Chapter 7

Tang Yajun pushed Lu Chongjin forward, greeting each of the people seated in the front hall one by one.

At the head of the room sat Lu Chongjin’s father, Lu Zhenshan, and his mother, Wen Mulan.

The other two, dressed with sophistication, were clearly Fu Peirong’s parents.

Wen Mulan smiled as she helped make introductions.

Tang Yajun greeted everyone politely in turn, then pushed Lu Chongjin to the empty seat beside Wen Mulan.

She locked the wheels of his chair securely in place.

Fu Peirong hurried inside, shooting a glare at Tang Yajun before saying angrily, “Sister-in-law is really something—taking such meticulous care of Brother Jin.”

The words themselves were pleasant, but paired with her sarcastic tone, they carried more malice than kindness.

Tang Yajun, however, acted as though she hadn’t noticed the insinuation at all.

She smiled sweetly at Lu Chongjin, her voice soft and brimming with affection.

“What are you saying, little sister? Chongjin and I are husband and wife, of course I should treat him well. Once you marry in the future, you’ll naturally treat your husband the same way.”

Fu Father and Fu Mother, who had originally wanted to stop their daughter from speaking rashly, were left speechless.

They had heard rumors that Lu Chongjin’s wife was ill-mannered, but now they realized this woman was not only unrestrained—she was shamelessly blunt.

Still, seeing how accustomed the Lu elders already were to her, they held their tongues.

Fu Peirong ignored her and pulled two elegantly wrapped watch boxes from her handbag.

“Brother Jin, these are the watches I had someone bring back for you. They’re the most fashionable styles right now—a men’s and a women’s model. This way, we can…”

She had just walked up to him, holding out the boxes, when her words were cut off by Tang Yajun’s sudden movement.

“My, thank you so much, Sister Fu. Chongjin really isn’t as thoughtful as you girls are. Women do have the finer touch.

You even had the same idea as I did—matching couple’s watches! Perfect for him and me, don’t you think?”

As she spoke, Tang Yajun had already fastened the women’s watch around her own wrist. Then she picked up the men’s watch and started fitting it against Lu Chongjin’s arm.

Fu Peirong froze. These were supposed to be for her and Brother Jin—one each.

She reached out, trying to snatch the women’s watch back.

But Tang Yajun had already raised her arm high, showing off the watch as she strode over to Lu Zhenshan and Wen Mulan.

Clicking her tongue in admiration, she said, “You have to admit, Sister Fu really knows young people’s tastes. Look how perfectly it matches my outfit.”

The smiles on Lu Zhenshan and Wen Mulan’s faces nearly cracked. Anyone with eyes could see Fu Peirong had intended the watches as a pair between herself and Lu Chongjin.

Fu Peirong, on the verge of tears, rushed back to her parents. “Dad, Mom, look at her!”

But Tang Yajun ignored her, returning to Lu Chongjin’s side, beaming as she said, “Chongjin, this is Sister Fu’s thoughtful gift for us. Why aren’t you wearing yours?”

Lu Chongjin felt her actions were going too far. At least for appearance’s sake, she should show some consideration toward the Fu family elders. He was about to refuse.

But Tang Yajun misunderstood, thinking he didn’t want to wear a matching pair with her. Her temper immediately flared. She grabbed his wrist, buckled the watch onto him, and even removed the one he had been wearing before.

“From now on, you’ll wear this one. It’s someone’s goodwill, after all.”

She shot him a warning glare—if he dared to take it off, she would explode on the spot.

Helpless, Lu Chongjin gave a soft cough to cover his embarrassment.

Fu Mother soothed her daughter gently until Fu Peirong finally forced a smile through her tears.

During all this, Tang Yajun diligently played the role of the attentive wife.

One moment peeling grapes for Lu Chongjin, another cooling tea before pressing it to his lips. Whenever he hesitated even slightly, her eyes shot daggers at him.

