The night was thick and dark as ink that refused to dissolve. Although the rain outside had stopped, the damp, biting chill still squeezed desperately through the cracks in the door.
Su Man did not sleep peacefully that night. In her dreams, she kept feeling as though there were a scorching-hot iron pressed against her side.
That source of warmth was simply too tempting. For someone as afraid of the cold as she was, it was practically irresistible.
Half-asleep, she instinctively curled up like a little kitten searching for warmth, wrapping her arms and legs around it.
She lifted her left leg and crossed the invisible boundary between them without the slightest hesitation, planting it heavily across the warm body beside her.
Her hand was just as unruly. It traveled upward along the firm muscles, while she mumbled something sleepily under her breath.
Lu Zhan instantly went rigid.
He opened his eyes in the darkness, completely alert, not a trace of sleepiness remaining in them.
At that moment, the woman’s thigh was shamelessly draped across his waist and abdomen. Even through the thin fabric of their clothes, the sensation made his scalp tingle.
Worse still, Su Man’s hand was resting against his chest, her palm directly over his heart, which was pounding as though it wanted to break through his ribcage.
This woman slept like she was fighting a battle.
Lu Zhan took a deep breath. The faint scent of soap from her body filled his nose, mixed with the delicate fragrance unique to a woman.
That scent was like poison. It traveled down his airway and into his lungs, igniting an inexplicable fire inside him.
He was a perfectly normal man—and a soldier with plenty of vigor at that.
In the middle of the night, being held like this by his beautiful newlywed wife… If he had no reaction at all, he probably ought to see a doctor.
“Get down.”
Lu Zhan ground his back teeth together, his voice hoarse as though he had swallowed a handful of coarse sand.
He reached out and grabbed Su Man’s slender ankle. His palm was scorching hot as he tried to move the troublesome leg away.
The sudden force woke Su Man.
She opened her hazy eyes and, by the faint moonlight filtering through the window, met Lu Zhan’s dark, intimidating gaze.
The moment her consciousness returned, she realized just how suggestive their current position was.
She was practically hanging all over Lu Zhan like a boneless koala.
If it had been another woman, she would probably have been so embarrassed that she would have wanted to crawl into a hole.
But who was Su Man?
She was someone who had already died once. She had sworn that in this life, she would hold tightly onto this powerful man and never let go.
What was a little intimacy compared to that?
Not only did she refuse to move away, she even rubbed her ankle against Lu Zhan’s palm. Her voice was soft and sweet from just waking up, with a deliberate hint of flirtation.
“Commander… I’m cold.”
That single word, cold, was drawn out with countless subtle inflections. It made Lu Zhan’s temples throb.
“If you’re cold, cover yourself with the blanket.”
Lu Zhan exerted more force and firmly pried her leg off him, tucking it back under the covers.
“The blanket is too thin. This room feels like an ice cellar.”
Su Man curled herself into a ball beneath the blanket, revealing only a pair of large, watery eyes as she blinked innocently at him.
“Besides, you’re so warm. You’re like a human furnace. What’s wrong with letting me warm myself against you for a while?”
“I’m a person, not a furnace.”
Lu Zhan snorted coldly and turned his back to her, pulling one corner of the blanket tightly around himself.
“And stop touching me.”
“I’m not interested in a washboard.”
The air instantly froze.
Su Man stared blankly for two seconds before looking down at her own body. She wasn’t exactly voluptuous, but she was certainly slender and shapely.
A washboard?
Was this man blind?
Or was this simply his way of denying what he really felt because he was trying so hard to restrain himself?
A sly smile curled at the corners of Su Man’s lips.
She understood men too well—especially restrained, self-controlled men like him.
Their mouths said no, but their bodies were always honest.
Just moments ago, she had clearly felt the change in him.
“Is that so?”
Su Man deliberately sighed, her voice filled with feigned disappointment.
“Since the Commander doesn’t like my ‘washboard’ body, then I suppose I can relax.”
As she spoke, she moved closer to Lu Zhan again, pressing her back firmly against his broad back.
“Since you’re not interested, then surely leaning against you to keep warm is okay, right? Besides, you wouldn’t do anything to me anyway.”
Lu Zhan’s body stiffened once again.
The soft warmth of her body pressed against his back, while their breathing intertwined in the silence of the night.
It was nothing short of torture.
He closed his eyes, but all he could think about was the fleeting glimpse of her fair, slender legs just moments ago.
Damn it.
He hadn’t married a wife.
He had practically invited a little temptress into his life specifically to torment him.
He silently recited the military regulations three times before finally managing to suppress the restlessness surging inside him.
That night, Su Man slept exceptionally well. At some point, she even used one of Lu Zhan’s arms as her pillow.
As for Lu Zhan, he lay awake listening to the rain all night. It wasn’t until dawn was approaching that he finally drifted into a fitful sleep.
When the first rays of morning sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, Su Man woke up.
She stretched leisurely, feeling refreshed, only to discover that the space beside her was already empty.
She touched the bedsheet. It was still warm.
Looks like this Living Yama had been tormented badly enough that he had gotten up early to go exercise and work off the heat.
Su Man was in an excellent mood. Humming a tune, she got out of bed and dressed.
Today was her first official day living in the military compound. She had to show them what she was capable of and firmly establish herself as the mistress of this household.
When she pushed open the door, crisp, cool air rushed toward her.
