Chapter 5: Clear and Logical, Pressing Forward Step by Step  

In the bedroom.  

Jiang Rou and Zhou Chongshan sat facing each other.  

At Zhou Chongshan’s request, Jiang Rou recounted the story of the real and fake daughters in more detail.  

Earlier, in front of the training ground, she had given him a brief summary.  

From her words, Zhou Chongshan had already extracted a lot of key information and had a rough understanding of the situation.  

However, he still found it hard to believe—this was marriage they were talking about, a lifelong commitment.  

How could someone be swapped into marriage so easily?  

And not just from a well-fed and well-dressed city life—she had been sent to a remote and impoverished island.  

To marry a completely unfamiliar man.

Jiang Rou, such a delicate young girl—did she really have no resentment, not even the slightest reluctance?  

So this time, as Jiang Rou recounted the events, Zhou Chongshan silently observed her the entire time.  

The girl sitting before him remained calm, her tone steady. Even when she spoke about how the parents who had raised her for over a decade turned out not to be her biological parents, she showed no trace of regret or bitterness.  

And when she mentioned the marriage substitution, her eyes even sparkled as she glanced at him.  

Zhou Chongshan, a thirty-year-old grown man, found himself feeling inexplicably unsettled under her gaze.  

“…That’s how it all happened.” Jiang Rou concluded.  

Zhou Chongshan lowered his gaze in contemplation, simultaneously suppressing the unfamiliar sensation in his chest.  

After a brief pause, he spoke.  

“The one engaged to me was Jiang Xiu’er. The one who used the allowance I sent home was also Jiang Xiu’er. No matter what your relationship with Jiang Xiu’er is, these were not your actions, and you don’t need to bear responsibility for them. Stay here for tonight—I’ll find out when the next boat is available and send you back to the city as soon as possible. As for my engagement with Jiang Xiu’er, consider it canceled.”  

What?!  

Jiang Rou was completely stunned by his words.  

This man was actually trying to send her away!  

This had never been mentioned in the original novel.  

Did the original owner cling to Zhou Chongshan back then because she had nowhere else to go after arriving on the island?  

Or had her arrival triggered a butterfly effect, causing Zhou Chongshan to act differently?  

The deviation in the storyline was far too drastic.  

More importantly—Jiang Rou did not want to leave!  

“I’m not leaving. I came here to be your wife. I’ve already arrived—how could I just go back so easily?”  

Jiang Rou rejected the idea outright.  

She wanted her tone to sound firm and resolute.  

But with her naturally soft voice, those words still came out light and gentle—almost like she was acting spoiled.  

Zhou Chongshan felt an odd buzzing sensation in his chest.  

As he looked at the delicate, fair-skinned girl before him, he thought about her situation—her adoptive parents didn’t care for her, and her biological parents were long gone.  

Even if she returned, she would still be all alone.  

And she was so fragile, so soft…

In case she was bullied, she might not even have anyone to protect her.  

She might even have nowhere to go and no home to return to.  

A sudden pang of sorrow struck Zhou Chongshan’s heart.  

After careful consideration, he finally spoke.  

“Then… you can stay for now…”  

“Zhou Chongshan, if you’re letting me stay, does that mean you’re willing to marry me?”  

Before Zhou Chongshan could finish his words, as soon as Jiang Rou heard she could stay, she immediately leaned in closer, smiling sweetly as she asked.  

Zhou Chongshan was startled.  

Instinctively, he leaned back slightly.  

He frowned. “I’m thirty years old this year.”  

Jiang Rou continued to smile sweetly. “I know that.”  

“I’m marrying for the first time, but I have adopted the orphans of two fallen comrades. I treat them as my own, and I will never have children of my own in the future. If you marry me, you’ll be their stepmother.”  

Zhou Chongshan spoke concisely.  

His intention was to persuade Jiang Rou to reconsider once more.  

What he didn’t realize was that everything he had just said was something Jiang Rou already knew.  

Jiang Rou blinked her bright, sparkling eyes and continued to stare at Zhou Chongshan unwaveringly.  

“You already have children and don’t want more. That’s great.”  

The man frowned. “What’s great about that?”  

A girl of eighteen or nineteen becoming a stepmother to two children—Zhou Chongshan couldn’t see any advantage in that.  

However, the young girl before him said something that left him utterly shocked.  

“Because I don’t want to have children either. Giving birth is painful and dangerous, it ruins your figure, and if you don’t recover well, it can lead to many gynecological issues.  

