Chapter 5: Don’t Be Inconsistent — Or You’ll Go Back to Your Old Ways in No Time

After the military doctor had finished examining his parents, Jiang Cimo finally opened his mouth. “Mom, Dad, this time we’re on a mission. We happened to pass by, so we dropped in. We can’t stay for long — I need to get going soon.”

“So soon?” Xu Xiu stood up. “Why not at least stay for a meal at home?”

Beside her, Jiang Fenglin patted his wife’s shoulder. “Come back next time when you’re on leave. They’re on a mission right now. Just being able to come home and see us is already more than enough.”

That was true.

Jiang Cimo also nodded. “Right, there’s no need to eat. We have to head back first. After the mission’s over, I need to report to the base and move on to the next task.”

The two elders expressed their understanding — but the two little ones had eyes full of tears.

“Daddy.”

The kids sniffled. Looking at their pitiful expressions, Jiang Cimo really felt a pang in his heart. He could only scoop them up into his arms and pat them gently.

“Daddy didn’t bring anything with him on this mission, but next time I come back, I’ll buy you candy, snacks, and toys, okay?”

“Okay.”

The two little ones could only sniff and hug Jiang Cimo tightly. Every extra minute in his arms was precious.

They had missed their Daddy so much!

Because they were about to leave, the elderly couple and the children accompanied them to the door. Xi Youyou also followed them outside.

Jiang Cimo grew even more puzzled.

Why did Xi Youyou seem so strange today?

If she hadn’t poured Bai Yuying a cup of tea and said something at the beginning, he would’ve thought she’d turned mute.

In the past, every time he came back, the moment she saw him, she would seize every opportunity to pester him. If not that, then she’d throw tantrums, go crazy, stir up trouble.

No matter what, she always made a scene.

But today — not a single word.

So calm it didn’t even seem like her.

Was she provoked by something? Or was she bottling up something even worse inside?

He couldn’t guess.

But as he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something else. Looking at Xi Youyou, he said: “Once this mission is over, I’ll apply for leave. I’ll be back for half a month then.”

“In a few days, I’ll come back and stay with you. Be good and wait for Daddy at home, okay?”

The first sentence was directed at Xi Youyou, but the second one — Jiang Cimo crouched down to speak directly to the two children.

The kids nodded vigorously and each gave him a kiss on the cheek before finally letting him go.

Seeing there was nothing more to say to Xi Youyou, Jiang Cimo turned to bid farewell to his parents.

“When you’re out on missions, make sure to stay safe.” Xu Xiu said, her voice full of concern for her son.

Jiang Cimo waved and left.

As he walked away, his brows furrowed again — the more he thought about it, the stranger it all felt.

In the past, Xi Youyou had caused all sorts of trouble. She used to argue and insist on joining the military family contingent, but he had never once agreed. Yet this time, after he returned, she hadn’t pestered him at all.

She hadn’t even said much, hadn’t acknowledged him.

The more he thought about it, the stranger it all seemed.

“Brother Mo, your parents are really nice — they’re very warm and easy to get along with.”

Hearing that, Jiang Cimo smiled. Since Bai Yuying was highly skilled in medicine, they often carried out missions together. He remembered that when he was a child, he had a younger sister who got lost.

And somehow, Bai Yuying reminded him of that sister. So after they got familiar with each other, he let her call him “Brother Mo”

It was only because they were close that he allowed her to come along with him to visit his family this time.

“But your sister-in-law’s a bit quiet. Is she just shy?”

Shy?

When Jiang Cimo heard that word, he curled his lips coldly in his heart — that wasn’t shyness. She was probably bottling up some kind of scheme!

She was not someone easy to deal with!

Forget it. After returning from this mission, he would apply for a leave and come back for a while. He’d find out what was going on then.

Whatever tricks she was hiding — he’d deal with them when the time came.

Hadn’t he already gotten used to it over all these years?

Jiang Cimo merely responded with a noncommittal hum.

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As the family watched the two of them leave, Jiang Fenglin gathered his things. “I’m going to buy medicine.”

