Thinking about her tragic life, her heart ached.
This child was really pitiful. Qianhua crouched down and gently patted the little girl’s head.
“It’s okay, it’s normal for things to get spoiled. Don’t be afraid,” she soothed.
The little girl must have been beaten a lot in the past to be so scared.
Qianhua’s voice softened further. “The preserved egg can still be eaten after peeling the shell. You should eat it!”
She wanted the little one to eat more, to fatten her up a bit—then she’d look healthier.
Xiao Niannian stared at her mother in amazement.
Mom isn’t going to hit me!
Before, if she had ruined or dirtied her food, there was no escaping a scolding.
Today, Mom was acting so strangely—letting her eat the preserved egg.
Such a good thing—Mom would never give it to anyone else.
She glanced at the egg in her hands and licked her dry lips. She really wanted to eat it but was still too scared.
Seeing her hesitation, Jiang Mengning encouraged her again, “It’s okay, go ahead and eat! Later, you can eat as much as you want. This little bit of food isn’t much to worry about.”
Finally, Niannian stopped hesitating.
She carefully peeled the preserved egg and gobbled it down like she hadn’t eaten in three days. Even the bits of yolk stuck to the shell she sucked clean, not caring at all that she was eating it.
Jiang Mengning had thought about making her wash her hands first but decided to let her eat now and clean up later.
A child couldn’t go hungry.
“Eat slowly. The congee in the pot too. I don’t want it,” she muttered to herself.
She had just crossed into the story world and hadn’t adjusted yet—no appetite at all.
While the little one was enjoying her preserved egg, Jiang Mengning went inside to inspect her current living conditions.
This was a remote mountain village about sixty kilometers from Qingyuan City. Conditions were tough, and the military family compound was nothing special either. All the houses were made of mud bricks. Housing was assigned according to military rank: Huo Jinyan was a regiment commander, so he had a three-room house with a separate small kitchen.
The master bedroom was naturally hers. Luckily, she had always been pampered and indulgent; she demanded comfort in food, clothing, and living conditions. Her room was completely different from the two children’s rooms.
The other two rooms only had simple beds, cold and bare. Her wardrobe had four doors. The bed was solid wood, made by a carpenter hammer by hammer, painted white. The bed linen wasn’t the usual army green; it was white with yellow and green floral patterns, with lace trim. Across from the bed was a vanity, covered in skincare products, hairpins, headbands—various styles, all bright and eye-catching.
Opening the wardrobe, she saw bright, colorful clothing—qipaos, dresses, shirts, pants, short sleeves, even pajamas—everything complete. The designs were fashionable, not outdated. Even someone like Jiang Mengning, used to designer clothes, would approve.
It was clear the original owner had been a wealthy daughter of a capitalist family, totally unaccustomed to hardship.
Well, since she was here now, she might as well adapt. She didn’t know when she could return, so she had to adjust.
The trickiest issue was her current marital status. She didn’t want to spend a lifetime with someone she didn’t love. She needed a divorce! Once divorced, she could leave this place and make some money to support herself.
She casually picked a red-and-white polka dot knee-length dress from the wardrobe to change out of the tight qipao. The qipao was beautiful, very Chinese-style, and she liked wearing it.
But the original body was far too busty; the dress squashed her chest uncomfortably and made breathing difficult. She had to change.
Unavoidably, she noticed the original body had a perfect figure—full curves, front and back.
Even she felt a flush just looking. A true stunner.
Outside, Xiao Niannian had finished the entire preserved egg. She thought it was delicious and wanted more. Even the small bits of yolk on the shell were licked clean. She was happily sucking on the shell.
At that moment, a shadow fell over her. In front of her were a pair of long legs. Niannian squinted her eyes and ran forward, hugging them.
“Daddy.”
Huo Jinyan’s face darkened as he saw his daughter eating the shell. No need to guess—it was the woman who had eaten the egg and given the shell to the child. This wasn’t the first time.
He sighed and tried to force a smile for his daughter, rubbing her head. “Where’s Mom?”
“Mom’s inside.”
“Then go play outside for a while. Don’t come in yet.”
“Oh, okay!”
Huo Jinyan strode into the master bedroom and pushed the door open. “Jiang Mengning, we need—divorce…”
His voice stopped abruptly. The scene before him made his pupils constrict violently.
Inside, Jiang Mengning was completely naked. Having just crossed into the story, she had been curious about the original body and had been exploring it rather… lewdly. Both hands were cupping her chest when a man suddenly burst in.
This situation… was seriously perverse.
She froze for a moment, then realized she was naked, and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Ah!”
The man panicked. Little Niannian heard the scream and ran inside.
“Mom!”
Huo Jinyan, seeing his daughter, became even more flustered and slammed the door shut.
What? He had trapped himself in the room! It was already hot, and now sweat ran down his forehead.
“Daddy, Mommy, open the door!” Niannian pounded on the door with her tiny fists, worried. She thought they were fighting.
Huo Jinyan, too embarrassed to even look at Jiang Mengning, quickly opened the door and stepped out, shutting it behind him.
“Daddy, what happened?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he said, picking up Niannian and stepping outside.
Seeing the clay pot still full of white rice porridge, he frowned. “You haven’t eaten yet?”
“No, Mom said she didn’t like it,” Niannian replied.
Huo Jinyan scowled and carried her to the kitchen.
He filled a basin with water and carefully cleaned her hands and face.
The master bedroom door opened. Jiang Mengning stepped out cautiously, hand on the doorframe.
She saw the man gently cleaning their daughter. His brow was stern, black eyebrows thick, eyes long and narrow.
Normally severe, he now showed a rare touch of gentleness.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, his short-sleeved military shirt outlining each muscle, faintly showing the grooves of his abdomen.
Wide army pants, boots, long straight legs, firm round hips.
Almost 1.85 meters tall, lean, no excess fat.
His wheat-colored skin radiated a subtle virility. Super handsome.
Jiang Mengning swallowed, completely defeated. She had expected some older, rough man—but seeing him like this… she immediately fell for him.