While fighting, he kept staring at her: "I actually haven’t finished. No matter who you are, you are still my wife."
What does he an by ’no matter who she is, she’s still his wife’? So does this an he still doesn’t know who she is?
Forget it, talking to him is like chickens talking to ducks, or playing music to cattle.
Tian Sangsang took a deep breath and pulled her hand back. "You still haven’t told —how’s the battle going?"
Jiang Jinghuai’s deep eyes darkened, his expression unreadable.
Tian Sangsang let out a faint smile. "I get it. You can’t tell , right? Military secret."
"Thank you." He extended his long arm, pulling her into his embrace. His cheek brushed against hers. "Thank you for understanding . I will co back."
"That’s not for you to decide."
He pulled her back to create so distance. His dark eyes glimred with determination. "I will truly return... to see you all. No one can take my life away. I still want to do more for my country and my family."
Tian Sangsang remained unmoved. "Do you have pen and paper? I’d like to write sothing for you."
He held her hand. "Co inside, take your ti to write or say it slowly, either is fine."
Left with no choice, Tian Sangsang followed him inside, secretly annoyed at herself for not writing it earlier and bringing it along.
Upstairs, Jiang Jinghuai fetched pen and paper and said softly, "I haven’t touched your belongings."
She didn’t glance his way nor did she want to engage further. She sat on the bed, focusing intently on her writing. Jiang Jinghuai leaned against the wall, watching her. Both wore concentrated expressions. Once she finished, Tian Sangsang handed the note to him. "It’d be best if you burn it after reading. Believe it or not, that’s up to you. It’s just my suggestion."
Jiang Jinghuai lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes brushing down. His eyes grew darker and darker. "You ca all this way just to write this?" The content related to tactics and combat. For a woman, even one with grand ambitions, it still astonished him.
"No," she replied ambiguously. "I ca for peace."
To hope for less killing and more peace.
Jiang Jinghuai rolled up the paper neatly and carefully slipped it into his pocket.
He opened the window wider, gazing out at the distance. Suddenly, he felt an urge to light a cigarette. "Who doesn’t wish for peace? But if others won’t let us live in peace, we have to defend ourselves. Are we supposed to just sit there and take the blows like fools?"
"In self-defense, sacrifices are inevitable."
She asked, "Even knowing this, you’re still determined to push forward?"
"If I live, it’s a blessing; if I don’t, it’s an honor."
"Sangsang, we can’t see any mountains from here, but beneath the towering green mountains, how many loyal bones lie buried at our feet?" He sighed softly. "But Sangsang, I must co back. Otherwise, you’re sure to run off with soone else."
"That’s right." Tian Sangsang nodded indifferently. "I really am soone who doesn’t like loneliness. Life is short; even having one lifeti is a blessing, and I dare not ask for more. Why should I wait like a fool for soone who doesn’t trust ? Ridiculous! Others might, but I can’t."
He stared at her deeply for a long mont before suddenly pulling her into an embrace:
"But the children of the Jiang Family must never take soone else’s surna."
"Don’t touch like so rogue." Tian Sangsang was slightly annoyed. "Where do you think your hands are going?"
"I’m not a rogue. I’m your husband." His large, warm hand encircled her waist and caressed her belly. "I’ll just touch a little."
"You’ve done it more than a little already."
His voice turned husky, almost murmuring to himself: "Why can’t I touch it more?"
Yes, indeed, why couldn’t he? This was his wife, his child.
She was his rightful spouse... no.
The reality was that there had been no formal ceremony, no rightful marriage.
"Trust , when I’m capable, we’ll have a wedding. I know I owe you a wedding. Whatever you want it to be like, we’ll make it that way." He touched her face. "Okay?"
She muffled her response, the word "no" refusing to co out of her mouth.
**
Jiang Jinghuai soon departed for the frontlines, and Tian Sangsang received no news from him.
A few days after his departure, Zhao Chun returned.
That day, the shop across from Yipin Xiangju officially opened, with firecrackers popping loudly in celebration.
The plaque on their storefront bore the large characters: "Blooming Youth." It had to be said: the na was full of aning, especially in this era. It exuded confidence and vitality at every turn, sparking the imagination.
Recently, this store had beco a hot topic on the street. A new shop opening was bound to excite curiosity no matter how you looked at it.
Tian Sangsang had caught wind of the buzz too. The owner of that store was said to have co from Dongzhen City, where they learned about costics and skincare, and now they were specifically expanding into Beijing. They even had a strong backing here in the capital.
Their key products were skincare lotions and creams.
"Have you checked it out? The rose skincare lotion at Blooming Youth is quite similar to Yipin Xiangju’s, but theirs is only three dollars, while Yipin Xiangju charges five."
"Yes! I always thought Yipin Xiangju’s products were overpriced. Five dollars is considered a deal; so of their other stuff is even more expensive. Now with Blooming Youth here, it’s much better."
"..."
The chatter of pedestrians outside floated into Tian Sangsang’s ears.
The shop was quiet today. In fact, business at Yipin Xiangju had always been modest. Tian Sangsang’s approach catered to a higher-end clientele, with sowhat pricey items targeting the upper-middle class.
But now, so custors had clearly been drawn away by the new competition across the street.
Tian Sangsang stared pensively at the other store. This was far from her expectations. If she was going to do it, she wanted to do it big. The feeling of losing business wasn’t pleasant. As everyone knew, dostic costic brands in later eras often struggled against foreign ones. Late developnt and quality issues were major factors. Many dostic products yielded little effect, leaving consurs favoring brands from Korea, Japan, or Europe and Arica, despite differing skin types in Asia. She hoped to create sothing that could keep up with the tis and grow into a well-known brand.
However, in this era, skincare products were a luxury for those with financial ans. Makeup? Hardly. Most people went out bare-faced. If makeup was too heavy, others might even think you were strange. Back then, the demand for skincare and makeup was truly small. While people abroad focused on grooming and beauty, the priority here was still survival—an economic and historical reality that couldn’t be changed.
In Tian Sangsang’s ti, demand for skincare products only gradually increased. As for makeup, in first-tier cities, wearing it was a norm akin to being dressed; going barefaced felt almost like streaking. But in second- and third-tier cities, makeup remained limited to office workers and professionals—it hadn’t yet beco a universal practice.
While lost in thought, Hua Zifeng strolled in from outside, holding a small basket in one hand and casually slipping the other into his pocket. "Miss Tian, long ti no see~" he greeted her, smiling warmly.
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