Jiang Guoguo once again clamped her hand firmly over her third brother’s mouth.
“You’ve been through two lifetimes of schooling, and you still haven’t managed to score a hundred!” Jiang Yuan, ever perceptive, grabbed his arm. “Let’s go, let’s go—off to school.”
Jiang Guoguo hung her head in dejection, her face full of resentment, as she reluctantly followed her brothers’ pace.
Those who adapt to the times are the wisest. In her past life, she had been the first to surrender to their gentle little sister-in-law. Having grown up surrounded by men, she loved cuddling up to her sweet-smelling sister-in-law—but unfortunately, try as she might, Jiang Guoguo couldn’t recall any details of those cuddles.
She turned back with a pitiful look, trying to bargain with her big brother through eye contact.
She didn’t want to go to school. She just wanted to play with her little sister-in-law.
But soon, she saw her big brother frown.
Jiang Guoguo was terrified. She immediately broke into a sprint and ran off.
Once they were far enough away, Jiang Yuan wondered aloud, “We remember things from a past life, and Big Brother didn’t even find it strange?”
Still, he thought—his big brother, after all, had seen it all. What could possibly faze him?
Jiang Qi and Jiang Guoguo didn’t think that deeply. They both wore solemn little faces, united in solidarity.
“Big Brother said we can’t talk about the past life anymore!” they said sternly.
Jiang Yuan shut his mouth, feeling a belated sense of caution.
Living in the military district, with so many eyes watching, they had to be even more careful with their words.
Jiang Heng watched their retreating figures fade into the distance.
In this household, only he could keep the three young ones in line.
By subtly probing, he deduced how much of their past-life memories they still retained. Jiang Yuan, Jiang Qi, and Jiang Guoguo only remembered their mischievous antics—they had no idea that not long after in that previous life, Ning Qiao had left this world.
Now that his memories of the past life had sharpened, he finally felt the reality of his rebirth.
At this moment, Jiang Heng vividly recalled the piercing pain from his previous life.
For Ning Qiao, and for his younger siblings.
Now, Ning Qiao was still alive.
His younger siblings hadn’t died or been crippled in seeking revenge.
Back then, he hadn’t done enough.
Fortunately, heaven had given him another chance.
Ning Yang had just finished his phone call and was frowning deeply.
His younger sister was ill, but his father had told him not to say anything—lest Chang Fangze and Jiao Chunyu, far away in Ancheng, worry themselves sick and lose their composure. Ning Yang had grown up honest and straightforward, rarely ever lying. Just now, on the phone, his heart had nearly leaped out of his throat.
Luckily, he was quick-witted, and his mother and wife had no suspicions.
But mainly, it was because they had their own troubles to deal with.
On the afternoon of the day he and his father had left Ancheng with Ning Qiao, Jiao Chunyu had thrown up. At first, they thought it was just anxiety. But by the next day, she was still retching miserably—even worse than their seasickness on the boat.
He had been completely clueless, not realizing what it meant. When Jiao Chunyu took the phone, he reminded her to stay warm and not put off going to the hospital.
But later, Chang Fangze said she suspected Jiao Chunyu might be pregnant…
Pregnant.
Those two words churned in Ning Yang’s mind over and over. It wasn’t until long after he’d hung up that his pace gradually quickened.
He hurried toward the guesthouse, eager to tell his father the news.
But just as he reached the entrance, he looked up and saw a tall, handsome man.
As the future brother-in-law, Ning Yang instinctively raised an eyebrow with keen intuition.
When they were about three or four years old, he and Jiang Heng had met. Their grandfathers, hoping to carry on the deep bond from the previous generation, had arranged for the two grandsons to become good brothers too.
But they seemed to be natural rivals—the moment they laid eyes on each other, they both turned their heads away in unison. And to make it worse, Ning Yang had burst into tears without any dignity.
So embarrassing—Ning Yang would never forget it.
It was precisely because of that grudge from twenty years ago that, as soon as his father mentioned marrying his little sister into the Jiang family, Ning Yang had immediately raised both hands and feet in opposition.
But although Ning Zhiping seemed easygoing and open-minded, once he set his mind on something, he could be quite stubborn.
So naturally, Ning Yang’s opposition was overruled.
Now, looking at Jiang Heng at first sight, Ning Yang couldn’t help but want to roll his eyes.
“You’re Ning Yang?” Jiang Heng asked.
Ning Yang let out a grunt through his nose. “Mm.”
“Ning Qiao just woke up,” Jiang Heng said.
Before Ning Yang could muster his brother-in-law authority, the news that his sister was awake made his face light up with joy.
He briefly asked about Ning Qiao’s condition and, upon learning that her fever had broken, let out a sigh of relief. But soon, he put his stern demeanor back on, his expression sour.
