Chapter 97: “Go Take a Bath, Wash Thoroughly, I’ll Be Waiting for You”  

Night fell.  

The once lively little house was now enveloped in the quiet tranquility of the evening.  

After dinner, the two children had already taken their baths.  

Jiang Rou led them into their new bedroom.  

“Xiaochuan, Xiaohua, from now on, this will be your room.”  

The room was neither too big nor too small. Jiang Rou had cleaned every inch of the walls, making sure everything was spotless. Even the quilts on the bed had been laid out under the sun earlier, carrying a warm and fresh scent.  

In the center was a modest-sized double bed, just the right size for the two children to share.  

“You two are still young, and Xiaohua can’t be away from Xiaochuan yet, so for now, you’ll sleep together.”  

“When you’re a little older and Xiaohua becomes a big girl, we’ll ask Dad to get you a bunk bed. Do you know what a bunk bed is? It’s a bed with one on top and another on the bottom, like this…”  

Jiang Rou used her hands to gesture roughly, making it easier for the children to understand.  

“This way, you’ll have your own beds but still be close to each other.”  

“And when you grow even older—when Xiaochuan becomes a young man, and Xiaohua is a big girl—by then, we’ll move into a bigger house. It won’t just have two bedrooms; we’ll have three or four bedrooms. Not only will everyone have their own space, but we’ll also have a guest room for visitors to stay in.”  

“Doesn’t that sound nice?”  

As Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua listened to Jiang Rou’s vision for the future, their eyes wandered around their new bedroom.  

Inside their small bodies, a warm sensation bubbled up.  

It was an indescribable feeling—  

Like the moment before letting out a burp after drinking soda.  

A swelling, full sensation.  

A deep sense of contentment.  

Jiang Rou could see the joy on their little faces.  

She crouched down and asked softly: “Xiaochuan, Xiaohua, do you like this bedroom?”

Zhou Xiaohua was the most obedient and immediately nodded.  

Zhou Xiaochuan pressed his lips together, then opened his mouth and said: “I like it.”  

The little boy had far too few things of his own.  

Even the parents who had given birth to and raised him no longer belonged to him.  

But now—  

Not only did he have glass marbles that he liked, but he also had a bedroom of his own.  

So in the future… would he have more and more?  

Something inside Zhou Xiaochuan’s heart was quietly breaking through the soil, sprouting unnoticed.  

It made his dark eyes shine brightly.  

Jiang Rou finally heard a rare, positive response from the little wolf cub.  

Even though it was just a few short words—  

It was already a very good start.  

She patted Zhou Xiaochuan’s head, revealing a satisfied smile.  

“All right, it’s getting late. Hurry up and get into bed.”  

Zhou Xiaochuan darted onto the bed, then turned around and pulled Zhou Xiaohua up with him, lifting the little girl onto the bed as well.  

The two children lay side by side.  

Soft pillows rested beneath their heads, fluffy blankets covered them, warm and cozy.  

“Okay, close your eyes. I’m going to turn off the light.”  

Jiang Rou pulled the cord hanging in midair. With a click, the electric light went out.  

The bedroom instantly plunged into darkness.  

Jiang Rou did not leave right away.  

She looked at the two children clutching the blankets tightly around them and gave them one last reminder.  

“This is your first night sleeping in your own room. If you get scared in the middle of the night, just come next door.”  

“Okay.”  

Hearing Zhou Xiaochuan’s response, Jiang Rou finally felt at ease and walked out.  

When she closed the door, she didn’t shut it completely, leaving a small gap.  

After Jiang Rou left—  

The quiet bedroom was soon filled with rustling sounds.  

Zhou Xiaohua kept turning over in bed, tossing and turning restlessly.

She was simply too happy to sleep.  

Her big, bright eyes kept darting around.  

Zhou Xiaochuan pulled her into his arms, his palm resting familiarly on her back as he gently patted her.  

“Xiaohua, go to sleep. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get up in the morning, and if you can’t get up, you won’t have breakfast to eat.”  

At the mention of breakfast—  

Zhou Xiaohua immediately quieted down.  

She blinked, pulled the blanket up, sniffed it, and then, in the darkness, turned to look at Zhou Xiaochuan.  

【Brother, you smell it too. It’s fragrant. The blanket smells so nice.】  

Not only was the blanket fragrant, but it was also soft and warm.  

Just like the feeling Jiang Rou gave them.  

Was this person… really going to be their mother?  

====

On the other side—  

When Jiang Rou returned to her bedroom, she saw Zhou Chongshan, who had just come home.  

Under the warm glow of the light, their eyes met.  

“Xiaochuan and Xiaohua went to their new bedroom?”  

“Mm. They went to bed. I stayed with them for a while and only closed the door after they got used to it.”

They exchanged a few brief words.  

Then, silence fell between them.  

The bedroom was filled with a strange kind of quiet—  

But it wasn’t distant or cold.  

Instead, it was burning.  

Neither Jiang Rou nor Zhou Chongshan spoke, yet their gazes remained locked together.  

No matter what, they couldn’t look away.  

Instead, the connection only grew tighter, more tangled.  

Some things didn’t need to be said out loud.  

Both adults understood—  

A room without children.  

And what was about to happen next.  

Especially the way Zhou Chongshan’s deep, dark eyes burned, scorching hot.  

Jiang Rou felt as if her entire body was about to catch fire, heat rising restlessly from within.

The air in the room felt as if it had been completely sucked dry.  

It made her breathing tense and rapid.  

“You…”  

“Wife…”  

Their voices overlapped the moment they spoke, both carrying a dryness and impatience that was impossible to ignore.  

Jiang Rou trembled from the heat.  

Why was this so embarrassing?!  

Wasn’t it just her first time in two lifetimes?!  

She might not have eaten pork, but it wasn’t like she’d never seen a pig run before!  

As a former internet-surfing girl, was there anything she hadn’t seen?  

She had even been on P-site!  

Hardening her resolve, she decided to just go for it.  

Jiang Rou clenched her teeth in determination.  

“You—you go take a shower. Wash up properly. I’ll wait for you.”  

She didn’t dare look at Zhou Chongshan’s reaction. +

Without hesitation, she placed both hands on his chest and shoved the big, burly man straight out of the bedroom.  

With her back to him, she immediately began tidying up the bed.  

Zhou Chongshan’s chest rumbled with laughter.  

“All right, wife. I’ll go shower now. I’ll make sure to wash extra clean.”  

And then—  

The sound of his footsteps retreating.  

Once Zhou Chongshan had gone far enough—  

Jiang Rou clutched the blanket and buried her entire face into it, trying to hide her burning cheeks, red enough to drip blood.  

Ahhhhhhh!  

How could he say something like that?!  

What did he mean by “wash extra clean”?!  

It wasn’t like he was actually about to eat pork!  

The more she tried to act calm, the more shameful it felt!  

Jiang Rou!  

Get a grip on yourself!  

It was just sleeping with a man, ahhhhhhhhhh!  

---

Some time later—  

A freshly showered man appeared.  

When Zhou Chongshan returned to the bedroom, he found the room completely dark.  

The light had already been turned off.  

Only the bright moonlight from outside streamed in faintly through the window.  

After closing the door, he saw a small, raised lump on the bed.  

Zhou Chongshan pulled back the blanket and climbed into bed, gathering Jiang Rou into his arms.  

He could clearly feel the tension and slight trembling coming from her soft body.

“Wife……”

He spoke softly once again.