Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s-Chapter 511 - 495 Iron-Boned Man (1)

The day before Mid-Autumn Festival, Tian Sangsang went shopping at the department store with her son and Jiang Jinghuai, planning to buy a few things to bring home.

Since it was the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets were crowded with people, and the atmosphere was warm and lively.

Tian Sangsang tried not to dress in a way that would make her look plump. She still had short hair and didn’t wear makeup, only applying sunscreen. She wore a loose chiffon dress, flat cloth shoes, and carried a small purse.

Naturally, the purse was in Jiang Jinghuai’s hands.

At the department store, after picking out a box of mooncakes, Tian Sangsang noticed Jiang Jinghuai staring into the distance.

There was a man smoking clouds of smoke. She teased him and gave him a light jab: "What’s wrong? Feeling itchy? Missing your good buddies again? Want to go have a smoke?"

Jiang Jinghuai gave her an innocent look and pursed his lips. "I quit a long time ago."

"Mom, I want that."

Since the family finances were ultimately controlled by Mom, Meng Shuyan was quite perceptive.

He was pointing at the display of lollipops. Unlike the ones from later times, these lollipops were colorful, fruity, and unusually long and thin.

Tian Sangsang had eaten them as a child and felt a bit nostalgic.

"They’re too sweet. Be careful or you’ll lose your teeth. We’ll buy just a few." Saying this, she picked up a bunch.

Jiang Jinghuai took one look at them. So much for "just a few"; that bunch contained more than twenty sticks.

At checkout, Tian Sangsang discovered Jiang Jinghuai holding a bottle of white liquor. What a guy, huh.

Since it was Mid-Autumn Festival, she felt in pretty good spirits and didn’t bother exposing his sneaky intentions. His lungs were much healthier than before. Plus, she’d just bought lollipops, so the two sort of canceled each other out.

Exiting the department store, of course Jiang Jinghuai was the one carrying their purchases.

Outside, a street vendor was selling popsicles, and Meng Shuyan’s cravings kicked in again.

"How much are these?" Tian Sangsang had already picked up on her son’s intentions—motherly intuition, of course. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

She stepped up to the vendor and asked.

Inside the cooler were stacks of popsicles, wrapped in red-and-white packaging that smelled faintly of milk. These popsicles, too, reminded Tian Sangsang of her childhood—they were far better than the ones from her space, with a rich milky flavor.

The vendor smiled. "Three cents apiece. How many would Madam like to buy?"

Tian Sangsang turned her head. Jiang Jinghuai had a face completely devoid of desire. All right, there’s no point expecting him to eat a popsicle on the street—he was cold as ice himself and didn’t need a popsicle to cool down.

She said, "I’ll take two then."

The vendor handed her two popsicles, and Jiang Jinghuai paid for them. Tian Sangsang was a bit surprised, not having reacted yet, when a pair of large hands appeared in her view and took away the popsicles.

He gave one to Meng Shuyan and held on to the other himself, though he showed no signs of wanting to eat it, staring at her with an icy gaze that felt as chilling as the popsicle’s cold.

"You’d better not eat anything cold, or the baby will get chilled."

Nonsense! Tian Sangsang naturally knew the rule that pregnant women should avoid cold foods, but it wasn’t a strict prohibition. She softened her stance and playfully pleaded, "Brother Jiang, I haven’t had anything cold at home—just this once! I’m craving so much I’m about to die."

Jiang Jinghuai squinted his dark eyes slightly and asked in a deep voice, "Does it really taste that good?"

Nodding fervently, Tian Sangsang replied with grievance, "It’s so delicious! It’s a creamy popsicle!"

Jiang Jinghuai retorted, "Creamy popsicles are off-limits too."

"I want it so badly. If you won’t let me eat one, how about just one bite?"

Seeing her pitiful expression, Jiang Jinghuai eventually softened, putting on a ferocious act: "Just this once."

Tian Sangsang immediately smiled brightly. Forgetting they were in public, she darted over to plant a kiss on him, saying, "Love you so much! Mwah!" and slyly snatched the popsicle from his hand. After all that talking and the blazing sun, it had already melted a bit.

The vendor watched the couple with envy, its sweetness unexpectedly making him feel a bit sour inside.

Embarrassed, Jiang Jinghuai pressed her shoulder, his ears slightly red, and lectured, "Hands to yourself—just eat properly."

"I didn’t use my hands or my feet. Just moving my little lips." Licking the popsicle, Tian Sangsang winked at him.

By this point, Meng Shuyan had decided to tune it all out.

**

"Move back! Move back! Everyone, disperse! Everyone, disperse!"

Several loud voices rang out as a team of uniformed policemen formed a cordon at the bottom of the department store.

Moments later, a girl’s sobs suddenly echoed from upstairs in the department building, faint and weak.

A man was holding a young girl by the window, lifting her high and yelling down below, "Nobody move! Back off, or I’ll throw her down!"

It was the third floor—high enough, with a drop of eight to nine meters.

The police team’s Captain Xu Zhengyang looked up and shouted sternly, "Don’t do anything reckless! We won’t go up there! Come down and surrender; release the child. That’s your best choice!"

It was a suspect. They had caught him during an illegal transaction—one deeply entangled in a larger case. He had managed to escape and had taken a passerby hostage as he rushed through the back exit into the department store.

A woman, impeccably dressed, was now bawling, "Manman, my daughter!"

"Captain Xu, you have to save her!"

"Don’t worry, we will rescue the hostage and give you closure."

Captain Xu urged, "Madam, please step back. It’s dangerous here."

The woman wiped her tears. "Please ensure Manman’s safety at all costs."

Chaos erupted in front of the department store, with people still entering and leaving. The abruptness of the situation had led to hurried and inadequate evacuation efforts, and the area was crowded with curious onlookers.

Tian Sangsang was among the crowd. She hadn’t even realized her popsicle had melted, tightly holding her son’s little hand.

She glanced sideways at Jiang Jinghuai, who was staring upwards intently, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.

Meng Shuyan’s mouth opened in a small gasp as he whispered, "Mom, that’s Manman."

Tian Sangsang looked down. "Manman—your friend?"

"Mm." Meng Shuyan had lost interest in his popsicle and was gazing worriedly. "We have to save Manman."

"Don’t worry." Tian Sangsang stroked his head and comforted him gently, "The policemen will save her."

She too watched nervously upward, quickly piecing together the situation. The suspect had taken a little girl hostage and was armed with a knife. The police were forced into a stalemate. She touched her round belly, sighed, and thought—if only she could move freely, she’d charge forward.

One officer tried to maneuver through the crowd to approach the suspect from behind.

"Don’t come any closer!" The suspect was enraged, shouting toward the ground, "Tell your man not to come any closer, or I’ll kill her right now!!"

The officer helplessly retreated. People inside were gradually being evacuated, and the stalemate continued, tense as a drawn bowstring.

Jiang Jinghuai handed the items he was carrying to Tian Sangsang and whispered in her ear, "Take Yanyan and step aside. I’m going in to save her."