Loose-Lipped
Su Su’s gaze, however, kept drifting toward the female lead, not out of malice but curiosity about what she was doing. She soon noticed that Qin Yueyue wasn’t paying attention to the land-boat performance at all—instead, she hurried off toward the bus station.
Their commune only had two buses a day going to the county, and they returned in the evening.
This was already the last bus of the day, which meant she wouldn’t be back until night. Usually, people took the early bus—so what was she going there for now?
In that instant, Su Su seemed to piece things together. The female lead must be going to the hospital to check if she was pregnant. If it was a blood test, she might be able to find out early and figure out what to do next.
As expected of the female lead—she really was clever. Especially with how tightly she had wrapped herself up—if Su Su didn’t know the plot, she would have assumed she was just here to watch the performance.
Just as she was thinking this, she was suddenly pulled aside. Lin Chuan hugged her protectively and said helplessly, “Didn’t you see the crowd rushing over? And you’re still spacing out?”
His newlywed wife seemed a bit slow today—but maybe she just hadn’t recovered from last night yet.
“Hehe.” Su Su laughed, then focused on watching the performance with him. She really had been foolish—why should she bother with someone else’s business? It was rare to have a moment like this with her man, so she might as well stick close to him.
The two of them watched the land-boat performance together.
It had to be said, the festive atmosphere of this era was truly lively. Even though people were poor, the props for the performance were surprisingly well-made.
Some performers twisted and danced, some even sang.
There were even men dressed as elderly women with bound feet, holding long pipes and swaying in front—making the audience laugh until they could barely stand.
Su Su laughed along, feeling that this kind of performance was much closer to real life than stage shows, and far more amusing.
But as she laughed, her waist suddenly hurt.
It wasn’t exactly a strain—more like it had already been sore from last night’s exertion, and the sudden movement made it worse.
Tears filled her eyes from laughing as she held her waist. “Oh no, it hurts so much. I don’t even dare laugh anymore.”
“Your waist hurts?” Lin Chuan was puzzled—she hadn’t bent over or done any work.
Then he suddenly remembered how he had bent her waist into impossible angles the night before… No wonder. He scratched his head and said, “Wait here.”
He somehow found a small stool and placed it down. “Sit and watch.” Their spot was good, so she could still see clearly while sitting.
Su Su obediently sat down, leaning against Lin Chuan’s solid body as she continued watching. Soon, Lin Hai came back with candied hawthorn sticks. Su Su bit into one—sweet and slightly sour, delicious.
Natural food really was better.
Time passed quickly, and soon it grew dark. The commune had electricity, and a large light bulb illuminated the square so everyone could still see clearly. After sitting for a while, Su Su felt uncomfortable again, so Lin Chuan took her to rest in a nearby house—it was too cold to stay outside the whole time.
After resting, they decided to head back, since it would be harder to walk the mountain roads in full darkness. Fortunately, donkeys had good memory and night vision. After Lin Chuan reassured her, she relaxed.
“Even if I don’t guide it, this old donkey can take us home,” he said.
“Really?” Su Su didn’t quite believe it.
“Want to try?” he teased.
She shook her head immediately—no need to test that. What if they fell into a ditch?
Lin Shan looked around and noticed most people were leaving. “Hey, where’s Sister Qin? Should we wait for her?”
Lin Chuan frowned—he had almost forgotten about his former fiancée.
Especially while being so close with his wife, he really didn’t want to think about another woman.
But as a soldier, he couldn’t leave a young woman behind alone. So he began looking around.
Su Su thought it was unnecessary and said, “I saw Comrade Qin heading toward the bus station. She might have gone to the county. If that’s the case, she won’t be back anytime soon—there’s no point looking.”
“To the county? That means she won’t be back until six,” Lin Hai frowned. “It’s only a little past four now. Are we supposed to wait over an hour?”
He wasn’t happy—he wanted to leave.
But he didn’t dare, so he glanced at his older brother.
“Wait,” Lin Chuan said with a dark expression.
He didn’t want to wait either, but if something happened to her, it would cause trouble.
So the three Lin brothers and Su Su stayed, watching the performance wind down while waiting. A couple of other villagers who had planned to share the donkey cart eventually left on foot, since it was getting late and they needed to go home.
Su Su started yawning. Even though she had rested all day, she was still tired from last night.
Lin Chuan grew concerned. “Are you cold? Should I carry you back and let Hai and the others wait?”
