Qin Fang quickly put on his pants and shirt—black trousers, a light gray shirt, and then a light gray long robe.

All were made of fine cotton, stitched with meticulous care and craftsmanship.

He touched the clothes he was wearing.

These were… specially made for him by her.

Qin Fang placed the clothes he had changed out of into the laundry basin and carried them outside.

He saw Yang Haiyan basking in the sun.

Hearing the noise, Yang Haiyan turned her head and said, “Husband, are you done? You should go get some sleep.”

Qin Fang replied, “I’ll wash the clothes first.”

He had always washed his clothes himself and hadn’t yet realized that, now that he was married, his wife could take care of it.

If it had been a regular day, Yang Haiyan wouldn’t have stopped him from doing his own laundry.

After all, she was a modern woman and didn’t subscribe to the old-fashioned idea that wives were supposed to wait on their husbands.

However, she knew that Qin Fang hadn’t rested since last night, having worked the night shift, which was especially exhausting.

Out of concern for his health, she gently urged him, “I appreciate that you’re being considerate and not wanting me to do the laundry. I’m happy about that, but you haven’t rested since last night. You should sleep first, and next time you can do your laundry yourself.”

Qin Fang wanted to say that he wasn’t being considerate—it was just…

What was it?

He couldn’t explain it, so he simply said, “Okay.”

Seemingly remembering something, he took out a small silver ingot from his pocket. “This is this month’s allowance. It’s for you.”

Yang Haiyan’s eyes lit up.

A man handing over his wages symbolized how much he valued her. “Thank you,” she said with a smile, feeling very pleased.

A man like this had great potential.

Seeing her bright eyes, Qin Fang felt like he had done the right thing, though he awkwardly explained, “In my family… my mother has always been in charge of the household, so… that’s why I’m giving it to you.”

Yang Haiyan, still smiling, responded, “I understand. Now go get some sleep.”

She gently pushed him into the house and closed the door behind him.

Qin Fang stood there for a moment, then noticed the slippers on the shoe rack by the door.

One oversized pair was clearly meant for him, so he put them on.

As he lay down on the bed, the fresh scent surrounding him lulled him to sleep almost instantly.

The weather in September was pleasant, and washing clothes with well water, which stayed cool in the summer and warm in the winter, was quite comfortable.

Yang Haiyan soaked Qin Fang’s clothes in soapy water for a few minutes before scrubbing them.

The water turned out to be quite dirty.

As she hung the clothes to dry, Sister Lu arrived at the door. “So Qin Fang finally came home.”

Yang Haiyan smiled, “Yes, he’s sleeping right now. He’s been on duty for a whole month, day and night. Even a body made of iron would get tired.”

Hearing this, Sister Lu felt the same about her own husband. “Mine’s asleep too,” she said, though there was nothing they could do about it.

Life had to go on, after all.

Yang Haiyan said, “Sister, I’m cooking tomorrow night. Come and give me a hand, and bring your nephew over for dinner.”

Sister Lu waved her off. “No need. Let them eat at home.”

Yang Haiyan insisted, “Don’t say that. Tomorrow’s dishes will be good, and there’s always enough for the kids.”

She had already arranged with the butcher to reserve some ribs, pig’s feet, pork intestines, and, of course, some fatty pork for her.

Sister Lu finally agreed, “Alright, then I won’t be shy.”

She would normally decline out of politeness, but with close friends like Yang Haiyan, there was no need to be so formal.

After dinner tomorrow, she’d help Yang Haiyan clean up.

Only good friends would help each other out like this.

Qin Fang had a long, restful sleep.

Maybe it was the comforting scent in the room, or maybe the fragrance of the soap on the bedsheets and pillowcases, but he had never slept so soundly.

Still, his long-established routine woke him up around noon.

He lay there staring at the ceiling for a while.

It was rare for him to daze out like this; the last time he had done so was during his first few months in the army, before he had fully adjusted to military life.

Now, that was no longer the case.

Qin Fang got out of bed, put on his slippers, and walked to the door, where he saw a clean pair of cloth shoes waiting for him.

The shoes he had worn home earlier had already been washed and were drying outside.

He put on the cloth shoes, which fit him perfectly, and his lips curved into a slight smile.

The sunlight outside was bright, just like his mood.

As he approached the kitchen, he smelled the fragrance of food and saw Yang Haiyan busy at the stove.

He stood in the doorway, watching her.

Her petite figure was graceful, and though he wasn’t well-versed in words, he couldn’t find enough to describe her beauty.

To him, she was more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen.

Her waist was slender, her hair jet-black—everything about her was perfect.

Such an incredible woman had become his wife, and he felt like he was dreaming.

Qin Fang collected his thoughts and walked into the kitchen. “Is there anything I can help with?” he asked.

Yang Haiyan turned around, “You’re awake. It’s time to eat. Can you help me carry the dishes?”

Qin Fang nodded, “Sure.”

