Is the Washboard Easy to Kneel On?
Sure enough, Hong Mei smiled and said, “I came today because there’s something I wanted to ask you. It isn’t related to Zhendong.”
“Please go ahead.” Su Su nodded to show she understood.
“I wanted to ask, where has the child who saved Zhendong gone now?”
“Oh, you mean Comrade Lin Donghe? He has already returned to the village. The village is busy with spring ploughing, and as the brigade leader, he has responsibilities.” Su Su indirectly praised Lin Donghe a little. After all, being able to serve as a brigade leader in the village already meant he was quite outstanding.
“So he’s a brigade leader. Right, Comrade Su, you know he saved my son. We originally wanted to thank him by inviting him to our home, but we didn’t get the chance. I wanted to ask where exactly his family lives, and what kind of relative are you to him?” Hong Mei asked very carefully, making it impossible for anyone to find fault with her.
Su Su smiled and said, “Actually, he is my husband’s cousin. His family lives in a small mountain village in S Province.”
“What? Teacher, you’re married?”
“Yes.”
Su Su glanced at Guan Zhendong and knew why he was so agitated. After she transmigrated, her age had been compressed, so people wouldn’t expect someone so young to have married so early.
“Then who else is in his family?”
“Only his parents and one younger brother.” Su Su roughly introduced the Lin family’s situation. When she mentioned that they had fled famine from somewhere else, Hong Mei immediately asked where they had fled from.
Su Su knew this. After all, Father Lin and Mother Lin told her everything. She even knew the family’s savings, let alone where they had fled from.
After she finished speaking, she could clearly feel Hong Mei becoming a little emotional. Hong Mei seemed afraid that she would do something too impolite, so she asked Su Su for the exact address, then stood up and left. Guan Zhendong didn’t say anything either and followed behind her.
After they left, Hong Mei got into the car and began crying. Guan Zhendong said, “This time, is it true?”
“Back then, your father and I left your elder brother with a household in the south, but we didn’t know that family’s surname. This time, there seems to be some possibility. We’ll go over immediately.”
“Shouldn’t we tell Dad?”
“If we tell him, he definitely won’t agree. He has already lost hope.” As his father, he could give up, but as his mother, she didn’t want to.
“Alright, then we’ll go together.” For so many years, the family had exhausted themselves trying to find this elder brother. Guan Zhendong also wanted to help.
And so, mother and son agreed. Guan Zhendong asked for leave and went with his mother, Hong Mei, to the small mountain village.
Su Su knew when they left. But when she ran into the female lead at school again, she thought about how Qin Yueyue had offended the male lead so badly, and now he was about to make a comeback. She wondered how Qin Yueyue would try to reconcile with him when the time came.
One had to know that later, the female lead had wanted to use the Guan family’s power to rise up. However, because she had been married before, the Guan family did not welcome her at all. In the end, it was only because the female lead truly achieved some results after graduation that the Guan family accepted her.
This time, she was already the Guan family’s daughter-in-law. Who knew whether she would be able to enter the Guan family door so easily?
Still, the female lead was the female lead. Her attitude toward learning really did make Su Su, as a teacher, feel gratified. Whenever Qin Yueyue had a question she didn’t understand, she would come ask. She even asked Su Su to explain things to her study group.
Su Su supported their learning, so from time to time, she gave them extra lessons.
In the blink of an eye, almost a month had passed. Her missing husband should be coming back soon, right? She didn’t know which remote ravine he had gone to. They couldn’t even contact him. In a whole month, she had only received one letter, and there hadn’t even been a return address.
Once he came back, she definitely had to teach him a lesson. She would absolutely ignore him for three days. Or maybe two?
She was sitting in the classroom, letting her thoughts wander, when suddenly she saw a teacher run over and say, “Teacher Su, the principal wants you to go to the office. There’s something urgent.”
“I understand.” Su Su nodded and stood up, going with him to the principal’s office.
Unexpectedly, there were actually three soldiers inside. One was an elderly soldier, and the other two looked like guards. She suddenly thought, Could something have happened to her man? Her legs went weak, and she quickly held onto the door to steady herself.
