At the Lu family’s little courtyard, the cooking smoke had only just dissipated.
Lu Zhan sat beside the Eight Immortals table in the main room, holding a copy of that day’s PLA Daily. His brows were slightly furrowed as he read the reports concerning the situation along the border.
He had just returned from a meeting at the regiment headquarters and had not even changed out of his training uniform. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing firm, well-defined muscles.
Dabao and Erbao were playing marbles in the courtyard, their shouts of protest occasionally ringing through the air as they fought over them.
There was something peaceful about days like this—ordinary and uneventful. Yet for some reason, they made him feel more grounded than ever before.
“Creak—”
The courtyard gate opened.
Lu Zhan’s ears twitched. He lowered the newspaper.
He saw Su Man slowly making her way inside, carrying a washbasin.
Her gait was even more awkward than when she had left. Every few steps, she had to stop and catch her breath. Her little face was scrunched up in discomfort, making anyone who saw her feel a pang of sympathy.
Lu Zhan immediately stood and strode across the threshold.
“What happened?”
He reached her in a few steps, taking the basin from her hands while supporting her arm with his other hand.
“Does your leg hurt?”
Su Man leaned against him without hesitation, shifting most of her weight onto his body.
“It hurts…”
She tilted her head up. Her peach-blossom eyes were watery, and tiny droplets of water from her recent bath still clung to her eyelashes. She looked so pitiful that it was almost unbearable.
“The floor in the bathhouse was so slippery. There was soap everywhere.”
“And there were so many people. It was so crowded I barely had anywhere to stand. I almost fell again just now and nearly reopened my old injury.”
As she spoke, she pulled up her pant leg, revealing the knee that had only just begun to scab over.
In truth, the wound had not reopened at all. It was merely a little red.
But in Lu Zhan’s eyes, that was already a matter of the utmost importance.
His expression immediately darkened, and a flicker of regret passed through his black eyes.
“It’s my fault.”
Lu Zhan’s voice was low. “I should have heated water and let you bathe at home. I shouldn’t have made you squeeze into that bathhouse.”
He set the basin down, then bent over and slipped one arm beneath her legs while wrapping the other around her back.
“Ah!”
Su Man cried out in surprise as her entire body suddenly left the ground.
Lu Zhan lifted her effortlessly into his arms and carried her steadily into the house.
“Dabao, Erbao, stop playing. Go back to your room and do your homework!”
Even as he passed through the courtyard, Lu Zhan remembered to bark the order at them.
The two little boys took one look at their father’s expression and immediately abandoned their marbles. They scrambled into the west room and shut the door tightly behind them.
Once they entered the east room, Lu Zhan carefully set Su Man down on the edge of the bed.
“Don’t move. Wait here.”
With those two words, he turned and left.
A short while later, he returned carrying an enamel basin filled with steaming water.
He placed it beside Su Man’s feet and tested the temperature.
Then, to her surprise, he actually dropped to one knee.
Su Man froze.
She had only meant to act spoiled a little, make Lu Zhan worry about her, and enjoy being pampered by the commander for once.
She had never expected him to go this far.
In an era when traditional notions of male authority were deeply ingrained, a man was considered the pillar of the household.
And now a regiment commander—a battle-hardened military hero—was kneeling down to wash his wife’s feet?
If word got out, people would probably laugh themselves silly.
“Brother Zhan… I can do it myself.”
Su Man suddenly felt embarrassed and instinctively tried to pull her foot back.
“Don’t move.”
Lu Zhan’s large hand immediately closed around her ankle.
His hand was broad, the palm covered with calluses from years of handling firearms. Rough, yet burning with warmth.
By contrast, Su Man’s foot was small and delicate, her skin pale and smooth.
The stark contrast between his rough, weathered hand and her soft, delicate skin created an almost startling intimacy beneath the dim yellow light.
Lu Zhan lowered his head, his expression as focused as if he were carefully cleaning his most treasured weapon.
He placed Su Man’s foot into the warm water. First, he cupped water in his hands and gently poured it over the top of her foot, allowing her to adjust to the temperature.
Then his rough fingertips began lightly rubbing the sole of her foot and her toes.
His movements were astonishingly gentle.
A tingling sensation shot through her from the soles of her feet, and Su Man instinctively curled her toes, unable to suppress a soft sound.
