"Zhao Ergou!"
Zhao Tingguo stormed in, his overwhelming aura silencing all the aunties.
His imposing gaze swept over the crowd, finally lingering on Ling Huanwu and Zhou Jiuzhen.
Zhou Jiuzhen quickly shielded Ling Huanwu behind him, immediately realizing that Zhao Tingguo's visit was ill-intentioned.
"come out!"
Zhao Tingguo spoke with a cold face, not wanting to reprimand his newly recognized son to his face.
Ling Huanwu pulled Zhou Jiuzhen to the drying ground outside.
The sea breeze on a winter morning, though cool under the sun, carries a hint of warmth.
Looking at the shimmering sea in the distance, Zhao Tingguo sighed and said, "Jiuzhen, I know you've suffered a lot these past years because we haven't been by your side, but your mother has suffered a lot too."
“Do you know how your mother went through the time right after you were lost? She took your photo all over the streets and asked about it. She couldn’t sleep at night and her hair turned white. The full head of black hair you see now was dyed with herbal medicine prescribed by a traditional Chinese medicine doctor later.”
"So, could you try to get along with your mother?"
Zhou Jiuzhen lowered his eyes and remained silent.
"If you can try to accept your mother, I'll find a way to keep those red armbands out of the island, okay?"
Zhao Tingguo eventually made concessions.
There is no better son than a father.
Zhao Tingguo was exploiting Zhou Jiuzhen's weakness, betting that he would agree.
Sure enough, Zhou Jiuzhen glanced at Ling Huanwu, nodded decisively, and made his own request, "My request is very simple. I just hope that Aunt Chu can love Huanwu like my mother does."
Chu Mei nodded while crying, "Don't worry, I will treat my daughter-in-law well."
After she finished speaking, she hugged Zhou Jiuzhen and burst into tears.
Ling Huanwu was very pleased to see this scene.
She also hopes that Zhou Jiuzhen will have parents and relatives to love her while she is alive. If Zhao Tingguo speaks up to protect her again, it is estimated that Zhou Jiuzhen will soon be reinstated as the regimental commander.
Ling Huanwu kept smiling as she thought about this, but by nightfall she could no longer smile.
Indeed, if you're hoping someone will change their personality, you might as well believe they'll change their gender.
That night, with Zhao Jingxiang's help, Chu Mei moved into Zhou Jiuzhen and Ling Huanwu's small house.
When Zhao Jingxiang put a small bed in their two-person cabin, both of them were stunned.
Chu Mei smiled broadly, grabbed Zhou Jiuzhen and Ling Huanwu's hands, and said confidently in the tone of an elder, "Don't worry, with me guiding you, daughter-in-law, you're guaranteed to get pregnant with a boy next month!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Huanwu nearly lost her balance, thinking she had misheard. She instinctively joined Zhou Jiuzhen in asking, "How are you going to instruct her?"
When the two asked, they discovered that Zhao Jingxiang was still pretending to be nonchalant as he laid out a quilt for his mother.
But Chu Mei seemed oblivious to their awkwardness, patted her chest and assured them, "Look at me, I've given birth to two sons, of course I have a way to have sons."
"Huanwu, I was too stingy today. Your mother won't be stingy with food anymore. I'll make sure you have a good baby and I guarantee you'll have a..."
Ling Huanwu's head was about to explode, and she quickly reached out to stop her incessant chatter, "But I don't want to have a baby! The cooperative is in its growth phase, and I don't want to be distracted by having a child!"
"Yes, the island relocation plan hasn't been finalized yet, and I don't want children."
Zhou Jiuzhen echoed his wife's sentiments, refusing the good intentions of his half-brother.
But Chu Mei was not one to admit defeat.
She stared at the two of them with wide eyes, tears welling up in her eyes. "Could it be that one of you really can't have children?"
"You know, the whole island is buzzing with rumors that Er Gou is childless! Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone so long without children!"
"Extinction of lineage?"
Zhou Jiuzhen was struck dumb. He glanced at Zhao Jingxiang, who was still making the bed with a blank expression, and asked in a low voice, "Who said that?"
Ling Huanwu was even more anxious than Zhou Jiuzhen, and retorted repeatedly, "Why do you say that Jiuzhen is childless? Why can't it be that I'm infertile?"
The two of them asked this question with such excitement.
Unexpectedly, Chu Mei slapped her thigh and followed up on their conversation, saying, "That's what I think too, so you two need to step up your game and get pregnant with a baby right away to prove yourselves. Then those gossipy aunties won't dare to say anything anymore."
Only then did the two realize that Chu Mei had tricked them into revealing information, and they were unable to refute it.
The three stood there awkwardly. Zhao Jingxiang spread out the blankets and then got up to say goodbye to them, "Mother, younger brother, sister-in-law, I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Chu Mei didn't even glance at him, instead waving her hand, wishing he would leave quickly so she could begin her grandson-making plan.
Time passed by, and it was time to go to sleep.
The beds of Zhou Jiuzhen and his wife and his mother-in-law were placed side by side against the wall, separated by a curtain.
Although the curtain was meant to cover one's private parts, the person on the bed next to it could be clearly seen through the shadow of the curtain, no matter what they were doing.
As a result, Zhou Jiuzhen and Ling Huanwu both behaved themselves and dared not communicate or interact, neither daring to touch the other first.
Ling Huanwu leaned against the headboard and read "Dedicate Everything to the Country" again.
Zhou Jiuzhen did countless push-ups on the ground before taking a shower and going to bed.
When getting into bed, Zhou Jiuzhen accidentally brushed his knee against Ling Huanwu's lower abdomen. Ling Huanwu glared at him, and he immediately shrank back and obediently lay down on the bed, pressed against the wall, not daring to move.
"Aunt Chu, we're going to bed now, I'm turning off the light..."
Ling Huanwu lay on the edge of the bed, making a move to get up and blow out the lamp, but was stopped by Chu Mei's sharp shout.
"I've calculated it all. Tomorrow is an auspicious day for giving birth. You guys rehearse tonight, and I'll give you some pointers!"
Chu Mei directly lifted the curtain and said something astonishing.
Startled, Zhou Jiuzhen and Ling Huanwu both stood up and blew out the kerosene lamp. Only when the room was completely dark did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing that there was no movement inside, Chu Mei had no way to give any instructions, so she shut her mouth and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Little did they know that Ling Huanwu and Zhou Jiuzhen had already secretly entered the space and started their own private world.
As usual, Zhou Jiuzhen dug out the pumpkin-sized sweet potato and put it into his spatial storage, along with apples larger than his face.
Ling Huanwu recorded the quantities, re-invented the supplies in the warehouse, checked for any shortages, and prepared to stockpile supplies later.
She already had a rough plan in mind.
The day before the storm surge arrived, she managed to lead all the villagers to the high-altitude camp.
The prepared supplies must last for three months.
It is said that in the previous life, the seawater submerged the entire Wantan Island for half a month before receding.
In addition, with the subsequent post-disaster reconstruction, the supplies needed by the entire island's residents are so great that even this playground-sized warehouse wouldn't be enough to hold them all.
Zhou Jiuzhen carried a whole basket of apples down and stared at her furrowed brows, feeling guilty. "What's wrong? Are you still upset that she moved into our house?"
"Alright, I'll kick her out tomorrow!"
Ling Huanwu turned to look at him, her mouth pursed into a duck-like shape.
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