Chapter 8: Impatience

When Big Egg asked, Su Qinghu replied without hesitation, “Yes, I can.”

Yes, she could.

Why couldn’t she?

In later times, people longed for love but didn’t believe in it, valued material things but didn’t care entirely about them either. They sought soulmates, wanted to grow old together, envied lifelong companionship. So marriage seemed easy, but in reality, it wasn’t.

As for Chen Lie, Su Qinghu was sure of one thing: as long as she didn’t cross his bottom line, while he might not be able to offer soul-deep connection or unwavering devotion, growing old together was almost a certainty.

This man was upright.

After she spoke, both Big Egg and Little Egg stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief, yet wanting to believe her. For a moment, they could only gape at her in silence.

“Of course, I agreed,” Su Qinghu bent down, bracing herself on her knees, her face almost level with theirs. “But how long I stay with him also depends a lot on you two.”

A breeze stirred the loose hair by Su Qinghu’s cheek, even lifting a few strands from her high ponytail. Bathed in sunlight, she looked dazzling, radiant, and strikingly beautiful.

Little Egg stared at her, eyes wide and unblinking. After three or four days together, this was the first time Su Qinghu truly left an impression in his mind.

So pretty!

Big Egg already knew Su Qinghu was good-looking, but today she seemed even more so. He blinked and asked, “You mean we’re important too?”

Su Qinghu nodded. “If you two ever did something illegal or outrageous, people would definitely point fingers at me for staying, and even your descendants could be affected. Put yourself in my shoes—if it happened to you, would you stick around?”

Little Egg said, “But my dad’s a good man.”

Big Egg didn’t speak, but his expression agreed. Why should their dad pay for someone else’s mistakes, even if that “someone else” might be the two of them?

He said, “You don’t have to worry. We’re not related to Dad by blood. Even if we did something wrong, it wouldn’t affect you.”

Su Qinghu was silent, then straightened up. Forget it, she’d talk about this another time.

She took the two kids home, drenched in sweat and barely holding it together as she unlocked the door. She collapsed into a chair in the living room, unwilling to move another inch.

Little Egg hurried to pour her a mug of water, but Su Qinghu shook her head. Seeing she didn’t want it, Little Egg was about to drink it himself.

Su Qinghu said, “You can’t drink it either.”

Little Egg was confused. “But I’m thirsty.”

“I’ll go boil some water,” said Big Egg, putting Su Qinghu’s bag of toiletries on the table, along with the cooked beef and lamb they’d bought. He told Little Egg to keep an eye on Su Qinghu, then ran off to boil water.

Little Egg dragged a stool over to sit beside Su Qinghu, sneaking glances at her and at the cooked meat on the table.

He thought Su Qinghu had her eyes closed and couldn’t see, but he was practically drooling.

“Go split it with your brother,” Su Qinghu said without opening her eyes. “And remember to wash your hands.”

Little Egg nearly jumped—not from excitement, but because Su Qinghu’s sudden words startled him.

Once he realized what she meant, he let out a loud “Oh!” and dashed to the table, grabbing the meat and running to the kitchen.

Su Qinghu kept her eyes closed, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

*

After his divorce, Chen Lie brought the kids to their new home—the courtyard where Su Qinghu now lived.

Supposedly, the house had belonged to his elders and was passed down to him when property was returned. It had been empty for years, but after he moved in, it was spotless—proof of his initiative and hands-on skills.

Su Qinghu was very satisfied with this. Chen Lie was considerate, never making her feel uncomfortable, and knew enough to offer a new home as a sign of respect after marriage.

Yes, Su Qinghu knew she had a territorial streak—she could always tell what was hers and what wasn’t.

Not having to live with traces of someone else’s life put her at ease.

In the kitchen, Big Egg cooled the boiled water and handed it to Little Egg. “Take this to her.”

“Can’t I have a bite of meat first?” Little Egg pouted. “She already said we could eat.”

Big Egg’s face turned stern. “Take it to her first!”

He added more water to the pot and focused on stoking the fire.

Little Egg stood there for a moment, then gave in, carrying the white enamel mug into the living room. He beamed at Su Qinghu. “Mom, have some water. It’s boiled—we cooled it a bit, so it’s just right.”

“Thank you.” Su Qinghu opened her eyes, feeling rested. She stood up, took the mug, and sipped it twice before really starting to drink.

When she finished, Little Egg reached for the mug, but Su Qinghu waved him off and carried it to the kitchen herself, with Little Egg following.

“Thank you,” Su Qinghu said as she entered the kitchen, ruffling Big Egg’s hair as he tended the fire. “Why aren’t you using the coal stove?”

“We’ll use it in winter,” Big Egg replied, not dodging her hand. “You need ration tickets for coal, and we don’t have any. The coal Dad got us is only enough for a month—once it’s gone, that’s it.”

Su Qinghu rubbed her forehead. How could she forget that rationing would continue for years?

“Let’s use it for now. I’ll figure something out later,” Su Qinghu sighed. It was hot, and using the earthen stove made it even hotter.

Big Egg was silent for a while, then nodded.

Firewood was even harder to buy in winter. If the coal ran out…

“Why aren’t you eating the meat?” Su Qinghu asked, noticing the untouched meat on the cutting board. She looked at Little Egg. “Didn’t you tell your brother?”

Little Egg grinned. “My brother said we should wait and eat together with you. I thought about it and agreed, so we waited for you.”

Su Qinghu chuckled, walked over to the cutting board, picked up the knife and sliced the meat into even pieces, arranging them neatly on a plate.

She saw some fresh cucumbers nearby, washed and cut them into thin strips, and sprinkled them with salt to draw out the water.

Knock, knock!

A knock at the door interrupted her before she could say anything to the boys.

She glanced at the courtyard gate, hesitated for a moment, then looked back at them. “It’s probably that neighbor.”

Both boys knew exactly who she meant. Their faces immediately tensed, showing a hint of impatient hostility.

“You really won’t tell me?” Su Qinghu smiled, waited a few seconds, and when they didn’t respond, she headed for the door. “Fine, I’ll go fight this battle unprepared…”

Little Egg actually didn’t know what was going on. He looked anxiously at Big Egg. “Brother, tell her!”

He didn’t want Su Qinghu to lose. If she did, that nasty neighbor would brag about it to everyone!

He didn’t want people to look down on his brother!

Big Egg still didn’t say anything. Seeing Su Qinghu’s hand on the door, he rushed over.

If his brother wouldn’t talk, then he’d listen carefully and catch her words—just like new mom Su Qinghu had done with that Chang woman!"