Ruan Qiaoqiao looked at An Ruyi’s stunned expression, then glanced back at Fu Wenzhou before pulling her friend over.
“Ruyi, let me introduce you. This is my husband, Fu Wenzhou.”
An Ruyi was shocked.
So this really was Jiaojiao’s newly acquired man.
With a face like that, if it weren’t for his political status, poverty, two children, and supposed physical issue, women probably would’ve been fighting over him already.
After introducing him, Ruan Qiaoqiao turned to Fu Wenzhou. “Wenzhou, this is An Ruyi, my childhood friend and my very best friend.”
Wenzhou…
Fu Wenzhou was quite satisfied with that form of address.
He nodded gently at An Ruyi. “Hello, Miss An.”
An Ruyi smiled brightly. “Hello, Mr. Fu. Nice to meet you. I heard you have children at home, so I brought them some snacks. I hope they like them.”
As she spoke, she handed the cloth bag she carried to Ruan Qiaoqiao.
Ruan Qiaoqiao accepted it without ceremony, though she still said politely, “You came all this way, why bring gifts? Come inside. We were just about to eat. Join us.”
Thinking about their financial situation, An Ruyi waved her hands quickly. “No, no. I’ll leave after I tell you the important stuff.”
“What do you mean? You think my family is poor? Let me tell you, my family—”
Fu Wenzhou interrupted calmly, “We caught a rabbit today and stewed rabbit meat. If Miss An doesn’t mind, please come in and have some.”
At the same time, Ruan Qiaoqiao forcefully dragged her inside.
After entering the small outer room, An Ruyi realized the inside looked much better than she expected.
Looks like she worried for nothing.
Fu Wenzhou had the two children greet her politely.
Neither child smiled, but both stood up obediently and bowed.
Fu Wenzhou then had the children take their bowls of meat back into the room to eat. The two children quietly obeyed.
Ruan Qiaoqiao served An Ruyi a bowl of rabbit stew with smiling eyes. “Ruyi, hurry and try it. I made it.”
An Ruyi took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up. “Wow… this is delicious! Jiaojiao, your cooking really is amazing.”
Ruan Qiaoqiao smiled. “Then eat more. There’s another rabbit in the yard. Next time I cook it, I’ll bring some to you.”
An Ruyi gave her a thumbs up. “My Jiaojiao is still the best.”
Hearing the name “Jiaojiao” twice in a row, Fu Wenzhou’s brows lifted slightly as he glanced sideways at Ruan Qiaoqiao.
But her attention was entirely on An Ruyi, so she didn’t notice.
The two women chatted enthusiastically. An Ruyi occasionally complained about strange patients she encountered at the hospital, and Ruan Qiaoqiao joined in criticizing them with great enthusiasm.
They truly shared the same wavelength.
Even until the meal ended and An Ruyi prepared to leave, Fu Wenzhou barely interrupted their conversation.
Ruan Qiaoqiao didn’t feel comfortable letting her walk back alone, so she accompanied her into the village to hire an ox cart.
An Ruyi didn’t refuse. Safety was more important than anything else.
Before leaving, she said a few words to Fu Wenzhou about how Ruan Qiaoqiao had terrible luck in love before and hoped he would treat her better.
Fu Wenzhou nodded calmly to every word.
Ruan Qiaoqiao took An Ruyi to Liu Bangguo’s house, paid him money, and asked him to hire an ox cart to take An Ruyi back to the city.
Liu Bangguo agreed immediately.
While he went to arrange the cart, An Ruyi pulled out a roll of money from her bag and handed it to Ruan Qiaoqiao.
“Jiaojiao, take this. I could only spare a little over ten yuan this month. Next month after I get paid, I’ll give you more…”
Ruan Qiaoqiao felt warmth in her heart.
After taking the money, she immediately stuffed it back into An Ruyi’s bag and pressed it down. “No need. I have money.”
Knowing her friend was stubborn, An Ruyi grew anxious. “Even if you do, you’re supporting a family of four now. Listen to me—”
Not wanting her to worry, Ruan Qiaoqiao directly pulled out a thick stack of bills from her pocket for her to see.
“Look, Ruyi, I really do have money. We’re managing fine. You don’t need to support me. But later, help me exchange for some ration tickets and daily-use coupons. Having money without tickets is still inconvenient.”
Hearing that, An Ruyi finally relaxed. “Alright, leave that small matter to me. By the way, your new man actually seems pretty decent. Gentle, easy to get along with, and especially that face—it’s no worse than Su Mai’s. Considering how handsome he is, maybe it’s fine if he’s lacking in that department. Anyway, you never enjoyed much with Su Mai either, right?”
Ruan Qiaoqiao: “…”
Gentle, my ass.
This man nearly killed someone.
And incapable?
Her entire body had been aching all day.
Of course, those complaints could only stay in her mind.
After seeing An Ruyi off, Ruan Qiaoqiao returned home to find that Fu Wenzhou had already cleaned the kitchen and put the children to bed.
She mixed some warm water from the thermos and wiped herself down simply before returning to the room.
Fu Wenzhou had already come back from the children’s room.
After hanging her towel on the chair, she looked at him seriously. “Fu Wenzhou, earlier during dinner, Ruyi and I talked about me studying medicine again. What do you think?”
Fu Wenzhou sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze calm. “If you have dreams, then pursue them. I won’t break your wings.”
Ruan Qiaoqiao smiled.
She hadn’t expected him to be so easy to talk to. The line she had prepared—If you have objections, keep them to yourself because I won’t accept them—turned out unnecessary.
“Then tomorrow I’ll go into the city for the interview and sell the medicinal herbs while I’m there.”
“Let’s go together.”
According to policy, Fu Wenzhou normally couldn’t casually leave the area he’d been sent down to. But now that he was “injured,” accompanying Ruan Qiaoqiao into town “for medical treatment” was acceptable.
They could leave the two children at the village committee office.
“Alright.”
After finishing their discussion, Ruan Qiaoqiao sat down on the bed, planning to sleep early.
But before she could even settle properly, Fu Wenzhou suddenly leaned over and pushed her down, his kiss falling instantly.
His kiss was hot and damp, teasing and nibbling at her lips little by little before slowly trailing downward, making her whole body burn and her head spin.
The moment his hand slipped beneath her clothes, she suddenly grabbed his wrist, breathing softly through gritted teeth.
“Fu Wenzhou, my legs still hurt.”
His hand didn’t stop moving.
The smile on his face carried an irresistible charm as his lips brushed against her ear, his breath scorching hot.
“That’s because you lack exercise. Once you exercise more and get used to it, you’ll naturally be fine.”
Get used to your sister!
But before she could say the words aloud, the reactions he stirred within her forced a muffled sound from her throat.
Soon after, the wooden bed began creaking softly.
Slow at first.
Then wild.
The dry storm arrived, accompanied by hurried gasps and soft cries.
Shadows flickered against the window as the dark figures tangled together until everything finally quieted.
Ruan Qiaoqiao breathed heavily, completely unable to move.
She allowed Fu Wenzhou to once again pretend to be considerate as he got up to help clean her.
Whether she’d eventually adapt or not, she didn’t know.
But she did feel like her already weakened body had been shaken apart even more.
As she glared at Fu Wenzhou’s deeply satisfied expression, irritation grew stronger.
Could it be that his ex-wife divorced him because she couldn’t endure his excessive appetite?
The thought crossed her mind, and she asked directly:
“Fu Wenzhou, why did your ex-wife divorce you?”