He Tingchuan didn't want to talk too much with his mother, so he asked her to call his father.
The father and son didn't exchange pleasantries. He Tingchuan told them about Yun Jin's dream, and his father remained silent on the other end of the phone: "What do you want me to do?"
“Dad, if it’s true, that’s the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. We can’t just sit idly by.” He Tingchuan thought of the fear in his wife’s eyes; she wouldn’t lie.
Mr. He frowned: "What if it's just a nightmare?"
Before He Tingchuan could speak, his father reminded him, "Do you know the consequences of spreading rumors?"
He Tingchuan knew, of course, that he could have saved only his own family, but as a soldier, he served the people. He trained so hard and led his soldiers to conquer the fortress so that he could stand in front of the artillery fire and protect the people.
Now that he knows the people are in danger, how can he sit idly by?
“I know,” He Tingchuan said firmly.
Mr. He sighed: "Have you thought it through?"
He Tingchuan nodded: "Dad, I will take full responsibility for any consequences. If anyone asks, keep my wife out of it and don't let her get involved."
Mr. He gritted his teeth: "Very well, you truly are a descendant of the He family. I will tell your mother that you are not a coward!"
He Tingchuan: "...I want to tell my daughter too."
Mr. He: "Get out of here. I'm going to talk to someone. You better not let the He family pay the price for your momentary impulse."
He Tingchuan clenched his fist: "If I could, I wouldn't want this either. It would be best if there were no earthquake. If there were, it just means that we've done the right thing. Dad, I'm counting on you!"
Mr. He was so angry that he hung up the phone.
Mrs. He asked cautiously, "How is it?"
Mr. He said, "You should call your eldest son and tell them to discipline their daughter properly. They can't have a child and then not raise her themselves, leaving everything to us old folks."
"That Zizhen is so ungrateful." After saying this, Mr. He left with his hands behind his back. He did not return that night.
When Brother He and his wife returned, He Zizhen felt even more wronged than Dou E. She hugged her sister-in-law and cried loudly, saying that He Tingchuan and his wife only knew how to bully children. She hadn't said anything, yet they wanted to sever their uncle-nephew relationship.
Brother He made a phone call and summoned He Tingchuan to answer it.
Knowing it was Brother He calling, He Tingchuan said coldly, "If you're here to blame me for your daughter, there's no need. I don't mind not having such a niece who can't understand right from wrong."
Before Brother He could utter a word after being rebuked, He Tingchuan coldly said, "If there's nothing else, I need to go back and put my daughter to sleep. You've seriously disturbed my rest time."
Brother He rubbed his temples: "Zizhen has a childish temper, you're an elder..."
Before Brother He could finish speaking, the other end of the phone hung up, just like He Zizhen hung up on Yun Jin. The harpoon struck Brother He.
After avenging his wife, He Tingchuan told the operator, "Reject any calls that say they are from my elder brother and sister-in-law. If it's my parents calling, please remember to notify me."
The staff member who answered the phone nodded, saluted, and watched He Tingchuan walk away.
Not long after, the phone rang again. The operator answered and, after asking who was calling, confirmed that it wasn't the He family from Beijing. She told the operator to wait a moment and said she would find someone to answer the phone right away.
Yun Jin couldn't sleep that night.
He Tingchuan is the same.
Only when Little Rice Cake got tired of playing, she spread her arms and legs out, revealing her little belly, with her little legs still on her mother's belly, her little hands holding onto the corner of her father's clothes, sleeping soundly.
Noticing that the other person couldn't sleep, He Tingchuan said, "I told my dad about the earthquake."
"Will Dad believe it?" Yun Jin wasn't surprised. She knew that if He Tingchuan knew there would be an earthquake, he definitely wouldn't sit idly by. She knew that He Tingchuan loved his country and his people at heart.
She could not ignore the sacrifices and dedication of soldiers, and their determination to die for their country.
“Dad said that if there are any consequences, I will bear them alone.” He Tingchuan stated, turning his head to look at the person in front of him. Seeing the look of heartache, guilt, and self-blame in her eyes, he stroked her eyebrows and eyes: “I’m sorry that I made things worse without discussing it with you.”
"Hmph, you have the nerve to say that? You just don't care about me at all," Yun Jin said reproachfully.
He Tingchuan leaned in, wanting to kiss her, but she avoided him. Knowing she was angry, He Tingchuan grabbed her hand and kissed it: "I'm sorry, but if anything really happens, we'll get a divorce and extricate you and the child from the situation."
"Are you crazy?" Yun Jin glared at him. "Say it again and see. There's no need for a divorce. I'll just be a widow."
Yun Jin deliberately provoked He Tingchuan: "Rich, good-looking, and with a well-behaved and adorable daughter, no husband, how great is that!"
He Tingchuan: "..."
He contradicted himself: "Never mind, just pretend I didn't say anything."
"Play one for us to hear," Yun Jin said, glancing sideways.
He Tingchuan's ears burned. Seeing that Yun Jin didn't seem to be joking, He Tingchuan turned his head away. He was too embarrassed to do it in front of her.
Not long after, He Tingchuan turned his back to Yun Jin and made "bububu" sounds.
Yun Jin scoffed, "It's a series of farts, isn't it!"
He Tingchuan's ears turned bright red as he turned to look at Yun Jin, who was amused: "Are you still angry?"
"Hmph, what do you think? Someone actually wants to divorce me, and I can't even get angry?" Yun Jin looked like she was hard to appease.
He Tingchuan lowered his eyes and looked ingratiatingly at him: "I'm not saying this because I'm afraid you'll be targeted. You know how tense things have been these past few years. I don't want to implicate you and the child, that's why I'm saying this."
Yun Jin was moved and couldn't help but hug He Tingchuan. She knew that he didn't want her and her daughter to be taken out shopping, pointed at and gossiped about, and to live in the midst of other people's gossip and criticism, and to be talked about behind their backs.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