“No, it’s almost time,” Su Su said. She had always respected the character of the male supporting lead—after all, he was a soldier, not the kind of man who would casually abandon responsibility.
Finally, they saw Qin Yueyue returning, looking dazed and shaken. Her voice trembled slightly. “Ah… thank you for waiting for me.” She climbed onto the cart, clearly troubled.
“What’s wrong with you? Why did you run off to the county?” Lin Hai asked bluntly.
“I—I didn’t go to the county. I just wandered off while watching,” Qin Yueyue said quickly, startled.
“Alright, let’s go,” Su Su said, tugging Lin Chuan.
Understanding her hint, Lin Chuan glared at Lin Hai. “You drive.”
“Okay…” Lin Hai obediently moved to the front.
Lin Chuan wrapped Su Su in his coat and sat behind her, shielding her from the wind. Nights in the mountains were much colder than the day, and he was afraid she might get chilled. Without caring about others watching, he held her close, protecting her.
His coat was large enough to wrap her entirely in his arms. She was so small that he could practically envelop her whole body—even her feet were hidden away.
Qin Yueyue had just been suspected of something, and it made her uneasy. She was afraid Lin Hai might spread the matter. On top of that, she hadn’t expected that getting abortion medicine or surgery at the hospital required the man’s signature.
If she asked Lin Donghe to go with her, he would definitely insist on marrying her. But if she found another man, she worried the matter might leak out and ruin her reputation.
Then she suddenly thought of Lin Chuan, who was currently protecting Su Su. He was a soldier, someone who always kept his word. In the past, whenever she made a request, he would fulfill it—even if it was difficult.
Although she had only made a few requests of him, he had completed every one.
Moreover, because of his profession, people trusted him. With a soldier present, things tended to go much more smoothly.
The doctors today had looked down on her somewhat, but if she brought Lin Chuan next time, everything would be resolved. As long as he said a word, things would be easy to handle. Thinking of this, she began forming a plan. Tomorrow, she would find an opportunity to approach Lin Chuan—surely he would help in a situation like this.
Even though they were no longer engaged, they had once been close. If he refused, she would plead until he agreed.
With that thought, she felt a little better. Soon, they arrived back at the small mountain village.
Since they didn’t return the donkey that night, Lin Chuan tied it up in his yard and even brought water and hay for it.
Su Su glanced at it. “Won’t it be cold?”
“It has a thick coat. And it’s not that cold today—I even laid down some straw.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t expected him to think of everything so carefully.
“There are only a few animals in the village. The brigade treats them like treasures—no way they’d let anything happen to them. Don’t worry. Rest a bit, I’ll heat some water so you can relax.”
“Mm.” Perhaps because of what had happened between them, Su Su felt that Lin Chuan talked to her more now.
It made sense—after that kind of intimacy, a man and woman naturally became closer than anyone else. So it was only natural he had changed.
She accepted his care without resistance. After all, she had taken care of him for quite a while before.
Once they had washed up and climbed onto the kang, the gentle Lin Chuan turned into a wolf again.
She had thought she’d at least get some rest tonight, but he clearly didn’t plan to give her that chance. And this man—though he had once acted timid in front of the female lead—was completely different with her.
When the female lead had said, “I don’t want that kind of relationship yet,” he had obediently backed off. But with Su Su, even when she was practically begging, he didn’t stop. He even said he had long wanted to make her cry.
o(╯□╰)o
She really did cry, alright? And he only made her cry even harder. Truly a bad-hearted man.
The next morning, as usual, Lin Chuan was woken up by being pinched.
He grinned and got up, washing his wife’s clothes, making her breakfast, heating the kang, and tidying everything for her.
After finishing, he went to return the donkey to the brigade and pick up a letter for his wife—someone had said it had arrived.
At the brigade, he returned the donkey to the caretaker, who was initially distressed but relaxed when he saw the animal was well-fed and in good condition. After all, not many people would feed a borrowed donkey with cornmeal.
How did he know? As the caretaker, he treated every animal like family. Just by inspecting the donkey’s droppings, he could tell what it had eaten.
Lin Chuan admired his professionalism, then went to collect the letter.
When he received his wife’s letter, he froze for a moment. His wife was more capable than him, earned more than him, and even had official proof—what was he supposed to do?
Then he quickly comforted himself—he was very “capable” too. The older soldiers always said that a real man was one who could “satisfy” his wife. No matter what he achieved outside, as long as he could keep his wife happy at home, she would never leave him.
Lin Chuan thought that made sense. His wife wouldn’t be going anywhere.
