Chapter 82: She’s Not the Same Su He Anymore

Chapter 82: She’s Not the Su He She Used to Be

After dinner, Fu Tinghua was asked by a villager to examine an elderly patient.

The old man was reluctant to leave the village, terrified of dying away from home, his soul unable to return.

So his family had no choice but to ask Fu Tinghua to check on him.

By the time Fu Tinghua returned, the children and Su He were already napping.

Seeing them sleeping soundly in the room, Fu Tinghua left them undisturbed.

He went to another room, planning to catch some sleep too.

Last night at the Fu family’s place, he’d barely slept a wink.

As he lay on the bed, Fu Tinghua noticed a faint, unfamiliar fragrance on the sheets.

Last night—

Su He had slept here. It was hers.

At this thought, Fu Tinghua felt a warmth in his chest.

They were husband and wife, yet they still slept in separate rooms.

In the past, he hadn’t had the energy to think much about romantic matters because he’d been swamped the last couple of years.

His career was just starting, and he was constantly away for training, so he had always been overwhelmed with work.

But after all, he was a normal man, and recently, he’d started longing for his wife.

Yet Su He now seemed distant.

Thinking of this, the warmth that had risen in Fu Tinghua’s heart sank.

In the afternoon, when Su He woke up, she gave a lazy stretch and walked to the living room door to open it.

Looking at the idyllic countryside view outside her home, Su He couldn’t help but smile faintly.

She had gotten used to starting her day outside, breathing in the fresh air.

In this era, the countryside air was truly refreshing. Staying here every day made Su He feel refreshed and revitalized.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind her. Su He turned and saw Fu Tinghua walking toward her.

"Back already?" Su He laughed.

"Yeah," Fu Tinghua answered flatly.

"I woke up a bit late today. Dinner prep’s coming up soon," Su He muttered.

"Didn’t you say we’d kill the chicken for dinner tonight? I’ll take care of it," Fu Tinghua reminded her of what she had said in the morning.

"Right, Zai Zai and Niu Niu probably cheer loudest when you’re home," Su He laughed.

"Why?" Fu Tinghua furrowed his brow.

"Because your visits mean chicken dinners!" Su He hid a laugh behind her hand.

Fu Tinghua: "......"

By the time Su He went to wake the two children, Fu Tinghua had already gone to the kitchen to boil water.

They needed boiling water to scald the chicken.

"Mom, is Dad back?" Niu Niu, still half-asleep, asked as Su He woke her.

"Yes, he's back. Dad’s butchering a chicken for us tonight," Su He replied, gently stroking her daughter's head.

"Mom, don’t split up with Dad, okay?" Niu Niu suddenly hugged Su He and said.

Su He had no idea how her daughter had sensed she was thinking of divorcing Fu Tinghua, but it broke her heart that such a young child was already worrying about these things.

"Okay, Mom won’t split up with Dad."

After helping Niu Niu put on her shoes, Su He turned and saw Zai Zai staring at her thoughtfully.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Su He couldn’t help but laugh—her three-year-old was such a little grown-up.

"Mom, Dad is really good. Please give him a chance," Zai Zai said earnestly.

Su He was floored that her three-year-old could say something like that, and she no longer saw him as just an ordinary child.

Her son was a scarily smart little schemer—he must have already noticed she wasn’t as eager toward Fu Tinghua as before.

After a moment of serious thought, she replied, "Mm, Mom understands. I’ll put your Dad first when it comes to who I spend my life with."

At that, Zai Zai threw his arms around her, "Mom, you’re the best."

Seeing him actually act his age for once, Su He smiled and took the opportunity to teach him, "Zai Zai, Mom just wants you and Niu Niu to be happy and grow up safe and healthy. Even if I’m not around someday, you must always be good kids, understand?"

She wanted to steer him away from turning into some kind of villain and instead grow into an upright person.

But Zai Zai seemed to only hear the part where she said, "Even if I’m not around someday."

So he immediately replied, "Nope."

"Nope to what?" Su He asked, puzzled.

"You can’t leave us," Zai Zai said firmly.

"Okay, Mom was just making an example," Su He said helplessly, rubbing her forehead.

"Still nope. You have to stay with us forever."

Seeing Zai Zai’s stubborn expression and Niu Niu’s confused gaze, Su He let it go for now.

"Mom’s not going anywhere, don’t worry," she reassured them.

"Mom, don’t worry. If you don’t approve of a girl, I won’t marry her," Zai Zai declared, shocking Su He with his maturity.

"You little goof, you’re still in diapers! What are you talking about?"

"Besides, you shouldn’t always listen to me. Mom’s not perfect either."

"Besides, if you always put me first in everything, people will call you a mama's boy, you know?" Su He certainly didn't want the antagonist to become a mama's boy.

"Mommy, what's a mama's boy?" Niu Niu asked curiously.

"A mama's boy is someone who listens to their mom in everything and has no opinions of their own."

To Su He's surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, Niu Niu clapped her hands excitedly and said, "Yay! Then I want to be a mama's girl!"

Su He: She bit back a curse.

Unbeknownst to Su He, Fu Tinghua, who had the fire going, was about to ask her which chicken to cook when he happened to overhear their entire conversation.

Hearing Su He say she would prioritize him, his body tensed against the wall slightly.

Hmm, he still had significant advantages—at the very least, they had two children as their connection.

This wasn't the same Su He he'd known before, something Fu Tinghua had realized since his last return.

But it wasn’t until now that he confirmed this fact.

He would never expose Su He, nor would he ever mention this truth to anyone.

Yet he longed to understand her experiences, her past.

But he supposed he would never know in this lifetime.

Because he didn’t dare ask. Afraid that if he did, Su He might seize the opportunity to tell him she wasn’t the real Su He, and they could part ways amicably—divorce.

He didn’t want a divorce, not just because of the children, but also because—he'd fallen for her.