The next day, just as the sky was getting light, Lin Nian got out of bed.
She had too much on her mind and barely slept all night.
She dressed the two children, steamed two egg cakes, watched them finish eating, then held their little hands, locked the door, and went out.
Lu Tingchuan had given her three days. She couldn’t waste even one.
If she wanted to save her food stall, the most effective solution was to get rid of the “illegal street vending” accusation.
She needed a permanent storefront.
But this couldn’t be rushed—renting a shop required money, and more importantly, opportunities.
Right now, the most important thing was to block the reasons Lu Tingchuan used against her yesterday.
Especially the so-called “unlicensed business.”
Although she had a business permit, she knew very well that someone like Lu Tingchuan could always find an excuse if he wanted to cause trouble.
She had to make everything flawless.
The best way was to find an “insider” and ask what exactly that Captain Lu planned to “rectify,” so she could handle things accordingly.
The best candidate for this insider was naturally Su Xiao.
Lin Nian took the children and walked straight to the family dormitory of the Military District Hospital.
Su Xiao had just finished a night shift and was sleeping groggily when Lin Nian called her awake.
“Oh my—Nian Nian, why are you here so early?” Su Xiao yawned. When she saw the three figures at the door—one adult and two children—half her sleepiness disappeared.
“An’an, Ningning, say hello to Aunt Su,” Lin Nian gently told the kids.
“Hello, Aunt Su.” The two little ones said together, their voices soft and sweet.
“Oh my goodness, my little sweethearts!” Su Xiao’s heart melted. She squatted down, pinched Ningning’s little cheeks, then patted An’an’s head. “Come in, come in.”
She welcomed them inside, gave the kids some cookies and sweet water, then pulled Lin Nian to sit down.
“Tell me, you rushed here so early—this is about what happened last night, isn’t it?” Su Xiao was her best friend, and she hit the mark immediately.
Lin Nian nodded, her face serious. “Xiaoxiao, I want to ask for your help.”
“Don’t be polite with me. Just say it.”
“I want to redo my business permit, and fix all the health and sanitation documents,” Lin Nian said. “I want you to help me find out what the current policies are for small vendors like me in the military district. Especially that new Captain Lu—what exactly is he focusing on when he talks about discipline?”
Know yourself and know the enemy—only then can you win every battle.
Su Xiao understood immediately. She patted her chest. “You came to the right person! Sister Liu from our hospital office—her husband works in logistics and handles this. I’ll ask for you this afternoon.”
As she spoke, Su Xiao’s eyes fell on Lu An, who was sitting quietly eating cookies.
The more she looked, the more her brows furrowed.
“Nian Nian…” Su Xiao hesitated. “Why do I feel like… An’an looks a bit familiar?”
Lin Nian’s heart suddenly tightened.
It came.
The thing she feared the most had finally come.
An’an’s face was her biggest flaw.
Su Xiao tilted her head, studying Lu An’s features. She muttered, “These eyebrows… this mouth… Oh my god, Nian Nian, why does he look—look so much like that ‘living hell king’ from yesterday!”
Cold sweat instantly formed on Lin Nian’s back.
Her mind raced.
What should she do?
How should she answer?
Tell the truth?
Tell Su Xiao yes, An’an’s father was Lu Tingchuan, and she was his ex-wife who got kicked out and sent back to the countryside?
No!
Absolutely not!
If she said it out loud, her connection to Lu Tingchuan would spread across the entire military compound in one day.
Then she would face not just Zhao Hong’s gossip.
Everyone would look at her—and her children—with strange eyes.
If Lu Tingchuan found out the kids existed, with his controlling personality and the Lu family’s behavior in the book, they would do anything to take the children away.
Those two children were her life. She couldn’t take that risk.
So she had to lie.
Ever since she chose to make a living at the gate of the military compound with her children, she had already prepared a perfect background for them.
Lin Nian’s eyes suddenly turned red.
She lowered her gaze, her long eyelashes casting a shadow beneath her eyes. Her voice carried a faint tremble and hidden sadness.
“Xiaoxiao, don’t say nonsense.”
“An’an’s father… he’s no longer here.”
Su Xiao froze. All her curiosity disappeared instantly, replaced by shock and helplessness.
“H-He’s… gone? Nian Nian, you…”
Lin Nian lifted her head. A layer of tears covered her eyes. She forced out a smile uglier than crying.
“His name was Lin Jianguo. I changed his surname. He used to be a soldier stationed at the northern border.”
Her voice was soft, like she was telling someone else’s story.
“We hadn’t been married long when he returned to the army. Later… when I was five months pregnant with An’an and Ningning, I received a notice. They said that during a patrol mission, he protected his comrades and was caught in an avalanche…”
“He sacrificed himself for the country.”
“He’s a martyr.”
When she said those last two words, her nails dug deep into her palm.
Sorry, Lu Tingchuan. I’ll make you ‘glorious’ just this once.
It was better than letting him know the truth and take her children.
Su Xiao was completely stunned by the story.
She opened her mouth but couldn’t speak for a long time.
She had always thought Lin Nian was just a regular single mother—she never expected such a tragic and heavy past behind her.
A martyr’s widow.
An’an and Ningning were martyr’s orphans.
No wonder she always felt Lin Nian had a special toughness in her.
So this was why.
Su Xiao’s eyes turned red. She grabbed Lin Nian’s hand, her voice trembling with tears.
“Nian Nian! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You’ve been suffering all alone!”
Now when she looked at An’an’s face, she only felt heartache.
Who cares if he looked like that “hell king”?
They were both soldiers who protected the country—looking similar was perfectly normal!
She hated herself for saying something so insensitive earlier.
“It’s in the past.” Lin Nian patted her friend’s back, pretending to be strong. “I have An’an and Ningning now. Life is getting better. Let’s not talk about this anymore. About the permits—I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t worry!” Su Xiao wiped her tears and spoke with righteous anger. “Your situation? You’re a martyr’s family! The military district gives special support to martyr’s families who run businesses! Forget a business permit—even if you needed a shop, they’d prioritize you!”
The more she talked, the angrier she got.
“That Captain Lu—how dare he trouble you! If he knew you were a martyr’s family, I want to see if he’d still be so unreasonable! No, I need to go talk to our director and let him do something about this!”
“No!” Lin Nian quickly pulled her back.
She didn’t want things to get bigger.
The “martyr” identity was her shield, not a banner to show off.
Used well, it could protect her.
Used poorly, if Lu Tingchuan noticed anything suspicious and investigated…
She would be finished.
“Xiaoxiao, listen to me. Don’t spread this,” Lin Nian said seriously. “I don’t want to live off the honor he exchanged his life for. I want to rely on my own hands. Just help me find out the procedures we need to follow, and we’ll do everything by the rules so no one can say anything.”
Looking into Lin Nian’s firm and clear eyes, Su Xiao felt both heartache and admiration.
She nodded heavily.
“Okay! I’ll listen to you! Nian Nian, don’t worry—I’ll take care of this!”
Seeing her friend believe her completely, Lin Nian quietly let out a breath of relief.
This move… she finally made the right choice.