When Duan Xiaoying returned to Building 65, the courtyard was quite lively. Chen Lin, Wang Lixia, their husbands, and Han Bin were all there. Seeing that she looked unwell, Chen Lin came up to her and asked, "What's wrong with you? Didn't you say you were going to visit the He family? What did you talk about? Why do you look so bad?"

"Nothing," Duan Xiaoying shook his head and forced a smile, "I'm tired and want to go back and rest."

Hearing this, Han Bin took off the cigarette in his mouth and said, "Then you should go back to the house first."

Duan Xiaoying nodded at him, then lowered his head and went home.

As soon as she got home, Wang Lixia yelled, "It goes without saying that Xiaoying must have been mad at Su Ting. I really don't know what Captain He looked like, marrying such a disaster!"

"Okay, just say less!" Jiang Wei said with a frown. They were all neighbors, and he didn't want the relationship to become too awkward.

Han Bin didn't respond. He just silently threw away the cigarette in his hand, stomped it out with his foot and said, "You guys chat, I'll go see Xiaoying." Then he followed her into the house.

The layout of Han's house is opposite to that of He's house. Although there is also a living room at the entrance, the second bedroom is on the left. The master bedroom is across the second bedroom, and next to the master bedroom are the kitchen and bathroom.

Although there are three children in their family, the oldest is only nine years old and the youngest is just over four years old, so they still sleep in the same room and there is no bed in the living room for the time being.

However, before the New Year, Duan Xiaoying bought a sofa and asked Han Bin to find someone to make a coffee table to entertain guests, so the living room can only be described as not crowded, but it is far from spacious.

Han Bin walked over the sofa and dining table and pushed open the half-open door of the master bedroom and went in.

Duan Xiaoying had calmed down. Seeing him come in, she smiled and asked, "Why are you back?"

"I came back to see you." Han Bin sat next to his wife and asked, "What did He Dongchuan and his wife say?"

"It has nothing to do with Captain He. I just chatted with Su Ting for a while."

"What did you talk about?"

"It's nothing, it's just that He Yan didn't do well in the exam this time, and I thought that since she only has a junior high school education, she could help the child with his homework, so I wanted to persuade her to pay more attention to the child," Duan Xiaoying laughed self-deprecatingly, "I was too eager to take it for granted and meddle in other people's business."

Although Duan Xiaoying was vague, Han Bin knew the situation of the He family. Su Ting was He Dongchuan's second wife. In other words, she was He Yan's stepmother.

Without asking, Han Bin could guess Su Ting's reaction.

In fact, it is normal. Why do stepmothers have a bad reputation? It is because too few women are willing to treat their stepchildren as their own children.

He was lucky to find such a good woman like Duan Xiaoying, but He Dongchuan was obviously not so lucky.

Han Bin patted his wife's shoulder and consoled her: "You are trying to persuade her out of kindness. If she doesn't want to listen, forget it. She has to live her own life anyway."

Duan Xiaoying sighed and said, "I just feel sorry for He Yan."

"How about I go talk to Captain He?"

Duan Xiaoying thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "Forget it. I think Captain He is in a good mood. If you go and say these things to him, he will think we are deliberately trying to sow discord between them."

"That's true."

Han Bin smacked his lips and couldn't help but sigh: "You said the same thing about He Dongchuan. He seems to be good in every way, but why is he so confused about marriage? I think you don't need to worry too much. Anyway, you have said everything you should say. If they don't live well in the future, it will be their own problem. You don't need to feel too guilty."

Duan Xiaoying responded softly and snuggled into Han Bin's arms.

…

Su Ting finished the entire draft on Thursday and spent another two days proofreading and refining the details.

In fact, there is nothing to pick on in terms of details. She has thought about each picture many times in her mind before drawing it. Before drawing the next picture, she will also confirm the previous picture again and will only move on to the next one if there are no problems.

But this was her first comic book after she traveled through time and space in a book, so she felt a little nervous before sending it out, worried that it might not be good enough, and felt very anxious.

On Sunday morning, Su Ting sorted out the manuscript again and made sure there were no problems before folding the letter, putting it in an envelope, and putting it in her bag.

