The Gala
The three of them stared at each other for a few seconds. Seeing Lu Zetian standing motionless at the doorway, Qin Shi and Mo Ling immediately burst out laughing.
“Hahaha…”
Qin Shi and Mo Ling laughed so hard they could barely stop. Lu Zetian suddenly felt awkward. His fingers curled slightly and rubbed together a few times before he composed himself and greeted Mo Ling politely.
“Hello.”
Mo Ling waved at him while laughing. She didn’t stay any longer and prepared to leave.
Qin Shi saw her out.
Once Lu Zetian saw the two of them leave, he inexplicably let out a breath of relief and quickly went back inside.
In the courtyard, Mo Ling kept laughing. “When I first saw him come in, I felt a bit awkward. But then I saw how stiff he looked, and suddenly I just found it so funny.”
Qin Shi laughed too. She also found it amusing. After all, an ex-wife and current wife getting along well was rare even in the real world.
Qin Shi didn’t like Lu Zetian. They were only husband and wife on the surface, so she wasn’t embarrassed. She just found it funny.
“Alright, alright, I’m leaving. I’ll trouble you with the dress,” Mo Ling said as she walked out of the gate. Then she turned back to Qin Shi. “I still have to explain one thing: I really don’t have any feelings for Lu Zetian. There’s nothing between us! I only came at noon because the fabric arrived, and I was afraid we wouldn’t have enough time, so I brought it over early.”
She definitely hadn’t come over on purpose to create a chance encounter!
Qin Shi understood the meaning behind her words and smiled. “I believe you.”
Her eyes were sharp. She could tell what kind of person Mo Ling was. Her gaze was clear and open; she definitely wasn’t someone with hidden motives.
Seeing Qin Shi smile like that again, Mo Ling finally relaxed. She waved at Qin Shi. “Come find me when you’re free!”
Qin Shi smiled and agreed.
Aunt Zhao next door saw this scene and widened her eyes in shock. She never expected the two women to be chatting and laughing, with such a good relationship.
When Mo Ling came out and noticed two aunties staring at her while whispering, she impatiently rolled her eyes, lifted her chin, and walked away.
The two aunties watched Mo Ling leave. Only after she completely disappeared did they react, their eyes shining with gossip as they gathered together in amazement.
Before long, news spread that Lu Zetian’s two wives seemed to have a very good relationship. Many people were shocked and wanted to see it for themselves.
But Mo Ling was in the army, while Qin Shi either taught classes or stayed home working. No one could catch them together, leaving everyone’s curiosity hanging.
It wasn’t until National Day, when everyone truly saw Qin Shi and Mo Ling chatting and laughing together, that they finally believed it. Then they began guessing what exactly was going on.
Qin Shi had no time to bother with that nonsense. These past few days, she had stayed up until midnight every night. Apart from teaching, she had been making clothes. She hadn’t cooked a single meal; Lu Zetian brought everything back from the canteen.
The twins were also sensible and didn’t cling to her. Every day, they either kept her company at home or obediently played in the courtyard. As for Gu Qinghai, without needing to be told, he took the initiative to sweep and mop the floor. Each of them was so well-behaved.
Qin Shi decided she would never do something like this again. She absolutely wouldn’t accept urgent orders anymore. The children were sensible, and Lu Zetian looked after her, but she couldn’t push her luck.
After all, her main job was being a “stepmother.” Without Lu Zetian, although she could break away from the original owner’s family and make a fortune herself, it definitely wouldn’t happen this quickly. Nor would she be eating and drinking well every day, with no worries about food or clothing.
Qin Shi knew how to be grateful. Since others treated her well, she should return the favour and take good care of the children. Not to mention, the children were so sensible that Qin Shi had genuinely come to like them and wanted to treat them well.
She had been tired enough in her previous life. In this life, she should take it easy and not overdo things.
On National Day, she and Zhang Yanli took the children in their class for rehearsal. After confirming everything was fine, she left the makeup and other matters to Zhang Yanli, then pulled Mo Ling home to try on the dress and check whether it fit.
When Mo Ling saw the finished gown, she was completely stunned. Then came enormous joy.
“Quick, quick! Let me try it on! This time, what can Cai Xiuqin possibly use to compare with me? Qin Shi, you’re amazing!”
Mo Ling changed into the gown. Qin Shi adjusted a few details for her, and only after confirming there were no problems did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“I know you’ve been staying up late these past few days to make this for me. You treat me as a friend, and I truly treat you as one too. Take this extra labour fee. Don’t refuse!” Mo Ling handed Qin Shi sixty yuan.
Qin Shi accepted it with a smile. “I’m not stupid. Why would I refuse? Look, I’ve even worked up dark circles!”
