and silver shops were mostly closed down, so people in this era rarely wore accessories. Necklaces were an immediate no-go.

Watches were an option, but they required a ration ticket, and on top of that, her manuscript fees weren’t enough to cover one. Plus, He Dongchuan already had a watch, so that was ruled out as well.

As for lighters, there was no need to even consider them. In impoverished areas, people still used fire strikers to light fires, and even in cities, they relied on matches. A lighter? What was that?

With no clear idea of what to buy, they could only browse slowly.

They walked from the entrance of the first floor to the back, but still didn’t find what they were looking for. However, they did buy a lot of food—fruits, snacks, and egg cakes. Su Ting even bought a bag of Da Bai Rabbit milk candies.

White Rabbit Milk Candy was a brand that would remain popular for the next fifty years. Even the design of its candy wrappers had barely changed over time. Looking at it filled Su Ting with nostalgia, so she immediately pulled out her money and ration tickets to buy a bag.

After buying the milk candies, Su Ting immediately handed one to both He Yan and He Dongchuan.

He Dongchuan refused—he wasn’t particularly fond of sweets.

Su Ting didn’t insist. Instead, she unwrapped a piece of candy and brought it directly to his mouth. “Are you going to eat it or not?”

Without saying a word, He Dongchuan glanced to both sides.

Following his gaze, Su Ting suddenly remembered what had happened last time in Rong City Park and instinctively prepared to withdraw her hand. But her reaction wasn’t as fast as He Dongchuan’s movement. In the blink of an eye, he had already lowered his head and taken the candy into his mouth.

After pulling back her hand, Su Ting unconsciously rubbed her fingertips together. She could still feel the warmth of his lips and tongue lingering on her skin, but she only muttered softly: “We’re outside.”

Savoring the sweet milky taste in his mouth, He Dongchuan replied: “I looked just now—no one was watching us.”

Su Ting: “…”

She had thought he was checking their surroundings to remind her to be mindful. Turns out, he was just making sure no one was watching before indulging in the moment.

Letting out a quiet hum, she took out another milk candy, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into her own mouth.

Before she had even finished eating the candy, He Yan had already picked out the toy he wanted—a kick scooter.

Of course, in this era, it wasn’t called a “kick scooter.” Instead, it was referred to as a “children’s vehicle.” The handlebars and the board for standing were both made of wood, with three wheels attached—one at the front and two at the back.

Su Ting was surprised. She had always thought kick scooters were a product of the 2000s—at least, she had never seen one when she was a child. She hadn’t expected to come across one in the 1970s.

But then she reconsidered. Chinese people had always been ingenious. The lack of toys in this era wasn’t because people couldn’t come up with ideas, but rather due to an undeveloped market and technological limitations.

Just like plastic products, which would later become commonplace—right now, due to technical constraints, plastic production was still limited, and most plastic goods were only available in restricted quantities. This situation wouldn’t improve until after the economic reforms.

Back to the matter at hand, the kick scooter was a relatively novel toy at this time. The materials weren’t a big issue, but just looking at those three wheels, she could tell it wouldn’t be cheap.

Her assumption was correct. After asking for the price, she learned that even the smallest kick scooter cost 36 yuan, and the one suitable for He Yan’s height was even more expensive—56 yuan.

That was more than two months’ salary for some of the military wives working near the Family Residential Compound.

If it weren’t for the generous manuscript fees she received from the publishing house—and the fact that she had already made it clear that as long as it wasn’t a dangerous toy like a slingshot, He Yan could have whatever he wanted—Su Ting wouldn’t have been so quick to buy such an expensive kick scooter.

But right now, she had money. Spending money for happiness was worth it.

So, completely ignoring He Dongchuan’s objections, Su Ting bought the kick scooter without hesitation.

He Yan loved his new ride so much that he refused to let his father carry it for him. As soon as he got on, he took off, gliding across the floor.

Seeing this, Su Ting had to raise her voice in warning: “If you crash into a counter or fall down, I’ll confiscate your scooter! Do you hear me?”

From a distance, still riding his kick scooter, He Yan shouted back: “I—got—it—!”

Su Ting had not yet finished shopping after buying He Yan’s toy. She still had not found a gift for He Dongchuan, so she had no choice but to continue browsing with the father and son.