He put the letter in his pocket and headed back. Just as he reached a corner, someone called out to him.
It was Qin Yueyue.
For some reason, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He immediately decided—he absolutely could not be alone with this woman, could not let her touch him, and definitely could not let his wife see them together.
Lin Chuan was a man of action. Thinking this, he turned to leave.
“Wait! I have something to tell you—it’s about Lin Donghe.”
Hearing that, Lin Chuan stopped. He was worried that if she spoke loudly, people from the village office might come out. Then even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t clear his name.
“What is it? Say it.”
He stood about ten steps away, speaking in a low voice.
“Can we talk somewhere else? I won’t bother you.”
“Fine. But don’t come too close.”
He raised his chin slightly, and Qin Yueyue, annoyed, walked ahead.
When they reached a secluded spot, she lowered her voice. “It’s like this…”
It took courage for a girl to bring up such a matter with another man. Qin Yueyue hesitated, acting shy.
Lin Chuan already felt uneasy being there. When she didn’t speak, he said, “If there’s nothing, I’m leaving.”
“Wait, there is. I… I’m pregnant,” Qin Yueyue said, her voice barely audible.
But Lin Chuan had sharp hearing—he heard it clearly. He froze, and the first thought that came to his mind was:
Damn, that was fast.
His own wife hadn’t even shown any signs yet.
No, that wasn’t the main point. The main point was: who was the father of her child?
He thought back to what she had said at the beginning. She seemed to have mentioned Lin Donghe, so he frowned.
Seeing that the man opposite her had barely reacted, Qin Yueyue thought he had not heard her, so she raised her voice a little. “I’m preg—”
“I heard.” Lin Chuan felt that this kind of thing should not be spoken about casually. Especially to him. What was she trying to do? So he asked, “What do you want?”
“The child is Lin Donghe’s. But you know that once spring comes, I’ll be going to university. I can’t keep this child.” Qin Yueyue touched her stomach.
“…” If she could not keep it, why was she looking for him? Did she want him to solve it with one punch? No, that was wrong.
“But if Donghe finds out about this, he definitely won’t let me get rid of the child. And at the hospital, whether it’s abortion medicine or surgery, the man has to sign.” Qin Yueyue knew Lin Chuan did not understand, so she explained bit by bit.
“Lin Donghe definitely won’t sign.” She looked deeply at Lin Chuan. “You and Su Su have been married for a few months now. If I use her name to get the abortion, and you sign for it, then… no one will ask questions.”
After Qin Yueyue finished speaking, she pinched the corner of her clothes and lowered her head as much as possible. This kind of thing was not glorious for a woman. She knew Lin Chuan was not the sort to mock her, nor would he spread the matter around, which was why she had discussed it with him.
If he had even a little sympathy, he would help her, or at least give her some advice.
But she never expected there to be no movement from the other side. Curious, she looked up and discovered that the place where Lin Chuan had been standing was completely empty.
Qin Yueyue was dumbfounded. She had imagined countless possible reactions from Lin Chuan, but never once had she imagined that a soldier like him would run away.
Yes, Lin Chuan had actually fled.
She shouted after him, “Lin Chuan, stop right there!”
He had originally been walking away, but the moment he heard her shout, he immediately started running. His speed was incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Qin Yueyue was angry, anxious, and speechless. Why was this Lin Chuan different from what she had imagined? And wasn’t he injured? How could he run so fast?
She held her hand out in mid-air for more than ten seconds before finally lowering it and dazedly returning to the educated youth station. What on earth had just happened? Why had Lin Chuan been scared away by her? Was it really that frightening?
But Lin Chuan really had been so frightened that his heart nearly stopped. He considered himself someone who had walked off the battlefield. Even if he could not claim to have an iron mind, he could at least remain calm in danger.
But this time, he had genuinely been scared. Just by standing there and exchanging a few words, he had almost gained a baseless son — one that was also meant to be aborted.
Soldiers always had a positive image. Besides, they usually lived apart from their wives, so if they were lucky enough to have a child, it was something to be overjoyed about. Not only would they care for their wives with all their might, they would practically worship them like ancestors. Taking a wife for an abortion was impossible. He had never even heard of any comrade taking his own wife for one.
Besides, why should she use Su Su’s name? If word got out and damaged his wife’s reputation, she would definitely divorce him. Although military marriages were difficult to dissolve, if that little wife cried in front of him and insisted on divorcing, there was really nothing he could do.
And anyway, he could not take the blame for this.
