But the man in front of her refused to back down, his attitude firm.
“I’ve already said there’s nothing inappropriate about it. Since you’ve taken on the responsibilities of a wife, you have the right to manage the household expenses. That’s also my responsibility as a husband.”
“If I let you spend your own money, not only would others look down on me if it got out, I wouldn’t be able to respect myself either.”
Perhaps from years of serving and leading in the military, Si Nanchen realized that his tone tended to grow stern as he spoke.
Seeing Jiang Li blinking at him, he sighed inwardly.
His tone softened somewhat, but it still carried an unmistakable firmness.
“In any case, just take this money for now. If it’s not enough, tell me and I’ll find a way.”
“From now on, don’t touch your own money. If you feel uneasy about it, just consider this as savings for our future.”
Jiang Li slightly lifted her chin, looking at the man before her, her emotions mixed and complicated.
She had originally wanted to draw clear boundaries, to reduce trouble for both of them.
But instead, she received even greater trust and responsibility from him.
Looking down at the notebook in her hands, she eventually gathered the money and coupons from the table and spoke softly.
“I understand what you mean. No matter what, thank you for trusting me…”
To Jiang Li, after experiencing betrayal and being reborn, this kind of trust felt especially precious.
Seeing that she had accepted it, Si Nanchen nodded lightly and said nothing more.
As mealtime approached, Jiang Li put everything in order, rolled up her sleeves, and briskly entered the kitchen.
Although the kitchen lacked much of a lived-in feel, the utensils were complete.
It seemed that when he rested, he would cook something simple to fill his stomach.
Thinking this, Jiang Li mixed the flour she had just bought into dough, then took out a few eggs and tomatoes.
She deliberately mixed in the tomato she had previously ripened using energy, planning to make tomato gravy noodles.
Fortunately, ripening that tomato had only used a small amount of energy.
The more she used her ability to exchange energy, the better the results.
At this stage, the effect should only make it taste slightly better than usual, nothing that would be noticed.
It could be considered her way of repaying Si Nanchen’s trust, as well as his protection when facing the neighbors.
Half an hour later, on the dining table, there were two bowls of simple tomato gravy noodles, along with a cucumber salad.
Though simple, the aroma was rich and inviting.
After washing his hands, Si Nanchen walked to the table. He didn’t say anything, picked up his chopsticks, and took a bite.
As the flavor spread across his tongue and slid down his throat, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
The freshness of the taste, combined with the handmade noodles, created a flavor he had never experienced before.
To begin with, he wasn’t someone who cared much about food.
Yet the bowl of noodles in front of him greatly stimulated his appetite.
Sitting across from him, Jiang Li watched the man eat heartily, her eyes curving slightly as she lowered her head and began eating as well.
After finishing the bowl, Si Nanchen wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt extremely comfortable.
Not only did his body feel warm all over, but even the muscle soreness from daily training seemed to ease.
He slowly put down his chopsticks and looked at Jiang Li, a faint, thoughtful expression crossing his eyes.
This woman always seemed to bring him unexpected surprises.
And she had even used her own savings to prepare all this…
A trace of guilt rose in Si Nanchen’s heart.
Using her own money and still having to work so hard—what kind of logic was that?
He immediately made a decision.
After finishing the meal, Si Nanchen cleaned up the dishes. Once he was done washing, he turned to Jiang Li.
“I have missions for the next few days. Stay at home, lock the doors and windows properly. If anything urgent happens, come to the unit to find me.”
“Alright, I understand. You should stay safe too.”
Jiang Li snapped back to her senses and nodded.
Watching him grab his military cap and leave quickly with decisive steps, she couldn’t help but pout slightly.
“This man really puts work first.”
“But… that’s not bad either.”
She had just been wondering how she would sleep tonight.
Now that he was gone, she felt at ease.
Jiang Li got up, locked the door from the inside, stretched lazily, and went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes.
After finishing everything and taking a quick wash, she lay down on the bed.
Perhaps due to the fatigue from travel, combined with the energy she had used exchanging with plants during the day, she was mentally exhausted.
Within minutes of her head touching the pillow, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Meanwhile, compared to Jiang Li’s smooth and orderly situation, Song Weiguo, thousands of miles away, was miserable.
He had been waiting in the room, starving.
Eagerly waiting for Jiang Li to return with meat and wine.
But unexpectedly, he had waited since the afternoon until nightfall without seeing her.
During that time, Lü Xiaoxiao had come to urge him several times, her tone increasingly strange.
“Weiguo ge, why hasn’t my sister come back yet? Could something have happened to her?”
“Or maybe now that she has money, she thinks she’s independent and doesn’t want to serve you anymore?”
As midnight approached and Jiang Li still hadn’t appeared, Song Weiguo began to feel uneasy.
But in front of Lü Xiaoxiao, he forced himself to remain calm.
“Xiaoxiao, what are you saying? Your sister has always listened to me—you know that.”
“Now that she has money, she probably just didn’t like the goods at the service shop and went into the city to buy better ones, so it delayed her.”
“Don’t worry. Where could she run off to?”
While he comforted Lü Xiaoxiao, his mind uncontrollably recalled Jiang Li’s unusual expression before she left.
By the end of his sentence, his voice weakened, his head buzzing with a sense of foreboding.
“I’ll go look for her!”
But in the pitch darkness, he had no direction.
He shouted through several streets, but the only response was the continuous barking of dogs.
He searched all the places Jiang Li usually went, but found nothing.
By the time he returned to the dormitory, hunger and panic intertwined, leaving his face extremely unpleasant.
Lü Xiaoxiao frowned as she looked at him.
“What should we do, Weiguo ge? I’m starving. Think of a way to get something to eat.”
Hearing this, Song Weiguo ran a hand through his hair, his voice tight.
“I… I can’t cook either. You figure something out.”
Lü Xiaoxiao, who had been sitting on the bed, immediately looked unwilling.
“I don’t know how to cook either. You’re a grown man—think of something.”