At dawn, Jiang Banyue got up early to wash up. She walked to the bedside and gently kissed her three babies. Then she quietly went downstairs, took out tools from her “space,” and began making cakes.
She cracked six eggs, separating yolks and whites.
She poured a large box of milk into the bowl with egg yolks, then added a bucket of vegetable oil and stirred it evenly.
She added sugar, then low-gluten flour, and kept mixing until no lumps remained.
Using an electric mixer, she whipped the egg whites until they turned milky white, then folded everything together and continued stirring. She took out four cake molds, poured the batter in, and placed them into the oven one by one to bake the cake bases.
Jiang Banyue took strawberries from the fridge, chopped them into small pieces and cooked them into strawberry jam. She opened a can of canned peaches, cut the peaches into small pieces, and set them aside.
After the cake bases were baked, she wore thick gloves and took them out, then began assembling strawberry cakes and peach cakes.
When she finished, she looked outside—the sky was already bright.
She cut the cakes into slices, boxed them neatly, and arranged them in the display cabinet.
By the time everything was done, she was exhausted and could barely stand straight.
But she didn’t rest. She quickly went upstairs to check on the babies.
As soon as she went upstairs, she saw the eldest, Jiang Huaijin, sitting on the bed coaxing his younger siblings. The second and third babies saw their mother and pouted, stretching out their hands for hugs.
Jiang Banyue smiled warmly at them and walked over, hugging all three at once.
“Oh my babies are so amazing! You woke up without crying or making a fuss—so good!”
Jiang Huaijin blushed in embarrassment. If his mother didn’t know he was reincarnated, he might shamelessly ask for hugs, but now that she knew, he felt very shy.
“Mom, put me down. I’m a big boy now, I can’t be hugged all the time.”
“Who said that?” Jiang Banyue kissed his forehead.
“In Mommy’s heart, you’ll always be my little baby. I’ll hold you every day. We will never be separated.”
Jiang Huaijin’s eyes turned red. He buried himself in his mother’s arms and sniffled hard, trying not to cry. His mother’s words were too sweet—it made him want to cry so early in the morning.
The second and third babies saw their brother being kissed and immediately crawled over, slobbering as they kissed their mother’s face.
Jiang Banyue laughed and buried herself in the pile of babies.
“You two little troublemakers! You got Mommy’s face all wet. Come wipe it off!”
The eldest took a small towel seriously and wiped her face clean. After that, he pressed his forehead against hers, smiling sweetly.
“Mom, baby loves you. I love you the most!”
Jiang Banyue hugged all three tightly.
“Mommy loves you too. You’re all my treasures. Having you makes me so happy.”
The four of them laughed together in a joyful mess.
They played until after eight o’clock. Jiang Banyue changed the babies’ clothes and carried them downstairs. Soon after, two nannies arrived. She left the babies in their care and went to prepare breakfast.
The babies were six months old and could now eat complementary food.
She steamed three small bowls of egg custard and made a bowl of egg noodles for herself. The second and third babies insisted on eating noodles too, so she gave them a few strands each. They ended up covered in noodles from head to toe, while the eldest looked at them in disgust and moved away.
Seeing this made Jiang Banyue laugh. She tapped his forehead lightly.
After the egg custard was ready, she handed it to the nanny to feed the second and third babies. The eldest, Jiang Huaijin, ate by himself with a small spoon.
At nine o’clock, customers began arriving one after another. Jiang Banyue became so busy she was running around nonstop.
She was packing a cake when a surprised voice sounded beside her.
“Hey! Aren’t you the wife of Commander Shen?”
Her hands paused slightly. She finished packing the cake and handed it to the customer before looking up.
It was a man in his twenties, holding a five-year-old boy’s hand. From memory, she recognized him—Sun Yonghui, a soldier under Commander Shen. They had met during a military gathering.
“Hello,” she said calmly.
Sun Yonghui scratched his head awkwardly and smiled.
“Sister-in-law, so this cake shop is yours? You’re amazing!”
Jiang Banyue smiled lightly and looked down at the child.
“What would you like to eat? Pick one—I’ll treat you.”
“No, no, sister-in-law, you’re running a business. We can’t let you treat us.”
The little boy pointed at a strawberry cake.
“Dad, I want that one! It looks so pretty.”
Jiang Banyue opened the cabinet and took out the cake.
“Here you go, little one. Auntie treats you.”
“No, sister-in-law, that’s not appropriate—”
Before he could finish, Sun Yonghui quickly placed two yuan on the table, picked up the child, and hurried out.
Jiang Banyue chased after him with the money, but they were already gone.
“Too much money… I’ll return it next time I see him,” she said to herself.
Sun Yonghui, walking away, finally relaxed when he saw she wasn’t following.
He was puzzled. Didn’t sister-in-law go with the army? Why was she back in this small county opening a shop?
And those three babies earlier… they looked exactly like Commander Shen.
Did Commander Shen already have children? He had never heard about it.
He decided to ask him when he returned to the unit.