As she spoke, Jiang Si's hands had already wandered restlessly to his chest, her tone and gaze dripping with playful teasing.
Seeing this, Huo Tingzhou let out a helpless sigh. Pulling her into his arms, he rested his chin lightly atop Jiang Si's head.
He was a man—a man with normal desires.
At this age, brimming with vigor, and with the woman he adored sleeping right beside him, restraining his primal urges was no simple feat.
Yet Jiang Si remained blissfully unaware, her fingers now tracing slow circles on his chest.
Before she could complete even one circle, Huo Tingzhou caught her hand.
"Not these few days," he said.
Jiang Si blinked, then her gaze involuntarily drifted downward.
Not… possible?
Was it what she thought it meant?
His wife's exaggerated reaction was impossible to miss. Huo Tingzhou paused, then gently tilted her face back up.
"It's not what you're thinking," he clarified, his voice laced with resignation.
"Then what is it?"
Meeting her unwavering stare, Huo Tingzhou exhaled in defeat.
"What did you eat tonight?"
Jiang Si blinked again—the sudden shift in topic was jarring.
"Seafood noodles. Oh, and Sister-in-law Hu sent Weidong and Weimin over with a bowl of sour bamboo shoot fish soup."
Just mentioning the sour bamboo shoot fish soup made her mouth water.
"We should buy some sour bamboo shoots too. They make the soup really appetizing."
Huo Tingzhou suddenly turned to her. "Darling, have you felt any discomfort these past couple of days?"
"Nope."
He asked this almost every month, and Jiang Si was nearly immune to it by now.
Noticing his scrutinizing gaze, she added, "Really, nothing. I’ve been eating well, sleeping well—"
Mid-sentence, she froze.
Lately, her sleep had been unusually deep, yet she still felt perpetually drowsy.
Come to think of it, her appetite had also been bigger than usual.
"Surely… not?" she murmured hesitantly.
Huo Tingzhou tightened his embrace. "Whether it is or isn’t, we need to be careful these next few days. Especially tomorrow when we go tide-pooling—you have to be extra cautious."
"Those rocks are slippery. Don’t fall."
Then again, no amount of warnings would help.
He’d just have to stick close to her.
"It’s late. Get some sleep," he said, picking up the palm-leaf fan by the bed and gently waving it to cool her.
Jiang Si nodded.
Perhaps because her mind was preoccupied, she slept fitfully that night.
In the haze between dreams, she even saw one of her most detested creatures.
By 4 a.m., she was wide awake.
Glancing up, she found Huo Tingzhou still in the same position as when they’d fallen asleep.
The moment she stirred, his eyes opened. "You’re up early today."
Still groggy, Jiang Si nestled into his arms, seeking comfort.
"Had a nightmare about something awful," she mumbled. "What about you? Why aren’t you asleep?"
She already knew the answer.
Until her period arrived, his mind wouldn’t rest easy.
Without waiting for his reply, she said, "It’s still early. Sleep with me a little longer."
This time, Huo Tingzhou agreed without hesitation.
The couple drifted back to sleep, and by the time they woke again, sunlight flooded the room.
Since they’d be out all day, they skipped cooking breakfast at home.
While Jiang Si freshened up, Huo Tingzhou grabbed their lunchboxes and headed to the canteen.
After breakfast, they packed their things and prepared to leave.
Before stepping out, Jiang Si reminded him, "Until we’re sure, don’t mention anything to Uncle Zhong or Third Granduncle."
"And a delayed period isn’t unusual. Don’t stress over it."
Easier said than done.
But to reassure her, Huo Tingzhou nodded.
As he locked the door, Weidong and Weimin came running over.
Though young, the brothers had learned to be considerate from their parents.
Spotting the pile of gear on the ground, they each grabbed a few items to carry.
Soon, Hu Meili and Regimental Commander Xiao joined them.
For them, tide-pooling was routine, so they traveled light—just a bucket and a pair of tongs.
Jiang Si hesitated, wondering if they should leave some things behind.
But Huo Tingzhou said, "We don’t get out much. Bring everything."
After a moment’s thought, she relented.
So what if she was overpacked? It was her first time tide-pooling—she might as well enjoy it fully.
Half an hour later, the group arrived at the shore.
It was spring tide, and the beach was packed—not just with families from the compound, but also nearby fishing villages. The coastline buzzed with activity, crowded as a pot of boiling dumplings.
Luckily, Ding Xiang, a local, guided He Ping to a quieter spot.
"Drive another three kilometers ahead. There's another tidal flat over there—only old fishermen know about it, so it's usually deserted."
"Alright, let's head there then."
Once everyone agreed, they set off toward the spot Ding Xiang had suggested for gathering seafood.
True enough, when they arrived, the entire tidal flat was empty, not a soul in sight.
The tide had just receded, and as Weidong and Weimin put it, this was the perfect time to arrive—seafood was practically littering the ground.
There was no way they could collect it all. Absolutely no way!
Hu Meili dashed forward excitedly the moment she got out of the car, completely forgetting she was a three-month-pregnant woman!
Regimental Commander Xiao panicked and shouted after her, "Weidong, Weimin, keep an eye on your mother!"
"Got it, Dad—"
Before the words even finished, the two brothers had already sprinted after her like a gust of wind.
Meanwhile, Huo Tingzhou was quietly reminding his wife, "Be careful when you go down. Don’t pick up any fish or seashells you don’t recognize…"
Before he could finish, Third Uncle cut in, "Don’t worry. Go ahead and move the supplies. Zhong and I will keep an eye on her."
They hadn’t traveled light this time.
They brought a stove, charcoal, and three full buckets of fresh water.
On top of that, early that morning, Huo Tingzhou and Zhong had gone to the village supply cooperative and bought two pounds of pork belly, potatoes, eggplants, and washed leeks to bring along.
Grilled later with the fresh seafood, the aroma alone would be enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
With that, the two men followed closely behind Jiang Si.
With Third Uncle and Uncle Zhong keeping watch, Huo Tingzhou felt much more at ease.
Hu Meili hadn’t forgotten her best friend either. Seeing Jiang Si trailing behind with an iron rake, she waved her over.
"Jiang Si, come here quick!"
Jiang Si jogged over. "What’s up?"
"Here, dig right here." Hu Meili pointed at a row of tiny air holes in the sand—so small they were easy to miss.
To Jiang Si’s astonishment, a single rake pull yielded an unbelievable haul. "There’s so many!"
As she spoke, she casually raked the sand a couple more times nearby.
In less than a minute, she had gathered dozens of plump, meaty clams.
Her delighted laughter caught the attention of the second youngest of the Xiao family, who peeked over curiously.
Clams?
Seeing how thrilled Jiang Si was, the boy hesitated, fidgeting with his fingers.
Should he tell her? Nobody usually bothered with these clams…
But Jiang Si didn’t care. She kept digging and digging, soon collecting nearly eight pounds of clams.
If Third Uncle hadn’t cleared his throat and reminded her that there were plenty of razor clams up ahead, she wouldn’t have moved from the spot.
