Wen Ci returned to the Jiang family compound.

When she came back to the city from the countryside, Jiang Chen had despised her tattered clothes, so he only bought her one new outfit when they entered the city.

Now that her clothes were soaked, Wen Ci had nothing else to wear. Even though it was spring, she couldn’t help but shiver as she sat on the sofa in the living room.

Seeing her eldest son standing idly by, Su Guilan couldn’t help but kick him and shout, “What are you standing there for? Go buy your sister some new clothes!”

“Why don’t you let her wear my clothes for now?” Suddenly, a sweet, soft voice came from the staircase. Jiang Ye, wearing a little white dress, walked down.

“My figure is similar to hers, so my clothes should fit her.”

“Yes, Mom, let Wen Ci wear Ah Ye’s clothes for now,” Jiang Chen quickly chimed in.

Su Guilan shot him a fierce glance, and Jiang Chen had no choice but to head out. When her gaze fell on Wen Ci, it was filled with pity and tenderness. She said softly, “Ah Ci, if you don’t want to go to the northwest, we can have Xiao Huo write a divorce application tomorrow.”

“Huh?” Wen Ci frowned. Why were they suddenly talking about a divorce application? Then she remembered the words the man had said by the riverbank.

“I am your husband.”

Wen Ci’s face turned bright red as she recalled his voice—deep, magnetic, and capable of bewitching anyone.

“Sister, why is your face so red?” Jiang Ye asked.

Wen Ci coughed twice and lowered her head. Su Guilan said nervously, “I’ve already asked Aunt Wang to prepare some ginger soup for you.”

Then she looked at Jiang Ye and said, “Do you have any unworn clothes in your wardrobe? If you do, bring them down. If not, bring a set of pajamas.”

“I do…” Jiang Ye’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s.

Wen Ci asked, “What’s this about a divorce application?”

Su Guilan bit her lower lip, her mind racing as she debated whether to tell her daughter the truth. Finally, she said uneasily, “Your household registration is in the countryside. A few days ago, we received the marriage certificate that was processed and sent over.”

Wen Ci: “…”

She was at a loss for words.

After a while, Wen Ci widened her eyes and asked, “I want to ask, is what you said at the teahouse still valid?”

“What did we say?”

“That you’d give me a thousand yuan as a dowry.”

Having just transmigrated, she hadn’t quite adjusted yet. She had thought the person she was marrying off to was some military ruffian, but it turned out to be a stunning soldier!

No, it seemed he was actually an officer from the northwest.

If she had known earlier what her replacement husband looked like, why would she have jumped into the river?!

Being a wife isn’t so bad, is it?

But what Wen Ci hadn’t expected was that she was now a married woman. She and Officer Huo had already registered their marriage, even though she hadn’t received the certificate yet.

Su Guilan was stunned. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to marry?”

Wen Ci giggled. “I suddenly think the northwest isn’t so bad after all. Huo…” She paused, realizing she still didn’t know her husband’s name.

“What’s his name?”

“You mean Huo Jingyuan?”

“Huo Jingyuan?”

Su Guilan walked over to the desk not far from the living room, picked up a brush, and wrote “Huo Jingyuan” on a piece of paper. She thought Wen Ci might not be able to read.

The original host hadn’t even finished middle school. In the countryside, most families stopped supporting their daughters’ education after they completed middle school.

“So it’s this Jingyuan,” Wen Ci murmured to herself.

Su Guilan didn’t catch what Wen Ci said, but she went upstairs and then returned to Wen Ci’s side, handing her a small pouch.

“Mom keeps her promises. There’s 1,500 yuan in here, along with the gold bracelet your grandmother left for you before she passed. It’s all yours as your dowry.”

The gold bracelet was originally meant to be Jiang Ye’s wedding gift.

But the bracelet held special significance, passed down through generations. After learning that Jiang Ye wasn’t her biological daughter, Su Guilan had abandoned the idea of giving it to her.

Su Guilan glanced at the staircase, making sure Jiang Ye hadn’t come down yet, then leaned closer to Wen Ci and whispered, “Ah Ci, remember, the gold bracelet should only be sold as a last resort. And in the future, if you have children, the bracelet should only be passed down to daughters, not sons.”

Wen Ci nodded.

No wonder the pouch felt so heavy.

There was a bracelet inside.

Jiang Ye brought down a new set of pajamas, and Aunt Wang came out of the kitchen with a steaming bowl of ginger soup, smiling warmly. “Drink the ginger soup while it’s hot.”

Aunt Wang had grown up under the care of the Jiang family elders.

She wasn’t a servant but a member of the Jiang family.

Wen Ci changed into the silk pajamas and held the porcelain bowl in her hands. The ginger soup, freshly made, was still steaming. The warmth felt just right against the calluses on her hands.

Wen Ci blew on the soup, took a small sip, and instantly felt much warmer. A smile spread across her face. “Thank you, Aunt Wang, for making the ginger soup.”

From the memories of the original host, she knew that Aunt Wang was the only one who truly cared for her after she returned to the Jiang family.

So her fondness for Aunt Wang had grown even more.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Su Guilan stood up from the sofa. Her eldest son wasn’t so polite, so the visitor must be a guest.

Su Guilan glanced at Jiang Ye, who immediately went upstairs.

Usually, Jiang Ye was pampered at home and rarely played with the other children in the compound. The compound only knew that the Jiang family had a fair-skinned, beautiful daughter.

But her face had never been publicly revealed.

Outside, Huo Jingyuan stood straight as if on guard. He had changed into a casual suit after returning home, his wheat-colored skin showing that he was in excellent health.

Su Guilan greeted him with a smile. “Xiao Huo, you’re here.”

Strictly speaking, Huo Jingyuan was already her son-in-law, though Wen Ci’s household registration wasn’t under the Jiang family.

Huo Jingyuan’s tone was indifferent. “Aunt Jiang.”

His gaze fell on Wen Ci, who was sitting on the sofa in her silk pajamas. His eyes didn’t shy away.

Wen Ci met Huo Jingyuan’s gaze. His dark eyes were deep and unfathomable. She had seen many capable men in the apocalypse, but his presence was something else.

Huo Jingyuan sat down directly beside Wen Ci and said bluntly, “This time, I only have three days of leave in the capital.” Then he turned to look at Wen Ci and asked, “You were originally registered under a rural household. After we marry, you can choose to transfer to the Huo family’s household registration or keep your rural registration. Alternatively, we can open a separate household for you.”

Wen Ci replied, “Let’s open a separate household!”

Many people were rushing to get urban household registrations, but Wen Ci knew that both rural and urban registrations had their advantages. Having one of each in the family was ideal.

Huo Jingyuan nodded. “That’s fine.”

Hearing this, Su Guilan quickly interjected, “No, no, Ah Ci can’t keep a rural household registration. She should be registered under an urban one.”

If Huo Jingyuan refused to let Wen Ci have an urban household registration, then unless Jiang Ye was kicked out of the Jiang family, Wen Ci would never have another chance to get an urban registration.

“I choose the rural household registration,” Wen Ci said.

She couldn’t explain everything at the moment, so she decided to change the subject. “What does the family compound in the northwest military district look like? Is it very desolate?”