Chapter 33

Cheng Yue’s face turned grim upon hearing the report. He grabbed the stack of papers and began to read. “Continue.”

“When there was farm work to be done, she wouldn’t help out at home but instead went to her natal family to assist them. Whenever there was good food at home, she didn’t think of her three children but took it to her nephews at her mother’s house. These claims are from the people in the Tianshui Village, and even folks from her natal family’s Village have said the same.”

“I’ve recorded who said what, Captain. You can verify it yourself if needed.”

The papers contained names and detailed accounts of what was said, leaving no room for falsification—it all appeared to be true.

“Is there…” He hesitated before asking, “Did she get close to any other men?”

After five years of no contact, most people probably thought he was dead. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone had taken an interest in Su Qianqian.

“That hasn’t happened. There was a man who tried to take advantage of her once, but she nearly injured him with a sickle, and no one has dared to bother her since.”

“…” That sounded exactly like something she would do.

Cheng Yue’s expression remained cold as he said, “I see. Thank you for your hard work. You can go rest now.”

Once the soldier left, Cheng Yue sat in the study for a long time—so long that the three little ones started to worry.

Erbao knocked on the door. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

“I’m fine. I’ll come out soon. Go play for now,” Cheng Yue replied.

Hearing this, the three relaxed. They were worried he might have fallen and couldn’t get up, which would mean their mom would have to spend a lot of time taking care of him again—it would be exhausting for her.

But Cheng Yue sat there, consumed by guilt. I’ve failed these three kids!

At such a young age, they had already endured so much—beatings, hunger, cold. If he had resisted marrying Su Qianqian back then, none of this would have happened. And when the children were born, he hadn’t even been home. Damn it all!

He regretted everything. Back then, he hadn’t expected her to get pregnant after just one encounter.

What a terrible mistake.

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The night school wasn’t far from the compound—only about a ten-minute bike ride.

Cheng Yuan dropped Su Qianqian off and prepared to leave.

“I’ll head back on my own later. No need to come and pick me up,” she told him.

“That’s not an option. Sure, this area is safe, but—”

“Don’t forget, I used to have a pretty bad reputation, and I’m known to be good at fighting. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Besides, you’re busy, so no need to go back and forth.”

She felt a little embarrassed about the situation. As a married woman, being seen too often with an unmarried young man like Cheng Yuan could cause misunderstandings and hurt his reputation.

The night school offered only a few subjects: Chinese, Math, English, and a technical course. Students could choose which classes to attend.

Su Qianqian decided to start with Chinese. To her surprise, the teacher was a young, handsome man in his twenties. It was unexpected—she hadn’t met someone so young and good-looking even in modern times.

Her arrival caught the attention of the class. There weren’t many women, let alone someone as striking as her.

“This is our new student. Please introduce yourself,” the teacher said with a smile.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Su Qianqian. I look forward to studying with all of you. Please take care of me,” she said, her poise immediately leaving a favorable impression on the group.

The lesson covered material beyond the basics, more like middle school-level content. Su Qianqian listened intently. After class, the teacher approached her.

“You joined late, so we’ve moved past the fundamentals. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

“Okay, thank you, Teacher.”

After packing up her belongings, Su Qianqian left the night school and returned to the compound.

As soon as she entered, she sensed that something felt off. She couldn’t pinpoint why, but the atmosphere was distinctly different from usual.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Mom, you’re back! Someone came to see Dad, and then he stayed in the study for a long time. We don’t know what happened,” Erbao immediately reported.

Su Qianqian didn’t overthink it. Since it was already late, she washed the three kids and sent them to bed. Tomorrow, they’d be visiting the kindergarten.

“Cheng Yue, are you still busy?” she knocked on the study door and then pushed it open.

“Mm.”

“Then what about the massage tonight…”

“No need,” he replied, his tone cold and different from usual.

Although Su Qianqian found his behavior a bit odd, she assumed it was work-related and didn’t press further.

“Don’t stay up too late. You still need plenty of rest.” With that, she closed the study door and went to freshen up.

---

The next morning at breakfast, Su Qianqian noticed dark circles under Cheng Yue’s eyes. Did he stay up working late? She refrained from asking about his work since much of it was classified. Instead, she focused on the children.

“Eat well, kids. Once we’re done, we’ll head to the kindergarten. If everything goes smoothly, you’ll start school there right away.”

The three little ones grew nervous at the mention of school. They had never been to a kindergarten before and didn’t know what to expect. Surrounded by unfamiliar faces, they found comfort only in the fact that they’d be together. If separated, they’d be even more afraid.

To make travel easier, Cheng Yue used a wheelchair since his walking speed was still slow.

Su Qianqian packed three small cloth bags for the kids, each containing snacks, handkerchiefs, and a bottle of water.

The kindergarten had a good number of children but no separate classes. All kids under seven were grouped together for care and activities.

“Don’t worry about your kids; leave them to us. If there’s any issue, we’ll contact you right away or send them back home,” the principal assured them with a smile. “These three look so bright and sharp. They really resemble Captain Cheng!”

“We’ll leave them here, then,” Cheng Yue exchanged a few pleasantries with the principal.

Meanwhile, Su Qianqian pulled the three kids aside for some quiet reminders.

“Listen carefully. If someone bullies you, don’t be afraid no matter who it is. But remember, you’re not to bully anyone either. If you can’t handle it yourselves, run back home. Did you remember the route we took to get here?”

On the way to the kindergarten, she had each child memorize part of the route. Together, they should be able to recall it.

“Yes, Mom!” the three nodded firmly.

They were naturally intelligent but had little opportunity to show it during their tough life in the countryside.

After dropping off the children, Su Qianqian and Cheng Yue headed back. On the way, his expression remained icy, and his demeanor was unusually stern. When he looked at her, there was an unmistakable hostility in his furrowed brow.

What’s going on?

His gaze was so intimidating it felt like he could strike her down in the next second.

Cheng Yue might not have realized how menacing his aura was, but Su Qianqian, walking beside him, could feel the oppressive, blood-soaked tension radiating from him.

Even though the weather was warm, she felt a distinct chill.

Once home, she was about to head out to buy some tofu to make fermented tofu.

“Su Qianqian, I need to talk to you,” Cheng Yue suddenly said. She turned to look at him. “Alright, go ahead.”