After He Mu finished cooking, He Linzhou finally went to wake Jiang Ning up.
“Wife, time to get up and eat breakfast.”
He Linzhou kissed her soft, moist lips with indulgence.
“After breakfast, I’ll take you to the Friendship Store to buy things.”
At the mention of shopping, Jiang Ning instantly became alert. She pursed her lips and half-squinted her eyes.
“What else are we buying?”
“Anything you like, just buy it.”
He Linzhou didn’t want her to suffer any lack in material life at all. Before leaving, he wanted to stock up everything she might need.
“Mm… I’ll listen to you.”
Still half-asleep, Jiang Ning burrowed into his arms, arms hooked around his neck like a little white cat acting spoiled.
“But if you keep spoiling me like this, you’ll spoil me rotten.”
He Linzhou chuckled indulgently.
“Women are meant to be spoiled—especially you. I’m going to spoil you for a lifetime.”
Those affectionate words made Jiang Ning giggle against his neck.
Her warm, shallow breaths brushed his skin, making his Adam’s apple roll again.
“W-wife… let’s go eat,” he said hoarsely.
Feeling his rising body temperature, Jiang Ning quickly restrained herself. She was afraid he might turn into a hungry wolf and pounce on her—after all, they were still in the He family home.
After breakfast, He Linyue, who was on leave, insisted on tagging along to shop. He Mu couldn’t refuse and simply stuffed a handful of money and coupons into her pocket.
Even without He Linzhou mentioning it, Jiang Ning had planned to go to the Friendship Store anyway before leaving—she needed to stock up on powdered milk, formula, and baby bottles.
What if she got pregnant during the journey?
If you dared to dream, dreams might come true, right?
Since He Linzhou wasn’t completely infertile, and with the nourishment of the spiritual spring water, his body would eventually recover fully. Then the “baby-making plan” could succeed smoothly.
Jiang Ning knew how much both He Linzhou and the He family wanted children. She did too.
So they had never taken any contraceptive measures in their intimacy.
What if, through nightly “hard work,” they really conceived?
Wouldn’t that be perfect?
But she didn’t tell He Linzhou any of this. The higher the hope, the greater the disappointment. Since he had once been distressed about his condition, she decided to prepare everything in advance and surprise him later—when the baby bump came, it would shut up anyone with ill intentions.
With enough foreign exchange coupons, Jiang Ning bought a large amount of powdered milk at the Friendship Store. It was scarce, so she stocked heavily in case her milk supply was insufficient after childbirth.
She also bought multiple baby bottles—glass ones broke easily, so extras were necessary.
After leaving the Friendship Store, they headed to the department store. They bought cotton cloth, coarse cloth, floral fabric, and He Linzhou directly picked up twenty tins of malted milk powder. Combined with what they already had at home, it would be enough for at least two children for a year.
What Jiang Ning didn’t know was that this massive stockpile would later prove barely enough for those little “big eaters.”
After a shopping spree, He Linyue finally understood just how absurdly indulgent her brother’s wife-spoiling habit was.
He didn’t even look at anything else—his eyes were only for his wife.
Sighing helplessly, she resigned herself to being the laborer.
After bringing everything home, she collapsed on the table, exhausted.
“Sis-in-law… is my brother always this extravagant when buying things for you?”
Jiang Ning poured her tea with a smile.
“Mm. He’s a man who can’t be stopped.”
He Linzhou was wasteful when it came to her—but everything he bought was exactly what she needed.
Meanwhile, the space was already filled with food she hadn’t even had time to eat, thankfully preserved by storage.
Jiang Ning brought out three cups of spiritual spring water.
“Drink this, it’ll help you recover.”
After drinking, everyone quickly regained their energy.
Lunch was Jiang Ning’s choice: Beijing-style shredded pork noodles, cold cucumber salad, and sugar-tossed tomatoes—perfect for cooling down in the summer heat.
After lunch, He Linzhou returned to the military unit.
The He family was now fully focused on dealing with the looming threat from the Ding family.
Last night, in the study, He Linzhou had already written four举报 letters (reports) and sent them to four major departments. The Ding family, though powerful, was not untouchable. Once evidence surfaced, their downfall was only a matter of time.
But he could not tell Jiang Ning any of this—he only needed to protect her quietly.
She, in his heart, was both a soldier who could defend the nation… and the woman he would protect with his life.
As for the incident at the state-run restaurant, He Linzhou still burned with anger whenever he thought of it. If not for discipline, he would have torn the Ding siblings apart himself.
But dealing with the Ding family required more than punishing a petty nuisance like Song Jiaxiang—it required uprooting them completely.
That was the only way to eliminate future trouble.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ning stayed home with He Linyue, continuing to brew medicinal wine.
Looking at the mountain of herbs and dozens of wine jars, He Linyue frowned guiltily.
“Sis-in-law… I didn’t realize making medicinal wine was this complicated. I thought it was simple. I was too shallow.”
Jiang Ning smiled lightly.
“Don’t feel pressured. For me, this is interest, hobby… and career.”
“If conditions improve in the future, I might even build a factory.”
She understood the future trajectory of China’s economic development. As someone with inherited expertise in medicinal wine, she naturally wouldn’t abandon it. Its value would only become more apparent with time.
Just then, Zhang Hu rushed in excitedly.
“Little Madam! A letter from Ninth Master!”
Jiang Ning’s eyes lit up as she quickly took it.
Finally—she had been waiting for this letter.
It was written in three full pages, every line filled with concern.
Her “uncle” never spoke of his own condition, always reporting good news instead of bad. This time he had quietly gone to Nan Island for recuperation without telling her—just to avoid worrying her.
But the more he did that… the more uneasy she felt.