The residential compound was now packed with layers of people, but Mother Huo still spotted her daughter-in-law in the crowd at a glance.
The reason was simple—her daughter-in-law was tall and beautiful.
Wherever she went, she shone brightly.
Especially today, as Jiang Si wore a retro-style dress in pale yellow.
Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled light on her face and making her skin appear even more radiant and fair.
Not wanting to startle her, Mother Huo waited until she was right in front of Jiang Si before calling out softly.
"Si Si—"
"Mom?"
Hearing the voice, Jiang Si immediately stepped forward.
Though surprised that they had arrived home more than an hour early, now wasn’t the time to ask about it.
Seeing Mother Huo’s exhausted expression, her eyes nearly swollen like a panda’s, Jiang Si said with concern, "Mom, you must be exhausted from the journey."
Mother Huo gently touched her cheek. "I’m not tired."
How could she not be tired?
The trip had taken five or six days, with trains and boats along the way.
Not to mention, Huo Tingzhou and Qian Bao were carrying large and small bags in their hands.
Jiang Si couldn’t imagine how her mother-in-law had managed to bring all these things alone.
Thinking of this, she was deeply moved and clasped Mother Huo’s hand.
"Mom, why did you bring so much for us again? We haven’t even finished using what you sent last time."
Mother Huo waved it off. "It’s not much at all."
If not for having to transfer in Yancheng midway, she would’ve packed even more.
"Si Si, let me take a good look at you."
She had already noticed that, aside from the noticeable curve of her belly, Jiang Si’s limbs were as slender as before.
Her face was rosy, but compared to before her pregnancy, she seemed to have lost a little weight.
Mother Huo frowned worriedly. "Si Si, your belly seems smaller than others at this stage. I remember when your second sister-in-law was five months along, she was about the same size as you now."
And the second sister-in-law had only been carrying one baby.
"Mom, I’m fine."
Jiang Si linked arms with Mother Huo and explained as they walked.
"The doctor said this pregnancy is positioned further back, so it doesn’t show as much. But the babies are developing perfectly."
"Don’t worry—Tingzhou keeps a close eye on everything."
Remembering Doctor Jiang’s exasperated expression during their last checkup, Jiang Si couldn’t help but laugh.
"It’s just that he panics at the slightest thing and rushes me to the hospital. The doctors are practically afraid of him now."
"That’s fine. It’s good for him to ask questions."
On this matter, mother and son were unexpectedly in agreement.
Mother Huo went on to share more advice with the young couple.
As they chatted, a few women suddenly darted out from a nearby alley.
Fortunately, Huo Tingzhou had been keeping watch. The moment they lunged forward, he swiftly pulled Jiang Si aside to shield her.
Mother Huo’s heart nearly stopped.
"Si Si, are you alright? Did anything happen?"
"I’m fine." Jiang Si shook her head, though she pressed a hand to her chest.
The scare had left her heart pounding.
Though unharmed, Mother Huo was still furious.
She turned to the women. "What’s wrong with you? Can’t you watch where you’re going?"
"Sorry, so sorry!" they stammered, bowing apologetically to Jiang Si.
Though her expression remained stern, Jiang Si hadn’t actually been hurt.
Since they had apologized, dragging out the confrontation wouldn’t do any good.
Huo Tingzhou, however, fixed them with a cold glare.
"My wife is generous and won’t hold this against you. But next time, be more careful."
"There are plenty of elderly, children, and pregnant women in this compound. If you crash into someone at that speed, even if they don’t break a bone, they’ll still get scraped up."
The women paled. "Yes, yes, we understand."
They exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to leave just yet.
Noticing a group of older women whispering and glancing their way, Mother Huo loudly recounted what had happened.
The residential compound was like a small society.
If this wasn’t clarified, people might assume their family was throwing their weight around.
With everything settled, Jiang Si said, "It’s getting late, and Mom must be tired. Let’s go home."
"Alright." Huo Tingzhou’s demeanor softened instantly as he withdrew his sharp gaze.
He pointed to another alley. "Let’s take this path. It’s less crowded."
Even so, he didn’t let go of Jiang Si’s hand.
Mother Huo smiled fondly at the sight.
Only after entering the alley did she remember to ask, "Si Si, why was everyone rushing toward the military district earlier? Did something happen?"
"I think it’s about the share subscription."
"Share subscription?"
Seeing Mother Huo’s confusion, Jiang Si gave a brief explanation.
"Mom, the losses from the typhoon were quite severe for the Fourth Division. Right now, the military funds aren’t enough, so we have to raise money through collective share subscriptions to get the factory rebuilt first."
Mother Huo finally understood. "So it’s just pooling money together?"
Jiang Si nodded, then added with a smile, "Once the factory starts making a profit, they’ll distribute dividends based on the shares we subscribed to."
"Tingzhou and the others subscribed last time, and during the New Year, we got over three hundred yuan in dividends."
"That much?" Mother Huo couldn’t help but feel tempted. "How much did you invest?"
Huo Tingzhou replied, "Two thousand yuan."
Two thousand?
Now Mother Huo was truly shocked.
Good heavens!
They invested two thousand, and in a year, the dividends were over three hundred yuan.
That meant they’d recoup their investment in less than seven years!
A son knows his mother best.
Just by seeing the gleam in Mother Huo’s eyes, Huo Tingzhou could guess what she was thinking.
"Mom, it’s not as simple as you think."
Take this time, for example. The farm’s factory and production lines had only been operational for two years.
They were just starting to see some progress when the typhoon hit and wiped everything out.
If they managed to raise enough funds for reconstruction this time, it’d be fine.
But if they couldn’t, all the money everyone had invested before would be lost.
"I understand what you’re saying."
After a pause, Mother Huo asked the question that concerned her the most.
"A while back, I heard from your dad that the military assigned two units to Qiongzhou Island. Were they sent to help with the farm’s reconstruction?"
This wasn’t exactly a secret, so Huo Tingzhou didn’t hide it. "Yes."
"Well, there you go."
Mother Huo sighed. "Don’t think your dad doesn’t talk much, but he still cares deeply about you all."
Especially during the typhoon—he’d stay up in the living room every night until midnight, just in case the kids called to say they were safe.
So Mother Huo didn’t even need to ask. She knew the two units Old Huo had assigned to the Fourth Division must be the best!
After all, his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren were all on the island.
For something like this, which didn’t involve any principles, Old Huo had every reason to take it seriously.
Luckily, she had brought quite a bit of money with her this trip.
Thinking this, Mother Huo lowered her voice. "Jiang Si, I still have some money left. I’ll give it to you when we get back, so you can buy more shares when you subscribe."
Jiang Si said, "Mom, we already signed the subscription contract early this morning."
"Oh."
Mother Huo was disappointed but still unwilling to give up. "Can we add more later?"
Jiang Si wished they could, but it probably wasn’t possible. "Just now, I overheard some of the other wives mention that the farm’s reconstruction funds are almost fully raised."
"Almost fully raised?" Huo Tingzhou frowned and looked over.
Just earlier, the Division Commander and the political commissar had been so worried about raising money that they were practically tearing their hair out.
How could it be fully raised in just half a day?
