"This isn't scientific."
"This doesn't make sense."
Shen Nanchu and Pei Zhengnian both exclaimed in unison.
Pei Yunzhou, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear.
"Second Brother, Sister-in-law, this is what they call 'couples share hardships and fortunes alike.'"
Bullshit.
Such a tiny probability couldn’t possibly happen to her and the male lead.
Shen Nanchu felt something was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Maybe she was overthinking it.
...
Dinner time.
Yu Lanhua had prepared a feast—three meat dishes and two vegetable dishes.
Aromatic braised chicken, sweet and sour fish, spicy stir-fried eggs that paired perfectly with rice, along with smashed cucumber and stir-fried sweet potato leaves.
Every dish was served in generous portions.
Liu Guodong and Wu Junliang, who knew a bit about the Pei family’s background, treated Father Pei and Grandpa Pei with great respect.
The meal was enjoyed by all.
After dinner, Pei Zhengnian took Liu Guodong, Wu Junliang, and Xiong Lei to the second-floor balcony for tea and a discussion about the spy case.
With their usual spot occupied, Shen Nanchu had no choice but to retreat to the bedroom and lie down.
Half-asleep, she felt someone lifting her.
The familiar scent told her it was none other than Pei Zhengnian.
Pei Zhengnian had been discussing the case with Liu Guodong and the others late into the night.
When he finally returned to the room, he found Shen Nanchu asleep in the rocking chair.
With a resigned chuckle, he carried his wife to bed and lay down beside her.
The moment she touched the mattress, Shen Nanchu woke up.
Summer was approaching, and the air felt stifling.
The room was uncomfortably stuffy.
If Pei Zhengnian weren’t here, she would’ve already pulled out the solar-powered air conditioner she’d exchanged from her system.
What a shame.
And seriously, was Pei Zhengnian part dog?
Why was he nuzzling against her like this in the middle of the night?
She wasn’t a plush toy.
It was sweltering.
Pei Zhengnian gazed at Shen Nanchu’s peaceful sleeping face and couldn’t resist inching closer, his eyes filled with curiosity and admiration.
Earlier that day, Wang Jianshe and four others had confessed everything.
Though the five of them had been exhausted from moving those heavy crates, Shen Nanchu had single-handedly subdued them with nothing but a fire poker.
That was no ordinary feat.
On top of that, Liu Guodong had recounted how Shen Nanchu had caught a spy on the train.
Pei Zhengnian couldn’t help but feel proud of his wife.
He just wanted to snuggle up to her.
(≧﹏≦)
Enough was enough.
If this human furnace didn’t have the self-awareness to back off, she’d take matters into her own hands.
Shen Nanchu pretended to roll over in her sleep—and swung her arm out.
Smack!
Her palm landed squarely on Pei Zhengnian’s handsome face.
(￣ε(#￣)
The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the quiet room.
Pei Zhengnian froze.
Shen Nanchu’s hand stung a little.
Why was this man’s face so damn thick-skinned?
A few seconds later, rustling sounds came from beside her.
Pei Zhengnian had gotten up.
What was he doing?
Was he going to sleep in another room?
Perfect.
Shen Nanchu secretly rejoiced.
But then—a cool breeze brushed against her.
(⊙﹏⊙)
Shen Nanchu fell silent.
Pei Zhengnian had been a little miffed after getting slapped, but when he noticed the fine beads of sweat on Shen Nanchu’s forehead, his irritation melted away.
She must’ve been too hot.
Pregnant women tended to feel the heat more intensely.
How would she cope when summer peaked?
Pei Zhengnian decided he needed to hurry and find a way to get an electric fan.
The breeze from the palm-leaf fan carried a hint of coolness.
Shen Nanchu did feel slightly better, but it was nothing compared to an air conditioner’s 720-degree coverage.
Pei Zhengnian’s fanning was one-directional and only aimed at her head.
She was suffering in silence.
(┭┮﹏┭┮)
Meanwhile, Pei Zhengnian was fanning enthusiastically, the picture of a devoted husband.
If Shen Nanchu found out tomorrow, she’d probably be touched.
What kind of man stayed up all night fanning his wife?
Pei Zhengnian could proudly say—in the entire Daliao Military District, he was the only one.
(‾◡◝)
The next morning,
The moment Pei Zhengnian left the house in high spirits, Shen Nanchu bolted out of bed and locked the door behind him.
She swiftly retrieved the solar-powered air conditioner from her space.
Ahhh, the blissful coolness~~~
Shen Nanchu sprawled across the bed, limbs stretched out in a starfish position.
Pure comfort!
By the time she woke up from her deep slumber, Pei Zhengnian and Xiong Lei had already returned to the military base.
Liu Guodong and Wu Junliang had left as well.
The Wang Family Village case wasn’t complicated—they’d already gotten to the bottom of it.
The only mystery was how the gold bars in the crates had turned into rocks, with fake gold bars layered on top.
Even Wang Jianshe himself couldn’t explain it.
But it wasn’t a major issue.
Wang Jianshe and the other four had been confirmed as leftover spies from Japan.
Following this lead, they were bound to uncover more hidden operatives.
...
With Wang Jianshe gone, Wang Family Village returned to its usual tranquility.
But the peace was short-lived.
A family arrived unexpectedly in the village that day.
No warning whatsoever.
Wang Jianguo called the county office for an explanation and was told that Liu Family Village had refused to take in any more "sent-down" individuals, claiming their quota was full.
So, this family, originally assigned to Liu Family Village, was redirected to Wang Family Village instead.
The higher-ups figured: Once they’re in your village, what can you do? Reject them?
Wang Jianguo indeed couldn’t refuse.
He temporarily housed the family in the ancestral hall, planning to find them proper lodging the next day.
The family’s surname was Zheng.
Father Zheng and Mother Zheng seemed like intellectuals.
Their son, Zheng Tongwei, appeared to be around Pei Zhengnian’s age, while their daughter, Zheng Qianqian, had just graduated from high school.
Hidden among the crowd, Jiang Shuyi stared at Zheng Tongwei, her lips curling into an uncontrollable smile.
Finally, they’re here.
Shen Nanchu, your days of happiness are numbered.
Let’s see how you’ll steal Pei Zhengnian from me now.
Her eyes burned with madness.
Unaware of the new arrivals, Shen Nanchu was currently in the cowshed.
After much trial and error, Zhang Qingfeng had finally succeeded in creating his tea-seed shampoo.
Shen Nanchu stared at the dark, foul-smelling concoction, her expression unreadable.
Zhang Qingfeng, however, was beaming with pride.
"Comrade Shen, let me tell you—after eighty-one failed attempts, I finally had a breakthrough and developed this tea-seed shampoo!"
"Don’t let its appearance fool you. It cleans hair incredibly well."
"Here, let me demonstrate."
He wet his hair, poured the shampoo over it, and—
Whoosh!
A wave of putrid stench exploded into the air.
...
