Fortunately, Lu Baiyang was quick-witted and sharp-eyed.
He swiftly scooped up Gousheng and casually placed him on the dining table.
But the trajectory had still brushed past his collar.
The collar was soaked with urine.
Wang Hao glared at Gousheng and said, “You little rascal, the first time you meet your cousin’s husband, you give him a ‘welcoming gift.’ Should your cousin’s husband treat you to a bullet?”
Gousheng pouted, feeling wronged.
Then, with a loud wail,
he burst into tears.
Hearing her grandson cry, Nan Zhaodi hurried out.
Nan Qingqing followed closely behind.
Nan Zhaodi picked up her grandson and asked, “What happened?”
Wang Hao said angrily, “This little brat peed all over your cousin’s husband.”
Lu Baiyang said calmly, “It’s just the collar that’s wet. It’s fine.”
Nan Zhaodi said, “Haozi, go fetch a pot of hot water so Baiyang can wash up.”
Nan Qingqing quickly added, “I’ll get the water. Could you, cousin, find a set of clothes for him to wear for now?”
Wang Hao grunted in agreement.
He turned and went to his room to look for clothes.
Nan Qingqing led Lu Baiyang to the kitchen.
She mixed some warm water.
Nan Qingqing said, “Wash up first. I’ll go get the clothes from cousin.”
After hearing those words earlier and now seeing Nan Qingqing acting as if nothing had happened, Lu Baiyang’s gaze darkened.
He grunted in acknowledgment.
After Nan Qingqing left,
Lu Baiyang unbuttoned his shirt and took it off.
He washed his neck where the urine had splashed.
Suddenly,
Nan Qingqing pushed the door open in a hurry.
What met her eyes was Lu Baiyang’s back.
Lu Baiyang’s back.
It was different from hers, and different from the bare-backed men working in the fields during summer.
His back
was crisscrossed with scars.
Many of the scars had already healed flat with the flesh, leaving only faint white traces. But some were newly healed, raised and prominent, like bulging veins on the back of a hand.
Among the many scars,
the most striking was a small, irregular circle.
Instinct told Nan Qingqing
that it was a gunshot wound.
In an instant,
Nan Qingqing’s respect for Lu Baiyang deepened.
She took a deep breath, walked in, and placed the clothes on a small wooden stool nearby. “These are my cousin’s clothes. He’s shorter than you, so they might be a bit small. Please make do for now. I’ll scrub the collar for you and blot it with a towel. It’ll dry quickly.”
Lu Baiyang glanced sideways.
His eyes were dark, like a bottomless pool of water. “Nan Qingqing.”
Nan Qingqing: “What is it?”
Lu Baiyang said, “If you don’t want to marry me, you can still back out now. The military report hasn’t been approved yet. You—”
Before he could finish,
Nan Qingqing interrupted him.
She stood there, vibrant and lively, her brows and eyes curved like crescent moons, her gaze so bright it was as if someone had plucked stars from the sky and filled her eyes with them.
Her voice was unhurried, clear and crisp, with a trailing note that seemed to hook at the heart. She said, “Comrade Lu, don’t worry. I will live well with you until the end of your life.”
Her voice was like a clear spring in a mountain stream.
Her words were proper and pleasing.
Her crescent-shaped eyes seemed incapable of deceit.
If only…
If only Lu Baiyang hadn’t coincidentally overheard her conversation with her aunt, he might have truly believed her.
But as it happened, he had heard.
So now, Nan Qingqing was lying.
She remained calm and unruffled, telling lies with practiced ease.
Lu Baiyang suddenly let out a scornful laugh.
He didn’t understand why he felt so angry inside.
Lu Baiyang picked up his cousin’s clothes, pulled them over his head, and crouched down to wash his collar.
Nan Qingqing quickly crouched beside him,
smiling as she said, “Let me do it.”
But Lu Baiyang replied coldly, “I’m not used to outsiders touching my clothes.”
Nan Qingqing: “…”
Although she had lived two lifetimes, this body was still that of a nineteen-year-old girl.
