Seeing his daughter staring at his son-in-law without saying a word, Ji Qinghe had no choice but to break the silence and speak to his son-in-law, whom he was meeting for the first time.

“It was surgery to remove a bullet fragment from two rather dangerous locations. The surgery went reasonably well, and it’s been half a month now. The recovery is fine, the doctor said the specific situation still needs to be observed later on.”

Su Cheng’s voice was rich and clear, answering the questions without haste.

“Well then, take good care of yourself. We’ll see how it goes after you’ve fully recovered.”

Ji Qinghe nodded in response, hesitating for a moment before finally saying, “I’m not an expert on external injuries, but I’m pretty good with internal issues and recovery. How about I take your pulse?”

Ji Qinghe knew that people who went to the battlefield often had some lingering ailments, and he was very concerned that Su Cheng might be the same.

Su Cheng paused for a moment and then nodded in agreement: “That would be great, thank you.”

“What’s there to trouble about?”

Seeing Su Cheng agree, Ji Qinghe relaxed his expression. He got up and gestured for Su Cheng to move to the round table.

Su Cheng stood up, still holding Qiuqiu, and followed him.

As a doctor, Ji Qinghe had a medicine cabinet at home. He went inside to fetch it, took out a pulse pillow, and began to examine Su Cheng.

Having survived a major ordeal but left with numerous injuries, combined with some chronic issues, Ji Qinghe, being highly skilled in medicine, quickly diagnosed a number of problems.

“Your body has too many issues, it needs careful treatment, otherwise it could shorten your lifespan…”

When discussing his specialty, Ji Qinghe became quite chatty and spoke endlessly.

Ji Meng watched in surprise, she didn’t expect this development.

It was rare for a first meeting between a son-in-law and father-in-law to start with a medical consultation.

And it seemed quite natural at that.

Ji Meng covered her face with her hand. Seeing this absurd scene, her previously chaotic mood suddenly calmed.

Let it be.

Just treat it as having an extra person to live with.

Thinking of certain novel heroines who go on blind dates and become stepmothers, she had jumped straight into the role of a biological mother.

Perhaps by just letting go, Ji Meng could fully relax.

For the sake of her daughter’s happiness, Ji Qinghe was very meticulous in taking Su Cheng’s pulse, sharing a lot of important information about what Su Cheng needed to pay attention to.

After finishing the pulse diagnosis, he wrote a prescription for Su Cheng to help him recover. Once he confirmed that Su Cheng hadn’t taken much Western medicine lately, he rode his bike to the clinic to fetch a bunch of medicine for him.

After that, he took out a clay pot and a stove to personally prepare the medicine.

Su Cheng felt quite embarrassed and helped out nearby.

Ji Meng was happy to see them getting along, it gave her more time to calm down. When it was almost time to prepare dinner, she headed to the kitchen.

There wasn’t much leftover from lunch—just a little here and there. Ji Meng put aside what should be thrown out and saved what could be used. Once she finished tidying up and was about to start cooking rice, the entrance suddenly darkened as Su Cheng came over.

“What are you doing here?”

Ji Meng was taken aback. Earlier, when Ji Qinghe went to get medicine, she hadn’t yet adjusted to how to interact with Su Cheng alone. It felt awkward, so she made an excuse to give something to Meng Ling, leaving Qiuqiu with Su Cheng and stepping out. She returned only when Ji Qinghe was back with the medicine.

This was their first private interaction since they met, and Qiuqiu wasn’t with her.

“Where’s Qiuqiu?”

Ji Meng scooped a bowl of rice and glanced at the tall and upright Su Cheng, thinking for a moment before adding another bowl.

“Qiuqiu is watching the medicine fire with her grandpa.”

Su Cheng replied, lowering his gaze to Ji Meng, his deep eyes revealing a hint of complexity.

He knew she felt awkward seeing him and didn’t know how to interact.

He felt the same way.

After parting at the train station, he realized she wasn’t the woman he thought she was.

Originally, he suspected she was sent by the enemy after they received news of his survival.

But he had checked carefully that the woman did indeed get on the train that day. The real anomaly began when she jumped off the train.

At that time, he was still fighting for his life, and no one knew he had survived, which ruled out the possibility of someone having received information and taking action against his family beforehand.

