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Li Xia noticed the sweat on his forehead and said considerately, “Why don’t you grab a small stool and sit down? Squatting like that must be tiring. You’re sweating already.”
Gu Weicheng pursed his lips and responded with a simple “Mm.” He obediently took the stool nearby and sat down, though he knew very well the real reason behind his perspiration.
The massage technique truly worked wonders. After a few minutes, Li Xia’s leg was no longer numb.
“It really isn’t numb anymore.” Li Xia took a few tentative steps and felt much more at ease.
Seeing that it was still early, she invited Gu Weicheng, “Why don’t you squeeze in with us and to get some more sleep?”
“No need. I usually wake up early. You and An An get some more rest,” Gu Weicheng replied.
The bed in the second bedroom was quite small since it was originally meant just for An An. Even with both Li Xia and An An in it, space was already tight. If Gu Weicheng were to join them, the three of them wouldn’t even know how to position themselves.
At this moment, Gu Weicheng was already struggling to hold himself together, stirred up beyond control. He feared that if he lay in the same bed as Li Xia again, he might completely lose his composure.
“Alright then.” Li Xia yawned. She was truly exhausted and desperately needed more sleep. Otherwise, she’d be sluggish and out of energy for the entire day.
Today was their third day staying at the Gu family home. According to what Gu Weicheng had said, they still needed to host a meal. If she didn’t get enough rest, she wouldn’t even have the energy to cook.
Li Xia soon fell back asleep. Gu Weicheng, on the other hand, sat on the stool, taking deep breaths for a long while before he finally calmed himself down.
He inspected the bed and found that two of the wooden planks had snapped, but the bed frame itself was still intact. All he needed to do was find two new planks and nail them onto the frame.
Since it was still just past five in the morning, he recalled that Li Xia had mentioned last night that she was on her period. So, he picked up the clothes the three of them had changed out of and went to the courtyard to do the laundry.
…
The next morning, when An An woke up in his small bed, he was still a little groggy.
“Mommy, didn’t we sleep with Daddy last night? How did we end up here?”
“The big bed collapsed last night, so Daddy carried you over. You slept like a little piggy—didn’t wake up at all,” Li Xia said with a smile as she changed her clothes.
“Huh? The bed collapsed?” An An jumped out of bed, ready to run over and take a look.
By the time he reached the bedroom, Gu Weicheng had already found suitable wooden planks and was nailing them into place.
“Daddy, let me help you!” An An quickly ran over, eager to be his little helper.
That day, Li Xia was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt paired with black pants. The colors weren’t particularly bright, but they didn’t feel dull either. Instead, they gave off a sharp and intelligent vibe.
Though skirts were pretty, she had a busy day ahead, cooking and preparing meals, so they weren’t the most practical choice.
Still, since it was the first day of hosting guests at the Gu family home, she couldn’t afford to not dress up at all.
As she stepped out of the secondary bedroom and headed to the courtyard to freshen up, she noticed that all the clothes they had changed out of last night were already washed and hung neatly on the drying rack.
Li Xia never believed that doing laundry was solely a woman’s responsibility, nor did she think that men should avoid housework.
However, it seemed that many men in this era still held strong patriarchal beliefs, thinking that housework was solely a woman’s duty.
The fact that Gu Weicheng took the initiative to do the laundry made Li Xia happy, and it deepened her appreciation for him.
But…
When her eyes landed on the drying rack, where her undergarments were also hanging, her face couldn’t help but flush red.
Why did Gu Weicheng wash her underwear too?!
Next time, after showering, she would make sure to wash her undergarments right away.
In reality, when Gu Weicheng had come across Li Xia’s undergarments while doing the laundry, his embarrassment had been no less than hers at this moment.
This was the first time he had ever touched a woman’s undergarments. When washing them, he couldn’t help but hold them up and compare their size with his hands.
So big…
His mind involuntarily recalled the sensation of those soft, round curves pressing against his chest when Li Xia had fallen on top of him the previous night.
Gu Weicheng: “……”
He needed to stop thinking about this!
Gu Weicheng had always been a disciplined and upright man. In the military camp, surrounded by men, it was inevitable that crude jokes were sometimes exchanged, but he had never participated in such conversations.
Even when he saw the performer-soldiers from the Cultural Troupe, he never spared them a second glance.
But ever since Li Xia had relocated as part of the military family relocation, he felt as if he had changed.
His thoughts kept drifting, losing control, always wandering in that direction.
…
While Li Xia was brushing her teeth, Sister-in-law Tao arrived.
She was carrying a vegetable basket filled to the brim with fresh greens.
“Xiao Li, I heard from Commander Gu that your family is hosting a housewarming gathering tomorrow. Since we grow some vegetables at home, I thought I’d bring you some. They’re nothing fancy, but they’re fresh and sweet.”
“Mmph…” Li Xia hurriedly brushed her teeth, rinsed her mouth, and quickly expressed her gratitude. “Sister-in-law, you’re so thoughtful! Thank you so much.”
“There’s no need to thank me. We’re neighbors, and these vegetables don’t cost anything,” Sister-in-law Tao waved her hand dismissively, not taking it to heart.
“Oh, right! Since you’re hosting guests tomorrow, you’ll need to go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy groceries, right? You should hurry—if you go too late, there won’t be any meat left.”
“I need to go early, too—since school is on break tomorrow, my three little gluttons are craving rice noodles with minced pork, and they won’t stop pestering me about it. Let’s go together.”
“Yes, yes! Sister-in-law, wait for me. I’ll just grab my money and coupons—I’ll be right there!” Li Xia called out, then quickly went back inside the house.
Before Li Xia could respond, Sister-in-law Tao continued speaking:
“Commander Gu is really something. Even if you haven’t seen each other for a long time, he should still take it easy. Coming back and being so intense—what if he wears you out?
“Xiao Li, as fellow women, so let me give you some advice. You can’t just listen to men when it comes to these things. They’re like bulls—once they get going, they don’t know when to stop. If you ever feel uncomfortable, you have to speak up.”
Caught off guard by Sister-in-law Tao’s blunt words, Li Xia’s face instantly turned burning red.
She hurriedly denied it, flustered, “Sister-in-law, you’ve misunderstood! We didn’t…”