Left behind where he stood, Jiang Sinian was momentarily confused. Was she angry?
Forget it. If she really ran off again, he would just bring her back.
His impression of Ye Shizhi was still stuck in the past—her unreasonable tantrums. Even though she had changed now, even though everything seemed to be moving in a better direction, he only felt that it was all temporary, unreal.
After so many years of a ruined life, he had long since stopped expecting anything.
The only thing that gave him a sense of hope now was the child he had never even met—his own child, bound to him by blood.
Countless images flashed through his mind, until they somehow settled on the sight of Ye Shizhi lowering her head, gently stroking her belly. Without realizing it, the corner of his lips curved slightly upward.
Later, after Jiang Sinian finished boiling the water and settled everything, he entered the room to see Ye Shizhi holding up a tiny piece of clothing, comparing and measuring something.
She wore a loose dress in somewhat old-fashioned colors, but it couldn’t hide her fair skin—in fact, it made her look almost luminous. She held a pen carefully, drawing on the spread-out little garment.
One sleeve was rolled up, revealing a slender, well-defined wrist that was unexpectedly pleasing to the eye.
The lightbulb above flickered occasionally, casting a soft glow over her. From where Jiang Sinian stood, the light filtered through her hair, making her face hard to see clearly.
There was a hazy, dreamlike quality to her—almost unreal.
“You bought these too?” Ye Shizhi asked when she noticed him standing there in a daze. She wasn’t annoyed, as if their earlier minor quarrel had never happened. She pointed with her pen at something, motioning for him to look.
Jiang Sinian shifted his gaze to the pile of brightly colored children’s clothes she had unpacked. All kinds of styles were there, most of them warm and thick.
He had picked them up when collecting goods earlier. A clothing vendor whose business was poor had been selling some furniture and threw in these clothes at a cheap price. Jiang Sinian had selected a few.
“Mm.”
Hearing his answer, Ye Shizhi pressed her forehead at the sight of the pile of pink and bright red outfits.
“Didn’t you say it was a boy? Why did you bring back all girls’ clothes?”
If she didn’t already know she was carrying a boy, she would probably be thrilled by this pile. But now that she knew, it was a headache. They could be dealt with, sure—but it would be troublesome.
And she hated trouble.
Jiang Sinian looked at her quietly. “You said it was a girl.”
“What?”
Ye Shizhi was briefly puzzled, then remembered that back at the Ye family home she had casually said, “How do you know it isn’t a daughter?”
“Just because of that, you bought all girls’ clothes?” Not a single piece for a boy.
“Mm.”
Hearing it pointed out, Jiang Sinian realized he might have acted a bit rashly. But she was the one who was pregnant—he thought she would know better, so he had believed her completely.
“You…” Ye Shizhi was at a loss for words. She waved her hand. “Forget it. I’ll prepare these things myself.”
What pleased her somewhat was that Jiang Sinian was willing to take responsibility instead of avoiding it.
That was true—when he had agreed to marry the original host, even though she hadn’t treated him well, he still provided everything he should. No one could fault him.
As a husband and as a father-to-be, he had fulfilled his responsibilities.
Jiang Sinian neither nodded nor shook his head. He turned and walked to the other cabinet.
There was only one wardrobe in the room. Originally, it had held all of Jiang Sinian’s clothes. After the original host moved in, half of it had been cleared out for her.
Neither of them touched the other’s belongings—Jiang Sinian wasn’t interested; the original host had been disdainful.
There were many things scattered on the floor: malted milk powder, candies, biscuits, pastries, and a baby bottle of some unknown brand. A little of everything, and all seemed useful.
Naturally, quite a bit of money must have been spent. But it was money he had earned himself, so she didn’t ask.
Ye Shizhi crouched down, sorting things out—putting the food aside and tidying up the clothes first. They still had to sleep later, and leaving everything here was too messy.
“Ye Shizhi.” His calm, low voice sounded behind her.
She looked back to see Jiang Sinian standing there at some unknown time. His tall frame blocked most of the light. Backlit, she could only make out his outline; she couldn’t see his expression clearly.
Hearing him call her name so gently was, honestly, a bit flattering. Unbidden, her mind drifted to what had happened at noon—the rare hint of fluster and embarrassment on his face.
She shook her head. Why was she thinking about such nonsense?
“What is it?”
“I’m going to the county town tomorrow. I probably won’t be back for six or seven days. I’ve stocked up most of the rice and ingredients at home. If you’re missing anything, go ask Aunt Chen from the houses in front to help you buy it.”
“I heard from others that pregnancy requires regular checkups. In a few days, when your younger brother has a break, I’ll have him take you to get examined.”
He paused, then added solemnly, “Just this once. After that, I’ll go with you.”
People had told him that pregnant women were fragile, especially emotionally—that they could easily bottle things up and fall into a bad mood over small matters.
He had quietly asked around to learn these things himself.
This trip couldn’t be avoided. He had been preparing for this batch of goods for months. It could have been postponed, but now that there was a child, many things required money. It couldn’t be spared.
Most importantly, the work he did was dangerous. He was afraid that one day something might happen to him. He had to save a sum of money for Ye Shizhi and the child.
Before, he had been alone. If he lived, he lived. If not, he would just lie down and die.
This arrangement really had been too hasty, he thought.
Ye Shizhi had no idea what was going through his mind. Knowing that he had arranged her daily meals was enough to reassure her.
She continued tidying and nodded. “Mm, got it. Be careful.”
After a long moment, she heard him respond with a quiet “Mm.”
She would never know how much those four words—be careful—stirred his heart. His fingertips trembled slightly. It seemed that, this time, someone cared about him too.
“Oh right, what time are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Seven.”
“Then wear more clothes in the morning. Don’t catch a chill.”
The weather was cold in the mornings and hot by noon. If she hadn’t noticed that he usually wore thin clothes, she wouldn’t have said anything.
“Mm. You take care of yourself too.”
It was rare for Jiang Sinian to show concern for her. Ye Shizhi glanced at him in surprise, then paused when she noticed the stack of money in his hand.
“For me?”
It looked like quite a lot.
“For expenses during this time.”
She didn’t stand on ceremony and took it directly.
In her heart, she asked the system, “Does this count as my first pot of gold?”
The system replied, “That’s money Jiang Sinian gave you…”
“So it doesn’t count, then!”
Her tone was regretful.
“Thank you.”
After putting the money away in front of him, Ye Shizhi took her clothes and went to bathe. Her light footsteps revealed her good mood; even her previous arrogance and unreasonable behavior had disappeared.
Was she really Ye Shizhi?
All the strangeness was buried deep inside. Jiang Sinian’s dark eyes flickered with suspicion, but in the end, it all turned into a faint, cold smile.