Within two days, Li Guifang brought good news.

"At first he disagreed, thinking that life on the island was expensive, and he wasn't sure how many more years he could serve in the army. He would have to go back to his hometown after retirement, saying that moving back and forth was too troublesome. We had a fight over this, but later he saw that I was determined and agreed."

Since she decided to stay, Li Guifang didn't want to stay stuck in the guesthouse as before. She went out for a walk these few days when she had nothing to do. She also got to know several military wives. She knew that the quarrel between her and Qi Shenggang had spread, so when she talked about it with Su Ting, she didn't want to hide it.

After listening to this, Su Ting felt that the reason given by Qi Shenggang was not very tenable.

The cost of living on the island is higher than back home, but as long as they don't spend too much, it's no problem for a family of four to keep their monthly living expenses under 30 yuan. Qi Shenggang is the deputy battalion commander, with a monthly income of over 100 yuan. His parents have passed away, so he has no burden, so this expense should not be much for him.

More importantly, is thirty dollars a month enough to get the whole family together?

As for the uncertainty about how many years he can serve in the army, let alone the fact that he thinks moving around is too troublesome, he is an officer, and even if he fails to get promoted in rank and needs to retire, that will be after he is forty years old.

How old is he now? He must be no older than 35. Li Guifang brought her child to Pingchuan Island with the army, and they could live here for at least five years.

Is moving every five years considered frequent? Is it troublesome?

There are so many military wives on the island. Everyone must have experienced such troubles several times in their life, such as job transfers and career changes. Within ten years, they may have to move more than once. Do their husbands think it is too much trouble?

In the final analysis, he just didn't want to let Li Guifang bring her children to join the army, and he couldn't find any strong reasons, so he could only make up these excuses.

Just looking at the smile on Li Guifang's face, Su Ting couldn't say anything to discourage her, so she could only say, "That's good."

"Yes, he asked someone about the procedures for accompanying the troops yesterday, and came back to me to get the marriage certificate and household registration booklet, and said he would submit the documents today. I went to the Military Dependents Settlement Office to inquire as you said, and the procedures for accompanying the troops are quite fast. As long as the documents are correct, it can be approved in three or four days at the fastest, or a week at the slowest."

Li Guifang said as she remembered, "Oh, by the way, I have to go back to my hometown in two days."

Su Ting immediately thought of He Dongchuan's analysis a few days ago and asked, "Why are you going back to your hometown?"

"Pack your things. Although I locked the house before I came, nothing inside was moved. Also, I'm here to join the army, so I'll rarely go back. Many things are useless. I want to pack up and sell what can be resold, and give away what can't. I'll also pack some clothes and bedding to save money on buying things. I have two children, and I need to arrange for them to transfer to another school..."

Thinking about it this way, Li Guifang found that she had a lot to do. However, when she thought that after things were done, she would be able to stay in Pingchuan Island, she felt motivated again.

After hearing what Li Guifang said, Su Ting knew that she had to make this trip, so she asked emphatically, "You're going back in two days? You're not going to wait until you've completed the procedures for accompanying the army and getting your household registration done?"

Li Guifang hesitated and said, "Then we have to wait for a few more days. My two children have already missed half a month of classes. If it is delayed any further..." She was in such a hurry to go back because she hoped to complete the transfer procedures as soon as possible so that her two children could return to school.

"It's not a big deal to wait ten days or half a month. Your eldest child is only in the third grade. It's still early for him to go to the next grade. It's okay to miss a few days of classes. If you are really worried, you can hire someone to give him extra lessons during the summer vacation." Su Ting hinted, "I think it's easy for things to change before the dust settles."

Although Qi Shenggang might not be as bad as she thought, what if? If it was really as He Dongchuan analyzed, he changed his mind just to stabilize Li Guifang, and when she returned, he would collude with the brigade cadres to trap her in her hometown. Then she would be helpless.

Only when her household registration is settled will Li Guifang be able to return to her hometown without any disturbance.

Because at that time, a letter of introduction was issued by the place of residence when going out. She took the letter of introduction back to her hometown, and she did not need a certificate from the brigade in her hometown to come back.

This way, we can ensure that she can return safely when the time comes.

