With that truckload of supplies sent by her natal family, Bai Luoluo’s days finally became a little easier.
The imported milk powder and vitamin tablets were like timely rain, barely propping up her shaky body.
She was still easily tired, still prone to drowsiness at the slightest movement, but at least her complexion was no longer frighteningly pale like a sheet of paper, the way it had been when she first arrived.
There was finally a hint of color in her cheeks, making her look more like the delicate porcelain doll displayed in a shop window.
Lei Li, for his part, hadn’t really gone looking for trouble these past few days.
Perhaps it was guilt lingering from the “chicken-stealing” incident that night, or perhaps that truckload of supplies from the Bai family had dealt a blow to his male pride.
In any case, he left early and came home late, deliberately minimizing chances of running into Bai Luoluo—so they wouldn’t end up resenting each other at the mere sight.
Yet that awkward discomfort lingered, like a pebble hidden in his boot, grinding away at him.
This noon—
The sun hung viciously overhead, cicadas screeching in the trees until it made one’s head ache.
Lei Li came down from the training ground, reeking of sweat.
He had originally planned to go to the mess hall to eat the communal meal with the soldiers.
But just as he reached the entrance, a rich, heavy aroma of meat drifted over.
Braised pork.
It was Friday. The mess hall was improving rations—slaughtering a pig and making authentic braised pork.
The chunks were cut into neat squares, layers of fat and lean perfectly balanced, stewed until tender and flavorful, glistening in a red, glossy sauce that made mouths water at first sight.
Lei Li’s steps halted.
Suddenly, an image flashed through his mind—Bai Luoluo squatting on the ground that night, gnawing on a chicken leg, her mouth shiny with grease.
So disheveled. And so pitiful.
And that sobbing sentence of hers—“I was really so hungry.”
It felt like a cat’s claw scratched at his heart—sour and itchy all at once.
Sure, the Bai family had sent plenty of canned goods—luncheon meat, beef and all that.
But how could those cold metal tins compare to this steaming, freshly cooked braised pork?
She was delicate. She was troublesome.
But since she’d married him, and since she’d starved to that point right under his nose, as her husband, he couldn’t truly ignore it.
Even if it were just a cat or a dog, you’d still give it a warm meal, wouldn’t you?
Lei Li found himself the perfect excuse.
He strode into the mess hall and pulled out his meal tickets.
“Give me a serving of braised pork. The best pieces—fatter ones.”
The head cook froze, then broke into a grin.“Oh? Commander, this is for sister-in-law, right? Got it! I’ll pick you the best triple-layer pork belly!”
A lunchbox packed to the brim with braised pork—pressed down tight, with a thick layer of sauce poured on top.
Lei Li snapped the lid shut. It felt heavy in his hand.
He even went out of his way to wash his face at the water room and brush the dirt off his clothes before carrying the lunchbox home.
On the way back, a few military wives greeted him, their eyes full of teasing.
Lei Li kept a straight face and didn’t look sideways—but his steps were noticeably faster.
Back at the bungalow.
The room was quiet.
Bai Luoluo sat at the table, holding a cup of freshly mixed hot milk, sipping it little by little.
Sunlight streamed through the window, gilding her slightly messy long hair with a golden edge.
She looked very quiet. Very obedient.
Nothing like the “female thief” who would climb walls to steal chickens in the middle of the night.
Hearing the door open, Bai Luoluo lifted her head.
Seeing Lei Li return, she instinctively shrank her neck, a flicker of wariness passing through her eyes.
Though things had been peaceful these past few days, she was still a little afraid of this unpredictable man.
Lei Li noticed that wariness—and felt inexplicably annoyed.
I’m bringing you meat, and that’s the look you give me? Like I’m a class enemy?
He walked over with a dark expression and set the still-scorching aluminum lunchbox down on the table.
Clang.
The sound was loud enough to nearly make Bai Luoluo spill her milk.
“Eat.”
