The next morning, when Jiang Si woke up, daylight had long since flooded the room.
She shifted slightly, feeling only a faint soreness in her body—nothing as exaggerated as being dismantled and reassembled.
But when she noticed the scattered marks on her skin, her mind involuntarily replayed the wild scenes from the previous night.
She had always known she’d married well, but she never expected it to be this good.
Once upon a time, she’d thought "once" was just a measure of quantity.
Who knew it could also be a measure of time?
As she washed up, Jiang Si couldn’t help but wonder—weren’t men supposed to, well, finish quickly their first time?
Yet none of those stereotypes seemed to apply to Huo Tingzhou.
If she didn’t know him so well, she might’ve suspected he’d been secretly practicing behind her back.
Apparently, when it came to losing their virginity, men had a terrifyingly innate talent.
Not that she was complaining, of course.
Still, self-awareness prevailed, and she fortified herself with a cup of spirit spring water.
Knowing its soothing and pain-relieving effects, she even dabbed some between her legs for good measure.
Once freshened up, she crawled back under the covers.
Despite the breaks they’d taken last night, she’d barely slept five hours in total.
Her body still felt utterly drained.
The bed was warm, and soon, she drifted into a light doze.
But when she heard Huo Tingzhou’s footsteps, she propped herself up on her elbow to look.
Her drowsy eyes instantly brightened at the sight of the plump calico cradled in his arms.
"Where’d this cat come from?" she asked, already reaching out to scratch its head.
The cat responded with a compliant meow, its round, gleaming eyes blinking up at her.
Jiang Si chuckled. "She’s gorgeous."
No wonder calicos were called the "Liu Yifei of cats"—with that coat and poise, any tomcat would lose its mind over her.
Unbeknownst to her, the way she tilted her head, her delicate face flushed with sleep, had already ensnared someone else entirely.
Only when Jiang Si repeated her question did Huo Tingzhou snap out of his daze.
He explained that the cat had been borrowed from the military canteen’s storage area.
Jiang Si nodded in understanding.
These days, everyone’s food rations were strictly allotted.
With barely enough to feed themselves, ordinary households couldn’t afford to keep pets.
Only large canteens or warehouses, needing to protect their supplies from rats, kept cats or dogs around.
The military canteen had plenty of leftovers—no wonder the cat was so well-fed.
Noticing Jiang Si’s lingering gaze, Huo Tingzhou said, "If you like her, we can get one of our own later."
Their current circumstances made it easy to care for a pet, and Qiongzhou Island had no shortage of seafood.
With her often home alone, a playful companion would be nice.
Jiang Si was tempted but ultimately shook her head. "Not now. Maybe someday."
"Why not?" he asked, puzzled.
She smirked and reminded him, "Have you forgotten what you did last night?"
The tone combined with that expression made Huo Tingzhou's ears turn red instantly.
His mind immediately flashed back to the scenes from last night.
In fact, they had long since reached a consensus about having children—let nature take its course.
But right now, Jiang Si had taken on two jobs.
This wasn’t the right time to have a baby.
So last night, when passion took over, they each reached for contraceptives from their respective sides of the bedside drawer.
Jiang Si’s had been discovered while packing clothes on Qiongzhou Island—she’d casually tossed it into her space and brought it to Capital City.
Huo Tingzhou’s was collected from the military hospital just yesterday.
However, at the last moment, a small mishap occurred.
Though Huo Tingzhou had immediately helped clean her up afterward,
Doctor Liang had mentioned that his wife’s physical condition was excellent in every aspect, making her chances of pregnancy much higher than average.
In other words, his wife might already be pregnant.
Jiang Si didn’t think it was that serious, but even with her thick skin, she couldn’t bring herself to explain the concept of a "safe period" to him right now.
Huo Tingzhou, though, couldn’t shake his worry.
Midway through their conversation, he abruptly stood up.
"Sweetheart, I need to step out for a bit."
"There’s chicken soup and meat warming in the pot—have some to tide you over."
Jiang Si knew where he was going and didn’t stop him.
If Huo Tingzhou didn’t get his doubts cleared up, he probably wouldn’t sleep peacefully for the next month.
Huo Tingzhou moved fast, reaching the military hospital near the residential compound in just a few minutes.
He was attended by a veteran military doctor in his sixties.
Huo Tingzhou summarized the situation concisely, then asked nervously,
"Doctor, given these circumstances, what are the chances my wife is pregnant?"
"If your wife’s physical indicators are all excellent, her likelihood of pregnancy is indeed higher than most."
"But whether she actually conceives depends on the specifics."
The doctor glanced at his notes.
"So… not too many times last night, right?"
Huo Tingzhou’s face flushed.
"Tw… twice."
"And the duration each time?"
Huo Tingzhou froze—he hadn’t expected the doctor to ask for such details.
Seeing his hesitation, the doctor raised an eyebrow.
"No need to be shy in a hospital. Otherwise, I can’t give you a clear answer."
"A… about one or two hours."
He wasn’t entirely sure, but it had definitely been around that long.
The doctor pursed his lips, thinking to himself: This man seems honest, but his words aren’t very credible.
Still, it was normal—men always exaggerated in this regard. No matter. He’d just halve the estimate.
"You cleaned her up afterward, right?"
"Yes, with warm water."
The doctor pressed further, "And when was your wife’s last period?"
Jiang Si’s cycle was always regular, usually arriving at the start of each month.
Huo Tingzhou remembered this clearly.
"It should come in about three or four days."
Hearing this, the doctor felt confident enough to conclude.
"Don’t worry too much. In your wife’s case, pregnancy is highly unlikely."
"Really?" Huo Tingzhou hesitated. "Even if the contraceptive broke, it’s fine?"
