Chapter 19

“Don’t—don’t!”

Sensing her resistance and struggle, Gao Han’s expression darkened slightly.

“Are you really that afraid of me?”

His voice turned cold, like it carried shards of ice. Song Qingdai gasped from the pain—she must’ve hit a bone earlier, because even the slightest breath sent a sharp, burning ache through her muscles.

“If you’re so afraid of me, why did you agree to marry me in the first place?”

“Comrade Song, I, Gao Han, don’t believe in forcing anyone. The wedding isn’t here yet. If you don’t want this, you can still back out.”

Even he didn’t realize how tightly his hands had clenched or how sour his face looked as he said it.

“I…” Song Qingdai struggled to speak. “You—you just tried to lift my skirt the moment I fell, Comrade Gao Han, do you think that’s appropriate?”

Gao Han: “…”

He froze, emotions flickering unpredictably in his eyes. After a long pause, he finally responded.

“…Sorry.”

He had been too anxious earlier, forgetting that Song Qingdai was a modest girl. In the military, he’d gotten used to handling injuries bluntly. Old habits died hard.

“But you hit the cabinet just now. Your waist might already be bruised. There’s some bruise ointment in the room—if you apply it now, it won’t hurt as much in the morning.”

“I—”

“Are you sure you can reach your lower back and apply it yourself?”

Just as she began to speak, Gao Han cut her off—he already knew what she was going to say.

Song Qingdai flushed with embarrassment.

“What are you so afraid of? Everything that shouldn’t have happened has already happened. We’re getting married soon. Qingdai, you need to relax a little.”

He was surprisingly casual, calling her by name now—no more “Comrade Song.”

Her name, spoken in his deep, raspy voice, made her feel like she was burning up from head to toe.

“If you don’t apply it, the bruise will set deeper and hurt more tomorrow.”

Gao Han picked up the bottle of herbal liniment, his dark gaze fixed on her. “Qingdai, lie down.”

The pain in her lower back was sharp and searing—it brought tears to her eyes.

She thought what he said made sense. Everything that was supposed to happen had already happened. Playing coy at this point felt a little pretentious.

So she obediently lay down on the bamboo mat, biting her lip as she lifted her skirt up to her lower back, exposing the injured spot.

“It’s already bruised.” Gao Han frowned deeply, heart aching at the stark contrast of blue and purple on her otherwise pale lower back.

“This might sting a bit. Try to bear it.”

“…Okay.” Song Qingdai buried her face in her arms, telling herself if she couldn’t see anything, then nothing was happening.

Her legs were long, smooth, and pale.

But Gao Han only glanced once before quickly looking away. Then, he gently covered her lower body—hips and thighs—with a thin blanket.

Song Qingdai was startled by the gesture. Her emotions turned a little complicated.

“Ah—ouch! That hurts!”

But the next second, all those emotions were forgotten.

All she could feel was the intense, searing pain.

“C-can you be a bit gentler? It really hurts!”

If there was one thing Song Qingdai couldn’t handle, it was pain.

Even in her past life, when Zhang Shaoxing hit her, she didn’t hold back—if he hit her, she hit back. Their fights were brutal and mutual.

If he didn’t want her to live well, she’d make sure he didn’t either.

“Just hang in there. Almost done.” Gao Han’s voice turned a little hoarse, his large hand resting lightly on her waist.

She was far too thin.

Her waist was so slender, he was afraid he might accidentally break it if he applied too much pressure.

He’d have to fatten her up later—feed her meat every day. That was the only way she’d gain some healthy weight.

Girls shouldn’t be so skinny—they should be soft and curvy, with a healthy glow. That’s how you knew someone was truly well.

“Ugh…” Song Qingdai bit her lip, her face pale as a sheet.

Gao Han’s pressure wasn’t exactly light—in fact, it was a bit heavy. The herbal liniment burned against her skin.

“Is—is it not done yet?” She was close to her limit from the pain.

How could something as simple as a bump hurt so much?

“Almost there. Just hold on.” Even Gao Han’s forehead had started to bead with sweat.

Back in the army, he treated his comrades’ injuries by pressing hard to get the job done.

But the girl in front of him wasn’t a comrade—she was soft, delicate.

He couldn’t just apply the same strength.

At the staircase corner on the second floor…

Ye Chunjiang had dragged her husband upstairs, sneaking around, trying to get a peek.

But when they heard what was going on inside, she nearly burst with joy.

Then she tugged him away again in a hurry.

“Old Gao! Did you hear that? We’re really going to be grandparents soon!”

She could hardly believe it—Gao Han, that dense kid, had finally figured it out.

Not only was he bringing home a wife, but he couldn’t even wait until the wedding night!

They were only engaged, and already…

Well, it was normal. Young people, full of energy—they needed to release that fire.

Still, Ye Chunjiang couldn’t help but worry. With her son’s build…

Would he hurt that little girl?

That Comrade Xiao Song looked so tiny and dainty—standing next to Gao Han, the size difference was downright scary.

And this was Gao Han’s first relationship—young men like that sometimes didn’t know their own strength. What if he hurt the poor girl?

If her daughter-in-law ended up traumatized on her first night, it’d be even harder to manage their relationship going forward.

“What are you worrying about that for?” said Gao Hongxing, pulling his wife along. “They’ll figure things out in their own way. Our job is to support them, not meddle.”

Of course he knew what his wife was thinking, which was why he hurried them away before they got caught.

Back in the room upstairs, Song Qingdai lay on the bed with tears still in her eyes from the pain.

“All done. Just get some sleep—you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Gao Han moved the fan so it blew directly over the bed. It was the peak of summer—stiflingly hot—but thankfully the bed was big enough that they wouldn’t feel crowded.

When the light went out, the room was instantly swallowed by darkness.

Outside, the edges of Hongxing Town were surrounded by farmlands and rice paddies. At night, you could hear the gentle croaking of frogs in the fields.

“Thank you, Comrade Gao.”

After lying there for a bit, the pain in her back eased, and Song Qingdai could finally breathe easier.

But the way she said “Comrade Gao” clearly didn’t sit well with him.

“Once we’re married, what should you be calling me?”

They lay side by side, not touching, not doing anything. Gao Han’s sleeping posture was unnaturally upright—so stiff it looked like he was laying in a coffin.

Song Qingdai knew what he meant.

After a moment of hesitation, she opened her mouth and said, “Ah Han.”

“Is that okay?”

She looked at him, waiting for approval.

After all, his mother always called him “that useless brat.” It was clear she didn’t think highly of him.

As for his father… well, he mostly seemed to prefer pretending Gao Han didn’t exist.