Standing in the back, Cui Shan watched the silent exchange of “eye-daggers” between husband and wife, wishing once again he could turn into a pine tree.

After coaxing two cups of tea into Lu Chongjin, Tang Yajun finally stood and apologized politely.

“My Chongjin has caught a chill and can’t stay out too long. I’ll take him back first—please continue chatting.”

She then turned a smile on Lu Chongjin, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Her look seemed to say: Didn’t you claim your throat hurt? Why aren’t you coughing now?

All eyes turned toward Lu Chongjin. Still dazed from just swallowing tea, he failed to respond quickly enough.

Tang Yajun kept winking at him like mad, even pointing at her throat in an exaggerated gesture.

At last, he caught on. Covering his lips, he gave a light cough.

Tang Yajun instantly turned to the others with a triumphant expression, as if to say See? I told you so. She even gave him a discreet thumbs-up under her arm.

Both Lu Chongjin and Cui Shan nearly burst out laughing.

After leaving the front hall, under Wen Mulan’s firm insistence, Tang Yajun had no choice but to take Lu Chongjin to see Doctor Hu.

Doctor Hu was the elderly physician hired to care for Lu Chongjin’s health, an experienced practitioner of traditional medicine.

After taking his pulse, the old man stroked his beard and pondered for a long while, yet found nothing unusual.

Not wanting to make things difficult for him, Tang Yajun stepped in to ease the moment.

She extended her wrist, showing off the new watch. “Why not check me first, see if there’s anything I need to take care of?”

Secretly, she wanted to know if the doctor could detect that she wasn’t the real Tang Yajun at all.

Doctor Hu felt her pulse carefully on both wrists, then spoke at last: “Madam once fell into water, yes? Your body has suffered cold damage, which may affect your fertility in the future.

When your monthly cycle comes, you may also experience abdominal pain. I’ll write a prescription to regulate your qi and blood. Drink it a few days before your cycle, and it should help.”

Relieved, Tang Yajun followed him into the inner room to collect the medicine.

Glancing at Lu Chongjin waiting outside, she thought to herself: To win a hundred battles, one must first know the enemy well.

Lowering her voice, she asked, “With your medical skill, tell me honestly—can Chongjin ever fully recover?”

Doctor Hu froze in the middle of weighing herbs, hesitating. “Well… that…”

Tang Yajun discreetly pinched her arm, forcing tears to brim in her eyes. Her voice trembled with sorrow.

“I’m sure you know, Chongjin isn’t young anymore. My in-laws have long wanted a grandson, but my womb just hasn’t given them any hope.”

Her voice broke as tears spilled onto the floor.

Startled, Doctor Hu trembled slightly, then sighed, his expression conflicted. “His condition… with careful treatment, there is still hope. Don’t worry.”

He glanced at her again, then lowered his voice. “You two do share a bed, don’t you?”

Tang Yajun nodded, replying softly, “Of course. I just want to know whether he’ll recover—so I can give him a child sooner.”

Doctor Hu nodded rapidly, waving his hand for her to step outside.

When Tang Yajun emerged, eyes still faintly red, Lu Chongjin looked at her, clearly wanting to speak but holding back.

But she was quickly distracted by a little pear-blossom kitten in the courtyard, running over to tease it.

Soon, Doctor Hu came out with several wrapped packets of medicine. Spotting Tang Yajun playing with the cat, he leaned closer to Lu Chongjin and whispered:

“I didn’t say a word, but you must have heard her. She wants to give you a child. For a young woman to ask something so boldly, it shows Madam truly cares for you.”

Lu Chongjin nodded slowly, thoughtful.

Doctor Hu looked toward the courtyard again, then leaned even closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper:

“You do know, don’t you… that simply lying in the same bed doesn’t make children?”

He illustrated the point with a crude hand gesture.

At once, Lu Chongjin’s gaze turned strange as he looked at Tang Yajun.