Everyone lived in the same building, so He Dongchuan invited Duan Xiaolan and his wife to go back with them.

After spending a few days together, Duan Xiaolan and Su Ting had become very familiar with each other. They didn't bother to be polite with them. One of them went to the front seat with Lu Zheng, while the other sat with Su Ting and the two children.

On the way, Su Ting asked: "When did you come here?"

At this time, He Yan had come out of his sad mood and regained his spirit. He quickly replied, "We came here after we had dinner at home. Dad also checked my homework and told me to finish one-third of it before leaving."

"Are you done?"

"I've finished it at school. No one took the self-study class this afternoon. Everyone else was playing and I was doing my homework." He Yan was very smart and knew how to use other people to set off himself.

Of course, he didn't lie and he didn't feel guilty.

Su Ting raised her eyebrows: "Are you so obedient?"

"Yeah!" He Yan nodded vigorously, "I've missed you and my sister these days. I want to see you sooner!"

She slowly raised her head and said in a sweet voice, "I miss my dad and brother so much too!"

Su Ting smiled and asked, "When did you arrive?"

"Not long." This time it was He Dongchuan who answered.

"It's not long now. What time is it?"

He Yan rushed to say, "I know. It was a little after eight. We waited outside for half an hour. Dad wanted to take me in, but the security guard wouldn't let us in, so we had to wait in the car."

Su Ting said: "From now on, you can go home directly when you arrive, and don't have to come to school to wait for us."

"Let's talk about it later." He Dongchuan did not agree immediately.

They arrived while they were talking. Because they took the bus, they came back a few minutes earlier than usual, and the alley seemed brighter than usual.

Hearing the sound of a car, the curious residents whose windows were close to the alley leaned over to take a look. Seeing that it was a military jeep, they all muttered, "It must be the resident of No. 23 who has returned."

Although Su Ting and her family had only officially moved in for less than a week, almost all the residents in the alley knew them, because small cars were rare these days and only large apartments had them.

The military jeep driven by He Dongchuan was obviously owned by the military, so on the first day Su Ting and her friends moved in, everyone knew that a very important family had moved into the alley.

Of course, this is an exaggeration, and anyone with a bit of common sense would take it as a joke, but their family conditions are good, which is tacitly acknowledged by everyone.

The jeep stopped outside the gate of No. 23. Several people opened the door and entered the yard. Duan Xiaolan was the first to take out the key and open the door.

After entering the house, Duan Xiaolan turned on the light, and the group lined up to go upstairs. He Dongchuan wanted to be the last to turn off the light, but just as he put his hand on the wire, he heard Su Ting say: "You don't have to turn off the light. Classmate Lu has modified the circuit and connected a wire on the second and third floors to control the switch."

He Dongchuan responded, took back his hand and said, "That's good too, it's more convenient."

After going up to the second floor, before the two families separated, He Dongchuan remembered to ask, "Do you have anything to do tomorrow?"

Duan Xiaolan and Lu Zheng looked at each other, and the latter shook his head and said, "No, what's wrong?"

He Dongchuan said: "We will cook at home tomorrow at noon, remember to come down and eat."

Without waiting for Duan Xiaolan and his wife to answer, He Yan's eyes lit up and he asked expectantly, "Dad, are you going to the kitchen to cook?"

"Um."

He Yan cheered and praised Duan Xiaolan and her husband, "My father cooks delicious food!"

The couple was embarrassed to disturb him, but after being interrupted by He Yan, they couldn't say a polite refusal. Duan Xiaolan said, "Then I'll buy two dishes tomorrow, too."

Su Ting did not refuse and ordered two dishes without hesitation, but Duan Xiaolan knew that she was taking care of them because both dishes were vegetarian, cheap, and no tickets were required.

But Duan Xiaolan did not try to be stubborn. They were not from Shanghai and they really did not have tickets. She smiled and agreed, "Okay."

After the agreement, Duan Xiaolan and Lu Zheng went upstairs, while Su Ting and the others turned off the lights in the corridor from the first floor to the second floor and returned to their home.

