Chapter 28: Like a pervert! Why do you still smell men’s clothes? ?

Yuan Meilin ran all the way home, her brightly colored face now a mess of tears and smudged makeup.

Tang Feng heard the knocking at the gate and went out to open it, grumbling as she walked, “You—always up to no good. Where have you been fooling around this late at night?”

Creaaak—the rusty iron gate opened, and when the kerosene lamp in Tang Feng’s hand lit up Yuan Meilin’s face, she let out a startled, “Aiya, my goodness!”

Yuan Meilin had her mouth wide open, snot and tears running down her face.

“Ma! Wuwuwu… Brother Jingchuan doesn’t want us anymore! Wuwuwu… He said we don’t have to go back to the Fu household starting tomorrow!”

“He even said he’d settle our wages with us later! Wuwuwu… Ma! It’s all that little bitch Jiang Wan’s fault!! What are we going to do now?!”

Tang Feng’s ears rang from Yuan Meilin’s wailing, but after hearing what she said, her expression instantly turned pale. She quickly shut the gate behind them.

“It’s late! Keep your voice down!”

“Don’t let the neighbors hear! Come inside—we’ll talk there.”

Tang Feng led Yuan Meilin into the main room, set the lamp on the kang table, and went outside to draw some water. She came back with a towel, handed it to her daughter, and scowled in disgust.

“You painted yourself like some kind of demon… and you went to see Captain Fu looking like that?”

“Then how did it end up with us getting fired?”

“Did you say something that pissed him off?”

She smacked Yuan Meilin hard on the shoulder.

Still sobbing and sniffling, Yuan Meilin wiped her face and choked through an explanation of what happened.

Tang Feng’s face grew darker with each word. When Yuan Meilin finished, Tang Feng sat down hard on the edge of the kang.

“That little tramp Jiang Wan! She’s really getting full of herself, huh? She’s only been here a few days and already thinks she’s somebody!”

“No way. No way. We can’t just let this go.”

Breathing heavily, Tang Feng didn’t sit long before she stood up again. Yuan Meilin, panicked, asked, “Then what should we do, Ma? You didn’t see Brother Jingchuan’s face earlier… I was seriously scared he might punch me to death!”

“Wuwuwu… He was so scary! He’s never looked at me like that before!”

Yuan Meilin got angrier the more she thought about Jiang Wan’s fair, delicate little face. That little slut came out wearing practically nothing! Her pale arms were fully exposed, and she didn’t even wear makeup. But those soft, glowing eyes of hers sparkled like stars!

Running out like that at night? Clearly, she was trying to seduce Brother Jingchuan!

“Hmph, what ‘rich city girl’ nonsense! That Jiang Wan is nothing but a little flirt at heart!”

Tang Feng frowned deeply, listening to Yuan Meilin curse and complain until suddenly she froze mid-step. Then she smacked herself on the forehead.

“Aiya! How could I have forgotten about that!”

Her face lit up with a sly grin, and she gave a couple of sneaky chuckles.

She waved her hand, “Alright, enough. Go back to bed. Don’t worry about this anymore.”

“You’re dumb as a pig anyway—I can’t count on you! Go, go, go, get to sleep! And take off that ridiculous pink sack you call a dress! What the hell are you wearing? Even if Captain Fu wasn’t scared off, the wolves and tigers in the woods would’ve been!”

“Wha…?!” Yuan Meilin could tell her mother had something in mind. She wanted to ask more, but Tang Feng shooed her away before she could.

No use explaining it to her now.

So Yuan Meilin, full of questions, could only obediently go to sleep.

—

At the Fu household, Fu Jingchuan carried Fu Chen on his back as he returned home with Jiang Wan.

Jiang Wan kept her eyes lowered. Her long lashes trembled gently, and she wore Fu Jingchuan’s military coat. It had fit him perfectly, but on her petite frame, it looked comically oversized—like a child playing dress-up in an adult’s clothes. The sleeves and shoulders drooped ridiculously, almost like she was putting on a theatrical costume.

Still, it was very warm. Maybe even a little too warm.

Jiang Wan twitched her delicate little nose and caught a faint whiff of tobacco and something else—something distinctly male, a warm, masculine scent without any trace of sweat. It made her heart beat faster without her realizing it.

Her fair ears turned pink. Does Fu Jingchuan smoke? she wondered.

Creaaak—the front gate opened.

Fu Xiaoyan was standing on a little stool, her big watery eyes filled with worry.

“Dad?! …How’s big brother?”

“He’s okay, just had a fever. The doctor gave him a shot and some medicine. I’ll carry him in. You two get some rest.”

“If he feels bad again in the night, come call me.”

Though Fu Jingchuan’s voice was rough and hoarse, seeing his daughter home alone, having locked the door properly and worried about her brother, brought warmth to his deep eyes. He reached out and gently patted her head.

Then he turned to Jiang Wan, his tone softening into a kind of gruff tenderness that sounded like coaxing a child.

“You’ve worked hard too. Go get some rest.”

His gentle, iron-tough voice caught Jiang Wan off guard, and her eyes shimmered slightly. She nodded and headed to her room.

After all, she was just a stepmother. Now that the father was home, there was no need for her to stay up watching over the children.

And indeed, she really was sleepy. The original owner of the body had always been frail, and now her eyelids were so heavy she could barely keep them open. Jiang Wan headed straight for the main room. After closing the door behind her, she stood still for a moment.

Her gaze dropped, staring absentmindedly at the golden-bronze buttons on the military jacket. After a while, as if possessed, she lifted the collar and turned her head slightly to sniff it.

“!!!”

But she quickly realized just how ridiculous her action was! Like some kind of creep! Why was she sniffing a man’s clothes??

Jiang Wan frowned, and a faint blush bloomed across her fair cheeks. Flustered and annoyed with herself, she quickly took off the jacket and threw it over the back of the sofa.

She’d return it to him tomorrow… when she woke up!

Before going back out earlier, Jiang Wan had already washed up. The room was lit only by the moonlight spilling through the window, so she walked to the bedroom using the faint glow as her guide. After taking off her panties, she climbed back into bed.

Originally, she thought she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. Especially after doing something so creepy just now!
But in the end, she had overestimated the condition of the body she now inhabited. The moment her head touched the pillow, she was out like a light.

Outside, Fu Jingchuan had already tucked in Fu Chen. Seeing both kids lying down, with Fu Chen’s expression finally softening and the flush on his face fading, he gently closed the side room’s door.

He walked over to the old well in the courtyard and used the cold water in the bucket to splash his face. Then, with long strides, he entered the woodshed.

Because he naturally ran hot, Fu Jingchuan wasn’t used to sleeping with a blanket. He simply kicked off his shoes and lay down on the heated brick bed. His long, dark phoenix eyes stared fixedly at the ceiling beams, but his mind was spinning like a lantern carousel, unable to calm down.

Earlier, while Jiang Wan was at the sickbed with Fu Chen, Fu Jingchuan had taken the chance to call Director Wang outside. But the first thing he brought up wasn’t the unexplained tightness in his chest—

It was to ask Director Wang about sleepwalking.