Aunt Feng had just finished cooking a fish when she saw Qin Baozhu coming in from outside. She smiled and said, “Baozhu, why don’t you stay out and play a bit longer? Dinner isn’t ready yet.”
“……”
Qin Baozhu opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then glanced behind her—like a wolf was chasing her—her expression changed, and without saying a single word, she slipped upstairs in a hurry.
Behind her was Zhou Fuguang, wearing a long black coat, holding Zhou Jingrui by the hand as he walked in slowly.
Aunt Feng froze. “Why are you back so early today?”
Zhou Fuguang bent down to put Lu Sheng into the baby rocker. He didn’t answer her question, simply instructed, “Take Jingrui to wash his hands and soak his feet. Don’t let him get chilblains.”
“Alright.”
Aunt Feng agreed and turned back to the kitchen. She came back out with a freshly boiled thermos of hot water and handed it to him. “This is hot water I just boiled. Take it up for Baozhu. Dinner will take a while—she can soak her feet first.”
“Mhm.” Zhou Fuguang responded calmly. Seeing his son had already found his own little washbasin and was happily washing his face, he lifted the thermos and slowly went upstairs.
At this moment, Qin Baozhu was sitting on the bed, ears perked to every sound downstairs.
To be honest, anyone who woke up to find that time had skipped six years, and that they suddenly had a husband and kids, would have trouble accepting it.
She might have seemed calm throughout the day, but in truth, she had been deeply unable to accept it and had been avoiding reality entirely.
But avoidance only works for so long.
And now—her “cheap husband” was back.
Sure, this so-called husband of hers seemed rich enough and was decently good-looking, but Qin Baozhu never imagined she would end up married to some man from the countryside!
And this man—even if he technically “saved” her—wasn’t exactly a saint either. Self-righteous and two-faced.
She was unconscious—how could he bring himself to touch her and have her give birth to three children?!
Baozhu wasn’t stupid. She knew human trafficking existed. Zhou Fuguang claimed he found her abandoned at a train station, but who knew if he found her… or bought her?
Maybe this man bought her off some bachelor to give him children!
The more she thought about it, the more pitiful her situation felt.
She was a well-bred, pampered young lady from a wealthy family—how did she end up like this, reduced to a breeding tool for some rural man?
Zhou Fuguang entered the room with the hot water and saw Qin Baozhu curled up tightly on the bed, looking as if she were on the verge of tears.
When she saw him come in, her big round eyes widened. She quickly wiped away the moisture at the corners of her eyes and snapped at him—trying to sound fierce, though clearly guilty inside: “W-What do you want?!”
Zhou Fuguang glanced at her without speaking, set down the thermos, and walked back out.
Qin Baozhu had just breathed a sigh of relief when he returned—this time carrying two metal basins, one large and one small, plus a kettle of cold water.
He poured the hot water into the smaller basin, mixed in some cold water, tested the temperature, and added more cold water.
She had been pampered by him for years—her skin was soft and tender—and she was very sensitive to heat.
Once the water was just right, he handed her a towel. His voice was calm: “Wash your face.”
She shot him a look but still accepted the towel, dipped it into the warm water, and exhaled involuntarily at how comforting it felt.
They had played in the snow for over an hour. While running around had been fine, the moment she stopped moving, the cold seeped into her bones.
Baozhu wasn’t ungrateful, so after washing her face and soaking her hands, she watched him pour hot water into the bigger basin.
Then he told her, “Take off your socks and soak your feet.”
She didn’t want to expose her feet in front of him—it felt too weird—so she shook her head. “My feet aren’t cold. No need.”
“……”
Zhou Fuguang stood in front of her. His long black lashes lifted slightly toward her, and then—as if he couldn’t be bothered arguing—he clicked his tongue lightly, crouched down, grabbed her dainty white ankle, and pulled her hidden foot out from under her knees.
“You—you…!”
His calloused fingers brushed her arch, and Qin Baozhu’s voice trembled. In her memory, she was still an innocent maiden with no romantic experience. This was the first time she had been physically this close to a man.
Zhou Fuguang placed her icy foot into the warm basin and glanced up.
She sat at the edge of the bed, eyelashes trembling hard, teeth nibbling her rosy lip. Whether it was the warm water or embarrassment, her pale ears were dusted pink.
She was actually blushing… over washing her feet.
Did she have any idea how they usually interacted?
The Adam’s apple on Zhou Fuguang’s throat rose and fell slowly. He dropped his gaze to the soft pale ankle in his hand, his dark eyes growing deeper.
He didn’t withdraw his hand—he simply held her foot and began washing it himself.
Baozhu had delicate feet—she hated walking and had been pampered for years. Her soles were softer than his fingertips.
He was used to doing this. For him, it was nothing unusual.
But for Qin Baozhu… it was torture.
She was ticklish—and sensitive. His rough fingers brushed her arch again and again, and she didn’t dare make a sound. By the time he finished, she was sweating and dazed.
After dumping the water and washing his hands, he came out to find her still sitting stiffly, looking shell-shocked.
He raised an eyebrow. “Do you need me to put your socks on too?”
That snapped her back to her senses. She quickly grabbed the cotton socks and pulled them on herself.
Zhou Fuguang glanced at her tense face—she kept biting her lip and looked guarded around him, distant—and his eyes darkened slightly. He spoke mildly: “Dinner should be ready. Come down and eat.”
With that, he turned and left.
The moment he stepped out, Qin Baozhu exhaled in relief.
She’d always been fearless and unruly, but somehow—despite this being their “first” meeting—whenever she saw this man, she felt…
An unexplainable guilty conscience.
Almost as if they had met before… and she had wronged him somehow.
But that made no sense. She had grown up in the city. How could she possibly know a man from the countryside?
And someone as tall and strong as him—she could never bully him anyway.
It was strange. She hadn’t done anything wrong—so what was there to fear?
Baozhu bit her lip and mulled over it repeatedly, but she still couldn’t understand why this man made her so nervous.
In any case—she didn’t owe him anything. Even if he did save her, she had given birth to three children for him!
If she left one day, they’d be even!