However, Su Ting couldn't say this too obviously, because if she did, it would be like telling Li Guifang directly that her husband was not a good person.

So is Qi Shenggang really not a good person?

Although Su Ting felt that this person was not a good person and had many problems, she had to admit that the above speculation was not based on any real evidence. It was purely subjective conjecture based on her first judgment that this person was bad.

Moreover, even if He Dongchuan guessed correctly, based on her past experience, the result of saying bad things about a friend's husband is often not that the couple breaks up, but that the friends become estranged from each other.

Therefore, she couldn't advise Li Guifang too directly and could only hint at it and remind her.

But on the other hand, Su Ting felt that it would be sad if Li Guifang was really reminded, because it would show that she could no longer trust Qi Shenggang.

When trust is gone, it means the marriage is over.

Li Guifang was indeed enlightened.

Although in front of Su Ting, she blurred the conflict between her and Qi Shenggang, downplayed their quarrels, and pretended that they were still a harmonious couple.

But she knew clearly in her heart that Qi Shenggang had changed, he didn't love her as much, and even began to dislike her. And after a few days of quarrels, after seeing the changes in Qi Shenggang, she could no longer find the state of mind she had when she first arrived on Pingchuan Island.

She could no longer trust him and began to assume malicious intent towards him.

Realizing this, Li Guifang couldn't help but feel tears welling up. She turned her head slightly, raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes, and when she looked up again, she forced a smile: "Thank you, I will postpone my return home."

Even though she knew their marriage was coming to an end, she still decided to stay on Pingchuan Island. But this time, what she was looking forward to was no longer a reunion with her husband, but for herself and her children.

If she stayed in the country, she would always be a rural woman. If one day Qi Shenggang really decided to divorce her, she would be completely helpless.

She is not afraid of divorce, but she is afraid that she will not be able to support her two children after the divorce.

During this time, she had realized that Qi Shenggang did not love her and that he had limited affection for their two children. If they divorced, she would definitely not feel comfortable leaving the children to him, so she had to be able to support herself and her two children.

As a woman, she obviously couldn't do this just by farming.

So she had to stay on Pingchuan Island. After settling down, she would look for a job. She had inquired about it in the past few days and found that although there were few jobs on the island, there were some.

For example, killing fish in seafood supply stations is a dirty job with low pay, so few military wives are willing to do it. Cleaning in family yards is a typical dirty and strenuous job, and usually recruits temporary workers from outside.

Other military wives are afraid of dirt, tiredness and low wages, but she is not afraid of anything and does not mind the low salary, as long as she has a job.

Although military wives usually follow their husbands in their jobs, they often resign when their husbands are transferred or leave the army. But resigning is not the only way, and they can also choose to be transferred with their husbands.

But divorce is different. If she and Qi Shenggang were divorced, she would probably have to quit her job and return home.

But she didn't care about all that. Qi Shenggang was unwilling to use his connections before, and she was willing to support him. So after all these years of marriage, she had been at home raising the children and had never thought of asking him to find someone to find a job for her.

But she came to the Qi family when she was seven years old, married Qi Shenggang when she was in her teens, gave birth to two children for him, and sent his parents away for him. In the more than ten years of marriage, if she had no credit, she had worked hard. Qi Shenggang wanted to divorce her, but he couldn't just give nothing.

When the time comes, she will work, no matter if it is a job in Rong City or in her hometown. As long as she can support herself and her children, she will not be picky.

In the next few years, she will work hard and try to accumulate experience, so that if they really come to the point of divorce, he will arrange a job for her and she will not be unable to do it.

After noticing Qi Shenggang's changes, Li Guifang has been at a loss. She feels the crisis of her marriage, but is powerless to do anything. She doesn't know what to do in the future, so she can only comfort herself that she is overthinking, and then try hard to please Qi Shenggang.

But the quarrel that broke out that night was a heavy blow to her, and she knew that she could not get this man back.

Realizing this, she thought she would be sad, but in fact, she was not. Her feelings for Qi Shenggang had already been worn away by so many years of being apart from each other.

But when she first arrived on the island, she still had fantasies about this man and expectations for the future, so there was still light in her eyes when she looked at him.

After arriving on the island, she was poured with cold water, and the light in her eyes gradually faded. So, when she confirmed that their marriage was in danger, all she felt was panic about the future.

