Chapter 86 – Wanting to Take Her to the City for Fun~  

As he spoke, admiration and respect for He Donglai filled Zhou Chongshan’s voice. It was the kind of unspoken camaraderie that only men who had fought side by side could understand.  

Wow…  

Jiang Rou was completely absorbed in the story, unable to hide her excitement.  

Her eyes gleamed with fascination, and she listened intently, hanging onto every word.  

Noticing her expression, Zhou Chongshan’s gaze toward her subtly shifted once again.  

But Jiang Rou, lost in the story, failed to notice.  

She eagerly pressed on: “And then? What happened next?”  

She couldn’t wait to hear more.  

But suddenly, Zhou Chongshan fell silent.  

For a moment, the small room was filled only with the crisp sounds of clinking and tapping—Zhou Xiaohua’s and Zhou Xiaochuan’s improvised music continuing in the background.

Hmm?

Jiang Rou lifted her eyes in confusion, just in time to meet Zhou Chongshan’s intense gaze staring straight at her.

The man’s eyes were deep and dark. When he looked at someone directly, it had a way of making their heart momentarily flustered and uneasy.

Jiang Rou’s heart.

For no apparent reason, it skipped a few beats in disorder.

It was like a wrong note struck by Zhou Xiaochuan.

Then—

She heard Zhou Chongshan’s deep, hoarse voice as he asked in a raspy tone,  

“Wife, you seem to care a lot about Company Commander He?”

Care.

That word.

He bit down on it heavily between his lips and teeth.

It carried an obvious… sourness.

Jiang Rou was stunned for a moment.

Then, realization dawned.

This rough man was jealous!

The corners of her lips unknowingly curled upward, and a smile bloomed on her delicate face.

Zhou Chongshan watched the smile on Jiang Rou’s face, and a soft warmth spread in his chest. The stifling frustration he had been holding onto just melted away.

After all, his little wife was so sweet and lovely—how could he bear to stay angry?

However…

Zhou Chongshan had noticed that Jiang Rou’s attention toward He Donglai wasn’t limited to their conversation at night—it had lasted the entire day.

Her eyes frequently drifted toward He Donglai, as if she were trying to figure something out.

She had even secretly given He Donglai something.

He had seen it with his own eyes.

Zhou Chongshan was not a petty man, nor did he believe that Jiang Rou could have anything with He Donglai, whom she had only met for the first time.

But simply from the perspective of a husband, seeing his wife care so much about another man—it made his heart feel sour and stifled.

Besides that…

There was also a trace of inferiority hidden in Zhou Chongshan’s heart.

This sense of inferiority stemmed from his background.

From childhood to adulthood, he had nothing to do with the word “genius.”

The only reason he was selected by the military unit was because of his outstanding physical condition.

It was only after joining the military that he started learning academic subjects, receiving literacy training, and gradually becoming able to read.

But that was the extent of it.

He Donglai, on the other hand, was a proper university graduate, an outstanding student from a military academy.

Jiang Rou herself had also attended high school, where she consistently ranked among the top in her class.

From a worldly perspective, Jiang Rou and He Donglai were the ones who truly matched—a talented man and a beautiful woman.

The gap between him and He Donglai was immense.

This inferiority, hidden beneath his jealousy, was something Zhou Chongshan deeply buried in the farthest corner of his heart.

Even if it made him feel stifled, as long as he suffered alone, it was fine.

Thinking this—

A soft force suddenly bumped into his chest.

His chest felt warm.

Jiang Rou had unexpectedly thrown herself into his arms.

With both hands wrapped around his chest, she lifted her head, her beautiful face beaming at him with a bright smile.

She was so happy—so happy that her eyes sparkled with joy.

With a sweet, coquettish voice, she asked softly,  

“Chongshan, are you jealous?”  

“Right? You’re jealous, aren’t you?”  

“Hehe… I knew it, you’re definitely jealous…”  

As Jiang Rou spoke, she suddenly let out a light laugh.

Then, as she listened to the clinking sounds of a small bowl nearby, she suddenly lifted her head.

Her soft, rosy lips landed on Zhou Chongshan’s chin.

It was quick.

A fleeting moment.

She was afraid the two children would see.

After the kiss, Jiang Rou pursed her lips, her smile growing even more radiant and alluring.

At some point, Zhou Chongshan’s arms had already wrapped tightly around her back.

The stifling frustration in his chest—vanished the moment Jiang Rou threw herself into his embrace.

At this moment—

All that lingered in his mind was the soft sensation on his chin.

Zhou Chongshan glanced to the side and saw that Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua were still focused on their game, tapping their bowls without paying them any attention.

Jiang Rou nestled against Zhou Chongshan’s chest.

In a soft voice, she said,  

“Chongshan, you don’t need to be jealous at all. I don’t like someone like Company Commander He. I like someone like you! Manly and handsome.”  

Her words were so sincere and direct.

The one who spoke them, Jiang Rou, showed no trace of shyness, yet the one who heard them, Zhou Chongshan, suddenly felt his ears burn.

“You saw me giving something to Commander He this afternoon, didn’t you? That was just a few green rice cakes—I was actually giving them to his wife. Earlier, the millet Xiaochuan ate was something Commander He’s wife exchanged with me, so I prepared a little extra for her in return.”  

“More than Company Commander He, I’m actually more interested in his wife. I think she’s a very interesting woman, and I’m sure we’ll become good friends in the future.”  

As Zhou Chongshan listened to Jiang Rou’s explanation, especially when she mentioned Song Qingqian—

Everything Jiang Rou had done today suddenly made sense.

And the last thorn in his heart was finally removed.

Zhou Chongshan knew a bit about He Donglai, including his wife, Song Qingqian—the young lady from a capitalist family.

After thinking it over—

Perhaps Jiang Rou was right. The two of them had some shared experiences, and they might really become friends.

With a friend, Jiang Rou’s days on the island would be much more stable and joyful.

Unknowingly, Zhou Chongshan began to imagine the future.

Jiang Rou, still murmuring softly, added—

“But… Husband, seeing you jealous makes me really happy!”  

She laughed happily, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

Zhou Chongshan thought back to how he had acted jealous earlier. His throat tightened with heat, an awkward embarrassment creeping in.

He had no idea how to face the teasing glimmer in Jiang Rou’s gaze.

The embarrassed man had no choice but to look away.  

“Ahem.”  

Zhou Chongshan cleared his throat, his face secretly flushing red, and changed the subject.  

“Wife, do you want to go to the city?”  

“Go to the city? What for?”  

Jiang Rou was stunned for a moment, not immediately understanding Zhou Chongshan’s words.  

Zhou Chongshan explained: “There’s a transport ship tomorrow. We can go to the city. I took marriage leave.”  

His words were simple and straightforward.  

As a rough and straightforward man, he was never good with words. There were some soft and affectionate phrases he might never be able to say in his lifetime.  

But Jiang Rou was a perceptive person. She immediately understood.  

Zhou Chongshan had likely been planning this for a long time. That was why he deliberately took his marriage leave when there was a transport ship heading to the city.  

He wanted to accompany her on a trip to the city!  

Besides, in the past few days, the new house had been built and was still airing out. There was nothing much to do at home.  

It was the perfect time to go out.  

They could also buy some daily necessities along the way, and once they returned, they could move into the new house.  

It was a flawless plan.  

Jiang Rou stood up excitedly, her eyes lighting up as she eagerly asked: “Let’s go! Let’s take the boat to the city! We’ll bring Xiaohua and Xiaochuan with us! We’ll go shopping and buy things in the city!”  

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