A stunning beauty arrived on the island; she invented everything from childcare to babysitting.

Shen Changle switched the backpack that was on his back to the front, and rummaged around inside until he pulled out a small boat.

This little boat is made of paper, but not the kind of folded paper boat that children usually play with. It's a bit like the one Song Wenyuan gave to An Ning, made up of different parts. However, because the child can't yet control her fingers flexibly, it looks a little rough.

This gift was obviously prepared a long time ago, otherwise there simply wouldn't have been enough time to make it in just one day.

Shen Changle presented the small boat to Song Wenyuan, her big, round eyes blinking: "Uncle, this is for you! Mom said that your job is on the boat we took when we came to the island. This small boat is modeled after the big boat you gave Mom. Will you like it, Uncle?"

Looking at the small boat, Song Wenyuan's smile grew even brighter.

He wanted to pick up his daughter, but then he remembered what the doctor had told him when he went to the hospital for a check-up a couple of days ago, so he decided to squat down and give her a big kiss on the cheek.

"Of course Uncle likes it! Uncle likes all the gifts Nier gives him!"

"Then can you be Ni'er's father?" Shen Changle asked the question again.

Song Wenyuan subconsciously looked up at An Ning and said, "Uncle is willing, but Mom has to agree first."

Anning was afraid that the little girl would say something she shouldn't, so she interrupted her, saying, "Didn't Mom tell you about this before? If you want a new dad, you have to wait until Mom divorces your current dad."

"Oh," Shen Changle replied disappointedly, then asked, "When will Mommy be able to divorce Ni'er's current father?"

"Let's wait for Dad to come back," Anning said.

Following An Ning, Song Wenyuan was also betrayed by his own daughter. The smile on his face faded, and he became even more determined not to reveal his identity in the short term.

"It's rare for you two to come to the county town, so shall I show you around?" Song Wenyuan asked.

But Anning refused him: "No, we're just here to buy some New Year's goods."

"Then I'll go with you! I also need to buy some New Year's goods."

"also."

"Do you have enough money for the New Year? If not, I can..." Song Wenyuan paused, then changed his words somewhat awkwardly, "Your husband hasn't been back for a long time, has he? You don't have a job here, and you're taking care of the child. If you don't have enough money, I have some here."

An Ning also noticed this detail, but she didn't realize anything was wrong. Her subsequent words were normal, and she just assumed that Chen Hai had said it offhand.

"No need, I have plenty left, enough for us."

The money they got from Song Wenying and Ma Cuihua hasn't even been spent yet, and the army has given them another 3,000 as a reward. The coupons are Song Wenyuan's entire quota from last year, plus the things that Regiment Commander Li sends from time to time. Even if they don't go out to buy anything, they can use it for a long time.

There are also the blueprints for the multi-functional bayonet that she sent over a few days ago, and the blueprints for the stun gun that she gave to Song Wenyuan but whose friend handed over to the army. Even if they don't have as much money as the first reward, the two together should be worth at least one or two thousand.

The jobs at that toy factory haven't even been counted yet; if it's sold, it'll be another huge sum of money.

It can’t be used up, it can’t be used up at all!

All this money, if she saves a little, would be enough for her to live on until the era of an open market economy!

Song Wenyuan gave the gifts his wife and daughter had given him to the old captain next door as hush money before going back to his own room to get the money.

Although his wife said they had enough money, he couldn't just go empty-handed. He had to buy some New Year's gifts for her!

After all, he's still pursuing his wife, so he has to make a good impression.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, even the most frugal family members are out buying New Year's goods.

Those who were short on cash would buy from the supply and marketing cooperative in town, while those who had more money would go to the department store in the county seat.

An Ning and Song Wenyuan had just arrived at the department store when they saw an acquaintance—Lü Hongyan, with whom they had rehearsed the New Year's Day program.

She was with the two military wives she was with. Anning recognized them, but couldn't remember their names.

Upon seeing Song Wenyuan, they immediately came over to greet him, asking questions all at once:

"Comrade Anning, is this your husband?"

"The whole residential area was curious about who your husband was, but we got to see him first."

"What a fine young man! He's already a battalion-level officer at such a young age. Your daughter is just like her father!"

"looks like?"

An Ning subconsciously looked at her daughter and Chen Hai's appearance.

Chen Hai has dark skin, while Xiao Ni'er, despite playing outside with the kids in the army every day, still has fair and tender skin. Even though both of them have good features, An Ning doesn't think they have any similarities.

Sometimes I feel that their expressions are very similar.

Now that she hears people say this, she compares the two people's facial features and they do look somewhat alike, but there are also some differences.

“Yes, it looks just like it!” The three nodded in unison.

An Ning shrugged: "It's probably a coincidence! I met this comrade when I first came to the island. He helped me a lot back then. I just happened to run into him today, so we chatted for a bit."

"Ah...that's it!"

The three men's expressions turned awkward, as if they had tried to flatter someone but ended up making a fool of themselves. They were worried that this might reach the ears of the person in question and cause some misunderstanding.

They immediately changed their tune:

"Yeah! But looking closely, they don't seem that alike. Maybe it's because good-looking people have similar features! I feel like Ni'er looks more like her mother."

"Yes, yes! They look very similar at first glance, but upon closer inspection, there are differences."

"You two continue chatting, we're going to go shopping first."

The three of them left in a hurry, leaving only Anning and Song Wenyuan with the child.

Song Wenyuan lowered his head, looking like a child who had done something wrong, and whispered, "Have I caused you any trouble?"

His voice still carried a hint of grievance.

The grievances were genuine, but the words spoken were not what they truly felt.

He is clearly the biological father of Xiao Ni'er, but he cannot reveal his true identity in front of his wife's friends.

However, when he heard the three women praising how much the child looked like him, he couldn't help but feel a little secretly pleased.

Which father wouldn't want his child to look like him?

An Ning once again smelled the fragrance of green tea emanating from Chen Hai, but this time it was truly unexpected.

Since Song Wenyuan hadn't returned for a long time, she couldn't openly date Chen Hai, so it's normal for him to feel disappointed under such circumstances.

"It's alright, these women are all nice people, they won't gossip."

Instead of hiding and avoiding people, introducing yourself openly to others will prevent them from having any ulterior motives.

"Let's go see what we need to buy."