“Second episode—placing righteousness above family!”
“Niu Niu, do you know how much I care about you?”
He Linzhou held the person in his arms as if she were his entire world, wishing he could place the best of everything right in front of her.
Jiang Ning, who had just transmigrated, completed their first time together with the male lead on the very night they met.
From clumsy, unrestrained kisses at the beginning, to gradually finding their rhythm, and finally consummating the marriage—He Linzhou seemed to learn everything instinctively, his stamina astonishing.
Exhausted to the point she couldn’t even open her eyes, Jiang Ning finally fell into a deep sleep at dawn, when the roosters began to crow.
Meanwhile, He Linzhou thoughtfully woke up early, queued to buy her favorite shrimp dumplings and crab porridge, kept them warm in the pot, and then returned to the He family’s military compound.
“What? Say that again!”
Mother He was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes as she tightly gripped her son’s hand.
“Ningning… she’s willing to go to the border with you?”
He Linzhou nodded solemnly.
“That’s wonderful… I don’t even know what to say…”
Though delighted, Mother He hesitated, clearly holding something back.
Everyone in the He family knew that the divorce had been instigated by Jiang Ning’s biological father, Zhou Changxun, and her stepmother, Wei Yurou.
After all, Jiang Ning was young and naive…
“Mom, Ningning said her matters are her own to decide. No one is allowed to interfere—not even her father.”
At the thought of his father-in-law’s hypocritical face, He Linzhou couldn’t help clenching his fists.
Since his wife had decided to go with him, it was time to deal with certain people and matters that had long been an eyesore.
Commander He, who rarely spoke despite his high rank, finally opened his mouth.
“Guarding the border is every soldier’s duty. I won’t stop you. But Ningning has a weak constitution—there’s no telling when you’ll return from this mission.”
“Take everything you need.”
As soon as he finished speaking, two guards carried in thick cotton quilts.
Then came women’s winter coats, cotton boots, hats, dozens of outfits for all four seasons, and four large boxes of various emergency medicines.
He Linzhou glanced at the mountain of supplies, his eyelid twitching.
“Dad… aside from the medicine and quilts, it looks like none of this is for me.”
Commander He replied flatly,
“That’s right. Your mother prepared all of it for Ningning.”
He Linzhou turned to his mother, puzzled.
“Mom… you predicted this in advance?”
Mother He wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and sighed.
“Ningning’s mother once saved my life. Without her, I might not have survived giving birth to you.”
“Her precious daughter—of course I must protect her. It’s just… she ended up marrying you, you brat!”
He Linzhou’s eyelid twitched again. Thankfully, he hadn’t told them about consummating the marriage—otherwise, who knew how badly he’d be scolded…
After giving him a long lecture, Mother He went back to her room.
When she came out again, she was holding two bankbooks.
“This is money for Ningning’s protection.”
He Linzhou took them and opened them. The corners of his lips lifted.
As expected—his parents loved his wife even more than he did.
Together, the two accounts held nearly 20,000 yuan. Adding what he had saved for her, it totaled close to 30,000—more than enough for her to spend freely.
Thinking of this, his smile grew uncontrollable.
“Your grandparents are in poor health and can’t return to the capital. This is their gift for their granddaughter-in-law.”
Mother He went inside again and returned with an exquisite jade box, placing it in his hands.
Looking at the emerald-green treasure, even someone like He Linzhou, who knew nothing about antiques, couldn’t help but admire it.
“This wouldn’t be the He family heirloom, would it?”
“That’s right,” Mother He said with a smile. “An heirloom—one that recognizes its owner by blood.”
She opened the box and took out a jade ring.
“This is for your destined wife.”
He Linzhou carefully accepted it, examined it closely, then placed it back into the box.
He Linyue, who had been drooling on the side, said enviously,
“I almost want to go with Sister-in-law to the border too. So many good things—she’s so lucky!”
Mother He shot him a glare.
“Mind your manners! Do you think your brother and sister-in-law are going there for fun?”
“Do you even know how dangerous it is? There are wild beasts, hidden enemies, and possible conflict at any time.”
“Your brother going is his duty. But your sister-in-law—a pampered young lady—going there to suffer… if we don’t treat her well, what kind of people would we be?”
He Linyue stuck out his tongue sheepishly.
“I was just saying…”
The youngest, He Linzhe, though still a child, was the most mischievous—and his words hit straight to the point.
“Big brother… about not being able to have children—Sister-in-law doesn’t mind anymore?”
The warm atmosphere shattered instantly.
Mother He smacked him on the head.
“You talk too much! Why bring up something like that?”
“Ow! I was just telling the truth!” He Linzhe protested, clutching his head.
“But Sister-in-law likes kids so much… doesn’t it bother her?”
The entire He family fell silent.
It was a question no one wanted to face.
He Linzhou spoke up,
“Ningning said she doesn’t mind. And she thinks my medical report might be wrong. When we return to the capital, we’ll get it checked again.”
Thinking of Jiang Ning’s words last night, a trace of doubt surfaced in his heart.
“Sigh… that poor child…”
Mother He couldn’t help tearing up again. She had wanted to find a good marriage for her savior’s daughter—but her own son had guarded Jiang Ning so tightly that not even a single male creature, not even a dog, had ever gotten close to her.
The more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt.
“Mom, I’ll treat Ningning well!”
Seeing the heavy mood, He Linzhou quickly raised his hand in a military salute.
“Oh right,” Commander He said after a long pause, “there’s been news from above. A wave of investigations may be coming.”
“Ningning’s identity is sensitive. You should leave early.”
Zhou Changxun was too high-profile, and many people wanted to drag him down. Even more had their eyes on the Jiang family’s wealth.
Even Jiang Ning’s grandfather, who had donated so much of his fortune, might not be able to protect her.
“Unless…” He Linzhou narrowed his eyes.
“Unless what?”
“Unless we put righteousness before family.”
Commander He frowned and let out a long breath.
“The Jiang family’s assets were meant for Ningning. Zhou Changxun married into the family, committed countless wrongs, drove Jiang Ting to death, and seized the family fortune.”
“A man like that… deserves no mercy.”
“You, as Ningning’s husband, have the responsibility to protect her.”
He Linzhou nodded.
He understood the weight of those words.
If “righteousness before family” was the only way to survive, then Zhou Changxun and Wei Yurou’s scheme to force Jiang Ning into divorce was clear—they wanted to strip her of everything and push her out as a scapegoat.
“Dad… I know what to do now.”