Chapter 28.2

While the teachers at Military Primary School were discussing Su Ting, she was working on the outline of her new comic book. Inspiration had struck her that afternoon, and in just a few hours, she not only finished the outline but also wrote the opening section and completed the character designs.

She was so immersed in her work that when she finally snapped back to reality, she realized it was already 5:30 p.m. Hastily, she packed up her things and went to prepare dinner.

Tonight’s meal was rather simple—there was no helping it. By the time she had gotten up, the seafood supply station had already closed, and the meat shop had nearly sold out as well. In the end, she had only managed to buy a few potatoes, two bunches of leafy greens, and some green peppers.

She stir-fried the green peppers with eggs—it could barely pass as a meat dish.

After over a month of practice, coupled with He Dongchuan’s high standards, Su Ting’s knife skills had improved significantly. Take the potatoes, for example—before, she could only cut them into thick strips, but now, she could at least manage thin shreds.

Not only that, but her speed had also improved considerably. Previously, cutting just the potatoes could take her half an hour. Now, with three different vegetables on the chopping board, she finished in just over ten minutes.

Of course, it helped that green peppers and leafy greens were easy to cut, but that didn’t stop Su Ting from feeling proud of herself.

So when He Dongchuan walked through the door, the first thing he heard was Su Ting’s singing from the kitchen:

“We common folks are truly, truly happy tonight~”

He Dongchuan: …What is she even singing?

Although he had no idea what song Su Ting was singing, the lyrics made it clear that she was in a good mood. He walked to the kitchen doorway and asked: “What happened today that made you so happy?”

Hearing his voice, Su Ting abruptly stopped singing and turned to look at him. “Why are you home so early today?”

He Dongchuan raised his wrist to check the time. “Early? It’s already 6:15.”

Su Ting suddenly realized—it wasn’t that he had come home early; it was that she had started preparing dinner too late. She put down the bowl of beaten eggs and chopsticks, then asked: “It’s this late already? Why isn’t Xiao Yan back yet?”

“I ran into him on my way back. He’s still playing outside by the door.” He Dongchuan said as he turned and walked into the master bedroom. He took off his military hat and jacket, unbuttoned his cuffs, and rolled up his sleeves before returning to the kitchen to start cooking.

Even while working, he didn’t forget his earlier question. Tilting his head slightly, he asked: “You still haven’t told me—why are you so happy today?”

Su Ting thought she had successfully changed the topic, but to her dismay, he was still hung up on it. Helplessly, she replied: “It’s nothing special. My work went really smoothly today. I finished the outline, wrote the opening, and even completed the character designs.”

“That is worth being happy about.” He Dongchuan remarked thoughtfully.

“Exactly.”

As he skillfully stir-fried the ingredients, Su Ting felt like there was nothing left for her to do in the kitchen, so she prepared to leave. But just as she took two steps back, she suddenly heard He Dongchuan ask out of nowhere: “How does that song go again?”

“What?”

“We common folks are truly, truly happy tonight~”

Su Ting was mortified. She cut him off before he could finish. “Stop! Don’t sing that!”

“Why not?”

“It ruins the tall and heroic image I have of you.” A cheerful yet silly song like that really didn’t suit him.

This reason convinced He Dongchuan. He didn’t hum the song again but instead asked: “What’s the name of that song? How come I’ve never heard it before?”

Su Ting thought to herself, This song is from the 90s. You’re still living in the 70s—of course, you haven’t heard it. But out loud, she said: “What song? I was just humming something random. Have you ever heard a song that only has one line?” In reality, she only remembered that one lyric.

He Dongchuan raised an eyebrow. “It sounded pretty good.”

Su Ting reached out to touch his ear, just about to ask: “Are you feeling okay?” But before she could, she saw his ear twitch slightly. He turned his head seriously and said: “Don’t mess around. I’m cooking. We can talk later tonight.”

Su Ting: “…” A dirty mind sees what it wants to see!

……..

After finishing his meal, He Yan stepped onto his kick scooter, eager to go out and play.  

Because of this kick scooter, he had been the center of attention among the children in the Family Residential Compound for the past few days. Boys and girls alike scrambled to play with him. He was so elated that he had completely forgotten about his homework and tutoring. The moment he finished eating, he wanted to rush outside.  