But as a mother, she is strong. Even if it is not for herself, but for the sake of her two children, she cannot let herself panic. In the past few days, she has been trying to keep the peace while thinking about the future.

Because she was mentally prepared, after being reminded by Su Ting, even though she was unwilling to make malicious assumptions about her partner, Li Guifang did not deny the possibility she raised.

She hoped he wasn't so cruel, but she had to be on guard against him.

So, when Qi Sheng came back that night, Li Guifang told him her plan.

Upon learning that she wanted to wait until the house was allocated and the household registration was completed before returning to her hometown, Qi Shenggang frowned and asked, "Didn't we agree on this? Why have you changed your mind again?"

Li Guifang did not answer, but only asked: "You seem to want me to go back now."

Qi Shenggang was silent for a moment and said, "I just think it's better to go early and come back early. The eldest and the second child still have to go to school."

"Really?" Li Guifang chuckled and asked, "Have you submitted the information about the troops?"

"Of course!" Qi Shenggang seemed to be hurt by the smile on her face and accused, "I admit that I didn't agree with you joining the army at first, but since you insisted and I agreed, I will definitely not regret it. Can you stop being so gloomy all the time?"

During these years of marriage, she and Qi Shenggang had quarreled before, but every time, no matter who was right or who won the argument, she was always wrong in the end.

It was the same when they had a fight before because of following the army. In the end, he grabbed her hair and asked helplessly why she had become like this. He almost didn't recognize her anymore.

At that time, Li Guifang argued with him and asked who had changed between them.

But now, she no longer wanted to argue with him. He could be weird as long as things went her way.

Qi Shenggang finally chose to compromise.

A few days later, their application to join the army was approved, and they were allocated a house. Like the He family, they also got a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment with an area of ​​about 60 to 70 square meters, which was far less spacious than their hometown.

But Li Guifang was very enthusiastic about her new home. On the first day she got the key, she came to Su Ting to borrow a bucket and a rag and cleaned the house inside and out.

While waiting for her household registration to be approved, she would go to her new home every day to buy things, clean the house, or just sit there and do nothing; she could stay there for the entire afternoon.

Although she wanted to stay on Pingchuan Island and not go home, there were some things she had to go back to deal with, so after her household registration was approved, Li Guifang packed up her things and prepared to return to her hometown.

Before going back, she made a special visit to He's house.

This time she did not cover up for Qi Shenggang and told Su Ting their story, his changes, and her future plans.

Su Ting was very happy for her after hearing this. She felt that meeting a scumbag was not a big deal, but what was scary was never being able to recover from the blow.

Although Li Guifang still has to depend on Qi Shenggang for her life and cannot leave him on her own initiative, as long as she has an idea and dares to do it, she will be able to stand on her own feet one day.

By then, won't it be up to her whether to divorce or not?

Su Ting also did not forget to remind Li Guifang that no matter what happens in the future, she should hold on to Qi Shenggang's money while their marriage lasts. In many cases, money is more important than a man.

After hearing this, Li Guifang thanked her.

Su Ting waved her hands, looked at her sincerely and said, "I wish you a speedy return."

…

After Li Guifang returned to her hometown, Su Ting was finally able to leave her confinement period.

Unlike Duan Xiaoying's chaotic confinement period, Su Ting had a very comfortable confinement period with Aunt Wang around. Except for not being able to wash her hair or take a bath, she basically had no worries.

But her troubles were nothing compared to the treatment she received.

She was not the kind of person who didn't know what was good for her. She knew that Aunt Wang was so strict because she was thinking about her future. So after washing her hair and taking a shower on the day she was discharged from the hospital, she never tried to challenge Aunt Wang's authority again.

Not washing your hair for more than 20 days is actually not unbearable.

Anyway, Su Ting managed to endure it.

Even in the later stages of her confinement, she didn't want to touch her hair at all. She even braided her hair into a messy braid and put on a hat to avoid seeing it.

Aunt Wang also thought that out of sight, out of mind. As an old lady who came from the old society, she really couldn't get used to Su Ting's dirty braid style. What the hell was going on?

