1970s: My childhood sweetheart ran away, and I turned around and married the wildest chief.

"I asked the doctor, and if you were to get an IUD inserted, it would require open surgery. You've had two births, five children, all vaginally, and recovered very well. Open surgery is such a major operation, it's very taxing on your health, and I don't want you to have to do it. But it's different for me; it's very simple, and it's over in no time. I rested in the hospital for a while and was discharged that same day."

Qiao Wanqing listened quietly, deeply moved.

Technology wasn't as advanced back then, and hospitals required open surgery for women. She didn't want to have that kind of incision, so even though the triplets were almost a year old, she still hadn't had the surgery.

Because they were triplets, the losses were huge. She spent almost half a year in postpartum confinement and recovery. After that, she came to Beichuan, while he went to work and never came back. In fact, the two of them hadn't been together for a long time.

Don't be fooled by her lack of reaction to Lu Mingzhou's earlier silence; she knew that if Lu Mingzhou were to actually do something, she would definitely refuse.

She was afraid of getting pregnant and didn't want to have any more children.

"Lu Mingzhou, thank you, thank you for understanding me!"

Qiao Wanqing hugged his waist and said sincerely.

She knew that it was fair for both husband and wife to make contributions. She gave birth, and he got sterilized, which could be considered reasonable. But the reality was that it was always the woman who got an IUD or a sterilization.

She didn't want to talk about fairness or right or wrong. She would be moved and grateful for anything done for her against societal norms!

Seeing his wife so moved, Lu Mingzhou chuckled and teased, "I knew it! You'd be moved to tears when I told you about this!"

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

He continued, "But honey, even if you're very touched, I can't be affectionate with you right now. The doctor said I need to rest for a while!"

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

Enraged, she pulled open his shirt and bit him on the chest.

"hiss!"

Lu Mingzhou gasped, "Wife, don't do this! If I can't take it anymore, you'll have to take responsibility!"

Qiao Wanqing let go of him, her lips curving upwards, and she laughed uncontrollably in his arms.

The two embraced each other, their love overflowing, whispering sweet nothings. But as they talked, Qiao Wanqing let go of him and moved far away from him.

Lu Mingzhou was enjoying himself when his wife suddenly ran off. He was stunned. "What happened?"

Qiao Wanqing: "It's hot!"

Lu Mingzhou: "..."

……

The next morning, when Lu Mingzhou opened his eyes, he found no one beside him. He got up and looked around; Qiao Wanqing had already brought breakfast to him. She placed a bowl of chicken soup in front of him, saying, "Here, drink it quickly!"

Qi Ya, who was holding the child, smiled and said, "Fourth Brother, you should drink it quickly. Your sister-in-law went to buy it before dawn this morning, killed and plucked it, and cleaned it for a long time. She specially stewed it for you."

"They added medicine to it; she said it was a medicinal diet, very nourishing."

Lu Mingzhou happily downed the drink in a few gulps. "Is there any more?"

Qiao Wanqing immediately took a bowl and filled it for him again, making Lu Mingzhou extremely happy.

After breakfast, he had some snacks. Lunch was still a hearty meal with lots of meat and fish, very nourishing. Dinner was also prepared by Qiao Wanqing herself, who took good care of Lu Mingzhou and made him feel very comfortable.

During this holiday, Lu Mingzhou enjoyed being pampered by his wife at home, which helped him recover his energy after a long period of absence. When he returned to work, he was practically flying.

Although life at home is wonderful, work still needs to be done.

With Lu Mingzhou gone, Qiao Wanqing returned to her usual peaceful life. The royalties from the publication of the third book, "Adventures in the Forest," arrived in her account, and she could buy a shop again.

However, after inquiring for a while, she couldn't find a suitable house. She started to wonder if she could expand her current shop, or renovate the one in Nanluoguxiang?

Qiao Wanqing came to Nanluoguxiang again, in front of her big house.

Standing on this street, Qiao Wanqing felt a sense of disorientation, because this place was different from her memories of her previous life.

She wasn't from Beijing in her previous life, but she had been to Beijing before, and she had visited Nanluoguxiang. But everything before her was very different.

In her memory, most of the houses on this street were single-story, but in front of her, there were many two-story mansions, especially those facing the street, which included hers.

That building is so big; if it opens a door on this side of the street, it will be a great shop in the future. This area will become a commercial street.

She has memories of her past life. After transmigrating, many things in this world match her memories, but many others are different.

Sometimes, she herself wasn't sure where she had traveled to, whether she had really returned to the past, or... changed to another time and space?

Qiao Wanqing took a deep breath. No matter where she was, at least at this moment, she truly existed. She had family, children, and her own life.

She opened the door, looked around the house, and thought about what it would look like if it could be expanded or renovated. After having a general idea, she went to the shop.

Miao Cuiying and her second son's family have been doing very well in business lately. They are getting better and better at it, and their business is getting better and better.

When Qiao Wanqing arrived, it was already afternoon. Miao Cuiying and the others had to get up before dawn every day to run their breakfast business. They would finish around nine or ten o'clock and then take a nap or have lunch. So Qiao Wanqing didn't bother them.

When Qiao Wanqing arrived, Miao Cuiying was picking vegetables under the big tree, preparing fillings for tomorrow, while Li Dongmei was taking care of the children.

"mom!"

Upon seeing Qiao Wanqing, Miao Cuiying smiled. "What brings you here? Did Mingzhou go to the army?"

Qiao Wanqing nodded, "Yes, it's just a few days of vacation. I'll go back after it's over. What about Mingyu and Mingyue?"

"They're inside. School's starting soon, so they should get ready."

Qiao Wanqing nodded and sat down to pick vegetables with Miao Cuiying.

"How's business lately?"

Miao Cuiying couldn't suppress her smile when she talked about this. "It's great! Before, we didn't have enough manpower at home, and we didn't even have time to go out and find more ingredients. Now that I'm here, your second brother and I went out and found a butcher. He does this privately. He goes to the countryside to buy pigs and sets up his own meat stall in the city. I have a long-term order from him, so we don't lack meat anymore. It's just that we don't have as many meat coupons, so the price will be a bit higher. Sometimes we can even exchange other rare coupons with him! In short, it's much more convenient than before."

When I first came here, I wasn't familiar with the surrounding area, so I didn't have any connections. Now that I'm more familiar with the area, I naturally have more connections.

Qiao Wanqing was happy for her, "That's good. I still have some tickets here. I'll bring them to you next time I come over. Tickets like those for trains and watches should be popular."

Miao Cuiying nodded. "This is hard currency; he'll definitely be happy with it."