Chapter 43: Jiang Zhi Ning – Let Me Help You

Jiang Zhi Ning’s delicate shoulders glistened under the light as Song Yuzhou kissed her lips. The heat of his touch carried a current that trailed down to her neck.

With a slight suction, a red mark bloomed on her fair skin like a plum blossom.

A soft gasp slipped from her nose.

His arms around her tightened unconsciously, and the hand that had rested at her waist slowly began to inch lower—

Suddenly, his palm touched something that brought his distant rationality snapping back into focus. Song Yuzhou froze.

He had completely forgotten… Jiang Zhi Ning was on her period.

His body stiffened. Move or not move—both felt impossible.

Worse yet, during their kissing, he’d already had a very obvious physical reaction.

Jiang Zhi Ning slowly opened her eyes, looking at him with soft, watery gaze. Song Yuzhou felt his heart pound wildly, even his Adam’s apple moved up and down as he swallowed hard.

He held her slender wrist, his voice hoarse:
“You’re on your period. I won’t touch you.”

He didn’t know a lot about such things, but he understood enough to know it wasn’t the right time, and that there were reasons behind it.

Jiang Zhi Ning glanced down, her gaze landing on the bulge under his pants. She let out a light laugh.
“What about that?”

His face turned crimson. He tugged at his pants, trying to adjust himself into a more “peaceful” state.

Unfortunately, it had grown into a towering monument—it was not about to calm down easily.

“I’ll take a cold shower,” Song Yuzhou said seriously, his brows slightly furrowed from discomfort.

“You’ll get sick if you stay under too long.”

Song Yuzhou’s throat tightened. The fire in his eyes was barely contained, yet he continued to endure.

No touching meant no touching.

Jiang Zhi Ning looked at him and gently stroked his cheek with her thumb, her voice soft and sweet:
“Hubby…”

Her gentle tone made his body tremble slightly.

“…Mm,” he answered with a hoarse voice, lightly biting his lower lip.

“You really like me?” she asked for confirmation.

“Mm, I like you,” he answered without hesitation.

Before, he had thought a man’s duty was to build achievements and protect the country.

Meeting her was an accident. Letting her into his heart—was the only accident he’d ever welcomed.

Jiang Zhi Ning happily pecked his lips.

Song Yuzhou couldn’t help but swallow again.

This girl… she was tempting him.

With her arms wrapped around his neck, she leaned in, her moist lips brushing his earlobe as she whispered in a raspy voice:
“Let me help you.”

His pupils widened in shock.

A second later, his face turned completely red as a soft moan escaped his throat.

Through the thin layer of clothing, Song Yuzhou trembled with anticipation.

In a few swift moves, the obstructing fabric was removed.

Jiang Zhi Ning glanced down. Even as someone from the 21st century, her face flushed in embarrassment.

It was her first time seeing… that.

Her attention briefly diverted, Song Yuzhou leaned in and kissed her deeply.

———

The next morning.

Sunlight filtered gently through the window.

Song Yuzhou woke up and looked at the woman nestled in his arms.

Thinking of the events from the night before, his eyes were full of tenderness.

He lowered his head slightly and pressed his forehead against hers, nuzzling her softly with his nose.

His wife was truly sweet and soft.

Lately, he didn’t feel like himself—he had become addicted to the warmth she gave him.

He dropped a light kiss on her forehead and whispered hoarsely:
“Wife, I’m so lucky to have you.”

Just then, the supposedly sleeping woman opened her bright eyes and replied cheekily:
“I heard that~”

Originally trying to express his feelings quietly, Song Yuzhou didn’t expect to get caught red-handed—and instantly turned beet red.

Jiang Zhi Ning looked at him, poked his chest playfully, and teased,
“Comrade Yuzhou is still so easy to get flustered.”

Her voice was tinged with the lazy softness of morning, irresistibly charming.

He grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly.
“Don’t tease me this early in the morning… it’s dangerous.”

Jiang Zhi Ning giggled, “It’s a little sore. I felt it.”

Song Yuzhou’s face was practically steaming. He forced himself to get out of bed.
“Go back to sleep. I’ll make breakfast for the kids.”

