Chapter 66

After washing her hair, Jiang Suihan went upstairs and got a coat to put on. The moonlight was beautiful tonight, so she sat in the yard to let the air blow dry her hair.

She had been saying she would cut her hair short but kept delaying it. Now, her hair had grown down to her waist, making it inconvenient to wash.

Xu Zhao, who showered quickly, came out and saw Jiang Suihan’s long, wet hair draped down her back. “Why did you wash your hair?”

Hair doesn’t dry well at night, and sleeping with wet hair can lead to headaches.

He touched her long hair, still dripping water from the ends. Xu Zhao went back inside and returned with a dry towel, gently helping her dry her hair.

Jiang Suihan sat still, facing away from him, unable to see the gentle expression on his face. “I think your family is really nice.”

Before her mother-in-law came, she was worried that she might not get along with her mother-in-law and that the relationship between them would not be harmonious. After a brief contact in the evening, she felt that Xu Zhao’s mother was a good person. She did not start to point fingers as soon as she came. She would stand on her side and comfort her. She was diligent and sensible in her work and her cooking was delicious.

Xu Zhao looked down at the top of her head and noticed two cowlicks. He couldn’t help but gently poke one with his finger.

“My mom has always been straightforward and blunt in how she talks and does things. Once you’ve spent more time with her, you’ll understand. Since you haven’t lived together before, you might find your lifestyles quite different. But you don’t have to follow her lead just because she’s older. If something makes you uncomfortable or you’re not used to it, speak up, or tell me, and I’ll talk to her. There’s no need to suppress your feelings.”

Since ancient times, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has been the most difficult to resolve. He understands Jiang Suhan’s character. She is not the kind of person who likes to care about things. As long as her bottom line is not touched, she will not bother to care about ordinary things. And his mother is not an evil mother-in-law who likes to torture her daughter-in-law. If nothing unexpected happens, everyone will have to live together for half a year, or even a year or two. There will definitely be a need for adjustment during this period, and there may be some conflicts in the process.

“Why are you so good?” Jiang Suihan looked up at him, her lips curled up, her eyes curved into crescents, her voice soft, “This reminds me of a question. If one day your mother and your wife fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?”

She stared at him, watching for any change in his expression, curious about how he would answer.

Perhaps sensing her unease these past few days, he had deliberately said those comforting words tonight. To be honest, she was a little touched.

It’s undeniable that in real life, many men simply expect their wives to be obedient and respectful toward their mothers, never to talk back, and to dutifully follow every instruction. Encountering such a man in marriage can really make one wonder if they wronged his ancestors in a past life to deserve such hardship in this one.

Thankfully, her luck had always been good.

Xu Zhao let go of her hair, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Are you trying to make me look bad?”

Jiang Suihan playfully shook his hand. “Come on, tell me, I really want to know who you’d save first.”

This is a question that stumps most men—a classic dilemma. She was genuinely curious about his answer.

Xu Zhao pinched her nose gently. “My mother knows how to swim. She will save you.”

A completely unexpected response.

Jiang Suihan gave him a thumbs up. “That’s a brilliant answer.”

She had been imagining that he might say he’d save his mom first since you only get one mother, and a wife could be replaced. Or perhaps he’d say he’d save her first. She had never expected such a seemingly absurd yet perfectly reasonable answer.

He really thought fast!

Suddenly, Xu Zhao said, “I think you need to reflect on your actions from this afternoon.”

Jiang Suihan was confused. “Can you give me a hint?”

Xu Zhao thought to himself, she really didn’t take it to heart.

“You told Lele that he would have to support you in the future. What about me? Did you forget?”

He looked at her with a face full of grievance. Jiang Suihan felt a little guilty and quickly defended herself. “I was just teasing the kid. Why are you, a grown man, jealous of a child?”

Xu Zhao retorted confidently, “This is about my dignity. Your name is on my household registration, and I’m the one spending the rest of my life with you. The only person you’ll be able to rely on in the future is me.”

His younger brother-in-law is not kind and tries to steal his job every day.

Jiang Suihan disagreed with him: “Can’t I rely on my son?”

