Chapter 46

Yin Xiaoman really wanted to do something for everyone.

However, she was self-aware. In an unfamiliar environment, being able to take good care of her children and not cause trouble for the people in the military unit was already the best she could do at the moment.

So, she brought her two little ones back to their new home.

Children always seemed to have boundless energy. Although Da Bao and Erniu had looked utterly exhausted last night when they arrived, barely able to take another step, a single night’s sleep was enough to fully restore their vigor.

The two of them didn’t need any attention from Yin Xiaoman. They ran wildly around the house, both in front and in back, before coming back with satisfied expressions.

“Mom, are we going to live here from now on?” Erniu was the first to rush over and hug Yin Xiaoman, tilting her head up and asking with an eager look on her face.

“Yes, we’ll live here from now on. How do you like it, Erniu?”

“I like it!” Erniu replied, her face brimming with excitement.

“This place is so much fun! There’s a river on the mountain behind us, birds, and lots and lots of fruit!”

As she spoke, she pulled out a yellow fruit from the pocket of her clothes. It was the same kind of fruit Yin Xiaoman had picked before. She held it up with a proud expression, showing it to her.

“Mom, this smells nice, but it’s super, super sour!” she said. As she spoke, she seemed to recall the taste she had just experienced, and her small face scrunched up into a tight grimace.

It was only then that Yin Xiaoman realized she had almost overlooked a big issue. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

“You ate it? How much did you eat?!”

She hurriedly grabbed the two children, asking anxiously.

Seeing their mother truly panicked, Erniu was frightened. At this moment, her young age became apparent, as she stammered and couldn’t explain clearly.

It was Da Bao who pulled her aside and said to Yin Xiaoman: “Mom, we didn’t eat it! We just—just broke the skin a little.”

As he spoke, he turned the yellow fruit around, showing Yin Xiaoman the spot where the skin had been scratched. Pointing at the small mark made by Erniu’s fingernail, he said: “Erniu scratched it, but it’s really hard to peel. It took a long time to make just a tiny hole. She licked her finger and said it was super sour, so we didn’t eat any more.”

When Yin Xiaoman heard this, she finally felt relieved. She had suspected earlier that the fruit was probably not poisonous. Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be a variety similar to citrus. But even so, it shouldn’t be eaten recklessly!

She blamed herself deeply, regretting that she hadn’t set clear rules earlier.

Yin Xiaoman motioned for Da Bao and Erniu to stand properly in front of her. 

Then, with a serious expression, she looked at them sternly and said: “You two must remember this. You can only play near the house. Without an adult’s permission, you must never wander far or leave my sight!  If I call you and you don’t hear me, or I can’t find you, I will punish you severely. Once I catch you disobeying, I will not go easy on you. Do you understand?!”

The two children had never seen Yin Xiaoman so strict before, and they were frightened.  

Without even thinking, they instinctively nodded.

“Answer me! Do you understand?”  

“Yes, we understand!” they replied in unison.

Yin Xiaoman nodded but didn’t let them off just yet.  

She continued with a cold expression: “There are many fruits and trees in the mountains behind us, but I don’t know yet which ones are safe to eat and which ones are poisonous. So, unless I tell you specifically that something is safe to pick, you are not to touch anything. If I catch you picking things on your own, especially eating them, I’ll make sure you learn your lesson!”  

Erniu quickly threw the other fruit she had been holding onto the ground. Then, in one swift motion, she hid her hands behind her back. Her small mouth trembled, and her eyes quickly filled with tears.  

When she looked back at Yin Xiaoman, her gaze held not only confusion and grievance but also a hint of fear.

Yin Xiaoman felt a pang of guilt in her heart.

But Yin Xiaoman knew she had to handle this matter this way. She had been overly indulgent with the two children, and as a result, they had developed a fearless attitude.  

Da Bao was calculating and crafty. On the surface, he appeared obedient and sensible, like a little adult, but his clever mind was constantly scheming.  

Back in the vanguard camp, there had been a boy named Qiangzi, who was even a year older than Da Bao. Yet, Da Bao managed to manipulate him into doing his bidding every day, treating Qiangzi like a loyal little sidekick.  

As for Erniu, her case was even more extreme.  

She was the only little girl in the entire camp, and that meant she was spoiled wherever she went.  

She had a sweet tongue and a knack for reading people’s expressions. When she wanted to please someone, she would shower them with compliments, her words as delightful as candy.  

She could make anyone feel elated with her flattery.  

Even Shen Qingyun, who was usually sharp and reserved, often found himself completely taken in by Erniu’s charm.  

These two little rascals practically feared nothing and no one!

But where were they now? They were on an undeveloped, isolated island, a place still largely unexplored.

While there were soldiers stationed on the island, who knew what dangers lurked in areas they hadn’t yet ventured into?  

Forget wild beasts—just a random poisonous plant or a toxic fruit would be enough to harm these two ignorant children. If anything happened, they were on a remote island in the middle of the ocean, with no medical facility for miles. There would be no way to save them—it would be too late to cry.  

Therefore, the only strategy Yin Xiaoman could think of was to enforce strict rules.  

No reasoning, no room for negotiation, and no testing boundaries.

She had to draw a clear line.

It was just like when they first entered the palace and were trained by the old nannies. The first step was to establish rules and draw boundaries.  

Within the boundaries, they could do as they pleased. But stepping outside the lines? Absolutely not!