It is indeed very convenient to wear dirty braids. If your scalp itches, you can just pick them out without worrying about messing up your hair. However, it is troublesome to take them off. There are too many braids and they are too thin. You can only take them off one by one from the bottom up.

This task was naturally given to He Dongchuan.

In fact, Su Ting wanted to do it herself. Although she and He Dongchuan had a child, she still had the image of an idol in her heart and was not willing to face him with greasy hair that had not been washed for more than 20 days.

But the braid was too difficult to take off, and she had to keep her hands raised to do it herself, which was very tiring.

She compromised after dismantling less than one-third of it and chose to let He Yan go into the bathroom to help.

Well, her first choice is He Yan.

He was also willing to help, he loved to join in the fun, and thought it was fun to help Su Ting take off her braids. But he was clumsy, and before he had even finished taking off one braid, he had already pulled it so hard that Su Ting hissed three times.

There is no such thing as a third time. No matter how much He Yan promised that he would not hurt Su Ting, she would not believe him anymore and directly called He Dongchuan to come in and help.

Sure enough, the father was much more meticulous than his son. He Dongchuan was gentle and did not hurt Su Ting after removing the entire braid.

After removing the braid, He Dongchuan stayed to continue washing Su Ting's hair.

Her hair was really dirty. After she undid her braid and it got wet, she couldn't comb it out and it got tangled up.

She was getting impatient and could not help but comb her hair harder. Her hair was pulled away from her scalp one by one. He Dongchuan saw this and stopped her from combing her hair and helped her untangle the tangled hair bit by bit.

In the end, Su Ting spent more than half an hour just washing her hair.

Although it is troublesome, I do feel refreshed after washing.

Because she was in a happy mood, a smile appeared on her face unconsciously, and her cheeks were reddened by the steam, which was very attractive in He Dongchuan's eyes.

Looking at the girl in front of him patting her cheeks in front of the mirror, He Dongchuan couldn't help but walked forward, put his arms around her waist, and bent down to kiss her cheek.

The kiss came too suddenly. Su Ting turned her face to the side out of habit, and the kiss was transferred to her lips.

She stepped back quickly and reached out to push He Dongchuan: "I still need to take a shower."

"There's no rush."

Today is Sunday. During the day and in the morning, no one is waiting to take a shower, and no one is in a hurry to use the toilet. Su Ting can take as long as she wants to take.

Su Ting was pressed against the bathroom door. She looked up at He Dongchuan and continued to make excuses: "Auntie Wang is still outside."

"She'll leave us alone now."

After Su Ting finished her confinement, the ban on washing her hair was lifted, as was the ban on the two of them sleeping together.

In other words, He Dongchuan can go back to the master bedroom to sleep tonight.

So after opening his eyes today, he was in an excited state, feeling dizzy.

He Dongchuan lowered his head and continued to kiss Su Ting's lips.

During this time, because of Aunt Wang's strict defense, he had to keep the door open when talking to her, and even if he closed the door occasionally, he didn't dare to stay in the room for too long, so their kisses were always shallow and they separated quickly.

One was that he was afraid of being caught by Aunt Wang and scolded, and the other was that he was afraid of an accidental discharge of the gun.

Until now, when Su Ting had finished her confinement, He Dongchuan dared to kiss her hard, and he kissed her from her lips to her chest.

Sensing that He Dongchuan wanted to go a step further, Su Ting quickly covered her clothes and said breathlessly: "Auntie Wang's ban has been lifted, but mine is still in place."

He Dongchuan put his forehead against hers and asked with a frown, "What prohibitions do you have?"

"Don't touch me for three months after giving birth."

"Why?"

"I need to stay healthy."

Su Ting had heard people say before that it was best not to have sex too soon after giving birth. She couldn't remember the exact time, but she knew that the time for natural birth and caesarean section seemed to be different, the former was shorter and the latter was later, about two to three months.

To be sure, she specifically consulted a doctor before being discharged from the hospital. However, the general concept at that time was that women should not sleep in different rooms during the confinement period. Aunt Wang also thought so, so she relaxed the restrictions on He Dongchuan after he left the hospital.

To be on the safe side, Su Ting finally decided to take three months. After all, there was no harm in taking more rest. She didn't want to develop a lifelong problem due to her carelessness in this regard.

