Chapter 9 Going to the Movies

Seeing Lan Yuchu in the kitchen, Lan Yusui ran over excitedly with a bright smile on her face. She grabbed her second brother’s hand and said, “Brother, I only have half a day of school today. When I get back, will you take me to the movies?”

“What nonsense! Your brother is going on a date with your sister-in-law. It’s not appropriate to bring you along,” Qian Xiuying immediately shot down her daughter’s request.

Lan Yusui looked disappointed, then turned to her brother and shook his shoulder, whining, “Second Brother~”

But Lan Yuchu wasn’t someone who easily gave in, so of course he didn’t agree. Seeing she wasn’t getting her way, Lan Yusui let go of him and said, “I’ll go ask Second Sister-in-law. I bet she’ll say yes.”

“You come back here!” Lan Yuchu immediately stopped her. “Your second sister-in-law is still sleeping. She fell into the river yesterday, her body is weak, and she’s malnourished. She needs proper rest—don’t disturb her.”

“Then are you taking me or not?” Lan Yusui persisted.

Lan Yuchu, seeing no way out, finally relented. “Fine. Come back early. We’ll go shopping for a few things in the morning, and then I’ll take you to the movies in the afternoon.”

“Yay! Thanks, Second Brother!” Lan Yusui happily ran out.

Seeing her heading for the door, Qian Xiuying called out, “Aren’t you going to eat breakfast first?”

“I’ll eat out with my classmates—youtiao!” (fried dough sticks)

“Your brother bought youtiao already—come back here!” Qian Xiuying called after her, but could only watch her daughter disappear down the road, full of joy.

Just then, Lan Huaixi, the father, got up and came out. “You’re a women’s federation director—yelling like that, it’s not a good look,” he commented dryly to his wife after glancing at his son.

Qian Xiuying wasn’t having it. “Back when we were in the countryside, I had to take care of three kids and work the fields at the same time. If I didn’t raise my voice, how was I supposed to keep them in line? And you? You’ve never helped around the house. You’ve got no right to talk.”

“Dad—” Lan Yuchu greeted politely, trying to ease the tension.

Lan Huaixi gave his son a glance and nodded in response. Not wanting to argue in front of him, he held his tongue. He looked at the pot on the stove and reminded them, “Is the noodle soup done? I have to go out soon.”

Qian Xiuying pursed her lips and held back her retort, especially with her son around.

Lan Huaixi turned to Lan Yuchu and said, “Now that you’re back, take Xiaoyue out for a few days. And when you have time, go back to the countryside and pay respects to your grandparents. Xiaoyue’s been here for years now. She once said she wanted to go back and visit, but I didn’t dare let her go alone. Your mother and I have both been too busy. You should go this time and visit the folks for us.”

Lan Huaixi couldn’t go himself due to his position and responsibilities, and work had been piling up. He wouldn’t even be home now if he hadn’t heard his son was returning.

Lan Yuchu nodded. “Got it, Dad. I’ll take Qiyue back in a few days.”

Lan Huaixi, clearly proud of this son, nodded with satisfaction. He then lowered his voice and said, “Have a good talk with Qiyue. If she agrees, take her to live with you on base. You two can’t stay separated forever. She’s got no one else—you’re her husband. You understand?”

Lan Yuchu agreed to everything.

Even if Lan Huaixi hadn’t directly asked, he still knew everything that went on in the compound.

“The noodles are done—go eat. And you,” Qian Xiuying turned to Lan Huaixi, “stop interfering in your son’s marriage. They’re already on the edge of divorce, and you’re adding pressure? That’s just making it worse.”

Lan Huaixi glanced at her but said nothing.

Lan Yuchu didn’t speak either. He looked at his father—his hair had gone white. He was a soldier by training but had the air of a scholar. Those years of being sent down to the countryside had taken a toll; illness and hardship had worn him down. Now, watching his father’s back, he felt a kind of sorrow and helplessness. Always busy, always unwell—his mother had written to him saying the family missed him deeply.

He knew it was time to come home. Some things had to be faced eventually.

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Lin Qiyue was still fast asleep. Both Lan’s parents had gone off to work, and she was still in bed.

Lan Yuchu finished breakfast, took a shower, and came out—she was still sleeping.

He glanced at the clock: 9:00 AM. He couldn’t take it anymore.

He walked to the bedside, pulled off the blanket, and picked her up.

“Time to get up. The sun’s already shining on your butt,” he teased.

Lan Yuchu hadn’t expected her to sleep so soundly.

