Chapter 120: No Punishment, Only Reward

Chu Yue was still groggy but suddenly grabbed Lu Zhanlin’s collar.

She snuggled against his chest like a little kitten, then—her nose gently lifted and sniffed.

A clean, dry scent of soap pods.

Exactly the same scent as on Chu Yue herself.

Lu Zhanlin’s eyes twitched in disbelief. He never expected that Chu Yue was actually inspecting whether he had washed with soap twice.

If he hadn’t, would Chu Yue kick him off the bed again?

After all, last night’s shocking tumble—Commander Lu falling flat on his butt—was something he would never forget.

But…

Lu Zhanlin was a qualified husband.

So there was no punishment, only reward.

Chu Yue didn’t even open her eyes. Still half-asleep, she lifted her delicate nose to smell the familiar scent, then lightly brushed over Lu Zhanlin’s jaw.

Still drowsy, she reached under the pillow with a sleepy hand.

“Zhanlin… this… for you, Happy New Year…”

Like a magician, Chu Yue somehow produced another red envelope, this time for Lu Zhanlin.

But her way of giving it was special—she didn’t put it directly in his hand but slapped it onto his chest, taking a little advantage at the same time.

The red envelope pressed against his heartbeat, thump thump.

Lu Zhanlin raised his hand to touch the red envelope, which was quite thick, and silently raised his eyebrow, “I have one too.”

Chu Yue said, “Mm, we both have one.”

“And what about you?” Lu Zhanlin hadn’t planned to prepare a red envelope in advance. Even the one given to Lu Yuanbao was prepared by Chu Yue, let alone one for Chu Yue herself.

After all, couples giving each other red envelopes didn’t quite follow tradition.

Still, when Lu Zhanlin received this red envelope, he couldn’t deny he was happy—that warm feeling of being cared for and remembered.

Before joining the army, Lu Zhanlin was the middle child at home, with an older brother and a younger brother. The middle child often felt invisible; only his twin sister cared for him.

When the village was recruiting soldiers, his eldest and youngest brothers hid, saying Lu Zhanlin’s physical condition was the best and that he would definitely be selected. But Lu Zhanlin knew the real reason clearly.

His family wanted to get rid of him.

If he joined the army, not only would he consume less family food, he’d also get a monthly allowance.

Two benefits, one stone.

His family’s deepest worry was probably that he might die in battle and become a lost soul. So they arranged a wife for him early on.

It was this twist of fate that created the couple relationship between him and Chu Yue.

Someone never truly cared for had the most attachment to this kind of warmth.

Lu Zhanlin held the thick red envelope, running his fingertip over the red paper wrapping, his fingertip inexplicably stained red.

Because of their teasing, Chu Yue was a bit more awake but still tired and unwilling to open her eyes.

She lay in the blanket, half asleep, speaking to Lu Zhanlin.

“You gave me all your money. The house belongs to me. What do we need red envelopes for? Besides…” Chu Yue mumbled a yawn, “Aunt He already gave me one. I just glanced at it. It’s a government bond.”

Saying this, the corners of Chu Yue’s mouth lifted in a smile.

The amount on the bond didn’t matter—it was the thought that made her happy.

Chu Yue continued, “Keep the red envelopes for now. In the next day or two, you need to repay the money borrowed from Company Commander Xu. Even with your own brother, accounts must be clear. No matter how good your relationship is, this part must be settled properly.”

Lu Zhanlin finally understood why the red envelopes in his hand were so thick and asked, “You knew? Did Song Qi tell you?”

“No need for Song Qi to say it. I guessed.”

Lu Zhanlin had spent quite a bit on pork and a bicycle. Since he didn’t have money himself, he must have borrowed it.

The only person who could lend out that much money at once was Xu Feng, who believed in “If one person is full, the whole family won’t starve.”

Lu Zhanlin felt comfortable asking Xu Feng and didn’t feel embarrassed about it.

“Make sure you pay it back immediately, okay?”

“Okay, I got it.”

Chu Yue was a little absent-minded but still carefully reminded him. Lu Zhanlin, that tall and imposing man, obediently lowered his head and agreed.

Chu Yue’s voice grew softer and softer…

She murmured, “Don’t let Yuanbao eat leftovers at night anymore…”

Lu Zhanlin couldn’t help but smile. His eyelids grew heavy. With one arm around Chu Yue’s waist, he slowly closed his eyes.

It was a pity there was no wedding night celebration, but on a winter afternoon, lazily cuddling and napping with his wife was just as enjoyable.

…

That afternoon, Chen Fengying came by again. On one hand, she came to check on whether Commander He and Madam He had returned. On the other hand, she wanted to ask Chu Yue about going out in the wind and snow last night and returning so late—was it really just because of Wang Chunling’s matter?

When she entered the yard, she saw only Lu Yuanbao.

Chu Yue had let Lu Yuanbao go out and play, so he wouldn’t be bored alone at home. But Yuanbao didn’t like going out and preferred doing things at home.

He opened the three red envelopes he received today and took a quick look at the money, then put the money back in the envelopes. First, he placed them under his pillow but felt uneasy, worrying the pillow might fall off the bed and the envelopes might get lost.

So he changed spots and lifted the mattress, placing the envelopes underneath.

However, mattresses were changed very infrequently. If he forgot over time, that would be a problem, so he still didn’t feel reassured.

This troubled Lu Yuanbao a lot.

He paced back and forth in his small room until he finally took out a small iron box Chu Yue had given him before.

Inside the box were the scattered coins Chu Yue had given him when they last went to the market stall.

The coins and the three neat red envelopes were all kept together.

Although all money, Lu Yuanbao knew red envelopes were red envelopes, and money was just money—their meanings were different.

He shook the small iron box and could hear the jingling sounds inside. It made him happy.

Finally, he placed the small iron box on his desk in a spot where he could see it at a glance every day, bringing him joy every day.

After “hiding” the red envelopes, Lu Yuanbao left his small room and carefully approached another larger room.

He only peeked—just one glance.

The room was very quiet, and his footsteps were almost silent.

Lu Zhanlin hadn’t completely closed the door, leaving a small crack open.

Lu Yuanbao could just lie down at the crack and see inside the room. The bed was no longer empty—it held two sleeping figures.

He bowed his head—his mom and dad.

The adults were really sleeping in and being lazy~

Lu Yuanbao just looked once. Unconsciously, he smiled, and a faint dimple appeared on his cheek, showing how happy he was.