But she had no money.
She could only ask her mother-in-law for it.
Yet her mother-in-law kept making excuses to delay.
Now that school had started, Zhizhi still couldn’t attend.
With no other choice, Chun Xing, who had only attended school for two years herself, could only teach Zhizhi while waiting for her mother-in-law to provide the money.
But today, her mother-in-law finally laid her cards on the table.
She simply didn’t want Zhizhi to go to school!
This was something Chun Xing could not tolerate.
Though Chun Xing hadn’t received much education, she knew all too well how important schooling was.
She knew that with her own abilities, she couldn’t offer Zhizhi much help.
She didn’t want Zhizhi to end up living the same life as hers.
She also knew that education was Zhizhi’s only way out.
So…
As Chun Xing watched her mother-in-law’s retreating figure, she swore to herself—even if it meant another divorce, even if it meant risking her life—she would make sure Zhizhi got education!
…
Meanwhile, Amber watched her daughter, Hongying, return after chasing off that nasty old woman and shook her head with a faint smile.
Amber had four pups—three sons and one daughter.
Each had been named by Gu Jianing.
The eldest was called Thunder, the second Sharp Blade, the third Lightning, and the youngest, the daughter, was named Red Tassel (Hongying).
Of the four, Hongying was the most mischievous.
Amber and her pups had been sent to their home on Huansha Island first, tasked with guarding the house.
Their male owner, Sheng Zexi, had arranged for someone to regularly check on them and bring food.
That person had come today too, but this time, they forgot to close the door when leaving.
Amber didn’t mind much—after all, they knew how to close the door themselves.
But since their owners hadn’t arrived yet, they couldn’t go outside freely.
Lately, the pups had been going stir-crazy cooped up inside.
So today, Amber decided to play hide-and-seek with them.
Unexpectedly, halfway through the game, she sensed someone entering.
Amber immediately recognized the intruder’s scent.
It was that woman who often stood outside her sister’s house, cursing and grumbling. Amber had always disliked her smell.
But today, the woman had actually entered—and worse, she was stealing!
So Amber and her four pups gave her a good scare.
The most mischievous of them, Hongying, even chased her outside. They wouldn’t actually bite, but a little fright was more than enough.
“Mom, when are Xingxing and Yueyue coming?” Hongying asked, nuzzling against Amber.
“Soon, very soon. Probably in the next couple of days.”
“Alright, didn’t you all say you want to be military dogs? Let’s get back to training.”
“Okay!” At the mention of training, the four little ones—who aspired to become military dogs—immediately straightened up with determination.
…
Meanwhile, the family of four that Amber and her pups were waiting for—Gu Jianing, Sheng Zexi, and their twins Xingxing and Yueyue—had just stepped off the train after a day and night’s journey.
As soon as they disembarked, they were greeted by Sheng Zexi’s comrade-in-arms, Zhao Weiguo.
Zhao Weiguo appeared to be in his late thirties, with a sturdy build, honest features, and a warm, dependable demeanor.
When he caught sight of Gu Jianing and the twins, Xingxing and Yueyue, his eyes lit up.
He clapped Sheng Zexi on the shoulder and said, “You’ve done well for yourself, my friend.”
His wife was stunning—truly, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen among military spouses and female soldiers, even surpassing those from the cultural troupe. No wonder their two children were so exquisitely adorable.
“Come on, let me treat you all to some local specialties first. After that, we’ll take a boat to the island.”
Soon, Zhao Weiguo took them to a state-run restaurant.
Every region has its own unique specialties.
Here, the most distinctive delicacies were the tea snacks.
Each snack was served in a small bamboo steamer, exquisitely delicate and charming.
Xingxing and Yueyue were delighted as they tried the novel treats.
As they ate, Sheng Zexi chatted with Zhao Weiguo, catching up on old times. From their conversation, Gu Jianing learned that the boat ride from the local port to the island would take over two hours—a considerable journey.
But once they arrived on the island, it would be a whole new world.
Outside, the sky was clear and bright, seemingly perfect weather.
However…
While eating, Gu Jianing checked the real-time weather updates on her system and frowned when she saw the latest forecast.
The weather tracking covered an area as large as an entire province.
So, even though she wasn’t currently on Huansha Island, the distance wasn’t too great, and the map already displayed the surrounding weather conditions.
Gu Jianing saw on the map that along the very water route they were about to take from this port to Huansha Island, a heavy rainstorm would begin in just half an hour—lasting for four full hours.
“Brother Weiguo, may I ask—is there only one water route from here to Huansha Island?”
Zhao Weiguo had been engrossed in conversation with Sheng Zexi, so he was slightly surprised when Gu Jianing suddenly spoke up.
He paused but answered her question.
“Yes, currently, there’s only this one route.”
“And… if we encounter heavy rain along the way, will it affect the journey?” Gu Jianing pressed.
“Of course it will!”
“If it’s just light rain, it’s manageable. But heavy rain—or worse, a storm—would be bad. Visibility would drop, and if we got stranded at sea, that’d be even more dangerous.”
“But don’t worry, sister-in-law. There’s no way it’ll storm today.” Zhao Weiguo patted his chest confidently.
Gu Jianing fell silent.
Sheng Zexi, however, noticed his wife’s unease.
He knew she wouldn’t speak up without reason.
So he asked, “Ningning, did you notice something?”
Gu Jianing cleared her throat. “I’ve studied weather patterns a bit, and I think—within half an hour, a heavy storm will definitely hit.”
“I believe we should postpone our trip.”
Zhao Weiguo frowned, his initial good impression of Gu Jianing fading slightly.
Was this sister-in-law just making wild guesses?
The weather was perfectly fine—how could it suddenly storm?
Besides, she was so young and had never lived near coastal areas before. How could she possibly understand maritime weather?
She must be talking nonsense.
Most importantly…
“I’ve got some supplies to deliver, and they need to reach Huansha Island as soon as possible.”
That was one reason. But another was that Zhao Weiguo trusted his own judgment of the weather far more than Gu Jianing’s prediction.
Sheng Zexi could sense Zhao Weiguo’s skepticism toward Ningning.
Faced with a choice between his comrade and his wife, Sheng Zexi naturally trusted his wife’s instincts.
So when Zhao Weiguo expected Sheng Zexi to side with him—or even reprimand Gu Jianing—he was taken aback.
Instead, Sheng Zexi asked Gu Jianing, “Ningning, how long do you think the storm will last?”
“Probably around four hours.”
Sheng Zexi’s brow furrowed. Then he turned to Zhao Weiguo.
“Brother Zhao, if there’s going to be a storm, I think we should stay here for the night and set out for Huansha Island tomorrow.”
“What do you think?”
Zhao Weiguo hadn’t expected Sheng Zexi to actually believe his pretty wife’s words.
He said, “Well, I’ll have to go ahead. I’ll have to deliver the supplies to the island as quickly as possible. Besides, I really don’t think it’s going to rain.”
Let alone a storm!
Leave a Reply