Mo Ling liked Qin Shi’s straightforwardness. She picked up the garment bag and smiled. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Even with dark circles, you’re still beautiful! When this is all over, I’ll treat you to a meal. I’m leaving first!”
Qin Shi smiled and agreed. After seeing her off, she sat down and let out a long breath.
Lu Zetian had the day off for National Day. He had gone to a meeting in the morning and then returned home. Hearing that Mo Ling had left, he came out carrying one child in each arm.
Qin Shi still couldn’t rest. She needed to go check how things were going with Zhang Yanli. Since the children also wanted to go watch, Lu Zetian simply took them all to the army compound together.
Qin Shi went off to work, while Lu Zetian took the children around. When it was dinner time, he picked Qin Shi up for a meal, and then they went to the auditorium together.
The auditorium was large and already filled with many people, all soldiers who had brought their families. Of course, bringing family members came with restrictions. Not everyone could come; the auditorium couldn’t fit that many people.
Lu Zetian was a regiment commander, so he naturally had seats, though he had only managed to get three. Qin Shi’s seat was temporarily occupied by the twins. When she arrived, they would be picked up.
An’an pointed at the banner on stage celebrating the motherland’s birthday and read it word by word. She sat together with Pingping, neither crying nor making noise, obediently waiting for the performance to begin. The people nearby found them very adorable.
After being fed well by Qin Shi every day, the three children had grown taller or gained weight. Gu Qinghai looked sturdier, more and more like a young lad, while the twins had chubby cheeks and looked especially cute.
Political Commissar Zheng arrived with Auntie Zhao and sat in front of Lu Zetian and the children. Auntie Zhao stuffed her grandson into Political Commissar Zheng’s arms and turned around to chat with the three children, her face full of smiles.
Judging by this period of time, Qin Shi was genuinely good to the children. They were clean, healthier, and most importantly, more sensible and clever. This made many people look at her differently and sigh that stepmothers could indeed be good too.
Of course, some people thought Qin Shi was only pretending. After enough time passed, she would definitely reveal her true colours.
They didn’t believe that once Qin Shi had her own child, she could still treat Lu Zetian’s children this well.
Naturally, as soon as those words were spoken, others spat back at them. Who didn’t know that the Lu family’s three children were all martyrs’ children? Qin Shi wasn’t stupid. How could she possibly mistreat them?
Besides, not long ago, Qin Shi had been the one to expose what happened to Gu Qinghai. If she really had bad intentions, would she have done that?
How could someone who said those words be a bad person?
The gossipers were rebutted until they had nothing to say, so they could only shut their mouths awkwardly. But privately, they still watched Qin Shi closely.
So today, at the gala, many people were paying attention to the Lu family. As soon as Qin Shi appeared, everyone’s eyes kept glancing over.
Qin Shi noticed their gazes but couldn’t be bothered to care. She ignored them completely.
Seeing her arrive, the twins consciously climbed down and gave her the seat, telling her to rest properly. Lu Zetian handed the thermos to Gu Qinghai, and Gu Qinghai quickly passed it to Qin Shi, asking her to drink some.
Qin Shi lifted the cup and drank a large mouthful before letting out a long breath.
“You’re done working?” Lu Zetian turned his head to ask her.
Qin Shi nodded. “Everything’s fine now. Zhang Yanli is watching over them. It’s the fourth performance. When it’s about to start, I’ll go below the stage to keep an eye on things.”
Hearing this, Auntie Zhao turned to Qin Shi and asked, “Why aren’t you going on stage to sing with them?”
Qin Shi smiled. “Why would I go up? Children are the flowers of the motherland. It’s enough for them to sing for the motherland.”
Auntie Zhao looked at Qin Shi admiringly. “You’re right.”
Political Commissar Zheng also turned to glance at Qin Shi and smiled, praising her as a good teacher.
After chatting for a while, the gala began, and everyone quieted down to watch seriously.
Qin Shi did the same. Although the gala couldn’t compare with those of later generations, it was full of the characteristics of this era and was still quite good.
When the second performance was almost over, Qin Shi bent slightly and slipped out, hurrying backstage.
As soon as she entered backstage, a woman in a pale blue long dress was walking out quickly and nearly bumped into her.
The woman looked at Qin Shi and frowned, her expression unpleasant. “Watch where you’re going! Can’t you see people?”
Qin Shi smiled and glanced at the high heels on her feet. “If you’re wearing high heels, you should walk more slowly. It wouldn’t be good if you fell. If you really need to run, I suggest changing into flats.”
The woman glared fiercely at Qin Shi, then clicked away in her high heels.
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