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Hearing that familiar voice, Jiang Zhi Ning felt a headache coming on.
“What a small world,” she muttered.
Looking at the girl in front of him, a flash of amazement passed through Sheng Hao’s eyes.
It hadn’t been long since they last met, but Jiang Zhi Ning looked even more stunning now.
Her skin was soft and flawless, her delicate face full of charm between her brows—she stood out as the brightest presence in any crowd.
“Are you secretly following me?” Sheng Hao tightened his grip on her wrist.
Jiang Zhi Ning rolled her eyes.
“Comrade Sheng Hao, how can you be this narcissistic? I’m just here to buy groceries—what does that have to do with you?”
“You obviously knew I was stationed here and came to get close to me on purpose. Jiang Zhi Ning, do you like me that much?”
Even he didn’t notice that there was a trace of hope in his eyes, as if he wanted her to affirm his words.
Back then, Jiang Zhi Ning used to cling to him every day—so much that it annoyed him and made him want to shake her off for good.
But now that she had vanished for a while, he felt oddly insecure. He even started wanting to see her again.
Jiang Zhi Ning shook off his hand.
“Sheng Hao, like I said, I’m already married. I have zero interest in you.”
She turned to leave.
But she had only taken two steps when Sheng Hao grabbed her again.
“If you’re really married, why are you at my base? Trying to catch a glimpse of me from afar?”
Jiang Zhi Ning looked at him in disbelief.
“Has he gone completely delusional?” she thought.
Sheng Hao assumed her talk about being married was just a ploy to fool him—that the marriage certificate was fake, just to make him jealous.
“Playing hard to get,” he concluded.
“Forgot to tell you,” Jiang Zhi Ning said coldly, “My husband is a soldier too. In fact, he’s stationed here, in this very base. So if you keep pestering me, I’ll go to your superior and report you for trying to sabotage a military marriage.”
What?!
Sheng Hao immediately loosened his grip.
Taking advantage of that moment, Jiang Zhi Ning walked away gracefully, not sparing him even a glance.
Sheng Hao stood frozen, watching her figure disappear into the distance.
Not far away, a pair of cold, shadowy eyes were silently watching the entire scene.
At the gate of the military camp, Song Yuzhou returned with his soldiers and immediately spotted Song Chen standing there.
“You all head back in,” Song Yuzhou instructed simply, then approached his son.
“At this hour, shouldn’t you be in school?”
Noticing the seriousness in his father’s expression, Song Chen lowered his head.
“Sorry, Dad. I came to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?” Song Yuzhou asked sternly.
“I saw her today… pulling and tugging at a soldier.” Song Chen hesitated for a moment before finally saying it.
Song Yuzhou’s eyes showed a flicker of surprise.
“A soldier?”
“Yeah. Their interaction didn’t seem normal.”
Song Yuzhou said nothing, only frowned deeply.
Seeing his expression, Song Chen turned around.
“Dad, I don’t want Xiao Ye and Xi Xi to get hurt. And I don’t want you to get hurt either.”
Even though he was a bit far away, what he saw looked far too intimate to be casual.
With those words, Song Chen lowered his head and ran off.
Song Yuzhou stood rooted in place for ten seconds, then turned back toward the military camp.
By the time Song Chen got back to school, class had just ended. Song Ye ran up to him, happily pulling out some leftover peanuts from the night before.
“Brother, do you want some?” Song Ye asked expectantly.
Seeing the hungry look on his brother’s face, Song Chen shook his head.
“You eat them.”
As Song Ye munched noisily, he said with pride,
“My classmates are all jealous of me. Brother, having a mom is really great.”
Looking at his smiling face, Song Chen felt a heavy weight settle in his heart.
When he went to talk to Song Yuzhou today, he had hesitated.
At the military camp entrance, Song Yuzhou returned with a group of soldiers and immediately spotted Song Chen waiting outside.
“You all go on,” Song Yuzhou instructed, then walked up to Song Chen. “At this hour, shouldn’t you be in school?”
Seeing the stern look on his father’s face, Song Chen lowered his head. “Sorry, Dad. I needed to talk to you.”
“What is it?” Song Yuzhou asked seriously.
“I saw her tangled up with a soldier today,” Song Chen hesitated before finally saying it.
Song Yuzhou’s eyes widened in shock. “A soldier?”
“Yes. Their relationship didn’t look ordinary.”
Yuzhou fell silent, brows furrowed.
Seeing his expression, Song Chen turned away. “Dad, I don’t want Xiao Ye and Xi Xi to get hurt. And I don’t want you to get hurt either.”
