Chapter 38.2

As soon as the word left her mouth, she met Xu Zhao’s teasing gaze, and a mix of shame and embarrassment spread across her face.

Jiang Suihan hurriedly tried to explain. “No, I mean, I was thinking about last night, not that I was thinking about you. Ugh, forget it. I’m thirsty. Go get me a glass of water.”

The more she tried to explain, the more confused she sounded, as if she were trying to cover something up. She decided to stop and just order him around.

Xu Zhao patted her head, chuckling softly. “Okay, I’ll get you some water. Do you want to get up now?”

He was in a good mood, and fetching a glass of water was no trouble at all. If he weren’t worried about irritating her, he’d have continued teasing her.

Jiang Suihan rubbed her waist. “Yes, I have an appointment with Sister Wu at the market.”

She was unsure whether, by the time she got ready, Wu Guihua and the others would have already finished their shopping and be on their way back.

She cast a resentful look at Xu Zhao. “It’s all your fault.”

If Xu Zhao hadn’t kept his promises last night and had been so persistent, she wouldn’t have missed her schedule and slept so late.

Xu Zhao, with a sincere apology, said, “My mistake. You go change your clothes, I’ll go call Leyun.”

Once he closed the door, Jiang Suihan slowly got out of bed. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she felt weak and unsteady.

She pulled out the clothes she planned to wear for the day, took off her nightgown, and noticed with dismay the marks on her body.

It seemed Xu Zhao had been too enthusiastic last night; his excitement had left marks on her pale skin, with some bruises and red spots. The back was hard to see, but she guessed it was similar.

Jiang Suihan couldn’t help but curse under her breath, “Beast.”

She found a mirror and checked her neck, which had a noticeable strawberry mark. It was quite visible, and if someone saw it today, it would give them something to laugh about.

Putting the top back in the closet, she looked for a shirt with a collar and buttoned it up tightly.

It wasn’t working; the collar wasn’t high enough to cover the mark.

Finally, she had no choice but to pull out an old silk scarf given to her by a friend, tying it around her neck to cover the mark.

Breakfast was prepared by Xu Zhao early in the morning: buns, vegetable pancakes, and soy milk.

Xu Zhao, seeing Jiang Suihan wearing a scarf for the first time, couldn’t help but stare at her.

Jiang Suihan asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Xu Zhao handed her the enamel cup. “You look beautiful today.”

Complimenting her seemed appropriate; she did look quite pretty today.

Zhang Xiangqian had once shared tips on how to interact with female colleagues, one of which was to frequently compliment their appearance. Xu Zhao had scoffed at the idea at the time, thinking it unnecessary and not something he would do.

If Zhang Xiangqian were here, he would definitely tease Xu Zhao.

Jiang Suihan couldn’t help but smile. Who said men didn’t understand romance? Xu Zhao seemed to understand it quite well.

She lifted her chin slightly, her expression a bit smug. “Say more of that kind of thing in the future. I like hearing it.”

Xu Zhao laughed along. He had never met anyone like her who wanted others to compliment her so much.

Jiang Leyun, eating a bun, glanced between his sister and brother-in-law, feeling as though there were three people here but he was somehow excluded.

Today, both his sister and brother-in-law seemed a bit odd.

After breakfast, Jiang Suihan put some candy and cookies in Jiang Leyun’s pocket, reminding him to share with others and not to cause conflicts while playing with the other kids. He should wait patiently for them to return.

Jiang Leyun pouted, dissatisfied. “I’m not that stingy.”

He felt his sister underestimated him. Whenever he played with his friends, he always shared his food with them. Of course, Zhao Xiaojun and the others weren’t the kind of kids who only wanted to take advantage of him; they would bring him snacks from home too.

He actually wanted to go to the market with them, but his sister said they were going to buy things, and when they came back, the vehicle would be loaded with goods, making it inconvenient to take him along.

The residence was very safe, with Jiang Leyun only playing around the family compound. Jiang Suihan was quite at ease.

Xu Zhao tied an old piece of clothing to the back seat of the car. He remembered that during their last trip to Shangxi Village, Jiang Suihan had been jostled quite a bit on the back seat.

He looked at her with concern and spoke gently. “Is your body really okay?”

Xu Zhao still preferred Jiang Suihan to stay home, buying a few things was something he could handle alone.

Jiang Suihan shook her head and urged him to hurry. “I’m fine, just a bit uncomfortable. Besides, you’re here, right?”

It wasn’t painful, just a bit tiring; everything else was alright.

Xu Zhao smiled instinctively. Indeed, he would ensure she was alright.