The bag was her original shoulder bag, in the military green colour that was popular at the time, but Su Ting thought it was a bit tacky and not easy to match with other clothes.

Today she was wearing a white shirt and a dark blue skirt. She braided her hair in front of her ears and fixed it with a hairpin. She felt like a little fairy and looked beautiful.

After carrying the bag, she looked weird no matter how she looked at it. She had no choice but to change from long skirt to straight pants and a pair of black pointed leather shoes... Before carrying the bag, Su Ting felt like she looked like an insurance salesman, but still looked good. But after carrying the bag, she was instantly brought back to the 1970s.

Well, let’s just be simple!

Finally I decided to remove the braid and change it into two thick braids.

After braiding her hair, Su Ting looked at herself in the mirror and questioned her life. What had she been busy with so early in the morning?

I have to buy a bag today!

He Yan was also very curious about what she was busy with. Since she came out of the house, he stared at her left and right, which made her look uncomfortable. He asked, "Why do you keep looking at me?"

"You've been dressing up for so long, I want to see if you've changed at all." He Yan looked up at Su Ting for a while, and said with a puzzled look, "Nothing has changed."

Su Ting was so angry that she rubbed He Yan's head fiercely: "What can a little brat like you understand!"

He Yan groaned and dodged her clutches, covering his head and saying, "You messed up my hair! Dad, do you think Mom has changed?"

He Dongchuan felt that his son would really find trouble for him. He glanced at Su Ting and said calmly, "Yes."

He Yan’s eyes widened: “?!!” Could it be that the adults really had some secrets that a kid like him couldn’t see?

Su Ting glanced at He Dongchuan: "?!!" Is it that his eyesight is not very good?

Seeing the doubt in the two people's eyes, He Dongchuan: "..." He should just shut up.

…

This time I left home later than last time, and the pier was quite busy. The queue was more than twice as long, and many of them were soldiers, probably on holiday to visit the city.

Seeing He Dongchuan, a group of people lined up to salute him.

He Dongchuan was originally talking to He Yan. When he heard the voice, he quickly turned around, straightened his chest and raised his head to return the military salute.

It was a very common behavior. Even when he met his superiors in the family compound, He Dongchuan would salute them. However, Su Ting seldom went out with him, so she had never seen it.

At this moment, I suddenly saw his instant change and found it quite strange, as if I had come into contact with a different him.

I stared at him for a long time, until he turned around and asked what was wrong. Then I came to my senses and said, "Nothing." Then I walked past him and took a big step forward.

After waiting in line for more than ten minutes, it was finally their turn. Su Ting paid for two full-price tickets and one half-price ticket.

After buying the tickets, the three of them went to the gate.

There were many people at the gate, and they were afraid that He Yan would be tripped, so they picked him up without approaching He Dongchuan.

He Yan suddenly changed from being able to see people's backs to being able to see the tops of the people in front of him. He became very excited and jumped up and down in He Dongchuan's arms: "There are so many people!"

"Just get on board."

"What does the ship look like?"

Su Ting said casually: "That's what ships are like. Didn't you take a ship when you came here?"

He Yan turned his head and asked his father: "Did I take a boat when I came here?"

"You fell asleep." He Dongchuan said, glancing at Su Ting.

Su Ting felt a chill on her back when he looked at her. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She forced a stiff smile and said, "Yes, look at my memory. I forgot about this matter in an instant. Haha, haha..."

He Dongchuan calmly interrupted her laughter and said, "The ship has arrived."

"Is there? Why didn't I hear any sound?" Su Ting turned her ear to the side and stood on tiptoe to look forward, but she only saw a dark head.

"I don't have a whistle yet."

As soon as He Dongchuan finished speaking, the sound of a ship whistle came from the sea.

Three or five minutes later, the ferry docked, the gate was opened, and the people getting off the boat broke through the queue, spreading to both sides and pressing forward.

Su Ting and the other two were right in the middle. As the people in front of them gradually dispersed, she unconsciously followed them to the left. But after she took only two steps, He Dongchuan grabbed her wrist and said, "This way."

