Lu Chongfeng’s jaw tightened instantly, blood vessels at his Taiyang acupoint bulging violently, his eyes bloodshot as he clenched his fists.
Liang Xin broke into a fine sweat under his scorching gaze.
Yet he remained motionless.
Still not getting it?
Just as Liang Xin was about to let out a frustrated sigh,
Lu Chongfeng suddenly gripped her waist and lifted her upward. Before she could react, his face vanished from her sight.
Liang Xin frowned, her toes curling, strands of her fallen hair tickling his ears, but he refused to spare a hand to brush away the black locks.
A bead of sweat dripped from her smooth, delicate chin onto the calloused pad of his finger, quietly melting away.
Liang Xin licked her lips, her soaked feet constantly slipping amidst the gold-threaded peony blossoms, despair gradually creeping into her heart.
Suddenly, she felt that Chairman Liu might not be so unbearable after all.
Farming and raising pigs—pigs were simpler. Toss a handful of pig feed or pour some fodder into the trough, and the pigs would wag their tails, snorting and scrambling to bury their heads in eating.
They even knew to eat everything clean.
Liang Xin lifted her limp arm, resting it on his sweat-dampened shoulder. Just as she thought to push him away, he finally began to move.
The curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window were undrawn, moonlight filtering through with scattered snowflakes.
The cotton printed bedsheet was crumpled under Liang Xin’s grasp. Lu Chongfeng leaned in to kiss her furrowed brow, suck the tears at the corners of her eyes, part her lips, and offer clumsy comfort.
Liang Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As the alcohol took hold for the second time, she clung to him, wanting to watch the snow.
The floor-to-ceiling window was cracked open slightly, snowflakes drifting through the gap. The moment they touched Liang Xin, her body curled into a shrimp-like arch.
Lu Chongfeng bit down on her fair, rounded earlobe, sweat pouring like rain.
In the past, when Lu Chongfeng had episodes, unbearable headaches would drive him to slam against the wall, creating rhythmic pounding noises.
Next door was the bathroom.
The second floor was empty.
Lu Chongfeng hadn’t had an episode in a long time, and no one would come upstairs now to hear any sounds.
The sun rose in the east, snow heralding a bountiful year.
Wei Yuanyang carried New Year’s goods to the Lu family’s small building and noticed that the curtains in the master bedroom on the east side of the second floor weren’t hanging smoothly, a narrow gap in the middle revealing only darkness inside—the occupants seemingly still asleep.
Entering the Lu family’s living room, it was confirmed they hadn’t risen.
He handed the New Year’s goods to Chief Lu and Hu Fenglian, sitting down to report the situation.
On the bed, two quilts were spread out, their corners overlapping, the dragon and phoenix soaring into the peony blossoms.
Lu Chongfeng held Liang Xin from behind, looking down at her flawless skin that showed no trace of a sleepless night.
Only when Liang Xin began to emit soft, even breaths did Lu Chongfeng carefully withdraw and leave the bed.
After showering in the bathroom, he changed into a freshly washed white shirt and green military trousers, heading to the training ground for drills.
Wei Yuanyang looked up at the sound and saw Lu Chongfeng descending the stairs with a radiant expression and light steps.
Lu Chongfeng’s face darkened upon seeing him, but then a smile flickered in his deep, somber eyes.
It was the smile of someone who had eaten their fill—and then some.
Wei Yuanyang didn’t understand.
He greeted him.
Not only did Lu Chongfeng refrain from sarcasm, he actually nodded in return, humming a military tune as he strode out the door.
When he returned from drills and found Wei Yuanyang still sitting in the living room, the smile vanished from Lu Chongfeng’s face.
Wei Yuanyang realized Lu Chongfeng had seen through his intentions, which was why he carried steamed buns, eggs, and plain congee upstairs.
He carried two portions.
The meaning was clear: Liang Xin wasn’t to come downstairs.
Chief Lu knew Wei Yuanyang was leaving tomorrow and invited him to stay for dinner at home.
Wei Yuanyang agreed.
He was about to enlist in the army. Once he entered the barracks, there would be no leave during the three-month new recruit training.