After a bumpy ride, they finally arrived.

The market was smaller than Jiang Suihan had expected. She had thought it would be quite large, but it turned out to be just a few small stalls selling common items. The vendors were farmers in worn clothes with simple, shy smiles.

This was the reality of the times—scarcity of goods and widespread poverty.

Wu Guihua greeted them with a smile. “I didn’t expect to see you. I thought you weren’t coming. You arrived just in time; let me show you some good stuff.”

Jiang Suihan was puzzled and curious.

Following Wu Guihua to a relatively secluded corner, they saw a few people gathered around.

Upon closer inspection, they found someone selling lamb.

Wu Guihua proudly said, “This lamb was raised by a local farmer. It was originally intended to be kept for a while longer, but it broke its leg yesterday, so they had to slaughter it and bring it to the market. Does your family like lamb? Would you like to buy some?”

Meat wasn’t always available at the market, and they were lucky this time. Wu Guihua hadn’t had meat for several days and decided to buy three pounds.

Chen Xiuni’s family had two children, and her family was relatively better off than Wu Guihua’s. They bought five pounds of lamb.

It was rare to find meat for sale, so not buying it would be foolish.

Jiang Suihan turned to Xu Zhao. “Do you like lamb?”

Xu Zhao replied, “It’s okay. I’m fine with it.”

He didn’t eat lamb often; the few times he had were at lamb hot pot dinners with friends in the capital.

Jiang Suihan asked Wu Guihua if she knew how to cook lamb, as she was worried about wasting it if she couldn’t cook it properly.

Wu Guihua laughed heartily. “It’s no problem. Just add some spices and cook it. I’ll take you to buy some, and if you can’t find it, you can come to my house to get it.”

Jiang Suihan thanked her and bought six pounds of lamb from the vendor. Although she had considered buying more, she realized that with only three people in the family, buying too much would be wasteful. Others needed to buy as well.

Xu Zhao carried the lamb, following behind, while Jiang Suihan strolled in front, browsing each stall and stopping at those that caught her interest.

Despite the market being small, Xu Zhao ended up with quite a few items.

Jiang Suihan pointed ahead. “There are bamboo baskets for sale over there. Let’s go take a look.”

Xu Zhao turned his steps and followed her.

She was curious about everything, and her body seemed to be feeling fine now.

The bamboo vendor was a grandfather and granddaughter duo, dressed in very worn clothing with almost all their clothes patched. The little girl looked younger than Jiang Leyun, small and dark, probably around five or six years old.

The grandfather’s hair was gray, his back slightly hunched, and his face showed the marks of time.

When they saw customers approaching, the grandfather and granddaughter smiled awkwardly and asked what they needed.

Jiang Suihan noticed the little girl didn’t even have a hair tie and had her hair tied up with a piece of rag. The child’s small, thin body sat beside her grandfather.

She felt a pang of sadness and reached into her pocket but found nothing.

Xu Zhao took out two pieces of candy and handed them to Jiang Suihan. She looked at him in surprise and asked instinctively, “How do you have candy?”

It was a bit odd for a grown man to carry candy.

Xu Zhao explained, “I was afraid you might be hungry on the way, so I bought it for you.”

He, as a grown man, didn’t have much interest in candy.

Jiang Suihan felt a bit touched. She was easily moved by such small details.

Smiling, she handed the candy to the little girl. “Here, candy is very sweet.”

The little girl swallowed and showed a look of longing but didn’t reach out for the candy. Instead, she turned to look at her grandfather.

The old man ruffled his granddaughter’s messy, dry hair. Facing the hopeful gaze of the child, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. Candy was only available with candy tickets, and they were poor, so there were no tickets to be had.

He remembered the last time his granddaughter had eaten candy was two years ago, at a relative’s wedding. The child had a hard life; her father had passed away from illness when she was young, and her mother had remarried. Now, it was just him, an old man, taking care of the child.

He was too old for heavy work, and the child had suffered a lot while growing up with him. She went hungry and was poorly dressed. The more sensible a child was, the more it broke his heart.

He didn’t want to disappoint his granddaughter. “Take it.”

The little girl shyly flashed a smile at Jiang Suihan and carefully took the candy. Her voice was soft. “Thank you, big sister.”

Jiang Suihan looked at the little girl and found her quite adorable. “You’re welcome.”

The craftsmanship of these bamboo items was evident; the basic skills were solid, and no corners were cut. According to the little girl’s grandfather, most villagers knew how to make simple bamboo items. His father had been an old bamboo weaver, and he had learned the craft from him at a very young age.