Chapter 7

After leaving the compound, Xu Nan’s family drove home.

The Xu patriarch had three sons in total. Nowadays, the old man lived in Beijing with his eldest son, who held a government post. The second son, Xu Jin’s father, had already sacrificed his life in service. Xu Nan’s father, the youngest of the three brothers, was the least distinguished.

He had neither the official influence and standing of his eldest brother nor the military achievements of his second brother. He only relied on his father’s and brothers’ support to hold a cushy position in the provincial supplies department.

Compared to ordinary people, his lot was already enviable, but when measured against the other two branches of the family, he lacked confidence.

The car Xu Nan was driving was newly purchased, polished until it gleamed. In the back seat, Lin Li had already soothed her son:

“Good boy, from now on we won’t go visit that bad aunt anymore.”

But in the next moment, she heard her son say carelessly:

“It’s okay, anyway, I already kicked her once.”

Lin Li froze—she hadn’t expected it really was her son.

Puzzled, she asked, “Why would you do that, sweetheart?”

Xu Yuan pouted. “Didn’t you and dad say that bad aunt was a wicked person? If it weren’t for her, Sister Anya would have been my aunt. She’s the one who made Sister Anya leave. I was just helping Sister Anya get revenge.”

Only then did Lin Li understand, and she even chuckled. “Oh, you really like Sister Anya, don’t you?”

Xu Yuan immediately nodded. “Sister Anya is gentle, and she buys me treats. I want her to be my aunt.”

Lin Li said no more.

Truth be told, she didn’t much like that Anya either. She seemed cheerful and carefree, but in truth she had plenty of little schemes. Besides, she had originally been set up with Xu Ling, who later died in service.

Afterward, Xu Jin often looked after her, mostly because his late twin brother had entrusted her to him. But Anya clung like dodder, as though she wanted to latch onto Xu Jin instead.

To be fair, Anya had never offended Lin Li—she always addressed her gently as “sister-in-law.” But for reasons she couldn’t explain, Lin Li just felt uncomfortable seeing her.

Still, she was far preferable to that so-called “former capitalist young lady.” What nonsense—only decadent bourgeois families could raise such pretentious women.

“That Song Nian really doesn’t compare to Anya,” Lin Li muttered.

Xu Nan, keeping his eyes on the road, said, “Enough. Stop talking. Xu Jin is already married.”

Lin Li pouted. “So what if he’s married? Divorce is common these days.”

Xu Nan sighed helplessly. “But Anya was Ah Ling’s intended. For his twin to take her instead… that just doesn’t sit right.”

Lin Li disagreed. “And what of it? Ah Ling is gone. Besides, these past two years Ah Jin has looked after her a lot. They’re twins—if they did end up together, it would be a kind of fated love story.”

Xu Nan shook his head. “If Ah Jin had any feelings for her, he wouldn’t have married the Song family’s daughter.”

Lin Li spat. “What ‘Song family’s daughter’? Just a pretentious relic of the bourgeoisie, a parasite…”

“Enough. Watch your words. You know full well it was your son making trouble just now,” Xu Nan cut in.

Then he turned to his son in admonishment: “Ah Yuan, no matter what, children must not lie. Do you understand?”

Xu Yuan immediately pouted in dissatisfaction, and Lin Li hugged him protectively, snapping at her husband:

“He’s just a child! What are you scolding him for?”

…………

Song Nian, meanwhile, spent almost the entire day asleep, unwilling to do anything. It wasn’t until Aunt Zhou came upstairs to call her for dinner that she finally woke.

When she went down, Xue Suwan was already seated at the table. Seeing her, she said coolly:

“I thought your temper was so big you weren’t even going to eat dinner.”

“Mom, I’m not angry.”

Song Nian sat down. “It’s just that my period came. I’m not feeling well.”

Xue Suwan paused, then said to Aunt Zhou: “Sister Zhou, later make some red-date longan soup for Xiao Song and send it up to her.”

“Alright.”

Glancing at her mother-in-law, who was eating slowly with lowered eyes, Song Nian offered gently, “Thank you, Mom.”

Xue Suwan pursed her lips. “If you’d just hurry up and get pregnant, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this for ten-odd months.”

Song Nian: …

So in the end, it always came back to this.

After dinner, she rested a while, then went back upstairs. Before bed, Aunt Zhou brought her the red-date longan soup. She thanked her, drank it, washed up, and lay down.

