Chapter 123: Coax Him? Then Let’s Just Coax Him

Just like that, a few more days passed.

On the evening of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Zhanlin’s unit had been busy, and he returned home late. By that time, Lu Yuanbao had already been washed and put to bed.

Lu Zhanlin had assumed that Chu Yue would already be asleep as well. But when he stepped into the courtyard, he saw the lights still on and a shadowy figure cast on the window from within.

His wife was still awake—waiting for him!

That thought flashed through Lu Zhanlin’s mind, and the man, who was always composed and reserved, unconsciously quickened his steps.

The moment he pushed the door open, he saw Chu Yue sitting under the light.

Lu Zhanlin’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, and in a low, deep voice, he said, “Ayue, I’m back.”

Chu Yue had a notebook in front of her, a pen in hand, and was writing something quickly. The moment she heard Lu Zhanlin’s voice, she looked up right away.

She smiled brightly and said, “You’re back.”

Chu Yue quickly set down her pen, stood up, and walked toward Lu Zhanlin.

Lu Zhanlin froze for a second. S-s-she’s being this enthusiastic? Was she about to throw herself into his arms? That didn’t sound bad at all.

But… he hadn’t showered yet. After a full day of training, he was drenched in sweat. Would she be disgusted?

In the few short steps Chu Yue took toward him, countless questions raced through Lu Zhanlin’s mind. He even hesitated whether or not he should raise his arms to embrace her.

After all, his wife was being so proactive. As a husband, he couldn’t be too stiff and unromantic, right? That would be ungraceful.

Lu Zhanlin’s arm moved slightly, and his fingertips almost touched Chu Yue’s clothing—but she simply walked past him.

A gust of wind blew by, and the expression on his face instantly became one of disappointment.

From the moment Chu Yue had stood up, her attention hadn’t been on Lu Zhanlin, but rather on something behind him.

After walking past him, she reopened the door that Lu Zhanlin had just closed, stuck her head out to peer into the dark courtyard, and asked,
“Zhanlin, did you have a meeting tonight?”

Lu Zhanlin was caught off guard. “…Yes, yes, we had a meeting, so I came home late.”

Chu Yue continued her questioning, tilting her ear toward the neighboring house to listen for movement.
“I heard that Sister Song also attended the meeting tonight? Did she come back with you?”

“Yes, she did. This wasn’t a military meeting—it was for logistics and organization, so Sister Song was there too.”
Lu Zhanlin didn’t know why Chu Yue was asking all this, but as long as it didn’t involve classified information, he would answer anything she asked.

Chu Yue nodded after hearing that.
“Since you’re back, she should be arriving soon…”

As she spoke, her ears perked up. She heard the sound of a door opening and closing from the neighboring courtyard—it meant Song Hongmei had returned.

Song Hongmei had been stationed in nearby villages for the past several days. Afraid that the freezing weather might cause fatalities in those harsh conditions, she hadn’t been able to put her work aside. But now, she had finally returned.

Good. She was back!

Chu Yue’s eyes flickered with a spark of determination. Once she was sure of Song Hongmei’s return, she turned back inside and closed the door behind her.

As she turned around, she almost bumped right into Lu Zhanlin’s chest. Startled, she looked up at the man in front of her and asked with surprise,
“What is it? Why are you still standing here? Aren’t you going to wash up and get some sleep?”

Lu Zhanlin furrowed his thick brows slightly. His handsome face showed confusion.
“Were you waiting to see if Sister Song came back?”

…Well, yes.

Chu Yue instinctively wanted to answer. Her purpose tonight was to confirm whether Song Hongmei had returned. If she hadn’t, the next step of the plan couldn’t proceed.

But it was such an obvious thing—why was Lu Zhanlin even asking to confirm it?

Seeing Lu Zhanlin’s brow furrow tighter and tighter, with clear displeasure between his brows, he looked exactly like when Lu Yuanbao throws a tantrum.

Although Lu Yuanbao was usually very sensible and never threw unreasonable fits, he was still a child—he had his share of strange little thoughts.

So… right now, Lu Zhanlin also had some odd little thoughts in his mind.

A flash of inspiration crossed Chu Yue’s mind. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly shook her head and said,

“Of course not. I was waiting for you to come home.”

Lu Zhanlin’s brow immediately relaxed with that sentence.

Bingo!

So she did know what was going on.

This man, who usually seemed so aloof and mature, could actually be just like Lu Yuanbao, sulking when upset and needing to be coaxed.

Well, fine then. After all, she had lived longer than Lu Zhanlin, so if coaxing was needed, she’d coax him.

“Today, one of the sisters-in-law was asking me when Sister Song would be back in the compound. They all want to visit her for New Year’s greetings.
Since she’s our neighbor, they asked me to keep an ear out, and let them know as soon as she gets back.”

Chu Yue explained.

After hearing this, the last trace of displeasure in Lu Zhanlin’s chest vanished, and the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. His deep black eyes were warm and gentle.

Chu Yue then urged him,

“Zhanlin, I left your change of clothes in the bathroom—go wash up quickly, let’s get to bed early.”

Lu Zhanlin responded obediently,

“Okay. Thanks for your hard work, wife.”

Hearing him call her “wife,” Chu Yue repeated the word to herself again in her heart, whispering softly:

“This man is pretty smooth.”

…

What Chu Yue had told Lu Zhanlin wasn’t just a made-up excuse.

---

Early the next morning, Chu Yue took Lu Yuanbao and joined a group of the compound’s sisters-in-law in visiting Song Hongmei’s house to offer New Year greetings.

“Sister Song, even though it’s past the 7th, it’s still technically the New Year. We came to give you a belated New Year’s greeting—wishing you health and smooth work in the year ahead!”

All the kids bowed deeply to Song Hongmei to pay their respects.

Song Hongmei had always liked children, and she smiled as she brought out peanuts, sunflower seeds, and candies:

“Happy New Year to you too! Come on, everyone take some, don’t be shy!”

The sisters-in-law all regarded Song Hongmei like a leader—they didn’t dare get too casual, and they also didn’t allow the children to be too unruly. They just let them take a few treats and then sent them off to play so the adults could talk.

Chen Fengying said with concern,

“Sister Song, you must be exhausted. You weren’t even home on New Year’s Eve. The surrounding villages have such tough conditions—you really need to take care of your health. Eat more, wear more—your health is your capital for the revolution!”

Hearing this, Song Hongmei naturally thought of what happened on New Year’s Eve, and she glanced at Chu Yue.

She smiled and said,

“I’m not that tired—it’s not like I was doing it alone. There were others with me, and Chu Yue helped me out a lot.”

“Sister Song, we heard all about it! On New Year’s Eve, Chu Yue helped deliver a baby calf, right? I’ve lived 30 years and never seen how a cow gives birth to a calf. Tell us! How did Chu Yue manage it? What did the baby calf look like when it came out?”

As soon as this was mentioned, Song Hongmei burst out laughing,

“Hahaha… you really shouldn’t be so curious about something like that. It’s not a pleasant story.”

“Why not?” the sisters-in-law asked in confusion. They thought a cow giving birth should be like a rabbit having babies—probably very cute! Little calves must be adorable!

But Song Hongmei was laughing behind her hand, and Chu Yue was laughing too.

And their laughter… was very suspicious.