Zhou Huaijin casually took a seat. Without changing expression, he surveyed the soldiers in the carriage and gave a slight nod.
Jiang Weidong filled a military-green canteen with boiling water and set it in front of Zhou Huaijin, then sat across the aisle from him.
“Hey, which of you saw the gorgeous woman I spotted at the train station just now?” Zhang Xiaoguang asked his fellow soldiers excitedly.
The moment he finished speaking, someone smacked him on the back of the head.
Zhou Tao curled his lip. “You’ve got some nerve. You saw a beautiful woman and couldn’t take your eyes off her—you threw the whole formation into chaos.”
Zhang Xiaoguang chuckled. Then, remembering something, he looked at Zhou Huaijin.
“Commander Zhou, I ran into a gorgeous woman at the train station today. She had two kids with her, and those children looked exactly like you—as if they’d been carved from the same mold.”
Someone teased, “Could they be Commander Zhou’s kids?”
The others all looked at Commander Zhou curiously. They knew he was married, but none of them—not even Jiang Weidong—had ever seen Zhang Cuihua.
Zhou Huaijin’s expression visibly darkened. Jiang Weidong glared at Zhang Xiaoguang. “Don’t talk nonsense. If you put as much energy into your regular training as you do into chasing after beautiful women, you’d be able to beat me by now.”
Everyone knew Commander Zhou’s wife was dark, fat, and plain. How could she possibly have a handsome child like Commander Zhou?
Zhou Huaijin turned to look out the window.
The distant mountains slipping past looked just like they had that day—the day he never wanted to remember for the rest of his life.
When Zhang Xiaoguang saw Commander Zhou’s expression, he stopped running his mouth.
The carriage returned to its lively bustle.
…
That dream had left Su Qing shaken.
Looking at her two adorable children, she absolutely could not let them live for someone else, as they had in the book.
“Yunzhou, Tangtang, Mom has to go take care of something. Stay here at the guesthouse and don’t wander off. When I get back, I’ll take you out to play.”
Zhou Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang both nodded obediently.
Su Qing patted their heads and walked out of the guesthouse.
She had to get the children enrolled as soon as possible. Enrollment procedures were rather complicated in this era: besides proof of military relocation, they also needed a household registration booklet.
Both her and the children’s registrations were still in the countryside.
She had no way to transfer the children’s household registration to Beicheng on her own, so she could only go to the Zhou family.
“You’re Commander Zhou’s wife, aren’t you?”
As soon as Su Qing stepped out of the guesthouse, she came face-to-face with a woman with a bob haircut. The woman smiled at her. “You’re so pretty, like someone out of a painting.”
“Who are you?” Su Qing asked, puzzled by the plainly dressed woman.
“I’m Zheng Chongan’s wife.” Seeing Su Qing’s confusion, Zhang Cuihua hurried to explain. “The soldier who brought you to the guesthouse—he’s my husband.”
Su Qing nodded and asked coolly, “Did you need something?”
“I came to see if there’s anything you need help with.” Zhang Cuihua spoke warmly.
When Zheng Chongan got home, he had asked her to come look after Commander Zhou’s wife. He was worried that, since she’d just arrived and didn’t know her way around, she might have trouble settling in.
She had been planting vegetables in the yard. As soon as she’d finished sowing the seeds and watering the ground, she’d hurried over.
“Where does Zhou Huaijin live?” Su Qing asked.
“Live?” Zhang Cuihua paused. “Commander Zhou’s always lived in the barracks.”
“What about his parents?” Su Qing asked.
The book said that Zhou Huaijin’s parents were both in the military.
Zhang Cuihua gave her a look of admiration, as if she were the ideal daughter-in-law. “You’ve only just arrived, and you’re already going to visit your parents-in-law. How filial of you! They don’t live here; they live in the military district compound. Take the 102 bus from the stop out front. It’s three stops.”
Su Qing thanked her and headed for the bus stop.
“She’s so beautiful!” Zhang Cuihua reached out and rubbed her belly. She and Zheng Chongan were trying hard for a second child. Their firstborn was a boy, and they hoped the next would be a girl. If her daughter turned out even half as pretty as Su Qing, she’d thank her lucky stars.
