With her husband around, Wen Jingwan ordered the cooking to be done without hesitation. Gu Zhengfeng glanced at his daughter with a troubled expression, then pointed at Jiang Qiao in the air.

"It's all because of you causing trouble—"

Jiang Qiao playfully stuck out her tongue at Gu Zhengfeng. Since there was a bathhouse, Jiang Qiao decided not to bother with it and went to take a bath with her mother first. There were really no people in the bathhouse at this time; everyone was busy cooking.

Jiang Qiao took care of her mother while taking a bath. After all, the mother was pregnant. If she slipped and fell, the baby in her belly would be her younger brother or sister.

Seeing her daughter's tiny body, Wen Jingwan shed tears while rubbing the child's body. "You're too thin, Qiao'er. You need to eat more. You can't not gain weight, or you'll be hindering your growth."

Jiang Qiao hadn't really measured her height much, but she felt that her clothes and pants were a bit short.

"Mom, I've grown taller, just a little slower. I'm sure I'll keep growing this year. You and Dad are both very tall, and everyone in my grandpa's family is tall. There's no reason for me to grow short."

Wen Jingwan sighed, "If you keep messing things up like this, the baby won't grow tall and will become short. You'll regret it later. Listen to your mother, eat more from now on."

Wen Jingwan was about to wash Jiang Qiao's hair with soap when Jiang Qiao stopped her, saying, "No, I'll do it myself, Mom, you wash it yourself."

Jiang Qiao actually had a lot of toiletries in her space, but she couldn't take them out right now. She'd just have to make do with what she had for now, and she'd get them out later.

"Mom, I bought you some skincare products too, I'll give them to you later—"

Wen Jingwan gave a wry smile. "You silly child, instead of wasting time buying skincare products, you should eat more yourself. You still haven't finished the ones you gave me last time."

Jiang Qiao looked at her mother's protruding belly, gently touched it with her hand, and asked curiously, "Mom, can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

Wen Jingwan smiled and shook her head, "How can you tell? You'll know when the baby is born. Then you'll have a companion."

Looking at Wen Jingwan's body, Jiang Qiao shook her head. "Mom, you're one to talk! You're thin too. You should eat more in the future."

The mother and daughter showered quickly and came out in no time. When they returned, covered up completely, Gu Zhengfeng was cooking porridge. He had been exercising well recently and could still cook simple meals, but that was about it. They were edible, but they didn't taste good.

Even so, Wen Jingwan ate with relish. Today there was meat and vegetables, a nutritionally balanced meal, and she was quite satisfied. She drank the porridge and ate the pancakes made by the man, feeling incredibly content.

This was the first time Jiang Qiao had ever eaten a meal cooked by her own father. She was touched, but she still planned to take over the kitchen work. She wanted to nourish herself properly. With her father's cooking skills, she could only eat her fill; she couldn't ask for too much else.

Gu Zhengfeng kept asking his daughter, "Qiao'er, is it delicious? If it is, Daddy will make it for you again tonight."

Jiang Qiao nodded. "I'll take a nap first. If I wake up, I'll cook. If I don't wake up, you guys eat first and don't worry about me."

Gu Zhengfeng knew that his daughter was very tired. She had traveled so far and rushed back, so it was no wonder she was exhausted.

"Oh, right, I brought some food in my bag. You guys can take care of it yourselves. I'm going to sleep now."

Jiang Qiao was truly exhausted. He collapsed into the blankets and fell asleep immediately. Wen Jingwan, seeing her child like this, wiped his hair while tears streamed down her face. If he fell asleep like this, he could easily fall ill.

Seeing his wife silently shedding tears, Gu Zhengfeng felt bad too. Wen Jingwan sighed, "You know, when I was taking a bath, I saw how thin the child was. His ribs were clearly visible. Tell me, what did we do for him? Wasn't it to give the child a good environment and good conditions? But now look at us, we haven't raised the child well, we can't even take care of him. What are we going to do in the future?"

I'm worried that my children will resent us later. Maybe I should apply for demobilization so I can go back and take care of my parents and children.

Gu Zhengfeng was heartbroken, but he immediately rejected his wife's suggestion, saying, "No, you're being ridiculous. What's the point of the child being like this?"

Isn't it all so that we can stay in the army with peace of mind? You know what's going on outside. We can be more effective here. If we go back, well, to be honest, it will probably just cause trouble for the kids.

Given our backgrounds, I can't say for sure now, and I can't predict the future either. You should just give up on this idea.

Wen Jingwan muttered, "Didn't you have this plan before?"

Gu Zhengfeng gave a wry smile. "Times have changed. Even your father was living in fear, let alone the two of us. We should just stay in the army. It's the best place for the two of us."

To be honest, we feel guilty towards our daughter, but what's the point of all this running around? Isn't it just to make sure those two are safe and sound, so they can be her support?

Wen Jingwan sighed; she really couldn't come up with a rebuttal.

“We can’t let the child continue like this in the future. It breaks my heart to see him like this.”

Gu Zhengfeng sat down and put his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Qiao'er has already agreed that she won't be so busy anymore. From now on, she will be like a normal child. If we are all doing well, the child won't have to worry about us."

Jiang Qiao's deep sleep startled Gu Zhengfeng and his wife. If they hadn't been sure the child was alright, they would have taken their daughter to the hospital for a checkup. She had been asleep for a day and a night and still hadn't woken up. They had reheated the food again and again, but since she wasn't awake, they couldn't bear to wake her.

Jiang Qiao got up on her own on the morning of the third day. She got up a little early, before her parents woke up. She went out for a walk and then came back to make breakfast. Seeing what was in the pot, she felt a warm feeling in her heart.

Gu Zhengfeng heard the noise outside. He knew his daughter had gotten up. He glanced at his sleeping wife and got up anyway.

When Jiang Qiao saw that her father had woken up, she quickly came over and poured him some hot water to wash up.

Seeing his daughter looking radiant, Gu Zhengfeng affectionately tapped her forehead. "You little rascal, you scared us to death! You can sleep so much. Are you well-rested now?"

Jiang Qiao smiled and nodded, "That's enough, that's enough. If it's not enough, my bones will soon stiffen."

Dad, I made wild vegetable porridge, it smells so good!

Gu Zhengfeng smiled and nodded, "I'm going to have a good taste of it. There aren't many fresh vegetables here in winter, but wild vegetables are perfect. Your mother can try some and then say that you pickled them yourself and brought them over."

Jiang Qiao sighed, "You know, we can't even eat properly at home anymore. I'm telling you, I brought back a lot of meat this time. We'll have hot pot tonight."