Of course, other forces might still exist.

However, from his observations over the past few weeks, it seemed unlikely.

She was too conspicuous and left many flaws.

Her handwriting, the skills she possessed—drawing, styling people, and crafting—were all, in his eyes, evident inconsistencies.

At the same time, it also revealed her identity.

In that brief moment, he had understood and remembered a lot.

The woman in front of him felt more like someone from decades into the future, her demeanor, behavior, and attire all hinted at a future beyond his understanding.

Although it was incredible, it was indeed very likely that she, like him, had received the chance to start over after death, but she woke up in someone else’s body.

During these past twenty days while he was recuperating, he had been contemplating how to handle this situation.

She was not that woman but was using that woman’s identity in that woman’s body as his nominal wife.

Judging from Qiuqiu’s words earlier, it was clear that Qiuqiu couldn’t do without her right now.

He couldn’t just ignore Qiuqiu, nor could he confront her directly.

Not only would it scare her, but it would also likely expose his biggest secret.

He didn’t trust her to that extent yet.

From what he knew about her so far—her clothing, tastes, and mannerisms—she didn’t seem very old.

She was strong, capable, and quite hard working, she must have her own career, as evident from what she had managed to accomplish in just twenty days back in the city.

At the same time, she had a soft heart.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t treat his daughter so well, as if she were her own.

She was also very good to his mother, sending money back as soon as she earned some.

A full one hundred, she was willing to part with it.

Thinking about how she cared for Qiuqiu and his mother, Su Cheng’s clear gaze softened. He caught sight of her holding the basin, her fingers tightening slightly, and his gaze shifted as he spoke up:

“Mom said you sent her money and asked you not to send any more, she doesn’t spend much living in the countryside.”

“You went back to see her?” Ji Meng tilted her head to look at Su Cheng.

“Yeah.”

Su Cheng nodded, feeling awkward just standing there. He took the enamel plate from her hands and went to the water tank to fetch water for rinsing the rice.

“I was discharged from the hospital the day before yesterday, and since I was near the county town, I went back for a visit.”

That wasn’t entirely true.

That day, he had gone to make a call to find someone to investigate her, but he noticed his wound had opened up, and he was still running a fever.

In order to avoid delaying the investigation into her, he had directly admitted himself to the military hospital in the provincial city.

Fortunately, he was admitted to this hospital and was able to discover that there were fragments of shrapnel in his chest cavity, located in a rather dangerous position.

After that, he underwent surgery and stayed here.

It was only when he noticed she sent money back home that he, fearing exposure, decided to rush back despite not being discharged yet.

“Oh,”

Ji Meng replied. Seeing his skilled movements while rinsing the rice, she didn’t bother to take the basin back, allowing him to do it. After a moment, she asked:

“How is she? Is her health okay?”

After earning some money, she had sent a sum back to the old lady along with a letter, but hadn’t received a reply. She was planning to send a telegram tomorrow if she still didn’t hear back.

“Mm, she’s fine. The family received some land, and she’s very happy. She’s busy every day, and I couldn’t persuade her to stop. In the end, Uncle Shifeng had to step in and help talk her into letting some of the land they received go to the accountant’s family to help them farm it.”

Mentioning the stubborn old lady at home, a hint of helplessness crossed Su Cheng’s eyes.

“She wants to earn tuition for Qiuqiu.” Ji Meng responded, feeling relieved that the old lady didn’t have to work in the fields anymore.

The atmosphere relaxed, and Ji Meng also became less tense.

While Su Cheng cooked, she went to retrieve the dishes she hadn’t finished preparing for lunch.

When Su Cheng offered to help, she let him chop vegetables.

She was not polite at all. Not bothering to worry about how it might affect her image. She didn’t entirely trust Sansan, the unreliable system.

But if it crumbled, so be it, let the doubts remain.

She was using the body of the original owner and wouldn’t be doing anything else. Even if Su Cheng suspected her of being a spy, he had no evidence.

So what if her personality changed? You lose your husband and brother, and your character would change too.

Just give in completely. Ji Meng decided to be herself in front of Su Cheng. She didn’t know how the original body acted around him, so she simply wouldn’t pretend or put on a facade.