As he finished speaking, the people getting off the boat crowded to within two or three steps of them, while the people behind were still squeezing forward. She felt as if she had become a sardine in a can and could only stagger forward following He Dongchuan's force.

She was already walking unsteadily, and was tripped by someone. She couldn't control herself and fell forward, and the sound of her screams became distorted.

When I fell, I couldn't help but feel regretful.

If she had known it was not suitable to go out today, she would have stayed at home. If she fell down like this, it would definitely cause a stampede. Losing a hand or a foot would be considered safe. The worst thing she could do is lose her life.

It’s been less than a month since she traveled through time.

The next second, Su Ting felt her right hand being pulled up and pulled into a hard embrace.

When Su Ting covered her nose and raised her head, before she could see He Dongchuan's face clearly, she heard his low voice: "Go to the right." She was held by the waist and walked all the way to the right side of the gate.

Su Ting felt dizzy all the way. She was not walking by herself but was being dragged forward.

So after she stood still, she did not slow down for a while, still holding her nose, with most of her body weight pressed on the man in front of her, until he asked: "Are you hurt?"

Su Ting covered her nose and said in a low voice, "No."

"Then can you stand up?" He Dongchuan said as he looked down.

Su Ting followed his line of sight and found that she was very close to him, with his left arm going around her back and resting on her lower back.

It was already late April and the temperature on Pingchuan Island had already risen. Although Su Ting was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, the material was thin and light, and she could almost feel the warmth from his palms.

"I'm fine."

Su Ting lowered her head and moved her hands down, supporting He Dongchuan's muscular arms to stand up.

"That's good." He Dongchuan said as he let go of her hand, "We'll go up later."

Su Ting: “Yeah.”

Although there was no physical contact, because there were so many people, the two were very close. Su Ting didn't need to raise her eyes to see his arm slightly raised to protect her behind her.

In the past, a friend of hers dated several boyfriends who were all sports students. She thought they were tall, could protect her, and were very boyfriend-like. She even planned to introduce a sports student boyfriend to her.

However, at that time, Su Ting only saw the smelly sweat on their bodies after playing ball and their overly hairy limbs. She could not understand her friend's orientation and she still preferred pretty boys.

But just now, when He Dongchuan held her waist and carried her out, she seemed to understand what boyfriend power was and what a sense of security was.

It's just that she is the kind of person who believes in love at first sight, and she also feels that she doesn't have many shining points. With the same face and appearance, her original body had spent three years but still failed to make He Dongchuan fall in love with her. She...should just give up on it and focus on ending the relationship.

Su Ting was sighing when she heard He Yan suddenly say, "Mom, you're blushing." She reflexively raised her hand to touch her face and flatly denied, "I, I'm hot!"

He Yan looked around and asked in confusion: "Is it hot today? I'm not hot? Dad, are you hot?"

"It's hot." He Dongchuan answered and turned to Su Ting, "Let's go."

Su Ting raised her head and found that most of the people on the boat had gotten off, and most of those who wanted to take the ferry had also boarded. The gate was no longer crowded. She nodded and said, "Yeah." She hurriedly followed.

He Yan was held by He Dongchuan and didn't have to walk by himself. Suspicious about his father's answer, he touched his father's face and neck, wondering why his father was hot when he was clearly not sweating.

However, He Yan's doubts did not last long. After the boat started, he no longer cared about whether it was hot or not. He lay down beside the railing and screamed, "It's moving! Dad, look, the boat is moving."

He Dongchuan leaned against the railing and hummed lightly. He was used to it and was willing to say something out of giving face to his son.

He Yan didn't really need his father's response. He was very excited now. He held on to the railing with his left hand and stretched his right hand outside, feeling the sea breeze and the splashing water when the ferry passed by.

During this time, he even tried to stick his head out from between the upper and lower railings. Su Ting was startled and quickly pulled him down, saying, "Be careful not to fall into the sea."

The boy was very confident: "I caught it, so I won't fall into the sea!"

Su Ting held onto the two vertical railings in front of him and said, "Look, this railing is so narrow. Even if you don't fall into the sea, you might get stuck if you stick your head out."

