Liang Xin: “…….?”
“Why are you still standing there? Go get me some cold water!”
Lu Zewei’s face hadn’t been this flushed in months, burning so hot he was hissing and panting. “We just got married and you’re already trying to kill me?”
Liang Xin: “……..Who told you to put your feet in like that?”
“Then how should I put them in?” Lu Zewei stomped his feet on the floor, walking in circles to cool them down. “With water this hot, how could anyone put their feet in without getting scalded?”
Liang Xin: “…….”
She walked to the bedside and sat down, rolling up her pant legs. Slowly dipping her feet into the basin, she lightly touched the water surface before immediately lifting them out. After repeating this several times, she raised her eyes to look at him. “Understand now?”
Lu Zewei detected a hint of mockery in her eyes. “If I follow your method, it would take half an hour just to finish washing!”
“Not enough.” The hot water contacting her soles brought a comfortable sensation of unblocked meridians throughout her body. Liang Xin decided to sit and soak her feet properly. “I plan to soak for forty minutes.”
Deliberate.
Lu Zewei was certain she was doing this on purpose.
This was a cunning form of violence deliberately forcing the enemy to submit to her will!
He had to counterattack, turning the enemy’s tactics against them. “I don’t believe you. I’ll sit here and watch whether you can really soak that long.”
Liang Xin: “…….”
Miscalculation.
“You go to sleep first. Don’t wait for me.”
A triumphant gleam appeared in Lu Zewei’s eyes – sure enough, this was the enemy’s cunning tactic.
“I’m not sleeping. I’ll sit right here watching you soak. If you really soak that long, I’ll even pour out your foot-washing water for you.”
“……Suit yourself.”
As Liang Xin’s feet adapted to the temperature, she slowly submerged them halfway, lifted them, then gradually sank them to the bottom of the basin, covering the Mandarin Ducks Playing in Water pattern. She pondered how to make this man go to sleep.
Lu Zewei’s gaze fell on the jade-white feet in the red enamel basin. Each tiny toe was perfectly rounded, gradually turning pink from the hot steam. The rosy hue stopped at her slender ankles, where two shallow dimples indented the inner sides, like smile lines.
Before he could examine them closely, her feet stirred the water surface. Droplets slid through the shallow hollows, making her toes appear glossy and translucent.
Lu Zewei’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice as he averted his gaze.
After a minute.
Lu Zewei turned his head, deliberately avoiding looking at the enamel basin. Keeping his eyes on her face, he noticed her expression was one of complete relaxation. “…….Soaking in such hot water for so long can actually feel comfortable?”
Liang Xin slightly raised her head to look at him, suddenly coming up with a strategy that could ensure her safety tonight. “Soaking feet is different from washing feet. Foot soaking can boost qi and nourish blood, dispel cold and remove dampness, strengthen the spleen and unblock meridians, soothe channels and relieve pain.”
“Soothe channels and relieve pain?”
Clear interest sparked in Lu Zewei’s eyes as he thought of his headaches. “Can it really relieve pain? Who told you that? Can it treat headaches?”
Liang Xin: “……..”
Lu Zewei waited for a long time, watching her struggle to respond. Suddenly remembering that even her foot soaking might be part of a scheme to harm him, he snorted derisively. “Can’t come up with an answer? You continue your treatment, I’ll continue watching.”
Liang Xin: “……..The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon states that the feet are the foundation, located below, where channel qi originates and gathers—they are the dwelling place of channel qi. The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon also says all diseases begin in the feet, aging starts with foot decline, health preservation begins with foot washing, and protecting the feet defies aging. Human feet are rich in meridians, containing important acupoints like Sanyinjiao xue and Yongquan xue. Therefore, foot soaking can stimulate the peripheral nerves in the feet, warming the channels and dispelling cold…….”
Seeing the Invalid’s expression of “I’ve learned something,” Liang Xin, fearing another speechless or laborious explanation, switched to simpler terms: “So, frequent foot soaking can improve uterine cold and alleviate lower back pain during menstruation.”
Lu Zewei, who had been listening attentively, froze, his expression turning unnatural as he averted his head.
Seeing he understood, Liang Xin unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
The bridal chamber remained quiet for a long time.
Noticing the reddened tips of his ears, Liang Xin felt the night might be safe and relaxed slightly.
“You asked earlier if it could treat headaches—yes, it can. When soaking your feet, add a herbal packet containing Gastrodia elata, Uncaria, decocted Haliotis, Gardenia, Scutellaria baicalensis, Gentian, and Prunella vulgaris to the water. This can alleviate headaches. Regular foot soaking isn’t just beneficial for women—it offers many advantages for men too. With consistent practice, it can strengthen the body’s resistance, eliminate pathogens, balance yin and yang, soothe the liver to relieve depression, and tonify the kidneys to enhance vitality.”
