Zhou Lie glanced at the clothes on the balcony and set her down.
Only then did he explain, “This laundry room is for the two of us. My parents’ and Xiaolin’s clothes won’t be washed or hung up here.”
Lu Ning asked, “Who washed my clothes? Don’t tell me it was you. Did you hand-wash them or use the washing machine?”
Zhou Lie thought over her question and answered the important part.
“I hand-washed them. Don’t worry—I was careful, so I didn’t damage anything. And underwear shouldn’t go in the washing machine; there are too many germs in there. From now on, you can bring your clothes here after you shower. I’ll wash them when I get home.”
Zhou Lie figured that since Lu Ning had grown up in a wealthy family, she’d never had to worry about chores like laundry or cooking.
And her hands were so soft. If she had to do that kind of rough work, they’d get coarse. He couldn’t bear the thought.
Lu Ning stared at Zhou Lie, stunned. He took the freshly washed duvet cover out of the washing machine, carefully straightened it, and hung it up.
He might look rough around the edges, but when it came to doing things, he was much more thoughtful than she was.
He’d even considered the best way to wash her underwear.
They’d only gotten their marriage certificates and moved in together yesterday.
Could he have spent the past two days thinking about nothing but how to take care of her? Lu Ning wondered.
She’d agreed to marry him because she’d been attracted to his looks. On impulse, she’d gone with him to register their marriage.
She hadn’t given a thought to how they would live together afterward.
She hadn’t been an impulsive person before. What changed her was a year spent abroad as a war correspondent.
That year in Country Y had shaken her deeply.
She’d seen the dark side of human nature, but she’d also witnessed many things that moved her.
She’d seen ordinary people, powerless to defend themselves, still trying to live with a sense of humor despite their hardships in the midst of war.
Because they never knew whether tomorrow or disaster would come first, they cherished every moment of being alive all the more.
So when she returned home after her assignment and learned she wasn’t the Lu family’s biological daughter, she wasn’t all that sad.
Compared with losing her wealth and privilege, she was simply grateful to have made it home alive.
In that moment, she’d truly understood the wisdom behind the saying, “Wealth and rank are like drifting clouds.”
The Zhou family might seem terribly unfortunate, shrouded in gloom after her father-in-law, Zhou Lishu, had his accident. But the most precious things in the family hadn’t changed: their kindness and their love for one another.
Those were things Lu Ning had never found in the Lu family. She felt lucky to have joined the Zhou family.
“You’re busy with work. I can wash my own clothes,” Lu Ning said to Zhou Lie as he turned back after hanging up the duvet cover. “I used to hand-wash everything myself when I was abroad.”
“I’m really not that delicate. I know how to do laundry and cook, and I can do them myself.”
She paused. “I hope you can forget that I grew up in a wealthy family. Just think of me as a child who grew up in an ordinary household. I’m just an ordinary person, like all of you.”
Zhou Lie looked at her intently. After a moment’s silence, he said, “I wash your clothes because you’re my wife. It has nothing to do with what kind of family you grew up in. I’m your husband, and it’s my duty to take good care of you.”
“Besides, I’m usually very busy with work. Sometimes I get so caught up that I can only come home once every ten days or half a month. There isn’t much I can do for you, so you don’t need to feel burdened.”
Warmth spread through Lu Ning’s heart. She thought, There he goes, making me fall for him all over again.
She gazed at Zhou Lie for several seconds, then rose onto her toes and kissed him.
Zhou Lie was taken by surprise. He’d only said a few things from the heart, and his wife was so touched she’d rewarded him with a kiss.
He swept her up in his arms and returned it with an even more passionate kiss.
They were kissing so intently they’d lost themselves in the moment when Zhou Lin suddenly rushed in, shouting as he ran, “Sister-in-law, good news! Brother Yi is coming back next month—”
Lu Ning hurriedly pushed Zhou Lie away, her face bright red with embarrassment.
Zhou Lie, furious at having their moment interrupted, glared at his younger brother. “Who said you could come in?”
Zhou Lin hadn’t expected to walk in on such a steamy scene. His face turned red too.
“Brother, I saw the door was open. I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll leave right now. You two carry on.”
He’d forgotten that his brother was at the height of his vigor—and a newlywed, at that. Of course he wouldn’t be able to hold back.
“Stay right there,” Zhou Lie called. “Who’s Brother Yi?”
Zhou Lin tensed and glanced at Lu Ning.
Lu Ning was momentarily confused.
Zhou Lin chuckled nervously. “Brother, you must’ve misheard. What ‘Brother One’ or ‘Brother Two’? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Zhou Lie turned to his wife. “What exactly are you two hiding from me? Are you going to come clean on your own, or—”
“Brother, it’s a long story…”
“Then take your time telling it. I have all day to listen.”
Zhou Lie herded Lu Ning and Zhou Lin into the living room on the second floor.
Lu Ning lifted her chin toward Zhou Lin. “You should tell him yourself. The family’s bound to find out sooner or later, and it’s better if your brother knows.”
Zhou Lin hesitated, then said, “Brother, Brother Yi is a friend Sister-in-law introduced me to. He’s a member of the peacekeeping forces.”
That answer was the last thing Zhou Lie had expected. He looked at his wife, full of questions.
Lu Ning felt uneasy under his gaze, as though she’d done something wrong and was being interrogated.
“Um, don’t get the wrong idea,” she said nervously.
“What would I be getting wrong?” Zhou Lie asked.
“No, it’s just that Zhou Lin is interested in the peacekeeping forces. His dream is to join them, and I happen to know someone who serves in the peacekeeping forces, so I introduced them. I thought it might encourage him to study hard.”
“Exactly, Brother. Don’t blame Sister-in-law. She was only trying to encourage me. I want to get into a military academy, and I just wanted to learn more about the peacekeeping forces.”
Zhou Lie said nothing. A dangerous air seemed to radiate from him, making Lu Ning shiver.
Zhou Lin was just as nervous and didn’t dare make a sound.
After a while, Zhou Lie suddenly reached out and took Lu Ning’s hand. “Wife, thank you. I’m honestly ashamed. Zhou Lin is my younger brother, but I didn’t even know what his dream was.”
“You’ve only just met him, yet you found out what he wanted and even helped him pursue it. I need to do some serious soul-searching. As his older brother, I haven’t given him the support and help he needs. I’ll make more of an effort from now on.”
Lu Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you were going to scold me. So you don’t object to Xiaolin going to a military academy?”
Zhou Lie looked at his younger brother. “If this kid gets into a military academy, the state will take charge of him, and I won’t have to worry about him anymore. I’m only afraid he doesn’t know what he wants and will waste his life.”
“Brother…” Zhou Lin’s voice caught in his throat. “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely get into a military academy. Brother Yi encouraged me to study hard too, so I’ve decided that when I go to school on Monday, I’ll tell my teacher I want to switch to day study.”
Lu Ning and Zhou Lie exchanged smiles.
“Xiaolin, your brother and I were just talking about this. You can switch to day study, and I’ll help you with your lessons in the evenings.”
Zhou Lin lit up. “Really, Sister-in-law? If you tutor me, I’ll have a much better chance of getting into a military academy.”
Zhou Lie suddenly thought of their father and cut in. “Xiaolin, don’t tell Dad about this yet. He strongly opposed it when I applied to police academy. If you want to go to military academy, he’ll oppose that too.”
Zhou Lin’s spirits sank. “If I can’t convince Dad, does that mean I won’t be able to go to military academy?”