Su Yueheng tilted her head, her gaze falling on the large hand gripping her wrist. His fingers were long and well-defined, illuminated by the light in the room, casting alternating shadows and highlights.
She quickly came back to her senses and blinked curiously at Lu Xingzhou. “What is it?”
Lu Xingzhou took a deep breath, his expression serious and solemn. “I was injured two years ago. After a hospital examination, I was told that I’m infertile. It looks like the two of us probably won’t be able to have children in the future.”
His voice carried guilt and apology.
Su Yueheng appropriately put on an astonished, shocked expression. “Then, what about… the other aspect?”
Lu Xingzhou saw her lower her head and glance toward a certain place. The tips of his ears turned slightly red. “Everything else is fine.”
Su Yueheng smiled brightly. Breaking free of his grip, she instead took his hand in hers. Her pretty face was filled with a smile. “Commander Lu, you’ve taken such good care of me. Even if you can’t have children, I won’t despise you.”
After a pause, she comforted him with absolute certainty. “Besides, who says infertility can’t be treated? What if medicine becomes more advanced in the future?”
She had spiritual spring water in her space. As long as she was willing, she could definitely cure Lu Xingzhou.
Tomorrow, she would use the spiritual spring water to cook for him and help regulate his health. As for having children, they could simply let nature take its course~
They would definitely have children!
“Commander Lu, good night~”
Lu Xingzhou was momentarily dazzled by Su Yueheng’s smile. Hearing her words of comfort, something deep inside him softened.
He watched her wave goodbye, the corners of his thin lips curving slightly upward as he took a deep breath.
Lu Xingzhou crossed his arms and watched as the happy, cheerful voice of the little girl came from the second floor.
“Future Mommy, come finish telling me the story from last night!”
Su Yueheng helplessly laughed. “A-Ning, what kind of title is that?”
In the past, with A-Ning and Shengli and their mother living here, the house had been filled with warmth and lively energy every day.
But ever since Su Yueheng came here, she felt that there was even more warmth than before. It was increasingly beginning to feel like a real home.
Lu Xingzhou suddenly felt that spending the rest of his life with a wife like Su Yueheng seemed pretty good after all.
After coaxing the two siblings to sleep, Su Yueheng returned to her room and took another shower. Once she lay down on the bed, the instant she closed her eyes, her consciousness entered the space.
She immediately took out the sewing machine coupon she had kept at the bottom of the warehouse, then grabbed a ten-yuan note and bought some body lotion and skincare products.
She slept soundly through the night without a single dream.
Early the next morning, Su Yueheng got dressed and went downstairs, where she was greeted by Lu Mingjue with a cheerful smile.
“A-Heng, let’s go to the food supply factory and buy some fish and meat. We’ll make dumplings and steamed fish for lunch.”
Su Yueheng felt that Aunt Lu was especially happy today. She smiled and nodded, then pulled the sewing machine coupon from her pocket.
“Aunt Lu, I found the sewing machine coupon. Where should we go to buy one?”
Lu Mingjue looked at the sewing machine coupon in her hand in surprise.
“This afternoon. I happen to have some free time today. I was planning to take you to buy some fabric and have a new outfit made. A bride needs to wear something new.”
She continued talking to herself without waiting for Su Yueheng to respond, then grabbed her arm and strode outside.
Lu Mingjue raised her voice and called out, “Eldest, are you ready? We’ll miss the fresh fish if we don’t hurry!”
“Coming.”
Su Yueheng curiously glanced at Lu Xingzhou, who had just emerged from the field. He stopped by the edge of the field and stamped his feet.
“Mom, I’ll wash my hands and be right there.”
His face showed little emotion, and although his tone was fairly gentle, there was still a sense that he kept people at arm’s length.
Today, he seemed somewhat different from the man he had been the previous night.
Su Yueheng quickly composed herself and turned to ask in confusion, “If we’re only buying meat, Aunt Lu, the two of us can do it, right?”
Lu Mingjue shook her head. “Whenever Xingzhou is around, I usually have him buy the groceries. Besides, our family finally has a chance to reunite today. Of course we can’t just make something simple. We have to celebrate.”
Su Yueheng smiled faintly and softly acknowledged her.
She carried the basket in one hand and warmly linked her other arm through Lu Mingjue’s. Curiously, she asked, “Aunt Lu, I didn’t see A-Ning or Shengli. Where are they?”
