Before He Dongchuan came back, a big incident happened in the family compound. However, it had nothing to do with their family, and Su Ting was just a spectator.

Meng Xiuzhen told Su Ting about this. She was considered a gossip-monger in the compound and nothing could escape her eyes and ears.

One day, Su Ting was reading when she heard someone calling her from outside. She went out and opened the door to see Meng Xiuzhen standing outside holding a watermelon. She smiled and said, "Today I went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy soy sauce and saw watermelons for sale there. I weighed half a watermelon and came back thinking you might be at home, so I cut half a watermelon and brought it to you."

"You are too polite." Su Ting hurriedly welcomed her in, asked her to sit in the living room, poured her a cup of cold tea, picked up the watermelon and said, "I'll go cut the watermelon."

"Okay, go ahead."

Su Ting took the watermelon into the kitchen, found a clean plate, cut the watermelon into small pieces and put them on the plate, then found the toothpick box, took out two toothpicks, and took it out.

In addition to watermelon, she also packed a fruit plate with melon seeds, peanuts and biscuits.

Meng Xiuzhen saw it and said, "You are too meticulous. You are so particular even when eating a watermelon."

"It's easier to eat this way." Su Ting picked up a piece of watermelon with a toothpick. It tasted sweet and crunchy in her mouth. She smiled and said, "This watermelon is good."

There aren’t many fruits to eat in Shanghai. In winter, we usually have oranges and apples, and in summer, we have watermelons, peaches, etc. However, summer fruits have one thing in common: they are not easy to store.

Therefore, the supply and marketing cooperatives don’t often sell fruits in the summer, and the quantity they buy each time is not too much. Whether you can buy it depends purely on luck. About a week ago, the supply and marketing cooperatives bought a batch of watermelons, but when Su Ting found out about it, it was too late and she didn’t buy any.

The watermelon was delicious, so I wanted to buy one later. I asked, "Does the supply and marketing cooperative still have watermelons?"

"Yes, we just got some today, and we still have more than ten of them," Meng Xiuzhen complained, "but they're too expensive, 1.5 cents per pound."

Su Ting is very open-minded: "Since the quantity is small, the price is of course high."

Watermelons are not only difficult to store, but also inconvenient to transport. In fact, it is not just watermelons, but most fruits at that time are like this, so they are basically produced and sold locally, or made into canned goods and sold.

Shanghai is a big city with a large population, but it is not a famous fruit-growing area. Fruits are always in short supply, so the prices are naturally not cheap.

Meng Xiuzhen also took a piece of watermelon, put it in her mouth and chewed it while saying, "But the watermelons we brought back this time are all of good quality. They make a dongdong sound when you knock on them, and they taste sweet. Do you want to buy some too?"

"I want to buy one." Su Ting nodded, "but we have a small family and I'm afraid we won't be able to finish it."

"Then don't buy one, buy half," Meng Xiuzhen said. "You don't know, I saw some watermelons for sale today and wanted to buy one, but when I weighed it, it was more than two yuan. I was shocked, so I asked them to cut it in half for me."

Su Ting was surprised and asked, "Did they really cut it for you?"

The salesperson at this time was not so good-tempered. Even though they were all military wives, there were also those who worked in the supply and marketing cooperatives who were arrogant.

When she went to buy a watermelon before, she met a military wife who asked someone to cut half of it for her. She was told not to buy it if she couldn't afford it. After seeing this, she bought a watermelon from the person and took it home to cut it herself.

"How dare they not cut it!" Meng Xiuzhen glared and said, "If they dare to be treacherous in front of me, I will go directly to their leaders and tell them that they are not happy to do this job. There are many military wives in our compound waiting to take over, such as me."

Su Ting chuckled: "Really? You want to work in the supply and marketing cooperative?"

"Of course I want to. I didn't go to work before because I had kids at home. Now they're older and I'm bored staying at home. Of course I want to go out and make money." Meng Xiuzhen said, and then brought the topic back to the topic, "In front of those people in the supply and marketing cooperative, it's better to be a troublemaker. The harder you are to deal with, the more polite they will be to you. If one day you're nice to them, they'll dare to ride on your head."

