Regret
How had her kids managed to bring so much stuff back from day-care? Their wooden car had somehow turned into a tin convertible!
It felt like the tale of the iron axe turning into a golden one.
Though she and Gu Sheng had made beautiful wooden toys for the kids, no handcrafted toy could compete in value with a tin car from the factory.
“Youyou, where did this car come from?”
Guobaorou frowned; he hadn’t actually wanted this car, but someone insisted on trading it with him. “Swap!” he said.
“So, you traded toys with someone? Was it an older kid?” Zhan Aiping asked, concerned that maybe a child who liked their wooden car had traded with Guobaorou without thinking. While kids might agree to a swap, parents might not appreciate it—who would want to exchange a valuable tin toy for a simple wooden one?
“Tomorrow, let’s swap it back. We want our own car,” she told him.
Guobaorou nodded happily. “Okay!”
As soon as he’d made the trade, he’d regretted it. They already had plenty of tin cars at home; he liked the car his parents had made much more.
Zhan Aiping smiled, pinching her son’s cheek.
She organized the toys they’d brought back. Aside from the tin toy car, which was more valuable, there were cut-out illustrations from picture books and various paper crafts. Tangyuan had collected a bunch of character cut-outs, which were so small that Zhan Aiping hadn’t noticed them earlier.
Wait—were some of these illustrations of characters from The Three Kingdoms?
She looked at her daughter’s soft, gentle face, so similar to Gu Sheng’s, with those beautiful almond eyes. Why had she brought back all these warrior illustrations?
Where had she gotten these things?
Zhan Aiping spread the various warriors, all brandishing weapons, in front of Gu Sheng. “Look at what your daughter brought back.”
Gu Sheng grinned, “Our daughter is popular, just like her mom.”
Zhan Aiping said, “I was that popular as a kid?”
“Of course, you were a chatterbox,” Gu Sheng replied. “The only thing our little girl didn’t inherit from you is that talkative nature. When you were two or three, you could never keep that little mouth quiet.”
“Our son and daughter are more like me—quiet,” Gu Sheng added.
Zhan Aiping scoffed. “You weren’t that quiet yourself.”
“Tomorrow, let’s make sure they return everything,” she said firmly. “Kids, remember, don’t take things from others.”
Zhan Aiping wondered if her daughter had inherited the “charmer” trait her younger brother, Zhan Mingzhao, had. Her brother’s charm often led to unexpected gifts from others.
If the economy opened up in the future, he’d make a fortune in sales.
In another part of town, Head Nurse Zhang was shocked when her son came home. His new, high-end toy had somehow turned into a wooden car. She asked her son, Lu Ming, “Mingming, did someone bully you? Did someone take your toy?”
Her son Lu Ming, a big-hearted boy of three, just smiled. “I wanted this one.”
Lu Ming was Head Nurse Zhang’s youngest, and she kept him in the hospital day-care instead of a regular kindergarten to keep a closer eye on him, thinking he’d be safe there. But somehow, his expensive little car had turned into a wooden toy.
This was too much!
Her husband, Lu Guang, sighed, “This little guy might’ve been tricked. Maybe an older kid bullied him.”
The next morning, Head Nurse Zhang marched to the day-care, furious, ready to demand the toy back. She worried that the other parent might not want to return it, but to her surprise, the “older kid” who’d “bullied” her son was just a year-and-a-half-old toddler.
Zhan Aiping handed the tin toy car back to Head Nurse Zhang. “Kids don’t understand; they just traded toys randomly.”
“Now, let’s trade it back.”
She gave the wooden car to Guobaorou, who was delighted. His eyes sparkled, “Mommy! My car is back!”
He hadn’t wanted to trade it yesterday, but he’d felt pressured. Now he was overjoyed.
Head Nurse Zhang felt relieved, though her son wasn’t pleased. “I want that car! I want that car!”
The wooden car didn’t look particularly special—it was just a wooden jeep. But since Zhan Aiping and Gu Sheng had made it with care, the doors opened, and the wheels could be removed, giving it a charming appeal.
Annoyed by her son’s fussing, Head Nurse Zhang asked, “Could I buy your son’s car? Where did you get it?”
“Oh, it’s not for sale. My husband and I made it,” Zhan Aiping explained.
Head Nurse Zhang gave a light laugh, “Well, we’ll make one too.”
She wasn’t too concerned, thinking the jeep design was something she could practically draw in her sleep. If this kid’s parents could make one, she and her husband surely could too.
“Just wait, Mingming. Mommy and Daddy will make you one in a few days.”
Lu Ming reluctantly agreed, “It has to be exactly the same!”
With that settled, Zhan Aiping felt reassured leaving her children at day-care. Their backpacks still came home with different toys daily, but she decided to let it go.
Soon, she’d settled into her routine of advanced training at the military hospital. But one day at work, she noticed someone who seemed to be there on dubious grounds.
Gu Sheng, claiming to be in for a hand injury check-up, had come to the military hospital—just to visit her.
