Chapter 23.2

If anyone else struck that pose, they might look like the village hooligan. But Qin Zhengye’s face was so upright and righteous that Xu Jiaojiao began to suspect her own thoughts were impure.

“Mmm,” Xu Jiaojiao mumbled, turning away in a flurry and hurrying into her room to change.

The bathing area wasn’t a proper bathroom. With her long hair, Xu Jiaojiao had to wash it separately. She’d originally planned to wash her hair first, then bathe, but Qin Zhengye’s “help” had mixed up the order.

Resigned, Xu Jiaojiao emerged from her room, carrying the medicinal herbs Mother Xu had given her. She went to the kitchen to brew the hair-washing water, stealing a glare at Qin Zhengye as she passed.

Qin Zhengye, oblivious to Xu Jiaojiao’s mild irritation, had already returned to hoeing the field after filling her bathwater.

Under the afternoon sun, Xu Jiaojiao sat on a stool in the main hall, drying her hair. Qin Zhengye continued hoeing, occasionally glancing at her before checking his watch.

Tsk, the man who could shower and wash his hair in ten minutes back in the army raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected Xu Jiaojiao to start preparing for her bath after lunch and only finish by three in the afternoon.

“This yard is quite large. Should we plant some vegetables?” Qin Zhengye asked, after tidying the yard and putting away his hoe and sickle.

He had tilled a little over half the garden by morning. After lunch, he finished it up, and the yard was mostly tidied up.

“We don’t have any vegetable seeds,” Xu Jiaojiao said, drying her hair.

“Then we’ll go to the county town tomorrow to buy some.”

“Okay. While you’re there, see if they have any flower seeds. Get some ivy, roses, wisteria—something to cultivate our appreciation for beauty.”

Xu Jiaojiao thought a courtyard completely covered in ivy would be quite charming.

Qin Zhengye looked up at her. “I don’t know much about flowers. You should come with me.”

“Me?” Xu Jiaojiao glanced at him in surprise, then shook her head. “Just pick whatever you like. I’ll stay here.”

She had just returned from the county town with Xiao Shu yesterday, and her legs were still a little sore.

“Or you could take Xiao Shu. While you’re there, buy him another set of clothes.” Qin Jiashu didn’t have many clothes—just enough for a change of clothes.

But since Qin Jie Di had borrowed one of his outfits, Xu Jiaojiao thought it was necessary to buy a spare.

After all, winter days with strong sunshine weren’t guaranteed. Clothes often took ten days or more to dry.

“I bought him a military overcoat,” Qin Zhengye suddenly said, pointing to a large duffel bag. “There’s one for you too.”

“A military overcoat?” Xu Jiaojiao looked up in delight.

A warm and practical military overcoat—a coveted item for everyone—and she had one too!

Xu Jiaojiao set down her towel and walked over to open Qin Zhengye’s bag.

Qin Jiashu also put down his picture book and eagerly followed after her.

The bag was quite large, but it contained only a few items. Two thick, green military overcoats were neatly folded on top.

“So warm,” Xu Jiaojiao exclaimed as she pulled one out, immediately appreciating its warmth. “You could wear this in a blizzard and still be cozy.”

“Xiao Shu, try it on!” Xu Jiaojiao draped the child-sized overcoat over Qin Jiashu.

Qin Jiashu nodded happily, obediently taking off his jacket and slipping into the ankle-length military coat.

“Wow, handsome!” Xu Jiaojiao stepped back to admire him.

Qin Jiashu patted the overcoat, bouncing up and down as he urged, “Aunt, you try it on too!”

Xu Jiaojiao obligingly removed her cotton-padded jacket and put on the adult-sized overcoat. It was loose-fitting and thick, reaching just below her calves.

Her damp hair still hung loose, so she swept it to one side as she put on the coat.

“Does it look good?” Xu Jiaojiao asked Qin Zhengye.

Qin Jiashu turned to Qin Zhengye and gave a solemn little salute, his posture endearingly awkward.

“It looks good,” Qin Zhengye replied, barely glancing at Qin Jiashu. His gaze was fixed entirely on Xu Jiaojiao.

