“Very dirty.”
The man lowered his head. The thought of the most humiliating side of himself being seen by the woman he cared about most made his hands tremble as he clutched the blanket.
Pulling, tugging.
Jiang Nuan softened her voice as much as possible. “Lu Lin, we’re going to spend our lives together as husband and wife. No matter what you’re like, I will never disdain you. Trust me, okay?”
Her words hit him like a shield shattering.
Lu Lin suddenly lifted his head. Seeing the gentle smile on Jiang Nuan’s face, hearing her words echo in his mind, a thought flashed through him:
Even if I had to die now, it would be worth it.
As he slowly loosened his grip, Jiang Nuan exhaled in relief and carefully pulled away the filthy, foul-smelling blanket.
The moment the blanket was lifted, a stench hit her like a wave.
Lu Lin froze, as if rooted to the spot.
He had never flinched in battle, never faltered in a river of blood on the battlefield—but now, he wished he could die.
His neck felt weighed down with a thousand pounds, unable to meet her gaze.
Looking at the pants smeared beyond recognition, the evidence of his suffering, Jiang Nuan’s heart felt hammered with iron—numb with pain—and her eyes reddened instantly.
These beasts!Accursed beasts!
Noticing her gaze, beads of sweat formed on Lu Lin’s forehead.
Jiang Nuan swallowed back her tears. Seeing him bowing his head, soaked in sweat, her heart clenched painfully.
“Lu Lin, you are a hero defending your country. Everyone should respect you. Don’t feel embarrassed.”
She wrung out a towel, gentle as if caring for a child, her gaze warm. “Come on, lift your head. I’ll wipe the sweat off your face first, then clean you little by little.”
Aware that he was in an extreme state of self-consciousness, Jiang Nuan carefully pressed the warm towel to his face and slowly wiped.
The heat of the towel eased his exhaustion. Lu Lin lifted his head gradually.
He could have taken the towel himself, but he didn’t.
Let me be powerless this once, he thought.
He knew that in this state, he couldn’t give her happiness—but he couldn’t let go.
He couldn’t refuse a moment he had only dared to dream of.
He would fight, with all his strength, to protect her and their child.
Noticing him relaxing slightly, Jiang Nuan sped up, quickly wiping his face and neck clean.
Then came the crumpled, filthy shirt—once white, now indistinguishable.
Jiang Nuan deftly helped him remove it, her gaze sweeping over his eight-pack abdomen. She was shocked.
After lying in bed so long, his body is still this strong…
She could hardly imagine how formidable he had been in the army.
In her past life, she had only experienced that once. Though drugged, the intense sense of power he had imposed on her stayed with her forever.
She had suspected Lu Dapo, with his love of alcohol, could never have such strength. But she never imagined it was Lu Lin.
A sudden chill ran across Lu Lin’s upper body, his face burning to his neck.
Jiang Nuan, noticing his crimson ears, hurriedly refocused and worked faster.
His upper body moved freely now, and soon was clean, dressed in a fresh shirt.
The lower body presented more difficulty—not just because it was filthy…
But also because…
Lu Lin’s eyelashes fluttered uncontrollably. He had never felt such embarrassment in his life.
He hated himself for being helpless, unable even to remove his trousers.
Jiang Nuan encouraged herself, forcing a light smile. “Don’t be shy. We’re husband and wife. Sooner or later, we’re going to see each other like this anyway.”
Her hand reached for the trousers.
Lu Lin noticed her nervousness. To relieve the awkwardness, he closed his eyes.
Seeing him no longer looking at her, Jiang Nuan immediately relaxed.
She quickly removed the dirty trousers. As they hit the floor, the ground became soaked.
It was obvious how long they hadn’t been changed.
Autumn days were bad enough; she didn’t want to imagine the nights.
As she cursed Lu Laopo in her mind, Jiang Nuan turned to his thighs and froze.
Her eyes went red.
Underneath, his thighs were covered in clusters of sores. Some were rotting and oozing pus, emitting a foul stench.
Some had rotted deeply, exposing bone.
Thinking of what he had said earlier—that his legs still had sensation—Jiang Nuan couldn’t imagine the pain Lu Lin had endured.
Her tears flowed freely. She wiped them quickly and carefully cleaned his wounds.
Lu Lin, with sensitive hearing, suddenly opened his eyes and saw her secretly crying.
His heart felt like it had been pierced by needles.
“Why are you crying?”
Hearing him, Jiang Nuan looked up, eyes red, and saw his anxious concern.
He was suffering so much and still worrying about her—her heart ached even more.
She hurriedly turned away, wiped her tears, then faced him again, covering his lower body with a fresh blanket and forcing a weak smile.
“I… I’m fine. You’re in so much pain. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Hearing her choked voice, Lu Lin’s chest tightened. He wanted to reach out and wipe her tears but couldn’t move.
A wave of intense frustration enveloped him. He could only anxiously coax her: “Don’t cry. I’m not in pain. Really, it doesn’t hurt at all.”
The more he tried to hide it, the more her heart ached.
Remembering the medicine she saw that morning, iodine and disinfectant powder, Jiang Nuan said,
“I’ll wash you with water first, then apply the medicine. It will hurt, but hold on. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
The man nodded. “Okay, I’ll do as you say. Please don’t cry, alright?”
Jiang Nuan didn’t understand why, even in such agony, he cared about her tears.
Soon, she realized the answer: Lu Lin was a good man.
They had played together as children, but had rarely spoken as adults.
Now, he was nervous because she was helping him.
“Okay, I won’t cry. I’ll clean you,” Jiang Nuan said, lifting the blanket.
Her hand reached toward the final piece…
Lu Lin’s body instantly tensed.