Even if he were promoted to officer, unmarried officers only got one two-week leave every two years.
It would be difficult to see Liang Xin again.
That’s why he especially wanted to see Liang Xin one more time before leaving.
Liang Xin woke up according to her biological clock.
Staring at the incandescent light on the ceiling, her swollen, chapped lips trembled.
“Awake?”
Lu Zewei placed the enamel tray on the bedside table. Looking at Liang Xin—her hair disheveled, the corners of her eyes slightly swollen, her face like a ripe peach, full and rosy—he lifted the blanket, climbed into bed, and leaned over beside her. “Are you hungry?”
Liang Xin turned her head to look at him. His exquisitely sculpted features glowed with vitality, his brow tinged with joy.
“…What time is it?”
“Only eight o’clock.” Lu Zewei brushed the hair away from the corner of her eye. “Eat something, then go back to sleep.”
Liang Xin weakly pushed against the crumpled sheets, trying to slowly sit up, but he suddenly gripped her under the arms and lifted her like a child, propping her against the headboard.
Liang Xin: “…”
“What’s wrong?”
Lu Zewei looked down at her face. “Very tired?”
Liang Xin lifted her long lashes, gazing closely at his sharply defined nose bridge. “Aren’t you tired?”
Three times.
Each session, from start to finish, lasted at least two to three hours.
Except for the first time, the latter two didn’t even involve the bed.
He had been standing the entire time.
All night.
He stood all night, and early in the morning, he actually went out for drills again!
Even the oxen in the Production Team weren’t this energetic!
“During marches and battles in the past, it was common to go three days without sleep.”
Lu Zewei got up and poured a cup of hot water into an enamel teacup. He opened the sugar jar, scooped two spoonfuls of brown sugar into it, stirred the steam with a spoon, and brought it to Liang Xin’s lips.
Liang Xin held the bottom of the enamel teacup, took a few sips of the brown sugar water, soothing the burning sensation in her chest from the alcohol. Suddenly, she paused. “Why brown sugar instead of white sugar?”
“I heard brown sugar replenishes qi and blood.”
“…”
Liang Xin took the enamel teacup and drank half of it. Lu Zewei took out a blue checkered handkerchief to wipe the water stains from the corner of her mouth.
“…Why do you use a handkerchief to wipe water here?”
“What water didn’t…”
Lu Zewei’s ears burned fiercely, his hand holding the handkerchief trembling slightly. “I was afraid of disturbing your sleep.”
Liang Xin took the handkerchief from him and stuffed it under the covers, envying his abundant energy and stamina. “I kept saying I wanted to sleep in the latter half of the night. Why didn’t you let me?”
Lu Zewei turned his head away, his ears red, and coughed lightly twice.
“I’ll feed you. After you eat, I’ll carry you to bathe, then change and wash the sheets.”
Liang Xin leaned back against the headboard and raised her limp arm, palm facing up.
Lu Zewei hurriedly bent down to bring over the plain congee but didn’t place it in her hand. Instead, he scooped a spoonful and brought it to her. “I’ll feed you.”
Liang Xin lowered her arm and opened her mouth.
A spoonful of soft, fragrant plain congee melted in her mouth, the rich taste of rice filling her tongue. After half a bowl, the discomfort in her stomach eased.
“Egg.”
Lu Zewei set down the bowl, picked up an egg, and tapped it against the cabinet. After peeling the top and bottom of the shell, he suddenly brought it to his lips, blew hard, and the intact egg slid out of the shell. He handed it to Liang Xin.
Liang Xin: “?”
Looking at the peeled egg, she asked, “What kind of peeling method is this?”
“Time is life. Soldiers always fight quick battles.”
“……”
Liang Xin bit into the egg, contemplating whether tapping it a few more times before peeling would actually be slower than his method. After turning it over in her mind, it seemed his approach did indeed save a second or two.
She suddenly paused.
Why was she thinking about this? The important matter hadn’t been resolved yet.
“You eat too.”
Lu Zewei picked up his bowl of plain congee, “Finish yours first, then I’ll eat.”
“You’re implementing the vanguard battle of marital domestic reform with excessive enthusiasm.” Liang Xin said slowly, “If you’re this considerate, what if I can’t adjust after you take up your post elsewhere?”
