Chapter 95: Mrs. Jiang, the wind is rising

Lu Xiu Bai and Pei Yan Ting, a couple, are not good at cooking; both have jobs, so after discussing, they usually eat at the unit canteen except on weekends when they rest.

So at noon, they never go home; each solves their meal at the unit canteen.

Pei Yan Ting has a heavy workload, so at noon she doesn't plan to go home; she stays on duty in the office, and when not busy she can even take a nap.

So at noon, when Jiang Ye was cooking noodles, he didn't make an extra portion for his older brother-in-law.

In the main room, Shen Man chewed slowly and ate at a very slow pace.

Moreover, she deliberately started eating from the edges, ensuring that what she left behind wouldn't look too bad.

Not only the rice, but also the dishes—she only took half, leaving the other half untouched, truly meaning the remaining half of the dish had not been turned over.

After a while, Jiang Ye came over holding the pot of cooked noodles.

Shen Man laid a rag on the table to prevent the pot bottom from being too hot, damaging the table's finish.

and said, "I'm full."

"Huh? Eating this little, if you get hungry this afternoon,"

Jiang Ye glanced at the lunchbox; the rice and dishes were mostly left untouched.

His gaze fell on his wife's slender waist, his brows furrowed enough to tie a knot.

"My wife is so thin; could it be that she hasn't been eating properly since childhood?"

"I still have steamed egg cake, mango, and other food; I definitely won't go hungry."

Shen Man responded while unconsciously touching her belly, which was bulging and round.

"She swore that she only looked thin, but in fact she was truly full!"

"Upon hearing this, Jiang Ye finally relaxed his worried brows and couldn't help but glance at his wife's waist again."

"Really? You're full?"

Shen Man instinctively avoided his gaze, found an excuse, grabbed her military overcoat, and lay on the rocking chair under the eaves to sunbathe.

"Avoid him?"

"Is he some kind of flood and ferocious beast?"

Jiang Ye's gaze sank as he stared at his wife's back, then he suddenly curled his lips and let out a light laugh: "Heh~"

"You can dodge the first day, but not the fifteenth."

"Never mind, the future is long."

Shen Man closed her eyes pretending to sleep, not knowing how long passed before that gaze finally disappeared.

Originally just looking for an excuse to escape a man's wolf-like gaze, she unknowingly found the sunbath really hypnotic and fell asleep.

Until a cold, icy feeling on her wrist made her suddenly wake up.

Opening her eyes, Jiang Ye had just withdrawn his hand, gazing at her with tender eyes:

"Take a look, do you like it or not?"

"Huh?"

Shen Man, dazed, lowered her eyes and saw that on her left wrist there was now a pearl bracelet.

In the middle of the bracelet was a polished, smooth jade bead.

Provided by the sisters in the comment section, it's really pretty.

"What is this?"

"Shen Man instantly became clear-headed, liking it, it's beautiful!"

"Earlier, when digging a pit in the yard, a stone kicked out by my brother revealed a piece of jade."

"Recently I found time to polish it smooth, and in the meantime exchanged with some old neighbors for a dozen or so pearls to string together..."

Jiang Ye half-squatted in place, his posture proper, like a knight.

Every move of his bore an indescribable nobility, full of masculine vigor.

His light, airy words made it seem that everything he did was merely effortless.

"Beautiful, this gift, I really like it."

No woman would reject her husband's display of love and affection, especially when his taste is not bad, and he personally made this bracelet for her.

"This is the favorite piece of jewelry Shen Man has received among her gifts; it's beautiful!"

"As long as you like it."

Jiang Ye lightly kissed the back of his wife's hand, then bent down and rose, using one hand to grip her slender waist, effortlessly lifting her into his arms with his arm strength.

He unintentionally lifted his head, glanced at the dark clouds on the horizon, and spoke in a calm tone:

"Mrs. Jiang, the wind is rising."

"Go back inside and rest well; I'll try to come home early tonight."

Suddenly lifted into the air, Shen Man instinctively wrapped her arms around the man's neck, her whole body clinging to him in an extremely intimate yet highly difficult pose!

"Like this, right?"

"He just easily held her in this absolutely possessive pose?"

"Mrs. Jiang?"

The man's voice carried a hint of seduction, like a hook lightly scratching the heart.

Shen Man felt the pressure on her waist increase a bit, and her arms unconsciously tightened further.

"Jiang Ye, older brother."

Although they had done nothing, just gazing at each other made them feel the threads of emotion overflowing from their eyes intertwining, weaving an airtight love net in the air.

A hidden joy sprouted from the heart; the planted seed grew wildly, blooming and emitting a faint, sweet fragrance........

The weather on Sea Island changes as unpredictably as a stepmother's face.

Although the morning began with clear skies, the noon sunbath was also very bright.

But from three o'clock in the afternoon, scattered dark clouds drifted in from the horizon, sparse raindrops fell, and a drip‑drip sound rang on the eaves tiles.

Tangyuan curled up in the corner of the blanket, comfortably exposing her belly, sleeping spread‑eagle.

「Gurgle‑gurgle。」

Her belly also gave out a comfortable rhythmic sound; anyone who hears it feels a sleepy déjà vu.

Shen Man propped her chin with both hands, eyes fixed on the rain‑curtain outside the window, her focus slightly blurred.

As it turned out, this was an additional effect of her period.

She couldn't control her affection for Jiang Ye‑gege, wanting to cuddle and kiss—all due to the estrogen surge of her period!

At most, she admitted she still felt just a little bit, a tiny bit, of lust clouding her heart.

Thinking back to how, just before the man left, he had asked her meaningfully how many days of her period remained, her legs went weak involuntarily.

Can't think about that—find something to distract myself!

She casually peeled a candy and popped it into her mouth, then opened the drawer and took out the withdrawal slip her scumbag dad had sent over.

One hundred and eight dollars.

It seems the scumbag dad's treatment isn't bad; giving half of it, isn't that too cheap for the stepmother?

After thinking, Shen Man took out stationery from her space, added blue ink to the pen, and wondered what to write.

Ah, got it.

Respected Father, greetings; seeing your letter is like seeing you in person.

Upon arriving at Sea Island, the daughter realized the conditions there were extremely harsh; her older brother had suffered many hardships these past years. When she saw him, he was sallow and skinny, covered in scars. Only after repeated questioning did she learn that he wasn't eating enough, had little money for extra meals, and the canteen's food was rationed—something they weren't used to......

Grandfather also came to Sea Island, and he wasn't used to the food there either; supplies on the island were scarce, so he could only rely on taking a passenger ship out to Haibin City to purchase goods......

I have met my current husband; he's a good person, but his subsidy is low, making it quite a struggle to support our little family of two.......

Although conditions on Sea Island are harsh and I'm not used to the food, I will take good care of grandfather and older brother.

Your daughter, Shen Man, respectfully presents this; please take care of your health, Father.

「Huff。」

Shen Man picked up the finished letter, blew on the ink to dry it, and a sly smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

The pen's a bit annoying—the smudge needs to air out to dry fully, otherwise it'll bleed and look ugly.

When she has a moment, she'll send this letter to the mailman and then wait for the scumbag dad's reply.

She had realized that, although the scumbag dad's character isn't great, he cares about saving face and has a shred of foolish filial piety.

She also isn't afraid of being exposed, because the other party couldn't possibly come over—they need to hold onto their current position and would never leave the Capital at this critical juncture.......