"Been taught a lesson."

Meng Xiuzhen said: "Next time you go shopping and get bullied, tell me and I will help you get back on your feet."

In fact, Su Ting seemed easy to talk to, but she was not soft-hearted when she encountered trouble. She did not need Meng Xiuzhen to help her find a place to fight, but she did not refuse. She just smiled and said, "Okay."

After eating two pieces of watermelon, Meng Xiuzhen finally remembered the main reason why she came to see Su Ting: "By the way, do you know anything about Song Chunxue and his wife?"

She asked without any context, and Su Ting certainly didn't know what was going on. She asked while eating sunflower seeds, "What happened to the couple?"

Although it was in Su Ting's house and there was no one around, Meng Xiuzhen still leaned over to Su Ting and said in a low voice: "Song Chunxue and his wife are getting divorced."

Su Ting was stunned: "Divorce? Impossible?"

Divorce is no small matter these days. She had traveled back to the 1970s for several years and had lived in two naval compounds. Not all couples she met were harmonious and happy, but no matter how much they quarreled or made a fuss, after calming down, these people would reconcile and continue to live together.

In the end, only Xu Fen and her husband actually divorced. She knew that another person who was thinking about divorce was Li Guifang, but she only thought about it after being deeply hurt by Qi Shenggang. And for the sake of the children, she has not formally filed for divorce yet. No one knows whether she will really divorce in the future.

What's more, Song Chunxue and her husband have a good relationship. Su Ting has met them twice and seen the way her husband looked at her. It was soft and gentle, and it was obvious that he had deep feelings for her.

Song Chunxue, on the other hand, looked at her husband with a rather indifferent look, but it was not to be said that she did not like him, because everyone knew that they fell in love at an organized blind date and got married out of free love.

So when she heard that they were going to divorce, Su Ting's first reaction was disbelief.

Meng Xiuzhen was not surprised by Su Ting's reaction, because when she first heard the news, she couldn't believe it.

If not for this, she wouldn't have been so eager to share the news with someone after hearing it, and wouldn't have come to Su Ting with a watermelon in her hand within a few minutes of getting home.

Meng Xiuzhen said: "This is absolutely true. Gao Xiaoju, who lives across from their house, told me the news."

"Song Chunxue would tell Gao Xiaoju about such an important matter?" Su Ting expressed her disbelief. You know, Song Chunxue is well-known for being unsociable in the compound. She has average relationships with everyone, and Gao Xiaoju, who lives across the street from her, is no exception.

Su Ting didn't think that she would tell Gao Xiaoju such an important thing, they were not that close.

"Song Chunxue didn't tell Gao Xiaoju, but they had a quarrel at home and Gao Xiaoju heard it." Meng Xiuzhen explained, "It seems that Song Chunxue wanted a divorce, but Deputy Battalion Commander Ma didn't want to, so the two of them started quarreling."

Su Ting wondered, "Why does Song Chunxue want a divorce?"

Meng Xiuzhen curled her lips and said, "Why? My old lover is back."

"Old lover?" Su Ting widened her eyes.

"Oh, yes. You just moved here last year, so you may not have heard about those things," Meng Xiuzhen asked, remembering, "Song Chunxue and Deputy Battalion Commander Ma met at a blind date, did you know that?"

"Know."

"Before attending the blind date, Song Chunxue had a date. I heard that the guy knew her since she was a child. Their families lived in the same compound and they grew up together. But later, Song Chunxue's father got into trouble and her mother moved out with her when she remarried. That's how they separated."

Su Ting asked: "Then how did they get together?"

"The man was a few years older than her. I heard that he had excellent grades and was admitted to university. After graduation, he was assigned to work in a chemical factory. Song Chunxue's mother happened to be an employee of the chemical factory. She often went to bring meals to her mother. After a few visits, the two of them became friends. Later, she entered the chemical factory. It seems that it was all because of the man's help."

Su Ting asked thoughtfully: "How did they separate later?"

Although Meng Xiuzhen said that Song Chunxue had a good relationship with that man, but when I thought about the fact that she ended up marrying Deputy Battalion Commander Ma, I knew without thinking that they must have broken up.

