Worried that Jiang Ning might have other concerns, Gu Tinglin added, “After the next mission, the salvage project in Fengcheng will be wrapped up. Even if there are new discoveries, there’s no rush. What we’ve salvaged so far will take time to process and develop.
As for Huacheng, there’s still exploration and data collection to be done. The list won’t be ready that soon, so we can wait until after you’ve had the baby to think about it.
I hope you decide to have the baby. It’ll bring a lot of joy, and it’ll make things more meaningful, both for your family and your career. But if you don’t want to, that’s fine too. Just make sure you think it through.”
Jiang Ning thought for a moment. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’ve been through a lot out there, facing wind and rain. You’ve lost weight and look tired—now that you’re back, take a good rest.”
Gu Tinglin gave her shoulder a gentle pat and repeated, “Don’t push yourself when you’re out there. Your safety is the most important thing.”
Once they were home, Jiang Ning didn’t bring up the topic with Huo Yishen.
There was some noise outside, and a familiar voice quickly caught her attention.
The door opened, and Doudou came in. As soon as she saw her brother and sister-in-law, her tired expression disappeared.
If Jiang Ning guessed right, it was probably Qin Mu who had brought her back.
She didn’t ask, not wanting to interfere.
Doudou had grown up and was capable of thinking things through on her own. If she was confused, she would not hesitate to ask them.
Instead, Doudou spoke up first. “Brother, Sister-in-law, a lot of people from Huacheng have decided to move to Fengcheng.
About 60% of them are military personnel, all from the southern military base.
The rest are survivors from Guangdong Province, along with their families. Only a few dozen survivors are from Fengcheng.
“Uncle Qin, Brother Xiao Mu, and Aunt Meili’s family came too.”
Wang Meili worked at the farm, and Little Sharp-Mouthed Monkey, despite his young age, helped out around the place, though he didn’t get a salary, just meals.
Doudou believed in Qin Chuan and Sharp-Mouthed Monkey’s abilities. Even if they had to start over in a new place, they would do well, it would just take time.
The two uncles were close to her family, so she naturally extended some favors. As long as the livestock or farm had goods, they could act as middlemen.
If it wasn’t them, it’d be someone else — so why not help those who had helped them? Besides, they were useful to her brother and sister-in-law.
What could Jiang Ning say? Of course, she gave Doudou a thumbs up.
As for Qin Mu, she didn’t mention him.
After washing up, the couple lay quietly in bed.
Then Huo Yishen suddenly asked, “Do you think Qin Mu is a good match for Doudou?”
The door was closed, and Jiang Ning answered honestly, “Among the younger generation, Qin Mu is fine in terms of both looks and ability, but he’s been protected by Qin Chuan for too long. His maturity level still needs work.”
At least, right now, he wasn’t a match for Doudou.
As for the future, we’ll see how he grows. There’s no need to judge too quickly.
Hearing what Sharp-Mouthed Monkey had said, Jiang Ning felt a bit disappointed deep down—it reminded her of her younger self.
But she’d been young and foolish once too.
The higher the tree, the more the phoenix will come, and the more fragrant the flowers, the more butterflies will be drawn to them.
As Doudou’s guardian, Jiang Ning hoped that beyond love, she could grow strong on her own.
But, honestly, unless it was something really extreme, she thought the younger generation should handle things themselves.
She’d let them figure it out.
They slept in until they woke up naturally.
After Jiang Ning finished breakfast, Zheng Weili and Ding Qi stopped by.
It had been three months since they last saw each other, and both of them had changed a lot. Their once sharp features had filled out, and they were starting to look healthier.
They were still thin, but it was clear they were getting back to their old selves.
Both of them didn’t have work that day, so when they heard Jiang Ning had returned, they came right over.
Their reason was simple: one, to catch up, and two, to seek some medical help.
The two of them are older than Jiang Ning, especially Ding Qi.
With things improving and the influence of Fengcheng’s policies encouraging people to have children, they couldn’t help but start to dream.
They wanted to try, to see if they could get pregnant.
The past few years were tough, and their periods had already stopped.
But now, with things more stable in Fengcheng and the policies in place, they decided to give it a shot and signed up.
The food situation was better, and the hospital would prescribe medicine to help them.
Once they started thinking about it, their desire grew stronger.
Both women hoped to seize the opportunity to get on board the train of motherhood.
Of course, they trusted Jiang Ning’s medical skills even more.
The hospital’s plan was pretty well-established—nutrition, acupuncture, and medication.
But since they came to her, Jiang Ning was happy to help.
They even brought some leftover Chinese medicine with them.
She prescribed specific formulas for them. The two prescriptions were slightly different, but the general direction was the same.
It wasn’t that her medical skills were lacking; it was just that the hospital’s medicine supply wasn’t complete. Jiang Ning added a few extra herbs, saying, “I’ll go to the farm to see if we have it. It might be in small quantities, though, so the supply could be limited.”
The two women were very grateful.
Zheng Weili asked, “Anning, have you thought about having kids?”
Jiang Ning replied gently, “Children are about fate; we’ll see how it goes.”
“Don’t leave it to fate. If you want one, have one early. Don’t end up like us—wanting one but having no chance.”
Back then, they could barely survive, let alone think about having children.
Now, the opportunity was there, but they were past the best age for it. They could only blame fate.
Jiang Ning changed the subject, “How’s work going for you two?”
After months of treatment, both physically and mentally, Zheng Weili was in much better shape and felt more upbeat. “It’s been good. At first, it was pretty busy, but then with the expansion outside Six Cities and the relocation of many military and civilian personnel from Fengcheng, the police station’s workload has lightened a lot.”
Ding Qi’s situation was similar. Fengcheng’s power had been growing rapidly, especially after the military negotiations with the U.S., and the national-level bases were booming. Who would dare mess with them?
Zhang Chao was assigned to City Hall, and He Tianming specifically wanted him to be his secretary so that he could mentor him.
He Tianming was at an age when he should have been thriving in the political scene before the disasters hit. But after over ten years of the apocalypse, even his ironclad health couldn’t keep up.
Despite some recovery efforts, the scarcity of resources and the heavy workload had aged him faster than expected.
He wanted to bring in some younger people, but with the labor shortage caused by the disaster, he hadn’t found any suitable candidates.
That was, until the Special Salvage Team returned with over a thousand people, and another group arrived from Huacheng not long ago. At last, the talent pool expanded.
Each department received new recruits, but whether they could become future leaders would depend on their personal qualifications.
Jiang Ning had a good opinion of Zhang Chao. Sure, his choice of girlfriends in the past wasn’t the best, but he was solid in other areas.
He had been in sales, so his judgment and flexibility weren’t bad.
After surviving the apocalypse for over a decade, having been a soldier and run camps, his will and faith hadn’t weakened—in fact, they were stronger than ever.
As for Lu Yu—yes, he used to be sickly, but that was in the past.
Anyone who could survive the apocalypse and become a part of the Fire Seed Plan, even leading over a thousand survivors, had to be sharp both mentally and physically.
He wasn’t exceptional, but he was good at playing the underdog.
His unique upbringing had shaped his personality, making him resilient, adaptable, and strong-minded. He was clear-headed and practical, and among the three, he lived the most freely.
Jiang Ning believed he would do well wherever he went.
In fact, Lu Yu was indeed doing quite well…