Lu Zewei’s brow furrowed.
He sensed something was off.
Then Liang Xin continued: “However, don’t use overly hot water. The ideal temperature for foot soaking is around 38°C, and the duration shouldn’t be too long—twenty to thirty minutes is sufficient.”
Seeing his knitted brows, Liang Xin assumed he doubted her. “The Book of Rites records: ‘When the head has sores, wash it; when the body has ulcers, bathe it.’ The recently unearthed Mawangdui Han Tomb’s Formulas for Fifty-Two Diseases clearly documents herbal fumigation and bathing prescriptions. Additionally, Sun Simiao’s Thousand Golden Essential Formulas from the Tang Dynasty, Chen Shigong’s Orthodox Lineage of External Medicine from the Ming Dynasty, and Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Materia Medica all document methods of herbal bathing to treat illnesses…….”
Lu Zewei suddenly crouched down, dipping his hand into the basin to test the water temperature. “Then it’s about time. Get up quickly and let me soak.”
Liang Xin: “……..”
He really was an abnormal person.
“Get up.” Lu Zewei grabbed the white towel nearby, wiped his hands, and tossed it onto Liang Xin’s lap. “It’s already been twenty minutes. Didn’t you say not to soak for too long?”
Liang Xin watched his keen expression.
Suddenly realizing that if he planned to soak for twenty minutes, she’d likely fall asleep by then.
She immediately picked up the white towel to dry her feet.
After Liang Xin moved aside, Lu Zewei placed his feet in the basin and soaked for two minutes, his expression mirroring the same contentment Liang Xin had shown earlier. Abruptly, his brow creased, and he slowly looked down at the water in the basin.
“……..”
He had been using enemy tactics against the enemy, so how had he gotten tangled up again and fallen into another trap?
And this time, he had actively and eagerly jumped into it!
His intention was to make her understand who held command in this new household territory, which was why he’d ordered her to fetch the foot-washing water and wash his feet.
How had it turned into him not only handing her the foot towel but also soaking in her used foot-washing water!
Lu Zewei’s nostrils flared slightly, his chest heaving with agitation.
Although she had just spouted a bunch of professional foot-soaking theories spanning ancient and modern knowledge that seemed quite reasonable, and he was indeed feeling very comfortable soaking his feet at this moment, he had no intention of surrendering and relinquishing his authority as the sole commander of the household territory.
Lu Zewei’s mind methodically retrieved stored military textbooks, analyzing the enemy’s characteristics, combat motives, and tactical systems with tight logic and meticulous planning…
He decided not to share a bed with her!
Tonight, she would sleep…
“What are you doing?”
Liang Xin was pulling a bamboo mat from behind a suitcase, unrolling it on the floor before the floor-to-ceiling window.
Hearing his question, she looked up and said, “Your health is poor. To better serve you later, I want to sleep well tonight…”
“Serve? Do you take me for an exploiting capitalist or a wealthy landlord? I’m a soldier, a soldier who serves the people. I enlisted at seventeen—I’ve slept on icy mountains, grasslands, and in primeval forests, in the harshest conditions. Why would I need a young female comrade to give up her bed for me? You sleep in the bed, I’ll take the floor. No need for your service!”
Liang Xin’s eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly. “Then I’ll go to sleep.”
As she spread the red silk quilt embroidered with golden dragons and phoenixes on the inner side of the bed, it suddenly occurred to her that the night was already safe. Then she remembered he was still an Invalid—what if he caught cold sleeping on the floor?…
She got out of bed, walked to the leather suitcase, picked up a cotton quilt patterned with wealthy peonies, and placed it on the outer side of the double bed. Then she rolled up the mat from the floor and stuffed it back where it came from.
“Don’t sleep on the floor either. We each have our own quilt—the bed is big enough.”
On the battlefield, whether attacking, defending, flanking, or penetrating, he had always mastered tactics from a hundred schools of thought to breach enemy defenses, usually with near-certainty and firm control of victory.
Though he had suffered defeats before, he had never experienced consecutive losses.
Tonight was the first time he tasted this feeling. While pondering this indescribable emotion—less humiliating than expected, with faint threads of pleasure and some inexplicable defiance—Lu Zewei suddenly heard Liang Xin issue an order. Subconsciously obeying, he picked up the foot towel she had just used, dried his feet, then carried the foot-washing water to the bathroom to discard it.
He slipped under the covers.
The lights went out.
Lu Chongfeng kept ruminating.
Liang Xin waited warily for a while, observing his steady sleeping posture and even breathing, which suggested he had no other intentions.
Assured of true safety, her tense body completely relaxed.
After brewing sleepiness for a long time, just as she was drifting into drowsiness, the person in the adjacent quilt suddenly shot upright with a “whoosh.”
