CHAPTER 213: 203 WANTS TO RETURN TO THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

Jiang Jinghuai suddenly stood up, quickly grabbed a cigarette, and sat back down in the corner. In a low voice, he said, "Open your mouth and hold it."

Tian Sangsang obediently held the cigarette between her teeth.

The flicker of flame illuminated briefly, igniting the cigarette.

Tian Sangsang didn’t inhale it. Instead, she pinched the lightweight cigarette between two fingers, examining it curiously with a calm look in her eyes. "Let me tell you, I’m not smoking the cigarette. I’m smoking loneliness."

She took a bold drag, only to cough violently.

"Cough! Cough... cough cough!"

Jiang Jinghuai silently reached out to pat her back.

"Oh my..." Tian Sangsang jumped up in a flurry, throwing the cigarette to the ground. "Turns out loneliness is this harsh to the throat."

Jiang Jinghuai’s hand froze in mid-air.

Even after she lay back on the bed, she continued to cough.

"Mom..." Meng Shuyan turned over in his sleep, mumbling groggily.

Tian Sangsang froze in surprise, worriedly realizing they had almost woken the child. She quickly stood up.

These two irresponsible parents smoking late at night had nearly startled their son awake.

But someone acted before her—Jiang Jinghuai had somehow already reached the bedside. He softly patted the boy’s back, whispering gently, "Sleep now."

The little guy smacked his lips and finally showed no sign of waking, falling back into a deep slumber.

Tian Sangsang felt her tension dissipate and ran a hand through her long hair, muttering, "Maybe from now on we shouldn’t smoke in the room anymore."

"Alright," Jiang Jinghuai responded lowly.

**

The next day, Jiang Jinghuai went to his unit. Tian Sangsang decided to take Meng Shuyan to explore the vegetable patches and coincidentally ran into You Huixixi and Lin Dongni on the first floor.

"Big sister!" Meng Shuyan beamed the moment he saw Lin Dongni, his eyes curving into joyful crescents.

Lin Dongni, still as taciturn as ever, kept her head lowered, her long eyelashes the only visible feature.

Tian Sangsang naturally noticed You Huixixi’s disappointed expression and joked warmly, "Your Nini is truly stunning, just like you. She stands in front of me and looks just like a fairy." Nini truly was beautiful. If Xu Xixi could be described as adorably icy, Nini’s delicate frailness evoked an untouched purity, making people reluctant to interrupt.

You Huixixi, who had been childless for years and had always hoped her adopted daughter would grow close to her, seemed comforted by this. "I wish she did resemble me. When I adopted her, Nini was the prettiest among all the kids. Sangsang, are you just out for a stroll?"

"Yes."

Glancing around, Tian Sangsang remarked, "I noticed there are so many vegetable patches around here. I’m envious—if only I had one, I wouldn’t have to go grocery shopping so often."

You Huixixi replied helplessly, "Surely there’s a patch for you? Everyone gets one, evenly distributed among all the households."

"Really? Look at me—just arrived and haven’t thought to ask Jinghuai about these things."

"Men never bother with such things; it’s all handled by us women. Our family’s patch is under my care." Leading Lin Dongni by the hand, You Huixixi continued, "Come with me. These vegetable patches correlate with the houses; yours should be near Squad Leader Luo’s residence nearby."

"So that’s how it works." Tian Sangsang nodded in understanding.

It was still early morning, and several people were busy harvesting vegetables. Among them was Qin Lan.

"Huixixi!" Qin Lan greeted her enthusiastically, then addressed Tian Sangsang, "Hi there, sister-in-law." She held two large bundles of freshly cut chives.

Tian Sangsang nodded briefly.

You Huixixi smiled agreeably and explained, "I’m showing Sangsang her family’s plot since she just arrived and doesn’t even know where it is."

Qin Lan’s expression darkened slightly. She had long anticipated the day the rightful owner would reclaim the patch. Instead of suggesting it herself, she kept silent, waiting to see if they had the nerve to bring it up. But the day had come sooner than expected.

You Huixixi seemed unaware that Tian Sangsang’s plot was being used by Qin Lan. Eyeing the vegetables in the patch, she commented, "This should be your plot, shouldn’t it? Hmm, why are there already crops growing here?"

"This one?" Tian Sangsang squinted at the vegetables in the patch—chives, greens, cabbages. "Maybe Jinghuai planted them."

"Since you’re here now, this patch needs proper management. I thought Captain Jiang wouldn’t know how to grow anything, but surprisingly, look at how lush these vegetables are." You Huixixi chuckled, shaking her head. In her impression, Captain Jiang was unlike ordinary soldiers—if she had to describe him, it’d be "an elegant rogue."

Tian Sangsang smiled gently, a smile that seemed bashful in the eyes of others.

No way. Qin Lan panicked, pulling a forced smile onto her face. "It’s all a misunderstanding! Captain Jiang loaned me this plot earlier, and I planted these vegetables. I was just thinking of returning the plot to you, sister-in-law. The thing with these vegetables is—they’ll take time to harvest, and I worry they might go to waste if I pull them all at once. If you need it urgently, I’ll clear it right away!"

She squatted down quickly, her hands hesitant to act.

Tian Sangsang chuckled lightly, "You should’ve mentioned it earlier, sister-in-law—I thought these were Jinghuai’s vegetables. Thank you for managing the plot while I was away. Without you, it would’ve long been overrun with weeds. Don’t worry—I’ll plant a few things in the empty spaces first, and you can take your time to harvest what you’ve grown. A little each day—there’s no need to rush. After all, I’m not in a hurry."

Qin Lan suddenly felt disoriented. Tian Sangsang had come to reclaim the plot, but her tone unexpectedly transitioned into that of someone granting her favors.

With the plot situation more or less resolved—witnesses present—Tian Sangsang wasn’t worried Qin Lan would refuse to return it. She had wanted to explore business opportunities outside, but with Meng Shuyan’s injured foot and no urgent need for money, she temporarily shelved the idea. Her favorite pastime was wheeling Meng Shuyan downstairs to bask in the sun, walking Little Milk Tea as a form of exercise. Near noon, just as she was about to head back, she spotted Jiang Jinghuai from afar.

Jiang Jinghuai was walking alongside a woman. The tall man and slender woman—a handsome man paired with a gentle beauty—looked strikingly compatible.

The woman was Shui Lian. Tian Sangsang immediately recognized her. Shui Lian was still as beautiful as ever—no, be it wavy dark hair draped over her shoulders, sky-blue floral knee-length dress, or pristine white high heels, she appeared even more radiant than before, exuding a graceful charm in her quiet smile.

A stab of pain shot through Tian Sangsang’s heart, as memories surfaced—of Shui Lian standing beside Xu Yiyuan that day, wearing the same expression.

As Jiang Jinghuai and Shui Lian walked, they inevitably encountered Tian Sangsang standing still.

Shui Lian seemed slightly surprised and greeted warmly, "Tian Sangsang, it’s you."

"Didn’t expect to see you here," Tian Sangsang replied calmly.

"Didn’t Jinghuai mention me? I wouldn’t be here if not for his help." Shui Lian glanced at Jiang Jinghuai with a smile and turned back to Tian Sangsang. "I just heard about you two—congratulations on your wedding."

"You two know each other?" Jiang Jinghuai asked indifferently from the side.