Chapter 17: Utter Regret

Qin Lie’s heart churned turbulently; he longed to confront Lu Mingyue and demand the truth, yet he knew that doing so would be tantamount to revealing his ability to hear her inner voice.

“I understand your urgency, but Mingyue must not find out about this,” Huo Zheng said succinctly, emphasizing the gravity of the matter.

Through his observations of the system and Lu Mingyue over time, he realized they were interdependent, inseparable, and seemingly bound by a confidentiality agreement—if the mission were discovered, it could be terminated immediately.

To avoid alarming anyone, Huo Zheng remained tight-lipped, pretending nothing had happened.

In conversations with Lu Mingyue, he carefully avoided any related topics; only by doing so could they continue undisturbed.

Since Lu Mingyue chose to marry him, it meant fate bound them together.

As her husband, as long as she did nothing to betray their country, he would protect her with all his might.

“Is the inner voice real?” Qin Lie’s eyes shone with hope. Hearing Lu Mingyue’s thoughts was already explosive enough.

If the child truly wasn’t his, he dared not imagine the consequences.

Huo Zheng looked straight at Qin Lie and spoke sympathetically, “From what I’ve learned about her recently, the inner voice is basically truthful.”

In other words, the child Qin Lie currently had was genuinely not his own flesh and blood.

Shaken deeply, Qin Lie staggered away.

Lu Mingyue glanced in the direction he left and asked Huo Zheng, “Comrade Qin seems to be in a hurry. Is something urgent troubling him?”

No sooner had she spoken than Qin Lie walked straight into a tree.

Fruits fell from its branches, striking his head, jolting him awake somewhat.

Huo Ming’s siblings exchanged a look—had Uncle Qin lost his mind?

Everyone else had left; now only the family remained outside.

“Let’s go home,” Huo Zheng said.

He approached the door and pushed, but it was locked.

Frowning slightly, he wondered if Aunt Sun hadn’t come today.

Turning to his son, he asked, “Did Grandma Sun come by today?”

Huo Minglei shook his head, “No, she didn’t come today, nor yesterday.”

Surprise flickered in Huo Zheng’s eyes. Two days without her visit—had the children eaten?

He hurriedly picked up his son to check and found his belly sunken.

Clenching his teeth, anger blazed in his eyes.

That Aunt Sun, taking advantage of his absence to mistreat the children like this.

Had he not returned in time, who knew how badly they might have suffered?

Huo Zheng bitterly regretted leaving the children at home. If only he had brought them along to see the outside world.

After seeking Huo Mingyao’s consent, Lu Mingyue took the little girl’s hand.

Noticing Huo Zheng’s concerned movements, she guessed the children probably hadn’t eaten.

“What vegetables are left in the house? I’ll cook later; you boil some water. After dinner, we’ll wash the kids.”

The two children’s faces were clean and fair, but their clothes were dusted with wood chips and dirt, with leaves tangled in their hair.

Though adorable, cleanliness was necessary.

Lu Mingyue valued hygiene; the children must be tidy.

Huo Zheng, usually busy with military duties and missions, was unfamiliar with the household supplies. Hearing Lu Mingyue’s words, he couldn’t recall what was available.

“Forget it, I’ll check myself. You go chop wood and boil water.”

Seeing his puzzled expression, Lu Mingyue guessed he didn’t know what was in the house.

She gently shook the little girl’s hand beside her. “Yaoyao, can you show me the kitchen?”

Her voice was sweet, her appearance pleasant, and her demeanor warm—easy to win children’s affection.

Huo Mingyao nodded earnestly and took her hand toward the kitchen.

The Huo family’s small courtyard was spacious, even by the standards of Sandstone Island.

Early in the settlement’s development, with few inhabitants, they had considered the practical needs of families relocating from all corners of the country and built generously.

Though mostly single-story houses, each had its own entrance, ensuring privacy.

Upon entering, wide open spaces stretched to the sides; near the south corner stood the outhouse.

Lu Mingyue took the opportunity to glance inside, breathing a slight sigh of relief—there was a separate bathroom and toilet, resolving the two most important concerns.

She was pleased to see the floors were entirely cemented.

Along the north side of the courtyard was a row of five rooms, including the living room and bedrooms.

On the east side stood the kitchen, with a separate storage room on the west side for miscellaneous items.

A large stove occupied the courtyard; Huo Zheng took his son to chop wood and boil water.

To accommodate residents, the housing compound had relatively complete infrastructure, even a unified water supply.

Led by Huo Mingyao, Lu Mingyue entered the kitchen.

Opening the cupboard, she was stunned—besides half a bag of flour, there was nothing else.

A clever cook cannot work without ingredients; what could she possibly make with just half a bag of flour?

She stood with hands on hips, feeling somewhat lost in the courtyard.

Suddenly, her eyes caught a flash of red beneath the lush green vegetable trellis.

Of course—she could make tomato dumpling soup.

Without hesitation, she set to work.

She searched the vegetable garden and picked two tomatoes and three cucumbers.

She wasn’t sure how Huo Zheng tended the vegetables—leaves grew abundantly but few fruits, so it took effort to find these.

As Lu Mingyue gathered vegetables, Huo Mingyao followed closely like a little shadow.

Remembering the gifts she had for the children in her bag, Lu Mingyue took one out and handed it to her.

“This is a gift for Mingyao.”

Huo Mingyao’s eyes widened in surprise as she gazed at the exquisite, beautiful hairpin, hardly daring to believe it was hers.

Such a lovely hairpin—was it really for her?

At her age, she was already aware of beauty and sometimes envied other children in the compound who had pretty hair ties and pins.

But she had never asked her father to buy any because she knew he was busy caring for her and her brother and had to work hard to support the family.

She could not and would not add to his burdens.

Lu Mingyue noticed her tangled hair and said gently, “After your bath, I’ll help you dry your hair and style it, okay?”

Huo Mingyao nodded earnestly. “Thank you, new mom!”

The little girl had little concept of a mother but longed for one’s companionship.

Compared to her brother, she was less resistant to the new mother, especially since Lu Mingyue’s gift touched her heart deeply, making her like her even more.

Lu Mingyue had no intention of forcing the children to change how they addressed her; she was no wicked witch. Such matters would unfold naturally in time.