"Given Song Chunxue's situation, who would dare to marry her? She said she had drawn a clear line with her father, but they are father and daughter. How many people are not afraid of being implicated? Even if the man himself is not afraid, his parents are afraid," Meng Xiuzhen couldn't help but sighed. "There are not many people who can be as indifferent as Deputy Battalion Commander Ma."

Su Ting remembered what Meng Xiuzhen said earlier, and asked thoughtfully: "After they broke up, did the man leave Shanghai?"

Meng Xiuzhen waved her hands: "It's not that. Although the man's family disagreed, they didn't break up. They just kept dragging it out and didn't get married. They talked for several years."

"What happened next?"

"Later, something happened to the man's family. His parents were sent down to the countryside. He was implicated and transferred to a remote area. Then the two broke up."

"Who suggested that?"

"How would anyone know? Anyway, not long after they broke up, the chemical plant and our station jointly organized a blind date, and she and Deputy Battalion Commander Ma hit it off, and soon they were dating." Meng Xiuzhen curled her lips and said, "If you ask me, Song Chunxue is not a person who is content with what she has. How can she break up and then go to a blind date to date someone?"

Meng Xiuzhen found it unacceptable, but Su Ting thought it was okay. After all, there was a time difference between Song Chunxue's first and second relationships, so there was no way they could be seamlessly connected. So she said, "We've broken up, so we can't let her stay with her ex forever, right?"

"I didn't say she should stay with her ex, but isn't ten days or half a month too short? And she had been dating her previous boyfriend for several years, and she fell in love with Deputy Battalion Commander Ma at a blind date?" Meng Xiuzhen said, "It was the same with Deputy Battalion Commander Ma. Others liked him at first, but he didn't like anyone else but Song Chunxue. For her, he has stayed in his position for several years. Now, as soon as that guy comes back, his wife runs off with someone else."

"Is Song Chunxue's previous partner confirmed to be back?"

"How could it be false? Captain Hu's wife is from a chemical factory. She said all this. He just came back last month, and she wants a divorce this month. Isn't that a coincidence?"

The timing is indeed a bit coincidental, mainly because Song Chunxue and Deputy Battalion Commander Ma usually have no conflicts, so this matter seems to be a bit strange no matter how you look at it.

Su Ting asked: "He hasn't been married in these years?"

"No, she's still single. Captain Hu's wife said that not only has he returned, but his parents have also been demobilized and reinstated. I guess their family will rise again." Meng Xiuzhen sneered and said, "Just wait and see. If Song Chunxue and Deputy Captain Ma get divorced, she will definitely get together with her ex."

Su Ting thought for a moment and said, "The man's parents didn't agree with their marriage at the beginning. Now that she's married and has a child, will they be willing to give in?"

Su Ting didn't think that divorced women were worthless and unworthy of a good partner, but the man's parents obviously had high standards, otherwise they wouldn't have opposed them in the first place. It's impossible that after being sent down to the countryside for a few years, their ideas would have changed completely, right?

But think about it, a few years can indeed make people change their minds, not to mention that the boy's parents were sent down to the countryside, so they must have experienced a lot.

"I said they would get together, but I didn't say they could get married. Think about it, if he wasn't still thinking about Song Chunxue, why hasn't he married yet? If she hadn't forgotten that man, why did Song Chunxue file for divorce at this juncture? The man has feelings for the woman, and if they don't get together in the future, I'll write my name backwards."

Meng Xiuzhen thought, "Besides, the guy's parents may not disagree. They were against their son being with Song Chunxue because her father was sent down to the countryside and had a bad class background. But they were also sent down to the countryside, and Song Chunxue's father was also released from prison. The conditions of the two families seem similar."

"Song Chunxue's father has also been removed from the list?"

"Yes, her father was released from prison a few months earlier than that man's parents, and was also reinstated. When her father came back, it was Deputy Battalion Commander Ma who went to pick him up. I heard that Song Chunxue's mother and her stepfather have been at odds recently."