Although he had been watching from a distance, the interaction had seemed too intimate to be just casual.
After speaking, Song Chen lowered his head and ran off.
Song Yuzhou stood still for ten seconds, then turned around and walked into the camp.
When Song Chen returned to school, class had just ended. Song Ye ran up to him, proudly pulling out the peanuts they hadn’t finished the night before.
“Brother, do you want some?” he asked eagerly.
Looking at his excited face, Song Chen shook his head. “You eat it.”
As Song Ye munched happily, he said with pride, “My classmates are so jealous of me. Big Brother, having a mom is really great.”
Looking at the smile on his face, Song Chen’s heart sank.
Earlier, when he went to find Song Yuzhou, he had been unsure.
Part of him wanted Jiang Zhi Ning gone—so she couldn’t hurt his siblings. But over the past few days, seeing how much they liked her, he felt conflicted.
Yesterday, Xia Chunyu had warned him that Jiang Zhi Ning must have married Song Yuzhou with ulterior motives—possibly to use him.
So, he ultimately decided to tell Song Yuzhou the truth, not wanting him kept in the dark.
“Brother?”
“Let’s go. Time for class,” Song Chen said as he turned and walked toward the classroom.
Meanwhile…
Jiang Zhi Ning was staring at the groceries she’d bought that morning, deep in thought. “The condiments available in this era are too limited… no hotpot base or anything like that. The flavor of dishes just can’t compare to the modern day.”
A good chef needs good seasonings.
But in this era of scarcity, that was clearly difficult to obtain.
“This might be a good business opportunity. People are going to care more and more about what they eat. Maybe I can start producing seasonings—hotpot bases, spicy stir-fry sauces—to sell?”
It was summer now, and winter wasn’t far away. Eating hotpot in winter was soul-warming.
Northern winters were freezing, and there was no hotpot around here.
This could be a gap in the market, she thought.
“And with clothing coupons about to be phased out, the supply stores have limited styles. What if I design some clothes myself and sell a small batch to test the waters?”
Jiang Zhi Ning, after all, had majored in fashion design in university. She believed she could use her skills in this era.
After careful thought, she decided to make her mark in the 1980s.
After preparing lunch, Jiang Zhi Ning returned to her room and entered her jade bracelet space with a thought.
Inside, the peach blossoms had all bloomed. She walked through the grove, breathing in the fragrance, feeling refreshed.
“I hope it levels up soon. These peaches are big and delicious, but each tree only produces about twenty—far from enough.”
After relaxing for a while, she picked up her little assistant Guo Lai and went to a clearing.
Taking out the chili peppers she’d bought earlier, she grabbed a hoe and began tilling the soil.
With her back bent, she worked diligently. After preparing two plots of land, she began planting chili seeds in rows and covering them with soil.
Two full hours of hard labor later…
“Keep going! Victory is waving at you!” Guo Lai cheered, waving a flag nearby.
“Why is everyone else’s space so fancy, but mine…” She glanced at her cute and silly assistant. Then again, she did get to pet a panda named Hua Hua.
Just as she was about to collapse from exhaustion, someone suddenly shook her hard—and she heard Xi Xi’s heart-wrenching cries.
Startled, Jiang Zhi Ning quickly exited the space without even drinking spirit spring water.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Xi Xi sitting nearby, crying loudly.
Alarmed by how upset she looked, Jiang Zhi Ning immediately scooped her up. “Xi Xi, why are you crying?”
Seeing she was awake, Xi Xi threw herself into her arms and sobbed, “Mommy… Mommy’s alive…”
Jiang Zhi Ning was stunned and couldn’t help laughing. “Silly girl, did you really think I died? Is that why you’re crying so hard?”
With teary eyes and gasping breaths, Xi Xi nodded.
Jiang Zhi Ning gently patted her back. “There, there. Don’t cry. Mommy’s fine.”
Xi Xi didn’t respond—she just hugged her tightly.
Maybe she cried too hard, but Xi Xi eventually fell asleep in her arms. Exhausted, Jiang Zhi Ning carried her back to bed.
Stretching her sore arms, Jiang Zhi Ning sighed. “Being a mom is really tough…”
Just as she turned around, she noticed Song Yuzhou standing silently at the door, watching her.
“You’re back,” Jiang Zhi Ning said, legs weak and dragging her tired body. Her eyes were filled with fatigue.
After a moment of silence, Song Yuzhou finally asked, “Do you regret it?”