The first piece of news was about Mother-in-law.
Upon hearing that her mother-in-law was coming, Jiang Si was overjoyed. "Has Mom bought her ticket yet? When will she arrive?"
"It’ll be next week," Huo Tingzhou replied. "Originally, Mom planned to leave tomorrow, but I asked her to book a train ticket for next Wednesday."
"That way, she’ll arrive in Yancheng on Friday morning and can take the 6 a.m. ferry on Saturday. By Sunday, I’ll be able to pick her up at the dock."
These arrangements were always handled by him, and Jiang Si trusted his planning. Still, she reminded him, "Take Qianbao with you when you go."
The shuttle bus to the Fourth Division hadn’t resumed service yet, so getting to the city required a detour through the neighboring county.
A round trip would take nearly ten hours—just thinking about it was exhausting.
"What’s the second good news?" Seeing the faint smile on Huo Tingzhou’s lips, Jiang Si couldn’t help but feel curious.
Huo Tingzhou didn’t keep her in suspense. The call had come from Father Huo early that morning.
Aside from checking in on the two of them, Father Huo had shared another update.
As Huo Tingzhou had guessed, after receiving the report from the Fourth Division, the military headquarters had held two consecutive meetings.
In the end, the headquarters assigned two specialized units to assist.
"Which two?" This was her first investment, and Jiang Si took it very seriously.
"For geological surveying, they’ve assigned the Hydrological Geology Team under the Engineering Department. For factory design, it’s the Beijing Industrial Design Institute."
"Both units are sending inspection teams, and they should arrive in the next couple of days."
These were top-tier organizations in their respective fields. Hearing this, Jiang Si felt completely reassured.
"Oh, by the way, sweetheart," Huo Tingzhou brought up another matter. "Division Commander Yao and Political Commissar Li might drop by later."
After a pause, he added, "They’re probably coming about the donation."
Speak of the devil.
No sooner had Huo Tingzhou finished speaking than Division Commander Yao and Political Commissar Li arrived.
However, the two didn’t come inside immediately. Instead, they stood in the courtyard for a moment.
Division Commander Yao looked up and remarked, "Why does your attic look different from before?"
The houses in the family quarters all followed the same layout.
Because of this, Division Commander Yao noticed the discrepancy at a glance.
Political Commissar Li studied it and agreed, "It does seem different."
But he tended to think more deeply about such matters. "The construction team must be swamped. I’ll bring it up with them later."
No matter how rushed they were, this kind of shoddy work was unacceptable.
The attic had been patched up haphazardly.
Seeing the displeasure on the two leaders’ faces, Jiang Si hurried out to explain.
"Division Commander, Political Commissar, this was actually my idea. I asked the construction team to do it this way."
"Your idea?"
Jiang Si nodded. Under their bewildered gazes, she steeled herself and elaborated.
At the moment, all military housing was brick-and-concrete structures, which inherently lacked resistance to lateral winds.
Although the load-bearing walls hadn’t collapsed this time, the entire structural integrity of the house had been compromised.
This invisible damage couldn’t be fixed simply by slapping on some cement or rebuilding the collapsed walls.
Now, the only options were either a complete systematic reconstruction or professional reinforcement.
With the typhoon just passed, a full-scale reconstruction for their home wasn’t practical.
It would draw too much attention.
Helpless, Jiang Si could only ask the quartermaster unit to reinforce the structure according to her requirements.
To this end, she even drew several floor plans herself.
She also added a shear wall to the eastern side of the second floor.
In fact, a shear wall is also a type of load-bearing wall, but its primary function is to withstand lateral pressure.
Of course, these concepts were too complex to explain in just a few words.
Jiang Si had tried her best to simplify it, but after she finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.
Seeing the two leaders remain quiet, Jiang Si quickly added,
"Division Commander Yao, Political Commissar Li, please rest assured."
"The cost of reinforcement and materials will all be covered by us. We won’t touch the military’s housing maintenance fund."
"No, no, that’s not the issue," Division Commander Yao snapped out of his daze first. "Little girl, have you... studied this before?"
The way she spoke so knowledgeably made it clear she truly understood!
Huo Tingzhou had asked her the same question a few days prior.
Jiang Si’s answer then had been yes—she had studied it.
In fact, since transmigrating into this novel, the thing Jiang Si felt most grateful for was that Shen Qingqing had modeled the protagonist entirely after her—except for the "brainless" part.
Everything else was a direct copy of her past.
Nodding, Jiang Si replied, "I was very interested in this field during high school, so I learned a little."
Political Commissar Li chuckled. "You’re being too modest. This is far more than just 'a little.'"
After saying this, he glanced at Jiang Si, then at Huo Tingzhou.
The things the young woman had just explained were beyond his understanding.
Political Commissar Li didn’t grasp the technicalities, but that didn’t stop him from being impressed by her expertise.
The two leaders exchanged a look and sighed in admiration. "You’re one lucky guy, marrying such an outstanding wife."
Though they hadn’t interacted much with Jiang Si, the few times they had met left a deep impression.
This girl was sensible, principled, exceptionally intelligent, and highly capable.
Most importantly, she had a clear sense of right and wrong when it came to major issues.
Unconsciously, they recalled Jiang Si’s firm declaration from before:
"My grandfather had a sincere patriotic heart. Even the highest leadership acknowledged him as a true 'red capitalist'!"
Growing up under such influence, it was no surprise she would act the way she did now.
With this in mind, their gazes toward Jiang Si grew even more affectionate.
Jiang Si, however, remained completely unfazed. Noticing they had been standing outside for a while, she quickly invited them in.
"Division Commander Yao, Political Commissar Li, please come inside."
Seeing his wife about to pour tea, Huo Tingzhou immediately guided her to the sofa.
"I’ll handle it. You sit and rest for a bit."
Division Commander Yao and Political Commissar Li had never seen him like this before.
Accepting the teacup, Division Commander Yao couldn’t resist teasing,
"In all the years this kid’s been in the Fourth Division, this is the first time I’ve had tea made by his hands. Truly a rare occasion."
Political Commissar Li laughed. "Marriage really changes a man. Comrade Jiang Si must have trained him well."
Huo Tingzhou said nothing, simply handing Jiang Si a cup of freshly made malted milk.
"Be careful, it’s hot."
Oho~ "Be careful, it’s hot"~
Division Commander Yao clicked his tongue inwardly.
Good thing they were all married men—otherwise, this sweetness would’ve rotted their teeth.
Meanwhile, Political Commissar Li watched the young couple with a doting smile.
Even with Jiang Si's thick skin, she couldn't handle such an embarrassing situation.
Fortunately, Division Commander Yao and Political Commissar Li only teased her briefly.
After taking a few sips of tea, Division Commander Yao got straight to the point.
"Young lady, aside from expressing our gratitude, we actually came today to discuss something with you."
"Please go ahead, Division Commander," Jiang Si set down her teacup, adopting a serious listening posture.
Division Commander Yao continued, "The military dependents' elementary school suffered the worst damage in the disaster. Our construction team inspected it and determined it can't be repaired—we'll need to rebuild at a new location."
"Here's the reconstruction plan with estimated costs. I've had my team prepare a detailed breakdown."
"Please review it. If everything looks acceptable, we'll begin construction immediately."
Eighty thousand yuan was no small sum.
Every penny spent, every allocation made, needed to be accounted for with absolute clarity.
Otherwise, they'd be unworthy of the profound generosity this young woman had shown.
