One meal of braised pork completely broke through the two little wolf cubs’ psychological defenses.
After eating their fill, the plates were cleaner than their faces.
Erbao slumped in his chair, rubbing his round belly. He let out a satisfied burp that still smelled of meat, and the way he looked at Su Man had already changed from “bad woman” to “Mommy.”
Dabao still wore a sullen expression, but the hostility he had shown before was clearly gone. In fact, when Su Man was clearing the dishes, he even awkwardly helped carry the basket for the steamed buns.
“All right. You’re done eating, so go wash up and get to bed.” Su Man directed Lu Zhan to move the table back into the room while laying down some rules for the two children. “From now on, I’ll do the cooking at home. You two are responsible for washing the dishes and sweeping the floor. Whoever refuses to work doesn’t get meat at the next meal.”
“Got it…” Erbao answered immediately.
Dabao snorted. Although he said nothing, he obediently picked up the broom and went to sweep the bits of bone from the courtyard.
Lu Zhan watched the scene and raised an eyebrow.
He couldn’t even control these two little brats with military orders back at the army. Yet this woman had recruited them with one meal of meat?
Looks like even a “bad guy” needs another “bad guy” to deal with him.
By the time everything was cleaned up, it was completely dark.
The compound was quiet, with only the occasional sound of dogs barking in the distance.
Su Man washed the children’s faces and feet before sending them back to the west room to sleep. With their bellies full of meat, the two little fellows slept especially soundly. Before long, their snores could be heard.
Su Man stood in the main room, staring at the tightly closed door of the east room. Her heart suddenly began pounding.
She had been so busy fighting a battle of wits that she had forgotten the most important issue.
This was their new home.
Their marital bedroom.
Although she had boldly declared back at the dormitory that they would “sleep separately,” she had only said that to pressure Lu Zhan into signing the marriage application. Now that they had officially obtained their marriage certificate and she had moved in, word would spread quickly in a military compound where everyone was practically separated by only a wall.
If they slept in separate rooms on their very first night, there would probably be rumors flying everywhere by tomorrow.
Besides… the conditions here didn’t exactly allow for separate rooms.
Su Man took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the east room.
Only a dim kerosene lamp illuminated the room.
It wasn’t very large. A five-foot-wide wooden bed occupied most of the space. Beside it stood an old wardrobe and a writing desk.
At that moment, Lu Zhan was sitting on the edge of the bed, drying his hair.
Apparently, he had taken another shower. He was wearing nothing but a pair of army-green shorts. Under the dim yellow light, his broad shoulders, well-defined chest, and neatly lined abdominal muscles were all clearly outlined.
That physique was practically walking testosterone.
Hearing the door open, Lu Zhan raised his head. His deep-set eyes looked especially dark beneath the lamplight.
“Finished?” he asked, casually tossing the towel onto the table. His voice was deep and slightly hoarse.
Su Man’s gaze traveled over him once. Her cheeks grew warm, and she hurriedly looked away.
“Mm. The children are asleep.”
She walked over to the wardrobe with deliberate slowness and opened the door.
Just as she expected.
It was completely empty.
There was only the military-green quilt spread across the bed, lying there all alone.
“Um… it looks like there’s only one quilt in the house?” Su Man turned around and leaned against the wardrobe door, trying to ease the awkwardness. “How about I go squeeze in with Erbao?”
“Erbao doesn’t sleep well. The only reason you might survive tonight is because you gave him meat today. Otherwise, he’d probably kick you right out of bed in the middle of the night,” Lu Zhan said calmly.
He stood up.
His tall figure instantly filled the small space.
“Besides, it’s our wedding night. If I make the bride sleep in the children’s room, would I, Lu Zhan, have any dignity left?”
Lu Zhan slowly approached Su Man.
She instinctively stepped backward until her back was pressed tightly against the cold wardrobe door, leaving her nowhere else to retreat.
