Chapter 7

“Comrade Su has returned?”

Just as Su Ting reached the outside of Building No. 66 courtyard, she heard Wang Lixia, sitting in the neighboring courtyard, ask: “You’ve got quite a lot of packages there, bought a lot of stuff, huh?”

Su Ting turned her head and saw Wang Lixia along with Duan Xiaoying and Chen Lin from Building No. 65 sitting together, all craning their necks to peer at the things in her hands. She waved her hand and said: “I bought some books and food. I’ve got something to do, so I won’t chat with you all.”

Without waiting for the three of them to respond, she stepped into the courtyard.

Most people, when encountering neighbors with whom they have a decent relationship and aren’t in a hurry, would stop to chat for a few minutes instead of walking away immediately like Su Ting did.

Although Su Ting had given an explanation, everyone knew that they all lived in the same vicinity, so who didn’t know the other? She wasn’t working, and spent all her time eating in the canteen, not needing to cook or do household chores. In the past few days, she had either been lying at home or wandering around aimlessly. She was in a hurry to get to something? Who would believe that?

In any case, Wang Lixia didn’t believe it. As soon as Su Ting entered her house, she mimicked her voice in a high-pitched tone, saying: “I’ve got something to do, so I won’t chat with you all. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think she was a very busy person!”

Duan Xiaoying also thought that Su Ting didn’t understand social norms. When people moved to a new place, they usually visited the neighbors on both sides to build connections. As the old saying went: “A close neighbor is better than a distant relative!”

But Su Ting had been on the island for almost half a month, and up until now, they had never seen her visit anyone’s house. Whenever she saw these neighbors, she acted indifferent, looking away as if she hadn’t noticed them.

Ignoring others was one thing, but what made it worse was that she was the homeroom teacher of He Yan’s class!

However, this wasn’t something that should be said openly, so Duan Xiaoying merely responded with a faint tone: “Maybe she really had something to do when she went back.”

“What could she have to do? I think she was just in a hurry to get home and sleep!” Wang Lixia scoffed. “Did you all see what she was carrying? She must have spent quite a bit of money today when she went into the city. I heard she went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative yesterday and spent more than ten yuan, and today she bought so much again. She really doesn’t know the value of money since she doesn’t earn any herself!”

Chen Lin thought for a moment: “It does look like she really bought books and food.”

“So what if she did? Do you think she looks like someone who reads books? From the ones she bought, who knows what kind of random books they are!” Wang Lixia crossed her arms and said. “And books are so expensive, she bought so many at once, definitely spent a lot of money! Also, she went to the city and didn’t even want to bring He Yan with her. How can we expect her to bring food for the child?”

Wang Lixia believed that the food was likely bought because Su Ting was craving something, and that He Yan would be lucky to get any crumbs. She furrowed her brows and continued: “I really don’t understand what Colonel He is thinking, picking a person like her.”

Although He Dongchuan had been married once and had a son, he had excellent conditions!

The officers in the family compound, when wearing their military uniforms, all looked spirited, but there weren’t many like He Dongchuan—tall and handsome enough to make anyone stop and take notice.

Not to mention that he had graduated from a military academy. These days, there were many soldiers who couldn’t read, and the ones who got promoted to officer positions often only learned to read after joining the military. Later, they might have to take courses to make up for their education.

However, there was a fundamental difference between the education gained while in the military and a high education obtained before joining. When it came to promotions, He Dongchuan advanced faster than many of his peers.

Certainly, his consecutive achievements played a part, but if one didn’t have enough education, they were often stuck in their promotion due to years of service. He Dongchuan, on the other hand, faced much less resistance in this area.

At only 26 years old, he was already at the rank of a regiment leader, with a clear and promising future.

In the past few years, many military wives had tried to introduce potential matches for He Dongchuan. The candidates had ranged from nurses in the health clinic to workers from state-owned factories in the city, and later even included someone from the General’s department—one of the most beautiful girls in the dance troupe.

“Group beauty” was a playful nickname, but the girl really was stunning—graceful, slender, and light on her feet. When she danced, she stood out, and her voice was beautiful as well. So, every time she performed, she was the star.

Many soldiers stationed on Pingchuan Island had shown interest in her, but few dared to act. The reasons were twofold: first, the dance troupe was located in Zhejiang Province, which was far away, and even if a relationship developed, they would hardly see each other in person. Second, given her excellent conditions, men with lower status naturally felt ashamed to pursue her.

Whenever she performed, she showed no particular interest in anyone, which led to surprise when someone initially tried to set her up with He Dongchuan.

Later, He Dongchuan politely declined to meet with her, which shocked many people.

Those who heard about this couldn’t help but gossip—if the “group beauty” wasn’t good enough for him, then what kind of person was he actually looking for?

In the end, he chose a rural girl.

If Su Ting had been a good person, the outsiders might not have said anything, but the reality was… they just couldn’t figure it out.

Chen Lin, however, didn’t find it hard to understand and let out a small snort, saying: “Why are you so concerned about what he thinks? He’s probably feeling very happy about it, thinking his wife is really beautiful.”

“She’s as thin as a bamboo stick—what’s so beautiful about that? I think she doesn’t even compare to Comrade Feng’s little finger!” Wang Lixia scoffed and then looked to her left, seeking support. “Xiaoying, don’t you think so?”

