Chapter 178: Zhou Yan sneered; he hasn't yet been so short of women that he'd gladly raise five children for someone else

After Shen Man finished watching the gossip and understood, she felt a sigh over Sun Meili's plight, but didn't feel much pity.

On one hand, the other person's past words and deeds toward her and other military wives were far from friendly.

On the other hand, Sun Meili chose the marriage herself, and everyone must pay for their own choices.

After sitting with Ye Qinghong for a few hours, she lifted her basket and slowly went down the stairs.

When going down the stairs she deliberately walked close to the wall, encountered no danger, and after descending safely she waved to Ye Qinghong downstairs to say goodbye:

"I'm heading home, Sister Qinghong, you should also return to your room and rest soon."

"Alright."

Ye Qinghong gave a slight nod and watched Shen Man leave.

She patted her own belly, thinking she was truly lucky—she and her husband clicked, he had no scheming, gave her all the allowance to keep, cared for the family, and treated her well.

She was still at Jiashuyuan, where she had met many good sisters; people often visited, so she wasn't bored or depressed.

After leaving, she went home to mend shoe soles; Shen Man's sister had given her fabric for making clothes, and there were still plenty of scrap pieces left.

She hurried to finish a few pairs of shoes and specifically gave them to Shen Man's sister.

She also briefed her that there were still many leftover scraps; she planned to make shoes later to trade with others.

As she expected, Shen Man's sister was easygoing, didn't object, even praised her shoes and encouraged her to do whatever she wanted…

Shen Man leisurely walked home; as soon as she entered the courtyard, she smelled a familiar fragrance—

Durian.

To some people, this smell is stinky.

But to Shen Man, it's oddly fragrant.

Sure enough, a burlap sack in the corner was filled with durians.

In the kitchen, a man was cooking taro balls, and the air was filled with a sweet scent.

Shen Man set down the basket, went to the sink to wash her hands, then leisurely approached the kitchen doorway, her tone light and mood pleasant, and asked:

"Brother Jiang Ye, when did Brother Zhou come to the house? Has he left?"

Jiang Ye put the lid on the earthenware pot and answered with a smile:

"He came by this afternoon, I heard he's about to become an uncle, but he didn't even warm his seat and left in a hurry.

Before leaving he dropped a line, saying he was preparing a crib and a baby carriage for his future nephew and niece."

Earlier he had heard Lao Mo say that Zhou Yan was on a blind date, so he asked about it, and the other party twitched his beard and glared, saying the matchmaker wanted to harm him!

Zhou Yan is on his first marriage; the matchmaker introduced a widowed woman whose husband died in a second marriage— that's one thing, and if the widow is willing to live properly, he has no objections.

The catch is, the widow has five children: four daughters and a son!

The widow's condition is that he must promise not to force her to have more children, and to raise the five children left by her late husband properly; in the future those five children will certainly support his old age and care for him until death!

Zhou Yan sneered; he hasn't yet been so short of women that he'd gladly raise five children for someone else!

And so, it fell through.

Still seething, Zhou Yan wished he could beat the matchmaker to death!

Is this matchmaking or an attempt to kill him?

Of course, these matters are just for the brothers to vent about; he won't go into detail for his wife.

"Brother Zhou is really kind; when our children are born, we'll recognize him as a godfather, and also Brother Mo."

Of course, there's also Section Commander Duan as a godfather.

She had previously discussed this with her grandfather; for Brother Jiang, Section Commander Duan could be regarded as a second parent, no problem.

Later, if their children call Section Commander Duan "grandpa," would the relationship and titles between their own grandpa and Section Commander Duan become confusing?

Grandpa told her openly that there's no need to worry about such nominal titles; each can be considered separately.

Honestly, not forgetting gratitude is proper.

"Hmm, let's not talk about them for now. Old Zhou brought over a sack of durians, still not fully ripe. He said he'll occasionally take them out to sun them, and they'll naturally rip; once ripe he'll open them, and we'll eat later."

Jiang Ye nodded; hearing his wife naturally talk about the children later recognizing his good brothers as godfathers softened his heart, like melted sugar winding around his chest, sweet…

Meanwhile, over at Section Commander Duan's side, after finishing his busy, complex work, he contacted his old friends to ask them to keep an eye on infant formula coupons.

"I asked Old Duan, what do you need the infant formula coupons for?"

"Can't I use them?"

"Alright, alright, I'll get them for you."

"That's more like it."

The communications officer felt numb; he sensed that in the past two months the leadership had changed.

He used to worry that the leaders, being constantly busy, would wear themselves out.

But ever since Jiang's group got married, the leaders' smiles have never left their faces.

Later, one after another, the "Tai Shan" and "Bei Dou" great talents arrived at Sea Island, and the leaders finally had people to fish with, chase the sea with, play chess with, and discuss at length together…

Now that Jiang's spouse is pregnant, the leaders take it very seriously, sparing no effort to use their connections, calling each person to demand infant formula coupons!

In the past he wouldn't even dare to think about it.

But as a communications officer, he was happy to see it happen.

Moreover, the leaders' physical exam reports from last month came out, and all indicators are improving!

Perhaps it's simply that when people encounter happy events their spirits lift; the leaders' moods improve, and their health indicators naturally get better!

Section Commander Duan called seven or eight old comrades before finally putting down the handset.

He's about to become a godfather; with two kids, he and Brother Lu will take turns caring for them, no competition needed!

Thinking of Brother Lu's naming skills, he couldn't help but worry about the future granddaughter's name.

He had intended to nap, but now the drowsiness is gone; he hurriedly grabbed newspapers and various books to flip through!

Girls, you have to pick a nicer‑sounding name.

Xi?

Too many strokes.

Qian?

Keep it as a backup.

Qin?

Isn't it fine? Lots of people are choosing this now.

Mian?

Wouldn't it be too soft and cute?

Wei?

Too many strokes; when the exam comes, writing the name will be a hassle.

The messenger brought tea, and watching the leader look satisfied one moment and shake his head the next, I couldn't help but envy Jiang Tuan.

Being valued by the leader to the point of being treated like family—only Jiang Tuan could manage that.

He gently set down the cup, the messenger slipped away, and retreated to the doorway to guard, on alert.

At the same time, the elders in the rest center, unwilling to lose, gathered in small groups by the desks, leafing through medical books and newspapers.

Their idea was simple: write the pleasant‑sounding characters on paper, then let Shen Man and her spouse pick, record the leftovers, and give them to other military wives as alternative name options.

Pick one as the main, participate, and still keep dignity.

Old Master Lu pursed his lips, roamed around, and returned empty‑handed to his bed to lie down and close his eyes for rest.

He thought, many people are already after a formal name, so he'll go for a nickname!

Steamed buns, mantou, dumplings, wontons, rice balls…

"Goo goo goo."

My stomach's a bit hungry; I won't think about it, I'll get something to eat first.