For the first two days, seeing how excited he was, He Dongchuan hadn’t said much. But now it was already the third day. If he didn’t step in, he feared He Yan would forget who he was. So, just as He Yan was about to run out, he grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the kick scooter.  

Losing control of his body, He Yan yelped: “Ah! Ah!” He only regained his senses when his feet touched the ground. Turning around, he asked: “Dad, what are you doing?”  

“Aren’t you going to do your homework?”  

He Yan had completely forgotten about his homework. His guilty conscience made his eyes dart around. “I—I’ll finish it.”  

He Dongchuan glanced at his watch, his expression stern. “It’s 6:45 now. Tutoring starts at seven. When exactly do you plan to do your homework?”  

He Yan looked conflicted. After thinking for a long moment, he asked: “Can I do it after the lesson?” Seeing his father’s serious face, he started to feel nervous. Hesitantly, he explained: “I—I already told them that I’d bring my scooter after dinner to play. If—if I don’t go, they won’t play with me next time.”  

“You can play for fifteen minutes.” He Dongchuan finally relented.  

“Huh? How long is fifteen minutes?”  

Instead of answering, He Dongchuan simply said: “I’ll come get you when time’s up.”  

“Oh…” He Yan lowered his head, glancing at his kick scooter. Then he sneaked a peek at his father and cautiously asked: “Dad, can I go now?”  

“Mm.”  

As soon as he got the confirmation, He Yan, who had been sulking moments ago, instantly came back to life. Cheering, he bent down to pick up the fallen kick scooter. Just as he was about to ride it out the door, he looked up and saw his father’s dark expression. Quickly retracting his foot, he pushed the scooter outside instead.  

Only when he had run past the courtyard and could no longer see his father’s figure did he step onto the kick scooter and speed away.

After stepping outside, He Yan first went to the Zhang Family’s house to find his playmates.  

However, the Zhang Family had a late dinner that day. When he arrived, they were still eating. Seeing him, Huang Wenxia smiled and asked: “Xiao Yan, you’re here? Has your family eaten yet?”  

“I already finished eating before I came.” He Yan looked toward his friend, who was shoveling food into his mouth. “How much longer will you be?”  

Zhang Xiaokai, still stuffing his face, mumbled: “Almost done, almost done.”  

Seeing this, Huang Wenxia patted his back. “Slow down, don’t choke. Xiao Yan, have a seat and wait for him.” She pulled over a chair for He Yan.  

He Yan shook his head. “No need. I have to go back soon.”  

“You just came out. Why are you going back so soon?” Huang Wenxia asked.  

“I have to go home for a lesson with Dad and Mom, and I still have homework to do…” He Yan let out a long sigh. Though he always had tutoring and homework before, he could still find time to play in between.  

But recently, because he had to perform at the Children’s Day celebration, he stayed after school every afternoon to practice singing. He only got home at six.  

By the time he returned to the Family Residential Compound, he barely had time to play before dinner. After dinner, there was class. After class, there was homework. After homework, it was time for bed…  

He Yan felt like life was too hard.  

However, Huang Wenxia didn’t hear the struggle in his words. Instead, she thought he was an obedient and self-disciplined child. Then, looking at her own son, who only cared about playing whenever he came home, she couldn’t help but sigh—comparison was the thief of joy!  

And so, after He Yan was called home for tutoring by his father, Zhang Xiaokai also lost his freedom to play. He was forced to sit at the dining table, biting his pen pitifully as he worked on his homework.  

Zhang Xiaokai: …He would never let He Yan come looking for him at home again!  

…  

Since they had to wait for He Yan to finish his homework before he could shower, He Dongchuan returned to the Master’s Bedroom half an hour later than usual.  

As he walked into the bedroom, he saw Su Ting lying on the bed, facing the fan, her hair spread out as she let the cool air blow through it. Her eyes were already half-closed, drowsiness taking over.  

He Dongchuan sat down beside her and reached out to touch her hair. Feeling that it was almost dry, he turned off the fan.  

However, Su Ting was afraid of the heat. The moment the breeze stopped, she woke up. She turned over and tried to open her eyes, but her gaze landed directly on the bright ceiling light. Halfway through opening her eyes, she squinted and raised a hand to block the light. “Has Xiao Yan finished his homework?” she asked.

