Some unpleasant thoughts flashed through Xu Suining’s mind. As soon as Huo Qingshan left, she hurried back to the room to look for the original host’s letters and diary.

They were in the drawer of the three-drawer table. The letters were in disarray, and the red plastic-covered diary had clearly been flipped through.

It was probably Huo Qingshan who had searched here for clues when he went looking for the original host.

Xu Suining read through the diary first, then winced as she forced herself to finish the letters. Two of them were from the original host’s family, asking for money and ration tickets. The rest were from a man named Chen Jingchen. Although he never explicitly said “I love you” or used other romantic phrases, every line conveyed a deep sense of longing and a spiritual connection.

The original host had even underlined certain well-written phrases and added notes beside them.

Xu Suining didn’t quite understand this behavior, so she read the diary again. Her heart sank. If Huo Qingshan had seen it, their relationship was going to be difficult to navigate.

The diary was filled with resentment about being forced to marry Huo Qingshan, and countless complaints about him.

She had written that he was uneducated, lived roughly, and even described how the air became stiflingly foul whenever he came home after training, reeking of sweat. She claimed that every day felt like torment living in such an environment.

She had even written that if she could die, she would end it all—but because she loved someone else, she was willing to endure a little longer for him.

After reading it, Xu Suining felt a headache coming on. The original host had been a hopeless romantic. That Chen Jingchen fellow had done nothing for her beyond writing a few pretentious lines, yet she had been deeply moved.

She let out a deep sigh, shoved the diary and letters back into the drawer, and planned to burn them in front of Huo Qingshan later as a show of her commitment.

Opening another drawer, she found a pile of money and various ration tickets. There was also a note stating that the money and tickets belonged to Huo Qingshan, and that she had left without taking a single cent, out of pride.

Xu Suining counted the money—it totaled 135 yuan and 84 cents. In this era, that was a small fortune.

There were also food tickets, oil tickets, meat tickets, cloth tickets, and sugar tickets.

These were the monthly provisions Huo Qingshan had given to the original host. Even when he didn’t come home, he made sure the orderly delivered them.

Xu Suining sorted through the money and tickets, quietly impressed. Huo Qingshan had a strong sense of responsibility. Despite how difficult the original host had been, he still took care of her.

Just for that sense of duty alone, she had to cling tightly to Huo Qingshan’s support and get through the next two years safely.

The stove began to heat up, and the room grew warm.

Xu Suining relaxed, her body feeling cozy. She began to feel drowsy.

She hesitated over whether to lie down for a short rest. After all, this body was still pregnant, and pregnant women needed proper rest.

Someone knocked at the door. Xu Suining rubbed her eyes and went to answer it.

A young soldier in uniform stood there holding two lunch boxes. With a serious expression, he handed them to her. “Commander Huo asked me to bring you food.”

As soon as Xu Suining took the boxes, he turned and ran off without saying another word.

He hadn’t even called her “sister-in-law.”

Xu Suining could sense his displeasure. She sighed inwardly. With the original host’s attitude, it was no wonder no one liked her. Now that she had taken over this body, these consequences were hers to bear.

One lunch box held stir-fried potato slices. The other contained a coarse grain bun and two eggs.

Looking at the oil-less potato slices, Xu Suining once again felt the hardship of life. The military’s meals were this basic.

Eggs were a rare treat. Being given two already felt like a luxury.

Sitting beside the stove, Xu Suining quietly ate her simple dinner, thinking about how she should plan her days going forward.

That evening, Feng Chunhua cooked millet porridge while Feng Shunhua enthusiastically made scallion pancakes. She also chopped pickled vegetables, added chili, and poured hot oil over them.

The aroma instantly filled the tiny room.

Feng Chunhua looked on with a pained expression. “Oh, look how much oil you used just for one meal. The pickled veggies just needed to be chopped, not drenched in oil. And you used so much oil in the pancakes too. You really don’t know how to manage a household.”

Feng Shunhua stuffed a few strands of pickled vegetables into her sister’s mouth. “Come on, just tell me—is it good or not?”

She was full of energy at the thought of Huo Qingshan sitting in the next room chatting with her brother-in-law.

Feng Chunhua nodded. “It tastes good, no doubt about that, but it’s just too wasteful. Don’t do this next time.”

Feng Shunhua laughed. “There won’t be a next time. I just wanted to make the food tasty today since Brother Huo’s coming over. Gotta make a good impression on your husband too.”

Feng Chunhua thought that made sense and urged her to get back to cooking.

Meanwhile, in the room, Huo Qingshan was asking Yan Jianzhang whether he had mentioned anything about his injury after returning home.

Yan Jianzhang looked shocked. “Why would I bring that up at home? What happened? Is something wrong?”

Huo Qingshan didn’t hide it. “Your sister-in-law knows about my injury. Who told her?”

Yan Jianzhang froze. “Shunhua knows? How would she know that? I’ll ask her later.”

Huo Qingshan nodded slightly. “Still, be cautious. This mission is classified. No details are allowed to spread.”

Yan Jianzhang quickly nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ve been in political work for nearly twenty years. I understand the importance of discretion. Shunhua just came from the countryside, and hasn’t even finished elementary school. She’s naive but hardworking. I don’t think she meant any harm.”

Huo Qingshan considered this. “Even so, it’s better to be careful.”

As the topic wrapped up, Yan Jianzhang shifted to concern over Huo Qingshan’s injury. “Are you all right? You still need rest. Since Xiao Xu is back, do you want me to talk to her? The baby’s already on the way—maybe she should focus on family life.”

Huo Qingshan declined. “No need. If she wants a divorce, we’ll wait until she’s recovered, terminate the pregnancy, and then go through with it.”

Yan Jianzhang frowned. “That… Xiao Xu really doesn’t know how to behave.”

Just then, Feng Shunhua came in with the pancakes and happened to hear Huo Qingshan mention aborting the baby and divorcing. Her lips curved upward, and her steps grew lighter. “Brother-in-law, Brother Huo, dinner’s ready.”

Since Yan Jianzhang had three children, their house had been allotted an extra room. One was for the kids, and they had set up a space for dining.

Seeing Feng Shunhua come in, Yan Jianzhang dropped the previous topic and invited Huo Qingshan to wash up for dinner.

Millet porridge with scallion pancakes and pickled vegetables drizzled with hot oil was considered a fine meal.

Feng Chunhua warmly encouraged Huo Qingshan. “Try Shunhua’s cooking. I don’t know where she learned it, but pouring hot oil over the pickled vegetables made them taste completely different.”

Feng Shunhua pretended to be shy and glanced at Huo Qingshan, hoping he would praise her. But he didn’t even look her way. Disappointed, she quietly ate her food, determined to leave a good impression.

Feng Chunhua praised the scallion pancakes again. “Didn’t expect Er Ya to be so good at cooking, even after working in the fields all day in the countryside.”

Feng Shunhua felt a surge of frustration. The last thing she wanted was for people to mention her rustic nickname or her farming background. How could that possibly match up with a future high-ranking officer like Huo Qingshan?

But Huo Qingshan remained indifferent. After finishing one pancake and a bowl of porridge, he had just set down his chopsticks when they heard Xu Suining calling from outside, “Huo Qingshan? Are you done eating? I came to take you home.”