When Principal Guan saw her face suddenly turn deathly pale, he remembered that she was a military family member. He quickly said, “Teacher Su, don’t be nervous. This is a leader from the army. He came to speak to you about something. It has nothing to do with your husband.”
Only after hearing this did Su Su relax. She patted her chest and said, “You scared me to death.”
Only then did the old leader say in surprise, “So you’re a military spouse?”
“Yes. Hello, my name is Su Su.” Su Su closed the door and walked in. Because she had been badly frightened just now, her voice still trembled a little.
“Being a military wife isn’t easy.” Look, they had frightened this young comrade so much that her face had changed. He quickly signalled to the guard beside him to bring her a chair. “Comrade Su, right? Come, sit down and talk.” He seemed much warmer than before.
“Alright.” Su Su tried her best to steady herself, then looked at the old leader. “May I ask what matter you came for?”
The old leader looked Su Su up and down. “Which unit does your husband serve in?”
Su Su looked at this leader and knew he was no ordinary person. Besides, her husband’s unit wasn’t exactly a secret. But she still glanced at Principal Guan, only to hear him say, “It’s fine. No matter what, he is my elder brother. He isn’t some suspicious person.”
So he was the male lead’s father. No wonder he looked so imposing.
It could be said that in the whole book, this man was at the very top. There was basically no one who could surpass him. She hadn’t expected to meet such a big shot. She immediately said, “Hello. My husband serves in XX Unit. His name is Lin Chuan.”
“It’s that boy Lin Chuan? I didn’t expect he’d actually marry such a beautiful wife. His luck with romance isn’t shallow.” Leader Guan laughed loudly twice. It seemed he was quite familiar with Lin Chuan.
The book hadn’t explained this part. Su Su was a little confused.
“That makes things easier. Originally, you would have needed to go through a review, but since you’re a military family member and that boy’s wife, we can skip that step.” After he said this, Principal Guan added, “I already said there would be no problem.”
???
Su Su looked completely bewildered and had no idea what riddles these big shots were speaking in.
Principal Guan also noticed her confusion, so he explained. There were international friends coming to the X City military unit for academic exchange, but the army truly didn’t have anyone capable of communicating with those people normally in English.
Even if they did, there weren’t enough. This exchange delegation had around forty to fifty people, so at least four or five interpreters were needed.
So they had no choice but to come to the university to see. Their university could only send Su Su, the one teacher who was capable of interpreting.
After hearing this, Su Su immediately smiled and said, “This is what I should do. As long as you need me, you can call me at any time.”
Leader Guan hadn’t expected such a young girl to agree so quickly. He said, “However, the content of this exchange is all confidential. You’ll need to sign a confidentiality agreement.”
“That’s fine.”
Su Su agreed without hesitation. Her thought process was very simple. Big shots couldn’t be offended. If she could help, she should help. In the future, if the male lead and female lead wanted to turn around and deal with Lin Chuan or something, she might be able to plead on his behalf.
But unexpectedly, Leader Guan exclaimed, “I want to know where Lin Chuan married such a straightforward girl.” Other people would hesitate and be afraid when hearing this, but she had actually agreed so generously.
It had to be said, he really liked such a decisive girl.
“He… picked me up from the mountains.” Su Su smiled and pinched her fingers lightly.
Leader Guan became even more surprised. Out of curiosity, he insisted the young girl briefly tell him her love and marriage history before finally sending Principal Guan out and having her sign the confidentiality agreement.
Of course, the fact that she was going to the army as an interpreter didn’t need to be kept secret. What needed to be kept secret was what she saw and said while inside the army.
Su Su read the confidentiality agreement once, then signed it very readily.
After that, Leader Guan said that once the exchange delegation arrived, they would send someone to pick her up. She would probably have to accompany them for around ten days. That meant her school work would have to stop temporarily.
Principal Guan naturally agreed. The school did have other teachers who understood English, though their spoken English wasn’t very good. At that time, they could let that teacher persist for a few days. In any case, Su Su had already compiled the curriculum and materials.
The army was also very reasonable. After Su Su completed this work, they would give her a three-hundred-yuan financial subsidy, as well as a living allowance. Putting everything else aside, just for the money, she had to go.