He Dongchuan said: “Mm, he’s already asleep.”  

“Oh.” Su Ting responded softly and tilted her head back to look at the fan.  

“I just turned it off.” He Dongchuan said as he switched the fan back on. Then, he patted Su Ting’s shoulder and added: “Lie down properly. Don’t let the wind blow directly on your head.”  

The cool breeze brushed against her face, making Su Ting feel more awake. She propped herself up, rubbed her face, and said: “I was just trying to dry my hair. Who knew I’d get sleepy while doing it?”  

After speaking, she touched her hair and found that it was almost dry. She got out of bed, sat in front of the vanity, and ran a comb through her hair to smooth it out. Then, she loosely tied it up with a hairband.  

Her hair was long, and if she left it down while sleeping, it would easily get pressed against the pillow, pulling a few strands out in the process. Because of that, she had developed the habit of tying her hair up or braiding it before bed, hoping it would reduce hair loss.  

She wasn’t sure if it actually worked, but at least it gave her some peace of mind.  

Just as she was about to return to bed, her eyes swept across the vanity table and landed on a fountain pen case. Picking it up, she asked: “Did you forget to take your fountain pen with you this morning?”  

He Dongchuan remained silent for a moment before asking: “Do you still remember what the fountain pen you gave me looks like?”  

“I remember it was black. The color doesn’t quite match the one in here, but…”  

She had only bought him one fountain pen, yet there was also one inside this case. Wait a minute!  

Realization struck her. She quickly opened the fountain pen case and took out the silver-gray fountain pen inside. “Don’t tell me… you bought this one yourself?”  

He Dongchuan raised an eyebrow and said, completely expressionless: “I’m surprised you figured it out.”  

Su Ting suspected he was mocking her, but she couldn’t refute him. After all, she had personally picked out the fountain pen she gave him. While the design was the same, hers was black, while this one was silver-gray.

Su Ting couldn’t understand how her mind had short-circuited during the day. Although she had thought the color seemed off, she never considered the possibility that he had bought another fountain pen.  

Suddenly, Su Ting remembered something and asked: “So, yesterday, you didn’t go back to look for the button at all. You went to buy this fountain pen instead? But wait, how did the button even get lost?”  

“I tore it off.”  

Su Ting: “…You really didn’t have to go this far with the act.” The button had fallen off and needed to be sewn back on. Although it was He Dongchuan who sewed it, he didn’t make her do it.  

“I originally wanted to surprise you.” But after a whole day, she hadn’t thought about the gift at all. He Dongchuan wasn’t sure whether he should regret making the act so elaborate or feel resigned to her careless oversight.  

Well, the topic came back around.  

Su Ting climbed into bed and looped her arm through He Dongchuan’s. “Alright, even though I missed it for an entire day, I get it now. This is your gift to me, and I’m really surprised. How did you think of giving me a gift? And keeping it a secret too. I never even thought of keeping something from you.”  

Hearing her play the victim, He Dongchuan felt both irritated and amused. He pinched her hand and asked: “Don’t tell me you didn’t keep it from me just because you thought it would be more trouble?”  

“You can’t say it like that.” Su Ting retorted confidently. “I let you pick out your own gift because I was worried you might not like whatever I picked for you.” She raised the fountain pen in her hand and pointed out: “And by the way, the fountain pen was a gift from me to you. You went and gave me one back, and that’s your idea of sincerity? Tsk, tsk.”  

After picking at him a bit, Su Ting played the part of being magnanimous. “But don’t worry. I’m easy to please. Even though you copied my gift idea, I’ll forgive you this time, seeing as you had the heart to give me a surprise.”  

After her sharp retorts, Su Ting became something of a legend around the Family Residential Compound. Everyone knew she had a sharp tongue.  

However, He Dongchuan could hardly picture Su Ting in a confrontation like that. The Su Ting he knew had only ever muttered “She’s got a problem” when angry.  

But now, He Dongchuan had finally experienced how quick and sharp her words could be.  

Knowing he couldn’t win this argument, he decided to abandon the debate and use his lips to silence the words she was about to say.