Her jet-black hair and green military coat framed her pale face, which was flushed with a sun-kissed pink. Her gaze was both pure and alluring.

In the middle of the afternoon, Qin Zhengye suddenly felt his mouth go dry.

“Um, if Xiao Shu doesn’t have enough clothes, we can take him to the county town tomorrow to buy some more. We can also pick up a few things for your parents,” Qin Zhengye said, changing the subject and bringing up the trip to the county town again.

After the wedding banquet, he had returned to his unit. Normally, he should have accompanied Xu Jiaojiao on her third-day homecoming visit to her parents’ house.

Although over two months had passed, now that he was back, he still needed to fulfill the proper customs.

“Do I really have to go?” Xu Jiaojiao asked. Transportation relied almost entirely on walking, and she was tired of it.

The simple phrase “go to the county town and then visit your parents” meant nearly four hours of walking on muddy country roads.

Xu Jiaojiao’s feet already ached at the thought.

Sensing her reluctance, Qin Zhengye fell silent for a moment. “Our marriage application has been approved.”

“?” Xu Jiaojiao froze mid-motion as she removed her military coat, turning to meet his gaze.

The original owner of her body and Qin Zhengye had never officially registered their marriage. After the wedding banquet, he had returned to his unit, and the marriage application process took time.

So, Qin Zhengye wanted to take her to the county town to get their marriage certificate?

“We can get our marriage certificate tomorrow while we’re there,” Qin Zhengye said, his gaze fixed on Xu Jiaojiao, unwilling to miss even the slightest flicker of emotion on her face.

She’d guessed correctly!

Xu Jiaojiao pursed her lips and lowered her head to take off the heavy military coat. As she did, she silently reached for her old cotton-padded jacket and put it on instead.

Qin Zhengye continued to watch her, waiting for her answer.

Xu Jiaojiao took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and looked up. “Could we… maybe talk about the marriage certificate later?” she asked in a conciliatory tone.

She wasn’t ready to accept a man into her life yet. He was too good at springing surprises—returning unexpectedly and then suddenly proposing marriage. She needed at least a couple of days to adjust.

Qin Zhengye’s heart skipped a beat. “You don’t want to marry me?” he asked, inexplicably tense.

“No, that’s not it…” Xu Jiaojiao shook her head hastily, her voice a little flustered.

Qin Zhengye didn’t believe her. He had clearly seen the fleeting guilt on her face earlier.

“I know you’ve suffered because of me,” he said thoughtfully, his tone sincere. “It’s natural for you to be angry.”

Xu Jiaojiao felt a pang of distress. She couldn’t tell him she wasn’t the original Xu Jiaojiao.

But was getting married so soon too hasty?

“I’ve been temporarily transferred to the East China Military Region to serve as acting commander of the 17th Regiment. I’ll be receiving a 15th-grade salary and a monthly allowance of 127 yuan. I’m determined to make a name for myself, and hopefully, I’ll be officially promoted by the end of next year.”

“Once that happens, you can bring Xiao Shu to join me on base. I’ll take good care of both of you and make sure you never have to endure any more hardships,” Qin Zhengye said, outlining his plans.

A regimental commander? Xu Jiaojiao knew Qin Zhengye had a bright future, but she hadn’t expected him to be an acting commander at such a young age.

“How old are you?”

“Me?” Qin Zhengye looked surprised. “I’m twenty-nine this year. My birthday’s at the end of December.”

He emphasized “end of December” to imply that he was technically still twenty-eight. He remembered Xu Jiaojiao was twenty-two, making him seven years her senior.

“You’re amazing,” Xu Jiaojiao said, her eyes filled with admiration.

A regimental commander under thirty—handsome, ambitious, and sharp-witted, working tirelessly like a little bee. Xu Jiaojiao saw no reason to refuse such a man. If she acted coy, the predatory female lead from the neighboring village would likely swoop in to steal him away.

“Not really,” Qin Zhengye said, relieved by her praise. “So, shall we get our marriage certificate tomorrow?”

He felt it was crucial to secure their marriage certificate. Otherwise, he feared he might lose his wife.

“We can get the certificate, but there’s something I need to confess first,” Xu Jiaojiao said, her tone serious.

“What is it?”