Chapter 10

The next morning.

Meng Yingying was still fast asleep when she once again felt something soft and warm pressing against her lips. Then a hot, damp tongue traced over her lips and nudged against her teeth.

Meng Yingying jolted awake and quickly shoved Zhan Tingxu away, scolding him angrily:
“Why are you kissing me in my sleep again?”

Ignoring her protest, Zhan Tingxu simply pressed a kiss on her forehead.
“Of course—it’s to wake you up.”

Meng Yingying hugged her knees tightly and refused to get out of bed.
“You don’t need to steal a kiss just to wake someone up!”

He was obviously just looking for an excuse to kiss her while she slept!

Zhan Tingxu didn’t argue. He simply scooped her out of bed and started putting shoes on her feet.

Startled, Meng Yingying yelped, “What are you doing?!”

“Getting you up for breakfast,” he said calmly while slipping her shoes on.

Meng Yingying felt as though her whole world had turned upside down. First thing in the morning she got kissed in her sleep, then carried out of bed, and worst of all—she couldn’t even fight back! Was this how her days were going to be from now on?

She glared at Zhan Tingxu with resentment before heading out to breakfast.

Zhan Tingxu watched her storm off, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

When he turned back, he noticed the quilt still lying crumpled on the bed. Did she not have the habit of folding her blanket?

Shaking his head helplessly, Zhan Tingxu tidied up the bedding until it was neat and orderly, then cleaned the room as well.

Meanwhile, Meng Yingying was eating steaming meat buns, still fuming. She told the children,
“From now on, you keep an eye out. Don’t let Zhan Tingxu into my room.”

Tingting asked, “Uncle can’t go in at all?”

“That’s right. Especially when I’m still asleep—don’t let him in.”

The children nodded immediately. “Okay, Mama! We understand, Mama!”

Hearing this, Zhan Tingxu, who had just finished cleaning the room, couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head.
“But that’s my room too,” he muttered.

Unfortunately, after four years away, it seemed he no longer had a place in this home.

After breakfast, Zhan Tingxu asked,
“So what’s our plan for today?”

Meng Yingying shot him a glance.
“You’re tagging along again?”

“Of course,” he said matter-of-factly. “My family-leave is only forty days. I’m going to spend every one of them with you and the kids.”

And he really meant it. Ever since he came back, he had barely left her and the children’s side, rarely even visiting relatives or neighbors.

When Li Yanhong saw him by the well washing laundry for the whole family, she could hardly believe her eyes.

The last time she transmigrated into this story, Zhan Tingxu had been cold and distant—certainly not the type to do chores. Had his entire character changed?

Or… had he already realized back then that the original Meng Yingying was different?

Li Yanhong didn’t believe such a good man could exist. In her experience, men only cared about looks and figure. As long as a woman met those two requirements, they wouldn’t bother asking whether she was “the same person inside.”

Besides, in most transmigration novels, the male lead was indifferent to the original heroine. Only after the new soul entered her body did he fall head-over-heels in love.

So why was it the opposite for her?

She deliberately tried to sow discord.
“Brother Zhan, washing clothes again? That’s not a man’s job.”

Zhan Tingxu ignored her, so she pushed harder.
“Brother Zhan, don’t you know what people are saying in the village? Men and women alike—they all say you’re afraid of your wife and useless.”

Zhan Tingxu’s voice turned icy.
“Sounds like your tongue’s too long. Should I cut it off for you?”

Li Yanhong froze for a moment, then flushed with anger.
“Spineless, huh? Can’t even stand people talking about you? Washing clothes for your wife—when did you become such a pushover?!”

Zhan Tingxu frowned sharply.
“Before? You’ve seen me before?”

Realizing she’d slipped up, Li Yanhong quickly forced a laugh.
“Oh, I just heard it from others! They said you never liked doing chores, that your mom used to wash your clothes.”

Zhan Tingxu looked puzzled.
“That was ages ago. Where’d you hear that?”

Ever since junior high, he’d been doing his own laundry.

Li Yanhong scrambled for an excuse.
“Uh… your brothers told me.”

Zhan Tingxu shot her a cold glance, his eyes full of suspicion and impatience.

It was the same look he’d given her during her last transmigration!

Back then she was using Meng Yingying’s body and assumed he was just naturally cold toward the original heroine. But now it was clear—he treated Meng Yingying extremely well.

Trying to be ingratiating, Li Yanhong offered,
“Brother Zhan, why don’t I help you wash?”

“No need,” Zhan Tingxu refused without hesitation.

“Brother Zhan, your wife’s always sickly—medicine must be expensive. Why not trade her in for a healthy, capable wife?”

“I’d rather die than replace her.”

The firmness of his reply stunned Li Yanhong.

The last time she’d worn Meng Yingying’s skin and brought up divorce, he’d signed the papers in a heartbeat. No hesitation at all.

Why such different treatment now?

After finishing the laundry, Zhan Tingxu came home and hung the clothes on the line.

In the yard, Meng Yingying was squatting with a stick, writing characters on the ground to teach the children how to read.

“This is ‘cow.’ This is ‘horse’…”

Watching the warm scene, Zhan Tingxu couldn’t help but smile. Happiness welled up in his heart.

This was the life he had always dreamed of.

A-Ming asked curiously, “Mama, how do you write ‘mama’?”

Meng Yingying wrote it on the ground. “This is mama.”

A-Liang asked, “Then how do you write ‘papa’?”

She wrote again. “This is papa.”

The children copied the words stroke by stroke.

After hanging up the clothes, Zhan Tingxu walked over.
“When do the kids start school?”

“Next year—they’ll enter elementary school,” Meng Yingying replied.

“Have you registered them yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Then don’t rush it,” Zhan Tingxu said decisively. “Wait until you all move with me to the base, then they can attend school there.”

Meng Yingying slowly raised her head, gazing up at him. She asked each word clearly and deliberately:
“And how are you so sure we’ll be going with you?”

Zhan Tingxu’s throat tightened. For a long moment, he couldn’t say a single word.