Three hundred yuan—converted to modern times, even if it wasn’t twenty thousand, it would still be over ten thousand. It was quite a good sum to save.
Thinking this, she happily went home. Unexpectedly, as soon as she got home, she saw that her door was open. Only two people had the key to this door. She immediately knew who had come.
She quickly rushed toward the house. When she opened the door, she saw a figure staring blankly at a bottle of liquor on the table.
“Lin Chuan, you’re back?” It seemed he had also only just arrived. He hadn’t even taken off his outer coat.
“Be careful.” Lin Chuan was afraid his wife might bump into something, so he quickly walked over and supported her.
“When did you come back? Why did you come so late?”
“I finished handing things over at the unit and came here. In two days, there’s another important mission. I’ll only have time to accompany you often after some more days.”
“Really? Then are you staying overnight?” They were already an old married couple, so she had no reservations asking this.
“Mm.” Lin Chuan nodded. Then he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but didn’t. In the end, he went to the kitchen.
His thought was simple: he should first help his wife make dinner.
Then, in the kitchen, he discovered leftover chicken and canned food. These were clearly side dishes for drinking alcohol. His wife didn’t drink, and he had been gone for over a month.
Although he didn’t want to think too much, Lin Chuan was a man.
He cooked in silence. Meanwhile, Su Su stood beside him very enthusiastically, asking whether he had been tired these days and so on, clearly caring about him.
Looking at his wife’s excited little appearance, Lin Chuan felt he must have been overthinking and threw those discoveries to the back of his mind.
After making the meal, he planned to go out and dump the ashes. When he opened the shoe cabinet, he discovered a pair of men’s cloth shoes inside. They hadn’t been worn much.
Lin Chuan’s heart seemed to be scalded by something, aching sharply.
After dumping the ashes, he smoked. Even after taking several deep drags, he couldn’t calm down. Finally, he pulled his clothes together and went out for a walk around the courtyard. This walk lasted over half an hour.
Su Su thought he had gone to buy some side dishes for drinking, so she didn’t pay it any mind. She placed the food on the table, sat there reading while waiting. She was so carefree that she completely didn’t think the traces she had left behind had been seen by the man, making him suspicious but too afraid to ask. He could only run out to smoke and vent his anger.
The door was open, and a figure walked in, saying, “Sister-in-law, how did you know I was coming today? You even prepared food.”
“That’s not it. Your elder brother came back. Right, today isn’t Sunday. Why are you here?”
“I came to deliver a little quilt for my niece.”
He took out the little quilt. It was entirely floral and especially pretty.
Su Su’s girlish heart was instantly stirred. She liked it very much and even picked it up to sit on it. “This would also be really good as a cushion.”
“If Sister-in-law likes it, I’ll pick up fabric scraps and make a few for you. There’s a lot of unwanted fabric like this anyway. But I moved too many goods yesterday and am a little tired. I want to go inside and lie down until Eldest Brother comes back.”
“Go ahead.”
Su Su waved her hand and continued waiting for Lin Chuan.
Before long, Lin Chuan came back, holding a bottle of canned food.
It seemed he wanted to drink. Su Su smiled and stood up. “You’re back—”
Eh? Suddenly, there was an extra bottle of canned food in her hand, and Lin Chuan rushed into the room like a gust of wind.
“Hey, you…” What was he doing?
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Chuan had already kicked the bedroom door open. The noise was so loud it was frightening. The door itself hadn’t been very sturdy, and with this kick, it was directly ruined.
Su Su finally realised that something was wrong with her man. He seemed to be catching an adulterer—in bed.
Indeed, he pulled Lin Hai out from under the quilt and shouted, “Who the hell are you?”
Then the two brothers faced each other, eyes wide, staring.
Lin Hai said, “Eldest Brother, let’s talk properly. I know I shouldn’t have lain on your and Sister-in-law’s bed, but I was a little tired.”
Lin Chuan: “…”
Su Su, who had already understood everything, shouted, “Lin Chuan!”
“Present!” Lin Chuan instantly threw his younger brother onto the bed and stood at attention. Then, seeming to realise something, he ran to Su Su and wilted. “Wife, I was wrong.”