Was she reluctant to see him go?
Lu Zewei tested the waters, “I’ll come back to see you whenever I have leave. If you’re willing, you could also…”
Liang Xin stopped chewing and looked at him.
Growing nervous, Lu Zewei changed the rest of his line, “You could also come visit me at the military base.”
Liang Xin: “……”
Then all her suffering last night would have been for nothing.
Observing Liang Xin’s expression, Lu Zewei said, “Don’t worry, I’ll get promoted and transferred back as soon as possible. I’ll continue living with you in the Military Compound so you won’t have to travel back and forth.”
Seeing the conversation drifting further from the point, Liang Xin finished her egg and asked, “Last night, how did it feel?”
The sudden question left Lu Zewei speechless for a long moment.
His lower body instantly tensed.
Liang Xin slowly leaned in, her lips brushing against his cool earlobe as she whispered, “Do you want it like this every night?”
Lu Zewei’s Adam’s apple bobbed, the corners of his eyes beginning to redden.
“Don’t want to?”
“…I do.”
With their noses touching, Liang Xin asked, “Then what should we do?”
Lu Zewei’s dark eyes burned with intensity as he looked at her, “The Military Operations Department gathers the army’s finest strategic talents. They won’t miss one person. The 11th Division’s individualism and liberalism…”
His upper lip was suddenly bitten.
Lu Zewei stopped speaking, his Adam’s apple moving up and down, eyes filled with restraint. “You’re already… swollen. You kept saying it hurt last night. We can’t continue.”
Liang Xin: “……”
Liang Xin felt exhausted.
Weary in body and spirit.
Self-inflicted exhaustion.
She lay back, “I want to follow you to the army.”
The words hung in the quiet room.
This was exactly the outcome Liang Xin had feared.
Suddenly, Lu Zewei’s stammering voice came, “…You… you want to follow me?”
Liang Xin looked at him and noticed his eyes shining with surprise. Her heart skipped a beat – what did this mean?
Was he actually not opposed to her following him?
“You’d let me come?”
Lu Zewei paused in turn, “You’d be willing to come with me?”
Liang Xin: “…Yesterday you said you hadn’t planned on me coming.”
Lu Zewei was completely stunned.
He’d only said that because she looked so shocked and dazed.
He’d said it to comfort her.
But that wasn’t important now.
He looked at Liang Xin – her cherry lips swollen and bruised, her collarbone covered in marks.
Remembering how proactive she’d been last night…
A sudden smile touched Lu Zewei’s lips, “Yesterday was yesterday. Today is today.”
Liang Xin: “What do you mean?”
Their positions reversed.
Lu Zewei leaned over her, whispering in her ear, “Am I capable or not?”
Liang Xin: “……”
Before Liang Xin could answer, Lu Zewei nibbled on her translucent, plump earlobe glowing in the sunlight. “If I’m not good enough, you’ll have to teach me until you feel I’m satisfactory.”
Liang Xin’s fingers curled slightly.
He had improved remarkably fast, already learning to tease her back.
“How should I teach you?”
“Consider it a reform of marital duties. Teach me how to be a proper wife.”
Lu Zewei’s deliberately lowered voice scraped against Liang Xin’s heart like gravel, stirring an irresistible itch:
“Just keep giving me orders about what a wife should do for her husband.”
Husband·Liang Xin blushed crimson.
That night she had seized the opportunity to gain the upper hand over Lu Zewei.
Never did she imagine he would apply this “reform” concept in such a context.
Watching Liang Xin’s thoroughly flushed face and her shyly lowered long lashes, Lu Zewei couldn’t resist kissing the corner of her mouth. “Teach me.”
Liang Xin escaped.
The bathroom water washed away the traces from the night before.
Cleaned from head to toe, she slipped into her cotton undershirt.
Lu Zewei had finished breakfast and was walking out of the room holding an enamel tray. His gaze lingered on Liang Xin’s cotton undershirt, a sudden smile touching his lips.
Liang Xin narrowed her eyes.
