Tang Jin did the math. She now had a little over four hundred yuan and wanted to buy many things. Should she get an electric fan first or a watch? Without a phone, it was inconvenient to check the time. She felt it was necessary to buy a watch.
A few days ago, she had asked about the prices. The fan was a little over a hundred yuan, and the watch cost about the same. If she bought both, she’d be back to square one financially. She also wanted to save money to open a clothing shop.
Sigh! In her previous life, she had never worried about such trivial things; she had already achieved financial freedom.
Then there was the clothing design competition. A couple of days ago, she had asked Sister Shan to help register. She needed to prepare too. Apparently, she would go to the capital to participate in the competition. She had never been to the capital in this era, so she was a little excited.
Too many things to think about. First, she decided to go for a five-kilometer run to clear her mind.
Tang Jin ran along the riverbank for a long time. She didn’t even know if it was a full five kilometers; she stopped only when she could run no more.
The feeling of being drenched in sweat was wonderful! All her worries seemed to vanish.
Some expert had said that the dopamine released during running is second only to falling in love. She had never been in love, so she couldn’t compare, but she still found running very enjoyable. It was a great stress reliever.
Military District – Battalion Commander’s Office
“I’m telling you, Mu Heng, aren’t you being too harsh on your wife? Sure, she wanted a divorce, but she’s lost her memory now, hasn’t she? And she’s been behaving recently—every day she goes into the river, either catching turtles or fishing. The other day, she even picked up a bunch of red worms to eat. Didn’t you give her money for food?”
Fang Xiangdong started nagging the moment Mu Heng returned.
“I left thirty yuan for her,” Mu Heng said, puzzled. Ever since she lost her memory, her behavior had been abnormal.
“Ah, I won’t worry about it anymore. Your wife, you handle. But this special operation squad you led really did a great job. All the drug traffickers were captured without a single escape. I heard the higher-ups will hold a celebration for you. Your promotion to battalion commander is secure. Don’t mess it up with a divorce at a time like this.”
Fang Xiangdong was genuinely worried about his friend’s future. The guy was perfect in every way—except for his bad luck of marrying such a mischievous wife.
“Stop worrying about me. I know my limits,” Mu Heng said, packing his things to leave.
“Hey, where are you going? You should check at home. Your wife probably went to the river again looking for food. Give her some money for meals, and try not to let her cause trouble lately.”
Mu Heng felt Fang Xiangdong was like his mother—extremely naggy.
Fang Xiangdong wasn’t wrong. Tang Jin hadn’t intended to go to the river today; she was getting tired of crayfish these days. But while washing her face, she saw a turtle. How could she resist such a temptation? Who would turn down food delivered right to them?
So when she returned, she was soaking wet, holding a turtle in her hand, attracting everyone’s laughter.
In the past few days, everyone in the residential compound knew that Tang Jin loved going into the river to catch turtles.
“Tang Jin, you went to the river to catch turtles again? If you don’t have money for food, I can lend you some. When Commander Mu returns, you can repay me.”
Wu Xiulan, with Lele in tow, was preparing to go to the city to buy groceries. These past days, she had heard about Tang Jin’s river adventures. Seeing it now, it was really something.
“Thanks, sister-in-law. I have money. You know I make clothes, and I’ve earned quite a bit these past few days. This turtle was just caught along the way—good for soup.”
Tang Jin was genuinely happy that Wu Xiulan was willing to lend her money. True kindness could be repaid with genuine gratitude.
Lele stared wide-eyed, curious about the turtle in Tang Jin’s hand. He didn’t dare approach, hiding behind Wu Xiulan instead.
Tang Jin found Lele adorable and liked him a lot. Seeing how scared he was, she couldn’t help but smile bitterly. She squatted down and gently coaxed him:
“Lele, sister hasn’t done the right things before. See? I’ve even cut off my braid. I’ll never hit you again.
See the turtle in my hand? The soup made from it is delicious. Sister will make some for you. I can even fry French fries later. How about that?”
Her voice was gentle as water, her smile warm as the wind.
