☆ 25. Sharing a Bed

March in the south, the temperature difference between morning and evening is significant. A shirt is enough during the day, but as night falls and the dew rises, the cool breeze makes it a bit chilly.

Children are most afraid of catching a cold, so in the evening, Ji Meng put a light yellow knitted cardigan on Qiuqiu.

At this moment, Qiuqiu’s little fingers were tugging at the transparent horn buttons on the hem of the cardigan, and with a sincere expression on her small face, she pleaded with Su Cheng:

“Dad, after you left, Mom changed. She became so much better.”

“She’s more diligent, kinder, and prettier. She’s especially good to Qiuqiu. She works hard every day. Dad, don’t you like this kind of Mommy?”

“You shouldn’t sleep in separate rooms from Mom anymore. Mom used to get really angry because you were sleeping apart and ignored her.”

Many people think that children are small and know nothing, but in reality, they know everything.

Qiuqiu was three years old and remembered many things from before, so when her Dad came back, she was most worried that he and Mom would still argue like before.

Su Cheng had just washed his greasy hands with soap and was drying them with a cloth when he heard Qiuqiu’s words, and his movements gradually slowed down.

He wasn’t the type of adult who thought children understood nothing and therefore ignored them, on the contrary, he had always cared about Qiuqiu’s opinions. After that fleeting moment of experience, he cared even more.

However, the request Qiuqiu brought up tonight genuinely troubled him.

It wasn’t about sharing a bed tonight, but rather the question of sharing a bed in the future.

He had just returned and was under the watchful eye of his father-in-law, Ji Qinghe. If he were to sleep separately from Ji Meng tonight, it would undoubtedly cause a stir.

So he had originally planned to take the bamboo lounge chair from the main room and make do with it for the night.

But with Qiuqiu’s request, he understood what she meant, she didn’t want him to be separated from her mother.

If she were still the woman from before, he wouldn’t mind spending a lifetime like that.

From the moment she had plotted against him, he had stopped considering his personal issues. After experiencing life and death, all he wanted was to support his mother until she was old, accompany his daughter as she grew up, and ensure she had a bright future.

But now it wasn’t possible, she wasn’t that woman anymore.

He couldn’t delay her.

From what he saw in the afternoon, he could tell how much the man who married her in her past life liked her, even though he didn’t think they were well-matched.

That man, who had always indulged his woman and turned their family into a chaotic mess, was not worthy of her.

But what if she liked him too? That man was undeniably quite good-looking.

Also, she was indeed excellent, remarkably so, something he had rarely seen in his life.

She could encounter someone even better, couldn’t she?

Su Cheng put down the dry cloth in his hand, bent down, and reached out to touch his daughter’s small head, trying to bring his gaze to her level.

“Qiuqiu, if Dad and Mom…”

“Do you want to be separated from Mom?”

Before Su Cheng could finish saying the words “separated,” tears welled up in Qiuqiu’s big eyes. Sensitive children are very perceptive about emotions, so as soon as she saw her father’s serious expression, she guessed what he was about to say.

“Dad, Qiuqiu doesn’t want that! Qiuqiu knows that you want to say that even if Dad and Mom are separated, you’ll still love Qiuqiu, but it’s not the same. Qiuqiu wants us to be together as a family. Qiuqiu wants to be with Dad, Mom, Grandpa, and Grandma.”

“Dad, Mom is really very, very good. Can you try to get to know her, okay?”

Qiuqiu’s thoughts were very simple, many uncles liked her mommy.

For example, there was Uncle Zheng, who had helped Mom at the small market earlier, and today, there’s Uncle Fu.

They all really liked Mom.

With so many people liking her Mom, it didn’t make sense that her dad wouldn’t like her.

Zhuangzhuang said that his mom had said once you get to know someone and spend time with them, you’ll end up liking them.

Zhuangzhuang liked Qiuqiu from the moment he met her.

So, Dad and Mom could be the same way.

“Dad, try spending more time with Mom. You’ll like her, she’s really great now.”

Su Cheng fell silent, watching his daughter crying while tugging at his sleeve, and he couldn’t bring himself to say more.

“Qiuqiu, Dad understands. Don’t cry, I will think it over carefully.” He raised his hand to wipe away his daughter’s tears and finally said.