He Yan looked in the direction she said, tilted his head, and tried to stick his head inward.

Su Ting grabbed him and said, "I told you not to do this, but you insisted on doing it..."

Before she finished speaking, she was hugged by He Yan. She lowered her head and saw the child in front of her smiling at her heartlessly: "I was just scaring you!"

Su Ting suddenly felt the blood rushing up her spine, and couldn't help but give him a slap on the head: "You deserve a beating, don't you?"

He Yan quickly covered his head and complained to He Dongchuan: "Dad! Mom hit me!"

He Dongchuan, who was enjoying watching them play, stood up and said to Su Ting in a serious tone: "He deserves to be punished."

He Yan: “…”

…

The ferry traveled for about twenty minutes from the river into the sea, and after another ten minutes, it docked at the Rongcheng Pier.

Rongshi Pier is much bigger than the ferry pier at Pingchuan Island, and there are more boats, about ten of them, large and small. There is a special passenger waiting area at the pier, but there are not that many people going to Pingchuan Island, and there are not many people waiting at the gate, so getting off the boat is not as thrilling as getting on the boat.

After leaving the pier, the three of them took the bus straight to the department store.

The department store is located at a crossroads in the city center. It is a three-story building with a semicircular exterior wall. A portrait of a great man is hung in the middle, with huge quotations on both sides of the portrait.

Sunday morning is the busiest time in the city center. The intersections are crowded with people, and half of the buses get off every time they stop.

Half of the passengers on the bus that Su Ting and her group took came here, and among these passengers, at least half came from the island, and many of them were wearing military uniforms.

After getting off the bus, these people will most likely go to the department store. Without even entering the door, Su Ting can imagine how lively the building is.

This was indeed the case after we entered. There was a long queue in front of each counter.

It's considered lucky to be able to queue. Some counters are so crowded with people lining up one after another that it's useless even if the salesperson tells them not to squeeze.

Su Ting looked at He Dongchuan, then at He Yan, and finally looked down at her own arms and legs. She decisively decided to go inside through the counters.

She just couldn't believe that there wouldn't be a counter with few people in such a big department store.

There is really no crowded counter on the first floor. They all sell daily necessities or cakes and biscuits. The demand is high and the prices are not expensive, so many people buy them.

The second floor is a little better. There are still many people at the daily necessities counters, but there are also counters selling less everyday goods, such as furniture, electrical appliances, ready-made clothes, etc.

Not many people are willing to buy ready-made clothes these days because they are relatively expensive. An ordinary round-neck sweatshirt costs more than two yuan with cloth coupons, but if you buy the cloth and make it yourself, it may only cost a few cents. Even if you hire someone to make it, the cloth plus the labor cost will not exceed one yuan.

Garments made of industrial fabrics are even more expensive. For example, a Dacron long-sleeved shirt would cost you fifteen yuan.

Compared with the deserted clothing counter, the fabric counter was doing much better business, with dozens of people surrounding it to grab the fabrics.

Su Ting asked someone and found out that there was defective fabric for sale today. The defect was not serious and did not affect the wearer's appearance. The fabric coupons could be discounted in half and then in half again. The rush to buy it was going crazy.

Su Ting was a little tempted after hearing this, but the aunts surrounding the counter were too strong in fighting, and there was no place for her to get in. Moreover, small-scale fighting in the crowd never stopped, and the scolding could be heard all the time.

I can't do it anymore. I can't do it anymore.

Su Ting looked away with regret, and then heard He Dongchuan ask, "Do you want to buy defective cloth?"

Su Ting's eyes lit up and she asked, "Are you going to rob it?"

He Dongchuan coughed lightly and said, "I think it's better to buy ready-made clothes. You don't have to spend time making them after buying the materials. I'll pay for the clothes."

Su Ting was a little disappointed at first, as she really wanted to see He Dongchuan competing with a group of aunts for fabrics. But when she heard the last sentence, she was happy. Who would want to buy defective fabrics when there are ready-made clothes?

Su Ting asked: "Can I buy a few more?"

