Chapter 20: Helping Her Wash Her Hair

Wen Nian saw Lin Siyun and greeted her with a smile.

“Auntie Lin, you’re back. Dinner will be ready soon; you should rest for a while first.”

Lin Siyun nodded kindly.

“Xiao Wen, you’ve worked hard.”

Just as she finished speaking, Lu Binghuai and his son came in, one right after the other, pushing the door open.

Lin Siyun hurried forward attentively to help Lu Binghuai take off his military jacket.

He even hung his military cap on the coat rack by the door.

Wen Nian brought the last plate of vegetables to the table and glanced up to meet Lu Hanzheng’s deep eyes.

The man silently looked away.

Even at the dining table, he sat upright and poised.

He truly had the demeanor of a soldier engraved in his bones.

In early autumn in Beijing, the temperature difference between day and night was huge.

The fierce late-summer heat still raged during the day—short sleeves felt hot.

But once night fell, the temperature dropped sharply, and even a light jacket felt chilly.

A few days ago, Wen Nian had asked a carpenter to make a bathing tub—not big, just enough for her to sit in.

There was no other choice; her living space was only a few square meters in total.

There were already several cabinets inside, leaving very little extra space. A bigger tub simply wouldn’t fit.

Taking a bath in summer was easy—just a bit of water to wipe down was fine.

But since autumn started, the bathroom leaked drafts everywhere and wasn’t warm at all.

This era didn’t have things like bathroom heaters or little warming lamps—when the weather got cold, the only option was to reduce how often you bathed.

Now she finally understood why people back then weren’t very fond of cleanliness.

It simply wasn’t practical.

The Lu family lived in one of the best military district compounds, and having a separate bathroom was already considered quite good.

Most families in that era had many children and little space—some didn’t even have a proper place to sleep, let alone a bathroom.

Either you went to the communal toilet just to wipe yourself down,

or you set up something makeshift in a corner of the yard.

You had to do it in the dark and watch out for perverts.

And it depended on the weather.

When it got cold, you couldn’t stay outside anymore.

If you wanted to have a thorough, satisfying bath, you had to go to the communal bathhouse in the military district.

Even bathhouses required tickets, and each family’s bath tickets were limited.

Wen Nian was used to bathing daily—she felt uncomfortable if she didn’t wash for a day.

She always felt like her whole body smelled of smoke and oil.

So she could only bathe inside her space.

During the day, she heated water and poured it into the tub ahead of time.

At night, she would go to the bathroom and pretend to bathe there, but in reality, she was soaking comfortably in her space.

Fortunately, the space was static—things placed inside stayed the same when taken out.

She was happily soaking when suddenly there was a knock on the bathroom door.

Wen Nian, groggy, opened her eyes, thinking she must have imagined it.

Since she came here, Lu Hanzheng rarely stepped into her space, not even her bedroom, which he had only visited twice.

He certainly wouldn’t knock on the bathroom door.

Flustered, Wen Nian clumsily climbed out of the tub and roughly wiped the water droplets off her body.

She slipped on the thickest bathrobe she had and went to open the door.

Lu Hanzheng’s right hand was still raised in mid-air when the door unexpectedly swung open.

The woman wore a dark bathrobe, her wet black hair hanging down her back.

Droplets of water from her hair slid down her cheeks, soaking into the dark fabric, blending and slowly disappearing.

A small patch on her chest was quickly dampened, the fabric clinging to her body, the undulating curves striking his gaze.

They were too close—several drops of water even fell onto him.

Her skin was like jade, glowing with a subtle hue under the dim light.

Her full red lips and soft skin were soaked, moist and glistening.

Like a ripe peach, plump and juicy, tempting one to bite into it.

“What is it?” she asked softly, her voice gentle, slightly husky, making him itch inside even more.

Wen Nian was puzzled and didn’t understand.

He knocked on the door but said nothing, just stared straight at her without a word.

“It’s getting cold. Don’t wash for too long, or you’ll catch a cold.”

The man said this and then turned to leave.

Wen Nian raised her eyebrows in surprise—was that… concern?

She glanced at the time, and whoa!

She had been soaking in the tub for nearly two hours.

Usually, she soaked for no more than an hour.

The main reason was that she had added a drop of a special lotion to the bathwater, making it incredibly comfortable—and she had fallen asleep.

She hadn’t expected that this man, who usually barely paid her any attention,

was secretly spying on her from behind!

Wen Nian was quietly pleased as she followed him into the bedroom.

She tossed the towel into his arms.

“You kept knocking earlier; I didn’t even have time to dry my hair.”

After saying that, she boldly sat down at the desk, waiting for him to serve her.

Lu Hanzheng clenched the towel in his hand, watching her frown, but he neither moved nor spoke.

“Hurry up and dry it!” she urged.

Wen Nian glanced at him sideways—he really was a blockhead.

“Helping your girlfriend dry her hair isn’t too much to ask, right?”

Seeing that he still didn’t come forward, she pouted in annoyance.

She checked her bathrobe again.

She had purposely chosen a modest one that fully covered her collarbones.

Her calves were not exposed either.

That should be enough.

These men and women were too prudish—it was downright feudal nonsense.

The woman sat on the chair he usually worked at.

With delicate hands resting on her chin, she blinked at him with bright, clear eyes.

Her black hair fell over her body, the back already dampened in a small patch.

She looked like a deep-sea siren, radiating an enchanting aura.

Lu Hanzheng’s throat tightened.

He carefully lifted her hair and gently wiped it.

It was his first time helping a woman dry her hair, and the strands felt smooth beneath his fingers.

He didn’t dare use too much force with the towel, afraid he might accidentally tug and hurt her.

When he was almost done, Wen Nian rubbed her stiff neck, feeling some soreness.

She told Lu Hanzheng to sit on the edge of the bed, then she lay down and rested her head on his thigh.

“Keep drying! My neck was too sore earlier—it’s more comfortable this way.”

Lu Hanzheng’s thigh muscles instantly tensed up, and his whole body stiffened.

“What does this look like? Get up quickly.”

Wen Nian ignored him as if she hadn’t heard, closing her eyes.

Lu Hanzheng clenched the towel tightly, wanting to push her away,

but he didn’t know where to start.

This woman was like she was made of water—soft and yielding everywhere.

She was a minefield all over.

He sighed helplessly, resigned, and took the towel again to continue drying her.

His thoughts unconsciously drifted to her slender swan-like neck.

Her nightdress was modest, but the fabric was extremely clingy.

Especially lying down, the two soft mounds became even more apparent.

The two red plum blossom patterns on the fabric stood out particularly clearly.

Her slender waist was no wider than a handspan, as if he could measure it with just his two hands.

Lu Hanzheng suddenly felt a dry itch in his throat.

He withdrew his wandering thoughts and dared not look any further.

“All done, get up now!”

The woman on his lap didn’t respond.

Lu Hanzheng gazed at her peaceful sleeping face.

He sighed, took his thin quilt, wrapped her tightly from head to toe, and resignedly carried her back to her bedroom.