Jiang Si suddenly felt an urge to test something, so she unconsciously tightened her arms around the man's waist.
Almost simultaneously, Huo Tingzhou's body stiffened abruptly, and a low, muffled groan escaped his throat.
The air fell silent for a moment. He looked down at the woman in his arms with a dazed expression, taking a while to find his voice again.
"Darling... I..."
But the response he got was Jiang Si's utterly satisfied and content expression.
Whether this method was foolproof, Jiang Si couldn't say for sure yet.
But the satisfaction and joy from that embrace were no less exhilarating than the first sip of an ice-cold cola—simply addictive.
No wonder Sister Hu had that look when she mentioned it.
Hmm, she’d definitely want to do it again.
...
The next day, Huo Tingzhou woke up early. There was still unfinished business from yesterday, and he had to go back to the regiment to handle it.
After freshening up, he leaned down and kissed Jiang Si’s forehead.
"Stop it~~"
Jiang Si mumbled sleepily before rolling over and hugging her pillow, sinking back into deep slumber.
Not having to work was one of life’s little luxuries—she could sleep in as late as she wanted.
But when she finally blinked her eyes open and checked the time on her watch, she was shocked.
She hadn’t even been that tired last night, so how was it already 10 a.m.?
Stepping out of the bedroom, the house was just as quiet as the day before.
A bamboo food cover sat on the table, with a note beside it. Jiang Si picked it up and read:
[Remember to eat breakfast when you wake up. I’ve gone to the regiment. Don’t wait for me for lunch.]
The handwriting was unmistakably Huo Tingzhou’s.
Below it was another line from Third Uncle:
[Si, Zhong and I went to the shore to dig for oysters. We might not be back for lunch. Don’t worry—Weidong and Weimin are with us. We won’t get lost.]
The mention of oysters instantly brought last night to Jiang Si’s mind.
She’d only ever read online about how good they were for men.
Turns out, they weren’t exaggerating.
If she hadn’t tried Sister Hu’s method on a whim yesterday, who knew if she’d even be awake at this hour?
Lost in her thoughts, she finished breakfast.
After tidying up the house, Jiang Si picked up her paintbrush and threw herself into work.
The facial features database was nearly complete—she just had to wrap it up this month.
She painted for almost four hours straight, only stopping when she heard movement outside.
Through the window facing the courtyard, she saw Huo Tingzhou returning with two unfamiliar faces.
Jiang Si set her brush aside and headed to the living room.
"Please, have a seat," Huo Tingzhou said before turning to Jiang Si.
She thought he was about to introduce the guests, but his first question was:
"Darling, did you skip lunch again?"
Jiang Si paused. "I wasn’t hungry—"
Before she could finish, Huo Tingzhou frowned.
If the guests hadn’t been there, she would’ve glared at him. "Tingzhou, who are these gentlemen?"
As she spoke, she quickly fetched tea leaves from the cabinet.
"I’ll handle it."
While preparing the tea, Huo Tingzhou introduced the visitors.
"This is Section Chief Zhong from the division’s propaganda department art team, and this is Ye Mingfeng, the lead artist for this year’s New Year mural."
Hearing they were from the propaganda department, Jiang Si immediately understood their purpose.
She greeted them warmly and took a seat across from them. "Please, enjoy the tea."
Section Chief Zhong accepted the cup with an apologetic smile.
"We originally planned to visit you later, but there’s been a hiccup with the mural team."
"Everyone’s a bit unsure, so we took the liberty of coming today to seek your guidance."
Ye Mingfeng nodded eagerly. "Exactly! We’re here to learn from you, hoping to reach your level someday."
"You’re too kind."
Jiang Si wasn’t feigning modesty—she just wasn’t used to such flattery.
"Section Chief Zhong, I’m also part of the Fourth Division. Contributing to our division is both my duty and my honor."
Then, she turned to Ye Mingfeng. "I’m still young and have much to learn. ‘Guidance’ is too strong a word—let’s exchange ideas and collaborate."
