Chapter 16

After dinner, He Bingning was finally able to call her nephew, He Yuncheng.

In the 1980s, making an international call was no easy matter—you had to wait for the operator to connect the line.

The call first went through to He Yuncheng’s school, then the school would track him down, and after that he would call back. It was a little troublesome, but still much better than waiting for letters.

At fourteen or fifteen, He Yuncheng’s voice had already started to change. His slightly hoarse adolescent tone, when he called Bingning “Little Aunt,” sounded oddly amusing.

Bingning asked whether he was eating well and sleeping well abroad. The boy gave vague answers, then pestered her with questions about Gu Huai.

“He’s just in the army. As for what exactly he trains in every day or what work he does, I don’t really know.”

“Of course I’m not lying to you. Your little aunt is a military wife, not a soldier herself—there are many things I don’t know.”

“Flying planes? That’s the Air Force’s job…”

“He’s not around, right. You can’t just call overseas at will. But writing letters should be fine.”

“Mm, okay, take care of yourself then!”

Since others were waiting for the phone, He Yuncheng hung up in a hurry.

That was the drawback of public phones, though times were changing quickly. Before long, there would be pagers and even mobile phones.

After the call, Liu Han called Bingning over to eat fruit.

“What were you chatting about with Yuncheng? You seemed so happy.” Liu Han handed her a strawberry.

“Just small talk. He’s really curious about the army, but there are a lot of things I don’t know.” Bingning pouted.

“That child—born into a business family, yet pays no attention to business and is instead fascinated by the military. Funny, isn’t it?” Liu Han smiled. “Eat some more fruit. Take some back with you tonight.”

“Oh!” Bingning quickly checked the time and realized it was already late. Even if He Qirong drove her, it would still take almost two hours to reach the military compound.

“I have to head home now,” Bingning said.

“What’s the rush? Stay a little longer. The kids are still asleep.”

“My husband’s getting off work soon. I don’t want him to come home and not find me there.”

“How sweet,” Liu Han teased. “You miss your husband already?”

Bingning blushed. “Sister-in-law, don’t make fun of me~”

“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you. I’ll help you pack.”

Since Bingning was leaving, the whole family bustled about, piling her with things to take. She felt embarrassed at how much they pressed into her hands.

Once in He Qirong’s car, Bingning immediately started yawning.

“Sleep if you’re tired,” he told her. “I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

She really was exhausted. Leaning back in the seat, she quickly drifted off. He didn’t wake her until they reached the military compound gates.

“Brother, won’t you come in for a bit?” Bingning asked.

He shook his head. “No need. Leaving a Benz parked here too long wouldn’t look right.”

Bingning instantly understood. This was still the 1980s, when people’s thinking was more conservative, and Gu Huai’s position was a sensitive one.

“Mm, I understand.” Hugging her two children and picking up the parcels, she said, “Drive safe on your way back, Brother.”

He waved her off. “Go on in.”

Even though they tried to keep a low profile, someone still saw.

As Bingning entered the compound, a plump woman waddled over, face full of gossip. “Who was that man in the car? Why was he dropping you off?”

“My brother. My real brother,” Bingning said, annoyed.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Tch, no need to get so defensive.”

Bingning flashed a sweet smile. “I have this one trait—anyone who spreads nonsense, I’ll tear their mouth apart. Do you think that’s over the top?”

The woman shrank back, muttering, and left in a huff.

Her family had given her far too many things. Carrying two kids plus all the bags was exhausting.

Luckily, she soon ran into Wang Jiahui.

“Bingning, why are you lugging so much stuff?” Wang greeted her.

“I just came back from my parents’ place,” Bingning explained with a smile.

“No wonder I couldn’t find you earlier.” Wang took some of the bags from her hands. “Here, let me help.”

Relieved of some of the load, Bingning felt much lighter and warmly said, “It’s mostly food in there. If you see something you like, just take it.”

“Oh no, you keep it for yourself. I’m not short on food,” Wang protested.

“Don’t be so polite. The kids are still too young to eat this, Gu Huai doesn’t like snacks, and I can’t finish it all myself.” Bingning said frankly. She trusted Wang’s character, so she didn’t mind being generous.

“It’s not easy, hauling all this back from your parents’ place,” Wang remarked.

“It’s fine, my brother drove me.” The words slipped out before Bingning could stop herself. She laughed awkwardly.

“Oh, by the way,” Wang suddenly remembered, “Li Juanjuan went on a blind date today. I heard from Auntie Li that the man was pretty decent.”

“Juanjuan on a date?” Bingning grinned. “Well, good for her. At least she’ll stop eyeing other people’s husbands.”

Wang pursed her lips, speaking carefully: “Gu Huai’s a good man, everyone can see that. No matter what Juanjuan does, it’s pointless.”

Bingning lifted her chin proudly. “I know. I trust my husband a hundred percent!”

Encouraged, Wang whispered, “I trust my husband too.”

Bingning glanced at her but held back what she wanted to say. Gu Huai was trustworthy. But Wang’s husband… not at all.

Based on the previous timeline, Wang’s husband had already started cheating, though the scandal hadn’t come out yet. When it did, Wang couldn’t handle the blow and took her own life.

Bingning was determined not to let that tragedy repeat. After thinking it over, she said, “Jiahui, I want to start a small business. Want to join me?”

“I… I don’t know how,” Wang said timidly.

“No problem. I’ll teach you.”

“Alright…”

Bingning believed Wang had devoted all her energy to her husband. So when he betrayed her, her whole world collapsed. But if she had her own life, things might not have ended that way.

Just as they entered the house and sat down, Auntie Li bustled in.

“Bingning, I heard you were back, and here you are!”

“Mm? Did you need something?” Bingning asked, a little surprised that after yesterday’s drama, Auntie Li still had the gall to show up.

“Nothing big,” Auntie Li said, rubbing her face with her sleeve. “It’s just that Juanjuan’s on a blind date, and I was wondering if you had any fancy pastries I could borrow to serve the guest. Of course, I’ll pay you for them.”

Bingning blinked. She hadn’t expected Auntie Li to take the matchmaking so seriously. Personal grudges aside, Bingning wasn’t petty.

“I’ve got fruit and chocolate here. Take some,” she offered.

Auntie Li beamed. “See, I’ve always said you’re the most generous one in this compound. Pretty and generous.”

“Who’s Juanjuan meeting? What’s the man like?” Bingning asked casually.

“Uh… not that great, really…” Auntie Li mumbled, then quickly added, “I should get going.”

After she left, Wang whispered, “She’s afraid you’ll outshine Juanjuan. Worried the man will see you and lose interest in her daughter.”

Bingning smirked. “I can see that. But she’s overthinking. Apart from my husband, I don’t care about anyone. I only love him.”