Xu Zhao blurted out: “No, my son will get married in the future and have his own family. Maybe you won’t get along with your daughter-in-law?”

Jiang Suihan got a bit angry, “Can’t I take care of myself? Why do I have to rely on others? I’ve got hands and feet, a stable job, and a monthly income. I can support myself just fine.”

She shot Xu Zhao a look, “Who says women must rely on men? You’re such a male chauvinist!”

Xu Zhao rubbed his nose, “That’s not it. We’re husband and wife, and we’re a team. No matter who earns money, or how much, it’s all for this family. If you want to work, I never said I wouldn’t support you—I’ve always supported your decisions.”

Thinking about his mother’s “wise” advice from lunch earlier, he paused before continuing, “Men always want to appear capable and accomplished in front of the people they care about. I’m no exception. I just want you to depend on me a little more. With Lele by your side, you don’t even notice me anymore.”

His face flushed with embarrassment, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. He rarely opened up like this, especially about his emotions.

Jiang Suihan tried hard to hold back her laughter, but wasn’t very successful. With a smile in her eyes, she teased, “You say you’re not jealous, but you clearly are!”

Tilting her head, she stared at his face. Tonight’s moonlight was bright, and although the light wasn’t strong, her eyesight was excellent.

His face was red!

“You’re blushing!” she exclaimed.

Xu Zhao, embarrassed and annoyed, pinched her cheeks and pulled them apart, “Shut up, I’ll make you a glass of milk, do you want one?”

Jiang Suihan mumbled, “Yes.”

A couple of minutes later, Xu Zhao brought out a cup of warm milk.

After taking a sip, Jiang Suihan looked up at him and said, “I want some milk tea.”

Xu Zhao knew what milk tea was. A few years back, when he was stationed near the border, the local herders drank milk tea regularly, but theirs was salty.

“Want me to add some salt?”

Jiang Suihan froze. “Who drinks salty milk tea?”

Xu Zhao, full of reason, explained, “When I was stationed at the border, the locals drank salty milk tea.”

Jiang Suihan felt stumped for a moment. He was right—there was such a thing as salty milk tea. She had been wrong.

“Okay, I guess I was being ignorant. But I want sweet milk tea. I really can’t handle the taste of salty milk tea.”

Xu Zhao had tried salty milk tea before. The taste was odd but not unpleasant.

“Want me to add some sugar instead?”

Jiang Suihan shook her head, “Forget it. Eating sweet things at night makes you gain weight.”

Xu Zhao: “…”

With her current figure—his mother had said earlier that a gust of wind could knock her over—if anyone in the family courtyard overheard her saying this, they’d probably think she was showing off.

Xu Zhao asked, “How do you make sweet milk tea?”

Jiang Suihan began explaining, “It’s really simple. The ratio of tea leaves to water is one to ten. Boil the water, and once it’s boiling, turn off the heat and add the tea leaves. Let it steep for about three minutes, then pour in milk and heat it up. Finally, add honey or sugar and stir. Strain the tea leaves, and it’s ready.”

She used to make milk tea occasionally when she was at home, though not often—it was usually on a whim. Lele had tasted it before and said it was delicious, but because it contained tea, she didn’t let him have too much, fearing he’d have trouble sleeping at night.

Xu Zhao didn’t say anything, quietly taking the cup she’d finished and washing it before putting it back in place.

Jiang Suihan scooted over, leaving half the seat empty. “Come sit.”

Xu Zhao glanced at her for a second, then lifted her onto his lap, sitting down himself. He placed her on his thigh instead.

Someone had once mentioned that women lose a bit of intelligence during pregnancy, and it seemed there was some truth to it. There was clearly an empty chair nearby, but she didn’t see it and insisted on squeezing onto the same seat with him.

Jiang Suihan didn’t notice Xu Zhao’s meaningful gaze. The two of them were sitting so close that she initially sat stiffly, but after a while, feeling tired, she leaned into his chest. It was nighttime after all, and no one was watching.

Xu Zhao gently pulled her jacket, which had slipped down her arms, back up to her shoulders. “Sleepy?”

Resting her head on his shoulder, Jiang Suihan yawned, “A little, but I don’t feel like sleeping.”

