Chapter 37

When Jiang Suihan saw Jiang Leyun, the first thing she said was, “Go wash your hands quickly. Don’t be careless. Make sure to clean your fingers and under your nails.”

After playing outside for so long, he must have picked up many germs.

Jiang Leyun extended his hand for Xu Zhao to pour water, then sneakily glanced at his sister, making a face as if he wanted to share a secret. “Brother-in-law, have you noticed that my sister has changed these days?”

Xu Zhao, puzzled, replied, “Changed how?”

Jiang Leyun leaned in and whispered carefully, “Don’t you think her temper has gotten worse lately? Every time she sees me, she always scolds me. Like just now, I was a bit slow washing my hands, and she immediately gave me a cold stare. Now I feel like avoiding her whenever I see her.”

He was constantly criticized and couldn’t refute, or else he’d be left speechless and dazed.

His sister used to be so gentle. Now her temper seems a bit fiery, not allowing him to do this or that, and being very strict.

Xu Zhao and Jiang Suihan had not spent much time together, so he did not know her very well and had little to say about her.

“There’s nothing to worry about; I think she’s quite gentle,” Xu Zhao commented.

Jiang Leyun’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? Brother-in-law, if you think my sister is gentle, you haven’t seen her scary side when she’s angry. She can make the room feel freezing cold, and it’s enough to freeze someone stiff. As the saying goes, ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ In your eyes, my sister is that beauty.”

He paused, shook a little, and glanced at Xu Zhao. “Adults are so sentimental, only seeing the positives and ignoring the negatives. Actually, even if there are flaws, you see them as virtues. In your eyes, my sister has no flaws.”

Now he understood. His brother-in-law was truly in love with his sister. In Xu Zhao’s eyes, even his sister’s sleeping in was endearing.

Jiang Leyun felt that the ideal image he had of his brother-in-law was starting to crumble. He hoped Xu Zhao could hold on for a bit longer.

Xu Zhao raised an eyebrow. “You’re quite the little rascal, learning to tease adults at such a young age. Does your sister know you say such things about her?”

Jiang Leyun, feeling guilty, glanced at Jiang Suihan and tried to persuade Xu Zhao to be his ally. “We’re on the same side here, Brother-in-law, don’t betray me.”

If his sister found out, his good days at home would be over.

Xu Zhao ruffled the boy’s hair. “Your sister should know, so she won’t worry about you being mischievous all the time.”

Jiang Suihan called out to them, “What are you two whispering about? Come over for dinner.”

Jiang Leyun dared not tell the truth and made a funny face at his sister. “We men have our own matters; you women shouldn’t eavesdrop.”

It was amusing to hear a seven-year-old say such things.

Jiang Suihan grabbed Jiang Leyun’s ear. “Say that again—what’s wrong with women?”

Realizing he had to be wise, Jiang Leyun immediately sought Xu Zhao’s help. “Brother-in-law, please take your wife away.”

See, he had told him his sister’s temper had been bad recently, but Brother-in-law didn’t believe him.

Jiang Suihan glared at Jiang Leyun. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been quite slick with your words lately. Who did you learn that from?”

Who else but Zhao Xiaojun?

Despite being a young boy, Zhao Xiaojun had a little hobby—he enjoyed listening to the gossip of the neighborhood aunts. While the aunts were engrossed in their chatter, they wouldn’t notice a little boy sneaking into their circle. If anyone knew the gossip of the neighborhood, Zhao Xiaojun would definitely be in the top three.

Jiang Leyun looked excitedly at the dishes on the table. “Wow, there’s braised pork tonight. Didn’t you say we had no meat at home?”

Jiang Suihan pointed to Xu Zhao. “Your brother-in-law brought it back from the cafeteria.”

She preferred ham over some greasy braised pork. The salty-sweet flavor of ham suited her taste better.

Xu Zhao noticed Jiang Suihan only ate the other two dishes. “Don’t you like braised pork?”

Jiang Suihan made a face. “I don’t like fatty meat.”

She felt that if she were at someone else’s house, people might think she was being picky, especially when so many people struggle to get a taste of meat.

Xu Zhao used his chopsticks to break a piece of braised pork, placing the lean part in Jiang Suihan’s bowl and keeping the fatty part for himself.

Jiang Suihan bit into the lean piece of braised pork and looked up at Xu Zhao with an unmasked smile.

Jiang Leyun was too focused on eating the meat to notice this moment.

Xu Zhao washed the dishes. Jiang Suihan had offered to do it, but he said it was no trouble, as his father also did the dishes and cleaned at home.

She discovered another positive trait about him—he wasn’t chauvinistic and actively helped with household chores.

Jiang Suihan teased, “Is this a tradition in the Xu family?”

Xu Zhao turned to look at her. “You mean our family.”

