Chapter 24: Huo Donglin’s Tough Yet Tender Love

“How about you take Brother Zhang Guang and stay in the dorm for a couple of days?” Jiang Ningning said, giving her two little treasures a quiet thumbs-up in her heart. She spoke with a feigned difficulty, “It’s normal for the kids to feel distant since they’ve never seen you before. Maybe you should spend a few days getting familiar with each other?”

Huo Donglin glanced at her without changing his expression. His wife’s eyelids lowered, and her delicate lashes trembled slightly, as if she was a little afraid of him.

At this moment, he did indeed have a somewhat intimidating presence.

“Alright.”

He readily agreed.

He figured they could spend a few days getting familiar, and then he’d take his eldest son’s pants off and give him a good spanking.

Manman, for some unknown reason, felt a chill run down his back, but when he heard that the grizzly bear father wouldn’t be sleeping with him, he happily jumped up, “Mom, sister, let’s go tour the new house, shall we?”

The “family” he referred to seemed to intentionally leave out the “black egg” dad.

Huo Donglin took a deep breath and turned to leave the room.

The bed was hard, and the quilt too thin. He planned to gather some dry straw and wheat chaff to make a mattress, and repair anything else that needed fixing.

He didn’t want to stay for long; he feared he’d be unable to hold himself back and end up spanking the kid early.

“Donglin, I’ll go with you.” Zhu Zhangguang quickly followed him.

He was someone who couldn’t stay still, and after tidying up, he couldn’t find anything else to do, feeling a bit uneasy.

The new house was spacious and bright, with a well-arranged layout.

It consisted of three bedrooms and two living rooms. The cement floors were smooth and polished, and all four walls were painted in a uniform army green. The living room displayed the portrait of a great leader, giving it a distinct retro feel.

The two little hands held each other as they ran through the rooms, their voices full of wonder.

“Mom, the windowsill here has a view of the seaside too.”

“We three will live here, and Black Egg Dad will stay next door. The last room will be the study.”

The two siblings made their plans with enthusiasm.

Jiang Ningning couldn’t help but smile as she walked into the master bedroom. The view before her opened up brightly.

The sky was blue, and so was the sea. A series of sailboats, their red stars fluttering in the wind, sailed toward the horizon. The sound of horns echoed in the air, and seagulls circled the masts.

In her past life, Jiang Ningning had been from Jin City, a coastal town. When she was young, her parents would often take her to Dongjiang Bay Park to gather seashells or catch little crabs.

Looking at such a peaceful and beautiful scene, an elementary school poem suddenly surfaced in her mind:

“Mommy, how about I teach the babies a poem?” Jiang Ningning squatted down, holding one of the little dumplings in her arms.

The babies nestled against her, breathing in the fragrance from her arms. Their voices were soft and sweet.

Mommy said one line, and they repeated after her:

“From today onwards, I’ll be a happy person.

Feed the horse, chop wood, travel the world.

From today onwards, care for food and vegetables.

I have a house, facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming…”

Their clear voices, carried by the salty sea breeze, drifted far and wide.

Huo Donglin, taking an involuntary lighter step, felt his usual cold and hard aura wrapped in an inexplicable warmth.

He silently sat at the entrance of the yard, picking up straw and weaving it strand by strand.

When on military expeditions, it was common to stay out in the wilderness overnight. These were basic survival skills. Huo Donglin was focused, working quickly with his hands. Within half an hour, he had woven two long mats.

Finally, he joined them together and stuffed them full of wheat straw in between.

A simple yet comfortable straw mattress was finished.

An image of Jiang Ningning’s delicate skin flashed across his mind, and Huo Donglin pressed his lips together tighter.

He continued to brush the surface of the mattress carefully with a brush, smoothing out the fine thorns, making sure everything was tidy and comfortable.

He worked until his palm felt no pricks, then picked it up and carried it inside. His muscles were clearly defined and strong, moving with ease and strength.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, the three little ones turned around.

Especially Jiang Ningning, her beautiful dark eyes holding a faint smile, “You’re back?”

The soft rising tone of her voice seemed to hook into the deepest parts of his heart.

Huo Donglin’s earlobes reddened slightly.

His face remained stern as he muttered, “Mm.”

Really, during broad daylight, why did this woman’s voice have to be so sweet?

He placed the mattress on the wooden board, then laid the quilt on top, pressing it down with his fists.

Under the strong pressure of a soldier’s hands, it was soft enough, but his heart couldn’t help but feel a little stiff, afraid that the little ones might be uncomfortable.