“Then… then you sleep on the floor?” Su Man ventured. “Isn’t that what you did last night?”
“Last night we were in the dormitory. That was a concrete floor.” Lu Zhan stopped in front of her and braced one hand against the wardrobe, trapping her between himself and the cabinet. “The floor here is bare earth. It’s damp. Do you want my old injury to flare up again?”
He lowered his head and leaned close to Su Man’s ear. His warm breath brushed against the hollow of her neck, raising a fine layer of goosebumps across her skin.
“Su Man, did you forget something?”
Su Man’s heart began pounding wildly. She placed both hands against his burning chest and stammered, “F-Forget… forget what?”
“Yesterday, you said that as long as I didn’t force you, we would sleep separately.”
Lu Zhan gently hooked a strand of Su Man’s hair around his finger, idly playing with it.
“But I remember that I also said something.”
His voice suddenly dropped, carrying a hint of dangerous amusement.
“In return, you have to fulfill your duties as my wife.”
Su Man abruptly raised her head and met his teasing eyes.
“You… what are you planning to do? You promised you wouldn’t force me!”
“I did.”
Lu Zhan withdrew his hand, turned around, and sat back down on the edge of the bed. He patted the spot beside him.
“But the bed is only this big, and there’s only one quilt. If you want to sleep on the floor, I won’t stop you. But if you want to sleep on the bed…”
He paused, and his expression became somewhat unreadable.
“Then we’ll have to see whether you have the courage to sleep beside me.”
It was a provocation.
Su Man bit her lip.
This man was obviously doing it on purpose!
He had clearly calculated that she wouldn’t dare sleep on the floor, nor would she dare go outside and sleep somewhere else.
Su Man looked at the bed, then at the uneven dirt floor.
A smart person knew when not to pick a fight.
Fine, she’d sleep there!
He was a soldier, after all. Since he had promised not to force her, he certainly wouldn’t do anything improper.
And besides… with a body like his, if something really did happen, she wasn’t necessarily the one who would be losing out!
Su Man steeled herself, took off her outer clothes, leaving only her simple undershirt, and slipped into bed like a nimble rabbit. She quickly rolled herself into the corner against the wall and wrapped herself up like a silkworm.
“I’m sleeping! This is the Chu-Han border. Whoever crosses the line is a little puppy!”
She turned her back to Lu Zhan, her heart still pounding wildly.
A soft chuckle came from behind her.
Then the bed sank slightly.
Lu Zhan lay down.
That strong masculine presence instantly surrounded Su Man. Even though there was still some distance between them, she could feel the heat radiating from his body behind her.
This night was destined to be sleepless.
Lu Zhan lay with both hands behind his head, staring at the pitch-black ceiling.
The woman beside him gradually began breathing steadily, but he had no intention of sleeping.
The wound beneath his ribs throbbed faintly—the lingering poison was still affecting him.
Strangely, though, whenever that faint, pleasant fragrance drifted into his nose, the piercing pain seemed to ease considerably.
He turned his head and looked at the tiny bundle curled up in the corner.
This woman was like medicine.
Not only could she heal his wounds, she seemed… capable of healing this family too.
The corners of Lu Zhan’s lips curved upward. He reached over, pulled a corner of the quilt across, and gently covered Su Man’s exposed shoulder.
“Good night, Mrs. Lu.”
Just then, Su Man suddenly turned over.
One of her thighs landed squarely across Lu Zhan’s waist without warning, and her entire body curled around him like an octopus. She even mumbled in her sleep:
“Braised pork… don’t run…”
Lu Zhan’s entire body stiffened, and his breathing instantly grew heavier.
Damn it.
Where was the medicine?
She was clearly a seductive little demon come to claim his life!
Clenching his teeth, Lu Zhan resisted the urge to toss her off the bed. On this night filled with the fragrance of braised pork and her soft scent, he helplessly closed his eyes.
Life really seemed to be getting lively.