Chapter 7 Mother-in-law Sends Money

Lin Qiyue had complicated feelings about this whole family.

With those mixed emotions, she finished her shower and came out to find Lan Yuchu still in the room.

She looked at him sitting quietly on the sofa—his silence was somehow incredibly awkward.

“Uh… I’m done with the shower. If you’re ready, you can go wash up now,” she said.

But in her mind, she was wondering—Are we really going to sleep in the same bed tonight? That thought alone made her feel terribly awkward.

“Okay.”

Lan Yuchu got up, took clothes from the cabinet, then pointed at the milk powder he had already prepared on the table.
“Don’t forget to drink the milk.”

Lin Qiyue was surprised—he had made it for her again.

Before she could respond, Lan Yuchu added firmly, “You have to drink it.”

Lin Qiyue: “…”
What is this, some kind of overbearing alpha male thing? But honestly, the fact that he made it for her at all was already pretty nice.

As that thought crossed her mind, she frowned slightly. Could she be falling for his looks and his job?
In the original novel, he ended up with the female lead, not her. They didn’t have any real emotional connection, and it was only a matter of time before they divorced.

In two more years, the college entrance exams would resume. She could work hard again and take the exams. She still wanted to pursue her own passions.
After all, since she was already here and couldn’t go back, she had to live on.

Even though this was a girl’s room, aside from a few sets of clothes in the cabinet, there was only one bed and two quilts.

She remembered Lan Yuchu didn’t have a pillow, so she took one out from the cabinet and put a pillowcase on it. Then she took out another quilt for him.

“What are you doing, second daughter-in-law?”

The sudden voice startled Lin Qiyue. She turned around and saw her mother-in-law, Qian Xiuying, standing at the door.

“Mom—I… I was just changing the quilt. It’s been used for a while, so I thought I’d air it out before using it again,” she said, scrambling for an excuse.
She couldn’t exactly say, “We’re sleeping separately.”

Qian Xiuying had been around the block—of course she could see through Lin Qiyue’s excuse. She knew the young couple didn’t have any real emotional foundation.

She walked into the room, took out a wad of cash from her pocket and some fabric in her arms.
“Here’s the 1,500 yuan your sister-in-law managed to return, and some fabric too. The ration tickets are in there as well. She’ll try to figure out the rest in a few days.”

Qian Xiuying looked at Lin Qiyue with genuine guilt in her heart.

Lin Qiyue took the money and looked back at her. Qian Xiuying then pulled out some more money from her pocket and explained,
“This is from me. When you got married, the ceremony was simple, and you didn’t get anything. Take this for now—when I have time, I’ll make it up to you. Don’t tell your sister-in-law or little sister, okay?”

“Mom, I can’t take your money. You should keep it,” Lin Qiyue refused immediately.

But Qian Xiuying didn’t give her a chance to refuse. She stuffed the money into Lin Qiyue’s pocket.

Just then, Lan Yuchu came out of the bathroom and saw his mother and Lin Qiyue talking.

Qian Xiuying immediately changed the subject. “Didn’t you say you wanted to air out the quilt? I’ll take it for you, and when it’s done, I’ll bring it back.”

She didn’t wait for a response and went to the cabinet, taking out all the extra quilts.

Lin Qiyue was stunned. Only one quilt was left. Everything else was gone.

She awkwardly scratched her head and explained to Lan Yuchu,
“I… I just wanted to get you a quilt. Then Mom came in, I tried to explain, and she… she just took them all.”

Lan Yuchu didn’t react much. While towel-drying his hair, he said calmly,
“It’s fine. One quilt’s enough. It’s not cold anyway—just right.”

It’s enough for you, Lin Qiyue grumbled inwardly. But what about me? We’re not seriously going to share a bed, right?

As if reading her mind, Lan Yuchu added,
“We’re husband and wife. Of course we’re going to sleep in the same bed.”

To him, they were married—sleeping together was only natural.