Comrade Feng was the “group beauty” from the dance troupe, and of course, she was stunning, but Wang Lixia wouldn’t have praised her to the skies if it weren’t for the purpose of belittling Su Ting.

As for Su Ting, although she was thin, her beauty was undeniable. With a small, oval face, willow-shaped eyebrows, and a pair of bright, dark eyes, even though the current trend favored fuller figures, it couldn’t be said that she was unattractive.

But Duan Xiaoying felt that inner qualities mattered more than outward appearance. He Dongchuan already had He Yan, and if he remarried, it shouldn’t just be for his own sake. It was wrong to pick someone who was nothing more than a pretty face.

However, Duan Xiaoying was a tactful person and didn’t openly criticize others. She just said: “Colonel He already has a child, and with his high standards, the choices he has are bound to be fewer.”

“If his standards are high, then Comrade Shen is much better than Su Ting, right? And by the way, Colonel Han has three children, and yet he still married someone like you!” Wang Lixia retorted.

Colonel Han was Duan Xiaoying’s husband, Han Bin, who was also on his second marriage. His first wife had passed away during childbirth when she was giving birth to their third child. In terms of personal conditions, Wang Lixia believed that He Dongchuan was much better off than Han Bin—after all, one had three children, and the other had just one son.

However, when it came to the wives these two men married, it was like comparing night and day.

Wang Lixia believed that Duan Xiaoying said this because she was a good person, but the one who was directly involved didn’t take it too kindly. She thought to herself, How can He Dongchuan be compared to Han Bin?

Han Bin was on the path to becoming a General, but He Dongchuan? She hadn’t even heard of him when she came to Pingchuan Island to visit her relatives in her past life.

As for their children, they were also incomparable. Han Bin’s three children were all set to be successful in the future, while He Yan? She hadn’t heard that name before in her past life either.

But this was something she couldn’t openly say to others, because if people found out, it wouldn’t just lead to misunderstandings about her marrying Han Bin for his future success. It would reveal the secret that she had been reborn.

In the end, Duan Xiaoying just lowered her head and smiled faintly, saying: “I just value how kind he is.”

…

When Su Ting returned home, He Yan was doing his Chinese homework in the bedroom.

The homework wasn’t hard. It was just a matter of copying the words from the textbook that the teacher had asked them to draw during class. Each word was to be written twice, adding up to two pages of writing.

But the more He Yan wrote, the more bored he became. There were so many characters he didn’t recognize.

Although the teacher had explained the meanings of these words during class, for each word made up of two characters, the teacher generally focused on the new characters, briefly mentioning the ones everyone already knew. After all, they were words everyone had already learned before.

But “everyone” didn’t include He Yan. Whenever he attended class now, he often felt lost. It seemed like he understood the teacher’s explanations, but at the same time, he didn’t completely grasp everything. He recognized the characters in the textbook, but when he tried to read them, it came out all jumbled.

It was really boring.

He Yan tossed the pen aside and was about to lie down on the bed when he heard the sound of a door opening outside. He quickly put on his shoes and walked out, calling loudly: “Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

Hearing Su Ting’s voice, He Yan opened the door and stepped outside. “Why are you back so early?”

“I finished what I needed to do, so I came back.” Su Ting placed her things on the dining table and asked: “How was your day? Have you eaten lunch?”

He Yan thought she was being overly concerned. A few days ago, he had even brought food back for her. Today, with her not being here, he wasn’t going to let himself go hungry. He tilted his chin up and said: “I ate. The canteen had sweet and sour ribs today.”

“Wow, the food’s that good today?”

He Yan nodded. “What did you eat for lunch?”

“Not as good as what you had.” Su Ting picked up a piece of fish. It tasted okay, but in this coastal city, pork was more expensive than fish. She opened the oil paper wrapping she had brought back and said: “But I got a dessert after the meal. I brought back two for you. Do you want to try them?”

He Yan’s eyes lit up, and he stretched his neck to peek over. “What kind of dessert?”

“Ta-da!” Su Ting unwrapped the oil paper and revealed the frozen treat inside. “It’s tudun zong!” she announced proudly.

Upon seeing what Su Ting was holding, He Yan instinctively leaned back, his small face scrunching up in disgust. “W-What is this? Why are there bugs in it?”

Su Ting smiled sweetly. “I just told you, it’s tudun zong, made from sand worms. But the taste is really good. Do you want to try some?”

He Yan stepped back several paces. “I don’t want to eat that!”

Su Ting pretended to be hurt. “You really won’t eat it? I specially brought it back for you.”

He Yan looked at her, feeling a little guilty, but he really didn’t want to eat bugs. His brows furrowed tightly.

“Don’t judge it by how it looks. Actually, it tastes really good. It’s slippery and refreshing, like eating jelly.” Su Ting said, suddenly recalling: “Have you ever eaten jelly? It’s soft, sweet, and really delicious.”

He Yan shook his head.

He had never had jelly, and looking at the thing in Su Ting’s hand, he just couldn’t imagine how it could be as tasty as jelly.

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Su Ting asked again: “Really not going to try it?”

He Yan refused again, shaking his head. “No!”

Su Ting sighed. “Alright then, the two tudun zong I brought back are just for me.” She took a bite of the treat in her hand, shaking her head and swaying with pleasure. “So delicious.”

Watching her enjoy it, He Yan’s resolve wavered slightly.

But he quickly shook himself awake. He absolutely, definitely would not eat bugs!