The two men nodded in agreement. With time pressing, they cut to the chase.
"Comrade Jiang, here’s the theme we’re working with. Please take a look."
Section Chief Zhong handed her their draft materials.
For this New Year mural, the propaganda department had drafted over ten designs, yet everyone felt they lacked variety—some even seemed repetitive.
Take last year’s theme, Island Guardians Celebrate the Harvest.
The central scene featured a vast blue sea with a mighty destroyer cutting through the waves.
White foam sprayed from the bow as rows of PLA soldiers stood at attention on the deck, saluting their homeland.
Red lanterns hung from the mast, fireworks lit the sky, and golden koi fish leaped from the water.
This year’s draft was nearly identical—just swapping the destroyer for a frigate and the lanterns for red banners under the title Braving the Waves to Bid Farewell to the Old Year.
Section Chief Zhong didn’t mince words: "Frankly, it feels like old wine in an older bottle—the same tired formula with zero freshness."
In the few minutes it took him to vent, Jiang Si had already reviewed all the drafts.
She didn’t know about previous years, but she shared her honest impression: lack of novelty was just the start.
The bigger issue was that none of these themes captured the warmth of a family New Year reunion.
Hearing this, the two men’s eyes lit up.
"Comrade Jiang, do you have any ideas to salvage this?"
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Si looked up. "Let me try."
At her signal, Huo Tingzhou fetched her drawing board and easel from the room.
Without watercolors on hand, she used colored pencils instead.
With a few swift strokes, she divided the paper into three sections, explaining as she worked:
"The mural could adopt a ‘Heaven-Earth-Man’ triptych composition."
"The upper section shows fighter jets or transport planes against a starry night sky—the stars subtly forming five-pointed shapes."
"The middle section is the focal point: a backdrop of rolling mountain silhouettes with a sentry post, merging into a sea with warships below."
"Add a few steadfast figures facing forward on both the post and the ship."
In just a few lines, she sketched the framework, emphasizing, "No festive elements here."
Ye Mingfeng looked puzzled. "None at all?"
"None."
Jiang Si nodded, "Because we need to focus on the latter part—here, we must depict the brilliance of countless household lights!"
"The brilliance of countless household lights?"
Jiang Si nodded again. "This mural employs a contrast of light and shadow, movement and stillness, reality and illusion to better capture the theme."
Ye Mingfeng quickly asked, "Could you describe the specific scenes of the 'brilliance of countless household lights'?"
Jiang Si thought for a moment. "There are many possibilities—people in courtyards busy sweeping snow and pasting paper-cut window decorations, pedestrians hurrying down the streets carrying New Year’s goods, children chasing each other with sparklers, a family gathered around a kang table making dumplings."
"It would be even better to include one or two households leaning on their windowsills, gazing into the distance. That would create a connection with the earlier scenes."
Having explained this much, Jiang Si went on to outline the color palette needed for the entire mural.
Ye Mingfeng didn’t dare waste a single second, quickly jotting everything down with his pen.
Finally, Jiang Si turned to Huo Tingzhou. "As I recall, the Fourth Division is the only unit that spans all three branches of the military—land, sea, and air—correct?"
"Yes." Huo Tingzhou’s reply was crisp, his tone brimming with unmistakable pride.
He was proud to have such a wife.
Jiang Si understood the look in his eyes and silently mouthed, "Likewise."
Then she declared, "The theme of this mural will be 'The Three Armed Forces Guarding the New Year for Countless Households'!"
Having said all she needed to, Jiang Si turned her attention back to the two men present.
"Section Chief Zhong, Comrade Ye, this is my general idea. You can explore this direction further if you’d like..."
"No need!"
Section Chief Zhong glanced at the rough sketch Jiang Si had drawn. Even with just a basic outline, he couldn’t contain his excitement.
"This painting carries the spirit of the three armed forces, the roots of the people, and the immense responsibility of safeguarding the nation during the New Year. Nothing could be more fitting!"
