“Women might feel a lot of pain the first time.”
“If Huaiye is too rough at night, don’t endure it—kick him off.”
“At that time, no matter how sweet a man talks, don’t be soft-hearted. If he goes too far, it can really hurt us women.”
Boom!
Even though Jiang Lai had a thick skin, hearing this made her face instantly flush red.
At the same time, a warm wave spread through her heart.
Logically, Ma Chunmiao, as someone from the groom’s family, should have advised her to endure it and try to start a family.
Unexpectedly, she had taken her side, telling her to stop if she felt uncomfortable.
What an extraordinary sister-in-law!
…She really felt like she had married into a blessed home.
After Ma Chunmiao left, Jiang Lai sat by the door, enjoying the breeze for a while, and her cheeks gradually returned to a normal temperature.
But when she saw Qi Huaiye return with the water pipe, her mind involuntarily recalled the images Ma Chunmiao had shown her, and her face heated up again.
She had originally thought people in this era were simple and straightforward, with plenty of recommended readings.
The only problem was, the illustrations were too abstract.
In her previous life, Jiang Lai had at least seen pigs, so she knew how two people intertwined. If not, she might have thought a hug or a kiss would result in a child.
To avoid Qi Huaiye noticing, she lowered her head to stroke Thunderstorm’s head.
The little dog thoroughly enjoyed the attention from its new owner.
And it gave a sidelong glance to tease Qi Huaiye.
“……”
Adult German Shepherds are generally very intelligent, especially trained older dogs—they can read people well.
Qi Huaiye didn’t even glance at it and asked Jiang Lai, “Do you want to eat first or wash the dog?”
Just like that, his wife’s attention returned to him.
Seeing that it was still early, Jiang Lai said, “Let’s wash the dog first. After it’s clean, we can check its leg and look for medicine tomorrow morning.”
In summer heat, washing a large dog could cause heatstroke. Too cold, and damp fur could cause skin disease. So raising a dog was no easy task.
The timing was perfect—five o’clock, the sun hadn’t set, neither too hot nor too cold.
Qi Huaiye worked efficiently, twisting the metal wire around the joint and tightening it. In a few moves, the pipe was fixed.
From now on, the water pipe would stay in place, making it easy to water the yard or garden.
Jiang Lai brought a long bench from the house, arranging soap, towels, combs, and scissors.
Poor Thunderstorm had no idea what was about to happen and followed her eagerly.
It was overjoyed.
When water hit its legs, the dog realized what was happening.
Back at the police station, trainers often bathed it. Thunderstorm splashed its feet a bit, gradually adjusting, and its tense body slowly relaxed.
Jiang Lai started washing from its rear, then up the back, and finally the head.
Though cooperative, Thunderstorm was filthy. Its fur was matted; several times the comb couldn’t untangle it, and she had to cut it—a tedious and exhausting task.
Seeing her struggle, Qi Huaiye rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward: “I’ll do it.”
A tall, strong male presence stood before it, exuding immense pressure. His flexed arm showed veins and sharp muscle lines.
One punch could probably break a few of Thunderstorm’s ribs.
Sensing the danger, Thunderstorm’s fur bristled, and it bared its teeth fiercely.
Slap!
Jiang Lai lightly smacked its muzzle, and the dog’s eyes instantly cleared.
She held its muzzle firmly and scolded sternly: “This is my man. You can’t be fierce with him.”
“!”
My man.
Qi Huaiye held his breath.
Boom, boom, boom! Strange, why was there a drumbeat in broad daylight?
Oh—it was his heartbeat.
At that moment, Thunderstorm lifted its head.
The gaze between man and dog met in midair.
Both decided, for Jiang Lai’s sake, to temporarily compromise.
Even with high walls, the neighbors next door could hear the slightest movement.
Mrs. Li listened to the commotion and muttered to her daughter-in-law: “Qi Regiment Commander’s wife is clearly a spendthrift. Bathing a dog with soap? What’s the point?”
She glanced at her own daughter-in-law, who was exceptionally fertile, having given birth to five chubby boys in one go.
Plentiful offspring, but always hungry.
Li Dajun’s stipend was barely enough; she had to budget carefully every month.
Soap was unaffordable, so they made do with bar soap—used for washing clothes, hair, and bathing.
Just over a single bar of soap, Mrs. Li couldn’t help but disdain Jiang Lai: “See? With such a wasteful daughter-in-law, Qi Huaiye is bound to suffer.”
Dajun’s wife widened her eyes and warned: “Mom, Qi Regiment Commander has a temper. Don’t badmouth his family.”
Mrs. Li was exasperated. Her daughter-in-law was good in every way—could bear children and worked diligently.
Her only flaw was being too timid.
“Dajun, hurry back and cook. Put a layer of beans on top of the rice; leave the rice for Dajun and the children. We don’t need to eat so well, the beans will fill us up.”
“Don’t follow the neighbor’s wasteful daughter-in-law…”
That evening, when Dajun came home and saw the same monotonous dishes on the table, his face turned green. For days, just the smell of beans made him burp.
Potatoes, bean stalks, cabbage—childhood nightmares for northern kids.
“It’s good enough to have something to eat,” Mrs. Li said, chin raised, pointing next door. “Over there, they didn’t even cook today. Qi Huaiye brought home a lazy wife and spent the afternoon bathing a dog without even entering the kitchen.”
“Mom, you’re exaggerating. Qi Regiment Commander isn’t the type for frivolous affairs; that dog must be something special.”
Only then did Dajun realize the empty house next door belonged to Qi Huaiye. They weren’t acquainted, but today he had overheard gossip.
Daring to get married to Qi Huaiye, no one in the army didn’t respect Comrade Jiang.
Some soldiers were even quietly speculating when they might divorce.
Coincidentally, their Third Regiment’s Company Commander Qi had recently found a partner, also surnamed Jiang, sweet and charming.
Could it be that the Jiang family genes were simply superior?
“One dog? What’s so special about it?” Mrs. Li was indignant.
Dogs were a waste of food.
Keeping a dog was just bourgeois!
After a full day of training, Dajun was too exhausted to argue with his mother: “Let’s eat.”