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After dinner, Song Ye pulled Song Chen aside and whispered,
“Big Brother, I think our new stepmom might not be a bad person. I don’t think she’ll try to kill us.”
She cooks so well—how could a bad person make such good food?
“You dummy,” Song Chen said seriously, “She’s just trying to lower our guard so she can secretly deal with us later.”
Seeing his serious expression, Song Ye nodded as if he understood,
“Oh… then what should we do?”
“Don’t say anything for now. Let’s see what she plans to do first.” Song Chen kept his tone cautious.
Hearing that, Song Ye nodded like a bobblehead.
Song Chen’s eyes grew solemn as he stared off in the distance, worrying about how Song Yuzhou clearly favored Jiang Zhi Ning.
“No matter what, I have to protect Xiao Ye and Xi Xi!” he swore silently.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Jiang Zhi Ning was sitting awkwardly with her legs pressed together, clearly uncomfortable.
Ever since arriving in the 1980s, her biggest struggle had been… using the toilet.
Every time she used that outhouse, she felt like crying.
“This is going to be my and Comrade Yuzhou’s home now. Don’t tell me I’ll be the one cleaning the toilet? Ugh… so depressing.”
She frowned miserably.
Song Yuzhou walked in and, seeing her discomfort, asked,
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Jiang Zhi Ning looked up with a pitiful expression,
“I need to go to the bathroom…”
He paused, then a small smile flickered in his eyes.
“Come with me,” he said.
“I really don’t want to use the outhouse,” she protested, shaking her head hard.
“Don’t worry. It’s not that.”
He gently took her hand and led her outside the room.
To her surprise, just outside her room stood a brand-new little enclosed space—with a door.
When he opened it, a modern squat toilet was inside.
“This is…”
“I had someone rush to build it. Now you don’t have to use that kind of toilet anymore,” he explained plainly.
After arriving at Xinli Village, Song Yuzhou had realized her aversion to the outhouse and had immediately called in a favor from his military unit to build a private bathroom in record time.
Jiang Zhi Ning’s eyes sparkled with emotion. She jumped into his arms and hugged his neck.
“This is amazing! Thank you, Comrade Yuzhou! Now I don’t have to hold it in anymore!”
Hearing her cheerful voice, Song Yuzhou smiled gently.
“If you need anything, just tell me.”
He already felt she’d sacrificed a lot by marrying him—so he wanted to do everything he could to make her happy and never regret her decision.
Jiang Zhi Ning tiptoed and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek.
“Love you, hubby~”
He stood frozen, cheeks burning red, and before he could even respond, she’d rushed off into the bathroom.
Touching the place she kissed, he felt flustered.
His wife—tender like water, passionate like fire.
When she came out of the bathroom, Jiang Zhi Ning felt totally refreshed.
Having a proper toilet finally resolved her biggest problem in this era.
She hummed a tune as she skipped past the kitchen—only to see two small figures inside.
Song Ye was tidying the table, and Song Chen was carefully drying and stacking the dishes.
She paused.
The book had described these two brothers in detail:
Song Chen was later twisted and ruthless. As the son of a military district commander, he ended up despising women and went down a dark path—eventually becoming the leader of the country’s largest criminal gang targeting women and landing in prison.
Song Ye, under the influence of his brother’s views, rarely interacted with women. Later, under the careful manipulation of Shen An’an, he fell for her and had an affair, which led to his arrest for “sabotaging a military marriage.”
“Tsk… Misogyny really is a curse,” Jiang Zhi Ning muttered.
“Still, they seem like pretty decent kids for now.”
Thinking that things hadn’t spiraled out of control yet, Jiang Zhi Ning felt she still had time to change their fate.
That night, as she was carrying Xi Xi back to the bedroom to sleep, Song Chen appeared and took Xi Xi from her arms.
“Xi Xi is sleeping with us tonight,” he stated plainly.
“It’s fine. You two have school tomorrow—you should sleep well tonight,” Jiang Zhi Ning said kindly.
“Not necessary,” Song Chen replied coldly, taking Xi Xi away.
Jiang Zhi Ning stood there, stunned.
“That look in his eyes… you’d think I was planning to eat Xi Xi or something.”
In truth, Song Chen was afraid she might harm Xi Xi while she slept—so keeping Xi Xi nearby felt safest.
Watching them leave, Jiang Zhi Ning realized that unlocking Song Chen’s guarded heart would take time.
Stretching, she headed off to bed.
After changing into a silky camisole sleep dress, she glanced in the mirror. The pale-skinned beauty staring back still didn’t feel quite real to her.
Just then, footsteps approached—Song Yuzhou had entered the room.
He stopped briefly, stunned by the sight of her.
Trying to act calm, he walked over and said in his low voice,
“I’ll sleep with Song Chen and the kids tonight.”
“Huh?” Jiang Zhi Ning rose slowly and faced him.
“Comrade Yuzhou, are you really going to leave your new bride all alone on our wedding night?”
She lifted her chin, exposing her graceful neckline.
He coughed awkwardly.
“I-I just…”
“Just what?”
Her slender arms wrapped around his neck, her lashes fluttering as she teased,
“I agreed not to have children—but I never said we couldn’t sleep together. If we sleep separately just after getting married, people will talk.”
In her last life, she’d been a spinster well into her 20s. This time around, she wasn’t about to waste a husband this handsome and well-built.
Her soft skin brushed the back of his neck, making Song Yuzhou’s heartbeat skyrocket.
He finally gave in and got into bed.
Wearing only a vest, he lay stiffly on his back. Jiang Zhi Ning lay beside him.
The lights went out. The room was pitch-black.
“Comrade Yuzhou, come closer,” she whispered sweetly.
Heart pounding, he obeyed and scooted slightly toward her.
He stayed stiff like a board. Jiang Zhi Ning chuckled inwardly.
If he won’t move closer, I will.
She rolled over, placed his hand around her waist—and when he tried to pull back, she pinned it there.
“Hold me,” she said softly.
He hesitated—but complied.
In the darkness, she didn’t see his face flush a deep red.
Lying sideways, her cheek pressed to his chest, she smiled as she felt his strong muscles beneath his vest.
“My hubby’s body is really something,” she whispered cheekily.
The word “hubby” made Song Yuzhou swallow hard.
It was so quiet that she heard that tiny sound clearly.
But he still didn’t move—just lay stiffly holding her.
Wow, he’s got serious self-control… Could he really be that innocent?
Thinking it was time to test him, she slowly ran her hand across his chest—then lifted her face, letting her lips “accidentally” brush his Adam’s apple.
She left a soft kiss there and whispered playfully:
“Comrade Yuzhou?”