Jiang Lin turned to glare at him. “What do you think?”

Cheng Rushan looked somewhat aggrieved. “I haven’t done anything.”

Jiang Lin challenged him, “Nothing? Okay, Comrade Cheng Rushan, let me interview you and jog your memory.”

Cheng Rushan chuckled. “Alright, shoot.”

Jiang Lin pressed on, “When did you cozy up under a blanket with someone on a freezing cold day?”

Cheng Rushan furrowed his brows and looked down at her. “Honey…”

“Don’t play dumb!” Jiang Lin insisted, trying to keep a straight face.

Cheng Rushan replied cautiously, “Does it count if it’s with Dai Guohua and the others? Sometimes when we’re out in the field, we have to share a tent and a blanket, of course, fully clothed.”

Jiang Lin retorted, “That doesn’t count. Let me remind you—I really admire your fit and handsome body, full of terrifying explosive power…” Her voice trailed off, her heart sour, as she turned to look at the water’s surface.

Cheng Rushan’s expression darkened. “A letter? Who the hell wrote that letter?”

Jiang Lin said coldly, “Your little lover, of course.”

Cheng Rushan couldn’t force a smile, reaching out to hold her, but she shook him off.

Stepping back a couple of paces, Jiang Lin stated firmly, “We agreed on three rules.” Pausing for effect, she added, “If you have someone else outside, we’ll get divorced, and I won’t see you again for the rest of my life!” With that, she turned and walked away.

Cheng Rushan moved quickly, blocking her path. “Linlin, if I’ve given you any signals of disloyalty, tell me. If there’s any misunderstanding, speak up.”

He was afraid she’d react strongly, so he avoided touching her.

He’d never been this anxious before, but even in his anxiety, he wouldn’t let himself lose control.

He wouldn’t hurt her or let her walk away unclear about their situation.

Unconsciously, tears streamed down Jiang Lin’s face.

She wiped her tears forcefully. “I want to be alone for a while. Please leave.”

Cheng Rushan had seen her cry many times—tears of excitement, tears of emotion, tears of sympathy during stories, or tears of joy when they were together.

But this time, her tears were from sadness, and it broke his heart.

He had never felt this way before.

He realized that a woman’s tears were the most powerful weapon—they could melt his hardened heart and cut through his indifference like a knife.

Pain.

This was a feeling very unfamiliar to him.

Throughout his life, he rarely felt pain.

Even facing death, he never felt pain because he knew that life, aging, illness, and death were inevitable, especially given their family background.

Therefore, death couldn’t make him feel pain.

Only her sadness, seeing her like this, made him feel as though cracks were spreading from his heart in all directions like shattered glass, as if a spider’s web was spreading throughout his body.

It started off dull, but then the pain from certain nerves became sharp.

He couldn’t bear to lose her.

“Linlin, let me see the letter,” he reached out to her, his voice unusually restrained and gentle, afraid that his inner turmoil would frighten her.

Jiang Lin hesitated for a moment. “I tore it up,” she gestured towards the river, “and threw it into the river.”

Cheng Rushan knew she was lying. “Tell me, what else did it say?”

“It thanked you for being with me day and night during that time, never leaving, depending on each other in life and death. It thanked you for warming my gradually cold body and soul with your body, for saving my soul with your life…” She didn’t realize her memory was so good, reciting every word without error. It felt like dancing on broken glass.

Her heart throbbed.

Cheng Rushan’s previously cold expression suddenly softened.

He sighed and smiled bitterly, shaking his head. “Give me the letter, let me explain.”

Jiang Lin replied firmly, “There’s no need. I can see for myself.”

Cheng Rushan observed her tear-streaked face, her eyes showing a mix of annoyance and coyness, clearly not the look of someone enraged.

The earlier sadness had disappeared, replaced with… almost a mischievous teasing.

This mischievous woman!

Warmth and helplessness surged through Cheng Rushan’s heart.

He grabbed her suddenly. “Show me who wrote this. I’ll make sure he never has a chance to be a man again!”

Jiang Lin pouted, “If you don’t want to be a man, I don’t want to be your lover as a woman.”

Cheng Rushan didn’t entertain her words.

He gripped her waist with one hand and gently held the back of her head with the other, leaning in to kiss her without room for refusal.

Jiang Lin was nearly breathless and on the brink of fainting in his arms, if he hadn’t mercifully let her go.

“If you scare me like that again, I’ll…” Cheng Rushan didn’t finish his sentence, just lowered his head to gaze at her, his deep, dark eyes locking onto hers.

Despite the tears in her eyes, Jiang Lin smiled coyly, “And how would you punish me?”

He sighed, all his anger dissipated. “I’ll devour you.”

He punished her with a bite on her lips, then proceeded to conquer her, leaving her with no escape.

Jiang Lin nestled in his embrace, playfully scolding, “Who let you have such scoundrel friends to sabotage our relationship?”

That letter, oh, it was fiery, sentimental, ambiguous, hormone-charged, infuriating!

When she first read it at home, she was genuinely angry, but didn’t want to influence the elders and children, so she ran out to calm down.

She told herself not to overthink, not to let any slight mishap plunge her into pessimism, not to let her parents’ marriage or Bian Haitao’s betrayal cast shadows on her relationship with Cheng Rushan.

But sometimes, the mind is uncontrollable, especially towards the person one cares most about, easily leading to the silliest and most painful thoughts.

Like: Although he says there won’t be any other women in the future, did he once have an unforgettable lover? A relationship so deep, so profound? Could old feelings reignite?

She had always feared marriage, her father’s infidelity had brought her immense pain, far more than Bian Haitao’s betrayal.