At that moment, four guards and Zhu Zhangguang walked in, each carrying a pile of things.

The table, piled high with items, couldn’t hold everything, so many daily necessities were left on the floor.

The little rice dumplings were both excited and curious, yet felt sorry for how much money their mom had spent. Their expressions alternated between joy and concern.

“What’s going on?” Huo Donglin asked, still unperturbed.

Jiang Ningning wanted to stop him, but it was too late.

Manman sighed deeply, glaring at his dad with a look of frustration. “Comrade Black Egg, it’s wrong to live off your wife.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a small piece of chocolate was shoved into his mouth.

Immediately, his little face scrunched up in disgust.

The chocolate, a type of military ration, was different from regular chocolate. It had twice the calories but was terribly bland and unpleasant in taste.

Huo Donglin calmly withdrew his hand and pulled out a piece of milk candy from his pocket, offering it to his sweet daughter.

“Thank you, Dad,” Xia Xia hesitated before accepting it, politely thanking him.

He treated his son and daughter differently.

Nearby, the guards tried hard to stifle their laughter.

When Huo Donglin shot them a cold glance, they didn’t need him to speak—his mere gaze was enough to make them shudder.

The soldiers quickly straightened up.

One of them reported, “Captain, we’ve bought everything on the list, and the food has been prepared in the mess hall.”

He then turned to Jiang Ningning, and upon seeing her exceptionally beautiful face, his cheeks flushed red.

“Sis-in-law, the supply ship will stop at the harbor at 2 PM today. These ships come every ten days, selling seafood to the military families. Most of the time, you don’t need tickets.”

Jiang Ningning’s eyes lit up, and her mind immediately conjured up a list of seafood dishes: shrimp, spicy crab, stir-fried clams, braised abalone, and more.

“Kids, Mom will show you her cooking skills later.”

Jiang Ningning was eager with anticipation.

The two little ones excitedly jumped up and down.

Even Zhu Changguang couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.

In this family, the only one who was worried was Huo Donglin. His wife looked so delicate and gentle, it was obvious she didn’t know how to cook.

Seafood was one of the hardest things to cook, requiring freshness.

Sea snails had a muddy taste, crabs and scallops had a strong fishy smell.

Jiang Ningning, a pure northern inland girl, had only ever been exposed to dried seafood like dried shrimp, seaweed, and salted fish.

If her cooking failed, how would he protect her confidence?

It seemed ten thousand times harder than catching criminals at the border!

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Meanwhile, while life in their little yard seemed calm, the military base was in an uproar.

The scene where father and son reunited at the military base’s gate was witnessed by far too few people.

Instead, there was another shocking piece of news that, within half a day, spread throughout the entire military base.

First: Huo Donglin’s wife ran off with someone!

Second: None of the children were his!!

Many unmarried young women, upon hearing the gossip, couldn’t help but feel their hearts flutter.

At Jiangcheng Hospital.

Guan Wenxue received a call from her family, her hands trembling with excitement. “Dad, I don’t want to go on blind dates anymore. I want to marry Huo Donglin.”

Guan’s father’s voice came through the phone. “Marriage isn’t a joke. Are you sure about this?”

The Guan family was still prosperous, even though both sons were disappointing. They desperately needed a capable son-in-law.

Guan’s father had long set his sights on Huo Donglin.

He came from a small place, had a clean background, was undoubtedly a military king, and had unlimited potential in the future.

At this moment, having encountered betrayal from his wife and children, he was emotionally vulnerable, unable to think clearly or stay calm. He planned to use this situation to pressure Huo Donglin, knowing that if he wanted to rise in rank, he couldn’t afford any blemishes in his political review.

If things went well, the Guan family could lend him a hand, and he would certainly be grateful, pulling him into their circle from Old Sun’s faction.

Otherwise, he would be stuck at the political review stage and would never have a chance to rise again.

This needed to be handled now, catching Huo Donglin and Old Sun off guard!

“Dad, have you found any information on those three mother and son from the train?”

Guan Wenxue fumed when she thought about it, saying with determination, “They must be caught and sent to prison.”

For what they did to her, she had suffered so much, and she thought a few days in prison was too lenient for them.

Guan’s father was even more ruthless than she was. “Things have already been arranged for the subordinates. Within two days, I’ll make sure those three human traffickers get what they deserve.”

The father and daughter quickly concluded their phone call, effectively sentencing Jiang Ningning and her children.