Chapter 2 2/2

Yán Lěi was slightly stunned. Then he watched as the fair and delicate woman collapsed.

 Yán Lěi was the first person Qiáo Wēi saw when she came to this world.

“The first” always carries some special significance. Moreover, he was her husband in her current identity, implying that in the future, they would inevitably face many conflicts.

Having regained a new life, Qiáo Wēi couldn’t help but smile at the man who represented the beginning of her new life. Then, unable to hold on any longer, she collapsed forward.

Before losing consciousness, she felt as if she had fallen into strong arms, securely caught by someone…

…

Qiáo Wēi gradually regained consciousness and seemed to hear someone talking.

A woman’s voice, slightly angry, scolded, “…It’s not the old society now. Comrade, you are an officer, a family of officers. How did you let this female comrade become malnourished? Look at how thin she is! Why are you treating her like an animal?”

The man didn’t defend himself or argue at all; he just kept saying, “Mm, yes.”

Perhaps thinking the man’s attitude was still okay, the woman’s tone softened a bit as she said, “When she wakes up, she can leave. Give her some good food to eat and replenish her.”

The man replied, “Mm.”

The voice was low and deep. Qiáo Wēi immediately recognized that this voice belonged to Yánlěi, the husband of the original Qiáo Wēiwēi.

She absorbed Qiáo Wēiwēi’s memories and even emotions, and for a moment, she felt a sense of disgust towards the owner of this voice. Fortunately, this feeling of disgust quickly disappeared, and Qiáo Wēi regained control over her own emotions.

She was familiar yet unfamiliar with Yán Lěi, but at least she wouldn’t feel disgusted because, after all, she was not Qiáo Wēiwēi.

But lying weakly in bed, Qiáo Wēi sorted through the information in her mind, knowing that from now on, she had to continue living as Qiáo Wēiwēi.

The original Qiáo Wēiwēi’s idea of divorcing the male lead was indeed too naive.

She had chosen marriage as a way out because she couldn’t endure the hardships of being a worker.

Now, with both parents deceased and no other relatives, her most important identity was as Yán Lěi’s wife, a military spouse. However, if she left her husband, Yán Lěi, she would become a completely unaffiliated individual.

In this era, living without an organization or unit was almost impossible. Even setting up a stall was not allowed; this era only permitted disabled people and elderly widows to have stalls, while others were considered opportunistic profiteers.

The original host probably never thought about how to survive after leaving Yán Lěi. Love really does make people lose their intelligence.

Of course, it could also be the author dumbing down the character. After all, she was cannon fodder, and her existence’s purpose was to make the female lead become a “stepmother” and raise children.

Honestly, in a novel, what’s better than following the male lead to have a bright future?

Nothing.

The female lead reincarnated, but she would rather be a stepmother and marry Yán Lěi.

With clearly known future benefits, being Yán Lěi’s wife, for both Qiáo Wēi and the female lead, was the best choice.

Lost in thought, footsteps approached, the sound of a door opening, and then the tattered blue curtain was pulled open with a “swish.”

It turned out she wasn’t the only one in the hospital room. This was a four-bed room with two empty beds. There was an old lady lying on one of the beds, seemingly asleep, making the room quiet.

Qiáo Wēi turned her head and met Yán Lěi’s gaze.

Yán Lěi stared at her.

Qiáo Wēi and Yán Lěi locked eyes for a moment, and she attempted to get up.

Yán Lěi reached back to pull the curtain, put down the aluminum lunchbox he was holding, and reached out to help her up.

His hand was large, dry, and warm. Qiáo Wēi could feel the strong support on her back. Yán Lěi gripped her arm, exerted some force, and effortlessly sat up.

Yán Lěi supported her against the head of the bed. He pulled a wooden stool from the bedside, sat down without saying a word, and opened the lid of the aluminum lunchbox, handing it over to her.

Dumplings.

In the future, dumplings were not something Qiáo Wēi typically ate unless it was for a special occasion.

But at this moment, seeing the dumplings, the saliva in Qiáo Wēi’s mouth immediately started flowing abundantly, creating a strong appetite.

She glanced at Yán Lěi.

Yán Lěi took his gaze away, and his tone was cold. “The doctor said you are malnourished, so I shouldn’t let you go hungry.”

There was a hint of sarcasm in his words. Except for the issue with the house, he had never mistreated Qiáo Wēiwēi in other aspects of life. Yet, after leaving him for a few days, she ended up malnourished.

The doctor had examined her; there was no other reason for her fainting except for weakness. Considering the information provided by the old lady landlord, she had essentially fainted due to hunger.

No one knew better than Qiáo Wēi how Qiáo Wēiwēi was. A box of dumplings wasn’t exactly a good thing in the future, but at this moment, in this era, it was considered a delicacy—exactly what her current body needed.

Although Yán Lěi appeared cold, he had bought dumplings for her after all.

Judging from the information Qiáo Wēi received, going out and getting dumplings at this time was not something easily done.

Reaching out, Qiáo Wēi took the lunchbox and gently said, “Thank you.”

Yán Lěi looked at her in surprise.

Qiáo Wēi smiled faintly, took the lunchbox, and placed it on her lap. After scanning it briefly, she looked at Yán Lěi again.

Yán Lěi handed her something else without saying a word: “Here.”

Chopsticks – in this era, a lunchbox and chopsticks were standard personal items.

The chopsticks were wrapped in a well-used, sealed plastic bag, but they were washed fairly clean.

Perhaps, as she observed the chopsticks for too long, Yán Lěi coolly commented, “Washed.”

His wife had a cleanliness obsession, which was challenging to take care of over the years.

Although his tone sounded impatient, this man had actually washed the chopsticks for her. It was already better than ninety percent of men who grumbled and did nothing.

Qiáo Wēi felt that was good. Because, from Qiáo Wēiwei’s perspective, the cleanliness habits labeled as “obsessive” were just normal hygiene practices.

 In the future, Yan Lei will be her husband, the person she will share her life with. So it would be great if he could take care of her hygiene habits.

Qiao Wei smiled encouragingly at him and praised him generously, “Very thoughtful.”

After saying that, she turned slightly, eating dumplings with her back to him.

Today, Yan Lei felt his wife was unfamiliar.

His gaze swept over her slender shoulders and back, and thinking that this change might be due to setbacks in her extramarital affair, he snorted and looked away again.

After finishing a box of dumplings, Qiao Wei felt like her body had been recharged.

This feeling was too good.

In the late stages of the terminal illness, she couldn’t eat normally, and every day she was tormented by pain, wanting to die but unable to.

Now, this body that was considered “weak” by both doctors and Yan Lei was already too healthy for her. It was so healthy that she wanted to run, jump, and even sing to express her happiness.

Seeing her finish eating, without her saying anything, Yan Lei took the lunchbox, sealed it, put it in a plastic bag, and stuffed it into his army green messenger bag.

After tidying up, he raised his eyes, sat up straight, and looked at Qiao Wei. “Go home?”