CHAPTER 405: 390 I DIDN’T WEAR ** LAST NIGHT

Jiang Jinghuai spoke in a deep voice: "Take it easy lately. If there’s any heavy lifting, just call me. While I’m home, you can boss me around however you like."

Tian Sangsang blinked blankly: "This sounds like treatment fit for a national treasure panda..."

His gaze slowly moved downward: "There might be a national treasure panda in your belly."

"Wow." Tian Sangsang touched her stomach, her eyebrows curved in amusement: "Did my genes mutate?"

How funny. Jiang Jinghuai definitely had a knack for cracking jokes.

Jiang Jinghuai frowned in displeasure: "Don’t joke around. Last night, I didn’t use... you know."

You really don’t need to keep bringing that up. Tian Sangsang cringed: "And?"

His expression became a bit unnatural, his ears slightly red: "Maybe something... happened by accident."

Uh... Tian Sangsang started sweating and barely held back her laughter.

So it all boiled down to this. No wonder he was acting so odd today! He really thought he was some kind of sharpshooter, confident in hitting the target on the first try. The first time worked out because the author needed it to push the plot forward. But now?

"Well," Tian Sangsang cleared her throat, looking at him seriously: "You’re not a naive little boy anymore; you’re already at a mature age. How are you still this fanciful? Believe me, there’s no way. Don’t overthink it. These things depend on perfect timing, circumstances, and chemistry. It doesn’t just happen casually." Besides, having one adorable child at home is already enough. She was in the prime of her career and wasn’t hung up on having another child. If it happened, great; if not, that was fine too. She preferred to go with the flow and not force anything.

"Fanciful?"

"Wrong word choice," Tian Sangsang quickly flattered: "What I meant was... confident." Overly confident.

Jiang Jinghuai’s eyes narrowed dangerously, "So you think I wasn’t serious enough last night? Too casual?"

"No," Tian Sangsang hurriedly shook her head.

"Actually, this isn’t about timing or circumstances—it’s about whether your man is up to the task," Jiang Jinghuai said confidently.

Tian Sangsang didn’t believe him. To her, his overt machismo didn’t make sense. It absolutely depended on timing, location, and people.

"Hungry? I’ll cook lunch. Don’t head home to eat at noon," she said, smoothly changing the topic.

Jiang Jinghuai hesitated.

Tian Sangsang clung to his arm and said softly, "How long has it been since I last cooked? My hands are itching—they might as well sprout succulents soon."

Jiang Jinghuai grabbed her hand, which she was waving around: "You sit down. Tell me what ingredients you need, and I’ll go buy them."

Enough with this guy!

"I’m telling you, even if there’s something, it’s no bigger than a grain of rice, so don’t overthink it. I’m coming with you!"

A grain of rice... Jiang Jinghuai had no idea how to respond to that. He nodded: "Alright."

After they returned from shopping, Tian Sangsang went to the kitchen. The factory kitchen was still functional, with decent equipment. She scalded the pot with hot water before preparing the ingredients. She washed the pork belly and handed it to Jiang Jinghuai to cut. She thought he’d be clumsy, but to her surprise, he cut the meat into evenly thin slices, perfectly balanced between fat and lean—thin as cicada wings.

Tian Sangsang froze, staring at him in admiration: "Jiang-ge, you’re amazing."

"I used to chop wood," he said lightly, his expression softening, "and I know my way around a knife."

Tian Sangsang felt regretful: "If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bought noodles earlier. I should’ve just gotten flour for you to knead into dough and cut into noodle strands."

Jiang Jinghuai: "..."

A bowl of homemade noodles was ready. It looked plain but gave off a warm, appetizing steam. Thin slices of pork belly, green vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and dried shrimp adorned the top. In this season, a heavily greasy dish wasn’t ideal.

Jiang Jinghuai slurped a bite of noodles, his gaze carrying a touch of nostalgia.

Tian Sangsang served a bowl to Xiao Lin, then returned to eat her own. Food she made herself always tasted better. At this moment, she only wished to finalize her plans and open her store. Before, she had always hesitated. Now, everything seemed clear. Once the shop was up and running, she could live there instead of frequently returning home. After all, Jiang Jinghuai was often stationed at the military base—she could just come home whenever he visited.

**

Over the next few days, Tian Sangsang stayed busy at the factory. Of course, Jiang Jinghuai continued helping.

They got the machines set up and even wrote to Chen Ying and Chen Ming, asking them to prepare as well. They also transformed a vacant plot behind the factory into a flower field. The next step was hiring workers.

Tian Sangsang didn’t need many—just three or four, since they were producing high-end goods and wanted to test the market first. However, hiring workers in Beijing wasn’t easy. Many locals worked in state-owned factories. For example, Hua Zifeng’s food factory employed only locals. Looking to hire workers proved to be tough, so Tian Sangsang turned her focus to outsiders.

But non-locals had high turnover. If they left soon after being hired, it would be a loss. What she needed were stable workers. At this time, there weren’t many outsiders in Beijing except for people from H Province, which was nearby and conveniently close.

**

Life continued in an orderly manner, and Jiang Jinghuai was still on leave.

Someone firmly believed that getting pregnant was a test of a man’s capability, so he "worked hard" every night.

Later, he got metaphorically slapped in the face—a hard, undeniable slap.

With solid proof, no less.

Tian Sangsang didn’t know if his handsome face was actually hurting, but watching him, she found the scene painfully amusing—heartache, liver ache, stomach ache.

For several days, Tian Sangsang felt a little off. She instinctively recognized it as a warning from her monthly visitor. Sure enough, a few days later, her period arrived on schedule—not early, not late.

That evening, she told Jiang Jinghuai: "Darling, you’ve got another holiday—seven days long."

When she flashed that mischievous grin, it always meant trouble was brewing.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Jinghuai asked solemnly.

"I’m granting it to you," Tian Sangsang said. "The reason is... my period’s here."

Jiang Jinghuai: "Speak plainly."

"It’s, you know... that time of the month."

As her words fell, silence filled the room.

After a long pause, Jiang Jinghuai blinked in confusion and murmured, "How is that possible?"

He seemed deeply shaken, unable to process it. The implication was: You’re pregnant, how could this happen? So why did it happen? The answer: She wasn’t pregnant!

Tian Sangsang had never seen such an adorably stunned expression on him before. Unable to resist, she teased him: "Why not? I told you from the start, these things depend on timing, location, and chemistry, but you’re just so confident. Well, look at you now—slapped in the face. Doesn’t it sting? Tell me, does your face hurt?"

Jiang Jinghuai wanted to say yes and ask her to soothe it, but seeing the gloating look in her eyes, he decided he couldn’t afford to lose any more dignity. He returned to his usual aloof demeanor, his gaze inscrutable, giving no sign of vulnerability or despair.

"Hey, hey," seeing him like this, Tian Sangsang realized she’d gone too far. After all, men were all about saving face. "Well, actually, it’s my fault; there’s nothing wrong with you. Timing, location, and chemistry—it’s a two-way street, not a one-way deal. If I mess up on my end, there’s nothing you can do."

"Hmm, as long as you admit fault." Jiang Jinghuai gave her a look that said "you’re very self-aware" and muttered, "You rest up. I’ll get it right next time."

Tian Sangsang: "..."

You really went and took the out I gave you? Do you even have any shame?