Lu Zewei immediately wiped the smile from his face. “You should sleep. I’ll bring lunch up to you later.”
She did want to lounge around.
But she preferred to do so fully dressed on the downstairs sofa or in the yard.
She needed to find a way to lounge that would gain elder approval, avoid criticism, and not cause her additional trouble.
Not lying in bed waiting for someone to deliver food to her mouth.
“No need, I’ll get dressed and come down with you.” Liang Xin walked into the room while drying her hair. “Mom said she’s going to Aunt’s place to deliver something today. Someone needs to be downstairs.”
Downstairs?
Wei Yuanyang.
Lu Zewei carried the enamel tray back into the room and picked up the door key. “It’s sleeting outside. Mom didn’t go out, and we have guests. They all know you’re hungover. You don’t need to go down—just rest in bed.”
“Bang.”
“Click.”
Liang Xin turned back, walked to the door, and tugged the handle. The door was locked.
“…”
Liang Xin frowned deeply.
Locking the door to make her sleep?
She went to the dressing table, opened the drawer, took out the hair dryer Yueji had given her, plugged it in, and dried her hair.
Even after drying her hair, something felt off.
She was about to get up and check the balcony when the door opened.
Lu Zewei had returned. “Still not sleeping?”
“Why did you lock the door?”
“…I was testing if the lock was broken.”
Liang Xin: “…”
“This lock was broken before.” Lu Zewei said with complete seriousness: “When I was grounded before, it wasn’t in the study next door—it was in this room. I broke the lock from pulling on it, did a quick fix myself. Mom didn’t notice during the renovation. With all the noise we made last night, I was worried someone might hear and come up directly next time. Not safe. So I was just testing the lock with the key.”
Liang Xin looked at him with skepticism. “Is it fixed now?”
“Fixed.”
Lu Zewei didn’t blush or sound breathless. “I told Mom you’re still recovering from the alcohol. She said you should rest properly, lectured me again, and took the opportunity to praise herself for finding me such a wonderful wife.”
Liang Xin couldn’t help but laugh.
She really hadn’t slept much this morning. Having just eaten plain congee and steamed buns, she was feeling slightly dizzy from the carbs.
She yawned.
The bedsheets had been changed.
The gold-threaded peony blossoms quilt had been taken apart for washing.
The two shared a dragon and phoenix quilt for their nap.
“Yuan Yang, there’s a storm raging outside with heavy rain, and the snow is falling thicker. It’s not safe to leave now. Stay here for the night.”
Chief Lu put away the medal he had earned while serving alongside Wei Yuanyang’s father. “You’re not allowed to bring anything when enlisting, so there’s no need to pack. Since the procedures are all settled, go directly to the train station tomorrow morning.”
Hu Fenglian remained silent.
It wasn’t as if they didn’t have an umbrella.
It wasn’t as if there were no buses.
Thinking of Battalion Commander Wei from back then, and now Wei Yuanyang about to join the army, she still said nothing.
Normally, Wei Yuanyang would have taken the hint, stood up, and said his goodbyes.
But he had waited all day, from morning till night—maybe Liang Xin would come down soon…
Ignoring Hu Fenglian’s expression, Wei Yuanyang said, “Uncle Lu, I’ll just make do on the sofa. Once the storm stops, I’ll leave.”
“We have seven or eight rooms here; there’s a place for you to sleep.”
Chief Lu made arrangements. “There’s an empty room at the end of the east corridor. It’s usually kept clean. Xiao Wei, go get two quilts for Yuan Yang.”
He wasn’t assigned to stay upstairs.
Hu Fenglian’s expression softened a little. “I’ll go check upstairs. I don’t know if Liang Xin is feeling better. If not, we should have Doctor Ma come take a look at her.”
“What’s wrong with Liang Xin?”
Wei Yuanyang asked instinctively. After speaking, he noticed the looks from Chief Lu and Hu Fenglian and immediately relaxed his tense posture slightly.
“Uncle Lu, Aunt Hu, to be honest with you, besides visiting you both today, I also wanted to apologize to Liang Xin in person. I mean no harm. Chongfeng is my brother, so Liang Xin is my sister-in-law. I just want to say sorry to her.”
