Lin Dongguo's words stuck abruptly in his throat. As for Qu Chuning's appearance—truth be told, aside from being less fair than Shi Zhenzhen, upon closer inspection, she was quite good-looking. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to marry her in the first place.
Qu Chuning's looks weren't the type to dazzle at first glance. Her features were bright and striking—large eyes with double eyelids, a high nose bridge, and a small mouth. Combined, they gave off an aura of prosperity and good fortune, exactly the kind of "blessed person" Lin Dongguo's mother often described.
Noticing Lin Dongguo's unfinished sentence, Shi Zhenzhen frowned slightly. "So from now on, I'll be commuting to and from work with her?"
Lin Dongguo glanced up at her. "Exactly! But don't worry. She didn't even finish junior high. I suspect she'll be transferred to some token position within days!"
His tone dripped with contempt as he spoke. If he remembered correctly, Qu Chuning only had a junior high education—no, she'd only completed one semester before dropping out.
When it came to academic credentials, Shi Zhenzhen held her head high. She was a high school student—though she'd only completed one year, she was still a high school student!
"But Qu Chuning marrying Xi Muzhou… however you look at it, it's strange."
That night, Qu Chuning didn't know if others slept soundly, but she certainly didn't.
While Xi Muzhou was cooking, she noticed him adding chili peppers to the wok. She remembered his previous dishes contained no chili peppers—not only that, he'd stewed them with added water. This time he also added water, but didn't stew the dish, instead incorporating chili peppers.
This small detail warmed her heart.
Before dinner, Qu Chuning prepared to boil water for foot soaking. Two blisters had formed on her feet, and she wanted to soak them before puncturing the blisters—otherwise, she wouldn't be able to walk to work tomorrow.
Yes, she was going to work.
As Qu Chuning stood on tiptoe, limping toward the stove to boil water, Xi Muzhou swiftly set down his bowl and chopsticks, striding over to her. He was so tall that Qu Chuning's 160cm frame only reached his chest.
"What happened to your feet?"
At this question, Qu Chuning felt a twinge of grievance. He was tall with long strides—when walking together, she could never keep up. And he never seemed to notice he should wait for his wife!
"I've gotten blisters."
Qu Chuning kept her tone deliberately neutral. Their relationship hadn't reached the point where she could complain to him.
"Let me see."
Xi Muzhou's voice remained calm as he helped her sit down, lifting her foot for careful examination. Confirming there were only two blisters, he stood up, poured hot water from the thermos, then went out to fetch cold water.
When Xi Muzhou moved to wash her feet, Qu Chuning panicked and stood barefoot on the floor. "No, no! I can do it myself!"
Ignoring her protests, he gripped her foot, forcing her back into the chair. Methodically, he poured water and washed her feet.
Apart from her face, neck, and arms—tanned to a healthy wheat color from long hours working under the sun—the rest of Qu Chuning's body was fair and smooth. She blushed crimson with embarrassment, her toes curling tightly from nervousness.
"These need to be lanced." After speaking, Xi Muzhou looked up at Qu Chuning.
Qu Chuning was stunned for a moment before realizing he was asking her. She immediately replied, "I can do it myself, I…"
Before she could finish her sentence, Xi Muzhou stood up and fetched the needle. His large hand firmly held Qu Chuning's fair and clean foot. "It might hurt a bit. Bear with it."
Xi Muzhou was usually a man of few words, and this was one of the longer sentences he had spoken.
Qu Chuning felt extremely embarrassed. In truth, popping the blister didn't hurt; what hurt was the damaged layer of skin that protected it, making walking painful. Thinking about having to work at the factory tomorrow, she couldn't help but feel worried.
When it was time to sleep at night, Qu Chuning habitually slept on her side, facing her own direction. Xi Muzhou was very restrained. Apart from the day he had been drugged, he had never overstepped his boundaries in the days that followed. At first, when they slept together, Qu Chuning still couldn't fall asleep. But as time passed, she came to understand Xi Muzhou's character. As long as she turned to her side, she could fall asleep quickly.
But tonight, she couldn't sleep.
She tossed and turned several times, her mind filled with the image of Xi Muzhou washing her feet. In her two lifetimes, this was the first time someone had held her feet with such care and respect. Qu Chuning came from a family with five sisters. Her parents, who had wanted a son, had abandoned her to her grandmother. In her memory, aside from her grandmother, no one had ever cherished her. In her maiden home, she was seen as a financial burden, a tool to exchange for bride price money. Even after joining the Lin Family, she remained a tool—to earn work points, take care of the household, and show filial piety to her parents.
"I'm sorry!"
In the darkness, Xi Muzhou's voice was like a whisper, so soft it was barely audible.
Qu Chuning didn't know why he was apologizing, but she couldn't hold back any longer. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but ask in a small voice, "Xi Muzhou, you and I… what happened between us was just an accident. There was really no need to get married!"
After their marriage, Xi Muzhou never crossed the line. He had always been restrained and proper.
This puzzled Qu Chuning. Logically speaking, they were now a legitimate couple. Especially tonight, when he had soaked her feet and popped her blister, it had stirred ripples in her calm heart.
Hearing this, Xi Muzhou turned to face her, perplexed. "We've already been intimate. Why wouldn't we get married?"
This left Qu Chuning at a loss for words. She felt that her status didn't quite match Xi Muzhou's. Moreover, if marriage were truly so effective, in her previous life, she and Lin Dongguo had even had two sons together. Yet, in the end, Lin Dongguo had still deceived her with a fake marriage certificate and spent his life happily with Shi Zhenzhen at his workplace, acting like a loving couple.
After a pause, Xi Muzhou gently took Qu Chuning's hand. "It was my oversight. I'll be more careful from now on!" He then added, "We are legally married. It's just that, for now, I'm worried you're not yet familiar with me."
Qu Chuning's heart trembled violently. It was as if she could hear the sound of her own heart beating with emotion.
The next day, when Qu Chuning woke up, the person beside her had already left for morning drills. As she got out of bed, she suddenly noticed a handkerchief tied around her foot. It was knotted tightly, and though the bandaging wasn't pretty, it was very secure.
Qu Chuning took out a new set of clothes from the closet—all purchased during her outing with Xi Muzhou the day before. When she had first arrived at the garrison, she hadn't brought many clothes with her. And after Shi Zhenzhen had someone send her away last time, all her old clothes had been left behind at the guest house.
The few sets of clothes she was wearing now were all bought by Xi Muzhou. Just yesterday, he had specifically taken her to buy two new outfits.
Wearing a light blue checkered shirt and a pair of dark blue trousers, she put on her liberation shoes, braided her hair into two pigtails, and after washing up and having breakfast, she went out.
"Muzhou's wife!"