Of course, Yin Xiaoman wouldn’t share all these thoughts with the two little ones, but her stern demeanor and harsh instructions had indeed frightened them.

The two children obediently nodded their agreement, and Da Bao immediately took his sister’s hand and started heading outside.

As they reached the door, Yin Xiaoman could still hear Erniu’s tearful voice complaining to her brother: “If I had known Mom was this strict, we shouldn’t have come here. Back at home was so much better! Mom was so nice to us there! I don’t like this place at all!”

Hearing this made Yin Xiaoman feel a headache coming on.

But she knew now wasn’t the time to go soft. If she gave in to her little girl’s complaints and went to hug and comfort her, it would all fall apart.  

Erniu was not the type to back down. If she sensed any weakness, she would repeatedly push the boundaries to test them. That would be a disaster.

Steeling herself once more, Yin Xiaoman raised her voice just enough to reach them outside. “When do you two plan to finish your homework today?”

Hearing their mother’s question, the two children froze mid-step.

Da Bao turned around and walked back inside. “Mom, aren’t we going to the beach today?”

“Not today. Mom has something else to do this morning.”

Seeing the disappointment quickly fill their eyes, Yin Xiaoman hesitated for a moment. In the end, she couldn’t bear it and added: “You both finish your homework first. Once you’re done, I’ll take you hiking this afternoon.”

Hearing that they would go hiking later, the two children brightened up instantly. Both shouted an enthusiastic “Okay!”  

In a flash, their earlier complaints were forgotten, and they dashed back to their room without needing any more coaxing.

Ever since she had started her relationship with that man during their time at the vanguard camp, he had shamelessly issued an order to the two little ones—  

From now on, the siblings were to share a room so their mother could have the time for herself.  

Although the two children—especially Erniu—had been deeply unhappy with this arrangement, once their father had made up his mind, resistance was futile.

After testing the boundaries a few times, the little girl had no choice but to give up, and by now, she had fully accepted the reality.

Watching the two children’s retreating figures, Yin Xiaoman couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.

Based on her memories, the original owner of this body had chosen to jump off a cliff, ending her short and tragic life. Therefore, Yin Xiaoman had no idea what would happen next or what unexpected changes might arise.

For example, she had no clue when the school would resume classes. However, she knew that Da Bao was about to turn seven and Erniu nearly five, which meant they were both at the age when they should be starting school.

Coming to this island was undoubtedly a good thing for her, but for the children, it might not be so.  

At such a young age, they were stuck on this isolated island with no peers and no school. Yin Xiaoman was deeply worried that this would hold the children back in their development.

But this was something she truly had no power to change for now.

The only thing she could do was to ensure that the children, especially Da Bao, didn’t fall behind in their studies.  

No matter how often the world claimed that education was useless, Yin Xiaoman firmly believed that in any era, studying and striving for progress were the most important things.

For this reason, she quietly used the textbooks and handwriting practice sheets stored in the wooden chest to teach the two children to read and write. She also insisted on assigning them homework every day.

Now that the little ones had obediently gone to do their homework, Yin Xiaoman’s gaze fell on the two single beds placed against the wall.

Thinking back to the scene this morning when that six-foot-tall man stubbornly insisted on squeezing into her small bed, she couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth in frustration.

She stared at the beds for a long moment before letting out a sigh and standing up.

She moved the table that stood between the two beds to the side and removed the bedding from each bed. Using all her strength, she managed to push the two single beds together.

Next, she stripped the covers off both mattresses, pulled out the cotton filling from inside, and skillfully combined and sewed them into a single new double mattress.

What sounded simple was actually much harder in practice.

Sewing such a large mattress by hand all by herself had taken much more time than Yin Xiaoman realized.  

It wasn’t until she heard Ren Ping’an calling loudly from the doorway: “Sister-in-law!” that she noticed it was nearly eleven o’clock—time to prepare lunch.

Putting down her work, Yin Xiaoman climbed off the bed and walked to the door, only to see Ren Ping’an standing by the kitchen with a large bamboo basket on his back.

“Xiao Ren, what are you carrying?” she asked curiously.

“Coal briquettes.” Ren Ping’an replied, smiling sheepishly. “We’re new to this island too, so we’re still figuring things out. I didn’t realize how damp it could get here. The coal briquettes we stored on the ground actually got wet!  

Sister-in-law, I brought some dry briquettes from the Kitchen Unit for now and thought I’d teach you how to start a fire. Later, I’ll bring a stone slab to place by the door. Once we stack the briquettes on the slab to dry in the sun, it should solve the problem.”

Hearing this, how could Yin Xiaoman refuse?

With her experience from the morning, along with dry twigs and coal briquettes, the task of lighting the stove went much more smoothly this time.

Following Ren Ping’an’s instructions, Yin Xiaoman managed to ignite the stove without him needing to lift a finger.  

Seeing how deftly she handled it, the young soldier finally let out a relaxed smile.

“Sister-in-law, look what else I brought for you!”  

Having spent more time around Yin Xiaoman, his manner of speaking had grown much more casual and less formal.  

After ensuring the fire was burning steadily, Ren Ping’an walked back to the bamboo basket. From inside, he pulled out a bundle wrapped in banana leaves, his face full of pride as he asked: “What do you think?”  

The sight of the banana leaves immediately caught Yin Xiaoman’s attention, and her heart stirred with curiosity.