Since she was already married to him, their names were on the same household register—they were a family now.

Jiang Suihan nodded. “Do you know Wang Liying from the family compound?”

She thought that Wang Liying’s hostility toward her today might be related to Xu Zhao. Before this, she had no reason to be disliked by Wang Liying.

Xu Zhao pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t know her, maybe I’ve seen her before. What’s the matter?”

He used to live in the military dormitory and hadn’t interacted much with people from the family compound.

Jiang Suihan said, “This morning, while you were away, we had some visitors. Sister Chen Xiuni, who came with Sister Wu before, brought two other women with her. That Wang Liying was the one who spoke up for you.”

Xu Zhao turned, looking puzzled. “Spoke up for me?”

Who was that?

He didn’t know this person; why would she speak up for him?

He didn’t even need anyone to speak up for him.

Jiang Suihan propped her chin with her hand and said slowly, “Yes, she spoke up for you. She saw you washing clothes by the river this morning and thought I was mistreating you, making a respectable soldier like you do such trivial tasks.”

“She also said that a married woman shouldn’t act like she did when she was at her parents’ home. At her in-laws’ house, she should be diligent, and taking care of the family is a woman’s duty. She thought that sleeping in so late this morning was too lazy, and if your mother-in-law knew, she would definitely scold me and tell me to change my ways and become a model wife and mother.”

She conveyed Wang Liying’s comments without exaggeration.

Looking at Jiang Suihan’s mocking gaze, Xu Zhao felt as if he had bitten into a bitter melon—there was no way to describe his discomfort.

This person must be crazy. Why would she say such things to Jiang Suihan? Was she trying to sow discord between them?

Xu Zhao steadied himself and said slowly, “I don’t know her. Not to mention her reasons for defending me or her motives, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with doing laundry or cleaning. This home isn’t just yours; I’m a part of it too. If I have the time and ability, I’m happy to help out.”

“Moreover, I don’t believe that laundry and cooking are tasks only for women. Why can’t men do them? As you said, there are no rules in the Xu family prohibiting men from washing clothes or dishes.”

He paused, looked into Jiang Suihan’s eyes, and continued, “Don’t listen to her nonsense. If you want to sleep in a bit longer in the morning, then do so. If you don’t want to do laundry, I can handle it. This is our home; you can do whatever you like without listening to outsiders. I didn’t marry you to make you do laundry and cook. I can do these things myself.”

The marriage was arranged quickly, and Xu Zhao was not someone who would blindly follow his parents’ wishes. If that were the case, his marriage would have been delayed even longer. But because it was Jiang Suihan, he made a decision he had never considered before.

He hadn’t told her this, but when he first saw her at the Jiang family home, he felt a sense of fate, as if a voice inside him said, “It’s her.”

Hearing Xu Zhao speak so candidly was a new experience for Jiang Suihan. However, she still kept a serious expression, not wanting to make it too easy for him.

After all, it was because of him that she had to face criticism from Wang Liying.

Jiang Suihan reached out and poked Xu Zhao’s abdomen, which was firm and likely covered in abs: “So tell me, what did you want when you married me?”

Xu Zhao blurted out, “To have children.”

The moment the words were out, he turned red from neck to face.

It was all Zhang Xiangqian’s fault. During the day, Zhang Xiangqian had kept nagging him to have children quickly, saying the age gap between their children would be too large, which had triggered his reflex to blurt out this response.

He wondered if his earlier words had made her think he had improper thoughts.

But he couldn’t entirely blame himself; what man wouldn’t want to have children with the woman he loves? He was no exception.

So direct!

She thought Xu Zhao was innocent, but it turned out he had such thoughts.

Jiang Suihan’s face turned bright red, and she shyly glanced at Xu Zhao, seeing his face was also flushed, which made her embarrassment lessen considerably.

She thought, since they were already married and wanted to have children, what was wrong with that? It was a natural desire.

Considering it was Xu Zhao, she didn’t actually mind that much.

Jiang Suihan beckoned Xu Zhao with her finger, signaling him to bend down.

Xu Zhao, unsure of her intentions, pretended to be calm and lowered his head obediently.

Suddenly, he felt a warm, soft touch on his face.

It was gentle and light, and he could even smell the laundry soap from her clothes.

Xu Zhao’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Jiang Suihan.

She had just kissed him!

He touched his face, confirming the sensation.

She really had kissed him!

It wasn’t an illusion.

Jiang Suihan saw him standing there, stunned and silent, looking at her with a dazed expression.

She blushed and quickly said, “That’s your reward.”

Then she turned and ran away.

Like a frightened kitten that had just done something bad, she fled with a sense of shyness.

Xu Zhao’s lips slowly curled into a smile, his eyes carrying a hint of joy. Upon closer inspection, he had a small dimple on his right cheek, but unfortunately, no one was around to see it.