“I wasn’t in favor of my little sister marrying so far away in the first place,” Ning Yang said. “You probably know the situation, so I won’t go into it. My sister has always been delicate and pampered at home. You need to be mindful—when the time comes, you must—”
Ning Yang spoke slowly and deliberately, enumerating Ning Qiao’s daily habits.
Jiang Heng was also observing Ning Yang, and more memories from his past life surfaced in this moment.
In his previous life, he and Ning Yang hadn’t had much interaction.
After Ning Qiao’s accident, Ning Yang had rushed to Xicheng immediately. The weather there had been terrible that week, with a typhoon raging on the island. He had arrived battered by wind and rain, utterly disheveled. In just half a year’s time, he had gone from seeing his sister to facing her final farewell—the blow to Ning Yang was unimaginable.
At that time, Jiao Chunyu was already more than seven months pregnant. She had tripped and fallen in Ancheng late at night. Later, Ning Yang learned that she had been home alone, with no one to call for help, and hadn’t been taken to the hospital until the next morning. The baby hadn’t survived. She had watched her fully formed fetus slip away and fainted on the spot. One blow after another crushed the young couple. Jiao Chunyu couldn’t get past the trauma and asked for a divorce. On the way to get the divorce certificate, Ning Yang, dazed and distracted, didn’t notice a speeding truck and was crushed beneath its wheels.
At the thought of all this, Jiang Heng’s eyes dimmed.
But the Ning Yang before him was still standing there alive and well, putting on the airs of a brother-in-law to lecture him.
“Hey,” Ning Yang called out, displeased. “Are you even listening?”
“I heard you,” Jiang Heng said. “Ning Qiao has a weak constitution and needs extra care during seasonal changes. She has a habit of drinking a glass of milk every day, but she prefers it cold—you’ll have to remind her to drink it warm. Also…”
Ning Yang looked at him suspiciously.
Far from being cold and aloof as he had seemed from a distance, Jiang Heng’s gaze and tone were actually quite gentle.
He didn’t seem the least bit defiant?
“I’ll take good care of Ning Qiao,” Jiang Heng paused briefly before adding, “Brother. Don’t worry.”
Ning Yang: ???
The three siblings standing not far away: ???
They had run back to find their big brother for the house key. Their schoolbags were still at home, and without the key, they couldn’t get in.
But now—their big brother had just called someone else “Brother”!
The second, third, and fourth children of the Jiang family stared at their big brother in shock.
“What did you say?” Ning Yang was dumbfounded.
“I said, the malted milk and brown sugar are—”
“No.” Ning Yang interrupted him. “What did you call me?”
“Brother?” Jiang Heng said naturally.
Ning Yang was instantly overjoyed, his grin stretching nearly to his ears.
Come to think of it, even though he was the older brother, he was actually a year younger than his brother-in-law.
In that instant, Ning Yang unilaterally declared the twenty-year grudge between them completely settled.
Meanwhile, Jiang Heng sensed something was wrong.
He slowly turned around and saw his three siblings frozen like statues.
The moment their eyes met—
The three of them shot off like rockets.
Jiang Heng: …
Oh well. At least he’d won over his brother-in-law.
Whenever she had a fever, it always took several days to fully clear—this was Ning Qiao’s long-standing pattern.
Now that her fever had finally broken, and she could distinguish reality from dreams, cold sweat beaded at her temples.
The dream had told her clearly that she was a cannon-fodder supporting character in a period novel. Every detail felt so real—even the conditions on the island, which she hadn’t known before, were laid out plainly.
As she reflected on the dream, Ning Qiao slowly finished every last drop of the chicken soup Jiang Heng had made for her, spoonful by spoonful.
When Ning Zhiping later brought her a bowl of congee, she couldn’t eat another bite.
Having been raised with such care, his daughter was picky and had a small appetite. Ning Zhiping hadn’t expected her to drain the chicken soup Jiang Heng had brought. For a moment, he couldn’t stop singing the young man’s praises.
“Would you look at that—Jiang Heng really knows how to take care of people.”
After a moment’s thought, he added, “Well, it makes sense. The old man is advanced in years and needs attention to his daily routine and diet. And with three young ones who are all growing, it’s not surprising that Jiang Heng knows how to cook.”
“He’s often away on missions. His siblings usually eat at the mess hall or at the neighbors’ houses,” Ning Qiao muttered.
“Good then—you won’t have to learn to cook,” Ning Zhiping said, unknowingly echoing his wife’s thoughts.
He smiled and continued, “Did you meet his younger siblings just now? All well-behaved and obedient—they even greeted me. With so many children in the house, it’ll be lively from now on.”
Ning Qiao looked up at the ceiling.
Yes, she’d met them. They’d even called her “Little Sister-in-Law.”
But well-behaved and obedient? That was a lie!
Ning Zhiping watched his daughter, who seemed lost in thought. On the way to Xicheng, she had been cheerful, and when Old Master Jiang spoke of Jiang Heng, she’d shown genuine interest and wanted to know more.
Now, however, she seemed weighed down by something.
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