So don’t worry, I’m not only willing to marry you, but I’m also willing to treat those two children as my own and take good care of them.”  

Jiang Rou didn’t want children. Aside from the reasons she mentioned, there were other factors as well.  

But for now, she couldn’t tell Zhou Chongshan. That conversation could wait until after they became husband and wife.

She was not only articulate but also pressed forward relentlessly.  

Her bright, lively eyes sparkled with anticipation.  

“So? When are we going to file the marriage report?”  

Yet Zhou Chongshan—  

A man who had never once retreated in the face of war and gunfire—now appeared completely at a loss.  

He had just taken a cold shower, yet beads of sweat once again formed on his forehead.  

Facing Jiang Rou’s radiant gaze, the man’s Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed dryly.  

For some reason, he just couldn’t bring himself to say no.  

“You can stay here for now. As for marriage, we’ll talk about it later.”  

As soon as he finished speaking—  

Zhou Chongshan immediately stood up.  

The towering man seemed as if he were about to flee.  

However—  

Just as he turned around, Jiang Rou tugged at the corner of his uniform.  

Her fair and slender fingers clutched tightly onto his military attire, the tips turning a faint pink from the pressure.  

Zhou Chongshan cast a glance at her, neither hurried nor impatient.  

“Zhou Chongshan, wait a moment.”  

After calling out to him, Jiang Rou quickly turned and opened the handbag she had brought.  

From a hidden compartment inside, she retrieved a set of personal documents belonging to the original owner.  

“This is my household registration information and personal details. Keep them. You’ll need them when we file the marriage report.”  

The thin sheets of paper were stuffed directly into Zhou Chongshan’s hands.  

Jiang Rou’s fingertips briefly brushed against the man’s rough palm, gliding over it swiftly—  

Leaving behind a scorching trace.  

…  

Zhou Chongshan left, holding Jiang Rou’s personal information.

The room was once again left with only Jiang Rou.  

Not long ago, she had been knocked unconscious by Jiang Xiu’er, stuffed into a donkey cart, and carried onto a bed. Her body was filthy, and her dress was covered in stains.  

After waking up today, she had been left under the scorching sun for such a long time that she was drenched in sweat, feeling sticky and uncomfortable.  

Right now, what Jiang Rou wanted most was to take a good, refreshing bath.  

Naturally, she thought of the washroom!  

She took a change of clothes from her handbag and found a new towel and soap in the wardrobe.  

Humming a tune, Jiang Rou passed by the courtyard where Zhou Chongshan had bathed earlier and happily entered the washroom.  

Inside the bathroom—  

There was a simple showerhead.  

Jiang Rou turned on the water to test it, and sure enough, warm water flowed out.  

In this era, there were no high-tech electric water heaters. If people wanted to bathe in hot water, they either had to heat it themselves or go to a public bathhouse.  

Yet in this simple washroom, there was hot water—all thanks to Zhou Chongshan.  

Jiang Rou remembered that in the original text, it was mentioned that Zhou Chongshan was not only talented on the battlefield but also exceptionally clever in everyday life.  

Back when the island was being developed—  

He had installed a large water tank on the roof of the washroom that could be filled with water.  

The island had no shortage of sunlight.  

As long as the sun shone on it, the water inside the tank would heat up.  

Then, the other end of the tank was connected to the showerhead in the washroom, allowing for a comfortable hot shower.  

Although it seemed simple, the installation and piping required technical skill—  

And Zhou Chongshan had done it all by himself.  

His original intention was to make things easier for the two children, but now, Jiang Rou was the one benefiting from it.  

Jiang Rou lathered up the soap, washing both her hair and her body.  

Before she knew it—  

Evening gradually approached.  

Just as Jiang Rou was still in the washroom, thoroughly enjoying the hot shower, she suddenly heard a series of urgent knocks from the courtyard, followed by a sharp female voice.  

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”  

“It’s broad daylight—why is the door locked?”  

“Big Brother Zhou! Big Brother Zhou! Are you home?”  

“Who is inside Big Brother Zhou’s house? Why aren’t you opening the door?”

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Author’s Note:

The original novel that Jiang Rou had read only provided a basic storyline. She had not read it carefully, and certain changes would inevitably occur.  As for the reasons behind these changes, one was that the original novel’s depiction was one-sided. After Jiang Rou transmigrated, the “real” people she encountered were far more vivid and well-rounded. The second reason would be mentioned in the latter half of the novel, so no spoilers here.

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Translator’s Note:

I unlock 1 chapter everyday!

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