Zhou Yushen didn’t immediately agree to Tuantuan’s invitation. Looking at Lu Wanwan’s slightly nervous expression, he smiled and asked Tuantuan, “Did you ask your mom before inviting Uncle over for some water?”
Tuantuan scratched his head and turned to look at Lu Wanwan. His teary eyes softened her heart, and she could only respond politely.
“Thank you, Comrade Zhou, for handling things fairly just now. If you don’t mind, you can come to our home for a cup of tea.”
Normally, Zhou Yushen would have refused such an invitation. But as he looked at Lu Wanwan, who seemed oddly familiar, he agreed almost unconsciously.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Comrade Lu.”
“N-no trouble at all.”
Lu Wanwan hadn’t expected him to actually agree. She led him inside, took out the small amount of tea leaves she had, boiled water, and brewed him a cup.
When she worked as a translator before, she had tasted many fine teas. At a glance, she could tell that this tea was not only low quality, but also old.
She didn’t think Zhou Yushen would actually drink it. He was probably just here so as not to disappoint Tuantuan and would leave after sitting for a while.
But when she saw him lift the cup and take a sip, her face grew warm. Her lips moved slightly, but in the end she said nothing and lowered her head to tidy the children’s clothes.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Zhou Yushen drank his tea slowly, seeming in no hurry to leave, occasionally glancing at Lu Wanwan, who sat at a distance from him.
Unlike her nervousness at the Zhou residence or her fiery confrontation with Grandma Liu earlier, Lu Wanwan now appeared gentle and calm. Once she entered the house, she didn’t stop moving—her busy, graceful figure made the quiet space feel lively.
At that moment, Yuanyuan dragged over a broken stool and moved it in front of Zhou Yushen, asking in her crisp voice, “Uncle, stool broken… can you fix?”
Lu Wanwan hadn’t expected her daughter to treat him so familiarly. She hurriedly stopped her, embarrassed. “Yuanyuan, Mommy can fix it. Put it aside, I’ll fix it tomorrow.”
“No… Mommy can’t.”
Yuanyuan bluntly exposed her, lifting the stool with both hands and offering it to Zhou Yushen. It was her favorite little stool.
Lu Wanwan panicked and reached out to take it back, but a long hand beat her to it.
Zhou Yushen smiled and agreed, “Alright, since Mommy can’t fix it, Uncle will fix it for Yuanyuan.”
Yuanyuan clapped happily, sweetly praising him, “Uncle is nice.”
Fixing the stool required tools. With a complicated look in her eyes, Lu Wanwan handed him a toolbox and said politely, “Sorry to trouble you, Comrade Zhou.”
“It’s our duty as soldiers to help the people,” Zhou Yushen replied.
Taking the tools, he skillfully began repairing the stool.
At that moment, a few rumbling sounds came from Yuanyuan’s stomach. She looked up at Lu Wanwan eagerly. “Mommy, Yuanyuan is hungry. I want milk.”
“Mommy, Tuantuan is hungry too.”
Both children were hungry. Normally, Lu Wanwan would have fed them long ago, but today had been busy, and it was already past their usual feeding time. She herself was starting to feel engorged.
Tuantuan rushed into her arms, his little face nudging against her clothes, popping open two buttons and revealing a full curve of soft, pale skin.
Lu Wanwan let out a muffled groan from the discomfort. Noticing Zhou Yushen’s gaze, she quickly covered her chest, her face turning red as if it might drip blood.
Although she was now a mother of two, in both her past and present lives, Lu Wanwan had never been in a relationship or had close contact with a man.
Thinking of their awkward first encounter at the Zhou residence, she bit her lip and turned slightly away, avoiding his eyes, her cheeks burning. Somehow, things between them always ended up awkward.
Zhou Yushen hadn’t expected to witness such a scene. A certain image flashed through his mind, and the tips of his ears grew hot. He stood up with the stool and said a quick line before heading outside.
“The lighting is better outside. I’ll fix it out there.”
Lu Wanwan rubbed her face awkwardly. Well, she was already a mother of two—there was no need to be overly self-conscious. She raised her hand, unbuttoned her clothes, and began feeding the children.
Tuantuan and Yuanyuan were hungry and drank eagerly, soon filling their stomachs. Then they obediently went outside and squatted beside Zhou Yushen, watching him fix the stool.
The two little ones chattered endlessly, praising him with sparkling eyes. Tuantuan even diligently carried out other broken items from the house for him to fix.
By the time Lu Wanwan noticed, Zhou Yushen had already fixed two stools and was working on a table leg.
Zhou Yushen had helped a lot today, and it was already dinner time. Lu Wanwan searched through what little food they had and made a simple meal.
When she brought the dishes to the table, she felt a bit embarrassed.
Stir-fried cabbage, homemade pickled cucumber, a simple cold vegetable dish, mixed-grain rice—and the closest thing to meat was the last two eggs she had boiled. She could only put effort into arranging the dishes nicely.
After finishing the repairs, Yuanyuan and Tuantuan eagerly pulled Zhou Yushen inside to eat.
“Uncle, food! Tasty!”
Seeing her daughter’s enthusiasm, Lu Wanwan felt a bit shy. Avoiding his gaze, she invited him without much confidence, “If Comrade Zhou doesn’t mind such simple food, please sit and eat with us.”
“Of course I don’t mind. When I was on missions, we ate whatever we had—even raw sweet potatoes.”
He toned it down, not wanting to frighten them. In reality, he had eaten tree roots and even insects while hiding in the wilderness.
He could also tell that this meal was the best the family could manage.
Though simple, the dishes were arranged pleasingly, and the aroma of home-cooked food stirred his appetite. He smiled slightly at her. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
Tuantuan immediately pulled him to wash his hands, then seated him at the table.
Lu Wanwan had already peeled the two eggs. She gave one to Zhou Yushen and split the other between the two children.
Looking at the egg in his bowl, Zhou Yushen raised his head and looked at Lu Wanwan. She was patiently feeding Yuanyuan, her eyelashes lowered, her profile gentle and soft—though she was too thin.
His gaze lingered on her sharp chin, and an indescribable feeling rose in his chest.
He picked up the egg with his chopsticks and placed it into Lu Wanwan’s bowl. Meeting her surprised gaze, he said calmly, “My stomach hasn’t been good lately. The doctor told me to avoid eggs and eat lightly.”
After the meal, Zhou Yushen drove back to the compound, lost in thought.
Chen Shu was in the living room playing with her son. Seeing her brother-in-law return so late, she asked with concern, “Yushen, why are you back so late? Have you eaten?”
Zhou Yushen seemed distracted and didn’t answer at first. After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something, turned around, and asked, “Sister-in-law, when will Comrade Lu start work?”