He Dongchuan had of course consulted a doctor, and it was because of that that he dared to be so presumptuous, but Su Ting said she wanted to take care of her health… He had no way of objecting, and could only bargain with her: “I won’t do it to the end.”

In fact, he had not intended to do it to the end. It was broad daylight and Aunt Wang and He Yan were at home. He could have said nothing, but he knew that Su Ting had to protect her reputation, so he wanted to be unrestrained, but not too uninhibited.

But Su Ting didn't know his plan, so he could go with the flow and pretend that he had given in.

Su Ting didn't care whether he gave in or not, she grabbed her collar tightly and said, "No."

Although she had not thought about lying in bed with He Dongchuan and doing nothing in the next two months, at least she couldn't let him break through her defenses so early.

Human desires are often ladder-like.

After the kiss, I wanted a hug, and after the hug, I wanted to go further. At the beginning, I couldn’t get in, and when we really got to the bed, I was not satisfied.

Now that he has broken through our defense, how are we going to survive the next two months?

When it comes to her health, she won't compromise.

He Dongchuan sighed and gave in, saying, "Then touch me."

Su Ting suddenly had the wrong idea, looked down, and then shook her head: "No."

He Dongchuan smiled and said, "I asked you to touch my head and comfort me. What were you thinking?"

Su Ting was stunned and denied: "Who has the wrong idea?"

"Yes, you didn't think wrongly, and I didn't say you did," He Dongchuan smiled even more fiercely, bent down and kissed her cheek, put his head in front of her, and put on a look as if asking for caress and comfort.

Pingchuan Island had already entered summer in May. Knowing that Su Ting loved cleanliness, He Dongchuan would wash his hair and take a bath every day during this period.

He didn't go out today and didn't sweat much, so his hair was very fresh and had no strange smell. Su Ting looked up and could still see his clean scalp between his hair.

Su Ting reached out and touched his head.

The short hair tied in the palm of her hand felt itchy. Su Ting withdrew her hand, rubbed her palm with her fingers, and touched his head twice.

Half a minute later, He Dongchuan took a deep breath, looked up and said, "I'm fine."

He turned around, opened the bathroom door, went out to fetch water and gave Su Ting a bath.

…

Before Su Ting was out of confinement, a military wife came to ask about the full-month banquet.

In fact, these days, having a baby rarely involves a big banquet. After all, many people just invite friends and relatives to have a meal when they get married.

There was no family planning at that time. As long as the couple had a good relationship and were in good health, it was common to have two children in three years and three children in five years. The baby's full month was not a big deal. A good meal at home and some fun was enough.

But who made Su Ting give birth so slowly? The Han family had just held a banquet for their youngest son's full-month birthday. She and Duan Xiaoying's pregnancy and birth were too close, so they were inevitably compared.

From the late pregnancy to the confinement period, Su Ting had someone to take care of her. Although she did not gain weight after the confinement period, her face was rosy. Duan Xiaoying had no one to take care of her. She had a lot of things to do during the confinement period. After the confinement period, her face was sallow and her back was sore. In this respect, Su Ting won.

But Duan Xiaoying gave birth to a son and Su Ting gave birth to a daughter, so Duan Xiaoying won again.

Not to mention that He Dongchuan already has He Yan, so he has no shortage of sons. After all, no matter how good the relationship between Su Ting and her stepson is, she is still a stepmother, and the two of them have no blood relationship.

This person still needs to have a biological son.

Just look at Duan Xiaoying. Although she did not have a happy confinement period and her complexion has not improved since she came out of confinement, she is in high spirits and speaks with more confidence than before.

Where does her confidence come from?

Isn’t it because I gave birth to a son?

And if she hadn't given birth to a son, would Han Bin have been willing to hold such a grand banquet? You know, he doesn't lack children.

As for Su Ting, even though she had a good time during the confinement period, it might not be the same after she leaves. A lady is still a lady, and no matter how much He Dongchuan loves the child, he may not be willing to hold a big banquet for her.

Of course, Miss Su Ting is not one month old yet, so it is still unclear whether the banquet will be held and how big it will be. Because the two of them tied before, it is not clear who will win or lose.

In the end, the full moon wine slowly became the match point.