He Dongchuan said: "Just bring enough tickets." He could be generous with money, but he could do nothing about tickets.

Because she was going out, Su Ting took all the tickets in her hand with her. The only cloth coupons she had were the two given by He Dongchuan. These things are distributed at the beginning and end of the year. She and He Yan both transferred their household registration in the middle of the period, so they didn't have any.

The two coupons that He Dongchuan had were military cloth coupons and could not be touched. Otherwise, if he bought clothes for her, he would have no money left when he wanted to make shirts.

What can be spent are industrial coupons, which have a wide range of uses and can be used to buy any industrial product.

Industrial coupons were issued according to wages, ten yuan each. He Dongchuan had a high salary, so he saved a lot, I wouldn't say how much, but it was more than enough for her to buy two sets of clothes.

Su Ting didn't feel like overcharging others, so she picked and chose and bought a beige dress made of dacron. So even though she didn't use the coupon much, the price was still not cheap, a full twenty-five!

But He Dongchuan paid quite readily.

She didn't just take care of herself, she also bought two sets of summer clothes for He Yan. In those days, children's clothes were much cheaper than adult clothes, and they required fewer coupons.

Then she bought a pair of shoes for her and He Yan respectively. She paid for them herself so she couldn't always take advantage of He Dongchuan.

But He Dongchuan was not very happy, and his lips were pressed into a straight line.

Su Ting was a little unsure of what he meant. In her opinion, it would be a good idea for them, a fake couple who were destined to go their separate ways, to figure things out. Otherwise, they would have to worry about the division of property when they divorced.

But he doesn't seem to think so.

It's normal to think about it. He Dongchuan doesn't seem to be a male chauvinist and is willing to do housework, but his thinking is still relatively traditional. He believes that it is natural for a man to support the family.

So after he married the original body, although he did not hand over all his savings, he gave all the bills he had to the original body. He also paid for the household expenses and never thought of the betrothal gifts and dowry that the original body brought back.

After thinking it through, Su Ting felt that his personality was quite good. At least she didn't have to hide things or scheme against each other when living with him.

So when Su Ting bought the bag later, she didn't pay for it herself, but asked He Dongchuan to pay for it.

The bag is not expensive, only five yuan, after all, it is made of little material and is not a brand name. But the style is OK, simple, and it matches a lot more clothes than a military shoulder bag.

Before paying, Su Ting tried to carry it on her back. Since there was no mirror, she could only ask He Dongchuan and his son for their opinions.

The older one said "beautiful", and the younger one said "prettier than before". Although there were only four more words and the meaning sounded similar, Su Ting felt that He Yan's answer was more to her liking. She smiled and touched his head and said, "That's it."

He Dongchuan: “???”

…

After buying clothes, the two took He Yan to pick out toys.

He Yan picked out a metal toy car, a military truck style, as long as his little arm from front to back. After getting the toy, he could only hold it in his arms.

He Yan was also happy to hold it, as he had been dreaming about the toy car for a long time.

There was a child in the compound who had a similar toy car. Although it was a sedan and much smaller than this one, it was big enough to make other children in the compound envious.

He Yan was also very envious, so when his parents asked him to choose a toy today, he bravely picked a truck toy that was bigger and more majestic than a car.

He Yan felt that his toys would definitely make all the children envious!

So he was very excited when holding the toy. He Dongchuan said he didn't want to help him hold it, so Su Ting could only lead him by the hand when walking.

When they arrived at the post office, Su Ting went to buy a stamp to send the letter, while He Dongchuan waited for the call to return to the capital.

Sending a letter is faster than hanging up the phone. They lined up at about the same time. When Su Ting was done, there were two people in front of He Dongchuan, so he went over to wait with them.

While waiting, He Dongchuan asked, "Do you want to call home as well?"

Su Ting's first reaction was to refuse, not because she had no conscience, but because she felt guilty.

She did not feel any guilt towards her original self after entering the book because although her original self did not appear much in the novel, she was very important. Her impression of her was that of a paper man, and that person was a villain.

If possible, she wouldn't want to cross over. She liked the original world more and missed her cell phone, computer, cola and fried chicken more. But who made her travel through time?

