Chen dasao turned around when she heard the voice. “Teacher Song is back. You mean that Xiao Zhao? I don’t know her well, just chatted a few times when I went shopping.”
“Then did she ask you for help?” Song Zhaodi walked over to probe.
Chen dasao didn’t go back inside and simply replied, “She wanted me to introduce her to someone, preferably a military officer ranked company commander or above.”
Song Zhaodi was stunned. This answer was beyond her expectations. “Didn’t she ask Regiment Commander Qian to introduce her to someone? Why is she coming to you now?”
Chen dasao frowned slightly and stared at Song Zhaodi. “Asked Regiment Commander Qian? Who told you that?”
“The people at the food factory said so,” Song Zhaodi explained. “Lately, my family has been eating spinach, bok choy and lettuce on rotation. The kids got tired of it, so I went to the food factory to buy some big bones to make broth for their noodles. While chatting with the workers there, they told me about it. Were they lying to me?”
Chen dasao knew that Dawa often “stole” things from home to share with Lin Zhong. She had even scolded her son for taking food from another child.
Just last night, Dawa had gone to play with Lin Zhong again and had bragged that his stepmother’s noodles tasted better than anyone else’s. Out of curiosity, Chen dasao had asked about it and learned that Song Zhaodi used bone broth for the noodles. She had no reason to doubt her now. “Those people probably didn’t know the full story. That Xiao Zhao… she’s hard to describe.”
“I know,” Song Zhaodi said with a naive look. “Xiao Zhao has high standards. She doesn’t fancy just anyone.”
Chen dasao sighed helplessly. “Xiao Song, you really have studied yourself silly.”
Song Zhaodi froze for a moment and immediately caught on, deliberately acting clueless. “Me? Silly? No way, saozi, what do you mean? We were talking about Xiao Zhao.”
Chen dasao stepped closer and lowered her voice. “That Xiao Zhao is not proper.”
Song Zhaodi frowned. “Not proper? You mean… she’s flirtatious?”
Chen dasao nodded. “If you go to the food factory, don’t be too friendly with her, or she’ll come looking for you next time.” She paused. “I was too nice to her, and now she thinks I like her. She doesn’t even have the self-awareness to see what kind of person she is.”
Song Zhaodi’s heart skipped a beat. Something seemed off about Chen dasao’s tone. Wait… could it be—? “Saozi, from what you’re saying, did Xiao Zhao try to approach Regiment Commander Lin before?”
Chen dasao instinctively glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. “I’m telling you, but don’t spread it. When we first moved here, she tried to talk to my husband.
“Old Lin is a blockhead. He came home saying he had run into Xiao Zhao several times over the past few days and wondered if she wanted him to introduce her to someone. At first, I thought so too. But later, when I was at the food factory buying things, I brought up introducing her to someone, and her face changed. That’s when I realised she was actually after my husband.”
“Regiment Commander Lin didn’t notice?” Song Zhaodi was alarmed, reminding herself not to assume that just because people were simple in this era, everyone was honest. Professional homewreckers existed in every generation.
Chen dasao said, “I told Old Lin that Xiao Zhao had high standards. He just replied that if she wasn’t interested, then that was that, and he didn’t think about it further.”
“So from what you’re saying, Xiao Zhao is now interested in Regiment Commander Qian,” Song Zhaodi intentionally acted puzzled. “Then why did she ask you to introduce her to someone?”
Chen dasao sneered, full of disdain. “Old Qian already has Teacher Yao. He wouldn’t give her the time of day. She probably hit a wall with him and then thought of coming to me.”
“Logically, if she wanted to marry a military officer, why didn’t she marry Dawa’s father?” Song Zhaodi was really curious—what was wrong with Zhong Jianguo? Why did Xiao Zhao ignore an established man in his thirties and instead target a man in his forties?
Chen dasao laughed. “Oh, she did want to marry your family’s Xiao Zhong. But unfortunately, she found out that Dawa’s maternal grandmother is difficult, his paternal grandmother is ruthless, and Xiao Zhong has three kids, with the youngest not even able to walk yet. That’s why she gave up on him. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have had a chance.”
“I see,” Song Zhaodi mused. That made more sense. Then she asked, “So you’re not planning to introduce her to anyone?”
Chen dasao nodded firmly. “A woman like that brings bad luck to whoever marries her. I won’t do something so immoral.”
“Stepmother, why are you back so late?”
Dawa’s voice came from behind. Song Zhaodi turned around, hands on her hips, and glared. “What’s with the yelling?”
Dawa immediately halted and changed his tone. “Mom.” Then, he turned and pushed open their house door, poking his head out. “I’m hungry. Are we eating soon?”
Song Zhaodi put her hands down. “Go pick some vegetables—choose the big ones.”
“Vegetables again?” Dawa grimaced. “I don’t want to eat them.”
Song Zhaodi grinned. “Then I won’t cook tonight. I’m too tired to move anyway.”
Dawa’s expression changed instantly. He bolted toward the courtyard, shouting as he ran, “I’ll go pick the vegetables!”
