Chapter 38.1

Jiang Suihan clutched her pounding heart as she ran upstairs, only to encounter Jiang Leyun coming down for a drink.

The child looked at his sister, who seemed like she was hiding something, with concern and confusion. “Sister, what’s wrong? Why are you running so fast? Your face is so red—are you coming down with a fever?”

In Jiang Leyun’s mind, a flushed and hot face meant a fever, requiring medication or, if serious, a trip to the hospital.

Jiang Suihan took a moment to compose herself and deflected the awkward topic. “No, I just suddenly remembered I needed to get something upstairs. Don’t drink too much water at night, you might wet the bed.”

Jiang Leyun was quickly distracted from the topic and jumped up, “I haven’t wet the bed since I was four! Don’t go around making false accusations.”

At seven years old, there was no way he would wet the bed. If someone heard that, it would ruin his future reputation.

Jiang Suihan corrected her tone and apologized to her brother, “I misspoke. I’m sorry. Now go drink your water.”

Jiang Leyun pouted, feeling that his sister’s apology seemed insincere.

When he got downstairs, he saw his brother-in-law standing there, one hand on his face, smiling with his gaze fixed on the stairs. On closer inspection, his eyes seemed unfocused, clearly lost in thought.

The smile was oddly foolish. On his otherwise stern and handsome face, it looked out of place, almost comical.

Jiang Leyun walked over with his enamel mug, waving his hand in front of him. “What are you looking at?”

He was so engrossed that he hadn’t even noticed Jiang Leyun approaching.

Xu Zhao snapped back to reality, as if the foolish person he was just now wasn’t himself. He composed himself and said, “Nothing. I was just thinking about something.”

Jiang Leyun took a sip of water and replied with an “oh.”

It seemed like he was being fed a line, but he couldn’t find any evidence to prove it.

Xu Zhao glanced upstairs. “Where’s your sister?”

Jiang Leyun swallowed his water with a gulp. “Upstairs. I don’t know what’s going on with her—she’s acting all strange.”

Both his sister and brother-in-law seemed a bit odd. He wondered if they were secretly hiding something from him.

Facing Jiang Leyun’s suspicious gaze, Xu Zhao calmly ruffled his little brother-in-law’s head. “Finish your water and go to bed early.”

Jiang Leyun immediately complained, “It’s only just past seven. It’s too early to go to bed. I’m not tired yet.”

He usually went to bed around eight when the lights were out, and he wasn’t feeling sleepy at this hour.

Xu Zhao entered the room carrying an oil lamp and saw Jiang Suihan lying on the bed, writing something.

Jiang Suihan got up and handed him a piece of paper. “I’ve listed the things we need to buy for tomorrow. Take a look and see if there’s anything else we should add.”

Xu Zhao quickly glanced over the list and said, “This should be enough. Some of these items might not be available at the local market and will have to be bought in the county.”

Jiang Suihan put the paper away, propped her chin up with her hands, and said anxiously, “You mentioned that the army wants the families to grow their own food. Where is our land? Should we plan what to plant soon? It’s almost September, and in two or three months, the weather will turn cold. Shouldn’t we plant some crops that can survive the winter?”

She had no knowledge of farming and felt uneasy about the prospect of working the land, worried that they might run out of food.

Xu Zhao explained, “The army doesn’t require all families to grow their own food. They just encourage self-sufficiency. My salary is enough to cover the daily expenses for our family of three, so your worries are unnecessary.”

Jiang Suihan glared at Xu Zhao with irritation. “Why did you tell me that the army required families to grow food? You made me think we’d have no more leisurely days and would be working ourselves to the bone in the fields every day. I even trusted you so much.”

She had realized that Xu Zhao could be somewhat scheming and occasionally played little mind games with her, something she hadn’t noticed before because he usually seemed very serious.

In reality, Xu Zhao hadn’t exactly lied to Jiang Suihan. He had only given a partial truth. Many soldiers have large families to support, and their army salaries aren’t always sufficient. For example, Wu Guihua’s family, to save money and ensure her children had enough to eat, took a piece of land near the family quarters to grow food. As a rural person, Wu Guihua was skilled at farming. Otherwise, Captain Zhao’s salary wouldn’t be enough to feed his children, leaving nothing to send home.

Most families in the family compound came from rural backgrounds and were not affluent. To ease their financial burden, the army tacitly allowed and even assisted families with cultivating land.

Xu Zhao had mentioned this to shock Jiang Suihan, as life here was tough, and getting to the county for shopping required waiting for a free army vehicle.

He was concerned that Jiang Suihan might find it difficult to adapt, feel bored and frustrated. Rather than let her struggle, he thought it might be better to dissuade her from staying, suggesting she and Jiang Leyun move to the capital where his parents could take care of them.

Xu Zhao lay down, propping his head up with one hand and looking at Jiang Suihan. “It’s not too late to return to the capital. As you can see, the conditions here are harsh. I’m often away on missions, and you’ll have to manage many things on your own, which will be quite challenging. If you go to the capital, my parents will take good care of you and Leyun.”