After entering the house, He Yan and Man Man were the first to collapse on the sofa. It was a double sofa, with the brother and sister sitting on each side, which was just right.

But before they could even sit down, Su Ting called them to take a shower. Neither of the siblings was too lazy to move, so they sat on the sofa, pushing each other until He Yan was rushed to the bathroom by his father.

After He Yan entered the bathroom, Su Ting took off her backpack and put it on the coffee table, then went to the balcony to look at the coal stove that had been sealed in the evening. Seeing that there was a fire inside, she used a fire tong to open it, and called He Dongchuan to get a kettle to the bathroom to get some water and boil it.

After finishing these things, Su Ting also lay down on the sofa. He Dongchuan put down the kettle and followed in, asking, "How was school?"

"What?"

He Dongchuan simply summarized it as: "Whether you can understand the teacher's lectures and how you get along with your classmates."

“The course is fine.”

Su Ting has always been good at Chinese since she was young. When she was in high school in her previous life, she could usually get 120 in Chinese out of a perfect score of 150 for the main subject, and 130 if she performed well.

The same was true when she took the college entrance examination in her life, and Chinese was her weakest subject.

Although the content she learned in college was more advanced, she had a good memory and strong comprehension ability, so it was relatively easy for her to learn.

She was able to answer all the questions the professor asked during class, and she raised her hand several times. Because the professor asked more extensive questions, few students in the class knew the answers, so although she raised her hand less often, several professors in the class were deeply impressed by her and could recognize her on the street.

You have to know that they have only been in school for less than a week, and there are hundreds of people in one major. The professor can't even remember the faces of many people, let alone match their names with their appearances.

The professors not only recognized Su Ting, but also called out her name accurately. This shows how useful the questions Su Ting answered in class were.

As for getting along with classmates, Su Ting said: "I basically know everyone in the class, but in terms of interpersonal relationships, I'd rather take my time."

"Slowly?"

Su Ting smiled and said, "Well, don't I take Man Man to school every night for evening self-study? You don't know, she is very popular in our class. Many female classmates want to sit with her, and some even bring her snacks."

In fact, except for Ma Yan and a few others, Su Ting did not let others take their time to collect the snacks.

Although there were government subsidies for going to university at that time, most of the classmates in the class were not wealthy. She didn't want to take advantage of others, nor did she want her children to give people the impression that they were greedy.

Su Ting accepted the snacks given by Ma Yan and others because they had a good relationship, but she did not accept their things in vain. Every time she ate the snacks slowly, she would bring some snacks to share with them the next day to make up for it.

The sleepy guy who was lying on the other side of the sofa slowly heard his name, tilted his head towards Su Ting, squinted his eyes and asked, "Huh?"

Su Ting didn't answer, she just woke her up and said, "Take a shower before going to sleep."

She slowly uttered "oh", tilted her head to the side, and squinted again. He Dongchuan saw her and asked, "Why is she so sleepy today?"

Su Ting said: "I didn't take a nap in the nursery. I chatted with my classmates all afternoon."

"Have you gradually made new friends?" He Dongchuan asked. He knew that his daughter had also gone to school.

"Of course not. Not only is she popular in our class, but there are also many kids in the nursery who want to play with her. There are three kids who are closest to her. These little guys always want to play with her."

He Dongchuan said: "It seems that she has adapted well."

"I've adapted well, but I always like to stay in bed in the morning and I can't wake him up no matter what."

In fact, the nursery starts quite early, and the children can be sent there at seven o'clock, but Su Ting doesn't go to school that early, and she is still growing and needs enough sleep. In the absence of strict rules in the nursery, she naturally wakes her daughter up at her own time.

After almost being late on the first day, Su Ting started to adjust her wake-up time earlier. During this week, she got up earlier and earlier, and gradually she was able to stay in bed longer and longer.

So no matter how early she gets up, she is always busy in the morning. She has to run as fast as she can from the nursery to the classroom, which is very frustrating.

He Dongchuan frowned after hearing this, but couldn't think of any good solution.

Although He Yan would occasionally stay in bed, it was rare. After all, he was already six years old when He Dongchuan took him in, and he had a little more self-control.

