Su Qing’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
She had already guessed all of this when she dreamed of the original owner’s life.
However deeply Zhou Huaijin might love Han Mei, it had nothing to do with her.
She had come to the military family compound for one reason: to divorce him.
Su Qing lowered her head and went back to turning the soil and planting flowers.
Even if she was only going to stay in this courtyard for a short time, she wouldn’t treat her life carelessly.
Two hours later, she finished turning the soil and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She scattered the flower seeds she had soaked for six hours into the soil, covered them with another layer of earth, watered them with a watering can, and waited for them to sprout.
Time passed quickly when she was working.
The children would be out of school in another hour.
Beicheng was different from Huaxizi Village. Most parents picked up and dropped off their children.
Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang were both fairly independent. When they went to school in the village, she hadn’t needed to take them there or pick them up. But she didn’t want them to envy the children whose parents came to get them.
In both her lives, she had never had a good family of origin.
She would do everything she could to be a good mother and make sure her children’s childhood wasn’t shadowed by pain.
After preparing dinner, she went to pick them up.
When the dismissal bell rang, Zhou Yunzhou helped his younger sister pack her schoolbag, took her hand, and headed for the school gate.
Du Nianchu came out of the classroom with her little backpack. Seeing the siblings ahead of her, she hurried to catch up.
“Zhou Yunzhou, Zhou Wantang, your dad called me, but he didn’t call either of you. What do you think that means?”
Tears welled in Zhou Wantang’s eyes as she looked at Du Nianchu.
Pleased with Zhou Wantang’s reaction, Du Nianchu said smugly, “It means your dad loves me. He doesn’t love your bitch of a mother, and he won’t love the little brats that bitch gave birth to, either.”
Having learned from what happened before, Du Nianchu was afraid of getting hit, so she ran off as soon as she’d finished speaking.
“Older Brother, is what she said true? Does Dad love her and not us?” Zhou Wantang’s tears fell like beads from a broken string.
Zhou Yunzhou hurried to wipe Zhou Wantang’s tears away.
“Don’t listen to Du Nianchu making things up, Zhou Wantang,” he coaxed.
“But Dad didn’t call us, and he didn’t call Mom either.” Zhou Wantang pouted and looked at her brother miserably, hoping he could give her an answer.
She didn’t dare ask Mom.
The villagers all mocked her mother as a poor woman abandoned by her father.
Zhou Yunzhou gave a cold snort. “What do we need a dad like that for?”
“Mom’s here with us. We’ll stick with her and live the good life.”
Zhou Yunzhou took a White Rabbit milk candy from his pocket, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into Zhou Wantang’s mouth.
She was still just a little girl. As the sweet fragrance of the candy spread through her mouth, she forgot her troubles and happily walked toward the school gate, hand in hand with her brother.
Zhou Yunzhou breathed a sigh of relief.
He lowered his voice and reminded her, “Zhou Wantang, whatever you do, don’t tell Mom about this when we get home. It’ll make her sad.”
“I know. Hey… Mom’s here to pick us up!” Zhou Wantang’s eyes lit up. She let go of her brother’s hand and ran toward Su Qing.
“Zhou Wantang, slow down! You’ll fall!” Zhou Yunzhou hurried after her.
There were more children at the school in Beicheng than at the one in Huaxizi Village. When school let out, they poured out like bees from a hive. He was afraid Zhou Wantang might get knocked over as she ran.
Seeing the little girl racing toward her, Su Qing opened her arms and caught her.
She knew she was reserved by nature and didn’t like to talk.
She tried her best to be a cheerful, happy mother in front of the children.
“Mom, how come you had time to come pick me and Older Brother up?” Tangtang wrapped her arms around Su Qing’s neck and asked delightedly.
Zhou Yunzhou ran up. Hearing his sister, he too looked up at his mother with delighted surprise.
From the children’s reaction, Su Qing could tell they had wanted her to come pick them up.
She kissed Tangtang on the cheek, set her down, then took one child by each hand and headed toward the military family compound.
“Mom promises that whenever I have time, I’ll come pick you up after school.”
“Yay!” Zhou Wantang cheered, waving her arms excitedly.
Zhou Yunzhou didn’t show it as openly as his sister, but Su Qing still saw his eyes light up.
She felt a little guilty. Before, she had been so busy with her own affairs that she’d only gone to pick them up when it rained or snowed.
All the way home, Zhou Wantang chattered away, sharing the fun things that had happened at school.
Su Qing listened with a smile, responding now and then.
Zhou Yunzhou’s little face showed little expression; he looked like a tiny adult.
As they reached the courtyard gate, they saw two young soldiers standing there, with Zheng Chongan beside them looking awkward.
When they saw Su Qing, the two young soldiers looked uncomfortable too.
Su Qing asked in confusion, “Comrade Zheng, what’s going on?”
Zheng Chongan looked even more awkward. For a moment, he didn’t know how to explain. He glanced at the two children looking up at him curiously, and found himself even less able to speak.
Su Qing took a yuan from her pocket and gave it to Zhou Yunzhou.
“Yunzhou, take your sister to the supply cooperative and buy three bottles of soda. Mom feels like having some.”
Zhou Yunzhou knew she was trying to send him and his sister away. He took Tangtang, who hadn’t noticed a thing and was excited about the errand, and headed for the supply cooperative.
Su Qing turned to Zheng Chongan. “Comrade Zheng, please tell me plainly. What is it?”
“Sister-in-law, Commander Zhou wants you to stay inside and reflect for a week.” Zheng Chongan looked away and delivered the words quickly.
Su Qing froze.
She glanced at the two young soldiers who wouldn’t meet her eyes and understood at once.
Zhou Huaijin wasn’t merely ordering her to stay inside and reflect for a week. He was also having men guard the gate so she couldn’t leave.
Anger made Su Qing’s face turn pale. Her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched tightly into fists.
Just because she had hit his precious daughter—his white moonlight’s darling—he was going to punish her by locking her inside for a week?
Zheng Chongan had no idea what Commander Zhou was thinking. His sister-in-law wasn’t a prisoner; how could he lock her up?
But he couldn’t disobey Commander Zhou’s orders, and he felt deeply embarrassed in front of Su Qing.
Su Qing saw how Zheng Chongan looked as though he wished he could dig a hole and jump into it. She knew this had nothing to do with him.
Slowly, she unclenched her fists.
“I understand.”
With that, Su Qing took a key from her pocket and opened the courtyard gate.
The two young soldiers exchanged a glance, then stood on either side like door gods.
Su Qing turned around and looked at Zheng Chongan, her face expressionless. “Don’t let my children know about this.”
She didn’t want Zhou Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang to grow up believing they had a crazy father.
It would leave a shadow on their young minds.
The wounds inflicted by one’s family of origin could last a lifetime.
A happy childhood could heal a person for life; an unhappy one took a lifetime to heal.
She knew there were flaws in her personality. She didn’t like to talk, was distant with people, and wasn’t well liked.
Sometimes, she hated that about herself too.
She did her best to be a good mother and give the two children a happy childhood.
“Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone,” Zheng Chongan said, looking toward the two soldiers guarding the gate.
“We won’t tell anyone either, Deputy Regimental Commander,” the two soldiers replied at once.