In the study, Huo Jingyuan heard the commotion of people leaving. He set down his pen, stood up, and walked to the door, watching as Wen Ci saw off the little kids.

He then approached Wen Ci from behind with slow, deliberate steps, wrapping an arm around her waist and locking the door with his other hand.

The man’s hot breath tickled her ear as he blew a cool puff of air against her earlobe. Sensing her body tremble, he smirked. "It’s evening. Tell me, what does ’little tadpoles’ mean?"

Wen Ci: "..."

’And here I was wondering what this damn man was up to.’

’Turns out, he just wanted to know what ’little tadpoles’ meant.’

A smile played on her lips as she teased, "Mr. Huo, so studious?"

"Is there something wrong with being studious?"

But he recalled something Wen Ci had said—"Whether or not you have twins usually depends on how strong the man’s little tadpoles are"—and had a vague idea of what "little tadpoles" meant.

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Jingyuan swept her into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom. Once inside, the biting chill instantly dissipated, and their bodies grew much warmer.

"Ah Ci."

Huo Jingyuan began to speak, his voice rich and tinged with suppressed desire. His gaze burned as he looked at the woman in his arms.

"Let’s wait to have children, okay?"

Although they didn’t have children yet, he had condoms at home that were distributed by his unit. He just wasn’t sure if he would get used to wearing them.

"Why?" Wen Ci narrowed her eyes.

"Wait a few years. We’ll have children after we move back to Beijing."

The medical facilities in the Northwest were worlds apart from those in Beijing. As the Capital, Beijing had imported a great deal of precise and advanced medical equipment.

He didn’t want his wife to have to return to Beijing alone while pregnant.

That was why he wanted to wait a few years before having children.

Hearing this, Wen Ci understood his reasoning. A seductive smile graced her features as she asked, enunciating each word, "Mr. Huo, you’re thirty-one. In another couple of years, will the quality of your little tadpoles still be up to par?"

Wen Ci deliberately emphasized the words "little tadpoles."

"Why couldn’t I?" Huo Jingyuan asked, his face darkening.

His wife was doubting his abilities. He lowered his head and nipped Wen Ci’s earlobe, while his other, calloused hand stroked her waist.

The calluses on his palm brushed back and forth across the soft, pale skin of her waist. The man’s deep voice was laced with a smile. "Tonight, I’ll show you what it means when they say an old blade never dulls."

「Night fell.」

The dim room filled with the sound of their heavy breathing. Wen Ci wrapped her arms around the man’s muscular waist, her gaze landing on Huo Jingyuan’s chest. She freed a hand to gently stroke the spot.

"Does it hurt?"

Huo Jingyuan, who had been reaching for the condoms in the drawer, paused. He pulled his hand back and replied calmly, "I don’t feel anything."

He had suffered a much more severe injury on the battlefield ten years ago. He felt something the instant the blade plunged into his chest, but he had little memory of anything after that.

"Ah Ci, shall we continue?"

The man’s deep eyes were filled with burning desire.

Wen Ci’s eyes were hazy with passion. "Can we... not use one?"

She had heard before that condoms from the ’80s were poor quality and could easily get left behind...

"No."

The man’s voice grew eager.

-

「The next day.」

Huo Jingyuan stood on the training grounds for morning drills, looking both invigorated and utterly grim. Seeing his deathly expression, the Youth League commissar couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong? Why the grim face so early in the morning?"

Huo Jingyuan shot the commissar a glance and asked, "Do you know who invented condoms?"