Jiang Si knew that the man in the story didn’t care about her identity as the daughter of a capitalist family.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have traveled all the way from the south to the north of China just to find her.
But at that time, the Jiang family hadn’t yet been purged, and they weren’t married.
To put it bluntly, her existence hadn’t brought him any substantial consequences.
But now things were different. She had come to Qiongzhou Island, and once they submitted their marriage application,
they would be bound as husband and wife—sharing both glory and disgrace.
So it was better to lay everything out clearly in advance, to avoid future conflicts over these matters.
Jiang Si said straightforwardly, "Third Uncle must have already told you about my family’s situation, so I won’t elaborate."
"All you need to know is that the Jiang family is confirmed to be on the next purge list."
"Although my father and I have already signed a severance letter, everyone knows I’m the only daughter of the Jiang family."
"They might use my background against us later."
Jiang Si wasn’t entirely sure how much her capitalist family identity would affect him.
She could only make an estimate based on the period dramas she’d watched before.
"If we get married, you should be mentally prepared—you might be stuck without promotions for a long time."
"Your parents might also face some repercussions."
"You should think it over. If you can accept all this, then we can talk about marriage."
"If not, we can call off the engagement and part ways amicably."
"Aside from worrying about affecting me, do you have any other concerns?" Huo Tingzhou asked.
Concerns, no—but Jiang Si did have a few small requests.
Since they were already being upfront, she might as well lay it all out.
"I don’t cook, and I don’t like doing housework. So after marriage, I probably won’t be the kind of wife who’s ‘elegant in the parlor and capable in the kitchen.’"
"As for whether I’ll work in the future, I’m not sure yet."
Not unsure—unwilling!
If not for the sake of earning a living, who’d want to work every day? Jiang Si certainly didn’t.
Of course, there were exceptions. If the job was something she truly loved and aligned with her expertise, she’d be happy to give it a try.
After all, staying home alone every day would get boring.
What Jiang Si meant was: whether she worked or not, she wanted it to be her own decision, not something forced on her.
The last point was about lifestyle.
Jiang Si could promise to keep a low profile in public.
But behind closed doors, she wanted to maintain the same standard of living as before.
In short, her quality of life could only improve, not decline—though she’d need Huo Tingzhou’s help covering for her when necessary.
"Well, that’s about it."
"Think it over tonight. Once you’ve made up your mind, just give me your answer."
"If your only worry is about it affecting my promotions, I can answer that right now."
"I don’t care about that."
"As for the requests you just mentioned, I have no objections."
"You’ll keep living the way you always have—marriage won’t change that."
"And don’t worry about my parents. They’ve lived in Capital City for decades. They know how to take care of themselves."
Perhaps fearing that Jiang Si might feel burdened, Huo Tingzhou thought for a moment and added,
"The military and political systems are separate. Once we're married, you'll be a military dependent. It won’t be easy for anyone to target someone under the military's protection."
"Besides, even without this matter, I wouldn’t be promoted anytime soon."
Jiang Si looked at him curiously. "Why?"
"Because of age restrictions," Huo Tingzhou explained.
He was currently a regimental-level officer. The next promotion would be to deputy division level, where the average age for promotion was around 35. Even though he had accumulated enough military merits, he wouldn’t be eligible for another promotion for at least five years.
"Oh, I see."
At that moment, Huo Tingzhou suddenly straightened up and looked at her earnestly.
Before, he had always addressed her as "Miss Jiang" or "Comrade Jiang." He had never called her by her nickname in person.
So when he uttered the name "Si Si," his voice trembled slightly.
"Si Si, once the marriage application is submitted, there’s no turning back. Are you sure about this?"
Jiang Si understood his meaning. She was well aware that military marriages were designed to protect the servicemen, not the women.
But she had always followed her heart in everything she did.
If things didn’t work out in the end, so be it.
After all, life was unpredictable. She was willing to take the risk.
The wait was agonizing. Though Jiang Si had only paused for less than ten seconds, Huo Tingzhou felt as if each second dragged on endlessly.
Only when Jiang Si nodded and said she was sure did his heart finally settle.
"Then I’ll submit the marriage report as soon as possible. Once we return, I’ll take you to see the military housing. You can pick one you like."
Jiang Si didn’t have any particular preferences, as long as it wasn’t a cramped apartment.
Considering she had a space where she grew fruits, vegetables, and raised chickens, ducks, fish, and crabs, she said,
"You decide. But if possible, a single-story house with a small front yard would be ideal."
Huo Tingzhou hesitated for a moment. "Does it have to be a single-story house with a yard?"
Jiang Si was puzzled. "Is it hard to get approval for a single-story house?"
Strange. Weren’t people in this era supposed to prefer apartment buildings? Was Qiongzhou Island different?
"Not exactly. It’s just that our military housing area doesn’t have single-story houses."
He went on to explain. There was a saying in the military:
"The Navy gets temples, the Air Force gets buildings, and the Logistics Department gets the finest halls."
The phrase made it clear that the Air Force’s housing was mostly multi-story buildings.
Moreover, Qiongzhou Island experienced months of humid weather from late winter to early spring, making single-story houses prone to dampness and waterlogging.
With frequent typhoons in the summer, the military housing area was built uniformly as two-story buildings.
Each floor had five households, with two rooms per family and shared bathrooms and water facilities.
This was the housing arrangement for officers below the battalion level.
Regimental-level officers and above also lived in buildings, but they were standalone units, structurally similar to single-story houses.
The foundation was slightly elevated, and there was an additional small attic on top.
Though there was no front yard, residents could build one themselves—that wasn’t an issue.
Jiang Si’s eyes lit up. This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.
And so, the matter of housing was settled happily.
As it was getting late, Huo Tingzhou said, "Rest early tonight. I’ve already checked out the furniture and larger items in advance today."
"Tomorrow I'll take you to have a look. If everything checks out, we'll finalize it."
Jiang Si nodded and was about to agree when the voice of guard He Ping suddenly interrupted from outside.
"Comrade Su, what are you doing here—"