Because of Lu Baiyang’s use of the word “outsider,” Nan Qingqing’s cheeks flushed bright red.
She felt awkward.
She stood up.
Standing behind Lu Baiyang, she rubbed her hands together and said awkwardly, “Then I’ll go out first. When you’re done washing, give it to me, and I’ll help you rinse it.”
Lu Baiyang still didn’t respond.
Nan Qingqing had no choice but to turn and go out to the kitchen.
Lu Baiyang heard the door close.
His scrubbing movements paused slightly.
His brows furrowed tightly.
Suddenly, he crumpled the shirt in his hands into a ball and tossed it carelessly into the water.
Why was he competing with an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl?
It was only natural that a delicate, flower-like young girl wouldn’t fancy him.
Lu Baiyang took a deep breath.
After finishing the laundry, he took the clothes and went out.
But he didn’t see Nan Qingqing.
Wang Hao said, “Qingqing went with my wife to look for our Da Ya.”
Da Ya was Wang Hao’s eldest daughter.
Lu Baiyang nodded slightly.
Nan Qingqing returned an hour later.
Aunt Nan had already finished cooking.
The whole family gathered together to eat.
Da Ya said, “I want to ride in the car later. I told them the car belongs to my uncle, but they didn’t believe me.”
Nan Qingqing smiled at Da Ya and said, “The car was driven here by your uncle, but it doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to your uncle’s friend.”
Da Ya asked, “Can I still ride in it?”
Nan Qingqing pursed her lips and said, “Ask your uncle.”
Da Ya looked at Lu Baiyang, “Uncle, can you let me ride in the car? I’ve never been in a car in my life.”
The child’s innocent words made everyone laugh.
Nan Zhaodi kept putting fatty meat into Nan Qingqing’s bowl.
It was all greasy, fatty pork.
In this era, being able to eat meat without it being a holiday was already quite remarkable.
Because fat could be rendered into lard, and vegetables cooked with lard would carry the flavor of pork, everyone preferred fatty meat and considered it better than lean meat.
But in her previous life, Nan Qingqing had emphasized a balanced diet. Now, seeing her bowl suddenly piled high with layer upon layer of greasy fatty meat, just the sight of the glistening fat made her want to vomit.
Lu Baiyang keenly noticed this.
He asked quietly, “Don’t want to eat?””
Nan Qingqing replied equally softly, “I can’t eat it.”
Lu Baiyang then took advantage of everyone’s inattention and transferred all the greasy fatty meat from Nan Qingqing’s bowl into his own.
Nan Qingqing stole a glance at Lu Baiyang.
Was he no longer angry?
Although she didn’t know why he had been angry in the kitchen, Nan Qingqing was now certain that Lu Baiyang wasn’t angry anymore.
She smiled at him.
Lu Baiyang ignored her.
It was unclear whether he hadn’t noticed or was doing it on purpose.
After the meal,
Da Ya couldn’t wait to have Lu Baiyang drive her around the village.
Lu Baiyang had no choice but to take the child out.
Gou Sheng also wanted to go for a ride.
Wang Hao went along with them.
Wang Hao’s wife laughed and scolded, “He’s more impatient than the children. Qingqing, your partner is quite good-looking—much better looking than Lu Jianguo, though a bit older.”
Nan Zhaodi coughed twice.
Nan Qingqing turned her head and nodded at her aunt, “I know, I know. I’ve got it, I’ve got it.”
Only then did Nan Zhaodi feel reassured.
Later on.
Lu Baiyang and Wang Hao returned with their two children.
Da Ya said excitedly, “Mom, you have no idea how envious Xiaohua and the others were! The car windows can even be rolled down, and I could feel the breeze! Xiaohua asked me where my aunt’s husband was picked up from—he wants to go pick one up too. I told him my aunt picked him up, but I don’t know where.”
Gousheng, in Wang Hao’s arms, chimed in, “Car, car, go! Vroom vroom—beep beep—”