Xu Zhao ran his fingers through her long hair, which wasn’t completely dry, so he didn’t suggest she go to bed.

Jiang Suihan asked, “Why did you want to join the army in the first place?”

Xu Zhao didn’t expect her to ask this suddenly. “At first, it was my family’s wish. I guess you could say I was following in my father’s footsteps. I was just a teenager then and hadn’t thought about my future, so I went along with it and enrolled in military school. After graduation, I stayed in the army.”

His grandfather had been a soldier, and so had his father. He had grown up in the army compound, waking up each morning to the sound of the bugle. His grandfather and father had always hoped he would serve the country too. It was as if his life had been predetermined from birth, and he had never thought of resisting.

Jiang Suihan continued, “So, you never thought about what you’d want to do if you hadn’t joined the army?”

This reminded her of students filling out their college applications. Parents would often force their children to apply for the programs they had chosen, claiming it was for their own good, without considering their children’s wishes.

Xu Zhao thought for a moment. “Maybe I would have wanted to build airplanes.”

Jiang Suihan burst out laughing. “Build airplanes?”

Xu Zhao let out a light “hmm,” leaning back against the chair, completely relaxed. “When I was a kid, one of our neighbors was an air force officer. I thought flying planes was incredibly cool. I used to think if I could become a pilot, that would be amazing. But later, my thoughts changed. Flying a plane wasn’t as impressive as building one. If I could build my own plane, that would be truly remarkable.”

Everyone had dreams as a child. He still remembered a chubby little friend who was always last in running races. That chubby boy’s dream was to build a spaceship and fly to the moon to see if Chang’e, the moon goddess, was really up there. He wanted to ask her if the Moon Palace was cold.

Jiang Suihan smiled and asked, “Then why didn’t you stick to your dream?”

Xu Zhao slowly ran his fingers through her long hair and said, “In my senior year of high school, my friends and I made a pact to join the military together. Once I gave my word, I couldn’t back out, so I didn’t apply to any other universities.”

Jiang Suihan hadn’t expected this reason and asked, “You must have been really close with those friends?”

He had given up his dream just to keep a promise to his friends. Should she say he was brave or just foolish?

Xu Zhao spoke slowly, “You’ve met one of them—Zhang Xiangqian. But it wasn’t entirely because of that. One day, my grandfather called me into his study and talked to me for a long time. He said that if I joined the military, our family’s connections could help with promotions in the future. It was a very practical conversation, but also true.”

His grandfather had explained many things to him. At that time, Xu Zhao realized that both his grandfather and father had their burdens. His grandfather was getting old and couldn’t hold on for much longer. His father’s position wasn’t high enough yet, and many people were watching the Xu family closely, both openly and in secret. As the eldest son, Xu Zhao had to take responsibility.

Over the years, he had worked hard in the military. Reaching the position of deputy regiment commander was something he had fought for with his life. There had even been a mission where he almost lost it.

Jiang Suihan nodded in understanding. “Do you regret it?”

Xu Zhao shook his head. “No, I don’t.”

He had never regretted the choices he made. He had fallen in love with his profession and was willing to risk his life for the oath he had sworn under the national flag.

Jiang Suihan smiled. “That’s good.”

As long as he didn’t regret it, everything he had done was worth it.

Xu Zhao then asked, “What about you? What’s your biggest dream?”

Jiang Suihan thought for a moment and said, “I want to be a salted fish—one that occasionally flips over.”

Xu Zhao fell silent.

He didn’t know how to respond to that dream.

The window of the study faced the courtyard, and Su Ying stood there, watching the young couple. She couldn’t help but smile.

Lele was right—his sister and brother-in-law truly had a good relationship.

After a while, Jiang Suihan started to feel drowsy. Her eyelids grew heavier, and Xu Zhao noticed she had stopped talking. Looking down, he saw that she had fallen asleep.

He gently scooped her up. At the top of the stairs, they bumped into his mother, who was coming out for some water.

Su Ying instinctively lowered her voice. “Is she asleep?”

Xu Zhao nodded. “Yes.”

After Xu Zhao carried Jiang Suihan into the bedroom, Su Ying let out a soft hum. The word “love” was practically etched onto her son’s face.