Dinner was not as crowded as lunch, and there were no guests. Ji Meng made two vegetarian dishes, one meat dish, and added the leftover shredded chicken and old duck soup from lunch.

When Su Cheng returned, the happiest one was Qiuqiu.

During dinner, the little girl kept serving her father food.

“Dad, you should try this chicken and eggplant, Mom cooked it really well.”

The little girl vaguely sensed that her mom and dad didn’t have the same close relationship as other parents of soldiers. She served the dishes while mentioning Ji Meng.

“Mom can cook now. Dad, it was really hard for Mom when you weren’t here.”

Hearing Qiuqiu’s words, Su Cheng couldn’t help but glance at Ji Meng.

Ji Meng felt a bit awkward upon hearing Qiuqiu, and noticing Su Cheng’s gaze, she quickly picked up a piece of green vegetable and lowered her head to take a bite of rice.

“Mm, Dad knows. Mom has gone through a lot of hardship and unfairness these days. Grandma has also talked to Dad about it,” Su Cheng replied softly to his daughter, pulling his gaze back.

After dinner, Su Cheng took the initiative to clear the table and wash the dishes.

Ji Qinghe watched from the side, feeling both gratified and worried.

He was pleased that Su Cheng was a caring son-in-law who knew how to share household responsibilities.

Yet he worried about Su Cheng’s new and old injuries and was even more concerned about the evident distance between his daughter and son-in-law.

Ji Qinghe, being an elder, could clearly see the awkwardness between his daughter and son-in-law.

Logically, a young couple with a four-year-old daughter shouldn’t be acting this way, like strangers, maintaining a polite distance.

However, he didn’t want to ask recklessly.

Seeing Su Cheng enter the kitchen, Qiuqiu happily followed him. Ji Qinghe hesitated for a moment, then pulled Ji Meng aside and said:

“Mengmeng, Ah Cheng has just had surgery and can’t be too tired. You need to pay more attention to him.”

“Also, he has many issues with his new and old injuries and needs to recuperate. Please bring him the medicine you’ve brewed later.”

“…Oh.”

Ji Meng responded, looking up to notice the worried expression in Ji Qinghe’s eyes. She paused for a moment, then nodded:

“Dad, I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Actually, I still feel like I’m dreaming. He just came back suddenly…”

Ji Meng knew that the atmosphere between her and Su Cheng was not like that of an ordinary couple, and Ji Qinghe must have noticed it too. In the end, she offered an explanation.

Upon hearing this, Ji Qinghe’s expression softened slightly, and he comforted her with understanding:

“This situation is sudden, it’s normal for you to not adjust right away. But this is a good thing. You two should live well from now on, life won’t be bad.”

As Ji Qinghe spoke, he paused, then looked at Ji Meng nervously:

“You and Junyan didn’t have any problems, right?”

Ji Qinghe had been worrying about this all afternoon and evening. He regretted not opposing their plan to go see a movie together at noon.

He was very concerned that something had already been revealed between his daughter and Junyan.

He had gone out to get medicine in the afternoon and called Old Fu, who was also worried about this.

Junyan had returned home looking distraught and hadn’t spoken a word, he had locked himself in his room as soon as he got home.

In Old Fu’s words, he hadn’t been so dejected even when the Fu family encountered trouble back in the day.

Speaking of which, this situation was particularly damaging to Junyan, it had given him hope, only to have it quickly dashed.

Mentioning Fu Junyan, Ji Meng felt a brief sense of discomfort, she had noticed his reaction in the afternoon and felt she owed him for this matter.

She shouldn’t have easily agreed to the dinner today.

“…No,” Ji Meng finally shook her head.

“That’s good, that’s good!”

Ji Qinghe let out a sigh of relief.

“Let’s not let Ah Cheng know about this. From now on, you and Qiyan and Junyan are siblings. Today’s dinner can be considered a family gathering to recognize relationships. When I went out this afternoon to get medicine for Ah Cheng, I also called your Uncle Fu, and he feels the same way.”

“Mm, I understand.”

As the father and daughter discussed this, in the kitchen, Su Cheng was facing his first awkward moment since coming back.

Qiuqiu had followed her father into the kitchen, and after he finished washing the dishes, she made a request.

“Dad, can you not sleep in a separate room from Mom tonight?”