Chapter 42 Who will do the laundry?

Zhang Shuying was just about to hug Xue Qingdai and cry—the words she had just said moved her deeply. She hadn’t even met Daidai’s mother yet, but she already felt such envy for a woman lucky enough to have such a sweet daughter. Meanwhile, her own son had to go and ruin the mood by exposing Daidai’s little trick, completely lacking in emotional intelligence. He should have just pretended not to notice and praised Daidai enthusiastically instead.

“Oh, so smart, aren’t you? Whatever Daidai says, I believe it.”
If her son didn’t pick up on the hint even after that, then he really was hopeless.

Beaming with joy, Zhang Shuying clutched the lip balms to her chest and rushed into the kitchen to see what dishes Daidai liked best.

Xie Songshan patted Xie Yan’s shoulder with a heavy sigh, “Yeah, you’re real smart~”
Sometimes it’s better to read the room and not call things out. His son was still too young and too inexperienced.

As his parents walked away, Xie Yan suddenly felt a sinking feeling in his chest. He met Xue Qingdai’s sulky yet flirtatious gaze and immediately straightened his back, trying to get ahead of the damage.

“Daidai, I—I…”

“What you? I’m just a sly little trickster, not obedient at all, right?”
Xue Qingdai returned to her room and slammed the door in his face. That’s what he got for running his mouth. Thought he knew her so well?

She went to take down the laundry—only to find the clothesline completely empty.

She had just washed her underwear that morning!

“Xie Yan! You brought my laundry in? It wasn’t even dry yet! You put it in my wardrobe? What if it gets moldy?”

Xue Qingdai always got her way at home, and she wasn’t shy about letting Xie Yan have it either. After all, if she could get away with bullying the male lead Xie Yan, she’d have bragging rights for life. The more unreasonable she acted, the more likely he’d want to break off the engagement. The thought excited her.

Her bright eyes sparkled with mischief, her lips a healthy, enticing red from her improved constitution. She lightly licked her lips, trying not to show her nerves.

She tilted her head and looked up at Xie Yan, expecting him to be angry or flustered—but he simply looked away.

Finally allowed into her room, Xie Yan carefully avoided looking at her, pulled open her drawer, and softly said, “I touched them all. They were already dry. You can check…”

Xue Qingdai froze. “Xie Yan! You touched them?!”

The last time he accidentally washed her underwear, she could chalk it up to a mistake. But this time he felt up her bras?!

“I was just checking if they were dry! The house was full of people, and the windows are all clear glass. If someone saw them… there’d be no way to explain.”

Xue Qingdai quickly found herself swayed. Her underwear wasn’t like what the supply store sold—there was a lot less fabric. If anyone had seen them, it really would’ve caused an uproar. In this era, individuality was frowned upon—plain, modest clothing was the norm.

Still, she couldn’t let this go that easily. She poked a finger at Xie Yan’s back.

“This was a special case. But our relationship is already doomed to break off. We can’t have things like this happening.”

Xie Yan gently took her finger, rubbing it as his dark eyes deepened in emotion. His voice was calm and warm, hiding a subtle intensity.

“Did I hurt you? That was my fault. I should’ve asked your permission first. But it’s already below freezing outside. These clothes can’t withstand hot water too often—they’ll get ruined.”

“Look here, it’s already fraying.”

“You use warm water to wash your hands, right? Let me handle your laundry from now on.”

Xue Qingdai was stunned. Why wasn’t he reacting to her dramatic speech? And he was asking if she was hurt? Was he the one going crazy—or was she?

“No need, if they get ruined, I’ll just—”
She shut her mouth quickly. She suddenly remembered that her stock of silk underwear in her space was limited—once she used one, it was gone. Those were her treasures. Underwear in this era? Let’s not even go there—high-waisted, rough fabric.

Xie Yan said softly, “The well water’s getting colder. You’re too delicate—you can’t handle it.”

He still hadn’t let go of her hand. He always found a way to ease into her life, subtly making it harder and harder for her to push him away.

Xue Qingdai bit her lip, her bright eyes twinkling, all her anger melting away.

“Xie Yan, then I’ll trouble you, okay? When you wash your clothes, just throw mine in with them.”

“My clothes need to be really clean though. Use that red basin—the third one from the door in the kitchen. And I want them to smell good, so add some of that pink scented water…”

She listed off a whole pile of demands, her little face lifted as she stole glances at his expression. No reaction. Was he agreeing or not?

“Xie Yan, you work so hard, I have to treat you well too.”
She freed her hand from his, took out a new hand cream, and scooped out a bit of the beige balm with her pinky finger, slowly rubbing it into his palm.

“Your hands are so big,” she murmured, comparing their hands side by side, hers tiny in comparison.

Just as she looked up, she felt a wave of warm breath brush across her forehead. Xie Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his hands frozen—he couldn’t let go, but couldn’t keep rubbing either.

His voice was slightly hoarse. “Mm.”

“Xie Yan, Daidai, time to eat!”
Zhang Shuying called from outside.

Xie Yan shot up like he’d been lit on fire, practically fleeing the room and almost smacking his head on the doorway.

Xue Qingdai blinked in confusion. Was she some kind of monster? She only applied some hand cream… Was the cool and aloof male lead immune to this kind of tactic?

Did he even agree to all her conditions?

That night, Xue Qingdai got her answer—Xie Yan brought her a basin of hot water to soak her feet before bed. The water was warm, his hands rough but gentle. She fell asleep almost instantly.

The next morning, her clothes smelled just the way she liked—just as she’d requested.

Xie Yan had barely passed. Barely.

Zhang Shuying counted the various vegetables and homemade goodies on the table—radishes and cabbages were the most common, one jar of tomato sauce, a few bunches of baby bok choy… and two sticks of preserved sausage. Though not much, pork was a rare luxury. These families had put in real effort.

“Daidai, look! These were all delivered early this morning before work.”

“You’re amazing. They’ve never been this enthusiastic before.”

Xue Qingdai hadn’t expected much—she just said a few words and they bought it. Then again, that lip balm was the real deal, and the women genuinely wanted it.

She quickly forgot about it and enjoyed her day, until Xie Yan brought her some unexpected news.

“Daidai, your third brother sent you a letter.”