Although they were husband and wife, since their marriage, the two had only shared a bed for one night.
Despite her shyness, Qin Qing still hugged her quilt and rolled to the inner side of the bed.
Leaving most of the outer half empty.
She lay on her side, facing the wall.
But no matter how long she waited, there was no movement.
She thought about getting up to check, but felt it would be too forward.
So she could only continue lying there…
Until she drifted off to sleep.
…
When she woke up the next day, she was still alone in bed.
So, did that dog man sleep with her last night or not?
Qin Qing rubbed her hair in frustration and rolled around in bed.
Suddenly, her nose caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent.
As if possessed by a dog’s nose.
She picked up the pillow beside her and sniffed it again and again—
The smell of tobacco!
Damn it! That dog man slept in the bed last night!
Qin Qing’s heart began to race wildly.
Hugging the pillow, she kicked her legs in the air.
Ahhhhhhh!
She was ecstatic inside.
“Since you’re awake, get up and have breakfast.” A familiar man’s voice came from the bedroom door.
Qin Qing’s legs froze awkwardly in mid-air.
He hadn’t left?!
Qin Qing simply covered her face with the pillow in her hands.
I won’t listen, I won’t look~
“The fried eggs are getting cold. Hurry up and get up.”
Qin Qing could actually hear a hint of laughter in the man’s tone.
Annoyed, she tossed the pillow aside.
Resigned, she got up.
Surprisingly, breakfast wasn’t takeout from the canteen.
“Did you make this?” She looked at the simple white porridge and fried eggs, her expression uncertain.
Since childhood, she had never seen this young master of the Zhou family cook—the Zhou household always had a housekeeper preparing meals.
“Eat up. It’s not poisoned.” Zhou Yansheng served her a bowl of porridge.
Qin Qing took a sip.
Then froze completely…
Tears began to fall, drop by drop.
Zhou Yansheng, who was still standing nearby and hadn’t turned away, was also taken aback.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
But the next second, the young girl threw herself into his arms, burying her face against his waist as she cried uncontrollably.
After a long while, she looked up, sniffling:
“Brother, do you know how long it’s been since I last had sweetened white porridge…”
Zhou Yansheng’s body visibly tensed.
When Qin Qing was twelve and had just been brought to the Zhou family, she couldn’t adjust to the food.
She refused to eat anything.
He added two spoonfuls of sugar to her white porridge and coaxed her:
“Sweet things make people happy. Want to try?”
From then on, she fell in love with overly sweet white porridge…
Zhou Yansheng looked into the girl’s clear eyes, which seemed incapable of holding anyone else.
He thought of that timid little girl from back then.
Looking at him with the same helplessness and purity…
“Silly. It’s just a bowl of porridge.”
He deliberately ruffled her hair, “Hurry up and eat. After you finish, I’ll take you out.”
“Don’t you have to go to work today?” Qin Qing forced herself to regain her composure. She had already vented her emotions and couldn’t let herself go too far.
“I’m off today.” Zhou Yansheng was already heading toward the door, “I’ll go borrow a car and come back to pick you up later.”
“Oh.” Before Qin Qing could finish her reply, the man had already opened the door and left.
He didn’t even close the door properly.
Was he in such a hurry?
Qin Qing bit her lip.
She got up to close the door.
“Xiao Qin! Good morning!” Li Qin from next door was hanging laundry in the yard and greeted Qin Qing warmly.
“Good morning, Sister-in-law.” Qin Qing responded politely and was about to close the door when Li Qin walked over.
With a mischievous look, she said, “Young people really are young people.”
Qin Qing was completely baffled.
Li Qin continued, “The young couple made quite a commotion last night. Take it easy—the walls here are thin.”
It took Qin Qing several seconds to process the words. “We didn’t—”
Her yelps had been from the candle burns and the icy water, not—
She wanted to explain.
“Sister-in-law has been through it all, I understand!” Li Qin didn’t give her a chance. “Who knew our Captain Zhou doted on his wife so much?”
She clicked her tongue twice, then added, “You didn’t see it, but after you ran out of the interrogation room yesterday, Captain Zhou gave Zhao Xiaolin and the inspection team a real earful!”
“‘My wife, Qin Qing, was properly married into my family!'” Li Qin imitated Zhou Yansheng’s tone. “We could hear it clearly from outside the door yesterday.”
After finishing, Li Qin couldn’t help but click her tongue a few more times.
Only when she saw Qin Qing’s face flushed completely red did she leave with a laugh.
Bang—
Qin Qing quickly shut the door.
Good heavens!
Calm down, calm down!
Qin Qing kept patting her chest.
That dog of a man, so fierce with her—couldn’t he have defended her to her face instead?
After calming her emotions a little, Qin Qing sat back at the table and picked up the bowl of porridge.
It was a bit cold.
Overly sweet.
So delicious…
The engine of the military jeep roared to life. Qin Qing, already prepared, hurriedly opened the door.
Just in time to see the man jump down from the driver’s seat.
His legs were so long, so handsome.
“Get in,” he gestured to her.
Qin Qing burst into laughter.
That gesture was the same one from their days in the compound—whenever they kids got into trouble, he’d take the blame and signal for them to retreat: raising his arm and casually flicking his hand backward.
Rogueishly handsome.
After all these years, he still remembered.
And she understood it at a glance.
Zhou Yansheng’s unit was in Jiangcheng, a provincial capital in the south, not much worse than Beijing.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Qin Qing watched the trees fly by on both sides of the road, remembering the first time he took her for a drive.
He’d secretly taken his father’s official car.
He didn’t even have a driver’s license yet.
He’d taken her out for half a day, and when they returned, his father made him kneel in the study all night.
She’d sneaked in to bring him dinner, and he’d complained that she hadn’t brought him red wine and steak.
Thinking of how he’d knelt straight-backed yet stubbornly demanded red wine and steak, Qin Qing couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Hearing her, Zhou Yansheng glanced sideways at her. “What are you laughing at?”
Qin Qing turned her head, a sly glint in her eyes.
“Thinking about red wine and steak~”
It was such an offhand remark, yet the driver nearly swerved.
“Sit properly.”
Fine! No sense of humor.
The car fell silent again.
Qin Qing didn’t ask for much.
This was already enough to satisfy her.
At least he wasn’t giving her the cold shoulder anymore.
Indeed, he preferred softness, not recklessness.
Zhou Yansheng, we have plenty of time ahead.
The car stopped in front of the department store.
Qin Qing’s eyes lit up.
With an empty home, she needed to buy everything.
“Brother, what’s the budget?” she asked, blinking her big eyes.
“Didn’t I already give you the money and coupons?” The man’s voice held a hint of “surprise.”
“Huh?” Qin Qing pouted. “Oh.”
Disappointed, she opened the car door and got out.
The man also stepped out from the other side, locking the door.
He caught up to the girl’s steps.
“Take it.” A wallet was handed to her.
“What?” Qin Qing looked up but didn’t take it.
“Have I ever made you spend money in all these years?” The man stuffed his wallet into the girl’s hand. “Just teasing you, I’m off now!”
“Brother is the best!” Qin Qing grinned, linking her arm with his, realizing he had just been playing with her.
Yet, a faint, almost imperceptible trace of self-mockery touched Zhou Yansheng’s lips.
Does this little girl truly understand the difference between a brother and a husband…