During this period, Luo Zhiyong was not at home, and Fang Pingying had not been back either. Dust had settled everywhere in the house, which needed to be cleaned. Fang Pingying heated some water, tidied up by herself, and let Luo Zhiyong cook dinner. Returning in the afternoon, she had been busy until eight o’clock at night before she finally finished tidying up the house. She thought to herself that next time if Luo Zhiyong was to go on a mission again, she should cover everything at home to prevent this difficult cleaning. After the house was sorted, dinner eaten, and baths taken, by the time the pair were ready to go to bed, it was already around ten o’clock in the evening. The young couple truly felt as if a brief parting had made them newlyweds again. No sooner had Fang Pingying flung back the covers and lain down on the bed, Luo Zhiyong felt as if he had caught fire, quickly rolling on top of her. He lowered his head and kissed her. One kiss led to a cascade they couldn’t stem, and within moments, the room temperature seemed to spike. Fang Pingying missed him too, not as shy as usual, allowing him to gently caress her, allowing him to remove her clothes. Only a dim, yellow lamp was left on in the room; its soft light bathed their increasingly warm bodies and heavy breaths. Because this mission was exceedingly perilous, Luo Zhiyong even feared that he wouldn’t make it back; now that he was touching her again, he fully understood his feelings—it was unclear when, but this wife, whom he initially wasn’t satisfied with, had seeped into his marrow, starting to give him something to worry about. He held Fang Pingying, kissing her inch by inch, lingering in front of her, and only after she melted into a puddle did he slowly ease himself in. For some reason, it didn’t feel as urgent as when he missed her the most; he wanted to consume her bit by bit, claiming her, then savoring her delicately, grinding slowly, entering her deepest, for the longest time, feeling the warmth and tremors within her body... The next day, when Fang Pingying woke up, she habitually reached for the alarm clock on the bedside table to check the time and was startled—it was already ten in the morning. What was rare was that Luo Zhiyong didn’t seem to have gone out for training but was half-leaning against the headboard, watching her with a smile. Luo Zhiyong was reflecting on the scenarios during the mission outside. Every time they went on a mission, they always embraced the idea that they might not return at any time, and during particularly dangerous missions, the troops would even require them to leave letters for their families. In the past, when he didn’t have a wife, although he would worry about his family, this time his heart was not solely concerned but also vaguely afraid. Of course, he wasn’t afraid of sacrifice, but rather, he feared that if he were to sacrifice himself, she would become a widow. Suddenly, he felt that his wife had really drawn the short straw by marrying him. Seeing him staring intently at her, Fang Pingying felt a bit embarrassed and playfully covered his eyes with her hand, laughing, "What are you looking at?" Luo Zhiyong gently rubbed his hand against hers, smiling at her, "Get up, let’s go out and do some shopping this afternoon, my salary was paid yesterday." Fang Pingying’s hand tickled from his stubble, and with a light smile, she withdrew her hand, "What do you want to buy? We don’t really need anything at home for now." "We need to get you some new clothes. Look, the clothes in your wardrobe are still the ones you brought from home," Luo Zhiyong said, pointing at the closet. Yesterday, when he came back from his mission and was putting away his clothes, he realized his wife hardly had any, just a few cotton garments brought from home, quite thin, and the styles were much different from those of city folks. "No need, I’ve also bought some, but I’ve been too busy at the shop lately, haven’t had the chance to make them." Fang Pingying smiled, pointing at the package she brought from the shop that she hadn’t had the time to open yet. But after thinking it over, she did want to buy something, "Speaking of buying things, I actually want to purchase a sewing machine. After all, the one we have at home is juzi’s, and it’s not great to keep it here all the time." "A sewing machine?" Luo Zhiyong knew that a sewing machine cost over a hundred yuan, which was more than what his salary could cover. Fang Pingying knew what he was thinking. She wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him, "Don’t worry about the money, the shop’s business is good since opening, we can make quite a bit in a month. We’re a couple, why does it matter who earns the money? Isn’t it all the same? "Keep your money." Even as she said this, Luo Zhiyong still felt uneasy. With a pout, Fang Pingying shared her plan with him, "Why save it? Money is for spending, isn’t it? I’m even thinking about buying a small house in the city next month." "Buying a house?" Luo Zhiyong was startled. It seemed to him that his wife thought of buying a house as easily as buying vegetables. Fang Pingying explained to him simply, "Yeah, our pastries are selling well at Uncle Zeng’s department store, earning thousands in a month is not a problem. It’s better to invest the money into something for our home than just holding onto it." At this point, Luo Zhiyong was truly shocked. He had always thought that his wife earning several hundred yuan a month was impressive, but now she was talking about making thousands. With that kind of earning, he feared that if they ever had to talk about money in the future, it would become a complicated matter. He was a soldier with a fixed monthly salary. Although it was enough to live on, it wasn’t enough to become wealthy. Thoughts of buying a house were out of the question for him, but he couldn’t expect his wife, who was making money, to continue to live a hard life to accommodate him. Or rather, he couldn’t always be concerned about the money his wife earned because he couldn’t earn as much. That would not make for a happy marriage. So, after thinking it over, he accepted it. He should be happy that his wife was capable, rather than fixated on money matters. When it came to buying a house, he gave it serious thought and found himself in agreement with Fang Pingying, "If you want to buy a small house in the city, that’s fine. If I get off duty early, I’ll go to the city, saving you the daily commute. It’s too tiring." Fang Pingying nodded but felt it was unrealistic for him to travel between the military base and the city every day. She said, "It’s just busy for now. In the future, when things settle down, if Hong Lan can take care of the shop, I won’t need to go every day. Visiting every few days should be enough just to check the books. Besides, with Uncle Zeng’s deliveries every day, we have invoices. As long as the cash matches the numbers, we’re good." Luo Zhiyong nodded, "Yeah, actually I trust Hong Lan. She’s honest; she won’t do anything bad. I’m just worried about Fang Xiu, she’s not very sincere." Fang Pingying’s eyebrows knitted slightly, "Regarding Fang Xiu, I’ve thought it over. Let her work until Chinese New Year. Then we’ll see what she and Zhiyong plan to do. I think they might as well not come next year. Isn’t your mother at home eager for a grandson? It’s better Fang Xiu goes back early to have a baby." "Hmm, you talk to them when the time comes. It’s best to hire someone else who can be trusted for the shop, so you don’t have to worry." After speaking, Luo Zhiyong suddenly leaned in closer, lowering his voice to Fang Pingying’s ear, "Wife, when shall we have a kid?" Fang Pingying hesitated about agreeing, but Luo Zhiyong only listened to the first part of her sentence, pulled her into his arms, and said with a smile, "Then we’d better hurry up." Saying this, Luo Zhiyong burrowed into the bed covers, and the couple set about doing what couples do when they want to have a child... (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)