Lei Li spat out the two words stiffly, then pulled out the chair opposite and sat down. He fished out a cigarette, raised it to light it—then remembered there was a “patient” in the room. Annoyed, he tucked the cigarette behind his ear instead.
Bai Luoluo stared at the lunchbox, a little dazed.
“This is…?”
“Braised pork.”
Lei Li turned his head away, not looking at her, though his voice softened slightly.
“The mess hall slaughtered a pig today. I got you a serving. Stop eating those cold canned things all day—no nutrition.”
Bai Luoluo froze.
Braised pork?
He’d brought it specially for her?
Had the sun risen from the west?
Though his tone was still harsh and his face still sour, this gesture—
A warm current suddenly surged through Bai Luoluo’s heart.
She hadn’t gone hungry these past few days thanks to her family’s supplies, but she really had been craving a hot, freshly cooked meal.
No matter how good canned food was, it got cloying after a while.
“Thank you…”
She said softly, reaching out to lift the lunchbox lid.
Lei Li’s ear twitched slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting imperceptibly.
At least this woman has some conscience—she knows how to say thanks.
However—
The moment the lid came off—
A wave of overwhelmingly rich, greasy smell—mixed with spices, soy sauce, and that heavy pork stench—exploded in the small room like a biochemical bomb.
The smell was far too strong.
For Bai Luoluo in her current state, it was lethal poison.
She was newly pregnant, right at the peak of morning sickness.
These past few days, eating lightly had been manageable—but now, hit suddenly with such a powerful oily stimulus—
The sensitive nerve in her stomach snapped instantly.
“Urgh—!”
She didn’t even have time to see what the braised pork looked like.
A surge of sour liquid rushed straight up her throat.
That violent nausea was completely uncontrollable.
She clapped a hand over her mouth and shoved the lunchbox away.
Even knocking over the chair in the process.
Bang!
The chair crashed to the floor with a loud noise.
Bai Luoluo didn’t even glance at Lei Li—she turned and bolted out the door.
She ran to the corner of the courtyard, braced herself against the old locust tree, bent over, and began retching violently.
“Urgh… urgh…”
The milk she’d just drunk, along with the acid in her stomach, all came up.
She vomited until tears and snot streamed down her face, as if her internal organs were being squeezed out.
Inside the room—
Lei Li remained in that slightly relaxed sitting posture, frozen stiff.
Like a stone statue struck by lightning.
He stared at the lunchbox shoved crookedly aside.
At the glossy, perfectly cooked chunks of braised pork still giving off their aroma.
He had queued for this. Picked the best cuts himself.
This was the first time he’d ever lowered himself to show goodwill to this woman.
And what did he get?
She hadn’t even looked at it.
Just one whiff—and she threw up?
Even bolted away like she was fleeing a plague?
The feeling was like offering someone your heart with full sincerity—only to have it stomped into the dirt like trash, then spat on in disgust.
Lei Li’s face darkened visibly.
Dark as the sea before a storm—oppressive and terrifying.
He slowly stood up.
Listening to the retching sounds coming from the courtyard.
Each one scraped mercilessly against his pride.
Disgust.
This was naked, unmistakable disgust.
She was a pampered rich young lady—eating imported canned food, drinking foreign milk powder.
How could something cooked in a communal mess hall—something reeking of “poverty”—ever be worthy of her refined palate?
She probably thought it was dirty.
Thought it was pig slop.
That night of chicken-stealing had just been desperation from starvation.
Now that she had her family’s supplies, now that she had backing, her capitalist miss’s delicacy and arrogance were immediately exposed!
A fire burned in Lei Li’s chest.
Burning away his reason.
He strode to the doorway, staring at the figure still retching against the tree.
“Bai Luoluo.”
His voice was icy, dragged straight out of a freezer, grinding with restrained fury.
Bai Luoluo had just finished another bout, her body weak, her head buzzing.
Hearing him call her name, she instinctively turned around.
Her small face was paper-white, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes—pitiful beyond words.
