This was the first time Xi Muzhou had actively mentioned the word "family" to her since their marriage. Since he never brought it up, Qu Chuning pretended not to know. After all, their marriage had been a misunderstanding from the very beginning—something Qu Chuning always kept firmly in mind. Thus, she never requested to meet Xi Muzhou's family.
When Xi Muzhou asked this question, he felt somewhat nervous. His family situation was rather unusual, and from the start, he had never intended to let his family know.
"Do you want to go back?"
Qu Chuning countered with a question. Truthfully, she wasn’t very keen on meeting the Xi family. Having lived two lifetimes, she had seen few healthy mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships. Most mothers-in-law, once they assumed the role, seemed determined to make their daughters-in-law suffer twice as much as they had.
Their current life was perfectly fine—simple and uncomplicated. With just the two of them at home, Xi Muzhou handled the cooking while she took care of tidying up, doing laundry, and mending quilts. Their days were straightforward, pure, and happy.
"Let's eat!"
Xi Muzhou picked up a piece of sausage and placed it in Qu Chuning’s bowl. She shook her head and returned it to him. "I prefer salty and spicy sausages. This sweet kind feels a bit strange to me. How do people here enjoy sweet sausages?"
After the meal, Qu Chuning washed the dishes and organized their nearly finished kitchen.
The small stove had to be carried outside to burn out naturally—it was too hot to keep indoors. Xi Muzhou stacked the remaining bricks.
Once the dishes were done, Qu Chuning took a hoe to weed and water the vegetable patch in the yard. She swept the courtyard and then decided it was time to change the quilts and bedsheets for washing. She busied herself stripping the bedding.
By the time she finished her chores, it was already dark. In the evenings, both she and Xi Muzhou enjoyed reading, usually separately. The house had electricity now. Xi Muzhou earned over sixty yuan a month, while Qu Chuning made thirty to forty. Combined, their income exceeded one hundred yuan, so they could afford to use electricity.
But that night, Qu Chuning found herself constantly distracted while reading. After struggling to focus for a while, she finally closed her book.
She glanced at Xi Muzhou, who seemed deeply engrossed in his book, yet she noticed he hadn’t turned a page in a long time. Hesitating for a moment, she moved to sit opposite him. "Today, I also received a letter from my family. They found out about me and Lin Dongguo."
Qu Chuning couldn’t help sharing with Xi Muzhou, "They told me to demand compensation from Lin Dongguo and then return home. They’ve already lined up several potential matches for me…"
Before she could finish, Xi Muzhou looked up at her, his gaze sharp. She was already married—what did they mean by arranging matches for her?
"What I mean is, I’m really glad you helped me exchange all the money for gold. If they knew about it, they’d probably find a way to take every last bit from me."
Qu Chuning felt truly grateful. Whether it was Duan Chunping or her own family, none of them had any genuine affection for her. In their eyes, she was merely a beast of burden, an object that could be exchanged for money—not a person.
Xi Muzhou closed his book and listened attentively as Qu Chuning continued.
Qu Chuning couldn't resist the urge to pour out her heart, and she began recounting events from over the years in an endless stream. Memories she thought had blurred suddenly became crystal clear as she spoke with Xi Muzhou.
"Honestly, I'm really grateful Shi Zhenzhen married Lin Dongguo and freed me from the Lin Family. Now that Lin Dongguo's mother has arrived, I'm looking forward to watching the drama unfold in their household."
As she said this, Qu Chuning made no effort to conceal the schadenfreude in her eyes. While others might not know Lin Dongguo's mother well, she understood perfectly—not just his mother, but every one of his sisters too. None were easy to deal with. From now on, all these troubles would fall to Shi Zhenzhen. Qu Chuning hoped she could maintain her current bliss.
A slow smile curved Xi Muzhou's lips. Seeing Qu Chuning tired from talking, he stood up and poured her a glass of water.
The enamel mug bore a red five-pointed star. Qu Chuning took it and gulped down the water too eagerly, causing droplets to trickle from the corners of her mouth. Her lips glistened with moisture under the light. His gaze deepening, he naturally took back the mug and handed her a handkerchief from the table.
Wiping her mouth, Qu Chuning continued, "By the way, what's your family situation like? Will I be living with them in the future? If it's not too much trouble, could you give me a brief introduction? That way, if I ever meet them, I won't be completely in the dark!"
Xi Muzhou hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly, "My father is quite old. I have a stepmother who gave me a younger brother and a younger sister."
Qu Chuning furrowed her brows slightly. No wonder Xi Muzhou never talked about his family—what was there to say about such a situation? She even imagined a series of scenarios about stepmother mistreatment, her heart aching for him even more.
Xi Muzhou didn't understand why his young wife was looking at him with such pity. He didn't mind it, but when it came to his family, he truly had nothing to share.
"It's late. Let's sleep."
Xi Muzhou got up to fetch water. Qu Chuning watched his retreating figure, her heart swelling with compassion.
After washing up, the couple lay in bed. In the darkness, Qu Chuning turned on her side, gazing at Xi Muzhou's jawline, and whispered softly, "Don't worry, you have me now!"
Since they were married, they would be partners for life.
Warmth spread through Xi Muzhou's chest. So when Qu Chuning's icy feet brushed against his knees, he caught them promptly and drew her into his embrace.
The autumn weather at the Garrison wasn't too cold yet. While mornings and evenings grew cooler after the season changed, men like him still felt warm. But for Qu Chuning, it was already chilly.
Qu Chuning didn't struggle. She settled quietly in Xi Muzhou's arms—his embrace was broad, warm, and carried the faint scent of laundry detergent.
As Qu Chuning and Xi Muzhou grew closer, she became increasingly adept at her work as well.
Today was payday for Qu Chuning. Clutching over thirty yuan in her hand, she cheerfully said to Lan Xia, "Shall we go to the town's Supply and Marketing Cooperative later and buy some meat?"
Lan Xia shook her head: "I'd better pass. My salary needs to cover the children's tuition fees. Our eldest and second child said they want to buy notebooks and pens. And for the family—my mother told me last month she wasn't feeling well, so I need to send some money back to her this month. Plus, on my husband's side, there are so many mouths waiting to be fed at home!"
After parting ways with Lan Xia, Qu Chuning left the factory and headed toward the town. Qi Hongying spotted Qu Chuning and waved her over.
"Chuning, are you going to town?"
Qu Chuning nodded: "We got paid today, so I'm going to buy some meat. Sister-in-law, are you heading to town too?"
"Yes, autumn's here. I need to buy some fabric to make the children a few pairs of shoes and some clothes."