Hu Fenglian had long seen through his intentions, but since he spoke openly and even referred to her as his sister-in-law, her expression improved. “Liang Xin drank with her father and got drunk.”
No wonder she hadn’t come down all day.
So she didn’t know he was here.
He had thought it impossible that Liang Xin would know he was here and not come down to see him.
As for deliberately avoiding him—that was even more unlikely.
Watching the guard carry the quilts to the room at the end of the east corridor, Wei Yuanyang smiled. “Then I’ll stay in the room tonight and leave tomorrow morning.”
Lu Zewei sleepily opened his door and nearly bumped into Hu Fenglian.
Stopping abruptly, Hu Fenglian peered through the crack and saw the room was dark, with no lights on. She lowered her voice. “Has Liang Xin not sobered up yet?”
“She’s still asleep.”
Lu Zewei suddenly remembered Wei Yuanyang. “Has that kid left?”
“He’s staying. In the guest room downstairs.”
“…”
There were three rooms downstairs.
One for their parents, one duty room for Xiao Shi and Xiao Wei to rest in, and only one guest room—right below their room.
Which meant.
Wei Yuanyang was now separated from them by just a floor.
Lu Zewei narrowed his eyes, pressed his tongue against his left cheek, and clicked it.
“What kind of hooligan behavior is that!”
For a moment, Hu Fenglian seemed to see her younger son’s unruly self before he joined the army. “There’s black chicken soup with red dates left in the pot—it replenishes energy and blood. When Liang Xin wakes up, heat it up and have some together. The medicine is also ready; remember to take it after your meal.”
The cold rain pattered, the snow lay white, and the temperature had dropped sharply.
Liang Xin woke up from the chill. As soon as she opened her eyes, a warm bottle was tucked into her arms.
“Awake?” Lu Zewei, worried the overhead light would be too harsh, struck a match, removed the glass shade of the kerosene lamp, and lit it.
The soft, dim light gently filled the room.
Liang Xin lifted the quilt and saw she was holding a saltwater bottle filled with hot water—the kind typically used in hospitals for saline or glucose solutions. Then a date-red warming pan was slipped in, completely dispelling the chill.
“It’s dark again.”
Liang Xin yawned. The moment he left, the bed transformed from Hainan to the North Pole.
“You only slept through the afternoon.” Seeing her shiver, Lu Zewei took off his military jacket and slipped under the covers.
Liang Xin shuddered.
“How cold is it outside?”
“So there’s no need for you to get up.” Lu Zewei pointed to the double-handled steel pot brought upstairs. “Black chicken soup with red dates is here for you. There are steamed buns on the rack inside, and bowls and chopsticks are all set.”
Liang Xin: “…No need for this.”
It felt like fattening a pig before slaughter.
“I’ll go down to eat. I haven’t seen Mom all day.”
“Mom’s already asleep.”
Lu Zewei deliberately didn’t mention that Hu Fenglian had just come upstairs. “Elderly people sleep lightly and briefly. If you go down now and accidentally wake them, they might not sleep all night.”
Liang Xin: “My bones are going soft from lying down. I want to move around and see the snow.”
“…It’s cold downstairs.” Lu Zewei handed her the warming pan. “You can move around in the room with this. If you want to see snow, you can watch from the balcony.”
Liang Xin didn’t want to argue further.
She turned to look at him.
“I’m tired.”
Lu Zewei immediately tucked her back under the quilt. “If you’re tired, rest lying down.”
While pondering about joining him in the army, Liang Xin pretended they had settled the matter. “When are we leaving?”
Lu Zewei paused. Earlier, hearing that Wei Yuanyang had stayed over, the irritation in his eyes instantly vanished.
“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten.”
Wei Yuanyang, lying in the guest room, kept his ears pricked for any movement outside.
Having drunk alcohol, he knew it was hard to fall back asleep after a hangover.
He guessed Liang Xin might come down.
After all, Lu Chongfeng must have told her he was here.
Soon, Wei Yuanyang heard noises and scrambled out of bed, pressing his ear to the door crack.
“Tunnel Warfare, hey, Tunnel Warfare, ambushing with countless divine soldiers.”..”