“I… I feel awful…”
She wanted to explain.
Wanted to say it wasn’t intentional—that the smell was too strong, that her body wasn’t well.
But in Lei Li’s eyes, this was all an act. Pretending. Playing innocent.
“Awful?”
Lei Li sneered, his eyes full of mockery.
“Awful—or disgusted?”
“Do you think the food in our army is too greasy? Too dirty? Not worthy of your noble stomach?”
“I…” Bai Luoluo opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.
Was she supposed to say she was pregnant?
At this moment, would he believe her?
He’d only think she was making excuses.
“If you can’t eat it, then don’t.”
Lei Li turned back into the room.
A few seconds later—
Clang!
The lunchbox filled to the brim with braised pork—meat and sauce together—was hurled violently into the slop bucket in the courtyard.
The sound struck Bai Luoluo straight in the heart.
“Don’t expect me to bring you even one bite of food again.”
“Since your Bai family is rich. Since you have so many imported goods.”
“Then just live off those foreign trinkets!”
Lei Li stood at the doorway, looking down at her. The last trace of warmth in his eyes vanished.
“I, Lei Li, can’t afford to serve a great Buddha like you.”
With that—
He grabbed the utility belt hanging on the wall and strode out of the courtyard.
Not once did he look back.
Soon, the roar of a jeep engine started up, then sped away in anger.
Leaving Bai Luoluo alone in the empty courtyard.
The wind swept past, stirring fallen leaves on the ground.
She stared at the slop bucket.
Inside it was Lei Li’s goodwill—and the tiny bit of warmth they had just begun to build between them.
Now, all of it was gone.
“Urgh—”
Another wave churned in her stomach.
Bai Luoluo clutched her chest and slid down along the tree trunk to sit on the ground.
Tears dripped down one by one.
Unfair.
She really had wanted to eat.
But this damn morning sickness—this damn bodily reaction—was completely out of her control!
“System… you’ve ruined me…”
Bai Luoluo cried out silently in her heart.
In her mind, the system delivered its icy notification:
【Detected that the host’s emotional state is low. It is recommended to replenish sugar.】
【Additionally, morning sickness is a sign of a healthy fetus. Please endure it, Host.】
Endure?
Right now, she wasn’t just enduring physical pain—she also had to endure Lei Li’s misunderstanding and cold, silent treatment.
When would this kind of life ever end?!
…
Over the next two days, the atmosphere in the house dropped to freezing point.
Lei Li completely treated Bai Luoluo as if she didn’t exist.
He left early and returned late every day, and sometimes simply slept in his office instead of coming home at all.
Even when he did come back to grab a file or change clothes, he would stare straight ahead, never sparing Bai Luoluo even a glance.
That kind of indifference was more suffocating than an outright argument.
Bai Luoluo also lost her temper.
Fine—ignore me, then ignore me!
This young lady has food, drinks, and seven babies keeping her company. Who cares about your cold face!
Every day, she stayed in the house to nurture the pregnancy, drinking milk, eating fruit, and doing her best not to think about that heartless jerk.
Until the afternoon of the third day.
A jeep with military license plates pulled up outside the Lei family’s small courtyard.
The car door opened.
A foot in polished military boots stepped down.
Immediately after came a female officer in a crisp military uniform.
Her hair was cut short to her ears, neat and sharp. She looked valiant and dashing, the stars on her shoulders glinting in the sunlight.
In her hand, she carried a net bag containing several cans of preserved food and some malted milk powder.
A confident, proper smile hung on her face.
She stood at the courtyard gate without rushing inside, first taking a careful look around the place.
There was a hint of scrutiny in her eyes—and a trace of… determination to claim what she wanted.
“So this is Lei Li’s new home?”
She murmured to herself, her voice clear and carrying an unmistakable note of pride.
Inside the house, Bai Luoluo, who had been half-asleep, heard the noise and drowsily opened her eyes.
A woman’s instinct snapped her fully awake in an instant.
This visitor meant trouble.