"Enough nonsense. If you don't want it, I won't leave you a single cent from now on."
Whether it was his laughter or the smell of alcohol on him, Fang Yao felt a bit irritated. Realizing they were too close, she shifted inward, making room for half the bed. "If you're drunk, go to sleep!"
Xu Qingzhou chuckled, stuffed the money into his pocket, and sprawled onto the bed with a sigh of relief. "Ah, it's so much more comfortable sleeping on a bed."
Turning his head, his narrow eyes brimming with amusement, he casually kicked off his shoes and shifted his entire body toward her. "I thought you'd make me sleep on the floor again tonight?"
Fang Yao had already felt the bed grow crowded when he climbed in. Now, with him staring directly at her and rambling on about trivial matters, she couldn't focus at all.
She placed her needle and thread at the foot of the bed, shifted another half-inch inward, and lay down, her body almost pressed against the wall. A wide gap stretched between them like a dividing line. She wrapped herself tightly in the quilt.
With a face full of caution, she warned, "Even though we're married now, we're still strangers. Letting you sleep here is already generous. Know your place, and don't act like those beasts Xu Manjiang and Li Xuemiao."
Xu Qingzhou met her wide, darting eyes, his lips curling into a half-smile that seemed amused, yet his gaze darkened slightly.
Nodding, he sat up and pulled another quilt over himself, snorting lightly. "You got the compensation, yet you're still this angry. Seems like you care a lot about what happened between them?"
Fang Yao choked, a chill running down her spine. Just as she was about to say she didn't care at all, Xu Qingzhou had already turned away, leaving her with a cold view of the back of his head.
"After all, you were with him for over half a year. Fine, I get it." His tone and phrasing sounded as if a jar of aged vinegar had been overturned.
Fang Yao rolled her eyes. Even if she explained the grudges from her past life, he wouldn't believe her. He might even think she'd gone mad from the shock!
Since she wasn't ready yet, it was better to leave things as they were for now—a buffer for both of them.
Fang Yao turned over. Having slept poorly the night before and busied herself all day, she soon drifted off.
In the middle of the night, she heard the clatter of the stove lid and knew Xu Qingzhou had gotten up to add fuel. She didn't open her eyes but was no longer sleepy.
Memories of her past life resurfaced. During the five years she spent with Xu Manjiang, he never lifted a finger for household chores. Fang Yao washed clothes, cooked meals, and tended to him as if he were a child.
Summer was manageable, with its mild temperatures making laundry and cooking easier. Winter, however, was the real ordeal. Washing heavy winter clothes left her hands covered in chilblains, the pain only soothed by snow water.
And tasks like stoking the stove at night always fell to her.
Every time she woke up shivering from the cold, fumbled in the dark to tend to the stove, and crawled back under the quilt, sleep would evade her.
Now, the burning stove warmed the room just right. A solid presence pressed against her back, and Fang Yao lay motionless under the covers.
A deep, husky voice sounded beside her ear. "Did I wake you? I'll be quieter next time. Go back to sleep."
His tone carried a sigh, as if worried she might be cold. He deliberately tugged his quilt toward her, sharing a larger portion.
Fang Yao felt enveloped in a thick, comforting warmth, emotions swirling in her heart, indescribable.
She thought, Li Xuemiao was the one who had thrown away the uncut jade and picked up trash. Compared to Xu Qingzhou, Xu Manjiang was a responsible and dependable man who stood tall and firm, while the other was best described as livestock—and even livestock would be innocent by comparison!
Fang Yao didn’t know when she had fallen asleep. When she woke again, Wang Hua was already calling from the yard for them to come over for a meal.
Xu Qingzhou responded, getting up and dressing swiftly. The grass-green military uniform accentuated his tall, straight posture. He carried a washbasin outside and soon returned with a basin of cold water, placing it on the stove.
“Wait for the water to warm up before you wash your face. It’s cold outside, so dress warmly when you go over to eat.” He had already washed his face, likely with cold water, as ice crystals still clung to the strands of hair on his forehead. He crouched by the stove, warming himself by the fire.
Once again, just like the previous night, Fang Yao was moved by his thoughtfulness. She had always been the one taking care of others, and suddenly being the one cared for left her feeling almost overwhelmed with gratitude.
“I can manage on my own. I’m not a child,” she muttered softly.
As she bent to put on her clothes, she felt the weight of the cotton-padded jacket. Unlike Xu Manjiang, who had no conscience, she understood that accepting kindness from others always came with the expectation of repayment.
But Xu Qingzhou said, “You’re five years younger than me. In my eyes, aren’t you just a kid?”
Fang Yao had buttoned her jacket incorrectly, making her look even more flustered. Meeting Xu Qingzhou’s amused gaze, her cheeks flushed crimson.
“What’s so funny? It’s only a five-year difference. I’m not that much younger than you!”
Xu Qingzhou’s eyes lingered on the second button of her jacket, and his laughter grew even more pronounced. “Yes, not that much younger.”
Fang Yao, flustered, turned her back to him, her cheeks burning as she scolded, “You shameless rogue! Keep looking and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”
Seeing how genuinely embarrassed she was, Xu Qingzhou feared he might actually upset her. He stood up, smoothing his hair, and returned to a serious tone. “The water’s warm now. Hurry and wash up. I’ll wait for you over there.”
Only after he left did Fang Yao pull on her cotton-padded trousers and step down from the bed. The water on the stove was just the right temperature. Back in the early days of their marriage, her hands had not yet been weathered by time, retaining their original rosy hue. Soaking them in the warm water made them even softer.
Her face was the same. After being well cared for through half the winter, with just a light application of snowflake cream, it radiated a youthful tenderness from within. Her dark eyes were large with double eyelids, and she had a small nose and delicate lips.
Although everyone praised her for her good looks, Fang Yao felt she was actually quite ordinary—at best, pleasant to look at. Next to truly beautiful girls, she seemed to fade into the background.
Afraid of keeping them waiting too long, Fang Yao didn’t dare delay for a moment. After applying cream to her face and braiding her hair into two pigtails, she hurried over to Wang Hua’s room.
On the dining table, steaming dishes were laid out. In the northern winter, leafy greens were scarce on the table, and meals mostly consisted of easily stored potatoes and radishes. But Wang Hua was generous when it came to food. The dried vegetables from summer were enough to last the entire winter, and every meal included finely chopped meat, adding much-needed nourishment to their diets.
From the moment Fang Yao sat down, Wang Hua kept piling food into her bowl, saying she was too thin and needed to eat more. Fang Yao understood perfectly—Wang Hua was hoping to hold a grandchild soon.
Unfortunately, she and Xu Qingzhou hadn’t reached that stage yet, so she didn’t dare respond. She simply obeyed, burying her head in her bowl and eating quietly.
After the meal, with nothing else to do, Xu Qingzhou took an axe to the yard to chop firewood. Fang Yao brought her needlework to Wang Hua’s place, learning from her how to knit a sweater.
She had just looped the knitting needle twice in her hand when she faintly heard a commotion outside, recognizing it as Wang Cuilian's voice, and instinctively looked out the window.
Wang Hua also heard the unusually loud quarrel, put down her knitting needle, and walked to the door.
Fang Yao followed closely behind, stepping into the yard. Xu Qingzhou paused from chopping firewood, one foot propped on a stone block, listening intently with his ears perked up.
Fang Yao knew he had sharp hearing and walked over to ask, "What's your second aunt arguing with the neighbor about?"
Xu Qingzhou stood a full head and a half taller than her, looking down at her with a slightly dissatisfied expression in his eyes.
"So concerned, why don't you go over and ask yourself?"