The bed was small, close enough that they could hear each other’s heartbeats.

Jiang Suihan knew life in the capital would be much better—convenient, without the need for hard labor, and with the added benefit of not having to deal with complicated in-law relationships. Perhaps she could even find a decent job with Xu’s family connections. But that wasn’t what she wanted.

Xu Zhao had done so much for her; she couldn’t just leave him behind for her own comfort. That would make her a terrible person.

Moreover, she was unfamiliar with Xu Zhao’s parents and didn’t know how well they would get along. While life here wasn’t as good as in the city, it was at least free from complicated family dynamics. She could wake up whenever she wanted without worrying about her mother-in-law’s opinions.

Jiang Suihan said seriously, “I don’t want to go to the capital. I’m not afraid of hardship. I can take care of myself and Leyun.”

Xu Zhao looked at her intently and asked again, “You don’t regret it?”

Jiang Suihan shook her head lightly, “There’s nothing to regret. We’re married, so wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

Xu Zhao stared at her for a couple of seconds, confirming her seriousness. He slowly said, “Okay.”

Suddenly, he rolled over on top of her, propping himself up on one side and wrapping his arm around her waist. His warm lips pressed against hers.

In a low voice, he said, “I gave you a chance.”

Jiang Suihan was pinned beneath him, their breaths mingling as she stared up at his increasingly magnified face.

She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but there was no time to react. Her mind grew foggy, and her thoughts drifted away.

The blanket was kicked to the end of the bed and later fell to the floor, making the wooden bed rock back and forth.

The window was half-open, and the curtains fluttered in the night breeze. Moonlight streamed in, casting faint shadows of the intertwined figures on the bed.

It felt like being on a boat, swaying with the waves, with no sign of the boat stopping.

Half-awake and half-dreaming, Jiang Suihan murmured, “Are you done yet?”

Xu Zhao lightly nibbled on her ear and mumbled, “Almost.”

He turned her over, his warm body covering hers.

Gradually, Jiang Suihan became very tired, unable to resist the sleepiness. As she drifted off, a thought crossed her mind: the physical strength of a soldier was remarkable.

But she was outmatched. The two of them were mismatched in strength.

With a faint worry about the future, she completely fell into a deep sleep.

“Wake up.”

Feeling a light tap on her face, Jiang Suihan, annoyed by the disturbance, waved her hand, trying to brush off the irritating touch.

Xu Zhao saw that Jiang Suihan had turned over, clutching the blanket and continuing to sleep. He smiled helplessly, contemplating whether to let her sleep, but worried that if she woke up later and found out he hadn’t woken her, she might be upset with him.

Weighing the pros and cons and feeling conflicted for a moment, he decided to wake her up.

Jiang Suihan, groggy and barely opening her eyes, said in a hoarse and weak voice, “What is it?”

Was it really that bothersome to be woken up from a sweet dream?

She hoped there was a good reason for it; otherwise, she might show him just how annoying a woman could be when she was upset.

Facing Jiang Suihan’s angry glare, Xu Zhao quickly said, “Remember we agreed that I’d take you to the market today? It’s getting late, and if we go too late, the market will be closed and the goods will be gone.”

The market was only open on specific days, and it sold items from local villagers. Once the goods were sold out, the vendors would pack up, usually finishing by the morning and not staying open all day.

Oh right, she still needed to go to the market. She almost forgot this important task.

Jiang Suihan propped herself up with her hands, and every movement made her body protest. Her expression showed clear discomfort.

Xu Zhao reached out to support her. “Does it still hurt?”

Jiang Suihan glared at him. “What do you think? It’s all your fault. You promised to hurry up last night, but you…”

The rest of the words were left unspoken, and they fell into silence.

Recalling last night’s events, Xu Zhao’s face flushed slightly. He wanted to explain that he hadn’t meant to cause discomfort. Once things started, it was hard to control. At that moment, she was stunning, and his usual self-control had shattered completely in her presence.

He knew he had been too excessive last night, not considering her physical well-being, so it was only natural for her to be upset with him.

Xu Zhao, feeling guilty, rubbed his nose. “I’m sorry. It was my fault last night. I didn’t mean to overexert you. How about we skip going out today and you rest at home?”

After all, she had already listed everything she needed to buy on a piece of paper, and they could just follow that list.

Jiang Suihan’s face turned red, and she felt embarrassed thinking about the word “exhausted.” Her toes curled awkwardly under the blanket as she looked at the sheets beneath her.

Her mind involuntarily recalled the intimate moments from last night, and she couldn’t help but think of scenes from novels she had read, where the main characters were now replaced by Xu Zhao and herself, coupled with the author’s highly embarrassing descriptions.

It was too vivid!

Xu Zhao noticed Jiang Suihan’s face growing redder and her gaze wandering. His smile broadened.

He waved his hand in front of her face. “What’s wrong?”

He was curious about what was going through her mind, as her expression made him want to find out.

“You!”

Jiang Suihan blurted out a single word without thinking.