Moreover, in the eyes of parents, boys are always tougher than girls. He Dongchuan never disciplined He Yan. He scolded him when necessary and beat him when necessary.

In addition, He Yan has been practicing martial arts with his father for the past two years and has a better understanding of his father's fighting ability. So even though he wants to make trouble from time to time, he is still very afraid of his father in his heart. He dare not disobey his father when he speaks.

Manman is only three years old this year, no, strictly speaking, she will be three in a month. She is young and has weak self-control, which is not noticeable before she goes to school, but after she goes to school, she stays in bed every morning and drives her mother crazy.

But there is no good solution to this problem. Most children only remember to eat but not to be beaten. Even if Su Ting beats the child, no matter how fiercely she screams, she will not remember it when she wakes up the next day and will still stay in bed.

He Dongchuan thought for a while and said, "Should we buy another bicycle?"

Su Ting was surprised and asked repeatedly: "Buy a bicycle?"

He Dongchuan nodded affirmatively: "Well, with a bicycle, it will be easier for you to go to and from school every day."

"Okay, but we don't have any tickets, and my riding skills are average."

Although He Dongchuan had taken time to teach Su Ting how to ride a bicycle when they were on Pingchuan Island, the 28-inch handlebar was a bit high, and she was a bit scared every time she got on the bicycle. In addition, she didn't have to go to work, and he would take her to the city every time, so she would only ride for a while when he taught her, and each time was not long. In addition, she had stopped riding for more than a year after moving to Shanghai, so her riding skills were not very proficient.

But He Dongchuan thought this was not a problem: "You will get used to it after riding it more often. You don't have to worry about the ticket. I will find a way."

"Are you really buying a bicycle?" Su Ting asked.

He Dongchuan said: "I think that with a bicycle, you can go out more conveniently every day and have a little more time."

Su Ting thought about it and it was true. The house they were living in was not far from the school, about ten minutes' walk away. But after entering the campus, she had to spend another seven or eight minutes to get to the classroom, which added up to almost twenty minutes. Plus she had to pick up and drop off her children, so she would waste an hour walking every morning and evening.

If she had a bicycle, the time could be at least halved. Half an hour might not be enough at the beginning, but once she got used to riding, half an hour might be enough.

Thinking of this, Su Ting couldn't help but sigh: "If I had known I would buy a bicycle, I shouldn't have sold it when I moved."

"It's not good to bring it here if you don't sell it."

"That's true. By the way, where do you get the ticket?" Su Ting asked, as bicycle tickets are not easy to get.

He Dongchuan said, "Next week we will have a competition with the First Regiment. The commander will come to watch. If we perform well, there should be rewards from above. I plan to ask for a bicycle ticket."

Because the Navy has reinitiated competitions, leaders of all bases have paid much attention to this matter in the past two years. A base-wide competition would be too cumbersome and not easy to hold every now and then, but each regiment and battalion has held quite a few such events.

He Dongchuan's group's competition is scheduled for this month. As for whether they can perform well, he is very confident. His efforts in the past two years have not been in vain.

Su Ting asked: "Is the reward for you personally?"

"right."

All kinds of tickets in the army are rewards for outstanding groups or individuals. Although He Dongchuan will not participate in this individual competition, he is the leader of the team. As long as his team can win, there will definitely be rewards.

Moreover, the reward given to him is separate from that of the group, so he has no guilt in receiving the vote.

Su Ting felt relieved and said, "If I can get a bicycle ticket, I'll buy one and come back."

"Um."

…

Although Su Ting and He Dongchuan had only been separated for a few days, they said that a short absence is better than a new marriage, so they both indulged themselves a little that night and did not go to bed until three or four in the morning.

The next day, Su Ting slept in, but He Dongchuan got up quite early. He took He Yan to run for half an hour, and then practiced martial arts for another half an hour.

Today is a rest day, and the alley is quite lively. People are coming and going on the street outside. Everyone who sees them practicing martial arts in the yard will stop and watch for a while.

Some people also talked to He Dongchuan, asking him what kind of soldier he was, what school of kung fu he learned, and whether he was very powerful.