It was obvious that Meng Xiuzhen had a lot of opinions about Song Chunxue: "If you ask me, people who come from capitalist families are good at calculating. When something happened to the previous one, they just randomly found someone for the sake of stability. After so many years of hiding a stone, their hearts should be warm, but they are different. As soon as the previous man came back, they wanted to kick him out and find the next one. I wonder if Deputy Battalion Commander Ma regrets it when he thinks about these years."

Su Ting certainly didn't know whether Deputy Battalion Commander Ma regretted it or not, but what she was sure of was that as long as he didn't want to, they couldn't get divorced.

But in reality, their marriage ended faster than Su Ting had imagined.

Less than two days after Meng Xiuzhen told Su Ting the news, Deputy Battalion Commander Ma filed for divorce.

As soon as the application was submitted, there was an uproar in the compound.

Although this matter has been circulating for several days, everyone had only heard vague rumors before and was not sure, so they only dared to discuss it behind the scenes.

Now that the divorce application has been submitted, the matter is set in stone. For several days in a row, no matter where Su Ting went, she could hear the military wives in the compound discussing this matter.

People from the Military Family Resettlement Office and the Women's Federation also began to take turns visiting the Ma family to persuade the two to not get divorced.

Perhaps she couldn't bear the harassment anymore, so just two days after Deputy Battalion Commander Ma submitted his divorce application, Song Chunxue packed up her things and moved out of the Navy compound.

After learning about this from Meng Xiuzhen, Su Ting asked in surprise: "She moved out alone?"

"Yes."

"Where are the children?"

“No.”

"Don't they have two children? She doesn't want any?"

"Who knows? Anyway, the two children of the Ma family cried until their voices were hoarse, but she didn't stay." Meng Xiuzhen commented, "She has a hard heart."

"It's confirmed that they're getting a divorce, so it's not easy for her to stay."

If it really comes to this, apart from other things, the relationship between husband and wife will definitely not be as good as before. If they continue to stay in the compound, both of them will be embarrassed. It is better to move out as soon as possible. As for whether to take care of the children or not, it is also a personal choice.

Su Ting asked: "After leaving the compound, did she return to live in the chemical plant?"

"How dare she? Her mother and stepfather are also making trouble."

Although she had heard Meng Xiuzhen mention this before she came back, Su Ting was still surprised: "They are leaving too?"

"From what Captain Hu's wife said, it seems her mother had this intention, but her stepfather didn't agree. Let me tell you, now the families with unmarried daughters in the chemical plant hate them to death. They are happy after the divorce, but it affects the unmarried girls in their compound. It will be very difficult to find a partner in the future."

"This... won't be a problem, right?"

"Why not? Song Chunxue's mother worked at the chemical factory, right? Before she married Deputy Battalion Commander Ma, she also worked at the chemical factory, right? When people talk about them, they don't say Song Chunxue and her mother, but the mother and daughter from the chemical factory."

"That won't have any impact. We are not related or related."

This is not ancient times. If one person has a bad reputation, all the unmarried girls in the family will suffer. Not to mention the family, even sisters do not have a hard time marrying because one has a bad reputation.

What's more, it has been seven or seven years. Getting married is a rare thing now, but it may not be the case in half a year. Once the policy of returning to the city comes out, many couples will get divorced.

Su Ting had read popular science before and knew that there had been two waves of divorce in China since the founding of the People's Republic of China. One was in the early days of the country and the other was in 1977-1987, when educated young people were returning to the cities.

In the long run, Song Chunxue and Deputy Battalion Commander Ma will not be the only couple around them to get divorced. At most, they will be one of the many couples who will kick off the second wave of divorce.

…

As the dust settled on Song and Ma's divorce, He Dongchuan finally returned from the training camp.

When he entered the room, Manman was in a bad mood. Su Ting and He Yan were standing in front of her, trying to comfort her. He Dongchuan saw this and asked as he walked inside, "What's wrong with Manman?"

Hearing his voice, the two people who were coaxing the child turned around in surprise. Su Ting even strode up to him and touched him through his clothes.

He Dongchuan obediently spread out his hands, puffed out his chest and raised his head, feeling proud in his heart, but pretending to be a little uncomfortable on his face. He coughed twice and said, "The children are here, take it easy."

