Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 5 The child is not my biological child
Jiang Man sat on the edge of the bed, feeling a little nervous at the thought of what was about to happen.

She had just caught a glimpse of it, and the shape was at least presentable, but she didn't know...

"Why aren't you in bed yet?"

The man's deep voice suddenly appeared, startling Jiang Man.

When Jiang Man looked up and saw Qin Yishen's puzzled gaze, she blushed with a guilty conscience.

"I'm waiting for you."

A smile appeared in Qin Yishen's eyes, and he couldn't help but look at his newlywed wife.

He's already twenty-eight years old this year, not young anymore.

At his age, let alone a first marriage, he already has kids running all over the place.

Jiang Man seems to have just turned eighteen this year.

Qin Yishen suddenly felt a little melancholy, realizing that he was a full ten years older than her.

"I have something to tell you." Qin Yishen sat down next to her and took out a bankbook from his pocket. "This is my bankbook. From now on, I will no longer send allowances home. My salary will be deposited into my account by the military."

"Give it to me?"

Jiang Man looked at the bankbook in her hand and felt it was burning hot.

"You don't know me at all. What if I'm just a woman who only knows how to spend money? Maybe everything I said to you was just to coax you and deceive you. Once you leave, I might abuse your child just like your brother and sister-in-law did. Aren't you afraid of that?"

Listening to Jiang Man's incessant questions, which seemed to be spitting out beans, Qin Yishen couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. Looking at Jiang Man's fair face, he only asked one question.

"Do you know?"

Jiang Man was stunned, but Qin Yishen answered for her.

"you will not."

"From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were different from everyone else, which is why I married you."

"There's something else I need to tell you. Shi An and Shi Ning are not my children; they are my comrades-in-arms."

Jiang Man felt that her state tonight could be described as one of constant bewilderment.

"Six years ago, I was on a flight mission with him when he had an accident..."

Qin Yishen's voice became hoarse; he would never forget the sight of his comrade-in-arms dying in a plane crash right before his eyes.

"His wife and two children were waiting for him to come home, but he would never be able to. His wife was in poor health and fainted upon hearing the news, passing away the following month."

“No relatives were willing to raise these two children, so I couldn’t bear to see them like this and adopted them. I have been taking care of them as my own children for many years.”

Jiang Man's eyes were red as she listened. Although Qin Yishen omitted a lot, she could imagine how tragically his comrades had died.

"I understand. I'll say it again: I will take good care of them and treat them as my own children."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yishen hugged the person tightly in his arms.

"Thank you."

Nothing happened that night; the only intimate act was the two of them sleeping in the same bed.

When Jiang Man woke up the next day, Qin Yishen was already washing up in the yard.

She glanced out the window and remembered what Qin Yishen had told her the night before.

"Xiaoman, I won't force you before you fall in love with me."

The man's promise still echoed in her ears, making Jiang Man once again realize that she hadn't married the wrong person.

But the thought of him returning next year limping made Jiang Man frown.

"Sister, sister..."

Jiang Man was reminiscing about her previous life when she suddenly heard a cautious voice.

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Shi An standing timidly at the door, with Shi Ning hiding behind him, only half of her face showing.

Remembering Qin Yishen's words from last night, Jiang Man felt even more sorry for the two little ones.

“Don’t call me ‘sister,’ you should call me ‘Mom’ now.” Jiang Man got down, squatted in front of them, and tapped each of their little noses.

"But Dad told us to call her 'sister'..."

Shi Ning said crisply, looking at Jiang Man with a hint of wariness in her eyes.

"Don't listen to him. Just call them whatever I tell you to call them. Say it once and let me hear it."

Shi An bit her lip, looking at the young and beautiful woman in front of her, and couldn't help but think of how the woman had protected her and her sister all night.

It doesn't seem so hard to accept...

"mom, Mom, Mom……"

Shi An's pronunciation was a little clumsy, but Jiang Man was still very happy.

Her two children from her previous life died young because the Lin family refused to help them. In this life, she is determined to protect them!
"Alright, go to the yard and find your father. Ask him to help you wash your face and hands. I'll go cook for you."

Upon hearing this, the two little ones immediately ran outside to find Qin Yishen.

Jiang Man was a master chef in his past life; otherwise, he wouldn't have made his fortune with a simple tea egg that's readily available everywhere.

After a quick wash, she started kneading the dough and mixing the filling. Listening to the sound of chopping meat coming from the kitchen, Shi An and Shi Ning both swallowed their saliva with anticipation.

I've eaten steamed buns before, but we always shared one between two people.

Jiang Man made two steamers of small steamed buns, and then made a steamer of large steamed buns.

The moment the steamer lid was lifted, a rich aroma wafted out.

Just as Jiang Man was about to reach out and take out the steamed buns, a pair of large hands snatched them away first.

Qin Yishen appeared beside Jiang Man at some point. Seeing Jiang Man looking at him, Qin Yishen's smile deepened.

"I don't know how to braid a little girl's hair, so you should do it."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man smiled and went to the yard to braid Shi Ning's hair into two pigtails.

After the braids were tied, Qin Yishen also brought all the steamed buns to the table in the yard.

Each xiaolongbao is plump and round, with a skin as thin as paper.

Shi An and Shi Ning's eyes widened in disbelief, and they swallowed hard in exaggerated manner.

Jiang Man gave each of them a pair of chopsticks and said with a smile, "Eat quickly and try my little steamed buns."

Shi An was the first to pick one up and put it in her bowl. She took a small bite, and the delicious broth instantly burst out, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

"It's...it tastes really good."

Shi Ning's eyes narrowed with happiness, and her voice came out indistinctly, as if each word had a soft, drawn-out tone.

Shi An was so busy stuffing buns into his mouth that he didn't even have time to talk.

Jiang Man served each of them a bowl of millet porridge, saying, "Eat slowly, there's plenty more. If you're not full, I'll steam more for you tomorrow."

"You sit down and eat too." Qin Yishen held her hand as she scooped the porridge. "I didn't marry you to be your maid. Let me do it."

Jiang Man slowly sat down, biting into a juicy bun, and watched Qin Yishen serve her a bowl of porridge.

Jiang He must have married a good man in her past life, but she didn't know how to cherish him. Otherwise, how could she have had such a good opportunity?

"After we finish eating, I'll take the child to school with you, and then I'll take you to the city."

Qin Yishen ate one small steamed bun at a time, but after only two, he turned to the large steamed bun.

Jiang Man's steamed buns were very big; it took him three bites to finish one.

Moreover, the skin is thin and the filling is generous, making it much tastier than the steamed buns served in the army.

"Going to the city?"

Just as Jiang Man was about to ask what they were going to do in the city, he heard the gate to his courtyard being pushed open.

"Oh dear, I'm late! You guys are eating so early? You didn't even tell me yesterday!"

(End of this chapter)