The Other Side.
After shooing the bothersome men out, Zhao Fengying suggested, “Are you hungry, Xiao Lin? If you are, I can make you some dough drop soup to tide you over. If not, let’s go take a bath first.”
Zhao Fengying was around fifty years old, sporting a neat Hulan Head hairstyle that reached her ears, giving off a stern and efficient vibe.
But when speaking to Lin Ting, her tone and gaze were both gentle and friendly.
It was this almost considerate attitude that gradually helped the shamelessly uninvited Lin Ting relax: “…I’d like to bathe first.” She reeked.
“Pfft… I thought so. But dressing like this was the right move. A young woman traveling alone is safer if she looks a bit disheveled—no need to feel embarrassed.” Having met countless people in her life, Zhao Fengying had already sized up Huo Xiao’s wife’s character in this short time.
Though she appeared rustic and unremarkable on the outside, she was refined and particular at heart. Being this grimy must have been quite a struggle for her.
Of course, Zhao Fengying’s assessment of Lin Ting’s appearance was soon overturned…
A little past one in the afternoon.
The bathhouse was empty except for the two of them.
They chatted as they washed up.
But soon, Zhao Fengying fell silent.
Staring at the dramatically transformed girl beside her, her eyes were filled with astonishment and disbelief.
To be honest, her initial fondness for Lin Ting had stemmed more from the girl’s dedication to traveling thousands of miles to collect her husband’s belongings.
Along with her soft-spoken, refined demeanor and graceful manners.
And, of course, the understanding and compassion shared between fellow military wives.
So, even if the girl hadn’t been particularly striking in appearance, Zhao Fengying hadn’t minded.
At her age, character mattered far more than looks.
But now, seeing the girl with her face freshly washed, Zhao Fengying was rendered speechless for the first time.
It was only when Lin Ting noticed the sudden silence and the woman staring intently at her that she belatedly touched her face and explained with a smile, “I had some medicinal liquid on my face earlier.”
Zhao Fengying murmured, “I can tell.” Then, glancing at the girl’s slender figure and luminous fair skin, she felt even more amazed.
Lin Ting was lathering soap into her hair. Seeing the older woman still watching her, she assumed it was out of curiosity and added, “The liquid was just an herbal infusion—it doesn’t harm the skin and washes off with water. Back when… I had to take the train to school, my family worried about me, so they asked the village barefoot doctor to prepare the herbal juice.”
Thankfully, the original owner had brought the infusion along; otherwise, in these chaotic times, Lin Ting wouldn’t have dared to travel recklessly.
Steam filled the bathhouse, and through the hazy mist, the girl with her dark hair and snow-white skin looked even more beautiful. After admiring her for a while longer, Zhao Fengying agreed, “Your family did the right thing. At my age, I’ve seen my share of the world, but I’ve never come across someone as lovely as you. It’s wise to cover up when you’re out and about.”
The praise was so effusive that Lin Ting wasn’t sure how to respond. She simply offered a slightly shy smile and went back to scrubbing her long hair.
After nearly ten days without washing it and lacking proper shampoo, it was truly a hassle to manage.
It was then that Zhao Fengying recalled Lin Ting’s earlier mention of taking the train to school. She suddenly remembered, “Ah, that’s right. My Old Wei mentioned before that you attended university.”
At this, thinking of the original owner’s regrets, Lin Ting pursed her lips and said, “I only studied for two years. I didn’t get a diploma, so I can’t really call myself a university graduate.”
“How can it not count?” Zhao Fengying couldn’t question policy matters, but being able to get into university was truly impressive.
From this perspective, such an outstanding young woman with both character and looks would have been a perfect match for Huo Xiao, had the accident not happened.
Thinking of this, Zhao Fengying felt heavy-hearted and lost her mood for casual conversation, silently tidying up her own things…
After bathing, she washed her clothes using the warm water in the bathroom.
When she returned to the family quarters and finished a bowl of mian geda tang prepared by her sister-in-law, Lin Ting was urged by the other woman to rest in the secondary bedroom.
She truly couldn’t hold on any longer. Lying in the soft bedding, she fell asleep within seconds.
Naturally, she didn’t know that after she fell asleep, Brigade Commander Wei rushed back urgently to re-examine her features now that the medicinal stains had been washed away.
Nor did she know that because of her arrival, many soldiers in the troop had spontaneously organized donation activities.
The next day.
Lin Ting was awakened by the reveille.
She lay confused in the warm bedding for quite a while before gradually coming to her senses.
When she realized where she was, she immediately sat up and reached for the watch hidden inside the pillow.
5:30 in the morning.
She rubbed her face in frustration, once again lamenting how inconvenient life was without a mobile phone.
What was more frustrating was that even after sleeping for over ten hours, her body still felt extremely weary.
Whether from exhaustion or mental stress, she seemed to have had a bizarre dream.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall what the dream was about.
Lin Ting didn’t torment herself further. Rubbing her slightly throbbing head, she got up and put on her shoes.
After making herself presentable, she took out a red plastic mirror and placed it on the table. Mimicking the original body’s habits, she began braiding her hair into pigtails.
Having lacked the mood to look carefully before, this was actually the first time in the ten-plus days since arriving in this world that she seriously examined this body’s appearance.
It truly resembled her own by eighty to ninety percent, just as in her memories.
