Chapter 5 – Bite His Lip

Ruan Jiaojiao: “……”

In Fu Ting’s heart, his wife was even more important than his children.

That kind of thinking was rare in this era!

Of course she was touched, but Ruan Jiaojiao still couldn’t help asking:
“Where did you get the money from?”

“I…” Fu Ting scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
“I had seven yuan left. All spent now.”

He actually had quite a bit saved up before, but all of it had been taken by the original Ruan Jiaojiao. And what did she use it for? To subsidize Huo Yunshu!

She was such a fool—taking her husband’s hard-earned money to support another man, draining the family dry.

Yet even so, Fu Ting never blamed her. And now, just because he saw a faint sign that she might be changing for the better, he even gave up his hidden savings to fulfill her simple wish of sitting on a stool…

Ruan Jiaojiao’s heart softened, sour and sweet at the same time. She said to Fu Ting,
“Alright, I understand. But from now on, whenever there’s any expense in the house, you have to tell me first, okay?”

Fu Ting didn’t care whether she really knew how to manage a household or not—he nodded in agreement right away.

“Brother Ting, you’re so good.”

Ruan Jiaojiao, touched, threw her arms around him, rubbing her little head against his chest. The friction nearly drove Fu Ting insane.

Of course, she had no idea.

Yesterday’s madness had left her shaken, so she naturally assumed Fu Ting must also be exhausted. She figured they wouldn’t “do that” again for at least a week.

But Fu Ting was the type who only grew more vigorous the more he fought. If not for the fact that their life had only just started improving, and their hearts had just begun to draw close again, he wouldn’t let Ruan Jiaojiao off so easily.

Night fell. It was time for the family of four to sleep.

On the two-meter-wide bed hung a curtain. To the right, a soft mattress with a pleasant fragrance—that was where Ruan Jiaojiao slept alone. To the left, a pile of old, stiff bedding where the three men slept together.

Ruan Jiaojiao couldn’t help sighing again at how blind the original owner had been to her blessings.

She climbed up, pulled the curtain down, shook off the dust, and spread it across the bed like a sheet. Then she looked at the three stunned faces below and said:
“Dabao, Xiaobao, you’re both still young, your skin is tender. From now on you two will sleep on the soft mattress. Your dad and I will sleep on the hard bedding.”

Xiaobao: “……”

He burst into tears. Mama suddenly being so good—he wasn’t used to it!

Dabao’s eyes welled up too, ready to spill over at any moment.

Fu Ting was even more overwhelmed. He wanted to lift Ruan Jiaojiao up and spin her three times in his arms.

She hadn’t expected such a small act to move the three of them so deeply.

Dabao spoke first:
“Mama, my brother and I are used to the hard bedding, it’s fine. You keep sleeping there.”

Xiaobao nodded firmly, agreeing with his brother.
“Mm-hmm. Xiaobao likes it hard-hard.”

Fu Ting added,
“Jiaojiao, in our family, the most precious one has never been the sons—it’s always been you.”

Ruan Jiaojiao: “……”

Good men, all three of them. Just a bit too talkative.

She said firmly,
“You’ll sleep where I tell you to sleep. No more nonsense. Hurry up and get to bed!”

At the change in her tone, all three fell silent at once, obediently taking off their shoes and climbing up.

Glancing at their tattered clothes, Ruan Jiaojiao thought to herself that tomorrow she had to find them some clean, comfortable clothes. But how could she earn money?

Thinking about it, after a whole day of busy work, she fell asleep like a little piglet.

But Fu Ting couldn’t sleep. With soft fragrant beauty in his arms—if he could stay calm, it would betray the honor of having once won “longest pee distance” back in Shanjiao Village as a child.

So, deep into the night, Fu Ting got up several times. Not to relieve himself, but to splash cold water on his face and calm down.

Even so, he still had to wake early for work. After all, the whole family relied on him alone to eat.

Dabao and Xiaobao were still young, and the old Ruan Jiaojiao had been lazy and gluttonous—just not causing trouble was good enough. Fu Ting never expected her to help earn work points.

And he never complained. In his eyes, a man should provide for his wife. No matter what she was like, if you couldn’t support her, that just meant you weren’t capable.

But today, to his utter shock, Ruan Jiaojiao got up even earlier than him—and had already made leek and egg pancakes for him!

As big as two palms each, a full five of them, fried golden and crisp, oozing oil, bursting with the rich fragrance of leeks—better even than the ones sold in town!

“Brother Ting, there’s no meat left at home. Make do with this first. At noon, don’t bother coming back, I’ll bring lunch to you with Dabao and Xiaobao.”

Fu Ting: “……”

Was he dreaming?

His lazy wife not only let him touch her, she was cooking for him, and now even wanted to bring him lunch? Heaven, oh heaven!

He couldn’t find words to describe how he felt.

“You… you still got money? If not, I’ve got some jewelry left—when we split from the family, my mother secretly gave it to me. You can sell it…”

Just for these leek pancakes, even if she tricked him again, he’d willingly accept it!

“No need, I’ve got a way. Don’t worry.”

“Brother Ting, it’s getting late. Go on to work. I’ll handle things at home. And also…”

She stepped closer and said softly, “Brother Ting, lower your head.”

Fu Ting obediently bent down.

Ruan Jiaojiao bit down on his lips hard. But… she swore she hadn’t used much force. Still, Fu Ting’s lip split.

“Sorry, sorry! Let me wipe it for you…” She panicked, fumbling for a cloth.

She realized then—Fu Ting never liked drinking water while working. His lips were too dry, so they tore easily.

“No need.” He caught her hand, then simply licked away the blood himself.

Fu Ting was the fiercest man in Shanjiao Village. Now, with that wild and sensual gesture paired with his chiseled, rugged face, it wasn’t greasy at all—it was devastatingly attractive.

Ruan Jiaojiao swallowed hard. Oh no. She loved him even more now. What to do, what to do… sob sob sob.

If not for work waiting, Fu Ting would have stayed to kiss her breathless.

Still, before he left, Ruan Jiaojiao made sure to hand him a pot of sugar water.

White sugar was precious. But Fu Ting was the pillar of their home—he deserved the very best.

With leek-and-egg pancakes tucked in his pocket, sugar water hanging from his belt, Fu Ting strode down the road, radiant.

The villagers who passed by remembered what Ruan Jiaojiao had said yesterday while protecting Dabao and Xiaobao. Looking at Fu Ting now, they began to believe it—Ruan Jiaojiao really was going to live a good life with him.