"There’s plenty of time for everything." Jiang Jinghuai said, his tone layered with meaning.
Meng Shuyan nodded blankly, seemingly understanding.
Tian Sangsang wrung out a towel and happened to brush past Jiang Jinghuai at the doorway on her way into the house. He grabbed a towel as well, heading off to take a shower. The sound of rushing water was so loud it echoed into the bedroom. She absentmindedly wiped down the bed, and after a while, the sound stopped.
Still, there was no sign of Jiang Jinghuai coming back in. Tian Sangsang stepped out, only to hear the water running in the kitchen this time...
"Tian Sangsang." His voice, deep and magnetic, startled her.
Tian Sangsang jumped and quickly tugged at a corner of her apron, embarrassed by her exposed outfit.
"Why are you standing in the corner?" Half of Jiang Jinghuai’s body leaned out from the kitchen doorway, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"I... uh..." Tian Sangsang opened her mouth but then caught sight of the cabbage in his hand. "Wow, the sun must’ve risen from the west today—you’re washing vegetables?"
There was a brief silence.
Jiang Jinghuai spoke in a mild tone. "Would you calm down otherwise?"
"Calm down?" Tian Sangsang licked her dry lips. "You’re making it sound like I’m petty or something. I wasn’t even mad, so why would I need to calm down?"
"Then can you explain the sugar and salt in my rice yesterday?"
Tian Sangsang didn’t answer, her eyes darting around. There weren’t any cockroaches in the house! The fact that she didn’t serve him a cockroach was already generous!!!
"About yesterday..." Jiang Jinghuai placed the vegetables back into the sink, turned around, and said seriously, "I’m sorry. I misunderstood you without investigating first."
Tian Sangsang gave a cold snort but still felt unsatisfied. So what now? Washing vegetables and fixing beds to stage some grand apology?
"I already apologized."
Tian Sangsang pursed her lips. First a slap, then a golden date—what a strategy! So considerate!
Jiang Jinghuai sighed. "Honestly, you say I don’t trust you, but you don’t trust me either."
Seeing his genuinely remorseful expression, Tian Sangsang remembered her words from yesterday about him and Shui Lian. Her anger gradually subsided.
"To be fair, I did play a part. My temper can be pretty fiery at times. It might have something to do with my build and complexion."
Jiang Jinghuai raised a brow. "Fiery? At times?"
"Alright, maybe it’s more than ’at times.’ Fine, I admit, I am a little fiery." Tian Sangsang acknowledged.
"You really are..." Jiang Jinghuai pressed his lips together briefly, seemingly searching for the right word to describe her. Slowly, he stretched out a hand...
Tian Sangsang froze, stiff as a statue. What was he trying to do? His hand hovered over her face, his warm breath brushing against the corner of her eye.
Jiang Jinghuai’s deep eyes narrowed slightly as he brushed his fingertips across her cheek. "There’s a drop of dirty water on your face." Sure enough, it was as smooth as polished black porcelain. Very smooth. Very soft.
"Oh, uh, thank you." Tian Sangsang’s words came out dry as she backed away a few steps.
"For dinner, can we try something different? I’d like some dumplings." His tone was lazy. "Don’t let your emotions affect your cooking."
Jiang, don’t push it too far! "The gossip outside is giving me such a headache; it’s seriously affecting my mood to cook..." She turned away. "I’m really not in a good mood."
"It’s gone now. Go outside this afternoon and listen for yourself."
Gone? Tian Sangsang blinked skeptically.
That afternoon, Jiang Jinghuai finally had a normal meal.
In the evening, after a run, Tian Sangsang went to check on their little plot of land. While standing by the field, her slender, dark neck was accidentally stung by a tiny bug. A small bump formed, but Tian Sangsang didn’t think much of it, continuing to focus intently on the crops.
The plot was quite small, half used for vegetables and the other half for flowers. There were roses, jasmine, lilies, and wild daisies. She had also planted some indoors.
"Sangsang." You Huixixi approached after returning with Lin Dongni, wearing a subtle smile. "Admiring your field?"
"Yep, just looking at it."
"Oh, why did you plant so many flowers?"
Just yesterday, Tian Sangsang had overheard Qin Lan’s sarcastic remarks, criticizing her for planting flowers in a vegetable patch to show off, saying she was trying to act refined but ultimately couldn’t escape looking ridiculous as a country bumpkin.
"I like drinking flower tea. Growing the flowers, drying them, and making my own tea saves me a trip to the store. It’s just a little pastime I enjoy."
You Huixixi nodded in understanding. "No wonder you always smell so nice. The rest of us don’t have any scent on us. Qin Lan and the others even said you must wear perfume."
Her gaze fell on Tian Sangsang’s neck, and she stifled a laugh. "You and Captain Jiang must have a great relationship. Sigh, compared to you two, the rest of us feel so old... Not as strong and vigorous as you young ones."
"But still," she leaned in, lowering her voice, "you should be mindful of the frequency. I’m a doctor after all, and too much of a good thing isn’t great for the body."
Tian Sangsang took in You Huixixi’s meaningful look and recalled those knowing glances from the other military wives upstairs during her run earlier—the expressions were exactly the same.
What now? What rumors had started circulating this time?
She thought back to Jiang Jinghuai’s words...
After a moment of reflection, Tian Sangsang puzzled over what "strong and vigorous" could imply.
"Yes." She nodded, testing the waters with her reply. "We’re both quite strong and vigorous. We take exercising very seriously. He runs every morning and evening, and so do I. After all, exercise is the key to a healthy life."
You Huixixi shook her head. "It’s good for young people to exercise more, but you shouldn’t indulge just because you’re fit. You need to exercise restraint... Don’t get me wrong, I’m just envious of your great relationship."
The more Tian Sangsang listened, the more bewildered she became, so she simply nodded and pretended to keep listening.
"We have two rooms in our place," You Huixixi continued. "Dongni is a girl, so she gets her own room. Still, I check on her every night to make sure she doesn’t fall off the bed."
Lin Dongni pursed her lips, her head hanging even lower.
"No, Huihui Sis, what are you talking about? We share a room with Yanyan because he’s so young. How could I bear to put him in a separate room?"
"Oh, so you have two beds in one room." You Huixixi suddenly understood. "That’s nice. Yanyan has his own bed in the same room, so you can keep an eye on him."
"Yes." Tian Sangsang’s lips twitched as if understanding the subtext. She feigned agreement, "It was Jinghuai who insisted Yanyan should have his own bed. I tried so hard to convince him otherwise, but he said it’s good for boys to learn to be independent early."
"Ah, Captain Jiang does seem like a strict person. But Yanyan is still so young; that’s a bit harsh. As a couple, it’s good to enjoy life, but you also have to be mindful of the child." Even You Huixixi, who was already an old hand at marriage, blushed at her own advice. She thought back to when she and Political Commissioner Lin were newlyweds, madly in love and inseparably clingy. Those were the days. Now, they were older and the passion fewer.
By the time Tian Sangsang returned to their room upstairs, she was still in a haze. Sure, the rumors had simmered down, but this new gossip... Jiang Jinghuai just had to come up with it!
So, seeing Jiang Jinghuai sitting in the living room reading a newspaper, Tian Sangsang felt particularly awkward and headed straight to the bedroom.