Xu Xiu nodded. “Be careful on the road, and when you come back, bring some sweet treats for the kids.”

Jiang Fenglin agreed and left.

Outside, the two children saw some neighborhood kids passing by. Excited, they ran off to play with them.

Xi Youyou followed Xu Xiu back into the house.

Xu Xiu suddenly asked: “Youyou, why didn’t you talk to Cimo just now? He rarely gets a chance to come home. I noticed you two didn’t exchange a single word.”

Hmm…

Xi Youyou felt a little awkward.

Even though she had transmigrated into a book and had come to terms with the fact that she was now the female supporting villain — and even accepted the presence of two adorable children — it was still hard to accept this unfamiliar man.

Sure, he was handsome, but to her, he was a complete stranger.

To expect her to immediately accept the fact that she suddenly had a husband — that would take some time.

But since Xu Xiu had asked, Xi Youyou thought for a moment, then lowered her head and said: “I had a nightmare last night. There were a lot of terrifying scenes in it. It made me realize I’d done a lot of things wrong in the past. I want to change, but I don’t know how. Besides, things between him and me have always been tense. If it weren’t for me, none of this would have happened.”

Xi Youyou pretended to falter, lowering her voice. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just stayed quiet.”

She said all this to give a reasonable explanation for the changes she planned to make in the future.

Now that she’d told Xu Xiu, she was certain the older woman would mention it to Jiang Fenglin — and maybe even the two kids would come to know about it later on.

That way, when Jiang Cimo came back on leave, perhaps things would have improved just a little.

“Mom.” Xi Youyou looked up, feigning a look of remorse, her hands twisting together: “I really know I was wrong. My life is already good enough as it is. A person should learn to be content with what they have. I’ll change from now on. I’m sorry, Mom. I really did a lot of wrong things in the past.”

Xu Xiu was the type who was easily satisfied. Her only wish was for her family to live well and peacefully. Hearing these words naturally made her delighted.

She took Xi Youyou’s hands warmly. “It’s alright. As long as you know your mistakes and are willing to change, you’re a good child. All I want is for our family to live in harmony. Let’s just live well from now on.”

Xi Youyou nodded and said no more.

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The pharmacy Jiang Fenglin went to was a bit far, so he didn’t make it back in time for lunch. For the midday meal, Xi Youyou steamed some plain white rice and stir-fried two vegetable dishes. The two children and Xu Xiu still ate with great appetite.

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In the afternoon.

Jiang Fenglin returned, bringing some small sweet treats for the two children. By then, Xi Youyou had already prepared dinner. It wasn’t much different from the morning’s meal, but she had added a bit of spiritual spring water and some rendered pork bits, which gave the food a rich, fragrant taste.

The two little ones had played so wildly outside during the day that when they got home, they were a bit nervous.

They weren’t sure if Xi Youyou had truly changed.

What if…

So even during dinner, they kept sneaking glances at her from time to time.

Jiang Fenglin didn’t say much, while Xu Xiu smiled and encouraged the children to eat more. She even told Xi Youyou to eat more as well.

Her change in attitude puzzled both the kids and Jiang Fenglin.

Why had she suddenly become so warm toward Xi Youyou?

But the kids were still just kids. If something didn’t make sense to them, they simply stopped thinking about it and focused on filling their bellies instead.

Jiang Fenglin started eating as soon as he got home, and only after the meal did he take out the medicine he had bought.

“They said it’s important to stay consistent with it over time — just like the young lady told us earlier.”

After he finished speaking, Jiang Fenglin was just about to ask his wife why Xi Youyou’s attitude had suddenly changed when Xu Xiu pulled him aside with a cheerful smile.

“You don’t know — I asked Youyou about it today. I was confused since she didn’t say a word to our son. She told me she realized she was wrong and wants to change.”

She repeated everything Xi Youyou had said earlier that morning.

Jiang Fenglin fell silent for a few seconds after hearing it.

Seeing how happy his wife looked, he gave a gentle reminder. “Let’s observe for a while. If she really wants to change, she’ll keep it up for the long term. Just don’t let it be one of those situations where she starts off strong, only to fall back into her old ways in no time.”