What if someone saw him and rumours spread that there was something between him and Qin the educated youth? Forget everything else — how could he possibly explain it to his wife?
Just as he thought this, he saw his wife standing at the door, and his face instantly turned pale.
“W-wife, why are you standing outside? It’s cold.”
“Lin Chuan.”
Su Su lifted her head and called his name loudly and clearly. Lin Chuan, guilty, instinctively replied, “Present.”
“Come inside with me.”
“Yes.”
His wife was terrifying. Lin Chuan followed her inside with fear and trembling.
Actually, this matter truly was not easy to speak of publicly. Lin Chuan had originally planned to stay silent and not tell anyone, but from his wife’s expression, it seemed as though she knew something.
So he felt guilty.
Su Su sat on the kang with a stern face. “Speak. What did you go do? Why did you come back so late?”
“Returned the donkey.”
“Did you return it to the donkey’s mother?”
“No…”
“Then why are you so late? Tell the truth.” In fact, Su Su had no idea what he had done. It was just that the moment he came back and saw her, he looked guilty.
After spending so much time with him recently, especially since he wore that same expression every time she was badly tormented by him, she sensed something was off and decided to ask.
Who would have thought that this little interrogation would actually reveal something?
Lin Chuan truly could not withstand his wife’s questioning. He felt that this was more frightening than a violent interrogation by class enemies. He swallowed and finally failed to hold out, honestly explaining everything Qin Yueyue had said to him.
When Su Su heard it, she rolled her eyes toward the sky and cursed Qin Yueyue a thousand times in her heart.
Lin Chuan clearly had not married her, yet she had still come up with this sort of method to drag their married couple into trouble. She even wanted Lin Chuan to secretly take her for an abortion under Su Su’s name. Where did she get such nerve? Forget the fact that Lin Chuan was married; even if he were unmarried, he could not wade into this muddy water.
This was an issue of moral conduct. In this era, especially for soldiers, such matters were taken very seriously. If caught, he would definitely be punished. It could ruin a person’s future. How had the female lead even thought of this?
If it were her, she would bear the consequences of the trouble she had created herself. If there was truly no other way, then marry Lin Donghe. Why make it seem as if the child belonged to their Lin Chuan?
“Did you agree to her?”
“No. I felt that if I kept standing with her, I’d be framed. What if she insisted on pinning this matter on me? So I ran.” Lin Chuan said it quite lightly, as if running away were something to be proud of.
But Su Su was very satisfied when she heard this and nodded. “You did the right thing.”
“Wife, how did you know about this?” She had been standing at the door questioning him as soon as he returned, so she must have known something.
“Oh, I didn’t know. I just felt you took too long returning the donkey. The food was ready and you still didn’t come back to eat. You were really not cherishing the fruits of my labour.”
“…” Lin Chuan scratched his head. He felt something was wrong, but he could not figure out what. So he helped Su Su set the table, and the two of them discussed the matter while eating.
Su Su felt very angry. “We can’t just swallow this loss. What if she latches onto you later and insists the child is yours?”
“That… can’t be, right?” Could a woman really be bold enough to say something like that?
“Based on what she just did, I think it’s possible. If she gets desperate, she could pin the child on you. Then you’d have to go with her to get rid of it, because you’d have no way to prove whose child it is.”
“I’ve never even touched her hand. The child is Lin Donghe’s.”
“Oh, she said that herself?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you take my voice recorder with you?”
“I… didn’t expect something like this to happen. Wife, how about we tell Mother?”
“What use is telling Mother? You should tell Lin Donghe.”
After Su Su said this, Lin Chuan nodded. Since Lin Donghe was the child’s father, he should take responsibility. Whether they wanted to abort it or keep it, they could discuss it themselves. Besides, once Lin Chuan told Lin Donghe, he would have handed the matter off. Qin Yueyue would have no way to pin it on him.
But after thinking for a moment, Su Su said, “No. I’ll tell Lin Donghe about this. Don’t get involved.”
“Wife, you’re afraid people will say I have a loose tongue, right?” And she was also afraid Lin Donghe might be persuaded by Qin Yueyue and come begging him instead. That was possible too.
In the northeast, people cared a lot about men not gossiping outside. A man who did that would not be respected. But if he told his wife, outsiders would not criticise him, because a wife was the closest person. Sharing little secrets with one’s wife was completely fine.
Author’s note: My saved drafts are almost used up. Staying at home every day, and I don’t even know what I’m thinking about.
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