Lu Mingjue curled her lips disdainfully. “Those two? They went into the mountains early this morning. They said they were going to pick some kind of fruit. A whole group of them went.”
Lu Xingzhou silently listened from the side. Seeing the baskets in his mother’s and his future wife’s hands, he naturally took them from them.
The shadows of the three gradually drew closer together.
Lu Mingjue considered herself a sensible older woman. After noticing Lu Xingzhou and Su Yueheng growing closer, she deliberately walked a little farther ahead, leaving the two of them some time to talk.
Lu Xingzhou regarded them as an engaged couple, so he did not deliberately keep his distance. He took the initiative to speak.
“A-Heng, have you gone around the island these past few days?”
“No.”
Su Yueheng blatantly lied.
In reality, A-Ning had already taken her around almost the entire island over the past few days. But the way Lu Xingzhou asked clearly suggested that he wanted to spend some time alone with her. If she told him the truth, wouldn’t that be terribly unromantic?
Lu Xingzhou’s stern expression softened slightly.
“Good timing. I have some free time these next few days. I can take you around and help you get familiar with the place.”
Su Yueheng smiled brightly. “Okay.”
She moved a little closer to Lu Xingzhou.
“Aunt Lu is taking me around the island this afternoon. Do you want to come with us?”
“Sure.”
Lu Xingzhou agreed immediately.
His mother had not even mentioned this to him.
Huh? Why did it feel like he was becoming the live-in son-in-law again?
“Hey, Big Sister Lu, isn’t that the child from your relative’s family? Does Commander Lu know her?”
Lu Mingjue cheerfully moved closer to chat with the woman, deliberately raising her voice.
“Yes. I only found out after my eldest came home yesterday. Those two are really destined for each other. My Yueheng is my eldest son’s fiancée. We’re planning to take her out this afternoon to buy some fabric and have clothes made.”
She had deliberately brought the two of them out for a walk precisely so that everyone would know Su Yueheng’s identity.
There were no secrets on this island. Everyone already knew that Lu Xingzhou had submitted his marriage application.
Zhang Daya looked back and forth between Lu Mingjue and Lu Xingzhou before letting out a surprised exclamation.
“Ah, the two of them really do make a good match.”
Lu Mingjue was the island’s women’s federation director. In outsiders’ eyes, she was rather stern and picky and not particularly easy to get along with. If anyone wanted to befriend her, they had to know how to play along with her.
Over the past few days, everyone had seen how much Lu Mingjue cared about Su Yueheng, treating her as if she were her own daughter.
Even if some people felt that Su Yueheng’s background was not worthy of Lu Xingzhou, no one dared to gossip about it to her face.
Zhang Daya was a notorious gossip. After parting ways with Lu Mingjue, she immediately went to visit another old friend.
By the end of the afternoon, the news had spread from one person to two, then from two to three, until practically everyone knew that the beautiful relative staying at Lu Xingzhou’s house was actually his fiancée.
Although her background was nothing special, she was clearly adored by her future mother-in-law.
Lu Xingzhou was a famous bachelor on Jiang Island. He was handsome and dignified. Although he looked difficult to approach, plenty of women still liked him.
Shen Mianmian was just one of them.
When Shen Mianmian heard the news, resentment welled up inside her. She immediately turned around and headed for Commander Yang’s house.
……
That afternoon, when Su Yueheng went to the harbor with Lu Mingjue and Lu Xingzhou to take the boat, she saw a thin, frail-looking woman carrying a child approaching them.
Su Yueheng raised an eyebrow.
A woman’s intuition told her that this delicate, willowy woman definitely knew Lu Xingzhou.
“Xingzhou, you’re back?”
Fang Muping called out sweetly, her manner intimate. She cast a subtle, provocative glance at Su Yueheng.
The little girl beside her also called out in a clear, childish voice, “Daddy Xingzhou, I’ve missed you so much! When are you coming to our house for dinner?”
Lu Mingjue’s expression darkened as she cleared her throat.
“Siya, Lu Xingzhou is about to have a family of his own. You should address him as Uncle according to your proper relationship.”
Yang Siya shook her head and ran to Lu Xingzhou’s leg, acting spoiled.
“No! My dad and Daddy Xingzhou are good friends and comrades. Even after Daddy Xingzhou has a family, I’m still going to call him that.”
Fang Muping gave Su Yueheng an awkward smile before gently scolding her daughter in a reproachful tone.
“Siya, don’t make your Daddy Xingzhou uncomfortable.”