Wei Yuanyang frowned slightly, cracked the door open, but it was pitch black outside without a sound.
He closed the door again.
The sound persisted, penetrating strongly.
“Farmers, hey, farmers, armed up in the thousands.”..”
It was the song from the movie Tunnel Warfare.
Wei Yuanyang slowly looked up at the ceiling.
The television—his mother had said that for Liang Xin’s wedding, the Lu family bought a Panda brand black and white television.
She also mentioned it was bought with the television ticket Liang Xin had obtained from him.
Was Liang Xin awake?
Wei Yuanyang went to the window, straining his ears to listen.
Apart from the movie dialogue, he couldn’t hear any other sounds from the room.
Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly heard a soft laugh.
Not the actors’ resonant lines.
It came from someone in the room.
Wei Yuanyang pressed his ear against the wall, hearing more clearly.
Liang Xin’s laughter.
Liang Xin was laughing.
From watching the movie?
Tunnel Warfare did have many amusing scenes.
But the commune projectionist often showed this film at the brigade, and Liang Xin had seen it many times before. She had never laughed like this—at most, she might curl her lips slightly.
Could it be that watching with different people changed her mood?
Wei Yuanyang’s lips tightened, unwilling to admit this possibility.
Suddenly, a low chuckle drifted down.
It was Lu Chongfeng.
Then came another burst of laughter, as if someone had been tickled in a sensitive spot, clearer than before.
It was Liang Xin.
Wei Yuanyang froze, his heart tearing with pain.
Liang Xin had never laughed like that in front of him before.
Now, watching a movie with Lu Chongfeng could actually make her laugh like this.
Wei Yuanyang’s face was darker than the sky outside. He didn’t want to hear their laughter anymore, yet he couldn’t bring himself to walk away.
Because it was rare to hear Liang Xin’s voice.
If someone had told him six months ago, or even one or two months ago, that he would ever pine for someone like this, he would have given a polite smile and dismissed it as nonsense.
He never imagined he would actually pine for someone to this extent—thinking of her day and night, losing sleep, and even running to Hanfeng Slope in the middle of the night to eavesdrop.
And this person was Liang Xin, whom he had once cast aside like worn-out shoes!
Suddenly, a muffled groan pierced his eardrums.
Wei Yuanyang’s expression changed abruptly.
Before his eyes flashed Lu Chongfeng’s radiant face from when he came downstairs during the day.
Wei Yuanyang dug his nails into his palms, stubbornly raising his stiff neck to stare fixedly at the ceiling.
In his daze, the ceiling seemed to sway, and he felt his torn heart bleeding endlessly along with it.
He stood there masochistically, refusing to move an inch.
“Dawn is breaking.”
Liang Xin finally broke through Lu Chongfeng’s steadfast defenses, burying herself in the crook of his neck, too exhausted to even lift a finger.
Lu Chongfeng brushed aside her sweat-drenched hair, watching her breathless state, sealed her lips and pried open her teeth, while his right arm tightened around her waist.
Liang Xin’s toes trembled uncontrollably. She raised her arm to press against his muscles and sat up. “What about joining you in the army?”
Lu Chongfeng tilted his head back, his Adam’s apple bobbing, sweat trickling from his jaw to his neck. “…You decide.”
Liang Xin slid back into his sweaty neck, closed her eyes, and breathed lightly through her nose, too tired to even open her mouth for air.
Lu Chongfeng leaned close to her ear. “Are you really going?”
Liang Xin half-opened her eyelids, revealing a natural, seductive tenderness.
The next second, her brows furrowed slightly, and she bit his shoulder.
But her brows didn’t relax; instead, they tightened further, her voice squeezing through clenched teeth: “Bastard.”
Lu Chongfeng chuckled at being scolded. “Sleep first. I’ll clean up.”
Liang Xin was indeed too exhausted to even lift her eyelids.
If she could turn back time, she would rather wash ten sets of bedsheets and quilt covers and stitch twenty quilts herself than let him handle it.
The roles of husband and wife were reversed.
It wasn’t fun at all!
Liang Xin thought when Lu Chongfeng said “clean up,” he meant the bed and themselves.
