Corporal Zhang, the orderly, carried the luggage straight into the guest room before Mu Wanwan could stop him.
Grandpa Wen followed him inside. One look around—and at the clothes hanging in the wardrobe—was enough for him to understand.
These two were still sleeping in separate rooms.
He sighed inwardly. His grandson really was a block of ice. If he didn’t step in, who would?
Turning to Mu Wanwan, he said gently but firmly, “Wanwan, I’ll stay in the guest room for the next few days. Wen Lin is injured—you staying in the same room will make it easier to take care of him.
You’re husband and wife. You should be the closest people to each other. I’m about to have surgery soon—you two mustn’t make me worry anymore.”
With things put so directly, Mu Wanwan had no choice but to agree. If their situation affected Grandpa Wen’s mood before surgery, that would be unforgivable.
Only then did the old man nod in satisfaction.
Under his watchful gaze, Mu Wanwan packed up her clothes from the guest room and moved them into the master bedroom.
Wen Lin had heard every word clearly. He knew exactly what his grandfather intended and felt deeply helpless.
Mu Wanwan had planned to bring lunch to the hospital, but now that Grandpa Wen was here, it saved her the trip.
After lunch, she had wanted to nap—but now that she couldn’t use the guest room, napping meant going into Wen Lin’s room. In the end, she gave up on sleeping and busied herself in the kitchen instead.
She had promised Ju Bairan a thank-you gift for tomorrow. She couldn’t afford anything expensive, so she decided to make some pastries.
Her pastries were excellent—especially mung bean cakes and red date walnut cakes. Ironically, she had learned to make them to suit Wen Lin’s tastes.
Grandpa Wen had once told her that despite his cold exterior, Wen Lin loved sweets.
In her previous life, she had put in tremendous effort mastering pastry-making—yet Wen Lin had never once tasted what she made.
Her movements were swift and practiced. Since she had all the ingredients, it didn’t take long to finish. She carefully packed the pastries into a box.
In the guest room, Grandpa Wen had noticed the constant clatter in the kitchen and the fact that Mu Wanwan hadn’t stayed in the bedroom at all. He couldn’t help but sigh again.
Walking to Wen Lin’s bedside, he skipped any inquiry about his injuries and went straight to questioning.
“Did you upset Wanwan again? That girl is a good one. You brat better not fail to appreciate your blessings—or you’ll regret it later!”
“Grandpa, you don’t need to worry about these things.”
Wen Lin disliked his grandfather interfering in his affairs.
If Grandpa Wen hadn’t insisted, he would never have married Mu Wanwan in the first place.
“Not worry? If I didn’t worry, you wouldn’t even have a wife! Old Wu’s grandson is about your age and already has two children!”
The old man felt his grandson was hopeless.
“Grandpa, I never liked Mu Wanwan. You forced us to marry. Are you going to force us to have children too?”
Wen Lin hated feeling controlled.
Grandpa Wen’s eyes widened in anger. “I did it for your own good! Feelings can be cultivated. Wanwan is so pretty—if you don’t want her, plenty of young men would!
But that girl poured her whole heart into you. Once a heart turns cold, it’s hard to warm it again. Don’t let yourself regret it!”
Regret what? They were going to divorce soon. Once divorced, there would be fewer complications.
That’s what Wen Lin thought—but he didn’t say it aloud. Afraid his grandfather would press further, he picked up his book and pretended to read.
Seeing him like that, Grandpa Wen was so angry he nearly raised his hand—but in the end, remembering his injury, he held back.
That afternoon, Huzi delivered more pork offal. Mu Wanwan began preparing more braised goods.
Only then did Grandpa Wen learn she had been selling braised dishes recently.
His first reaction was anger—was his grandson so useless that his wife had to earn money? Then came heartache; making braised goods looked exhausting.
Mu Wanwan quickly explained that she simply wanted to earn her own money and that it wasn’t tiring—she was idle at home anyway.
After much persuasion, Grandpa Wen finally calmed down. But the aroma of the braised dishes made him crave a taste.
Of course, she couldn’t let him eat it. Braised food was heavily seasoned, and he needed a light diet.
The old man felt utterly miserable. Just smelling it was torture—it would be perfect with a bit of liquor!
To appease him, Mu Wanwan made pig intestine noodles for dinner. She herself ate a big bowl.
At first, Wen Lin was extremely resistant. In his mind, pig intestines were unclean.
But the fragrance was irresistible. From his room, he could hear Grandpa Wen and Mu Wanwan happily slurping noodles in the living room.
In the end, temptation won. He took a tentative bite—then couldn’t stop.
After eating their fill, Grandpa Wen went to bed early. Mu Wanwan translated two pages of English materials in the living room, then showered and entered Wen Lin’s room.
She pulled out a thinner quilt from the bottom of the wardrobe and spread it on the floor, planning to make do there for the time being.
Wen Lin was injured—she couldn’t let him sleep on the floor.
“I’ll sleep on the floor. You take the bed,” Wen Lin said, trying to sit up.
She quickly stopped him. “No need. It’s hot these days. I’ll be fine on the floor.”
“The floor’s damp. It’s not good for a girl to sleep there.” He frowned, then hesitated. “Why don’t you sleep up here? The bed’s big enough—you can take the other side.”
If she really slept on the floor beside him, he would feel less than a man. Besides, the ground got cold at night. The bed was large enough—it wouldn’t matter.
Since he had already said that, she didn’t refuse again. If there was a bed, who would choose the floor?
Carrying her quilt, she climbed onto the bed and lay down on the far side.
There was considerable distance between them—but Wen Lin could still smell the faint fragrance drifting from her.
With someone lying beside him, he couldn’t quite settle down.
Meanwhile, Mu Wanwan fell asleep almost immediately.
The lights went out. In the darkness, Wen Lin stared at the ceiling.
Just as he was finally drifting toward sleep—
A smooth, slender leg suddenly slid over and rested against his calf.