Chapter 14: Mo Haoyue Wants to Take Mi Xia and Their Daughter to the Army

Mi Xia stayed with her daughter, waiting for Mo Haoyue’s return.

When he arrived, Mi Xia handed him the remaining piece of apple. Mo Haoyue looked at Mi Xia in surprise, as if asking where it came from.

“I saw someone selling them in the county town today, so I bought a few. We’ve already eaten some,” Mi Xia explained.

Mo Haoyue nodded and took a bite.

“After you finish the apple, go to the kitchen and get some water to bathe our daughter,” Mi Xia said, then took her daughter back to the room.

“Okay,” Mo Haoyue said, speeding up his apple-eating pace. He washed his hands and went to fetch water.

While Mi Xia was playing with her daughter, Mo Haoyue got the water ready.

He would also need to bathe here later, and it wasn’t convenient for him to use his [implied: special storage space] here.

After both mother and daughter had bathed, Mi Xia dressed Mo Zhixia and herself before calling Mo Haoyue into the room.

“I’ll help you boil some water in the kitchen.”

“No need, you’re already clean. Don’t bother. I can do it myself. You should rest with our daughter,” Mo Haoyue said decisively.

Mi Xia didn’t argue, responding with a sound, and went to bed to tell her daughter a story.

When Mo Haoyue entered the room, Xia Xia was already asleep. He took off his clothes and carefully lay down beside his wife. As soon as he lay down, a pleasant fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

She seemed different from the women in the village. Her fingers were slender, her skin fair and smooth like a peeled egg, and her figure slim, unlike the dark, plump, and rough-skinned women of the village.

Mi Xia shifted uncomfortably, making him even more restless.

Mo Haoyue steadied himself and said, “On my way home today, I already spoke to my mother. I apologize to you and Xia Xia on her behalf. It’s my fault. I didn’t protect you and our daughter well. I wasn’t there when our daughter was born.”

“I can rest for half a month this time. When I return to the army, you and Xia Xia can come with me.”

“No need. Xia Xia and I are very happy here. She’s still young, and I’m afraid the long train journey would make her uncomfortable. Let’s wait a couple of years. When she’s older, I’ll take her to you.”

“That’s fine. I’ll write down the army’s address and phone number tomorrow. You can call me or write if you need anything. I’ll also give you your bonus, salary, and ration coupons tomorrow.”

“I’ve already discussed it with my mother today. I won’t give her my salary anymore; I’ll give her money every month. From now on, I’ll send my salary and ration coupons to you,” Mo Haoyue said cautiously.

He was afraid Mi Xia wouldn’t agree to him giving her money every month. In this era, not supporting one’s parents was unrealistic. Although she had cut ties with them, Mo’s mother was still his mother, and Mo Haoyue couldn’t ignore her.

If she wanted to continue their relationship, she had to consider him and avoid having a reputation for being unfilial. Besides, she could earn money herself and didn’t need his money.

Mi Xia responded with a sound, and Mo Haoyue finally relaxed.

Surrounded by a strong masculine scent, Mi Xia felt extremely nervous. What if this man made a move on her? What should she do? The original owner had only been with him for about ten days, and he was a stranger to her.

Mo Haoyue sensed Mi Xia’s nervousness and couldn’t help but smile slightly. Unexpectedly, after only ten minutes, Mi Xia fell asleep, leaving Mo Haoyue both amused and speechless.

Seeing the mother and daughter sleeping so soundly, he also relaxed his guard and fell asleep.

The next day, Mo Haoyue stretched comfortably. He hadn’t slept a whole night without dreams in a long time. During missions, it was normal to go days without sleep, and he often had nighttime drills in the army.

He looked around and saw that the two were gone. He hadn’t even noticed when they got up.

He attributed this change to the wonderful feeling of sleeping with his wife and daughter. Not only did he sleep through the night, but he also overslept, something he had never done before.

He got dressed and got up efficiently. When he went out, he saw Mi Xia playing with the two children. Mi Qiu had already taken his three sons to work, and Zhang Hongxia was sitting on a chair sewing schoolbags.

Seeing this scene, Mo Haoyue felt a sense of peace. If he could live like this with his wife and daughter, it wouldn’t be so bad.

Mi Xia was surprised. Was a soldier so unguarded? And he was just getting up now. But she didn’t ask.

