After everyone had left, Ye Shizhi felt a twinge of frustration, almost wanting to slap herself.
But on second thought, teasing Jiang Sinian, this wooden-headed man, was actually quite fun.
Yes, noticing how few words Jiang Sinian spoke, Ye Shizhi had quietly given him a nickname. She just never dared to call him that in front of others—well, partly because she didn’t want to get hit. After all, she didn’t know if he was like in the dramas, never hitting women.
“If your dad ever hits me, you’ll have to cover for me first,” she murmured, trying to stroke her belly with a mock look of maternal love. It felt so unnatural that she didn’t continue.
Today’s meal was simple—one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, and a soup. Ye Shizhi thought it was decent and knew that, for a rural family in this era, it was already a luxury.
Not caring about Jiang Sinian being out and about, she started eating. She was giving birth to his child, after all—this wasn’t just her child alone.
She finished her meal, and Jiang Sinian still hadn’t returned. It was only when she put the dishes into a pot to keep warm that he came back, wet, carrying a fish.
His muscular body glistened with water droplets, smooth lines showing a powerful build, eight-pack abs firm and defined. His pale skin shone under the kitchen light, and his narrow dark eyes still held traces of water on his lashes, trickling down his face as he blinked.
This almost looked like a bathing scene from a painting, and in that environment, Ye Shizhi was stunned. Her mind automatically replaced the background.
Jiang Sinian ignored her burning gaze, placing the fish into a basin of water, but his slight hesitation revealed he wasn’t entirely calm. Even the fish seemed unsettled, thrashing and leaping from the basin onto the floor.
Water splashed all over him, the droplets sliding down his jaw and collarbones. His skin blushed faintly pink under the kitchen lights.
Ye Shizhi was captivated, frozen on the spot. She hadn’t expected him to be this… innocent.
Noticing her expression, Jiang Sinian bent down to pick up the struggling fish and turned to leave, only to quickly return and take the basin out.
Even with all these movements, he still couldn’t pull Ye Shizhi’s attention away.
Xiao Liu couldn’t stand it: “Enough! You’ve drooled all over the place.”
Ye Shizhi smirked meaningfully. “You just don’t get it.”
That reminded her of another question:
“You’re not secretly watching me sleep with Jiang Sinian, are you?”
“Who would do that!” Xiao Liu panicked. “We auto-censor, of course.”
Ye Shizhi teased, “I didn’t say anything! Just covering up and chatting. Xiao Liu, your mind is dirty.”
Having been tricked, Xiao Liu immediately blocked her.
With Xiao Liu gone, Ye Shizhi shook her head, feeling relaxed. These days weren’t bad. Though not wealthy, at least life was peaceful.
She rubbed her belly, wondering what the baby looked like—there were no details in the story. Curiosity bubbled inside her.
“Suian? Sui-sui.”
Apart from the initial awkwardness, she found herself saying it more smoothly over time.
Jiang Sinian had gone out and still hadn’t returned by evening. Ye Shizhi only realized it when she put down her pen, noticing the dimming sky, with the evening glow painting the land like a blushing girl.
She rubbed her tired eyes, deciding to stop drawing since the light was poor—she didn’t want to strain them.
Looking at the few scenes she had drawn, the playful and cute style with amusing dialogue gave her confidence.
Two yuan wasn’t much to her, but she’d need it for other things—supplies, nutrition, and expenses everywhere. Without money, she felt insecure. She knew Jiang Sinian wouldn’t let them starve, but the money she earned herself gave her a sense of independence.
If Jiang Sinian ever became unable to care for them, she could run with Suian in her arms. As for those over-the-top “cute wife runs away with baby, CEO spoils her” storylines—she knew of them but had no desire to star in one.
She liked the house. The window faced the yard tree, and the door gave a good view too.
As the light dimmed, she lit the kerosene lamp, keeping it modest since she was alone. She thought she could buy candles in town later.
The memory of her childhood in the countryside crossed her mind—sitting on a small stool, eating noodles her grandmother made, one bite at a time. She smiled wryly, quickly letting go of the nostalgia. Beautiful memories often hurt the most; it was better to focus on the present.
Stretching and tidying up the table, she went to the kitchen. After a long afternoon, she was a little tired, but with Jiang Sinian gone, she wasn’t worried.
In the original timeline, he often disappeared, sometimes half a month without a trace.
Rubbing her belly, she realized she was hungry.
“Suian… hungry?”
She hesitated for a moment—what should she call herself? Mommy? It felt weird.
Xiao Liu suggested: “Call yourself sister.”
“That doesn’t make sense; Suian and Xiao Hong are the same generation.”
After some deliberation, she decided not to care. This baby was in her belly; it was her child. When the time came, she would call herself mom.
“By the way, after I finish the task and return, I won’t become a vegetable, right?”
Xiao Liu rolled its virtual eyes: “We never do that. As long as the task is complete, you’ll be lively and healthy.”
“Oh,” Ye Shizhi replied, half-believing. Then she added, “Some novels have systems that sneakily cause trouble—will you do that?”
Xiao Liu panicked briefly but quickly recovered: “Host, no need to worry. Our only goal is to ensure Jiang Suian safely passes the kidnapping event in this world.”
What Ye Shizhi replied next, Xiao Liu didn’t know—it immediately cut the connection.
In its system space, Xiao Liu gasped: “Almost slipped…”
Ye Shizhi waited, getting no reply, shrugged, and went about her own business.