Half-asleep, Lin Qiyue furrowed her brows and lightly swatted his chest. Still groggy, she protested, “Don’t bother me… I haven’t slept enough. Just a little longer…”

Then she flopped back down.

She was always like this when woken up early for a morning run—whiny and unwilling to open her eyes. Normally, he’d let her off the hook because she was tired. But now it had been four hours.

Lin Qiyue tried to pull the blanket back up, but no matter how she grabbed, she couldn’t find it. Opening her eyes, she suddenly saw Lan Yuchu leaning in, his face very close.

“What are you doing?” she asked, startled, shrinking back instinctively.

Lan Yuchu simply scooped her up in a bridal carry. Clinging to his neck like a frightened little bunny, she asked nervously, “Lan Yuchu, what are you doing?!”

Without answering, Lan Yuchu carried her to the bathroom. Then, realizing she was barefoot, he brought her back to bed.

He still didn’t say a word—just kept carrying her back and forth.

“Lan Yuchu!” she yelled his name, practically grinding her teeth in frustration.

“Put your shoes on, go wash up, we’re heading out.”
Lin Qiyue frowned and couldn’t help but retort, “We’re going shopping, not going to war. You’ve completely ruined my mood! Don’t you know girls hate being rushed? Fine, just go by yourself! I finally got a good sleep, and you ruined it!”

She already had a bad temper when waking up, and now he was pushing her like this—her anger flared instantly.

Seeing that Lin Qiyue seemed genuinely upset, Lan Yuchu frowned in confusion and argued back, “You’ve been sleeping for so long already. Do you know how much time you’ve wasted?”

That one sentence made Lin Qiyue snap. She stood up barefoot, not even putting on her shoes, and shouted back, “It’s not like I have to go to work. What’s wrong with sleeping a bit more? You—”

She stood up too fast and suddenly felt dizzy.

“Are you okay?” Lan Yuchu immediately noticed something was wrong and helped her sit back down.
Definitely low blood sugar. Her brain hadn’t fully woken up yet, and getting that worked up made her light-headed.

“This is your fault—I’m having a blood sugar crash because of you!” she said, fully convinced it wasn’t her fault at all. It had to be his.

Lan Yuchu got up and said, “Lie down for a bit. I’ll go make you some brown sugar water.”

Lin Qiyue was now wide awake and not at all sleepy anymore. But watching Lan Yuchu, looking all stiff and awkward, she had to admit—he was the definition of a clueless straight guy.

She slipped on her shoes and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Just as she finished, Lan Yuchu came in with a steaming bowl of brown sugar water. “Here, drink this,” he said, handing it to her.

Seeing the steam rising from the bowl, Lin Qiyue nodded and gestured for him to set it down on the table. “It’s too hot. Let it cool first. Now get out—I need to change.”

“Oh,” Lan Yuchu replied, and as soon as he heard she was going to change, he suddenly remembered how she had cuddled him last night. Especially this morning—she was still hugging him, her fair skin peeking out… His face instantly flushed red.

Lin Qiyue picked out the nicest outfit she had, though it looked a little dated. The fabric was faded and yellowed from washing. The original owner of the clothes had been so frugal she didn’t even buy a new set.

When they got married, her mother-in-law had prepared some cloth, but it was just sitting there gathering dust—too stingy to use it for new clothes. In the wardrobe, there was only one dress, bought by Qian Xiuying when Lin Qiyue first came to the Lan family. But it didn’t fit anymore.

So she had no choice but to wear a blue top with a bold floral print and a pair of gray linen pants.

Lan Yuchu waited a long time in the courtyard. Lin Qiyue still hadn’t come out of the room. He was getting worried, but didn’t dare go in.
He knew girls needed time to get ready—they wanted to look beautiful before going out.

But still… wasn’t this too long?

Just as he steeled himself to knock, the door opened!

Lin Qiyue walked out with two neat braids, each tied with a silk ribbon. It was the first time Lan Yuchu had seen that kind of hairstyle—he felt so shy he almost couldn’t look at her.

“What?” Lin Qiyue looked at him standing at the door, staring but saying nothing, a confused expression on her face.

Lan Yuchu quickly covered up his embarrassment, scratching his head. “Are we ready to go?”

“Let me wash the bowl first.” Lin Qiyue brought the bowl to the kitchen and cleaned it.

Lan Yuchu stood behind her and said, “The breakfast I bought earlier is cold now. I’ll grab a snack for you on the way, and we’ll eat at the state-owned restaurant first. After that, we’ll buy clothes and come home.”

The way he said it—it sounded like he was just completing a mission.