Lele nodded, no longer quite as afraid. After all, he was just a four-year-old; hearing there was food made him happy.
“Sister-in-law, you go buy groceries. Later, I’ll discuss something with you, so you can earn some pocket money.”
Hearing that she could earn money, Wu Xiulan was no longer in a hurry to go shopping and asked eagerly, “How do I earn money?”
She was also from a rural background and had no job. Lele’s father only made a few dozen yuan a month, half of which had to be sent to his parents back home. Life was tight. Besides, Lele would soon start school, and expenses would rise. She had free time at home and really wanted to earn money.
“Handicrafts. Go buy groceries first. I’m soaking wet, so I’ll go home and clean up. Bring Lele to my place for lunch. Then we’ll discuss in detail.”
Tang Jin’s wet clothes clung uncomfortably to her body. She just wanted to take a shower.
“Alright, I’ll buy some groceries and come over. Anything else you need?” Wu Xiulan was excited, thinking she was about to earn money.
“Buy a chicken. I’ll pay you back.” Tang Jin hadn’t wanted Wu Xiulan to spend money, as a chicken cost two yuan. But turtle chicken soup was delicious. So she spoke up. Seems a refrigerator would have to be on the agenda too. At the latest, she’d have a fridge by next summer.
“Oh, okay. Who cares about the money?” Wu Xiulan, though reluctant, thought about Tang Jin saying she would soon earn money. Eating a chicken was fine; Lele hadn’t eaten meat for several days.
“Alright, I’ll head home first. Come over after buying groceries.” Tang Jin thought she couldn’t let Wu Xiulan spend the two yuan in vain. She would make French fries for Lele with the potatoes and tomatoes they had.
After the shower, Tang Jin finally felt comfortable. She put on the new silk camisole nightdress she had made yesterday. Using leftover black and white fabric, it actually looked pretty good.
Standing in front of the mirror, Tang Jin admired her proud figure. The original owner had a great body! In her previous life, she had been Princess Taiping and even wanted breast augmentation. That wish was now fulfilled. With her designer’s eye, she judged her bust was at least a C cup. They say big breasts mean no brains; no wonder the original owner had been so easily deceived by Zhang Peipei.
But now wasn’t the time for self-admiration. The clothes she had taken off weren’t washed yet, and she still needed to handle the turtle.
Tang Jin quickly left the bedroom, brushing her still-dripping hair.
Bang! She seemed to have bumped into a wall of muscle and instinctively looked up.
The man had turned around too. He had been staring at the sewing machine, unaware of her presence.
Their eyes met. As a visual creature, the man’s blood ran hot.
The woman was only wearing a camisole. Her shoulders were bare, and the neckline was low, revealing a cleavage valley between two peaks. The dress barely reached her thighs, exposing two long, fair legs.
Tang Jin, forgetting her own outfit, only saw the familiar handsome face. Excited, she leapt and wrapped herself around Mu Heng. Her arms went around his neck, and her legs wrapped tightly around his lean waist.
She completely forgot they weren’t in a romantic relationship and that her nightdress was completely see-through.
“Husband, you’re back?” she exclaimed, caught up in the joy of reunion. She had been so busy these past two weeks that she almost forgot there was a man in her life.
The scent of shampoo wafted from his nose, and her soft, elastic chest pressed tightly against him.
Mu Heng was dumbfounded by this unusual greeting. His fists clenched, his Adam’s apple rolled, and he realized certain parts of him had reacted. This was already the second time she had affected him this way.
Before, when she had crawled into bed naked in the middle of the night, he had no reaction. That was why he stopped staying home.
“How long are you going to cling to me?” His voice was cold, teeth gritted. This must be her new way of ambushing him. He was determined not to fall for it.
Tang Jin then realized her posture was strange and hurriedly slid off him. But… she seemed to have touched something hard.
Oh my! Her face flushed as she realized what it was. Looking down at herself, her face turned even redder. That chest…
She spun around and dashed into her bedroom, covering her pounding heart. How embarrassing! Why had she gotten so excited? But luckily, that hard thing wasn’t… impotent.
At least her future sexual happiness was guaranteed. Hehe…