“Oh, so you know you were wrong? The moment you come back, you start causing trouble. Tell me, what exactly were you thinking?” Su Su was furious as she glared at him.
It was Lin Hai’s first time seeing his sister-in-law angry with his elder brother. He couldn’t help standing up from the bed to try to persuade them. But he didn’t even know why the two of them were angry, so how could he persuade them? He could only stammer, “Sister-in-law, don’t be angry. Be careful of my little niece.”
Su Su was still angry. Hearing him say this, she replied, “I don’t want it anymore. If even my own man suspects me, what do I need a child for?”
Hearing this, Lin Chuan instantly thought of Qin Yueyue bleeding heavily, as well as his own poor unborn little daughter. He immediately grabbed Su Su. “Wife, I’ll do anything you want. Just don’t be angry with me or the child. You can shoot me if you want.”
“I don’t have a gun.”
“…”
How had this conversation become so bloody?
However, Lin Hai was finally clever for once. He thought of how when his father and mother argued, it was best for them not to stay nearby and persuade them, because the more they persuaded, the fiercer the fight became. Also, it was easy to be blamed afterwards.
His elder brother and sister-in-law were also husband and wife. Judging from the situation, it was best not to persuade them either. So he simply decided not to eat and to return to the factory. At worst, he could go back and chew on bread.
“Then Eldest Brother, Sister-in-law, you two keep arguing. I’ll leave first.” Quietly, without disturbing them, Lin Hai meowed and closed the door before leaving.
On this side, Su Su still hadn’t calmed down. Lin Chuan very proactively carried over the washboard. “Wife, if it really won’t do, I’ll kneel on this.” His comrades in the army had all said that the best way to make a wife calm down was to kneel on the washboard. Once her heart softened, her anger would disappear.
Su Su was so angry she kept rolling her eyes. Before she could say anything else, he had already knelt on the washboard.
Their family’s washboard was rather thin too. Once he knelt on it, a strange sound came from it, and part of the metal surface seemed to deform.
“Aiya, get up! Don’t crush my washboard.”
“…”
Wasn’t she supposed to feel sorry for his knees? Why was she feeling sorry for the washboard?
Lin Chuan knew he was in the wrong, so while standing up, he explained, “When I came back, I saw traces that a man had been in the house. My liquor had been drunk. There was a pair of men’s shoes in the shoe cabinet. And then…” He had overthought things. Especially when he was smoking and discovered traces that someone outside had also smoked there.
Su Su rolled her eyes. “That was because your two younger brothers came over. Being so suspicious—do you trust me that little?”
“No, I trust you.” He just didn’t trust other men.
“Then ask me directly. What does it mean to suddenly rush in and catch adultery?”
“Next time, I’ll definitely ask directly.”
Lin Chuan’s attitude in admitting his mistake was very good. But seeing that his wife still didn’t seem to have calmed down, he learned and applied what he had learned. He rushed over, hugged her, and directly gave her a deep, long kiss. Finally, beside her ear, he said, “I missed you.”
A couple who hadn’t seen each other in more than a month—after being teased like this, no matter how angry she was, it all dissipated. Su Su also broke character while panting. “If there’s a next time, I definitely won’t let you off. I’ll make you kneel on the washboard for a week.”
“Alright, alright.”
“What does kneeling on a washboard feel like?” Why did he look so proud?
“Our regimental commander said a soldier who hasn’t knelt on a washboard isn’t a complete soldier.” So today, he was finally complete.
Pfft.
“Why is your regimental commander so funny?” He had definitely knelt on a washboard before and then found himself such a grand excuse.
“Wife, I’m sorry.” At the end, Lin Chuan gently apologised again, and Su Su’s anger disappeared with the wind. Perhaps this was what being an old married couple was like.
However, from this moment on, she finally understood Lin Chuan’s jealousy. Previously, she had thought he was a very steady person. She hadn’t expected that when he got jealous, he would actually become this impulsive.
The door…
Su Su finally remembered the door that had been kicked broken. Pointing at that pile, she said, “You came back and immediately caused trouble for me. Fix it first.”