For Qiuqiu, it was enough that Dad showed signs of relenting. She smiled through her tears and nodded emphatically, “Mm.”

“What are you talking about?”

At this moment, Ji Qinghe’s warm and smiling voice came from behind. Su Cheng stood up and saw Ji Qinghe standing at the door with an iron bucket.

“What are you doing?” Su Cheng asked, glancing at the bucket in Ji Qinghe’s hands, unsure how to respond to the topic of conversation.

“Oh, I’m here to fetch some hot water for washing up. My old bones are getting tired during the day, so I thought I’d get some water and wash up a bit before sleeping.”

Looking outside, it was already pitch dark, and the leaves on the jujube tree were drenched with dew, glistening under the pale moon hanging in the sky.

“I’ll help you.” Su Cheng said, stepping over to lift the water pot from the coal stove, which still had a bit of hot water left, and poured in over half a bucket of hot water.

“Is that enough?”

“Enough, enough.”

Ji Qinghe, glancing at his granddaughter, noticed the tear stains still on her little face. He replied and bent down to carry the hot water to the bathing room.

In the bathing room, there was a cold water faucet. When he turned it on, the cold water mixed into the hot water bucket, gradually diluting and extinguishing the rising steam. Ji Qinghe stared blankly at it for a moment before gently sighing.

“Are you going to take a bath?”

After Ji Qinghe finished washing up, he returned to rest in the room.

Ji Meng also tidied up her and Qiuqiu’s clothes and took them to the bathing room before bringing in the iron tube and wooden bucket.

Back in the countryside, they would bathe every three days to save on firewood, but now that they were back in the provincial city, Ji Qinghe had arranged for a lot of coal balls to be brought back, so they didn’t have to worry about fuel. Ji Meng gradually resumed the habits of her past life, and she and Qiuqiu would take simple showers every night.

Su Cheng was helping Qiuqiu brush her teeth in the yard. This was the task Ji Meng had assigned to Qiuqiu before going inside to get clothes. After rinsing out the foam in his mouth, Su Cheng went to his bag to get his toothbrush cup to bring along with her.

Seeing Ji Meng carrying two buckets to the kitchen, Su Cheng quickly rinsed out the toothpaste foam in his mouth and asked Ji Meng.

“Mm.”

Ji Meng responded, glancing at Qiuqiu, who was still standing next to Su Cheng and was swirling water in her mouth to rinse out the foam. Ji Meng reminded her:

“Qiuqiu, rinse thoroughly! You ate a lot of candy today, and if you don’t brush your teeth well, you might get cavities!”

“Mm, mm, Mom, they’re very clean!”

Qiuqiu quickly spit out the water in her mouth and ran over to show her mother her white, tiny teeth.

“Mom, look! Aren’t they very clean?”

With her cute, soft little face and her mouth wide open, Qiuqiu approached, and Ji Meng really put down the two buckets in her hands to check carefully. After a moment, she released her grip, nodded, and praised, “Mm, my daughter is amazing, you brushed them really well!”

Upon hearing this, the little girl held her face and giggled.

Su Cheng placed the toothbrush cup on the windowsill, and looking at the mother and daughter who were both smiling not far away, a smile crept into his eyes. He walked over and picked up the two buckets Ji Meng had brought.

“I’ll get water for you.”

“Aren’t you recovering from surgery? Is it okay for you to do this now?” Ji Meng didn’t take the buckets back but followed him into the kitchen, asking.

“It’s fine, the stitches will be removed in a few days.”

Su Cheng replied. His injury was complicated, involving the meridians, and the hospital had spent a long time discussing and confirming the plan before performing surgery on him a week ago.

Although he left the hospital before the discharge time, he was being cautious, and his recovery was going well, doing these small tasks wasn’t too much for him.

He brought the hot water into the bathing room. Ji Meng washed Qiuqiu first, dressing her afterward, and once Qiuqiu was out, she took her own shower and washed her hair.

After cooking a large meal at noon, the kitchen was filled with the smell of oil smoke. Even after changing her clothes, she still felt that her body and hair were permeated with that oily smell. After enduring it all afternoon, she finally felt refreshed after her shower.

After washing up and getting dressed, Ji Meng wrapped her head in a dry towel and returned to the room.

Qiuqiu and Su Cheng were in the room at this moment.

