“Brown sugar boosts energy and blood—good for men, women, and children alike.”  

Su Tang smiled as she placed the items on the counter, counted out the coupons, and handed them to the sales clerk. Before leaving, she spotted the candy in the glass jars on the counter. After a moment’s thought, she asked the clerk to scoop her a large handful.  

“Buying so much candy? Aren’t you afraid Brother Lu will scold you?”  

Zhang Cui, holding her child, watched as Su Tang carried bags full of purchases, worried she might get an earful from Lu Xiao when she returned.  

Su Tang glanced around, then slipped a piece of candy into Zhang Cui’s mouth.  

“He wouldn’t dare.”  

Even if he did, so what? This money was hers—given by her parents before she came to the northwest, exchanged for all kinds of ration coupons. But fearing Zhang Cui might accuse her of bourgeois extravagance, Su Tang kept that to herself.  

As Su Tang and Zhang Cui walked back to the residential compound, the northwestern wind whipped sand against their faces, stinging slightly. Luckily, Su Tang had brought a scarf, or her face would have suffered.  

Zhang Cui, carrying her child, was panting from the walk, so Su Tang took some of the bags for her.  

“Little sister, why did you buy so much brown sugar? Can Brother Lu really drink all that?” Zhang Cui couldn’t help asking again.  

Su Tang chuckled. “Like I said, it boosts energy and blood. He trains so hard—it’ll do him good.”  

Truthfully, she had her own little plan. She figured she could mix the brown sugar with hot water and pretend it was milk tea. But if she admitted it was for herself, she’d definitely be criticized for being a spoiled young lady. Using Lu Xiao as a shield was much more convenient.  

Back home, Su Tang set down her purchases and began tidying the kitchen.  

If you could even call it a kitchen—it was just a small earthen stove with a few enamel pots beside it. She took out the coarse grains she’d bought at the service station, planning to make porridge and stir-fry some cabbage.  

As she worked, the door creaked open, and Lu Xiao walked in.  

Fresh from training, he carried the scent of sweat, his expression as stern as ever.  

Su Tang glanced up at him and pointed to the candy on the table. “I bought some candy. Try it.”  

Lu Xiao didn’t respond, his gaze instead landing on the bag of brown sugar by the stove. His brow furrowed slightly. “You bought this much brown sugar?”  

“I didn’t use your coupons. I had my own.”  

Su Tang said it casually, but inwardly, she tensed, afraid he’d accuse her of wastefulness.  

Lu Xiao didn’t press further, turning to pour himself some water.  

“You shou—”  

Before he could finish, noise erupted outside, followed by a knock at the door.  

Su Tang opened it to find Hu Lili standing there, her eyes brimming with hostility.  

“I’m here to see Brother Lu Xiao.”  

With that, Hu Lili tried to shove past Su Tang to enter.  

Su Tang staggered half a step back, the doorframe digging painfully into her lower back. Gripping the frame to steady herself, she glared at Hu Lili. Oh, so she thought she could push her around?  

“Your Brother Lu Xiao just got back from training. He’s drenched in sweat.”  

Su Tang leaned lazily against the doorframe, her slender fingers tapping lightly against the wood, her gaze flickering over Hu Lili’s white-knuckled grip. Her composed demeanor made Hu Lili look like some desperate hanger-on.  

“Why don’t you go fetch a basin of hot water from the boiler room first? He hates feeling sticky.”  

Hu Lili’s face flushed crimson, the red ribbons in her braids swaying. “I brought pancakes for Brother Lu Xiao.”  

She held up an oil-paper-wrapped flatbread that smelled delicious—clearly made with generous ingredients.  

“I was afraid Brother Lu Xiao would starve to death with a pampered girl like you around.”  

Her words were dripping with malice, but Su Tang didn’t back down.  

“That’s great! Then you can bring food every day.”  

It’d save her the trouble of cooking.  

Hu Lili opened her mouth to retort, but Lu Xiao suddenly stepped out from inside.  