Liang Xin’s sleepiness vanished instantly, her heart leaping into her throat as she gripped the cotton quilt tightly over her chest.
“Unacceptable.”
“……..What’s wrong?”
“You said I’m unacceptable!”
“………”
Outside the window, frost lay thick under the pale moon in the deep silence of the night.
Inside the bridal chamber, his breathing grew rapid and urgent.
Enduring the chill, Liang Xin slowly turned and sat up. Just as she discerned his faint, hazy outline in the darkness, the shadow suddenly lunged closer, accurately seizing her hand and pressing it against his firm, hard chest the next second.
Then he grabbed her hand and slapped it forcefully several times against that unyielding chest.
The impact left her hand numb.
“Where do I look like someone in poor health?”
“…It hurts.”
“What does a little pain matter? Your hand has no strength at all!”
“…….My hand hurts.”
The iron-like grip around her wrist instantly loosened its strength.
Liang Xin withdrew her hand, gently shaking her wrist as she glanced toward the spot she had just patted. In the moonlight, she could vaguely make out firm pectoral muscles, deltoids, and biceps—powerful yet not excessively bulky.
A wave of surprise washed over her.
The Invalid had been ill for months—how had his musculature not softened at all?
“How’s your hand?”
“Hit a steel plate—what do you think?”
Liang Xin’s hand was seized again, enveloped by those iron-like palms.
“It hurts.”
“…I’m helping you rub it. It’ll stop hurting soon.”
“I meant the calluses on your hands—they’re scraping my skin raw.”
The stiff, clumsy hands massaging hers paused.
But they didn’t let go.
After a moment, a sudden burst of warm air blew several times against her palm.
He seemed inexperienced at comforting or apologizing—rubbing her hand like cleaning a weapon, blowing on it with hurried, brisk puffs.
Once done, he returned her hand.
Liang Xin curled her fingers slightly and slipped under the covers. “I’m sleepy.”
Lu Zewei again felt something was off.
He had been the one questioning her—so why did it suddenly seem like he was in the wrong?
But that wasn’t important.
He decided to set aside the battle for domestic territory for now.
This wasn’t surrender—just a temporary ceasefire.
He’d wait to better understand the enemy’s tactics and strategic mindset before planning a counterattack.
The immediate priority was shedding the label of “he’s not up to it.”
On their wedding night, not only had she implied he was physically inadequate, but she’d even used foot soaking to hint he needed kidney tonics!
His pride as a man was utterly trampled.
He must immediately adjust his strategy, draft a battle plan, and implement remedial measures!
At exactly 6 a.m., the reveille pierced the sky, echoing through the Military Compound.
As soldiers assembled for their daily morning drill and jogged toward the main field, they spotted a lean, upright comrade already circling the track for several laps.
In the biting cold, he wore only a tank top and shorts. His thick, dark hair flew with each stride, while muscles—a perfect blend of strength and grace—gleamed in the sunlight filtering through the mist.
The sight made the troops, especially the desk-bound cadres, stare enviously, rooted in place.
“Isn’t that Chongfeng?”
“It really is! Chongfeng! Lu Chongfeng! You’re out here!”
Lu Zewei halted before several similarly aged soldiers. “Well?”
The soldiers stared blankly.
“Look at me.” Lu Chongfeng swept his hair back, a bead of sweat tracing his sharp jawline. “Up to standard?”
The soldiers gaped even more.
Lu Chongfeng’s brows furrowed. “Not enough?”
“More than enough!” one soldier suddenly laughed. “Chongfeng, are you recovered? Healthy? You look absolutely capable!”
“That physique! Chongfeng, we always thought you stood taller in uniform, but we never knew what was underneath! Did you keep training even while sick?”
“How much daily drill does it take to get like this? Chongfeng, were you ever really ill, or was that a lie?”
“Impressive, mighty, virile—a real man should be just like you!”
“Lately I haven’t been doing endurance training like weighted cross-country runs, only following the training schedule in my room. My muscles have already gotten quite slack.” Lu Zewei glanced at the figures of several administrative officers. “But compared to you administrative officers from the Military Compound, it’s more than enough.”
Several administrative officers: “?”
“Are you even human?”
“We came to boost your morale, and you turn around to insult us instead!”
Leaving the angry officers behind, Lu Zewei quickened his pace toward home.
He ran even faster than he had on the training field earlier.
His steps brimmed with impatience.
When he woke up, it was still dark. Liang Xin had buried herself completely under the blankets, with only her faint breathing audible, indicating she was sound asleep.
The reveille had been sounding for quite some time – she must be awake by now.
If he returned at this moment, the moment he entered, she would be coming downstairs, and they’d bump into each other right at the doorway…