“We’ve already eaten. I left you some food in the kitchen. Wash up and help yourself.”

She then continued playing with the children. After Mo Haoyue finished breakfast, he cleaned up the dishes before coming over.

“Wife, I’ll go back first. I’ll come back later to be with you and our daughter.” He couldn’t stay here forever. He hadn’t been home in a long time and should spend some time with his mother, but he was so reluctant to leave his wife and daughter.

“Okay, go ahead. Do you want to take anything back?”

“No, you should play with the kids. I’ll go now.”

Mo Haoyue left reluctantly. His departure was convenient for Mi Xia to go to the mountain.

“Sister-in-law, I’m going to the mountain to take a look. Please help me take care of Xia Xia.”

“Why don’t you go after your brother comes back, or wait for your brother-in-law to go with you? It’s safer.”

“It’s okay, Sister-in-law. I’ve been there so many times before. You don’t have to worry. Brother has to work, and it’s dangerous to go to the mountain at night. Mo Haoyue can’t always stay here. I can go by myself,” Mi Xia reassured her.

“Okay, be careful and come home early.”

“I know, Sister-in-law. I’ll go now.”

Today, Mi Xia wanted to look for hawthorn trees to make candied haws for the children. She carried her backpack and went deep into the mountains.

She collected a lot of mushrooms and wood ear fungi. She didn’t plan to hunt today; she was specifically looking for fruit trees.

Unexpectedly, Mi Xia actually found several hawthorn trees, and she even saw peach trees and longan trees.

Mi Xia picked everything she saw. She loved longans the most, so she picked them non-stop. In half an hour, there was a huge pile in her [implied: special storage space].

Mi Xia didn’t give up and tried to pick them all. If she didn’t pick them, no one would, and they would all rot. She filled her backpack and put it into her [implied: special storage space]. Seeing the three large piles in her [implied: special storage space], Mi Xia felt a great sense of accomplishment.

It was almost 11 o’clock now. She wouldn’t go back for lunch. Going back and forth would waste a lot of time.

She started walking forward. Her luck seemed particularly good today. She encountered a roe deer, a flock of wild ducks, and a wild deer, and she also collected a lot of wild eggs.

She ate hamburgers and Coke in her [implied: special storage space] for lunch.

In the afternoon, she caught many rabbits and roe deer. Mi Xia was sweating profusely, and her legs were numb from walking.

She took a bath in the spiritual spring water in her [implied: special storage space]. After the bath, she felt refreshed. Seeing the increased amount of food in her [implied: special storage space] warehouse, she was overjoyed. These were her capital, for future business or buying a courtyard house.

Tomorrow, she would go to the black market to find Zhang Xiaoyu. Did she have any news about the job? She also needed to buy a sewing machine, but Mo Haoyue had returned. How should she explain buying a sewing machine suddenly?

Maybe tomorrow, after he comes, she could ask him to see if he could find sewing machine coupons, so she could buy a sewing machine openly.

When she got home, Zhang Hongxia was cutting noodles, using bone broth. “Sister-in-law, let me cook. I caught a rabbit this afternoon. Let’s have braised rabbit for dinner.”

“Okay, anything you cook is delicious, little sister. I want to learn from you,” Zhang Hongxia joked.

That evening, Mi Xia made braised rabbit and stewed pig’s head meat. Just as they were about to eat, Mo Haoyue arrived, but his face wasn’t looking good.

Zhang Hongxia quickly greeted him, “Brother-in-law, you’re here. We’re just about to eat. Come and sit.”

When Mo Haoyue saw Mi Xia and her daughter, his face improved. The family happily ate a meal together. Even though Mo Haoyue was an officer, he felt the food was excellent.

As usual, Mo Haoyue washed the dishes. In the room, Mi Xia asked Mo Haoyue, “What’s wrong?”

“My mother wants me to divorce you and find someone better. We have a child; how can we divorce?”

Mi Xia didn’t answer, looking down, lost in thought.

Mo Haoyue continued, “I’m not going to divorce you. Marriage isn’t child’s play.”

Actually, Mi Xia didn’t want a divorce either. Mo Haoyue was handsome. In modern times, many girls would probably be attracted to him. Besides, they now had a child.

“Yeah, I know. I won’t divorce you either. We have Xia Xia, and she can’t be without a father,” Mi Xia said seriously.