Huo Tingzhou nodded, exchanged a few more words with Xiao Zhengjun, and then took Jiang Si home.
Knowing his wife hadn’t eaten lunch yet, Huo Tingzhou rolled up his sleeves as soon as they arrived.
"Sweetheart, go lie down on the sofa for a bit. I’ll make you some hand-pulled chicken noodles and stir-fry some vinegar-glazed potato shreds, alright?"
Jiang Si shook her head. "I don’t feel like eating right now."
"What’s wrong?"
Noticing her expression was off, Huo Tingzhou seemed to realize something. "Were you scared by what happened today?"
Giving birth was an arduous, even somewhat bloody process, and he worried it might have left her with lingering unease.
"I’m fine." Jiang Si patted the edge of the sofa, signaling for him to sit down.
Huo Tingzhou obediently sat and took her hand, rubbing it gently before asking,
"If you weren’t scared, then why don’t you want to eat?"
Jiang Si gave him a deep look and, after a long pause, asked, "When are you leaving this time?"
Huo Tingzhou was taken aback. "You... you already know?"
"Yes." Jiang Si nodded.
She reached up and touched the fine lines between his brows.
"Stop furrowing your forehead so much. You’re getting wrinkles here."
"Alright, I’ll listen to you."
Huo Tingzhou gazed at her intently. "I haven’t said a word about leaving. How did you figure it out?"
"It wasn’t hard."
Jiang Si met his eyes earnestly. "You probably don’t even realize it yourself, but every time you’re about to go on a mission, the way you look at me changes."
His eyes would hold unspoken words, filled with deep guilt.
"Sweetheart, I’m sorry."
Huo Tingzhou caught her hand and pressed his face into her palm.
There was so much he wanted to say, but the words dissolved before they could leave his lips.
After a while, he lifted his head. "Sweetheart, this is already the third time I’ve left you behind. Aren’t you angry?"
Jiang Si suddenly smiled. "I’m not a pufferfish—I don’t have that much temper."
She had chosen this path herself, and Huo Tingzhou was only doing what he had to.
If she got upset over something like this, how could they ever live peacefully?
Not wanting to dwell on melancholy thoughts, Jiang Si asked, "Are you leaving this afternoon, or when?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"That’s perfect. You’ll need to help me pack up everything at home."
"Alright, I’ll get to it soon."
"I’ll help you."
There was too much to pack, and he couldn’t possibly manage it alone.
With that in mind, Jiang Si glanced at their small courtyard.
It was midsummer, and the vegetables and fruits in the garden were thriving.
The thought that all of it would soon be flattened by the flood made her heart ache.
Huo Tingzhou noticed her reluctance and squeezed her hand.
"As long as we’re safe, nothing else matters. When I come back, I’ll plant whatever you want."
"Mm." Jiang Si nodded.
For now, that was all they could do.
Jiang Si hadn’t had much appetite earlier, but after Huo Tingzhou coaxed her, she ended up eating a small bowl of cold chicken noodles.
The summer heat made her drowsy after eating, so she went to take a nap.
She had planned to sleep for just an hour, but when she woke up, it was almost four in the afternoon.
When she stepped into the living room, she found the house completely transformed.
The table was covered with miscellaneous items, while the sofa and other furniture had been propped up on stools.
The stools were lined against the wall, spaced about fifty centimeters apart—just enough to hold everything in place.
The cucumbers, beans, eggplants, peppers, lemons, and tomatoes from the garden had all been harvested and neatly packed into baskets.
Jiang Si peeked into the kitchen and saw that all the pots, pans, and dishes had been moved to the top shelves of the cabinets.
A massive water vat now stood in the kitchen, already filled to the brim.
Every basin and enamel tub in the house had also been filled with water.
The most chaotic spot was the stairwell—there was hardly any space to step.
Uncertain about the severity of the coming typhoon, Huo Tingzhou hadn’t dared to move things to the attic.
Instead, everything had been either secured at high points or placed on the stairs, all tightly bound with ropes.
Huo Tingzhou was outside clearing the drainage ditch when Jiang Si woke up. He quickly carried in the wide wooden planks he had prepared.
Over the next few hours, he reinforced every door and window in the house.
Jiang Si’s room, in particular, was fortified with wooden frames forming an "X" pattern inside and out.
By the time he finished, it was already past nine at night.
"Sweetheart, here’s the emergency kit. Keep it close."
Jiang Si opened it and checked the contents: "A flashlight, batteries, matches, mosquito coils, candles, menthol oil, military-grade compressed biscuits, canned food, a first-aid kit, a roll of bandages, a bottle of disinfectant alcohol..."
Huo Tingzhou had prepared everything he could think of.
Yet, even so, his heart remained uneasy.
"Sweetheart, keep an ear on the radio these next few days. If an evacuation order comes, don’t worry about anything else—just grab this emergency kit and a flask of water..."
Jiang Si nodded. "I understand."
"Sweetheart?"
"Yes, I’m here."
She had lost count of how many times Huo Tingzhou had called her name tonight, but this time, his voice sounded different.
Suddenly, something warm and wet fell onto her skin.
He... he was crying.
This was the first time she had ever seen him shed tears.
Before she could speak, Huo Tingzhou pulled her into a tight embrace from behind.
After a pause, his voice came out hoarse. "You have to stay safe. Wait for me to come back."
For a fleeting moment, Jiang Si almost told him about her secret space.
But she swallowed the words at the last second.
She wasn’t stubborn—if things truly became dire, she would take Uncle Zhong and the others into the space without hesitation.
But for now...
She couldn’t reveal it.
Jiang Si never doubted Huo Tingzhou’s love for her.
But the truth of her transmigration was too fantastical.
She didn’t want to face the strange looks and judgments that would follow.
All she wanted was to live this life quietly, as an ordinary person.
With that thought, Jiang Si carefully turned in his arms and cupped his face.
Under the cover of night, their foreheads touched, breaths mingling.
Jiang Si whispered, "The baby and I will be fine. I promise—we’ll grow old together."
Huo Tingzhou answered with a tender, fleeting kiss—devoid of desire, filled only with reluctance.
That night, they held each other close,
talking softly until sleep took them.
Jiang Si couldn’t remember when she finally drifted off.
When she woke again, the house was silent.
By noon, Uncle Zhong and the others arrived at the family quarters with their belongings packed.
What followed was a long wait.
For three days, the residents of the family compound waited on edge.
During those days, typhoon warnings were broadcast religiously every morning, noon, and evening.
Yet without fail, each day dawned bright and sunny.
Aside from some stifling heat, there was no sign of a typhoon—not even a hint of rain.
By the fifth day, the tense atmosphere in the compound had shifted noticeably.
Even the tone of conversations about the typhoon now carried a distinct note of mockery.
"They keep saying the typhoon's coming, but look—it's the fifth day, and still nothing!"
"Exactly! All that worry for nothing."
At this, the sister-in-law pursed her lips in displeasure. "Who knows what those radar meteorology folks are even doing all day."
"Now, sister-in-law, you can't say that. It's a good thing the typhoon didn't come. Safety is a blessing."
"Of course it's good, but with them blasting warnings three times a day, they'd scare the healthy into sickness!"
"Alright, alright, let's not argue!"
"Why can't we say it?" The sister-in-law was still indignant and about to retort when—
Someone in the crowd suddenly gasped. "Look over there—the sky’s changing!"