In the courtyard, Dabao and Erbao were crouching by the wall, brushing their teeth.
The two little boys wore oversized sleeveless undershirts, moving in perfect unison, their mouths covered in white toothpaste foam.
When Erbao saw Su Man come out, his eyes lit up. With his mouth full of toothpaste foam, he called out indistinctly,
“Mom! Morning!”
Dabao, on the other hand, turned his head away and gave a little snort. The tips of his ears, however, quietly turned red.
The power of last night’s braised pork was still lingering.
“Morning, you two little men.”
Su Man walked over with a smile and ruffled each of their heads.
“Hurry up and finish washing. Once you’re done, Mom will make you breakfast.”
The moment he heard the word breakfast, Erbao immediately doubled the speed at which he rinsed his mouth.
Su Man walked into the kitchen and inspected the ingredients left over from the night before.
There were still a few steamed buns, some of last night’s meat broth, and several eggs.
In this era of scarce supplies, this was already an exceptionally luxurious spread.
She quickly got the fire going and sliced the steamed buns into thick pieces.
She beat the eggs, adding a little salt and chopped green onion.
She coated the bun slices thoroughly in the egg mixture, then fried them in oil until both sides were golden brown.
She didn’t waste the leftover meat broth either. She added some water and brought it to a boil, drizzled in two beaten eggs, then sprinkled a handful of bright green scallions over the top.
Before long, the rich aroma of toasted bread mixed with the savory fragrance of meat broth, once again sweeping arrogantly through the entire little courtyard.
“Wow, that smells so good!”
Erbao had already stationed himself at the kitchen door, drooling even more than he had the day before.
Even Dabao, who always tried to act cool, couldn’t resist repeatedly poking his head into the kitchen.
Just then, the courtyard gate opened.
Lu Zhan returned in his training uniform, drenched in sweat.
He had obviously just finished a five-kilometer cross-country run. The heat from his body had yet to dissipate, and faint red veins showed in his dark eyes from lack of sleep.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw Su Man carrying a basin of golden-brown fried bun slices out of the kitchen.
The morning sunlight fell upon her, outlining her figure in a soft golden glow.
She wore a simple floral blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing two slender wrists. Her hair was casually twisted into a bun, with a few loose strands falling beside her ears.
The scene was filled with the warmth and simplicity of everyday domestic life.
For Lu Zhan, whose heart had long been hardened by the battlefield, something inexplicably skipped a beat.
“Back already?”
Su Man greeted him naturally.
“Perfect timing. They just came out of the pan. Eat while they’re hot.”
Lu Zhan stood there without moving, his deep gaze fixed on her.
Having someone waiting at home, with the fragrance of freshly cooked food filling the air…
That kind of life was too unfamiliar to him, and too much of a luxury.
“What are you standing there for? Go wash your hands.”
Su Man gave him a playful, reproachful glance and placed the basin on the table.
“Or does the Commander want me to feed you?”
Lu Zhan came back to his senses and cleared his throat in embarrassment before striding toward the washbasin.
“No need.”
The family of four gathered around the small table.
Erbao wolfed down his food without even lifting his head.
Dabao ate more neatly, but he wasn’t any slower.
Lu Zhan picked up a slice of the fried bun. It was crisp on the outside and tender inside, rich with the fragrance of egg. Paired with a mouthful of hot meat broth, it immediately warmed his stomach.
He glanced at Su Man.
She was leisurely sipping her soup, her movements so elegant that she hardly looked like a village girl at all.
“I have training today. I won’t be back for lunch.”
Lu Zhan put down his bowl and chopsticks and spoke in a low, serious voice.
“The ration coupons and money are in the drawer. If you need anything, go to the supply cooperative and buy it yourself.”
After thinking for a moment, he added,
“There are a lot of people in the compound, and they like to gossip. If anyone says anything unpleasant, don’t pay attention to them.”
“If you actually get bullied…”
Lu Zhan paused, his gaze suddenly turning sharp.
“Wait until I get back.”
Su Man’s heart warmed.
This man might have a sharp tongue, but when it came to protecting his own, he was genuinely protective.
“Don’t worry, Brother Zhan.”
Su Man winked at him, smiling like a mischievous little fox.
“I’ve never been one to let myself get the short end of the stick.”
Lu Zhan looked at her smiling face, and that strange feeling in his heart grew even stronger.
He picked up his cap and pulled it onto his head, hiding the emotions in his eyes.
“I’m leaving.”
With that, he turned and strode out of the gate.
As she watched the jeep disappear into the distance, the smile on Su Man’s face gradually faded.
She cleaned up the dishes and sent the two children off to school.
The house instantly fell quiet.
Su Man sat beneath the old locust tree in the courtyard, holding the envelope containing the money and ration coupons as she began planning for the days ahead.
Lu Zhan had given her quite a bit of money—more than a hundred yuan in total.
In this era, that was an enormous sum.
But to Su Man, it was merely startup capital.
If she wanted to establish herself in this era, relying solely on a man wouldn’t be enough.
She needed a career of her own and the confidence that came with being able to stand on her own two feet.
Just as she was deep in thought, someone suddenly knocked on the courtyard gate.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking was light and rhythmic, carrying an unmistakable air of restraint and arrogance.
Su Man raised an eyebrow and slipped the envelope into her pocket.
Here they come.
A woman’s intuition told her that trouble had just arrived at her doorstep.