After one morning, even though He Dongchuan had a rather cold personality, he got to know many neighbors and even found out where the vegetable market was.

After practicing martial arts, He Dongchuan took He Yan out. They went to the breakfast shop to have breakfast first, and then walked to the vegetable market and bought two pork ribs, two ribs, ten eggs, two lotus roots, and some green peppers and vegetables.

When they passed by a breakfast shop on their way back, they went in and bought two breakfasts, one for Su Ting and the other for Man Man. Both mother and daughter were sleeping in.

When they got home, Lu Zheng was squatting on the balcony making a fire. He saw the two people sticking their heads out to say hello and ask where the vegetable market was.

He and Duan Xiaolan never cook at home, not because they are lazy or don't know how to cook, but because there are too many things to prepare.

Although he knew people in Shanghai and could help them get coal stoves and honeycomb coal, he didn't want to bother them with all kinds of trivial matters. They didn't have coupons, and the school cafeteria food was very cheap, so it was naturally more convenient to eat in the cafeteria.

Therefore, he still didn't know which direction the vegetable market faced and had to ask He Dongchuan, who hadn't lived there for a few days.

In fact, the vegetable market was not far away, it was all within the street, and the route was simple. After He Dongchuan said that, Lu Zheng had an idea in his mind and continued to light the coal stove.

He Dongchuan took He Yan home. After entering the house, he put breakfast on the table, took the vegetables and meat to the balcony, and placed them on the table built by the previous residents for cooking. Then he went to call Manwan to get up.

It was already past eight o'clock, and the girl in the room had woken up a long time ago, but she felt warmer under the quilt and didn't want to get up. But it was easier to wake her up than usual, at least she didn't cry after He Dongchuan lifted the quilt.

Get up, brush your teeth, and slowly sit down at the dining table to eat.

As I was eating, I thought of my mom. I looked around the living room and asked in confusion, "Where's Mom?"

"Mom is still sleeping." He Yan replied.

He uttered an "oh" slowly, and raised his head again after a while: "Can't Mommy get up? Isn't she hungry?"

It was He Yan who answered again: "Dad said Mom was tired and asked us not to wake her up."

He uttered "oh" again slowly, and then thought for a while, and asked in confusion, "What did mom do last night? Why was she tired?"

This question was beyond He Yan's knowledge. After thinking for a while, he asked uncertainly: "Maybe... Mom was painting last night?"

"Yeah." He slowly realized and muttered, "Mom has worked so hard."

He Yan: “Yeah!”

…

Su Ting slept until ten o'clock in the morning, but she was not fully rested. She felt dizzy when she woke up.

She covered her forehead and got out of bed. As soon as she walked out of the door, she met the eyes of the three people sitting next to the sofa. She paused and said, "Are you all up?"

"It's ten o'clock!" he said slowly with emphasis.

Although she knows that her mother has a hard time, she still thinks that her mother can sleep well!

Su Ting didn't hear the lady's hidden words, she said "oh" and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Because she was sleepy, she kept her eyes half-closed while brushing her teeth, until the cold water splashed on her face, she became a little more awake.

After washing up, Su Ting returned to the room, applied perfume and combed her hair. After she was done, she came out again. He Dongchuan pointed at the dining table and said, "I bought you breakfast."

Su Ting was indeed hungry. She touched her stomach and walked to the dining table. She picked up the pancake on the table, tore off half and started eating.

There were less than two hours left before lunch, and the pancake was bigger than her face. She definitely couldn't finish it all at noon, so half of the pancake and a cup of soy milk would be enough to fill her stomach.

While eating, I looked up at the balcony. From here I could see vegetables on the stone platform on the balcony. I asked, "Did you go to the market this morning?"

"I went for a walk." He Dongchuan also mentioned the dishes he bought.

After eating the fried cake and drinking the soy milk, Su Ting walked to the balcony to look at the vegetables that He Dongchuan had bought. The vegetables were untouched, but the ribs had been chopped and the big bones had been cooked in the pot.

