Chapter 30: Sharing a Bed

After dinner, Qin Yao took Qin Keke’s leftover food to feed the chickens, but after searching everywhere, he couldn’t find the hen.

He thought he hadn’t seen it clearly because it was dark, so he took his father’s flashlight and searched again.

He searched inside and out but still couldn’t find it. Now Qin Yao was anxious.

“The hen is gone!” he shouted anxiously.

Hearing Qin Yao, Lin Su and everyone else stood up.

“How could it be gone? It was still here before,” Grandma Lin quickly looked around.

Qin Sui frowned, “I saw it in the yard before dinner.”

“Yes, I saw it too,” Lin Su added.

The family immediately searched the yard, but the yard was so small and there was no grass, so they could see at a glance that the hen was gone.

Qin Sui checked behind the house but didn’t see it.  Grandma Lin took the flashlight and was about to go outside to look, muttering, “Maybe it ran out and was taken away by something?”

Qin Sui suddenly remembered the noises he had heard earlier; the dark shadow was unclear whether it was a person or an animal.

“Grandma, don’t go out. I’ll go find it.” Qin Sui took the flashlight from Grandma Lin and went out.

Lin Su quickly followed, and the three children weren’t allowed to come because it was dark.

Qin Sui, as a soldier, had sharp eyes. After walking around, he focused on the footprints and leftover steamed bread on the ground. The bread still had chicken pecking marks.

“Someone must have taken it,” Qin Sui concluded.

Lin Su frowned, “I didn’t hear the chicken squawk.”

Qin Sui: “Its neck must have been pinched; it couldn’t squawk.”

“Ah… what should we do now?” Lin Su asked.

In this era without surveillance cameras, a missing chicken was impossible to find. It was already dark, and it was impossible to find a witness.

Qin Sui followed the footprints forward.  Suddenly, there were several more footprints ahead, messy and overlapping, making it impossible to tell which were which.

Further ahead, there were no more footprints.

But the footprints looked like a woman’s, slightly pigeon-toed.

Qin Sui was carefully analyzing when he heard a gasp from behind. When he turned around, he saw Lin Su fall to the ground.

He quickly ran over and helped her up.

“Wait, ouch, I think I twisted my ankle,” Lin Su cried out in pain.

It was dark and difficult to see her foot, so Qin Sui directly picked her up horizontally and carried her home.

It was dark and she couldn’t see the road, Lin Su didn’t even know how she twisted her ankle.  Now that she had come to her senses, she found herself being carried, and the two of them were in close contact again. She felt a little awkward.

“I can walk by myself.”

Qin Sui didn’t look down at her, only saying in a low voice, “Don’t move.”

The man’s magnetic voice was full of warning, and Lin Su, a little intimidated, obediently stopped moving.

They returned home in silence.  Grandma Lin saw Lin Su being carried back and immediately asked anxiously, “What happened?”

Qin Sui answered for Lin Su, “She twisted her ankle.”

“Oh dear, is it serious?” Grandma Lin looked heartbroken.

Lin Su quickly shook her head.

Qin Yao glanced at his stepmother, pursed his lips, and went to close the yard gate before pulling Qin Keke, who was unsteady on his feet, over.

Qin Ni silently followed.

The whole family gathered around Lin Su, making her feel a little touched, “It’s just a little… ouch…”

Lin Su originally wanted to say it was just a minor injury, but Qin Sui suddenly twisted her foot, causing her to gasp in pain.

Qin Sui let go, “It’s not a bone injury, just a minor sprain. Wait a minute, I’ll get some medicinal wine to rub on it.”

They often had wrestling training, so injuries were common. Even someone as strong as Qin Sui was prone to injury, so they naturally had some medicinal wine at home.

Qin Sui quickly returned with the medicinal wine.

Seeing Qin Sui naturally squat down to rub the medicinal wine on her, Lin Su’s toes couldn’t help but shrink.

Luckily, she didn’t have athlete’s foot; otherwise, it would have been a little awkward in this ambiguous scene.

However, when Qin Sui touched her foot, she couldn’t help but feel itchy.

Qin Sui had originally held her hand loosely, but seeing her fidgeting, he grabbed it tightly.

Qin Sui’s palm was a little large, Lin Su’s foot was white and small, easily held in one hand, smooth and tender, like a peeled egg.

Qin Sui’s eyes darkened, and his fingers unconsciously used a little more force.

Lin Su was hurt by his grip, but the injury to her ankle hurt more, so she gritted her teeth and endured it.

Qin Keke couldn’t help but come forward and blow on Lin Su’s foot, “Hoo, hoo, it doesn’t hurt.”

Lin Su was instantly moved to tears. All the pain seemed to disappear at this moment.

“Thank you, Keke, good boy. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Hearing Lin Su say this, Qin Sui suddenly released his grip, and someone instantly cried out in pain.

Lin Su glared at Qin Sui, whose lips unconsciously curled up.

“Although it’s not a bone injury, you shouldn’t walk around for a while,” Qin Sui said.

Grandma Lin quickly echoed, “Yes, yes. I’ll pick up and drop off the two children.”

Qin Yao spoke up at this time, “We don’t need to be picked up and dropped off.”

“How can that be? What if you get lost on the way or are kidnapped?” Grandma Lin firmly disagreed.