“This kid…” Duan dasao walked over carrying Sanwa. “He and Erwa have been fussing since noon, wondering why their stepmother hadn’t come home yet. Old Liu even teased them, saying if they kept calling for you, you wouldn’t come back today. By the afternoon, they started calling you ‘mother’ instead.”
Song Zhaodi took Sanwa from her. “Did they eat at your place for lunch?”
“I told them to, but they refused,” Duan dasao said. “Jianguo said you had two bowls of bone broth on the stove. The boys steamed some rice and made a big pot of greens with the broth to eat with the rice. By the way, did you manage to buy any fabric?”
Chen dasao quickly asked, “Xiao Song, you went out to buy fabric?”
“I did,” Song Zhaodi replied. “One piece of blue, one gray, and one white. If you hadn’t reminded me, I would have forgotten. The lady at the co-operative hinted that if the weather stays clear for two more days, they’ll start selling winter fabric at a discount. If you’re planning to buy, go check it out then. But I can’t guarantee there will be any left.”
Chen dasao chuckled. “Once they put up the clearance sale sign, no matter how much fabric is in stock, it’ll be gone in a day. If I can get someone to switch shifts with me, I’ll go to Hangcheng to take a look.”
“I’ll go with you,” Duan dasao said eagerly. “Xiao Song, do you need more?”
“If you can get any, I’ll definitely take it,” Song Zhaodi replied. “Even fabric scraps are fine—I can use them for shoe soles. Oh, by the way, if you have grain coupons, you can exchange them for fabric coupons. Just make sure to trade with someone who obviously hasn’t had a full meal in a while.”
“I know,” Duan dasao said. She had done her fair share of barter trades and didn’t need Song Zhaodi to explain. “It’s getting dark. Go home and cook dinner.”
Song Zhaodi carried the third child into the house and couldn’t help but sigh.
“Stepmother, I’ll take my brother to play. You should rest,” Erwa said, looking up at her.
Song Zhaodi glanced at the little one beside her. “Alright, but keep an eye on your brother and make sure he doesn’t eat anything off the ground. I’m taking the fabric upstairs.”
“Are you making clothes for us?” Erwa asked eagerly.
Song Zhaodi responded with a simple ‘Mm’. “Are you happy?”
“Yes!” Erwa grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits.
The eldest child resembled Zhong Jianguo, while the second child took after his mother. The third child had Zhong Jianguo’s face shape but delicate features, somewhat resembling Bai Hua. However, Bai Hua had single eyelids, whereas all three brothers had double eyelids like Zhong Jianguo.
The second and third ones had narrow, elongated eyes, yet they were not small. Even though the sea breeze and sun had darkened their skin, they were still quite handsome.
In her past life, Song Zhaodi had an unremarkable appearance, and in this life, her features were not particularly delicate either. If she and Zhong Jianguo had a child, it wouldn’t necessarily be more attractive than the three brothers.
When the third child fell ill, Song Zhaodi took him to the hospital, only to find that its facilities were far more outdated than the community clinic she had known in her past life. If a woman suffered postpartum hemorrhage, she could only resign herself to fate. This solidified Song Zhaodi’s decision—three children were enough. If someone else wanted to have kids, they could go ahead, but she would not.
But that was beside the point.
Song Zhaodi entered the kitchen and saw that there were still two bowls of rice left in the pot. She immediately guessed that the usually incompetent cook Zhong Jianguo had made too much. So, for dinner, the family would have vegetable rice.
After dinner, the eldest and second children ran outside to play. While Zhong Jianguo was washing the dishes, Song Zhaodi said, “Tomorrow morning, you watch over the three kids. I’m going to the grocery store to buy some things.”
“You finally found some conscience and are letting me sleep in a little?” Zhong Jianguo quipped.
Song Zhaodi immediately wanted to hit him. “Forget it. Take Sanwa with you. I’m going to go bathe.”
Zhong Jianguo’s heart skipped a beat. Did he take the joke too far? Holding the third child in one arm, he quickly grabbed Song Zhaodi with the other. “I’ll boil the water for you. Go upstairs and get your change of clothes.”
Song Zhaodi kicked his leg, catching Zhong Jianguo off guard and making him stumble. Then she went upstairs.
Zhong Jianguo rubbed his leg and turned to the third child. “What’s up with your mother, son?”
“Baba,” Sanwa said. “Baba.”
Zhong Jianguo chuckled. “I know you can call me baba, but I was asking about your mother, not me.” Just then, he heard footsteps coming downstairs and quickly ran to the kitchen to boil water.
The next morning, Song Zhaodi headed straight to the grocery store but didn’t go there directly. Instead, she took a detour to the dried goods counter.
Seeing that the woman behind the counter was Xiao Zhao, Song Zhaodi smirked—finally caught her. When she got closer, she asked, “Do you have wood ear mushrooms?”
“No,” Xiao Zhao replied coolly, lifting her eyelids to glance at Song Zhaodi.
Song Zhaodi clicked her tongue inwardly, thinking, Good thing this is a state-owned store. If it were private, you’d have been fired ages ago. Forget about marrying an officer; even an ordinary soldier wouldn’t want you. “What about white fungus?”
“No,” Xiao Zhao answered curtly.