The slight differences weren’t in facial features, but rather in styling and temperament.
If she wore her previous style of clothing, they would probably look identical.
Suddenly remembering something, Lin Ting brought the mirror closer and unsurprisingly discovered a tear mole below the outer corner of her right eye.
She was already strikingly beautiful, and this mole added a touch of allure.
But it was… too miraculous.
Could two people really look exactly alike?
Perhaps this was about past and present lives?
After all, if transmigration could happen, what was impossible?
But upon second thought, she felt it wasn’t worth dwelling on.
The undeniable fact was that she had become Lin Ting of the late 1960s.
How to survive in the present was what deserved her attention.
With this thought, Lin Ting’s curiosity vanished. She deftly finished braiding her hair and let the pigtails fall in front.
After checking in the mirror to confirm she looked exactly like the original body, she got up to draw the curtains.
Outside, dawn was breaking.
She opened the window slightly, allowing the cold air to rush in.
This finally made her completely alert.
Just then, faint sounds came from outside the room.
Guessing it was her sister-in-law, Lin Ting closed the window, gathered her toiletries, and went out.
Brigade Commander Wei was out for morning exercises.
Only her sister-in-law was in the living room.
Seeing her, Zhao Fengying greeted with a smile: “Awake? Perfect timing to brush teeth and wash faces together.”
Lin Ting quickly walked over, somewhat embarrassed: “I slept like the dead.”
Zhao Fengying fetched a new ladle from the cupboard and handed it over: “Use this to scoop water for brushing your teeth… Every time I travel by vehicle, I need to lie down for a few days to recover. Don’t stand on ceremony with me, sister-in-law. After breakfast, you can go back to sleep.”
Sleeping again was out of the question—she needed to return home as soon as possible.
So after washing up and joining Zhao Fengying in the kitchen to prepare breakfast, Lin Ting shared her plans and once again brought up the idea of making a phone call home.
Zhao Fengying was kneading dough.
Having lived as an army dependent in Rongcheng for over a decade, she’d been somewhat influenced by the local cuisine.
But since Xiao Lin was a northern girl, she’d specially taken out the household’s fine flour to treat her, planning to hand-pull some noodles.
Hearing this, she immediately smiled and said, “I knew I’d forgotten something. My memory’s failing me in my old age… Lao Deng already made the call yesterday.”
Lin Ting somewhat clumsily scooped water from the vat to wash vegetables: “The call’s been made?”
Zhao Fengying: “Yes, and I won’t hide it from you—the troop needed to verify your identity, and they also took the opportunity to report that you’re safe.”
Lin Ting nodded: “That’s understandable.” This era had many unstable elements, such as spies.
Zhao Fengying’s eyes crinkled with deeper amusement: “I’m glad you understand. If you still want to make a call, I’ll go with you after breakfast.”
Lin Ting: “That won’t be necessary. I’ll just go sort through Huo Xiao’s things later.”
“What’s the rush?”
“The elderly and children at home are waiting.” Though she spoke frankly, only Lin Ting knew the helplessness in her heart.
Who would have thought that going from a single noblewoman to married with children could happen in the blink of an eye?
Thankfully, she’d had over ten days to adjust, or she wouldn’t have been able to remain this calm.
The dough was now ready. Zhao Fengying pulled a rolling pin from the utensil holder, dusted it with flour, and began rolling out the dough as she replied: “True, having children changes everything. Back when my Qingshui Wen was little, he was quite a handful—I couldn’t go anywhere. It’s only in the last couple of years, now that they’ve all grown up, that things have settled down…”
Suddenly, Zhao Fengying paused mid-motion, remembering that Xiao Lin had entered the family as a stepmother.
But now that Huo Xiao had sacrificed, this girl was only 21, still an unmarried maiden, and both virtuous and beautiful—remarrying was inevitable.
Thinking this, she discreetly glanced at the girl now chopping vegetables.
Perhaps… she should discuss with Lao Wei about having the children raised under someone else’s name.
While outsiders didn’t know the origins of Huo Xiao’s Dragon and Phoenix Twins, those close to them were well aware of whose children they really were.
“Sister-in-law, should I start the fire now?”
Zhao Fengying snapped back to attention, observing the girl who had already taken a seat by the stove. No unusual expression showed on her face: “Go ahead, but keep the flame low. I’ll poach a couple of eggs first.”
Lin Ting: “Alright.”
Once the noodles were cooked and served at the table,
Brigade Commander Wei returned after finishing morning drills.
However, he didn’t eat at home. After greeting Lin Ting and mentioning that he would arrange her return train ticket, he hurried off again.
Lin Ting hadn’t expected the leader to resolve her most pressing issue before she could even ask for help, and she felt immensely grateful.
Noticing this, Zhao Fengying handed her chopsticks and urged with a smile: “Eat quickly. If they get soggy, it’ll ruin the texture.” Then she turned to fetch a dish of dried radish from the cupboard: “You can handle spicy food, right? These radishes are numbing and spicy.”
Lin Ting: “I can handle spicy.”
Zhao Fengying: “It’s good that you can eat spicy food. When I first arrived, I couldn’t get used to it, but now I can’t do without chili. By the way, after we finish eating, I’ll take you to Lao Deng’s place. Huo Xiao’s things are all kept by him.”
Lin Ting: “Thank you, sister-in-law.”
“You’re just too polite.”
“……”