Qin Yao was speechless.

He wanted to say that he was already a big boy and wouldn’t get lost or kidnapped, but how could he not know Grandma Lin’s kind intentions? So he remained silent.

Qin Ni didn’t speak from beginning to end. She didn’t know what to say, and even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t speak.

She felt that she had lost the ability to speak.

To promote their relationship, Grandma Lin said to Qin Sui, “The chicken is gone, so it’s gone. Don’t look for it. Qin Sui, you need to carry Su back to the room.”

Thinking that wasn’t enough, Grandma Lin changed her mind, “Let’s do this. Keke will sleep with me, and you and Su will sleep in the same room. I’m afraid it will be inconvenient for her to get up at night.”

Lin Su wanted to refuse immediately, but Qin Keke rejected first, “No, I want to sleep with her!”

Qin Sui looked down at Qin Keke hugging Lin Su’s leg, clearly in a domineering and possessive manner. Wanting to tease him, he said, “You’re so big now, you can’t sleep with her anymore.”

“No!” Qin Keke stubbornly insisted.

Qin Sui was amused. This kid was really unyielding.  He decided to compete with the little brat.

“She hurt her foot. Can you help her get up or turn on the light if you sleep with her? You’re so short; you can be knocked over with one finger. What good can you do?”

Qin Keke froze.

He seemed unable to do anything.

Devastated, he unleashed his ultimate move, wailing.

Lin Su felt heartbroken and quickly hugged him, “Okay, okay, don’t cry. Let’s sleep together, okay?”

Qin Sui looked at her sharply.

Lin Su didn’t notice and continued to coax Qin Keke.

Seeing their stepmother coaxing Qin Keke so gently and patiently, Qin Yao and Qin Ni looked at each other, both lowering their heads and not looking, their hearts aching.

If their mother were still alive, they should have been coaxed like this.

Lin Su didn’t realize anything was wrong with what she said until Qin Sui, under Grandma Lin’s watchful eye, proactively entered the room.  Then she realized something was wrong.

But on reflection, the words she had spoken were like water spilled, impossible to retrieve.

She could only grit her teeth and ask Qin Sui, “Are you coming in?”

Qin Sui raised his eyebrows and actually came in.

Actually, if Lin Su had shown the slightest reluctance, he wouldn’t have come in, but since she had invited him… he wouldn’t refuse.

As soon as his tall figure entered, the small room seemed even more cramped. After the door closed, the slight sound was like a drum beating against Lin Su’s heart.

She should have been flustered, but thinking that Qin Keke was also there, Qin Sui shouldn’t do anything.  Just as she was about to relax, she turned her head and saw Qin Keke sleeping soundly like a piglet, and her heart rose again.

Qin Sui saw her flustered and helpless, his eyes darkening slightly, and he sighed helplessly, “If you feel uncomfortable, I’ll go out.”

Lin Su was afraid he would think she was disgusted by him, so she quickly shook her head, “No, I just… I just…”

She couldn’t say what she meant.

Qin Sui chuckled softly, his laughter low and husky, “Don’t worry, I still remember what you said about not consummating the marriage, and I’m not an animal driven by my lower body. I will respect your decision.”

Lin Su opened her mouth, wanting to explain but feeling there was nothing to explain, after all, this was something they had agreed on before they got married.

The room fell silent. Lin Su didn’t know how to break the deadlock, so she simply lay down and pretended to sleep.

The beds here were mostly kangs (heated brick beds), large enough for four people to lie down, but Qin Sui’s presence was overwhelming.  His side felt like it wasn’t enough for just him.

Fortunately, Qin Keke was lying in the middle, which eased Lin Su’s tense heart slightly.

Qin Keke was like a little pig, snoring. Lin Su could usually sleep, but tonight, she couldn’t.

Qin Sui seemed to notice and proactively asked, “Can’t sleep?”

“Yes,” Lin Su whispered, “I’m thinking about who took the hen.”

Qin Sui: “It’s probably difficult to find it back in this situation. Should we buy another one?”

Lin Su thought for a moment and discussed with him, “I want to buy a hen and a few chicks. Is that okay?”

“You decide on the household matters; you don’t need to ask me.”

Lin Su disagreed, “This is also your home. You need to feel involved.”

Qin Sui was speechless for a long time.

The word “home” was far from him, but at this moment, it seemed very close.

Everything was going in a good direction, and the key was that he had married a good woman.

Qin Sui didn’t know how many times he had sighed about marrying the right person.  He turned to continue speaking but heard even breathing.

Lin Su had fallen asleep.

Qin Sui paused, then sighed helplessly.

She really trusted him.

Staring at a dark corner, a dark light flashed in Qin Sui’s eyes.

…

Lin Su couldn’t move around easily, so after making the dresses, she had Grandma Lin return them, and she also picked up and dropped off the children.

Afraid that Grandma Lin couldn’t handle it, Lin Su gave her all the spiritual spring water she had produced in her space, enough for three or four servings.

Grandma Lin noticed that the water Lin Su gave her was different from ordinary water, but because she trusted her so much, she didn’t think much of it.

After Grandma Lin went to pick up Qin Yao and the others, only Lin Su and Qin Keke were left at home.

At this moment, a sharp, shrill shout suddenly rang out.

“Lin Su, pay for my son’s medical expenses!”