Jiang Zhi Ning stretched lazily and cooed,
“Okay, hubby~”

Song Yuzhou quickly got dressed and headed straight to the yard to draw a basin of cold water.

Hearing the sound of water splashing outside, Jiang Zhi Ning couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Don’t go catching a cold,” she called out with a smile in her eyes.

By the time she got up, only she and Xixi were left in the house.

Seeing Xixi happily playing by herself, Jiang Zhi Ning went back inside and entered the space in her jade bracelet.

Her body felt fine today—no soreness or cramps—so she could finally harvest all the chili peppers.

There weren’t many tools in the space, so she had to bend down and pick them by hand, one by one.

Twenty minutes later, all the chilies were harvested.

Next, Jiang Zhi Ning planted other seeds and vegetable seedlings she had previously bought.

Once done, she took a portion of the chilies and returned to the real world.

Yesterday, she had bought star anise, bay leaves, and other spices at the market. Today, she planned to make mala hot pot base sauce from scratch.

“Let’s do this!” she said as she got busy in the kitchen.

Back in the modern world, she had made this spicy hot pot base once, so now she could only rely on memory to recreate it.

First, she soaked the dried chili segments she’d sun-dried a few days ago in boiling water, then drained them after a while. Next, she pounded the chilies into a thick chili paste.

She finely chopped fermented bean paste, smashed some fresh ginger, broke apart star anise and cinnamon sticks, and rendered vegetable oil and lard, letting them cool.

With all preparations done, she poured the cooled oil and lard into the pot, stir-fried the ginger and garlic until fragrant, then added the chili paste and bean paste.

She turned the heat down and stirred it for an hour and a half. Once most of the moisture had evaporated, she added the star anise, bay leaves, and other spices, and continued to stir-fry for another 30 minutes.

Gradually, a rich aroma filled the air.

At the right moment, she tossed in Sichuan peppercorns and gave it a final stir, then covered the pot and let it sit to absorb all the flavors.

Once it cooled naturally, the spicy hot pot base was finished.

Xixi sniffed the air and trotted over.
“It smells sooo good!”

Jiang Zhi Ning chuckled,
“Smells good, doesn’t it? But it’s way too spicy for kids. It’ll upset your little tummy.”

Hearing she couldn’t eat it, Xixi pouted in disappointment and huffed,
“Hmph! I didn’t want to eat it anyway.”

Seeing her adorable reaction, Jiang Zhi Ning smiled warmly.
“Of course, our Xixi doesn’t like spicy food. I’ll make you some tomato spaghetti later, okay?”

Xixi didn’t know what spaghetti was, but that didn’t stop her from nodding enthusiastically.
“Yes, please!”

Then she leaned in and gave Jiang Zhi Ning a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you, Mama!”

Jiang Zhi Ning affectionately ruffled her hair. Her love for Xixi grew stronger by the day.

“What’s that amazing smell in here?” Liu Zhilan walked in from outside, sniffing the air.

“Sister Zhilan, I just finished making the base for mala hot pot. I’m planning to make some in a bit,” Jiang Zhi Ning said with a smile.

“Mala hot pot?” Liu Zhilan asked curiously.

“Yeah, just wait a moment. I’ll make it now and pack some for you to take home—it’s great with rice,” Jiang Zhi Ning said warmly.

Liu Zhilan beamed. “That sounds great!”

Jiang Zhi Ning told Xixi to play on her own, then got started on the mala dish.

The soul of mala hot pot lies in its base. Once that’s done, the rest is simple.

She cooked lettuce, cauliflower, lotus root, and other vegetables in a pot until tender. Then she reheated the base sauce in another pan and tossed the boiled vegetables into it, stir-frying everything together.

Liu Zhilan was amazed.
“That smells even better than before!”

Once the stir-fry was done, Jiang Zhi Ning plated the food.

“Here, Sister Zhilan, try it! It might be a bit spicy—I like spicy food,” she said, handing over chopsticks.

Liu Zhilan took a bite, and her eyes lit up.
“This is amazing! I’ve never tasted anything this good.”

Hearing that, Jiang Zhi Ning broke into a radiant smile.

Step one: success!