Chapter 31

Cheng Yue paused for a moment, then nodded, “Yes, everyone wears new clothes.”

After placing all the items she bought in their proper spots, Su Qianqian poured herself a glass of water, walked over to Cheng Yue, and asked, “Hey, will my spat with Song Qianqian have a negative impact on you?”

“It won’t. My relationship with Sun Ming is just average, and besides, this was Song Qianqian’s fault. Everyone knows what she’s like.”

“So, if I run into her again, should I avoid her or…?”

Cheng Yue thought for a moment before replying, “If she has a crowd with her, avoid her. If she’s alone, it doesn’t matter. No need to let yourself be wronged.”

Su Qianqian couldn’t help but feel that Cheng Yue was a decent man—not the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. Judging by Song Qianqian’s demeanor, her background was likely extraordinary. But Cheng Yue’s nonchalant attitude showed he wasn’t someone intimidated by power.

That evening, after dinner, Lin Xuemei came by. Having heard about the bicycle incident, she came to check on Su Qianqian.

“Qianqian, be careful moving forward. Song Qianqian and Sun Ming are a vengeful pair.”

“Got it. If they really dare to mess with me, I won’t take it lying down either.” Su Qianqian had her principles: If others don’t cross me, I won’t cross them. If they do, I will stand my ground. And if they cross me again, I will root out the problem for good!

“Don’t worry. I’ve got your back. They’ll have to show some respect to Old Wu from my family.” Lin Xuemei had grown increasingly fond of Su Qianqian. It was rare to find someone who could directly confront Song Qianqian. She admired Su Qianqian’s fiery personality.

Su Qianqian immediately grabbed Lin Xuemei’s arm and playfully acted coy. “Thank you, Sister Xuemei! Love you!”

“Ugh, why are you so cheesy? You’re giving me goosebumps!” Lin Xuemei said, though she secretly enjoyed it. She silently resolved to protect Su Qianqian and not let Song Qianqian bully her.

Suddenly, Lin Xuemei remembered something. “Oh, by the way, you know Zhou Yun, right? She—”

“I know. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

Cheng Yue, that oblivious man, had no clue Zhou Yun liked him. Everyone else could see it, but he remained oblivious—a rustic country guy turned soldier who was still a straightforward blockhead!

“Anyway, if anything comes up, just come find me.” After chatting for a while, Lin Xuemei left.

Su Qianqian recalled that Director Sun had mentioned coming by to discuss something. But it was getting late, and he hadn’t shown up. Could this be his way of sending a message?

She quickly gave her three kids a simple wash, then hurried to wash her hair and bathe herself. Though the facilities of this era weren’t very convenient, they were still better than the countryside, where bathing daily was impossible.

After finishing her bath and heading back to her room, the door to the room next door suddenly opened. Cheng Yue came out, leaning on a crutch.

“Bathroom? I’m done,” she said, remembering the awkward encounter last time. To avoid a repeat, she had already washed and hung her clothes.

“No, I heard that massaging the legs can speed up recovery from injuries. So, could I trouble you to give me a massage?” Cheng Yue seemed a bit embarrassed as he spoke, his ears slightly red.

Su Qianqian was delighted. This was like a pillow falling into her lap just as she was dozing off! She had been thinking of finding an excuse to offer him a massage, and now he’d brought it up himself. Perfect timing.

“Sure, go inside. I’ll massage you.”

“You know how?” Cheng Yue was surprised. He had thought she might refuse, considering how cold she usually was toward him.

“I asked the doctor earlier,” she fibbed.

In her previous life, she’d been fascinated with wellness practices for a while, so she had some knowledge of acupressure points. She located the points on his leg and began massaging with a combination of pressing and kneading motions.

“How’s the pressure?”

“A bit lighter would be good.”

While massaging, Su Qianqian subtly controlled her inner energy to let the healing spring water from her fingertips seep into Cheng Yue’s skin. The process was quick, and he only felt a soothing sensation, completely unaware of the magic at work.

“Mom, are you tired?” Sanya quietly approached and asked.

“Not too bad.” A bit of fatigue was fine, as long as Cheng Yue’s leg healed faster.

Daya came in with a glass of water. “Mom, have some water and take a break.”

“Oh, my sweet baby!” Su Qianqian was deeply moved. She took the glass and drank it all in one go.

Cheng Yue glanced at Daya and weakly asked, “What about me?”

“You’re not tired,” Daya replied innocently.

“…” He felt like a complete failure as a dad.

“Mom, do you need more?” Daya asked.

“Pour me another glass.”

Perhaps it was because she was concentrating so hard on controlling the spiritual spring to seep into Cheng Yue’s leg, Su Qianqian felt a little parched and slightly fatigued.

Usually, she would directly extract the spring water for use, without needing to exert such focus to control its flow. This method consumed much more energy.

Daya returned with another glass of water. Su Qianqian drank half of it and casually placed the glass on a nearby table.

She resumed massaging his leg. The more spiritual spring water she infused, the shorter his recovery period would be.

Cheng Yue watched as Su Qianqian bent her head, focusing intently on her task. From his angle, he could clearly see her slender neck, delicate earlobes, and her fingers pressing and kneading his leg with alternating pressure. For some reason, his throat felt dry.

Without thinking too much, he grabbed the half-full glass of water on the table and drank it.

Su Qianqian didn’t notice, but Sanya exclaimed, “That was Mom’s water!”

“What? That was her glass…” Cheng Yue suddenly realized. And the spot he drank from—it seemed to be exactly where she had drunk earlier, as there was a slight water stain.

His face turned crimson in an instant.

He held the glass awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Su Qianqian was equally embarrassed. “That’s enough for today. Get some rest. You kids should sleep too—early to bed, early to rise, grow nice and tall!”

She hurriedly left the room after speaking.

She thought to herself: We really should get a divorce. Sharing the same house is bound to lead to awkward moments like this.

To outsiders, they seemed like a couple with three kids, but only they knew how unfamiliar they truly were with each other.

Lying in bed, Su Qianqian couldn’t help but feel flustered. She scolded herself silently: I’m from the 21st century. Why am I acting like this? It’s not like I haven’t read romance novels before. Stop pretending to be so innocent! Don’t panic. There’s nothing to panic about. I’m a strong, independent woman!

After repeating this mantra several times, she finally calmed down. In her dreams, she imagined herself as the queen of all women—though, in reality, she was more like a lonely ruler.

While she slept, the spiritual spring in her consciousness quietly expanded. What had been a small basin was now a larger pool.

The spring water she had used up the previous night was replenished, and Su Qianqian woke up delighted.

She had thought the spring wouldn’t grow any further, but overnight, it had expanded again. Estimating its size, she guessed its diameter was now about 50 cm, with a depth of 30 cm, holding approximately 30 liters. The image of six 5-liter water bottles popped into her mind, making her feel like she had an ample supply.

Moreover, she had a strong intuition that the spring would continue to grow. How large it would eventually become, she had no idea.

Huh, what’s that?

She noticed a tiny sprout in the spring—so small that it was barely noticeable unless closely examined. It was even smaller than a soybean.