Chapter 143

On the night of the full moon, Pei Jing boiled a large pot of water and carried it to the bathroom, asking her, "Do you want me to scrub your back?"

"No need, go out quickly. Granny will laugh at us if she sees this in broad daylight. I can wash myself," Zhi Xia said.

"Now you're shy. You weren't when you had a big belly and I had to wait on you," Pei Jing muttered before turning to leave.

Zhi Xia quickly closed the door behind him and went into her private dimension.

Even with a bathroom, it wasn't as comfortable as soaking in her dimension.

She had already filled the tub with water and added milk bath and rose petals before coming in.

After soaking for half an hour, she scrubbed herself for another full half hour. She washed her hair, which had grown to her chest, several times before she was satisfied. After not bathing or washing her hair for a whole month, she could scrub the dirt off her body.

She had no choice. The family dimension was small. With several people coming and going all day, even washing her face could be noticed, let alone secretly bathing.

It was different when it was just her and Pei Jing at home. He was at the military during the day. She could secretly bathe in her dimension and he would assume she had washed with heated water during the day.

When she emerged from the dimension, her whole body felt much lighter. She wrapped her hair in a towel before leaving the bathroom.

People accustomed to living in the south were very uncomfortable in the north. Their heads froze in the winter and roasted in the summer. Just the short walk from the bathroom to the house made her feel like the skin on the back of her neck would peel off.

Mats were laid on the floor just inside the door, with small blankets on top. Pei Jing sat next to the two little ones lying on the mats and fanned them, starting from their feet and fanning gently without tiring. Zhi Xia said, "Don't spoil them too much, or when Granny and Mother leave, you won't be home during the day and I won't be able to keep fanning them like this."

"You won't need to fan them every day. I've ordered an electric fan which should arrive in a few days. Just bear with it for now," Pei Jing said gently, still fanning. "It's not spoiling them. The weather is indeed too hot. I also got two mosquito nets. We can modify one of them to cover both of them."

He gestured with his hands, planning to modify it into one large cover to envelope both children.

Mosquitoes had appeared. They had to catch them for a long time every night before bed. Despite that, several bumps still appeared on the little ones, worrying the novice parents.

Zhou Granny and Zhou Nan returned from outside with baskets hanging from their arms full of ingredients, including vegetables and meat.

Vegetables like cucumbers and eggplants planted on the vacant land on either side of the door had ripened. The peppers and tomatoes weren't ready to eat yet. With proper care, they could eat vegetables from it continuously until autumn, drying any excess to preserve it.

Today was the twins' one month celebration. Zhou Granny and Zhou Nan would leave tomorrow, so the family was holding a feast to celebrate and see them off.

Even without inviting outsiders, Big Brother and Pei Meng still had to come, so seven people would need to sit around a large table. Fortunately Zhi Xia didn't need to cook, as Zhou Granny and Zhou Nan had been busy since the afternoon.

When An Zhiqing arrived, he brought a bottle of wine. The two little ones just ate and slept, surprisingly well behaved and not disturbing the adults' meal.

While they gathered happily, the atmosphere next door was frozen.

Ever since Shen Hongxing came to the military base over a month ago, Yang Jun had been living in the barracks and rarely came home. Even when he did come home during the day, he didn't stay long - just checking on the children before leaving.

This showed that he truly wanted to draw a clear line with Shen Hongxing and leave no chance for them to reconcile.

But Shen Hongxing hadn't mentioned leaving. They weren't husband and wife anymore. Their lives couldn't continue tangled together like this.

The military leaders had talked to Yang Jun about it several times already. Considering the situation comprehensively, they advised him to get back together with Shen Hongxing.

At this age, being single wasn't necessarily free. Once people reached a certain age, parents urging marriage aside, leaders at work would also urge it.

So during the time he was divorced from Shen Hongxing, Yang Jun didn't have an easy time either. Just the widows introduced to him were numerous. He truly didn't have the intention to remarry, but couldn't stop enthusiastic leaders from caring about his family.

Today, before coming home, Yang Jun contemplated for a long time alone. He wasn't talkative. In the beginning of their relationship, Shen Hongxing had taken the initiative more.

When he returned home, Shen Hongxing had just finished making dinner - simple stir-fried cucumber, eggplant, and eggs. It wasn't sumptuous, but the four children laughed happily around the dining table, a warmth seldom seen in their home before.

There was no denying Shen Hongxing had truly changed a lot after the divorce.

Even her appearance seemed better than before, reviving Yang Jun's first impression of her. But compared to back then, she had matured, worn down, and gained a touch of age.

It was only natural. She had given birth to four children and was in her thirties. How could she compare to her maiden days?

He had aged a lot too compared to before.

"You're home..." Shen Hongxing, who had been tending to the children, saw Yang Jun appear in the doorway. Joy flashed through her eyes as she went up to him, "You haven't eaten yet right? Come eat something quickly. The children have missed you a lot recently too."

Shen Hongxing was clearly somewhat nervous, afraid Yang Jun would reject her.

But this time, Yang Jun didn't refuse as usual. He sat down calmly to eat.

After the meal, Shen Hongxing happily went to clean up the dishes and utensils, but was stopped by Yang Jun. "Hongxing, let's talk."

Yang Jun didn't give Shen Hongxing a chance to refuse. He told Cui'er to take Yang Dawei and the two younger brothers out to play.

Yang Dawei still had a blank expression. Each time Shen Hongxing saw him after coming back, she hated that she couldn't fiercely slap herself twice. The two little ones were at an age of being greedy for food and play. When they heard they could go out and play, they ran out faster than anyone.

Cui'er was ten now. At this age, she vaguely understood many things, especially after her parents divorced and she lost the chance to go to school, hearing gossip from wagging tongues. She had become very sensitive.

But facing Yang Jun's dismissive attitude, she still went out.

Shen Hongxing also put away the smile on her face, sensing the coming conversation probably wasn't what she wanted to hear.

Sure enough, as soon as Yang Jun spoke, her heart shattered.

"Hongxing, you've been here to see the children for a while already. Staying too long isn't good either. Auntie Zhou is leaving tomorrow, so I bought you a ticket to travel back with them. It'll be good to have company on the road."

"Dad, can you really not give me another chance?" Shen Hongxing asked hoarsely.