He was drying his hair, water droplets sliding down his neck and into his collar. His cold gaze swept over the pancakes in Hu Lili’s hands.  

“No need. Su Tang’s cooking is enough. Don’t bring me things like this in the future.”  

“It’ll lead to misunderstandings.”

His voice was icy, devoid of any warmth. Su Tang curved her lips into a smile.  

Hu Lili’s face instantly paled. She stared at Lu Xiao with burning eyes before shooting a venomous glare at Su Tang, then slammed the pancakes onto the table—  

Only for them to fall to the ground.  

“Brother Lu Xiao, don’t let this city girl fool you! She doesn’t belong here!”  

“She’ll only drag you down!”  

With that, she turned and ran off in tears, leaving a mess behind.  

Su Tang bent down to pick up the oil-paper wrapping. Sesame seeds mixed with sand clung to the pancake.  

She glanced at Lu Xiao and teased, “Should we sift out the sand? We could still fry some sesame salt with it.”  

“Wouldn’t want to waste it. It smells pretty good, too.”  

Lu Xiao watched her carefree expression, his gaze darkening. In the end, he just took the oil paper and tossed it into the stove.  

Flames instantly leaped up, reducing Hu Lili’s heartfelt gesture to ashes.  

“Next time, don’t block the door.”  

His voice was low, his eyes lingering on the spot where she’d been hit on her lower back.  

“Does it hurt?”  

Su Tang froze. This was the first time Lu Xiao had taken the initiative to care about her.  

“No.”  

Lu Xiao turned and reached for the first aid kit hanging on the wall.  

The metal edges of the box were worn smooth, letting out a faint click when opened.  

Only then did Su Tang notice a fresh scrape on his forearm, the scab still caked with dirt from training.  

“You got hurt again?”  

How did this man manage to get injured every single day?  

Lu Xiao paused, his hand freezing midair as he pulled out a half-used roll of bandages. Then he shook his head.  

“Just a scratch.”  

He averted his gaze, but his peripheral vision caught Su Tang’s concerned look—making him instinctively want to escape.  

“There’s no more medicated oil. I’ll go get some from the clinic.”  

Lu Xiao didn’t say much else, just mentioned fetching medicine. But as he turned, he knocked over the thermos.  

“Alright, stop fussing. I’m not some fragile porcelain doll.”  

Su Tang stopped him and bent to pick up the thermos.  

Thanks to Hu Lili’s interruption, her meal had burned.  

“Wait a bit. I’ll make it again.”  

Su Tang turned to rinse the rice, only to notice Lu Xiao lingering by the stove, his eyes flickering to the brown sugar on the counter.  

“You want some?”  

She deliberately teased him, waving the bag of brown sugar in front of him. Lu Xiao turned his head away and made to leave.  

Seeing how easily flustered he was, Su Tang quickly stopped him.  

“I’ll make you some.”  

She scooped two spoonfuls of brown sugar into a coarse ceramic bowl. As boiling water poured in, a sweet aroma filled the cramped kitchen.  

Lu Xiao stood by the stove, watching the dark brown foam swirl in the bowl.  

In all his years as a soldier, he’d never had brown sugar—hadn’t even properly eaten candy. He’d always thought sweet things didn’t belong in the harsh northwestern winds.  

But looking at Su Tang, he couldn’t help but think of sweetness. He wanted to taste it—to see if brown sugar was as sweet as she was.  

“Let it cool first. It’ll burn your mouth.”  

Su Tang pushed the bowl toward him, then turned to scrape the burnt rice from the pot.  

The metal spatula scraped against the charred crust, making a grating sound.  

Suddenly, Lu Xiao reached over and took the spatula from her.  

“Let me.”  

“It’s not like I can’t do it myself.”  

Su Tang watched as Lu Xiao efficiently cleaned the pot, then chuckled.  

Lu Xiao glanced at her before looking away.  

Her hands were fair and delicate—clearly those of someone who’d been carefully sheltered growing up.  

He couldn’t just let her come all the way to the northwest only to do his laundry and cooking.  

They… were only married in name, after all.