Today’s meal was simple—two dishes and a soup.

It was just enough for the young couple.

While Yang Haiyan could certainly afford better, she knew that a balanced diet was more important than lavish ingredients.

Besides, Qin Fang’s monthly salary was only one tael of silver.

If they indulged too much, it would strain his finances and make him feel inadequate.

However, no one could say that Qin Fang, a young man from the countryside who hadn’t been educated, but had worked his way up from a lowly soldier to a centurion earning a tael of silver per month, was lacking in any way.

Today’s dishes were stir-fried radish with chives, tofu soup with pork fat cracklings, and braised pig’s feet.

Except for the pig’s feet, which were expensive, the other dishes were relatively cheap, costing about 20 wen altogether.

Still, spending 20 wen on a single meal was a bit extravagant for someone with only a tael of silver in monthly earnings.

After sitting down, Qin Fang took a sip of the tofu soup and ate some of the radish, avoiding the pig’s feet.

He said to Yang Haiyan, “You’re so thin; you should eat more meat to nourish yourself.”

Yang Haiyan smiled and set down her chopsticks, using a serving pair to pick up a piece of pig’s foot and place it in Qin Fang’s bowl. “There are six pieces of pig’s foot—three for each of us. You need to take care of yourself, too. If you get sick, who will I rely on?”

Qin Fang thought about it and agreed, “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

No matter what dish she cooked, be it meat or vegetables, it always tasted delicious.

Yang Haiyan said, “When you have some free time, let’s clear some land in the backyard and grow cabbage and radishes ourselves.”

Qin Fang replied, “I’ll get to it this afternoon.”

Yang Haiyan smiled, “There’s no rush. This afternoon, can you help me build a stove? I have a use for it. Do you know how to build one?”

Qin Fang nodded, “I do. Before I joined the army, I built one with my father at home… By the way, my family doesn’t know about our marriage yet. I’ll write them a letter to tell them the news.”

Yang Haiyan said, “Alright, I’ll prepare some things to send along with the letter.”

There was a postal service that could deliver letters and other items, and since it was run by the government, the couriers wouldn’t dare steal anything.

Hearing this, Qin Fang felt touched. “Good,” he said.

After a moment, he added, “I have two younger brothers and two younger sisters. I’m the eldest. I joined the army when I was 16. The Eldest sister was 14 at the time, Second brother was 10, the younger brother was 7, and my youngest sister was 4.

At first, when I joined the army, there was no salary.

The barracks only provided food.

Last year, I was promoted to centurion, and I started receiving a salary of one tael of silver and 30 jin of grain per month.

Since then, I’ve been dividing my salary into three parts: one part I save, one part I send home with a letter each year, and the third part I use for daily expenses…” As he spoke, he blushed a little.

“I eat a lot, and the monthly ration isn’t enough for me, so most of the daily expenses go towards food.” He worried she might think he was a glutton and anxiously watched her reaction.

To his surprise, she said, “No wonder you’re so tall and strong. That’s exactly how I like my men.”

Qin Fang blushed. “Then… then from now on… you’ll manage the household money. But the money I send to my parents… once my brothers are older, I’ll send less, but for now, I can’t cut back. What do you think?”

Although he was inexperienced, he knew that some wives didn’t like their husbands sending money to their in-laws.

Still, as the eldest son, he couldn’t neglect his parents and siblings.

Yang Haiyan smiled, “Of course that’s fine. Your parents raised you. It’s only right that you support them.”

Qin Fang breathed a sigh of relief.

He felt incredibly fortunate to have married such a sensible wife.

He had completely forgotten that, just a month ago, he found her difficult to deal with.

Qin Fang then said, “Don’t worry. The money I earn is yours. I won’t touch your private savings. I’ll do my best to provide for us, and once I get promoted to a commander, my salary will increase.”

Yang Haiyan said, “I believe you can do it. But while you’re working hard, make sure to take care of your health. Your safety is the most important thing. No matter what you do, always think of me and your parents.”

In the original novel, Qin Fang never got the chance to become a commander.

He spent all his energy dealing with the previous owner of the body, who eventually ruined his future.

He left the army and returned to his hometown with her.

Because their marriage was arranged by imperial decree, he couldn’t divorce her unless she died.

The novel didn’t focus on him much after that.

In the end, when the male protagonist returned home after leaving the military, the original owner had already passed away, and Qin Fang never remarried—his story was briefly mentioned before the novel concluded.

Listening to Yang Haiyan talk about how she wanted him to take care of himself, Qin Fang felt a warmth in his heart. “Yes, I’ll take care of myself.”

Yang Haiyan then said, “By the way, didn’t you say earlier that if anyone asks, we should say that you helped me make the soap? Let me teach you how to make it now.”

Qin Fang nodded, “Alright, I won’t tell anyone.”

Yang Haiyan smiled, “Of course, I trust you. After all, this secret recipe is something we’ll pass down to our children in the future.”