Zhang Cuihua reluctantly headed back to the military family compound only after Su Qing had disappeared from view.
Su Qing arrived at the military district compound, stopped at the Zhou family’s gate, and raised her hand to knock.
A middle-aged woman came to open the door.
“I’m Su Qing.” Su Qing recognized the graceful, elegant middle-aged woman as Zhou Huaijin’s mother and stated her identity directly.
“Who?” Tang Lanzhi didn’t understand at first. Two seconds later, her eyes flew wide. “Who did you say you were?”
“Su Qing,” Su Qing replied calmly.
Tang Lanzhi stared at her for a long while. “You’re Su Qing?”
She had seen Su Qing once, when she’d arranged her son’s marriage certificate. Back then, Su Qing had been dark and fat. Could this tall, slender, breathtakingly beautiful young woman standing before her really be Su Qing?
Then Tang Lanzhi’s expression turned angry. “What are you doing here?”
Hadn’t Su Qing been supposed to stay in Huaxizi Village for the rest of her life?
Su Qing said, “I know you don’t like me. I came to find your son and divorce him. I came to see you today because I want you to help your grandson and granddaughter.”
“Grandson and granddaughter?” Tang Lanzhi hadn’t even processed that this transformed woman was Su Qing when another bombshell landed.
“Auntie, who is it?” a young woman called from inside. A moment later, footsteps approached.
Han Mei looked curiously at the fashionable, beautiful girl standing at the door.
Su Qing recognized her at once: Zhou Huaijin’s white moonlight, Han Mei.
She had delicate features and an extraordinary air about her.
The book said she was the goddess in the eyes of every man in the military district.
Tang Lanzhi came to her senses. She didn’t answer Han Mei, but apologized to her instead. “We have a guest, so I won’t keep you for a meal.”
Han Mei nodded and glanced at Su Qing as she left.
“Come in.” Tang Lanzhi looked at Su Qing, then turned and walked inside.
Su Qing pressed her lips together and followed her in.
Han Mei had gone some way when she suddenly turned to look back at the Zhou family’s house.
She thought she’d just heard that woman say her name was Su Qing.
Su Qing?
Su Qing!
Was that Brother Huaijin’s wife?
Anger surged up from her feet and into her chest.
Brother Huaijin had said she would stay in the countryside for the rest of her life. What was she doing here?
…
“What did you mean just now by grandson and granddaughter?” Tang Lanzhi glared at Su Qing angrily. “You may have been in the countryside all these years, but you’re Huaijin’s wife. How could you have children with another man behind his back?”
Su Qing frowned. “The children are Zhou Huaijin’s.”
Tang Lanzhi stared at Su Qing skeptically.
She simply didn’t believe that Su Qing could have gotten pregnant with Zhou Huaijin’s children after just one time. And now she was calling them grandson and granddaughter—did she think the Zhou family was a soft touch?
Back then, the Su family had schemed against Zhou Huaijin, then forced the Zhou family to find jobs for all of them.
Now Su Qing had come with children whose father could be any man, claiming she wanted Tang Lanzhi to help her grandson and granddaughter?
Did she have “fool” written on her face?
“You think I’ll believe you?” Tang Lanzhi thought of how, all these years, her son’s married life had been no different from being unmarried. Just looking at Su Qing filled her with hatred.
If not for what had happened back then, her son would have married Han Mei long ago. By now, they’d have children old enough to run errands.
Su Qing felt nothing in response to Tang Lanzhi’s anger and disbelief.
It was fine if Tang Lanzhi didn’t take to the children. When Su Qing divorced Zhou Huaijin, she wouldn’t try to take them away from her.
Su Qing said, “The children need household registration booklets to go to school. I have no way to transfer their registrations to Beicheng.”
“If you won’t help transfer the three of our registrations to Beicheng, I’ll go find the military district’s Political Commissar and hang myself outside his office. I’ll let everyone see how the Zhou family drove their daughter-in-law to her death.”