She didn't feel that she owed anything to her original self.

The same goes for He Dongchuan and He Yan. They were first paper figures, and then people harmed by their original bodies. Although she couldn't provide for them after traveling through time, at least she wouldn't let their situation become as bad as in the novel, so naturally there was nothing to feel guilty about.

But the original body’s family... According to the memories left by the original body, even if her brother and sister-in-law didn’t say it, at least the original body’s parents really loved her.

But now, because of her, they have lost their daughter.

It was hard for Su Ting not to feel guilty towards them.

Su Ting pursed her lips and made an excuse: "There is no telephone in the brigade, so I can only call the commune. It takes more than an hour to go back and forth. Forget it, I will buy some things and write a letter to them another day."

Su Ting was also worried about writing a letter. Although she remembered the original handwriting and could imitate it, everyone's writing habits are different. It was okay to imitate and write one or two words, but writing a whole letter was a bit difficult for her.

But it is definitely not a good idea to not contact my family all the time, as my original parents will definitely be worried. Between phone calls and letters, Su Ting prefers to communicate with them in writing.

Let's leave it at that for now. Once she has completely adapted to her current identity, maybe she will be able to face her original parents normally.

He Dongchuan thought what she said made sense, and nodded, "Then I'll come with you to mail the letter next Sunday."

After waiting in line for seven or eight minutes, it was finally He Dongchuan's turn, and the three of them walked into the box to make the phone call.

He Dongchuan answered the phone and called out "Mom" first. He Yan's eyes lit up instantly and he shouted, "Grandma, grandma." He jumped and tried to snatch the phone from his father.

Su Ting was afraid of disturbing other people who were on the phone, so she had to cover He Yan's mouth and said, "Keep your voice down, there are other people on the phone."

He Yan said "oh" and stopped yelling, just jumping around and looking at his father.

He Dongchuan saw it and after a few words of greeting with Cheng Xiaoman, he handed the phone to He Yan.

The young man hugged the phone and called for help first. His voice was soft and trembling: "Grandma~" Hearing this, He Dongchuan shuddered and his expression was beyond words.

He Yan not only had a soft voice, but also talked a lot: "Yeah, we had breakfast and came here. We took a boat on the way. The boat was so big and there were so many people on it. Grandma, have you ever been on a boat? No? Then come here, I'll take you to take a boat."

"We are here to buy things. Mom bought me two sets of clothes. They are very nice. Mom said I look very handsome in them! Mom and Dad also bought me a toy car. Grandma, do you know what kind of toy car it is? It is..."

He Dongchuan lowered his voice and asked, "When did you praise him for being handsome?"

Su Ting was stunned by the question: "Why did you suddenly ask this when you were going to pay?"

"I didn't hear that."

Su Ting said "oh" and it took her a while to react. If you didn't hear it, then you didn't hear it. Why do you need to confirm it? But looking at He Dongchuan's profile, she didn't ask the question after all.

He Yan finally finished his call and said into the receiver: "Goodbye, grandma. You must miss me."

After getting a reply from the other end of the phone, he handed the phone to Su Ting.

Su Ting held the phone and asked uncertainly, "Give it to me?"

He Yan nodded and continued in a soft voice: "Yeah, grandma said she wanted to talk to mom."

Su Ting put the phone to her ear, but before she could say anything, Cheng Xiaoman's voice rang out from the other end: "Tingting?"

Su Ting quickly responded: "Hey! I'm here, Mom!"

The person on the other end of the phone was stunned, and awkwardness began to spread along with silent silence. Su Ting had a bad feeling in her heart, but she didn't dare to look up at He Dongchuan.

The joyful laughter from the other end of the phone confirmed her guess: "It's better to call her mom. Calling her mom is more intimate than calling her aunt."

Su Ting: ...grass (a kind of plant).

The original body liked He Dongchuan so much, shouldn't she have changed her words quickly when she met his parents in the capital to get closer to him? And why are the memories left by the original body always blank at critical moments? Isn't this really a trick played by the time travel god?

Also, today is her day to be exposed!