“Mmm…”
The sound was far too suggestive.
In the quiet room, it was like a spark falling onto a pile of dry kindling.
Lu Zhan’s hand paused.
He raised his head.
Those normally calm, unreadable black eyes had become deep and intense, filled with emotions Su Man could not quite decipher.
“Does it hurt?”
His voice was noticeably hoarse.
“No… It just… tickles a little.”
Su Man’s face flushed. She tried to pull her foot away, only to realize that he was holding it firmly.
“If it tickles, then that’s good.”
Instead of letting go, Lu Zhan increased the pressure of his hand, his fingertips moving slowly from her ankle upward.
Water droplets slipped between his fingers and fell onto the floor.
His hand moved past her ankle and along her calf, the thin calluses on his fingertips brushing against her delicate skin and sending shivers through her.
“Su Man.”
Lu Zhan suddenly called her by her full name.
Su Man’s heart skipped a beat.
“Do you know what happened at the bathhouse today? The entire courtyard is talking about it now.”
Her heart sank.
How was this man’s information network so fast?
“T-Talking about what?” she asked innocently.
“They’re saying that I, Lu Zhan, married a little enchantress.”
A dangerous curve appeared at the corner of Lu Zhan’s mouth. His palm had already reached her knee, gently brushing over the scabbed wound.
“They’re also saying that I have no self-control, and that I left marks all over you.”
Su Man’s face instantly turned bright red.
“They… They’re just making things up! I was…”
“Whether they’re making things up or not, wouldn’t it be easy enough to check?”
Lu Zhan interrupted her.
He suddenly stood, sending a splash of water through the air.
His tall frame immediately loomed over her, completely trapping Su Man between himself and the headboard.
The pressure of his presence was more intense than ever.
“Brother Zhan… You haven’t finished washing…”
Su Man began to panic slightly. She placed both hands against his solid chest, trying to push him away.
“Forget the washing.”
Lu Zhan casually grabbed the towel beside him and hastily dried her feet.
Then he planted one hand beside her and used the other to cup the back of her head, making her tilt her face upward.
Their breaths mingled.
The heat radiating from Lu Zhan, mixed with his distinctly masculine scent, made Su Man feel slightly dizzy.
“Last night at the medical unit, what did you say?”
Lu Zhan leaned close to her ear, his voice low and teasing.
“You called me… your husband, didn’t you?”
“And you said you would pay me back—with interest?”
Su Man felt weak all over.
How did this man have such a good memory?
“I was delirious with fever… It doesn’t count.”
“It doesn’t count?”
Lu Zhan gave a low chuckle, the sound vibrating through his chest.
“In my book, once you say something, it’s as binding as a military order.”
“If you owe me a debt, then you have to repay it.”
Before she could argue further, he lowered his head and kissed her.
The kiss was intense and filled with the longing he had suppressed these past few days, the concern he felt over her injuries, and a desire that left little room for words.
Lu Zhan’s hand moved as well, slipping beneath the hem of her oversized shirt and resting against her smooth skin.
The sudden contact nearly made him lose control.
Just as he had imagined.
She was even softer than he had expected.
Su Man was kissed until she could barely catch her breath, her mind becoming a complete blur.
She had only meant to tease the man a little.
She never expected to end up getting herself caught in the situation.
This wasn’t washing her feet at all.
It was practically cleaning her up and delivering her straight to his doorstep.
“Brother Zhan… The… the light is still on…”
During a brief pause to catch her breath, Su Man finally managed to get the words out.
“Leave it on.”
Lu Zhan’s voice was dangerously husky, his eyes burning with intensity.
“If I turn off the light, how am I supposed to check your injuries?”
“How am I supposed to see clearly… just how you managed to tempt me?”
As he spoke, his hand had already reached the buttons at her collar.
Click.
The first button came undone.
The temperature in the room seemed to rise instantly.
Su Man closed her eyes and finally gave in, wrapping her arms around his neck.
If she couldn’t escape him anyway, then she might as well enjoy the moment.
After all, this man belonged to her.
And in this lifetime, she wasn’t going to let him get away.
Just as the tension between them was about to reach its breaking point—
“WHEEE—!”
A sharp, piercing whistle suddenly tore through the quiet night of the courtyard.
It was the emergency assembly whistle!