Su Ting rolled her eyes at him and said unhappily, "I'm checking if you're injured."

"Don't worry, I have kept your words in mind during this period of time. I have stayed in the game if I can, and I even light mosquito coils when I sleep at night. I haven't even had a single mosquito bite, let alone an injury."

Su Ting looked at his face closely and suddenly asked, "You shaved clean?"

He Dongchuan touched his face and said, "I shave every day."

Su Ting stretched out her hand, pointed at the fingernail-sized scar on his chin and asked, "Didn't you say you were not injured? Why is there a scar here?"

"Yes?"

"Yes." Su Ting was sure, pressing on the new scar on his chin, "Here."

He Dongchuan thought about it and said, "I accidentally got it while shaving a few days ago. It doesn't count as a wound, right?"

"Who said there weren't even any mosquito bites?" Su Ting deliberately went to the extreme, "Comrade He, your words have lost their credibility, do you know that?"

He Dongchuan was not angry after hearing this. Instead, a smile appeared on his lips. He whispered, "If you don't believe me, you can check it slowly at night."

"Who cares about you?" Su Ting snorted coldly and turned back to the sofa.

The girl who was crying just now slowly stopped crying and was looking at He Dongchuan aggrievedly without calling out for help, with her mouth tightly shut.

He Dongchuan walked over and put the luggage on the coffee table, picked up his daughter and asked, "Man Man, what's wrong with you? Who made you unhappy? Daddy will help you beat them up?"

He thought Man Man was bullied when he went out to play, but he didn't expect that as soon as he finished speaking, he saw his daughter-in-law pointed her finger at his wife without hesitation and complained: "Mom bullied me!"

Su Ting sat on the sofa, looked at him calmly and asked, "You want to beat me?"

He Dongchuan's throat rolled, he slowly lowered his head, and poured chicken soup to the girl: "Dad thinks this way, violence is not the only way to solve problems. When conflicts arise, we should still rely on communication, don't you think?"

He slowly tilted his head to think for a long time, then asked, "So?"

He Dongchuan said seriously: "Your father can't beat your mother, so I hope we can resolve this matter peacefully through communication."

Slowly: "..."

After communication, He Dongchuan quickly understood the cause of the incident.

It's actually very simple. To sum it up, Su Ting took He Yan to eat popsicles, but because He Yan's small intestine and stomach are weak due to her age, she was afraid that she would have diarrhea if she ate too much ice, so she didn't buy any for her.

When the little girl saw that her mother and brother were eating popsicles while she could only watch, she felt angry and aggrieved and burst into tears.

After finishing speaking, Su Ting looked at He Dongchuan: "What are you going to do?"

He Dongchuan pondered for a moment and said to his daughter, "Dad thinks Mom did nothing wrong in this matter. Mom didn't let you eat popsicles because she was worried that your stomach would not be able to tolerate it and for the sake of your health."

Although Man Man was young, she was very smart. She could understand what her father meant, but she still felt a little aggrieved. Tears welled up in her eyes and she bit her lips without saying a word.

Seeing this, He Dongchuan immediately added, "Of course you are not wrong. It is normal for children to be greedy. Especially since your mother and brother ate popsicles in front of you, they did a very bad thing and need to be criticized."

The little girl, who had just been feeling aggrieved, straightened her back immediately after hearing this and nodded vigorously at her mother and brother: "Yeah!"

"But slowly you got angry because of this, which is not good either," He Dongchuan said in conclusion, "Although you are both right, you both have done things wrong, so you should both apologize to each other and make peace. Don't you agree?"

The two children thought about it seriously, and after a long time, they apologized to each other. Su Ting also apologized, but when she returned to the room, she gave He Dongchuan a nickname: "The Master of Balancing Water."

After spending a few years together, He Dongchuan was no longer surprised by the new words she would occasionally use, and he even figured out his own way of understanding them.

After pondering it over in his mind, he understood the meaning of the four words "water balance master" and said with his hands up: "I was forced to do this."

"Who forced you?" Su Ting asked with a smile.