Su Ting and her friends were not the only ones who smelled the fragrance. The couple on the third floor also smelled it. Duan Xiaolan sniffed and asked, "What kind of soup are they cooking? Why does it smell so good?"

"We'll know when we go down and ask." Lu Zheng said.

Duan Xiaolan nodded: "Do you want us to bring some more food when we go over?"

Smelling the aroma of the meat soup stewing downstairs, Duan Xiaolan always felt that they were taking advantage by only preparing two vegetables.

But as for what to eat, Duan Xiaolan had no idea. There was no other way, as they were short of tickets, and her family was not innocent, but they did not have any snacks.

Lu Zheng thought for a while and said, "Why don't we go to the supply and marketing cooperative to see if there's any fruit for sale? Usually you don't need a ticket for that."

Although the fruit was not cheap, they were both well-off.

Lu Zheng's family was wealthy, and although his family encountered problems a few years ago and his parents could not take care of him, after the Great Movement ended, his parents returned to their original jobs and sent him a lot of money.

Duan Xiaolan earned her own money. A few years ago, she got a soy sauce brewing method from somewhere and used it to convince the team leader to open a soy sauce factory.

At the beginning, there were only three people in the factory including her, and none of them were very capable. Although the brigade agreed to set up a soy sauce factory, they were skeptical about whether she could run the factory well and did not give her much support. They had to balance the income and expenditure of the factory by themselves, and there was no additional work point subsidy, so those who were slightly capable would rather go to the fields to earn work points and earn a little.

At that time, no one thought that the soy sauce factory could be run, but the soy sauce they brewed tasted really good, and everyone who tasted it said it was good, so in less than a year, the soy sauce factory was successful.

Nowadays, the soy sauce factory of their brigade is quite famous in the local area. As the factory director, Duan Xiaolan naturally received his salary early.

Although she resigned as the factory director for various reasons after being admitted to university, the soy sauce factory was built by her single-handedly. Even if the team wanted to dismantle her after crossing the river, they dared not make it too obvious, so she still had a job in the factory and received a normal salary every month.

If they didn't have enough money, they wouldn't have rented a house right after entering college. You know, rent is not cheap.

So most people are reluctant to buy this fruit, but they are willing to spend money on it.

After discussing it, the couple went out to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought two kilograms of apples and two kilograms of winter dates. In fact, Duan Xiaolan also wanted to buy a cake, but she had no ticket, so she had to give up sadly.

After returning home, they didn't keep any of the fruit and brought all the vegetables they bought in the morning downstairs.

Su Ting felt embarrassed when she saw this: "You guys can just come here, why are you carrying so many things?"

"We went to the supply and marketing cooperative and saw some for sale, so we bought some. We can eat them right after dinner." Duan Xiaolan said as she walked inside. When she saw He Dongchuan busy on the balcony, she asked, "Comrade He, are you cooking?"

"Well, he's almost done cooking." said Su Ting.

Duan Xiaolan hurriedly said, "Then I'll go wash the vegetables too."

However, Lu Zheng did not give her the vegetables. He put down the fruit and said, "I'll wash them." He took the vegetables to the balcony, found the basket for washing vegetables and started to choose them.

Duan Xiaolan was also not idle. She put apples and dates on the tea table and asked the two children what they wanted to eat.

He Yan wanted to eat dates, and gradually both of them wanted to eat them, so Duan Xiaolan took an apple, and asked Su Ting to get a plate, put some dates on it and took it to the bathroom.

After washing the apples and dates, she asked Su Ting for a fruit knife, cut the apples into long pieces of equal size, and brought them out for everyone to eat.

This batch of apples had just arrived. They were big, juicy, crispy and tasted very good.

Even though He Yan didn't want to eat apples, he couldn't help but take a piece to taste it after hearing the crunching sound of his sister biting the apples. He couldn't stop eating it, and soon he and his sister finished the remaining apples on the plate.

Duan Xiaolan asked when she saw it, "Is it delicious? Auntie, go wash another one?"

"Delicious." The brother and sister nodded in unison. He Yan touched his belly and said, "No need to wash anymore. It's almost time for lunch." He wanted to save room for the sweet and sour pork ribs.