If the He family invites more guests than the Han family, then Su Ting will definitely win, otherwise Duan Xiaoying will win.

When Su Ting learned about this from Yu Xiaofang, her face suddenly turned cold and she asked, "You didn't participate in the discussion, did you?"

Noticing that her expression was not right, Yu Xiaofang said hesitantly, "No, no, what's wrong with you? Are you angry?"

"Well, I'm mad. Tell me who's talking about this."

Although Su Ting's expression was calm when she said this, Yu Xiaofang had known her for a year and already understood her temper very well. She knew that she was serious and was really angry.

Thinking of her past achievements, Yu Xiaofang was afraid that she would pick a fight right after she got out of confinement, so she didn't dare to name her name directly. Instead, she advised, "Actually, they were just talking nonsense. Don't be too angry. It's harmful to your health to quarrel with others right after you got out of confinement."

Su Ting couldn't help but twitch her lips: "Don't worry, I don't plan to fight with anyone, but I will never associate with these people in the future. If I want to hold a full-moon banquet, I will definitely not invite them."

She just thinks that comparing the winners and losers by saying A wins a game by having someone to take care of her and B wins a game by giving birth to a son is an objectification of women, as if all the value of a woman lies in her belly.

She couldn't accept such values.

Yu Xiaofang breathed a sigh of relief and told everyone she knew. Su Ting wrote down their names one by one and put them on the blacklist.

Whenever someone came to ask about the full moon banquet afterwards, Su Ting would not answer.

Soon, rumors spread in the compound that He Dongchuan disliked the fact that Su Ting gave birth to a concubine and did not plan to hold a full-month banquet.

Because he was a party to the incident, no one gossiped about it to He Dongchuan. He heard the rumor from Shi Cheng.

Shi Cheng told this to He Dongchuan, not because he believed that he favored boys over girls. You know, after He Dongchuan came back from vacation, he kept talking about my daughter in the conversation, and his ears were almost worn out by her.

However, he did not receive an invitation to a full-month party, and was puzzled, so he mentioned it to He Dongchuan, asking him to tell him in advance if he planned to hold a full-month party so that he could prepare the gift money.

Of course a full-month banquet had to be held, but He Dongchuan didn't ask for a gift.

Because Su Ting didn't take the outside discussions seriously, and didn't intend to invite a lot of unfamiliar people just for the sake of face.

Well, the main reason was that Su Ting felt that hosting a banquet was too troublesome. There were no hotels on Pingchuan Island, and the cafeteria did not undertake banquet business, so if she wanted to host a banquet, she could only cook by herself.

If we want to invite people to dinner, Aunt Wang will definitely not be able to handle it alone. He Dongchuan... when his comrades come to visit, he definitely can't be busy in the kitchen all the time, so Su Ting will definitely have to lend a hand.

But Su Ting is a person who doesn't want to cook even when she is hungry and only wants to eat in the cafeteria. If she is asked to cook for a bunch of people she is not that familiar with just for the sake of face, she would feel that she is crazy.

Therefore, for her daughter's full-month banquet, Su Ting only wanted to invite close friends to have a meal and have some fun, so she would not accept any gifts.

Because Su Ting didn't want to entertain guests in a disheveled state, the banquet was scheduled for the second Sunday after she came out of confinement.

It was still early, so He Dongchuan was not in a hurry to inform Shi Cheng.

Shi Chengran was convinced and later told He Dongchuan about the rumors. Although it was not a big deal, it would easily affect his reputation if it spread.

He Dongchuan was very angry. After returning home that night, he proposed to Su Ting to hold a grand full-month banquet for his daughter, in order to tell those people that he did not mind that Su Ting gave birth to a daughter.

As for the problem that Su Ting was worried about, he also thought of a solution. He paid a military wife who was a good cook to help cook, and she just had to sit and entertain the guests.

After a brief consideration, Su Ting agreed with He Dongchuan's decision.

Well, the reason why she gave in so quickly was definitely not because He Dongchuan's proposal completely freed her hands and allowed her to be lazy and not have to work, but because of her consideration for his reputation.

After all, if they don't hold a full-month banquet for their daughter, He Dongchuan will definitely not be able to get rid of the label of favoring boys over girls in the short term.

He Dongchuan is lucky to have such a caring wife.