Because of his subconscious action, Jiang Si's train of thought, interrupted earlier that evening, miraculously reconnected.
One can only say that a woman's intuition in such matters can sometimes be frighteningly strong.
"Did you go out this afternoon to buy me a gift?"
"You knew?" Huo Tingzhou's hand, which had been reaching into his pocket, paused slightly. He glanced toward the bedroom door. "Did the two little ones tell you?"
Jiang Si was fiercely protective of her children and immediately shook her head. "It has nothing to do with them."
After saying this, the corners of her lips lifted with a hint of slyness. "I wasn't sure before, but now... I'm very sure."
Huo Tingzhou smiled with understanding, then pulled a small, square velvet box from his pocket.
Thanks to the many times he had accompanied her shopping in the past, Huo Tingzhou knew a fair bit about Jiang Si's taste and preferences.
It was just that his pockets were light, and he still needed to keep money for the red envelopes. In the end, he could only afford this one.
He opened the box to reveal a delicate and exquisite diamond ring.
The band was set with tiny, scattered diamonds, and in the center was a grain-of-rice-sized blue sapphire. Its color was a deep, clear blue, just what Jiang Si liked.
Taking her left hand, Huo Tingzhou carefully slipped the ring onto her ring finger.
"The ring is a bit... modest," Huo Tingzhou said softly.
He had seen many diamonds in his wife's jewelry box before, some as large as pigeon eggs and in colors not limited to white.
Compared to those, this ring was truly insignificant. "You'll have to make do with this for now..."
Jiang Si understood his unspoken words.
However, the size of the diamond didn't matter to her.
Once the ring was on, she admired it carefully for a long while.
Jiang Si's hands were well-cared-for. Apart from a few thin calluses on the pads of her fingers and palm from holding a pen for long periods, her fingers were slender and fair, her nails trimmed neatly into a rounded shape, revealing a healthy pink.
Such hands looked exceptionally beautiful adorned with any jewelry.
When she had finished admiring it, Jiang Si looked up curiously. "Where did you get this ring?"
She was a native Shanghainese, born and bred. Was there any jewelry store in Shanghai she hadn't visited?
Moreover, the Jiang family had started out in the silver trade. When it came to gold, silver, and jewels, she had absolute authority.
Jiang Si remembered that currently in Shanghai, apart from the Friendship Store, the only place officially selling jewelry was the state-owned Shanghai Gold and Silver Ornaments Store.
This was the old Fengxiang Silver Shop, which had been nationalized in '52.
Now the store only sold simple gold jewelry, and purchasing required an introductory letter from one's work unit.
As if thinking of something, Jiang Si frowned. "You didn't go to the black market, did you?"
Although with his skills he likely wouldn't have run into trouble, that kind of place was a mixed bag. Given their family's current situation, there was really no need to take such a risk.
This was also the main reason why, despite having so many goods in her space, she had never sold anything on the black market.
"Didn't go to the black market," Huo Tingzhou replied truthfully. "The ring was bought at the Friendship Store."
The Friendship Store? Jiang Si was momentarily taken aback.
Well, with his current rank, he certainly had access.
"Do you like it?" Huo Tingzhou looked at her, a sudden wave of anxiety rising in his heart, until Jiang Si nodded emphatically. "Of course I like it!"
It was just that given the current social climate, she could only wear this ring at home. She would have to be careful when going out.
She didn't plan to take it off today anyway, since she wasn't going out these next couple of days.
Just then, the voices of the two little ones came from outside the door. "Daddy, can we come in now?"
They had been standing at the door for a while. Daddy had said he'd call them in a moment.
How come they had waited so long and Daddy still hadn't called them? Could he have forgotten?
Though it was a bit heartbreaking to say, Huo Tingzhou had genuinely forgotten.
He hurried to open the door. As soon as it opened, the two little ones, each holding a bouquet of flowers, rushed toward Jiang Si.
It seemed the experience of giving flowers last time had taught him a lesson. On this rare day when New Year's Eve coincided with Valentine's Day, he hadn't forgotten to buy her two bouquets.
For Jiang Si, the surprises received today were already more than enough, but the two little ones obviously didn't know that.
Suisui looked up, his eyes sparkling. "Daddy, isn't there a pretty poofy dress?"
Aunt Chris got married today. She had flowers, a ring, and a pretty poofy dress!
So he naturally assumed Daddy had bought a poofy dress for Mommy too!
Zhaozhao was already rubbing her little hands together in excitement. She also wanted to see Mommy in a pretty dress. She and her brother could even help hold the train!
This time they promised they wouldn't let the hem fly away~
Hearing this, Huo Tingzhou instantly looked embarrassed.
Seeing his flustered expression, Jiang Si couldn't help but laugh. She quickly smoothed things over. "Alright, alright, don't give your daddy a hard time."
The money Huo Tingzhou had was a fixed amount. After buying the ring and the flowers today, where would he get the money for a wedding dress?
To be honest, Jiang Si didn't have any particular obsession with wedding dresses, but then again...
"I really thought you had gone to buy me a wedding dress today."
Mainly because at the wedding banquet, he had glanced at Chris's wedding dress several times.
It was originally just a casual joke, but Huo Tingzhou's expression turned noticeably odd upon hearing it.
"You didn't really go, did you?"
Huo Tingzhou didn't hide it and nodded.
He had indeed gone to that shop, but there were no ready-made wedding dresses.
Moreover, the shopkeeper said custom-making a wedding dress would take at least a month.
Jiang Si wasn't surprised by this either. China had stopped producing fabric specifically for wedding dresses a long time ago.
Besides the wait time for customization, purchasing also required approval procedures.
In short, it was as troublesome as it could be.
Since both Mom and Dad said so, the two little ones could only give up on the idea, though they still felt a bit regretful.
As they went downstairs, the two of them sighed in unison, their tone full of melancholy.
"Why didn't you invite us to Mommy and Daddy's wedding?"
They had been part of many important occasions in life. Why weren't they invited to the wedding?
Hearing this, Jiang Si couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. Invite them to the wedding? Was that right? Was that appropriate?
Jiang Si didn't know where such a deep fixation came from at their young age.
But as the saying goes, it's the New Year. Since the children had this wish, as their mother, she naturally wanted to fulfill it.
Jiang Si absolutely did not mention that she herself also wanted to wear a pretty dress. She patted the two little ones' heads and said with a smile, "Then wait for Mommy for a bit."
With that, she headed straight for the basement.
Seeing their mother's mysterious demeanor, the two little ones' curiosity was instantly piqued.
They looked at each other, took one step with their short little legs, but before the other foot could follow, they suddenly found their whole bodies lifted into the air.
"Daddy, what are you doing?" The two little ones were full of questions, their short legs forgetting to pedal in mid-air.
Why was he stopping them? They wanted to go find Mommy!
The two little ones still didn't know about the secret passage in the house, and Huo Tingzhou had no plans to tell them for the time being.
The children may be clever by nature, but their age is a factor. If they were to accidentally let something slip to someone, the consequences could be unthinkable.
So, she tucked one child under each arm. "Mommy has a surprise for you later. Be good and wait here for a bit, give Mommy some time to get it ready."