Man Man had not thought of this at first, but when she heard her brother's words, she nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, we will eat in the afternoon."

"Okay." Duan Xiaolan nodded and asked Su Ting if she wanted to eat more.

Su Ting just ate one piece, barely tasting it, but she shook her head and said, "I just had breakfast at around 10 o'clock, and I won't be able to eat any more at noon."

"Didn't you get up very early? Why are you eating so late?" Duan Xiaolan thought they had breakfast together.

Without waiting for Su Ting to answer, He Yan said, "Mom worked until very late yesterday, so she slept in today!"

Man Man also agreed, "Yes, Mom is very busy at night!"

Duan Xiaolan suddenly realized what was going on and asked, "What did you do in your previous unit? Do you still have to deal with work matters now?"

Although they are said to be on paid leave while attending university, everyone knows that they may not return to their original units and jobs after graduating from university.

This batch of college students is different from previous ones. The previous ones were all workers, peasants and soldiers who were recommended by their units, so most of them returned to their original units after graduation.

But these college students have all been admitted through serious examinations and have real skills and knowledge. If after four years of college they return to their original units and do their original jobs without any progress, who would still want to go to college?

Even if they are in their own units, the smaller ones basically don't want such a good thing, and the larger ones will adjust their positions and ranks after they graduate. So even if they return to their original units, they won't do their previous jobs.

So after they go to college, their original jobs will be replaced by new people, and they just need to focus on studying.

Duan Xiaolan was an important figure in the factory, but when the news of her admission to university spread, the leaders in the team had other ideas and quickly sidelined her. Fortunately, she knew they were unreliable and didn't count on them. As long as the salary continued, she would let them do whatever they wanted.

In short, there are not many students who are busy working after entering college, so Duan Xiaolan was curious.

Su Ting did not hide it and said, "I don't have a job, but I usually draw comic strips and submit them."

Duan Xiaolan suddenly realized: "I thought so." She didn't ask Su Ting's pen name.

She knew that if Su Ting wanted to talk about it, she would have just mentioned it. Not mentioning it meant that she didn't want to talk about it. Asking too much would only make people feel annoyed, so she changed the subject and said, "Shanghai is indeed a big city. The apples here are much better than those sold in the supply and marketing cooperatives in our hometown. They are not only big in size, but also sweet."

"The apples you bought are really good. The ones I bought before weren't as delicious."

Duan Xiaolan said, "The ones you bought that time were not small, but they were not as crispy. It might be because they were stored for too long. The apples sold at the supply and marketing cooperative in my hometown are not good. They are half the size of the ones sold here, and they are not as juicy."

"Where are you from?"

Duan Xiaolan mentioned a place, a province in the north: "We don't grow fruit there. The only things sold in the supply and marketing cooperatives are apples and oranges. They may not taste good, but they are definitely expensive, more expensive than here in Shanghai."

Su Ting said: "The fruits sold in our hometown and Shanghai are similar, but there are more fruits in Dongchuan where I served in the army before."

"Didn't Comrade He serve in the army here before?" Duan Xiaolan asked curiously.

Su Ting shook her head: "He used to be a soldier on an island in Fujian, and was transferred to Shanghai two years ago."

Duan Xiaolan nodded, and felt that Fujian was somewhat familiar, and the island... She thought for a while and asked: "Which city was the island where he served in the army?"

"Yong City, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just remembered that I have a relative who is also serving in the army on the island below Rong City," Duan Xiaolan thought about it and added, "He is also a navy."

Thinking of Duan Xiaolan's name, Su Ting asked hesitantly, "Could your relative be called Han Bin?"

"Yes, that's his name. He's my cousin's husband," Duan Xiaolan said, and then she responded, "Comrade He used to be a soldier in the same place as him, right?"

Of course not, they live quite close to each other.

Su Ting looked at Duan Xiaolan and said sincerely, "You don't look much like your cousin."

Duan Xiaolan confessed: "I don't have a good relationship with her."

Su Ting smiled: "What a coincidence, I don't have a very good relationship with her either."