Chapter 43

Qiao Wei carried a bundle of regenerated cloth back home as if she were carrying a child.

Once home, they each drank a cup of cool green bean soup. Wiping their mouths, Yan Xiang picked up the small shovel and continued digging his sandpit.

Qiao Wei used scissors to cut a series of small holes along the edge of the regenerated cloth, then tore it by hand.

The regenerated cloth was short and much more fragile than ordinary fabric, tearing effortlessly. Qiao Wei tore it happily.

Once all torn, she trimmed the excessively long fabric strips with scissors, then began stuffing them into the cushion covers.

In no time, all three large cushions were evenly stuffed.

The cool bed was placed under the eaves against the wall. Qiao Wei pulled it out a few centimeters and placed the three large cushions against the wall.

She sat down, leaning back against the cushions.

Although not entirely satisfied, under the current conditions, it could be considered a makeshift sofa.

When it got cold, she would move it into the house and lay a small mattress on top to keep warm.

“Xiang Xiang, come here!” Qiao Wei called out.

Yan Xiang put down the small shovel and bucket, washed his hands, then ran to the cool bed under the eaves and leaned back. “Wow!”

“Is it comfortable?”

“Very comfortable!”

“In the future, we’ll read and tell stories here.”

“Okay!”

Qiao Wei stood up and looked around with her hands on her hips.

Rugged walls, beside the windows, on top of the lounge chair, hung a straw hat, and beneath the straw hat dangled two straw shoes.

Yan Lei couldn’t make heads or tails of this “decoration” with the straw hat and shoes, but it didn’t hinder the rural atmosphere created by Qiao Wei.

Now, three cushions were placed on the lounge chair, two in natural colors and one indigo blue.

Qiao Wei put the indigo blue one on the far left, and the two natural ones on the right, creating a natural asymmetrical beauty.

Closing one eye, Qiao Wei extended her hand and made a framing gesture with her thumbs and index fingers within her field of vision. Inside the frame, there were walls built of stones, slightly worn-out old-style lattice glass windows, a straw hat, straw shoes, and a bamboo lounge chair.

As soon as the three plain cloth cushions on the lounge chair entered the scene, the countryside was upgraded to pastoral.

Exactly what Qiao Wei wanted.

On Monday, as soon as Yan Lei got home, he noticed the extra cushions on the eaves of the lounge chair.

“Wow! You made them so quickly,” he exclaimed.

He took off his hat, hung it on the wall, and sat down, leaning against the cushions. After a moment, he adjusted his position.

“Mmm…”

“Dad, do you find it comfortable?” Yan Xiang asked standing nearby.

Yan Lei sighed, “Very comfortable.”

Apart from lying in bed against the rolled-up blanket, he had never been this comfortable before.

In his memory, whether at home or in the army, there were hardly any particularly soft things, just wooden chairs and brick beds, all hard.

There was never something so soft that made you want to lean against it and relax.

“What’s stuffed inside here?” he curiously unbuttoned and reached in to feel.

Qiao Wei came out of the bathroom and happened to see him pulling out a bunch of straw. “What are you doing? Don’t mess around, stuff it back in.”

Yan Lei chuckled, “Quite resourceful, using straw.”

City folks really know how to be comfortable.

Qiao Wei came over after washing her hands and also sat down. After adjusting her position, she said, “It’s still a bit saggy.”

“The tailor suggested I stuff some more straw in. He said straw has good resilience and can make the cushion puff up,” Yan Lei said.

“He’s right. When we were kids, we’d jump on haystacks and flatten them, but as soon as we got off, they’d slowly fluff back up,” Yan Lei added.

Qiao Wei asked, “Where can we get straw?”

Yan Lei said, “I’ll get it for you. How much do you need?”

Actually, Qiao Wei had no idea either, gesturing with her hands open, “This much?”

As soon as Yan Lei heard this tone, he knew Qiao Wei didn’t have a specific amount in mind, “Alright, don’t worry about it. Let me handle it.”

He thought, It’s fine to get more. Having straw at home is always handy for kindling fires.

Yan Lei looked up at the power line and asked, “Are the lights installed?”

He stood up and followed the power line to the bathroom, wanting to check on the light bulb. Because he was looking up, he stumbled over a pit halfway there, but fortunately, he had good balance and didn’t fall.

“What’s this?” he said, hands on hips, looking down, “Has the sandbox already been dug?”

It looked like it had been dug up by a dog.

Excited to show off, Yan Xiang exclaimed, “I dug it! I dug it all by myself!”

With hands on hips, chest puffed out, and belly protruding, he waited for praise.

Qiao Wei raised an eyebrow at Yan Lei. Understanding her silent cue, Yan Lei praised him, “Truly my son. Very capable.”

Yan Xiang snapped to attention and saluted, “Serve the people!”

After praising his son, Yan Lei went to check the light in the bathroom, while Qiao Wei lit it up from the doorway.

“Not bad,” Yan Lei said.

Coming out of the bathroom, he saw Qiao Wei leaning against the door frame with crossed arms, smiling. It was evident she was also pleased with the light.

Yan Lei deeply felt that her satisfaction changed the whole atmosphere of the house.

Then, he noticed a piece of cloth hanging on the clothesline.

“Huh?” Yan Lei’s eyes lit up instantly, asking eagerly, “Has that gone?”