Worried about staining the sheets, she laid a small pad under herself.

Half-asleep, she sensed someone slipping into bed. Xu Jin was back.

He had already showered. Lifting the quilt, he happened to notice the pad beneath her.

Instantly, he thought of the sheets soaked through the night before.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. His eyes darkened. He switched off the lamp and lay down, reaching out as usual.

Song Nian, startled awake, still aching in her belly, instinctively pushed his cool hand away.

Xu Jin froze.

Was she sulking?

She’d even laid down a pad, and yet here she was, acting coy? Or did she think he’d been too indulgent lately, and was now using this as leverage?

Expression unreadable, he lay back, forcing his body’s restlessness down.

By then, Song Nian had fully woken. Realizing she’d just shoved him off, she slowly turned and whispered:

“Not these days… I’ve got my period.”

Xu Jin blinked, then understood what she meant.

Her period…

An unfamiliar word. For once, the regiment commander felt awkward. Even though they’d already been intimate, they still weren’t fully familiar with each other, and this subject felt uncomfortably private.

But he realized now her rejection wasn’t coquettish manipulation—it was because she wasn’t well.

Really… was he seriously getting petty with a young woman over something so trivial?

So he said, “I’ve already spoken with my cousin. I told him not to bring his wife and kid around unless absolutely necessary.”

Xu Nan, good-tempered as he was, had already admitted his wife liked to stir up trouble. He’d agreed readily—it was better for the brothers to meet outside, rather than cause unpleasantness in the newlyweds’ home.

Song Nian looked up, surprised. “You believe me?”

Given how convincingly that child had cried earlier, anyone would suspect she’d bullied him. She’d expected Xu Jin to side with his mother, blaming her for not being tolerant enough. She hadn’t thought he would instead tell that family to stay away.

In the next breath, she heard him say evenly:

“We may not know each other well yet, but I believe my wife isn’t the kind of person who would secretly bully a child—or twist the truth and deny what she’s done.”

Song Nian smiled.

It wasn’t anything grand, but being trusted like this felt good—especially by Xu Jin.

It only proved she hadn’t fallen for the wrong person.

In the darkness she couldn’t see his face. After hesitating, she cautiously edged closer and wrapped her arms around his.

Xu Jin stiffened, clearly unused to such intimacy.

But then he thought: they were husband and wife, after all. He couldn’t expect her to behave as coldly as he did, always sleeping apart.

So he didn’t move, just closed his eyes and said quietly, “Go to sleep.”

Song Nian hummed in assent, snuggling against her living heater. The warmth even eased the pain in her belly. Before long, she drifted off.

What she didn’t know was how much Xu Jin was suffering beside her.

It was only an arm she clung to, and separated by two layers of fabric at that. Yet he could feel the soft warmth of her pressed to his upper arm, a sweetness seeping into him like tendrils creeping upward.

Though his eyes were closed, his breathing grew heavier and heavier…

At last he snapped his eyes open, gently freed his arm from her grasp, and rose, face dark, striding into the bathroom.

The rush of water half-woke Song Nian. She turned over drowsily, and when Xu Jin returned—his body chilled from the cold shower—she instinctively curled away from him.

The cold water had washed away all restlessness. Lying on the far side of the bed, Xu Jin finally fell into a slow, steady sleep.

The next morning, still half-asleep, Song Nian sensed the warmth at her back and turned over, nestling closer.

Xu Jin’s eyes snapped open.

At the same moment, she too froze, blinking awake—then quickly pulled back, her face burning.

Because just then, by accident, her hand had brushed against something unmistakable.

Xu Jin’s body was rigid, his jaw tight.

After a moment’s hesitation, Song Nian whispered, “Do you… want me to help you?”

For an instant he didn’t understand. When the meaning struck, he bolted upright, chest heaving, Adam’s apple working furiously.

“Get rid of those shameful, degenerate thoughts…”

The regiment commander cut her off coldly, striding toward the bathroom without a backward glance. His voice, clipped and frosty, threw back three words:

“Show some restraint!”

Song Nian: …

By the time she finished getting ready and went down for breakfast, Xu Jin was already gone. Her mother-in-law informed her he’d left without even eating.

Song Nian was completely baffled.

Really? Was that necessary?

They’d already shared a bed, yet suddenly he was acting like some chaste maiden. Her good intentions had somehow turned her into a lecher, as if she’d tried to smash the regiment commander’s purity plaque…