She just patted her bottom and walked away, without a thought for the consequences! Huo Jinyan was completely frozen.
His lips still tingled from her touch, and his nose was filled with her fragrance.
It took him a long moment to realize what had just happened—he had been kissed!
“Ah!” Niuli Li, who had witnessed the entire scene, screamed in frustration.
“Brother Huo, look at her! How can she act like that? Showing off in front of so many people, truly shameless! Jiang Mengning, you’re such a seductress!” She was furious.
Huo Jinyan regained his composure and said coldly:
“Disrupting a military marriage is a serious offense in the army. If I hear any more talk like this, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
He held Niannian in his arms and turned to leave.
Niuli Li’s tears fell freely, full of grievance.
Qin Sufang, more experienced in life, pulled her daughter aside and whispered:
“That woman clearly knows how to seduce men. They’re married now; anything she does is disadvantageous to us. You can’t copy her and kiss Huo Jinyan too! That would only give her leverage. Let’s just go for now—they’ll divorce eventually.”
As she spoke, she also bent down to pick up some candy that had fallen on the ground. Good stuff shouldn’t go to waste—even if it was a little dirty, a quick shake would make it fine to eat.
Huo Jinyan returned to the house, his heart inexplicably racing. He didn’t even dare enter the kitchen. What was that woman playing at? She felt… different somehow.
Xiao Niannian looked at her father.
It was the first time she’d ever seen him with that expression!
Today, he hadn’t argued with Mom, and she had even kissed him—how amazing!
“Daddy, your face is red!”
Huo Jinyan’s face flushed. He whispered to his daughter to keep quiet.
“Niannian, let’s go eat noodles,” he said, deliberately framing it as an excuse to enter the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Jiang Mengning was already seated at the table, eating her noodles.
She ate delicately, picking up a few strands at a time.
She liked to twirl the noodles around her chopsticks before slowly chewing them.
Her lips were small, soft, and pink—adorably cute.
Huo Jinyan watched her and became lost in thought.
“Daddy, you’re staring at Mommy. Are you wanting Mommy to kiss you again?” Niannian suddenly asked, making her father break out in a cold sweat.
He looked up and met Jiang Mengning’s gaze. She blinked at him, smiling teasingly:
“Is that right?”
Her tone was that same provocative, playful kind.
Huo Jinyan said: “…You can make requests, but there’s no need for this. I know you’ve long wanted a divorce. There’s no longer anyone suppressing capitalists. College entrance exams have resumed, the sent-down youth are returning to cities, and those who were relocated are coming back. Your family is no longer in danger. If you want a divorce, you can leave anytime.”
He stopped looking at her, placing Niannian on the chair.
Divorce! That indeed became Jiang Mengning’s first goal upon arriving in the 1980s.
She had never imagined being a stepmother for anyone else. She only wanted to focus on her career and making money.
Given the current situation, relying solely on Huo Jinyan’s salary wouldn’t be enough for her indulgences.
She had grown up wealthy, accustomed to a life of ease.
Suddenly thrown into a new environment where she had to raise a child and manage a household, that hardship was beyond her tolerance. She wasn’t going to give up a bright future to become a servant to someone else.
Even if she married, it would have to be to a truly exceptional man—that was the normal thought of a capable woman.
She never thought this was wrong. She was talented, capable of making money, and deserved someone better.
As for Huo Jinyan—he really was an outstanding soldier. Young, already a regiment commander, and with a few first-class military merits, becoming a commander wouldn’t be difficult.
He was impressive—a definite high-potential man. A “nurturing” type would be nice too.
But his current salary wasn’t enough.
She respected him and admired him, even liked him a bit romantically—but having children with him?
That was not on the table yet.
“All right, then we can part amicably. But those two women just cursed us to divorce. If we divorce now, won’t that satisfy them? Better wait a month. I don’t want to give them the satisfaction yet.”
Hmm… a month’s time would be plenty for teasing him.
“Fine, whatever.” Huo Jinyan said nothing more and began separating the clumped noodles with his chopsticks.
Jiang Mengning thought to herself: this soldier is really reasonable.
The original Jiang Mengning, that spoiled brat, he could tolerate her—truly a rare man.
Honestly, her grandfather had made a sharp choice in picking someone like him.
Suddenly, Niannian felt upset.
Though she didn’t fully understand the adult conversation, she knew it meant her parents were going to divorce.
She began to cry. “No! I don’t want you to divorce.”
She had grown fond of her stepmother! Mom had just given her a whole century egg to eat.
The poor little girl clutched her father’s pants, pitifully saying:
“Daddy, Mommy gave me a whole century egg and porridge. She’s good to me—please don’t divorce.”
Huo Jinyan was surprised.
He hadn’t realized that Jiang Mengning had given Niannian a full century egg.
She really was different. Even a small kindness from her made the little girl care. Truly a pitiful child.
“Don’t cry. I was just teasing your dad. We’re not divorcing. He’s just a little dizzy-headed,” Huo Jinyan said.
Niannian sniffled, looking expectantly at her father:
“Daddy, you really aren’t divorcing Mommy?”
He gently ruffled her hair.
“Yes, we were just joking. Now hurry and eat your noodles! Daddy has training this afternoon and won’t be able to stay.”
“Yay! Daddy and Mommy aren’t divorcing! Daddy and Mommy aren’t divorcing!” She danced happily while eating.
Huo Jinyan went out to train the troops.
The two of them—one grown, one small—ate noodles at home.
Niannian was industrious, cleaning up the table and preparing to wash the dishes.
Jiang Mengning stopped her: “Don’t wash! Put it down. Little girls don’t need to wash dishes!”
Niannian looked confused.
She had always done it before, unless her brother or father was around.
“Mom, are you going to wash?”
Jiang Mengning took Niannian’s hand and left the kitchen:
“I won’t wash either. We don’t even have gloves at home. Leave it for Daddy or your brother. Also, I need to maintain my hands—they’re important for appearances as a public figure.”