Lin Qiyue, on the other hand, was overthinking it. Sharing a bed means doing that… isn’t that way too fast? We don’t even know each other that well!

No, she had to make things clear. She looked up to speak—
—only to realize that he’d come out wearing nothing but pants. No shirt.

Oh my god!

She was instantly stunned. That body—she had only ever seen something like it online.
Perfect abs, those solid biceps that screamed security. Water droplets traced down his defined muscles and V-lines.
His Adam’s apple, his still-wet hair, the way he blinked water out of his eyes—he was practically seducing her.

Her face flushed bright red. Her body felt restless.

Afraid that Lan Yuchu would notice her reaction, she quickly looked away and pretended to tidy the quilt.

Lan Yuchu saw the fabric on the sofa and realized why his mother had come.
He asked, “Was it to help my sister-in-law return the money?”

“Yeah, she returned about 1,500 yuan. I didn’t even get to count it yet. Mom said she couldn’t come up with the rest today, so she gave fabric instead.”

Now that she had money again, Lin Qiyue felt more energized.

Lan Yuchu didn’t ask any more questions.
Even though Lin Qiyue looked frail, under the light her silhouette showed that the places he’d grabbed while saving her earlier… were actually pretty full.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, scolding himself for thinking such things.

“We’ll count it tomorrow. Come here—I’ll help you put medicine on.”

He was referring to the swelling on her neck from being hit earlier. Her face also had some bruises, though nothing serious.

“I can do it myself.”
“Come here?” Lan Yuchu’s voice carried a tone of command. Lin Qiyue, hearing it, didn’t dare to disobey. She put down the blanket in her hands and moved closer to him, sneaking a glance his way.

Lan Yuchu had already prepared the medicinal wine and cotton ball, motioning for her to sit down.
Once she sat on the sofa, Lan Yuchu carefully applied the medicine to her.
“Next time, don’t provoke those aunties. You’re so small—how can you beat them?”
Lin Qiyue wasn’t pleased to hear that and argued back, “Then what am I supposed to do if I’m bullied?”
“You fight back, but won’t you be the one hurting in the end?”

That one sentence shut Lin Qiyue right up, her cheeks puffed up in frustration, clearly not convinced.

After applying the medicine, Lan Yuchu held her arm.
“Ah~ that hurts!” Lin Qiyue cried out when he gripped her sore arm.
“Be gentle!”
“The gentler I am, the more it’ll hurt tomorrow!”

Seeing how pitiful she looked just now, Lan Yuchu had a thought.
He gently massaged both her arms and then glanced at her.
She pursed her lips in silence, clearly still feeling wronged.

He tried to sound her out, “Once my leave is over and I return, you’ll still have to face my sister-in-law alone. How about… you come with me as a military spouse?”
“Ah~”

Lin Qiyue was just about to fall into deep thought, wondering if this visit of his meant he wanted a divorce.
But then he talked about her going with him instead. She was stunned, unsure how to respond.

“You don’t want to? Well, that’s understandable. The conditions over there definitely aren’t as good as here. How about I rent you a place outside?”
He frowned after thinking for a moment, then said, “No, that won’t do either. It’s too dangerous for you to be on your own.”

Lin Qiyue stared at Lan Yuchu. In just one day, she felt like he was actually a pretty decent person.
So she asked directly, “Have you never thought about divorcing me and marrying the person you actually like?”

Lan Yuchu suddenly froze, looking at Lin Qiyue with disbelief.
How was he supposed to answer that?

The person he liked—he was already married. Now, he could only like Lin Qiyue.
His expression didn’t change much, but Lin Qiyue sensed something was off.

She then comforted him, saying, “I know you like Duan Yueman. She was also your mother’s favorite choice for a daughter-in-law. Once I settle down, can we get a divorce then?”

Lan Yuchu paused his massage and said calmly,
“I’ve never liked Comrade Duan Yueman. Don’t misunderstand.”

Lin Qiyue: “……”