Gu Xiangyi teased, “Sis, it’s so convenient for my brother to come check on his wife now that you’re working at the military hospital!”
Zhan Aiping responded, “Can’t you just see me at home? Do you really need to come all the way here?”
Faking an illness? Creating a condition out of thin air?
Besides Gu Sheng’s unexpected appearance, as she walked through the hospital, she would often run into a line of tall, burly soldiers grinning and calling her “sister-in-law.”
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Since starting at the military hospital, she’d seen quite a few familiar faces.
When Gu Sheng appeared in the hospital, he looked his best, sleeves of his uniform neatly rolled up to reveal his strong upper arms with faded scars etched into his muscles.
“Dr. Zhan, take a look at my hand,” he said.
She tapped him on the head, “You’re just here to slack off.”
“Yep, I’m very sick, need half a day for a check-up, then I’ll take the kids home with you tonight.”
Zhan Aiping couldn’t help laughing. Though she scolded him, she was happy to see him in the hospital. She pulled him into a corner and hugged him briefly. “If your hand is so ‘severely’ sick, can it still carry the kids home?”
Gu Sheng laughed, “Of course! I can carry both kids—and you too.”
Zhan Aiping replied, “Alright then, once your check-up’s done, I’ll prescribe you some herbal medicine to take home.”
…
Zhan Aiping chatted with Gu Sheng by the window for a bit but soon had to get back to work. Surprisingly, she ran into Captain Luo in the hospital.
When he saw her, he didn’t say much, almost as if he didn’t want to see her.
“I saw Captain Luo,” she told Gu Sheng later.
Gu Sheng replied, “He’s getting married again, to another nurse from the military hospital.”
Captain Luo and Zhu Hui had been divorced for some time. He had clung to Zhu Hui for a while, but now that she was studying in the county, he had moved on to someone else—a former colleague of hers, a nurse from the military hospital.
Zhan Aiping was surprised, “How do you know?”
“I heard from Dr. Sun on my way here.”
Military men gossip just as much as anyone else, she thought.
“No wonder he didn’t want to see me,” she said, figuring he was probably worried she’d spill his family’s business to his new fiancée.
She had been close with Zhu Hui, who had sometimes shared stories about Luo’s family. Although the details were no secret in the residential compound, everyone avoided openly discussing such matters.
After the divorce, Captain Luo’s mother had taken the children back to their hometown. Now, with more money on hand, Captain Luo had upgraded his lifestyle, smoking expensive cigarettes and even poking fun at Commander Jiang and Gu Sheng.
“Quit smoking just because you got married? You’re all the same—soft soldiers lead to weak leaders. Commander Jiang, you’re setting a great example.”
Gu Sheng grinned, “Is he worried you’ll charm away his new wife too?”
He had long accepted that his wife’s popularity with other women was both a blessing and a headache.
Zhan Aiping shook her head. She and Gu Sheng didn’t talk much about Captain Luo, figuring that the compound would soon have another newlywed couple moving in.
She wasn’t curious about what kind of person Captain Luo’s new bride might be, and she made no effort to find out. Yet, unexpectedly, Captain Luo came looking for her.
Preparing for his wedding, Captain Luo had undergone a complete transformation; he looked energetic, with his hair freshly trimmed and his posture erect, defying his age.
“Xiao Zhan, we never had any grudges. I hope you won’t judge me because of Zhu Hui,” he said.
Seeing her had thrown him off. His recent streak of success reminded him of the days when he’d lost face because of Zhu Hui and their past.
The past was behind him, and a new year had arrived. With his marriage, he’d soon get the satisfaction of finally outshining his long-time rival, Commander Jiang.
Thinking about his impending marriage to a young, beautiful nurse, Captain Luo’s heart swelled with pride. He wanted everyone to know and admire him.
This would be his third marriage.
But since they’d all be living in the same compound, running into each other often, he feared that if Zhan Aiping disapproved of him, she might reveal stories about his past.
This thought left Captain Luo with a grim expression.
“Congratulations on your marriage,” Zhan Aiping said.
Captain Luo added, “My future wife is young and it’s her first marriage. She’s a good woman, and I’m not getting any younger. I’ve finally taken care of my health issues, and I want to start a family and live peacefully in the years to come.”
After his divorce, Captain Luo had seen many doctors and finally resolved his health issues. Now, he just wanted a child of his own.
Reading between the lines, Zhan Aiping assured him, “I won’t say anything.”
Captain Luo added, “And whatever Zhu Hui may have told you… don’t just take her word for it. I treated her well; she was the one who wasn’t satisfied.”
Zhan Aiping’s tone grew cold. “There’s no need to tell me all this.”
Captain Luo hadn’t changed; he still blamed everything on women, never considering his own faults. Even after Zhu Hui had decided not to stay with him, he blamed her for not recognizing his worth.
Pressing his lips together, Captain Luo said, “Tell her, I hope she doesn’t regret it in the future.”
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