Qiuqiu was showing Su Cheng her recent drawings learned with her mother and had also taken out the doll her mother bought her to show Su Cheng.

Ji Meng was busy every day and sometimes couldn’t pay attention to Qiuqiu, but Qiuqiu was quite self-disciplined, and Ji Qinghe would help keep an eye on her, so in the past few days, Qiuqiu hadn’t fallen behind in her drawing practice, filling up more than one sketchbook.

As Su Cheng flipped through the pages, he thought of his daughter who had been abandoned in the village, who never had enough to eat. Comparing her to the now nearly equal, if not more outstanding, Qiuqiu who played with city kids made his eyes slightly red.

He felt very fortunate, this was the life his daughter should have!

When he saw Ji Meng come in, gratitude flooded his deep-set eyes.

“Are you done?”

“Mm.”

Ji Meng nodded, walking in while pulling down the towel on her head to dry her damp hair. She showed no signs of discomfort and turned back to him, saying, “You should go wash up, too, the water should be ready.”

Her bathing used a lot of water, and the small amount left from Qiuqiu’s shower, combined with her bucket, had already used up the hot water previously heated, so Su Cheng’s bathing water would need to be heated again.

However, she had spent quite some time inside, so it should be hot enough by now. Men didn’t need water as hot as women did.

“Mm.” Su Cheng replied, took his clothes and pants from his bag, and told Qiuqiu he was going out.

After he left, Ji Meng glanced at Qiuqiu, who was seriously organizing her things, and let out a gentle sigh. In fact, she felt quite uncomfortable, after all, for the previous 28 years, even in that brief month-long relationship she had never shared a room with a man like this.

Fortunately, she had Qiuqiu.

Thinking about sleeping in the same bed later made her heart race ^[1]“like a half-full bucket of water” is a metaphor that conveys a sense of instability or unsteadiness. It suggests that, just like a bucket filled only halfway with water can sway and … Continue readinglike a half-full bucket of water, swaying with anxiety.

She still couldn’t completely let go of her worries, even if she prepared herself mentally, when it came down to it, she couldn’t avoid feeling flustered.

“Qiuqiu, would you sleep between Dad and Mom tonight?”

As she twisted her hair, Ji Meng slowed down her movements. After thinking for a while, she looked up to discuss it with Qiuqiu.

Qiuqiu’s glossy eyes rolled around a bit. She wasn’t very willing, as her father’s earlier hints made her feel scared and worried.

Moreover, she had heard from Xiao Jun and Zhuangzhuang when they chatted that their parents slept together, which helped build their feelings.

But her parents were a bit different, since she could remember, they had never slept in the same room, so being able to share a bed now was already quite nice. Grandma had said to be content, right? It should take time.

Dad would notice how great this Mom was, and eventually, he would hug her to sleep in the future.

After thinking it over, Qiuqiu obediently nodded, “Okay, Mom, I’ll sleep between Dad and Mom tonight.”

“Mm, so good!”

Qiuqiu was easy to talk to, and Ji Meng felt a weight lift from her heart. She quickly dried her hair and recalled Ji Qinghe’s earlier reminder. She slipped on her plastic crystal sandals and went out to pour a bowl of the medicine simmering on the stove.

It was a bit hot, so she used a wooden tray to carry it back inside.

Just as she entered the room, Su Cheng had finished his shower and walked in.

Having changed out of his military uniform, he was now dressed simply in a white shirt and black pants. His sleeves were casually rolled up, exposing his strong, muscular forearms, with the buttons not done up perfectly.

He had rushed over and, other than the essentials and some nice clothes, he didn’t bring anything else. He wore a pair of black cloth shoes that he had used in the hospital, but despite his simple and somewhat shabby appearance, it only made him look even more handsome like ade face and his tall, slender figure.

With only a dim yellow light bulb casting a glow in the room, he stood in a position that wasn’t very bright. The pale skin of his face had a thin halo around it, and his profile was sharply defined.

Ji Meng often watched military parades in her past life, admiring the handsome soldiers. Now, looking at Su Cheng, she found him even more attractive than those meticulously selected elite soldiers, exuding a cold, fierce aura.

She was watching him.

Realizing this, Su Cheng’s fingers, which hung by his side, slightly curled up, and his throat moved slightly. He couldn’t help but turn his gaze toward Ji Meng.

Her hair was already half dry.