There’s a saying that goes, “Lucky people are cured by their childhood throughout their lives, and unlucky people are curing their childhood throughout their lives.”

Meeting him across time and space, she felt fortunate.

He was like a father, a brother, a mentor, and a friend all in one.

He was her lover, her husband, who made her feel no longer lonely, no longer insecure.

He gave her everything her heart had yearned for—love, familial affection, tenderness, respect, support—even in the simple, flavorful days of rural life.

Cheng Rushan meant something different to her.

Suddenly, she realized that if Cheng Rushan were to betray her, she couldn’t be as nonchalant on the surface as she imagined.

What terrified her even more was that losing him might strip away her ability to self-regulate and heal.

She had been skimming stones in the river, a task demanding strength, skill, and undivided attention, to force herself to calm down.

As she regained her composure, she realized something was amiss about the letter.

Yes, it was provocative in its heated language, but it felt insincere, deliberately taunting.

If it truly were from a lover wanting to reminisce about old times, it wouldn’t have been written this way, especially not addressed to the Cheng household—it was clearly meant to stir trouble!

Once calm, she spotted the discrepancies everywhere.

Moreover, Cheng Rushan never jumped to conclusions based on hearsay, so she wouldn’t either, especially not over a single letter.

Even if it were true, and she found it unbearable, she would wait to hear it from his own lips.

However, she still needed to emphasize her boundaries to him, to remind him not to forget while away.

Ironically, mentioning the letter had only led to her own anguish.

Even though she knew this particular letter wasn’t from a genuine lover, what if there were one in the future?

What would she do then?

These thoughts dragged her into a role-play of sorts, causing her unbearable heartache.

Who hasn’t tormented themselves with wild thoughts and self-inflicted pain?

Cheng Rushan finally released her lips, slightly swollen from their encounter, “Let me see the letter.”

Jiang Lin reached into her pocket and handed it to him.

Glancing over it, Cheng Rushan remarked, “Unfamiliar handwriting, the phrasing…”

He paused, filtering through a few individuals in his mind, none seemed likely.

But given the limited number who knew about such experiences, it couldn’t be ruled out.

Jiang Lin couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy, “Oh, day and night, warming each other, trading lives for lives, deep affection indeed.”

Cheng Rushan: “…” Why does it sound so problematic when you say it?

He thought about the principle of confidentiality and said, “Executing a mission, in a cave.”

Jiang Lin: “Shameless!”

A single man and woman—oh no, two single men, with attractive bodies and explosive power. Pfft!

Cheng Rushan: “There were six of us. It was cold, raining, and there were mudslides. We had no choice but to huddle together.”

Jiang Lin hugged his lean waist and looked up at him, “Did anyone take advantage of you?”

He’s so handsome and well-built. Did anyone with bad intentions try to take advantage of him? Hmph!

Cheng Rushan laughed and hugged her back, “Among us, Gu Mingyi is the pretty one. If someone needed to dress as a woman, it was him. So, if anyone was taken advantage of, it was him.” Of course, anyone who dared to take advantage of Gu Mingyi without permission wouldn’t see the next day’s sun.

Jiang Lin was not convinced, “He’s not as good-looking as my Dongsheng.”

Cheng Rushan couldn’t help but kiss her again, “That letter was probably written by him. I’ll deal with him later.”

In Cheng Rushan’s mind, Gu Mingyi wasn’t this naughty.

Writing such an outrageous prank letter was out of character, but besides him, no one else would do this.

After all, he had been in touch with Gu Mingyi a lot recently.

Gu Mingyi said he was going to give him a big gift.

Cheng Rushan initially thought it would be evidence against Cheng Fugui.

Now it seemed like Gu Mingyi was up to no good, waiting for this moment.

Heh, just wait.

Because of the letter, the couple felt something different.

It seemed their relationship had deepened, creating a strange yet sweet feeling.

They thought their feelings were already deep, but it turned out that a bit of jealousy could bring them even closer.

They hadn’t expected this, given their limited experience in relationships.

He had zero experience, and she had almost none.

Jiang Lin, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, “Let’s go home for dinner.”

But Cheng Rushan took her hand and led her to the river, “Let’s wash your face.”

Seeing her eyes red from crying, like she’d applied rouge, and her lips swollen and red, he knew that if they went back now, she’d be embarrassed and blame him for not warning her.

Jiang Lin washed her face and then picked some willow branches to weave a straw hat.

That way, no one would see.

So clever.

Seeing her smiling brightly, Cheng Rushan pressed his hand against his chest.

This made him realize that his wife being angry was indeed very scary.

He needed to be careful in the future and avoid any uncontrollable situations.

His heart couldn’t take it.

“From now on, ask me directly if you have any questions. Don’t tease me.” He realized he couldn’t handle scares.

If she really misunderstood and wanted to divorce him, he couldn’t imagine what he would do.

He definitely wouldn’t let her leave.

She thought for a moment, feeling a bit shy, and said softly, “I’ll try.”

When they got home, the elderly couple had already eaten dinner with Wensheng, Dabao, and Xiaobao.

The kids were playing hide-and-seek, waiting for her to come back and find them.

Seeing their parents return, Wensheng immediately alerted them.

Dabao and Xiaobao quickly hid.

Xiaobao couldn’t help but shout, “Linlin, come find me!”

Dabao said, “When you shout, Mom can hear you.”

Wensheng added, “But you shouted too.”

Dabao and Xiaobao immediately fell silent, even holding their breath.

Jiang Lin went over to the chicken coop and pulled Xiaobao out, who was hiding in a pile of hay with his little bottom sticking out.

Then she went to the south room and lifted a basket to find Dabao hiding underneath.