Chapter 101: The Pretty Military Wife of the Seventies 24

After spending a night at the military compound holding her son, Su Huandan prepared to head back. Early the next morning, her mother-in-law and Sister-in-law Zhan prepared quite a few things for her. The father-in-law’s orderly drove the car and dropped Su Huandan off at the Siheyuan.

Grandma Wang and Chubby Grandma’s health was declining year by year. Nowadays, the daily chores and trivial matters of life were handled by the four sisters-in-law living in the front courtyard.

Having been away for several years, everything here remained unchanged. It was old and worn yet orderly, clean and tidy, and filled with the atmosphere of daily life.

The four sisters-in-law were still at work, and the children who should be at school were at school. There were only the two old ladies in the courtyard. When they saw Su Huandan entering with her son in her arms, they had to look several times before they recognized her.

Tears fell instantly.

“Dandan, seeing you now, Grandma truly believes you made the right choice in remarrying. This is good, this is good. Your parents can rest easy now that they know.” Grandma Wang was still the same Grandma Wang, speaking from the bottom of her heart.

Over these years, while Su Huandan was at the military base, Grandma Wang and Chubby Grandma had sent her all the various coupons they had managed to save through their frugality.

Looking at the amount of coupons, Su Huandan knew with a single calculation that the two old ladies had hidden them away secretly, not letting the four sisters-in-law in the front courtyard know, and had given them to her on the sly.

It was said that everyone in the courtyard had a good relationship, but the two old ladies had raised the original owner since she was thirteen. The bond was naturally different.

“I want to live a good life just so you two can be at ease. Grandma Wang, Chubby Grandma, look, this is my son. His name is Zhan Hao, and his nickname is Lele, but everyone at home likes to call him Zhanhao. This boy is quite sturdy.” As Su Huandan spoke, she set the child on the ground and nudged him toward the two old ladies.

Zhanhao wasn’t shy around strangers. He approached them with a sweet smile and called them Great-Grandma. His little mouth was so sweet that before long, his pockets were stuffed with money and coupons from the two old ladies…

Su Huandan’s rooms had not been locked since she married. Her private items and mementos that needed to be stored away had been moved to the military compound. These rooms were usually left open so that if any of the sisters-in-law had relatives visiting from out of town, they could stay for a night.

The sewing machine was still there. The four sisters-in-law were quite interesting; they used her sewing machine and sent her a rental fee every year. Sometimes it was a bit more, sometimes a bit less. Last year, all four sisters-in-law had bought their own sewing machines, so her machine had finally been retired. It was well-maintained and looked as if it could be used for another few decades.

One shouldn’t think she was losing out. Single-story houses were different from apartment buildings. If you left a small single-story house uninhabited for three to five years, the house would fall into such disrepair that it would look like a haunted house unless you did major renovations.

Especially this small Siheyuan where Su Huandan used to live; the building was over a hundred years old, and many parts were in poor condition.

With people looking after it, fixing this and mending that, the house could last a few more years. Otherwise?

One day, a heavy snowfall might just cause the roof to collapse.

She cooked a lunch using the chicken, duck, fish, and meat she had brought. Su Huandan, her son, and the two grandmas ate very little; most of it was left for the four families in the front courtyard.

Before and after the meal, the two grandmas kept asking Su Huandan about her married life. Only after Su Huandan finished explaining did the two grandmas truly feel at ease.

By mid-afternoon, it was time to leave. She told them that since she was back for a three-year refresher course, she would come back to see them whenever she had time, which made the two old ladies very happy.

Walking her to the courtyard entrance, they urged Su Huandan, “Don’t always be worrying about us two. We’re doing fine. As long as you’re doing well, that’s what matters. Whether you come back or not is secondary.”

To put it bluntly, they were still afraid of causing Su Huandan trouble.

Not long after Su Huandan took her son home, the four sisters-in-law from the front courtyard returned one after another.

Every household’s dining table was laden with gifts brought by Su Huandan, and the aroma of food still wafted from the back courtyard.

Was there a guest?

Or had someone from the military come to offer condolences?

“Which family’s guest is so wealthy to bring such grand gifts? And if the military came to offer condolences, would they have time to cook a feast for you?” Grandma Wang couldn’t stop grumbling playfully.

“It’s Dandan who came back. She said she’s here for a three-year course. She got off the train yesterday and brought her son to see us today. You were all at work or school and missed her, but she’ll be coming back again, so there’s no rush,” Chubby Grandma explained.

Was everyone happy that Su Huandan was back?

They were happy. Each family had been given gifts that, if sold, would equal an extra month’s salary for the whole family. How could they not be happy?

But what truly made them happy wasn’t just that. It was that Su Huandan had married into a high-ranking family and yet hadn’t forgotten them, her old neighbors. That was what made people truly glad.

There was nothing in their lives that required them to ask Su Huandan for favors. They were just ordinary commoners. Having lived together for so long, if Su Huandan had truly become someone who looked down on the poor and was unwilling to see her old neighbors, it would have been quite disheartening to think about.

There was a girl from a family behind their courtyard who had also secured a good marriage. Her in-laws’ status was far below that of Su Huandan’s in-laws—just a minor leader in a factory—but that girl had suddenly become incredibly arrogant. She looked at her old neighbors with all sorts of disdain. It wasn’t just that it showed on her face; she had to say a few words whenever she saw something she didn’t like. Her behavior was beyond annoying.

If you’re like that, you might as well not come back. But wasn’t her old mother still living in the courtyard?

She had to come back and visit, didn’t she?

Every time that girl came back to see her mother, the courtyard would be left in a mess because she could pick a fight with anyone.

To be honest, the neighbors in that courtyard didn’t intend to ask that girl for anything, yet she carried an expression that said ‘don’t come begging me for favors.’ Anyone who saw it would find it stifling.

After her visit to the Siheyuan, Su Huandan reported to the school the next day.

The school wasn’t very far from the military compound, about a forty-minute bike ride. The roads were easy to travel, and Su Huandan didn’t need to live on campus. Her main area of study was political ideology. This kind of school wasn’t as strictly managed as a formal military academy that required students to live on-site and follow militarized management, which was why Su Huandan had so much freedom.

She rode her bicycle to and from school every day and ate lunch in the cafeteria. Her family lacked neither money nor coupons, so Su Huandan didn’t deprive herself and ate quite well at every meal.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for Zhan Hongjun to start his refresher course.

Zhan Hongjun had a week of leave. After returning to the military compound, he spent his days playing wildly with his son and niece. Later, he gathered with a few close brothers. Unluckily, the gathering took place while Su Huandan was in class, so she wasn’t able to go.

A week later, Zhan Hongjun moved into the military academy. He was granted one day of rest every half month, allowing him to return home for visits.

Whenever Zhan Hongjun returned, the elderly couple of the Zhan family were truly beaming with smiles all day long.

They had looked forward to this for so many years, and finally, the whole family could be together for three years.

During these three years, Father Zhan added another star to his shoulder^[1], and there was a high probability that Zhan Hongjun would not have to return to his original unit.

This was not due to Father Zhan’s influence, but rather because Zhan Hongjun had encountered a great opportunity.

Beijing was also going to form its own Special Forces, and Zhan Hongjun’s spot had already been secured. By the time the Zhan family found out, Zhan Hongjun had completed his three years of advanced studies and went directly to report to the new unit.