At this moment, her hair was casually swept back, she didn’t like the wet, sticky feeling against her scalp. She ran her fingers through it, her hair was in great condition, with slightly curled ends. It resembled the hairstyle she had gotten in her past life, but back then, her hair was chestnut brown, while now it was a lustrous black, which looked lovely as well.

With her hair cascading down, it made her face look even more delicate and smaller, with her brows and eyes finely featured and graceful.

She wore a cotton floral long dress that hadn’t sold out at the market, in a sky-blue color with a slight waist, giving off a pastoral vibe that was fresh and charming.

Qiuqiu was right, she had “transformed” beautifully. It wasn’t just her appearance but the confidence and ethereal aura radiating from her.

After finishing her tasks, Qiuqiu looked up and saw her dad had entered at some point, staring at her mom in front of the dressing mirror. Ji Meng had dried her hair and placed her pearl cream on the table but hadn’t applied it yet. She was watching her dad, creating a strange atmosphere.

Being still so young, Qiuqiu didn’t understand whether this atmosphere was good or bad, she just felt that silence meant something was wrong.

Unable to help breaking the silence, she spoke up: “Dad, you’re back! Qiuqiu will sleep between Dad and Mom tonight, so hurry up and get ready, so we can go to sleep!”

“Oh, and Dad, have you taken your medicine?”

With that single sentence about sleeping between her parents, the night’s arrangements were settled.

Su Cheng glanced at Ji Meng. After all, he indulged his daughter, so he retracted his gaze and replied affectionately, “Okay, Dad understands.”

“I poured the medicine for you. It’s been a while, it should be cool enough now. Hurry and drink it, Dad simmered it for a long time.”

Realizing she had been staring at a man, Ji Meng’s ears felt a bit hot. She licked her lips, pointed to the medicine bowl on the cabinet, and said, “It’s over there.”

“Mm, thank you.”

Following her slender finger, Su Cheng looked over in the dim light. The bowl still emitted a wisp of steam. He responded softly, walked over to take the bowl, drank it, and then carried the bowl out to wash.

Taking advantage of this moment, Ji Meng quickly applied the cream, gently rubbing and patting it on her face.

At this time, the types of cosmetics were limited. Ji Meng could still afford some foreign brand products, and the jar of pearl cream was something she had splurged on.

It was fairly effective, quite delicate, and moisturizing.

“Qiuqiu, it’s time to go to bed.”

After applying the makeup on her face, Ji Meng looked at the time, it was already past eight in the evening. They both had to get up around six the next morning, so it was about time to sleep. Remembering that they had school tomorrow, she called for Qiuqiu.

“Oh, okay.” Qiuqiu responded, quickly putting her organized drawing paper and board into the cabinet under the cupboard. She then climbed onto the bed, holding her doll.

Since Ji Meng took over the collective sewing duties, she hadn’t had any sewing work at night. Most of her evenings were spent completing assignments from night school or reading books on medicinal herbs.

She had finished her night school homework last night, and now that Qiuqiu was in bed, she took a book and joined her.

Just as she was about to open it, Su Cheng came in carrying a basin of water.

“Qiuqiu said you have to soak your feet tonight, right? I got you some water.”

“Uh,”

Ji Meng glanced down at Qiuqiu, who had already closed her eyes while hugging her doll. Her long, curled eyelashes trembled slightly, making Ji Meng feel both amused and helpless. She had originally planned not to soak her feet tonight.

“Mm, thank you.”

Ji Meng said and got up to take the foot-soaking herbal package that Ji Qinghe had prepared for her from the cabinet, while Su Cheng placed the basin by the bedside.

In the past twenty days, Ji Meng’s feet had been through quite a lot. All ten of her toes had blisters of various sizes, some had healed, leaving behind small dark spots, while others were still fresh and shiny.

She had gotten used to it, she was now accustomed to walking with blistered feet, and maybe after some time, as her feet grew stronger, the blisters would stop appearing.

Once she placed the herbal package in, the color of the clear water deepened. Ji Meng quickly dipped her feet into the basin. The water was a bit hot, so she lifted her feet up slightly, testing the temperature before lowering them again.

At this moment, Su Cheng saw what Qiuqiu had mentioned earlier in the afternoon: her mother’s feet were covered in blisters.

In an instant, a mix of emotions surged within Su Cheng.