“What a delicate bag! Why have I never seen anything like this before?”
Jiang Qianqin’s eyes lit up as she eagerly opened the bag and felt it.
“Oh! It’s so soft—and it’s warm too!”
She quickly pulled out a black down jacket and draped it over Jiang Mingzhi.
“Hurry and put it on! Don’t catch a cold!”
“I know, I know—why are you rushing? New clothes should be saved for the New Year!”
Jiang Mingzhi was already used to Jiang Mingyu giving them things, so he didn’t stand on ceremony. Instead, he helped Jiang Qianqin carry the items as they headed out, turning back to call out:
“Sis, we’re heading off first! Come back to the village when you have time! I’m still waiting for you to tutor me!”
“Oh, and I left the cured meat we brought on your table! Don’t forget to eat it!”
“Go on then—be careful on the road.”
Jiang Mingyu saw them out of the courtyard.
To her surprise, the three children followed her out as well, standing obediently at her side and waving at the departing figures.
“Goodbye, Grandma!”
“Goodbye, Uncle!”
After calling out, they turned back to Jiang Mingyu with bright smiles.
“Mom, did we do well just now?”
“Mmm, you did great. Tonight, I’ll tell you a little story as a reward.”
Jiang Mingyu patted their heads and led them back inside. Seeing Huo Mingfeng still sitting at the table, the three children hurried into the next room to play, deliberately leaving space for their new mother and father.
That way, Dad and Mom’s relationship would improve!
“About earlier… my mom and my brother—they didn’t scare you, did they?”
Jiang Mingyu hesitated before speaking, sitting down across from him.
Huo Mingfeng shook his head.
“If you mean being called ‘son-in-law,’ then I have to admit—I was pleasantly surprised.”
“Pfft!”
Jiang Mingyu covered her mouth and laughed.
“As long as you’re not upset.”
“Mingyu, I want to ask you something. These things—how did you get them?”
Huo Mingfeng got straight to the point, gesturing at the dishes of meat on the table, as well as the rice cooker and induction stove.
“And your Future Department Store Investment Company—how do you plan to set it up?”
The moment he asked, he could clearly feel the air in the room fall into silence.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
He could almost hear his own heartbeat pounding wildly, anticipating whatever answer Jiang Mingyu might give.
“Alright.”
Jiang Mingyu looked at him quietly for a moment, then suddenly took a deep breath, braced her hands on the table, and met his gaze seriously.
“I actually died once… but then I came back to life.”
“These things were sent by my future self for my present self to use.”
“All the supplies combined are worth twenty—”
Smack!
A large hand suddenly pressed against her forehead.
Huo Mingfeng pursed his lips seriously, checking her temperature.
After confirming she wasn’t feverish, he let out a breath of relief and withdrew his hand.
“Sorry. Maybe my question was too abrupt. If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to. Everyone has their secrets—I should respect yours.”
“But… it’s fine to tell me these things, just don’t say them to the children.”
After a pause, he added,
“Those three silly kids believe everything. If they repeat it outside and people think you’re mentally unstable, you might end up being sent to a psychiatric hospital.”
With that, Huo Mingfeng stood and headed to the kitchen, saying he’d heat some water so she could take a bath and relax.
In the dim light of the kerosene lamp, Jiang Mingyu sat at the table, watching his departing figure, a trace of helplessness flickering in her eyes.
So… he didn’t believe her, even when she told the truth?
Then again, she smiled wryly.
If it hadn’t happened to her personally, she wouldn’t have believed it either.
Forget it.
Better to focus on living the present well.
After bringing the dishes into the kitchen, Jiang Mingyu thought about taking out an automatic dishwasher.
The moment she did—
Sparks flew from the old wiring, and the circuit blew.
Startled, she jumped back.
It was Huo Mingfeng who quickly cut the power, frowning as he pointed at the large machine she had just produced.
“What is this for?”
There would be no electricity tonight.
The wiring was fried.
Jiang Mingyu lowered her head guiltily, pointing at the greasy dishes in the basin.
“It’s an automatic dishwasher… I use it to wash dishes.”
An automatic dishwasher?
He had never even heard of such a thing.
Looks like his little wife wasn’t very good at washing dishes.
Rolling up his sleeves, Huo Mingfeng sprinkled some alkaline powder into the basin and, with his back to her, said gently,
“I’ll wash the dishes today. Once I fix the wiring, we can try this… automatic dishwasher again.”
“Wait!”
Since he was already used to her producing strange new items, Jiang Mingyu simply took out a bottle of dishwashing liquid and set it on the stove.
“Use this—it works better.”
Huo Mingfeng paused, but his reaction wasn’t as strong as before. He examined it briefly, then, with a slight twist of his well-defined fingers, opened the cap.
After squeezing out some clear liquid into his hand, he smiled and suddenly turned to her.
“How about this—we set some rules.”
“What kind of rules?”
Jiang Mingyu asked, wondering if she should demonstrate how to use the dish soap.
But Huo Mingfeng had already figured it out just by rubbing it in his hands.
As he washed the dishes, he said,
“Mingyu, your ability is too unusual. It’s fine to use it at home, but if you ‘perform tricks’ like this outside—first, it might scare people. Second, it could attract those with ill intentions and put you in danger.”
“That makes sense…”
Jiang Mingyu stared at him without blinking, suddenly realizing that when this man focused on something, he was incredibly charming.
Especially with the light from outside streaming in, making his features look even more striking.
He had more presence than an international model.
She found herself staring, entranced.
Under such an intense gaze, Huo Mingfeng showed remarkable composure. His expression didn’t change, though the tips of his ears turned slightly red. His eyes flickered briefly before he continued as if nothing had happened.
“So, we set three rules. Outside, you’re not allowed to use your abilities casually—whether it’s ‘magic’ or anything else. You can only use them at home.”
Was he thinking of her?
Jiang Mingyu listened patiently, then slowly crossed her arms, a smile tugging at her lips.
“Alright. I agree.”
Even if he hadn’t said it, she wouldn’t have used her ability recklessly in public.
She had assumed that when Huo Mingfeng said he would fix the wiring, he meant calling someone over the next day.
But after finishing the dishes, he brought out a toolbox from the room, took out new wiring, and fixed everything himself in no time.
After all that, he still found time to buy charcoal, planning to light a stove to warm the room for the night.
When Jiang Mingyu learned what he intended, she stopped him.
“I’ll redo the bedding. I guarantee our whole family won’t feel cold.”
And she acted immediately.
From her ring, she took out two 1.8-by-2-meter mattresses, a wooden bunk bed frame, two sets of flannel bedding, five down pillows, and two thick duvets—placing everything in the spacious eastern room in one go.