She never expected to open her eyes again and find the room completely empty.
The clothes from the wardrobe were all packed into suitcases. The red tin thermos on the writing desk, the pair of enamel teacups, and the two spittoons beneath were gone.
The books from the bookshelf, ink bottles, pens, notebooks, the Snow Cream Lip Balm Frostbite Cream from the dressing table, along with the television that had been playing a movie, the radio, leather suitcases, and several new quilts—all had vanished!
Only the quilt on the bed and she remained.
If Lu Chongfeng hadn’t walked in wearing his military uniform, Liang Xin would have almost thought she had time-traveled again.
“I wiped you down with a warm towel. Do you want to take a bath?”
“…Are you moving?”
“Everything from our new home has been packed up.” Lu Zewei held a white porcelain teacup. “The things from my old room will be moved here, so we’ll have a place to stay when we return.”
Liang Xin rubbed her Taiyang acupoint. “This was the first new home.”
“It’s the bridal chamber items that need to be taken together.” Lu Chongfeng fed her water, “After you follow me to the army camp, it’ll be hard to return anytime soon, so I’m moving all the bridal chamber items to our first new home.”
Liang Xin admired his physical strength.
“There’s no need to rush like this. We could have packed together after I woke up.”
“We’re leaving tomorrow. There’s no time.”
Half-lying on the bed, Liang Xin suddenly widened her eyes, “What did you say?”
Lu Zewei set the white porcelain cup aside, looking seriously at Liang Xin, “Too sudden? I didn’t expect you’d be willing to follow me to the army camp either.”
“…You military men really work swiftly, always fighting quick battles for everything.” Liang Xin glanced sideways at him, “Except in bed.”
Was this praising him?
Acknowledging him?
Meaning he was good?
Lu Chongfeng curled his lips, “All thanks to the leadership’s excellent command and brilliant tactics.”
Liang Xin: “…”
Now she understood what it meant to lift a stone only to drop it on one’s own foot.
At this thought, her entire body felt sore, weak, and swollen.
“You can’t sleep anymore.” Lu Zewei helped up Liang Xin who was trying to slip under the covers, “Time is tight. Dad lent me a military vehicle. You need to get up – I’ll accompany you back to your family home.”
Liang Xin waved her hand, “No need, I’ll take a nap and then catch the train.”
“Not acceptable.”
Lu Chongfeng declared righteously, “What kind of husband doesn’t visit his wife’s family? Not going would mean my status isn’t proper.”
Liang Xin raised her other hand, rubbing her Taiyang acupoints with both hands, “I’m tired, can’t move. Let’s talk about it next time.”
Lu Chongfeng picked up Liang Xin, having her straddle his lap like holding a child, “We’ll take Dad’s car. You can sleep if you want, and we’ll be at Huaihua Commune when you wake up.”
“Not going.”
“I should have gone long ago. I must visit before we leave, to see the elders and family members.”
“…”
“After we leave this time, who knows when we’ll have leave to return. Besides, only by going will I be truly recognized. If I don’t go, no one will know who the Liang family’s son-in-law is…”
Liang Xin suddenly leaned forward and patted his cheeks, her hand sliding slowly along his well-defined jawline before curving her fingers to lift his chin. Looking down from above, she said, “A mere Warrior Guard dares to seek recognition? Do you think you’ve served this princess satisfactorily?”
Lu Chongfeng’s pitch-black eyes gradually sharpened into gleaming knife points, cold and piercing. The fingers gripping her slender waist turned white from excessive force.
Liang Xin sensed the bright morning light suddenly darken, her heart racing wildly. Curling her toes twice, she turned to escape.
The next second, her waist was seized and dragged back.
A long shadow loomed over the graceful figure in a domineering posture.
As the world spun before her eyes, Liang Xin found herself flipped onto her back. Subconsciously lowering her gaze, she saw him gripping her pale ankle, slowly raising it. Like a dying beast, he fiercely bit her toes, his eyes dark with turbulent intensity: “Today, your servant will devote himself entirely, even unto death.”
A series of fine goosebumps erupted across Liang Xin’s body.
It’s over.
I’ve gone too far.