“Yes, obeying orders.” Lin Chuan immediately started tidying up the door.
Su Su glanced at the food on the side and said, “Forget it. Eat first, then fix it. Call Lin Hai out.”
“He left.”
“When did he leave?”
“Just now.”
After Lin Chuan said this, he pulled Su Su to sit down and eat. Then he asked about Lin Hai’s situation. After learning that he had somewhere to stay, he felt even less worried. He enthusiastically ate with his wife, drank a little liquor himself, then after tidying up, hurriedly carried his wife into the room.
In the end, he was mercilessly struck down.
“I’m still carrying the baby. What are you trying to do?”
“Sorry. I got carried away for a moment…” He had forgotten.
Su Su saw that he was clearly holding back with great difficulty but had still extinguished the fire. She couldn’t help finding it funny. Then she whispered in his ear, “The doctor said that after three months, it’s okay to do it gently…” Then she saw Lin Chuan freeze blankly without moving and couldn’t help saying, “You haven’t gone out, have you?”
“You’ll know very soon whether I have or not.” Once Lin Chuan heard that the doctor had said so, he didn’t hold back. Gentle was indeed gentle, but the time was a little long.
Fortunately, he still pitied his wife and didn’t keep going until midnight. The next day, the two of them hurriedly tidied up and went off to their own work.
Only when Su Su walked to school did she remember that she seemed to have forgotten to tell Lin Chuan she had accepted a side job, and that it was connected to his army unit. But then she thought about it and decided to forget it. Perhaps they would meet very soon. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too surprised.
The next day, she had just finished handing over her school work when the army called and asked her to prepare. To make herself look more fashionable and dignified, she changed into an outfit that looked a little sharp and neat, tied her ponytail high, and looked young, stylish, and trustworthy.
However, she was pregnant, so she couldn’t wear makeup. At most, she could apply a tiny bit of lipstick to improve her complexion, but she would obediently wipe it off when eating. Although the cosmetics she had brought were all very good brands and generally marketed as safe for pregnant women, it was still better to be cautious.
After she finished getting ready, she waited at the school gate to be picked up. Before long, a car stopped beside her, and a very friendly-looking soldier got out. “Are you Comrade Su?”
“Yes.”
“We now need to go to the airport together. Is that alright?”
“That’s fine.”
Su Su didn’t delay things at all and got into the car. Then the soldier explained the arrangements. On her side, she needed to accompany Comrade Guan and several important foreign guests first to their accommodation, then accompany them for meals, and later go to the army unit for a visit.
None of these were a problem. It also wasn’t physical labour, so she could handle it.
Su Su had done some small interpreting work before, so she wasn’t stage-frightened.
After arriving at the airport, she found that many soldiers were stationed there. They were all wearing combat uniforms and looked extremely imposing and heroic. Seeing the military vehicle arrive, they saluted. Then Su Su, the single splash of red among countless green uniforms, got out of the car. She felt slightly guilty.
She regretted wearing red today. It was so eye-catching.
However, as she followed the soldier and strode forward, she suddenly froze. It seemed she had run into someone familiar.
Then she turned back and saw the other party holding a gun, also stunned. Then the soldier introduced him. “This is Battalion Commander Lin and his team, who will be closely protecting you from today onward. From now on, your food, accommodation, and travel arrangements must all follow his instructions.”
“…” Both of them were somewhat speechless.
In the end, Su Su extended her hand. “Hello, Battalion Commander Lin.”
“Hello.” Lin Chuan gave a military salute first, then shook her hand.
Last night, he had still been pressing his wife beneath him and coaxing her in all kinds of ways. Today, he had been ordered to protect her safety. It felt a little dazed and unreal.
Chang Yuejin, who was standing at the side, asked quietly, “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
“The people coming with this exchange delegation are all extremely important to the country. Your wife…” How had she gotten involved? And why was she so eye-catching? This was really too impressive.
“I don’t know.” Lin Chuan was also a little dazed.
**Author’s Note:**
Su Su: Is the washboard easy to kneel on?
Battalion Commander Lin: Very easy, very easy. The kind that breaks as soon as you kneel.
In his heart: To save washboards, I won’t need to kneel anymore in the future.
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