Chapter 23 – I Won’t Compromise on My Marriage

When Jiang Zhi Ning saw the doubt in Song Yuzhou’s eyes, she followed his gaze—only for his face to flush red instantly.

“That’s not what I meant,” Song Yuzhou said in a fluster, “I mean… I don’t want to have kids.”

“You don’t want to, or you can’t?” Jiang Zhi Ning asked, clearly implying something.

His face turned even redder, practically steaming. He lowered his voice and firmly clarified, “I can!”

Seeing how seriously he uttered those two words, Jiang Zhi Ning responded with a light “Hmm,” then added, “Alright, I’ll believe you… for now.”

For now…

“Ahem, what I meant was,” Song Yuzhou quickly continued, “Song Chen and Song Ye are already older. My brother’s been stationed away with the army for years, and my sister-in-law never really looked after them either, so they’ve grown up emotionally sensitive. That’s why… I think it’s best we don’t have kids of our own, at least for now.”

If he and Jiang Zhi Ning had their own child, Song Chen and Song Ye might feel neglected or replaced. It could lead to emotional imbalance.

And it’s not easy to treat all children equally in practice. Even a small, unintentional act of favoritism could be misunderstood.

So, to avoid all that, it was better to not have any more kids for now.

But this wasn’t just his decision. He had to consider Jiang Zhi Ning’s wishes too.

If she wanted to…

“That works for me,” Jiang Zhi Ning said bluntly. “I chose to be a stepmom because I don’t want to give birth.”

Becoming a mom without the pain? Seemed like a pretty good deal to her. As long as the children were filial, blood ties didn’t matter.

Song Yuzhou was slightly stunned. “A lot of women wouldn’t want to be a stepmom. You don’t mind they aren’t your biological children?”

“Giving birth can wreck your body, and sometimes you nearly die during labor. Just thinking about it is terrifying. So why not skip the whole process and adopt one that’s already here?” she said matter-of-factly.

Song Yuzhou stared at her. This girl… she really wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met.

“Many people think that without a blood tie, kids won’t be filial,” she said with a smile. “But even biological kids aren’t guaranteed to be filial. I’ll treat them like they’re my own.”

Touched by her sincerity, Song Yuzhou reached out and held her hand. “Thank you, Zhi Ning.”

“I’ll give them a year, maybe a bit longer, to get used to me. But if after all that time, I still can’t warm their hearts… then I’ll let it go,” she added.

After all, there’s a limit to how much warmth you can give when the other person stays cold.

“Fair enough,” Song Yuzhou said gratefully.

“There’s one more reason,” Jiang Zhi Ning added suddenly. “If we ever get divorced, it’ll be cleaner—no child to worry about, no emotional baggage.”

She had read too many stories about women who stayed in bad marriages “for the sake of the child,” enduring endless frustration.

That kind of life felt suffocating to her—and she wanted no part of it.

Song Yuzhou’s hand tensed in hers. “You’re thinking of divorce?”

“I like you now. I can feel that you’re good to me too, so no—I’m not thinking about it. But if, one day, you fall for someone else, or grow cold toward me… if you betray this family, then I will not hesitate to leave. My marriage does not allow for compromise.”

Her gaze was firm and unwavering as she looked directly into his eyes, declaring her stance.

Meeting her gaze, Song Yuzhou replied just as seriously, “I won’t betray you.”

“A man’s mouth is a liar’s tool,” she teased, stepping closer to him, placing his hand around her waist with a playful smile. “So don’t just say it—prove it.”

As she moved closer, her soft fragrance surrounded him. Her delicate, charming face so near, Song Yuzhou swallowed hard.

His heart began to race wildly again.

If he hadn’t just gotten checked out by the army doctor recently—who had confirmed he was perfectly healthy—he’d honestly have suspected he was about to pass out.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as his gaze fell on her soft, pink lips. He suddenly felt the urge to kiss her.

Just as sparks were about to fly—

A childish voice called out: “Daddy, Xi Xi’s hungry!”

Startled by Xi Xi’s sudden appearance, Song Yuzhou practically leapt away like he’d been shocked.

Watching his reaction, several black lines formed on Jiang Zhi Ning’s forehead.

She turned to the child and gently patted her head. “Mommy will make you something to eat, okay?”

After the bath, Xi Xi had grown more attached to her. “Okay,” she responded sweetly, hugging Jiang Zhi Ning’s leg.

Smiling, Jiang Zhi Ning bent down and picked her up, then carried her out of the room.

In the kitchen, she rummaged around to see what ingredients were available.

After a while, she realized there wasn’t much—clearly, this household didn’t cook often.

“Xi Xi, why don’t you go play with your brothers? I’ll make you some noodles. Sound good?” she asked with a smile.

Xi Xi didn’t know what “noodles” were, but nodded obediently and ran off.

Looking at the sparse ingredients, Jiang Zhi Ning got to work.

Since there was no ready-made tomato sauce, she decided to make some from scratch.

She scored the tops of the tomatoes with an “X,” boiled them for about a minute, removed the cores, and simmered them slowly—stirring constantly to avoid burning.

Once the water had mostly evaporated and the mixture had thickened, she added a bit of sugar and salt. When it reached the right consistency, she poured it out and set it aside.

Next came the main part: making the noodles.

She diced some pork belly and mushrooms, heated oil in a pan, and added scallions, ginger, and garlic for aroma. Then she stir-fried the pork until browned and added the mushrooms, cooking until soft.

At some point, Song Yuzhou had quietly walked in and was now standing behind her, silently watching her cook with focused care.

She added soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar, stir-frying until the meat turned glossy red. Then she poured in a bowl of water and let it simmer for five to six minutes.

Finally, she thickened the sauce with a bit of starch water and set the noodles to boil.

Once the noodles were done, she served them in a bowl and poured the homemade tomato sauce on top.

“What is this?” Song Yuzhou asked curiously.

She didn’t answer directly. Instead, she called the kids to come eat.

While the kids were gathering, Jiang Zhi Ning also whipped up a quick tomato-egg soup.

The fragrant noodles made Song Ye nearly drool. “Smells so good! What is this?”

“Try it and see if it’s good,” Jiang Zhi Ning said with a gentle smile. “Xi Xi first.”

She brought a bite of noodles to Xi Xi’s mouth.

Xi Xi took a bite and her eyes lit up. “Yummy! So yummy!”

“Go ahead,” Song Yuzhou said in his deep voice.

With his cue, Song Chen and Song Ye picked up their chopsticks and began eating.

Song Chen was visibly surprised after the first bite. He hadn’t expected her cooking to be this good.

“So? Do you like it?” Jiang Zhi Ning asked hopefully.

“Delicious!” Song Ye nodded vigorously.

“Then eat more,” Jiang Zhi Ning said, her eyes crinkling with joy.

At this point, Song Ye figured—even if she was trying to hurt them—he’d at least eat his fill first. This was the best noodle dish he’d ever tasted. It was so good it nearly made him cry.

Watching the kids eat so happily, and seeing the warm expression Jiang Zhi Ning gave Xi Xi, Song Yuzhou couldn’t help but smile.