Lian Qiao took a small stool and sat by the door, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds. She leisurely cracked the seeds while listening to the commotion inside, until the woman’s husband returned home and the noise finally subsided.
When Yang Chunmei returned carrying her child, she saw Lian Qiao sitting by the door, drying her dripping hair.
Taking advantage of the empty house, Lian Qiao had boiled water and taken a bath indoors.
Yang Chunmei signaled with her eyes, and the two of them entered the room one after the other.
“How did it go?”
“Not very suitable.”
“I don’t think so either. The age gap is too big—he’s already 32.”
“Mainly, I’m afraid I can’t have children…”
Lian Qiao believed that men married primarily to carry on the family line. A woman who couldn’t bear children might eventually face resentment or even divorce after being married for a long time.
In her previous life, Zhao Hongbin had always reassured her that children weren’t important. It was only later that she discovered he already had a grown son with his stepsister, whom he doted on.
Ultimately, children were a major issue.
Liu Xinjun liked children, and his only child had gone to his ex-wife. He surely wanted another one, and at his age, he was likely in a hurry.
Moreover, he was a very traditional man who wanted a wife, children, and a warm home. Lian Qiao, on the other hand, wanted to work outside or start a small business, which created a conflict.
“Have you been intimate with Zhao Hongbin?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know you can’t have children?”
Lian Qiao couldn’t explain that she carried memories from her past life, so she could only vaguely reply.
“I saw a traditional Chinese doctor back in my hometown, and he said someone like me would have difficulty conceiving.”
“Maybe that doctor was wrong! Don’t think like that. How could two healthy people not be able to have children?”
In Yang Chunmei’s mind, she had no idea where infertility came from. Wasn’t having children just a natural thing?
“What about someone who already has children?”
“You want to be a stepmother? Being a stepmother isn’t easy. You can’t scold them, you can’t hit them, and you end up pleasing no one.”
Lian Qiao didn’t want to be a stepmother either, but given her current situation, it seemed like the only option.
Realistically speaking.
Yang Chunmei sighed again. “It’s such a shame. You got married one day and divorced the next, and you’re still an untouched maiden.”
Finding a young, unmarried military officer would be more than enough for Lian Qiao.
“If the other person already has children, then whether I can have them or not doesn’t matter. It would help stabilize the family.”
Yang Chunmei patted her. “Don’t say that. The military camp is full of men, and there’s bound to be someone suitable. Besides, there’s still time.”
The lights-out call, drawn out and lingering, drifted over from the barracks.
The children in the courtyard, who had been chattering and refusing to sleep, finally burrowed under their blankets. Household after household turned off their lights.
The family quarters weren’t required to follow the military’s lights-out rule, but everyone tacitly agreed it was time to rest, making it a habit.
The two sisters lay in bed chatting.
Yang Chunmei, having completed her postpartum recovery, hadn’t been out for a long time. Carrying her child, she took a stroll with Li Guozheng, making her official debut in the compound.
But Li Baozhu in her arms had already made an appearance long before.
The aunties and sisters-in-law sitting together, picking vegetables and chatting, were full of praise.
They said Lian Qiao, as the little aunt, took Baozhu out for walks every day, so the child wasn’t shy, rarely cried, and was easy to care for.
They then started asking about Lian Qiao’s age, praising her good looks, and inquiring if she was looking for a partner.
Yang Chunmei knew all too well how gossipy these people could be and didn’t dare reveal a single detail.
She turned to her side and said to Lian Qiao with a smile.
“You have no idea how those aunties kept asking about you, all wanting to set you up with someone.”
“You didn’t mention that I’m divorced?”
“I wouldn’t say a word. Those people are so annoying, especially that loudmouth Zhang Daju. Once she knows something, the whole compound will know by the next day.”
“It doesn’t matter if they know. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Lian Qiao didn’t feel that being divorced made her inferior to others. If it weren’t for the household registration issue, she wouldn’t mind staying unmarried her whole life.
If she couldn’t find a good man, it was better to be alone.
But Yang Chunmei thought of something else. “Oh, right, I heard something else from your brother-in-law.”
“Hmm?” Lian Qiao closed her eyes, wondering what fresh gossip this was.
“The battalion commander in their unit is in a hurry to find a match.”
“Battalion commander?”
“Yeah, he’s not exactly young, but not yet thirty either. Never married, never even had a girlfriend.”
Lian Qiao closed her eyes and curled her lips. “How is that possible? He’s already a battalion commander.”
Yang Chunmei got excited and leaned close to Lian Qiao’s ear. “It’s true! Your brother-in-law has been serving under this battalion commander since he joined the army. His family background is good too—a whole family of martyrs. He’s the only son left. I heard his mother has cancer and doesn’t have long.”
Lian Qiao opened her eyes in the darkness. “Oh.”
But the phrase “only son” inevitably made her worry about the issue of having children.
A family of loyal martyrs, carrying on the family line.
She shook her head again. “Someone like that would want to find a woman with good conditions. There must be plenty of people wanting to marry him.”
Yang Chunmei lay back down, muttering, “There are plenty of good girls, but he doesn’t want them. He’s met quite a few, but none worked out. No one knows what kind of person he’s really looking for…”
Lian Qiao fell asleep and didn’t hear the rest.
Taking care of a child was far from as easy as imagined. Washing, feeding, changing diapers—even with both sisters helping, it was exhausting.
The next day at noon, Yang Chunmei prepared lunch. Lian Qiao ate first, then took the baby out for a walk.
Li Guozheng came home, washed his hands, and sat down to eat. At the table, Yang Chunmei shared her plan.
“Your battalion commander has met so many and hasn’t been satisfied with any. What do you think of Qiao’er?”
Li Guozheng choked on a mouthful of hot soup, and Yang Chunmei quickly patted his back.
“Lian, Lian Qiao?”
“Yeah, what? You have an objection?”
Li Guozheng didn’t dare say he objected, stammering in reply.
“I also hope Lian Qiao marries well, but you know the battalion commander—he’s never even considered personal matters. If she really married him, would it work out?”
Yang Chunmei leaned against his shoulder. “With such good conditions, we should at least give it a try. What if? What if he takes a liking to our Qiao’er? At least it’s better than marrying into another family as a stepmother.”
Li Guozheng had thought Liu Xinjun had a good chance. He’d even joked with him that morning about becoming brothers-in-law. He never expected Yang Chunmei to reject him outright.
And now she had her eyes on his superior officer?
His head was spinning.
“I know another comrade whose child is already grown up, but she wouldn’t have to raise it—the mother-in-law helps.”
But Yang Chunmei only had eyes for the unmarried battalion commander now and wouldn’t consider anyone else.
“Just the battalion commander. Find a chance today to invite him over for dinner. You’ve been with him for over ten years—you have some rapport. Whether it works out or not, we’ll see after they meet.”
What could Li Guozheng say? His wife’s words were like imperial decrees.
Facing difficulties head-on—that’s what the army had taught him, and it applied to family life too.
After lunch and a short rest, Li Guozheng hurried back to the unit.
Coincidentally, Battalion Commander Chen Lang called him to his office.
He stood at the office door, gathered his thoughts for a moment, then gently knocked.
“Reporting!”