Xie Zheng led them to the inn. He and Cheng Xinfeng had already booked rooms.
Ruan Shujin observed the people coming and going.
“Why do I feel like everyone staying here is from the military?”
Xie Zheng and Cheng Xinfeng glanced at each other and laughed.
Ruan Shujin looked puzzled, staring at them.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing!”
Once inside the room, Ruan Shujin saw there was only one bed and scratched her chin.
Xie Zheng looked at her and patted the floor beside the bed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll sleep on the floor; you take the bed. This inn is special—there really aren’t any extra rooms.”
“Alright.”
Ruan Shujin looked around the room and sat down—but as soon as she touched the bed, it collapsed.
Her eyes went wide at the sound.
Seeing Xie Zheng staring at her, she said,
“I swear, I didn’t use much force.”
Xie Zheng lowered his head, thought for a moment, and then said,
“Although the nearby inns have different names, they all share one nickname—the ‘Child-Delivering Inn.’”
Ruan Shujin’s face instantly flushed. She held her face, feeling it burn.
She hesitated for a moment.
“Do you mean… that kind of ‘child-delivering’?”
Xie Zheng squatted, turned slightly, and looked at her expression.
“Well, judging by your face right now, I think that’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
Ruan Shujin fell silent—she shouldn’t have said anything.
Xie Zheng continued patiently,
“Every regiment has a garrison, and there are four divisions accommodating many soldiers. But family housing wasn’t fully developed. Traveling from Baotou to each division’s station can be inconvenient, so sometimes family members just stay in Baotou for a few days when visiting. Not all families accompany the troops long-term.”
Ruan Shujin nodded.
Xie Zheng put his things down and glanced at the bed.
“When we go out to eat later, I’ll tell the innkeeper to fix it.”
Ruan Shujin nodded.
Carefully, she handed Xie Zheng a letter.
“I met your family in Kyoto. This is a letter your father asked me to deliver to you. Read it when you have time, and maybe write back.”
Xie Zheng looked at the crumpled letter in his hand, muttering to himself as if speaking aloud.
“I already let them know I’m safe.”
Ruan Shujin raised an eyebrow.
“How did you do that?”
Xie Zheng scratched his short hair.
“Safe, don’t worry. Xie Zheng.”
Ruan Shujin thought of the stories Xie Zheng told her back in Shanghai.
“Xie Zheng, you could write a bit more—share what you’ve seen and experienced here, and maybe ask about your family’s situation.”
“Although I didn’t have the best family, when my maternal grandfather was alive, this was how we communicated. Old people pin their hopes on us, the children. Writing a bit more doesn’t waste much ink.”
Xie Zheng sat across from Ruan Shujin, head lowered, staring at the letter.
“I’ll… try.”
Then he looked at her.
“How’s the person you delivered today?”
“She’s probably having her second child, so she’s okay. But the train was primitive, and I don’t know if she caught a chill. Plus, twins aren’t the same as a single child. Yinglan and I aren’t professional doctors, so we can’t really judge her condition.”
“Hmm, it’s fine. You were very brave.”
Ruan Shujin and Xie Zheng both looked toward the door.
Cheng Xinfeng peeked at them from the doorway.
“Let’s go downstairs to eat. This inn has a small dining area, and the food’s not bad.”
“Okay.”
Ruan Shujin and Li Yinglan had formed a close bond during their time together, so they stuck together wherever they went.
Minwa also played happily with Ruan Feng and Ruan Yu.
Xie Zheng noticed Cheng Xinfeng’s wry smile and tapped him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
After speaking, Cheng Xinfeng nudged Xie Zheng to stand firm.
“Xie Zheng, should I also file a marriage report?”
Xie Zheng glanced at Li Yinglan nearby, then at Cheng Xinfeng’s anxious expression.
“Are you sure Sister Yinglan will agree? Minwa probably will, but the marriage involves you and Sister Yinglan. You need to discuss things properly. Don’t rush. Since she agreed to come along, her plans matter too.”
Xie Zheng stepped out, then returned to tap Cheng Xinfeng’s back.
“Think carefully and apologize if needed. After all, you’re a man.”
Cheng Xinfeng pondered Xie Zheng’s words for a long time.
During the meal, Ruan Shujin noticed something odd between Li Yinglan and Cheng Xinfeng.
After eating, she told Xie Zheng and the others she would take Sister Yinglan out for a walk.
Shanghai didn’t have such practices, so Ruan Shujin couldn’t help feeling a little heavy-hearted as she looked at the distant golden fields.
The two found a place to sit.
Ruan Shujin leaned against Li Yinglan.
“Sister Yinglan, what’s wrong?”
Li Yinglan patted Ruan Shujin’s hand, wrapped around her arm.
“Ah Jin, do you think I should file a marriage report with Cheng Xinfeng?”
“If I married him, it would have advantages—Minwa’s schooling would be easier. But in my heart, no matter how I think about it, it just feels wrong.”
Li Yinglan looked at the distant gray rooftops.
“I had a childhood betrothal, but that person got tuberculosis and died. Later, my family had many siblings, and I, as a poor laborer, wasn’t offered a good match. I married Cheng Xinfeng’s older brother because he gave my parents money for my younger brother’s marriage.”
“Brother Cheng treated me well in every material way, but I had no romantic feelings for him. I was a servant he married and a tool to prove he was a ‘normal man.’ He could fool outsiders but not himself.”
Li Yinglan’s head bowed as she spoke.
Ruan Shujin remained silent, patiently listening.
Li Yinglan paused, then continued,
“I don’t even know if we really counted as husband and wife. He urgently needed a woman to continue the line but couldn’t accept that he didn’t like women. I became his punching bag. But I had no choice—he gave me money, and I had nowhere else to go.”
“I could only live like a disgusting insect, hiding in the corner, quietly surviving.”
“But as time passed, he couldn’t face the village gossip. He schemed against me, and I ended up having his younger brother Cheng Xinfeng’s child.”
After finishing, Li Yinglan trembled all over.
Ruan Shujin wrapped her in an embrace and patted her back.
Li Yinglan gripped Ruan Shujin’s hand, hurting herself.
Ruan Shujin didn’t pull away, instead giving her an encouraging look.
Li Yinglan choked up, voice quivering:
“I…I feel guilty, but I also feel innocent. No one wants this… but I had no choice!”
Her crying grew louder.
“Ah Jin, I had no choice!”
“No choice~”