Chapter 3: Ran Away

Was Zhang Dongsheng the kind of pushover anyone could bully?

Absolutely not!

If Chen Lie dared to make a move, Zhang Dongsheng would never back down—he’d go for it, no questions asked!

But this was the first time in his life he’d ever felt so disgusted. It was like being thrown into a pile of cotton—no matter how hard he tried to throw a punch, it all felt more like flirting than fighting…

Zhang Dongsheng’s scalp tingled. He wanted to curse Chen Lie out a hundred times.

He glared at Su Qinghu.

In the end, his lips moved a few times, but he held it in!

Su Qinghu was a proper college student, much better educated than most. In front of her, he had to show some class.

If he really started cursing, he couldn’t guarantee this woman wouldn’t just slap him across the face in public…

But now that he’d taken the money out, putting it back would be embarrassing!

Besides, that wasn’t Zhang Dongsheng’s style!

He squinted, looking for a chance to slip the money to Su Qinghu, when suddenly someone shouted, “Dongzi, your old man is coming for you!”

The moment Zhang Dongsheng heard that, he bolted!

That was his childhood friend’s voice!!!

Based on past experience, his old man would probably arrive in less than ten minutes. If he didn’t run now, he’d definitely get caught!

In an instant, the wild and unruly Zhang Dongsheng was gone without a trace.

His childhood friend watched him run off, panting and shuffling over to Su Qinghu, breathless as he said, “I’ll go talk to Zhang Dongsheng. You’d better hurry home with the kids.”

He had no idea how Chen Lie and Su Qinghu had ended up married—by the time he found out, they’d already gotten their marriage certificate. He was baffled: how did Chen Lie manage to get divorced and remarried so quickly?

But regardless, the two were married now. By tradition, he had to look after the kids and the new wife.

He sighed silently and hurried after Zhang Dongsheng.

Su Qinghu didn’t know who this guy was, but since he’d said that and didn’t give her a chance to ask, she figured he must be someone her cheap husband had left behind.

Leading Da Dan and Er Dan out of the hospital, she followed her memory home and asked, “By the way, what was it you two wanted to show me just now?”

Da Dan and Er Dan perked up, dragging her to a quiet spot. Da Dan pulled three pieces of paper from his pocket and waved them proudly. “Look what we’ve got!”

Er Dan didn’t say anything, but he lifted his chin, feet apart, lips curled in a cocky smirk—totally playing the “big brother’s got your back” act.

Su Qinghu couldn’t help twitching at the sight. She asked, “Do you two go to the movies a lot?”

Da Dan was thrown by her sudden question, frowning in confusion.

But Er Dan nodded proudly. “I’ve been.”

Su Qinghu: “Did you watch cop movies?”

“How’d you know?” Er Dan was stunned, even closing his stance and dropping the practiced smirk.

How did this mom know?

Su Qinghu didn’t answer, just looked past him at Da Dan.

Da Dan’s earlier excitement had faded. He didn’t really want to say, but since Su Qinghu managed the family’s money, he had to tell her.

So he just explained simply, “These are certificates.”

Certificates?

“What kind of certificates?”

“Certificates saying we need meat bones for our health.” Da Dan looked at her. “Will you buy us meat bones?”

Su Qinghu was speechless.

People who hadn’t lived through this era might not know, but ordinary families rarely got to eat meat all year.

She’d never really craved meat herself.

Seeing her silent, Da Dan pressed his lips together, while Er Dan tried to bargain, “We have three certificates. We’ll give them all to you. You can use two to trade for something else, and use the last one to buy us meat bones, okay?”

Su Qinghu raised an eyebrow at the two, waiting until they both pursed their lips and clenched their little fists before saying, “Why buy meat bones? Isn’t actual meat better?”

Her cheap husband had left her over a hundred yuan before leaving, and some more with the teacher for monthly use.

A hospital stay was only one yuan a day. Even if pork was hard to get, it couldn’t possibly cost ten times the hospital fee, right?

She could totally afford to buy it!

Da Dan and Er Dan opened their mouths, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start, and ended up sighing together.

Because as a college student, she got free room and board plus a stipend, so she’d never had to worry about food—was that why she was so clueless?

Meat was great, but they just couldn’t buy it!

“We don’t have ration tickets,” Er Dan sighed. “Even with the doctor’s certificate, we can’t get meat tickets!”

If they had meat tickets, who would bother getting a certificate for bones? That’s just ridiculous.

Su Qinghu was stumped. Thinking back, she really didn’t have any ration tickets…

Da Dan added, “We don’t just not have meat tickets—we don’t have any tickets at all. That woman spent them all!”

“That woman” referred to Chen Lie’s ex-wife.

Su Qinghu glanced at the two, chin lifted. “If you put your minds to it, there’s always a way. If you two can come up with a reasonable way to get meat tickets on the way home, I’ll buy you meat.”

Da Dan: “Really?”

Su Qinghu nodded crisply. “Really! But it has to be reasonable and legal. No breaking the rules.”

She couldn’t think of any good ideas herself, but these two were born and raised here—maybe they’d come up with something.

Besides, she’d just had her stomach pumped and had to avoid greasy food for now. Since she wasn’t the one eating, why should she rack her brains?

She still remembered how the two of them had tried to set her up with Zhang Dongsheng’s soccer ball earlier!

Those little rascals wanted to see her make a fool of herself!

These days, lots of people were getting rich, but the truly wealthy weren’t stupid—they knew not to show off.

Everyone had heard of “ten-thousand-yuan households,” but no one had ever seen that much money in one place. Someone like Zhang Dongsheng, walking around with a thousand yuan, pulling it out and handing it over like it was nothing—no one had ever seen that before.

And when you’ve never seen it, you get nervous. And when you’re nervous, you make a fool of yourself.

Er Dan called out, “Mom, what does ‘reasonable and legal’ mean?”

“What’s ‘legal’?”

Su Qinghu: “…It means if you do it, no one will say anything, and the police won’t come looking for you.”

Explaining “reasonable and legal” in depth was complicated, but put simply, it just meant doing things in a way kids could understand.

Su Qinghu was talking as she walked, but after a while, she sensed something was off. She turned around to see the two kids standing there, chewing on their fingers."