This was a life-threatening question. He Dongchuan considered it in his heart and said seriously, "It is my conscience that is forcing me to do this."

Su Ting was pleased with his answer and laughed even harder. He Dongchuan went over, hugged her shoulders, bent down and kissed her lips, deepening the kiss little by little.

Su Ting was so excited by the kiss that she realized the curtains were not drawn. She pushed He Dongchuan away and stood up from the bed, saying, "Please clean up. I still need to review."

He Dongchuan followed his movements, put his hands behind his back, and sat on the bed with his upper body leaning back. Seeing her hurried out, he asked with heavy breathing: "Aren't all your books in the room? Where else are you going to review?"

After he reminded her, Su Ting finally responded, walked around the bed, picked up the textbook on the desk, and walked out while saying, "I'm going out to read."

After saying that, he opened the door, but before he could even lift his feet, he was bumped into by two guys who were lying on the door and eavesdropping.

Su Ting managed to steady herself, helped the two children stand up, and asked, "What are you doing lying on the door?"

He Yan swallowed hard, licked his lips and said, "Nothing."

He slowly and vigorously waved his hands: "I, we didn't hear anything."

The guilty consciences of the brother and sister were more obvious than each other. Su Ting couldn't turn a blind eye to them. She asked sullenly, "Tell me, why did you come here to eavesdrop?"

The two children lowered their heads and secretly went to see He Dongchuan, hoping that their father could save them.

It was obvious that He Dongchuan had no intention of speaking for them, and he agreed with a stern face: "That's right, what do you want to hear by leaning against the door? Tell the truth!"

Such things as eavesdropping on the door must be dealt with seriously, otherwise the couple would have to be very nervous when they were intimate in the room in the future, and they had to be on guard against the two children eavesdropping again at all times.

Mom and Dad were ruthless, and He Yan had no choice but to bow his head and confess sadly: "I just want to know if you will get divorced."

Slowly, he nodded repeatedly beside him: "Yeah!"

Su Ting asked with a smile: "Do you know what divorce is?"

He slowly raised his head and thought about it, then shook his head: "I don't know."

He Yan also said: "My sister doesn't know, I came here to eavesdrop."

"Then tell me, why are you suddenly curious about this question?" The person asking the question was He Dongchuan. He was very confused about what had happened at home during the half month when he was away that made his son have such an idea after three years.

He Yan did not answer immediately, but quickly looked up at his parents' expressions. Seeing that they were not angry, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "They all said that Ma Dong's parents were getting divorced, and he and his sister would be unwanted children in the future. I was afraid that you would also get divorced, so I wanted to come and take a look."

Having been in Shanghai for almost a year, He Dongchuan naturally knew all the kids in the compound. He turned to Su Ting in surprise and asked, "Deputy Battalion Commander Ma and his wife want to divorce?"

Su Ting nodded and said, "Well, the application has been submitted, and Comrade Song has also moved out of the compound."

"Why so sudden?" He Dongchuan frowned, "Aren't they still in a good relationship?"

They all lived in the same compound, so no matter what happened in anyone's family, they could not hide it. So even though He Dongchuan was not familiar with Deputy Battalion Commander Ma, he knew that they had never quarreled, so they should have a good relationship.

Who would have thought that just half a month after he took the group out for training, Song and Ma had already finished their quarrel and submitted applications for divorce. No wonder he was surprised.

Ever since the marriage application was submitted, there has been constant discussion about their divorce in the compound. The reasons are varied, and the conflict is all centered on Song Chunxue.

Su Ting didn't know whether it was true or not, but these words were obviously suitable to be said in front of the children, so she waved her hand and said, "It's a long story."

He Dongchuan understood what she meant and stopped asking questions. He turned to his son and asked, "What do you see now?"

"Yes." He Yan said with a smile, "I can see that Mom and Dad will not get divorced."

He Dongchuan liked what he heard, and asked in a good mood: "Oh? How did you know that?"

He Yan rubbed his hands, hesitating, not knowing what to say.

As she was younger, she thought less and didn't worry as much as her brother. When she saw her brother didn't say anything, she smiled and said loudly, "We saw Mom and Dad kissing!"