That piece of cloth was the side that faced up on the little mattress. Qiao Wei’s aunt had finished using it and didn’t need the mattress anymore, so she cut the thread with scissors and took that piece down.

As for the dirty cotton inside, she plucked out the dirty parts and threw them away, then plucked some cotton from the corners and patched up the holes in the middle.

“I told you to leave it alone,” Yan Lei said, scolding, but his eyes were bright and eager.

Could Qiao Wei not know what he was thinking? She suppressed a smile and said, “It’s just a piece of cloth, so I washed it. But I can take it apart, not sew it. I’ll rely on you for that.”

Taking charge, Yan Lei said confidently, “I’ll handle it, you can trust me.”

Sewing was a necessary skill for every soldier in the army, it could be said.

During dinner, Yan Lei put the hot water on to boil.

After dinner, he didn’t rush to do the dishes; instead, he prepared the bathwater for Qiao Wei first. Specifically, he picked out the whitest and newest shirt from his own collection for her.

Qiao Wei gave him a sideways glance and snatched the white shirt from his hand.

By the time Qiao Wei finished her bath, it was already dark outside. She came out of the kitchen and heard the father and son sitting on the lounge chair chatting.

Yan Xiang protested, “I’m not sleepy yet.”

“Children should sleep early; otherwise, wolves might come at night, and there are also big monsters…” Yan Lei began.

Qiao Wei was exasperated. “Hey! Don’t scare the kid.”

She glared at him fiercely.

Yan Lei felt sheepish.

Being a dad was truly annoying. Just one casual remark, and Qiao Wei had to spend several times the effort to reassure the child: “It’s okay, there won’t be wolves where there are many people. As society develops, the number of animals decreases; even flies, mosquitoes, and ants get smaller.”

After calming down Yan Xiang and telling bedtime stories, Qiao Wei, still somewhat annoyed, couldn’t help but ask a clichéd question, “Does Xiang Xiang like Daddy or Mommy more?”

Yan Xiang lay flat on his back facing the ceiling. “I like both Daddy and Mommy.”

Qiao Wei playfully asked, “Who do you like more?”

Yan Xiang replied, “I like Mommy because she’s pretty, and I like Daddy because he’s tall.”

Water carrier for both sides, indeed.

Qiao Wei sighed.

After putting Yan Xiang to bed, Qiao Wei turned off the light and went back to her side.

The study was lit up, and as soon as she entered, she saw Yan Lei sitting on the edge of the desk with his long legs crossed on the floor.

Seeing her come in, his eyes lit up, and he stood up, taking two steps to the door, holding onto the door frame as he looked outside. Closing the door, he asked in a low voice, “Is he finally asleep?”

He had been waiting impatiently.

Qiao Wei smiled and said, “Yes, he’s asleep.”

Her eyes were like water, and Yan Lei felt like he was burning all over, wanting to pull her into the bedroom.

However, Qiao Wei reached back and held him, refusing to go with him.

Yan Lei turned back in surprise.

The light bulb cast a yellowish glow, making the white walls look yellowish too.

Her face seemed to have a halo around it.

Qiao Wei pulled Yan Lei back slightly.

Yan Lei didn’t resist at all, following her lead to stand in front of her.

He didn’t know what she was going to do. She must know what he wanted to do, but Yan Lei felt that what she was doing now wasn’t rejecting him.

Then why didn’t she go into the bedroom with him?

Qiao Wei’s eyes sparkled with a smile.

She tiptoed, tilting her head back and kissed Yan Lei on the lips.

It was time to teach this old-fashioned man. Intimacy between a man and a woman didn’t have to wait until they were in bed with the lights off.

With a thud, Yan Lei’s hand pressed against the wall, pinning Qiao Wei against the door panel.

He wasn’t used to being so intimate with his wife outside the bedroom, feeling it was wrong somehow.

But the body had its own demands.

Dry mouth, hot blood.

Two bodies were like two magnets, strongly attracted to each other. This force was irresistible.

Qiao Wei tilted her head back slightly, her head resting against the door, looking up at Yan Lei.

Nose to nose, audible breathing. Bodies pressed together, heat felt.

Yan Lei lowered his head and captured Qiao Wei’s red lips.

For the first time in his life, he was so bold, being intimate with his wife outside the bedroom.

Once ignited, it was beyond control, flames engulfing.

His big hands unbuttoned the white shirt.

Urgent, rough.

The calluses in the palm were rough and irritating.

Their breathing gradually grew heavier.

Until they couldn’t hold back any longer, he grabbed her waist and effortlessly lifted her up.

Qiao Wei held onto his shoulders, clinging like a koala.

Yan Lei carried her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

The light in the study was still on. The curtain partitioning the window cast a semi-transparent light, creating a dim glow in the bedroom.

As the man took off his vest and leaned down, his muscles undulated in the faint light.

But Qiao Wei kept her knees together, gently saying, “Not that.”

There was a hint of reluctance in the man’s voice as he softly pleaded, “Can’t we do without it?”

However, Qiao Wei’s voice was firm, “No.”

These two words sounded much like the old her.

Yan Lei reached under the pillow and pulled out something.

It was wrapped in a handkerchief because at this time, this item was different from what it would be in the future; the technology was very primitive, and it wasn’t disposable.

But it had to be used, and only then did Qiao Wei allow him to.

The man had been holding back for too long, and now he had regressed from the civilized world to a primitive state of savagery, unable to resist his urges.