Song Zhaodi took a deep breath. “Give me two jin of kelp.”
Xiao Zhao picked up scissors and started cutting the kelp.
Song Zhaodi watched her hands intently, noticing they were no different from her own. She couldn’t help but wonder—had she guessed wrong?
Meanwhile, Zhong Jianguo dressed the three children, washed their faces, and put rice on the stove to make porridge. When Song Zhaodi hadn’t returned yet, he felt an inexplicable unease. “Dawa, did you three do anything to upset Comrade Xiao Song yesterday?”
“No.” The eldest rubbed his stomach. “Dad, I’m hungry. When can we eat?”
Zhong Jianguo felt like smacking him. “All you care about is eating! Have you memorised the multiplication table yet?”
Zhong Dawa snorted, pulled out a white wooden board with the times table written on it, and said, “Erwa, come here. I’ll teach you the multiplication table.”
Zhong Jianguo sighed. “Your brother is only four!”
“Four is plenty old!” Zhong Dawa pointed at his younger brother. “Come here. You hear me?”
Zhong Erwa ignored him and ran toward the door. “Mom, brother is bullying me!”
Zhong Dawa was about to chase him, but when he heard those words, he instinctively stopped and defended himself. “I didn’t hit him!”
“I saw you scaring him from outside,” Song Zhaodi said as she led Erwa inside. “Zhong Dawa, I bought bones again today. If you scare your brother again, I won’t make bone broth noodles anymore.”
Zhong Dawa pursed his lips and muttered, “I won’t scare him again.” But as soon as Song Zhaodi stepped inside, he shot a glare at Erwa, silently warning him.
“Zhong Dawa, come stoke the fire. I’m cooking,” Song Zhaodi suddenly said.
The eldest shivered and ran to the kitchen.
Zhong Jianguo couldn’t help but laugh and followed him. “Comrade Xiao Song, I was wrong yesterday.”
Song Zhaodi raised an eyebrow. “What exactly were you wrong about?”
“You were being considerate, letting me sleep in, and I shouldn’t have been ungrateful and mocked you,” Zhong Jianguo admitted, still unsure why she was actually angry. But if an apology could make her feel better, then so be it.
Song Zhaodi huffed. “Tomorrow morning, go back to the grocery store and buy pork bones. Also, buy some dried daylily from Xiao Zhao.”
“Dawa, take your brothers outside. I’ll stoke the fire,” Zhong Jianguo said. He was about to ask why she wasn’t buying them today, but seeing the seriousness in her expression, he hesitated and sent the children away instead.
“I suspect there’s something off about Xiao Zhao,” Song Zhaodi said, then explained what Chen dasao had told her. “A girl in her twenties, not like me—who doesn’t want kids or to care for in-laws—so why would she fixate on a forty-something officer, right?”
“What if she really doesn’t want kids?” Zhong Jianguo countered.
“If she truly didn’t, then she should have married you,” Song Zhaodi retorted. “But has anyone ever suggested Xiao Zhao as a match for you?”
“No,” Zhong Jianguo admitted. “In that case, she really might be suspicious. Do you think Commander Qian knows?”
“I’m certain he doesn’t. If he did, he wouldn’t have kept the letters Xiao Zhao sent him. I should’ve checked her handwriting when Qian Qinghua handed me those letters.”
“I’ll take care of this,” Zhong Jianguo said. Without waiting for the next day, he went straight to the grocery store after breakfast.
That night, Zhong Jianguo didn’t return. Song Zhaodi didn’t think much of it, locked the boys’ room, and went to bed with the third child.
The next morning, when she woke up, she noticed that the other side of the bed hadn’t been slept in. She wasn’t too worried—she was used to Zhong Jianguo being gone for days at a time, sometimes returning only at dawn.
In the morning, during an English lesson, Song Zhaodi noticed the principal hurrying by, and her heart sank. She held back until the class ended before rushing to the office.
The first-year Chinese teacher was looking after Sanwa for her. Instead of handing the child over, the teacher asked, “What happened?”
“Teacher Yao was taken away by military personnel,” the Chinese teacher said. “Two captains in civilian clothing, so no one noticed. Don’t ask how I know—I recognise one of them. He’s my husband.”
Song Zhaodi almost burst out laughing, though it wasn’t an appropriate moment. “Teacher Yao will be fine.”
“I know,” the Chinese teacher replied. “If she really had that much influence, she wouldn’t have been forced to divorce Commander Qian. Did Commander Qian get into trouble and drag her into it?”
Song Zhaodi said, “I don’t know either. Just focus on your class and don’t overthink it. Anyway, none of our school’s teachers will be in trouble.”
After reassuring her, Song Zhaodi carried Sanwa and ran home.
As expected, after being gone for a whole day and night, Zhong Jianguo was upstairs sleeping. Song Zhaodi hurriedly woke him up. “Something happened to the Qian family?”
“You found out?” Zhong Jianguo rubbed his eyes.
“I saw Teacher Yao being taken away,” Song Zhaodi said.
“A routine inquiry,” Zhong Jianguo replied. “It has nothing to do with her. Don’t ask anything else—I can’t say.”
Leave a Reply