Jiang Lianyue frowned slightly. The original owner of this body was unfamiliar with Hengzhou, so who would come looking for her?
Still, she would know once she went up to take a look. Thinking this, she smiled, thanked the auntie, and quickened her pace upstairs.
When Zhou Jiajing heard that someone had come to see Jiang Lianyue, he subconsciously looked toward her. To his surprise, she merely nodded to the auntie and went straight upstairs without sparing him even a glance.
That subtle, uncomfortable feeling welled up in Zhou Jiajing again, the same one he’d had when she said she was going to Fu City Market instead of the machinery factory to find him. It seemed she truly didn’t see him as her husband at all, only as a roommate.
“Comrade Zhou, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go take a look,” the auntie said as she followed Jiang Lianyue up a few steps, then turned back when she didn’t see Zhou Jiajing coming. “Little Sister Xu just arrived, don’t let her get bullied.”
Zhou Jiajing hurried after them.
No matter what kind of agreement existed between them, outwardly speaking, Jiang Lianyue was still his wife. He couldn’t allow anyone to bully her.
When Jiang Lianyue reached the third floor, she saw a middle-aged woman standing outside their door. The woman wore a gray Lenin-style jacket and had short, ear-length hair. She carried an air of authority, clearly someone in a leadership position.
Hearing footsteps, the woman turned around. When her eyes met Jiang Lianyue’s, she smiled and asked, “Girl, were you the one who rescued an elderly woman outside the market today?”
Jiang Lianyue was momentarily stunned, then nodded.
The woman hurried over, grasped her hand, and said excitedly, “I’ve finally found you. Thank you for saving my mother.”
Zhou Jiajing, who had just come up behind them, stared in shock at Jiang Lianyue, who looked utterly unconcerned.
Jiang Lianyue truly hadn’t taken the matter to heart. She curved her lips into a smile and said, “I only helped a little. It was a big sister in a blue work uniform who went to call the doctor, and a young man in a sailor shirt who helped send the auntie to the hospital.”
The woman nodded. “I asked around and that’s how I found you. The doctor said that if it hadn’t been for your timely first aid, even if they’d arrived, they wouldn’t have been able to save her.”
Jiang Lianyue asked, “How is auntie now?”
“She’s stable now,” the woman replied. “She just needs to stay in the hospital for a while longer to recuperate. She’ll have to be more careful in the future.”
“That’s good,” Jiang Lianyue said with a slight nod, genuinely relieved.
Only then did Zhou Jiajing find a chance to speak. He stepped forward and stood beside Jiang Lianyue.
“Why don’t we go inside and talk?”
He was a little curious, how exactly had this “wife” of his saved someone?
She knew how to save people?
Back then, it was because she’d saved him that he’d had no choice but to marry her.
Now she’d saved someone else, and didn’t even want anything in return?
Zhou Jiajing’s sword-like brows are knitted together.
Why did the person in front of him feel so different from the woman who had once accused him of ingratitude and threatened to make a scene that would cost him his job if he didn’t marry her?
Jiang Lianyue also remembered that the auntie had said the visitor had been waiting for a long time. She quickly said,
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Come in and have some water.”
As she spoke, she took out the key and opened the door.
The woman acknowledged her and picked up a mesh bag from the floor before following them inside.
Jiang Lianyue asked her to sit down, then went to the kitchen to wash her hands before coming back to pour water. When she handed the cup to the woman seated by the dining table, she noticed the mesh bag and paused. “It was just a small favor. You really don’t need to be so polite.”
The woman replied, “To you, it was just a small favor. To us, it was the life of a loved one. It’s only some fruit and canned goods, nothing valuable.”
After Zhou Jiajing came in carrying his basket, he set it down in the corner, washed his hands as well, and then returned to sit in the living room.
Looking at the handsome man and beautiful woman before her, the middle-aged woman couldn’t help but praise them inwardly.
Both were good-looking, and both were so refined. No wonder they made such a fine couple.
After chatting for over half an hour, Zhou Jiajing learned the details of how Jiang Lianyue had saved Grandma Huang. He also learned that the middle-aged woman was Ling Xiuli, director of the county Women’s Federation.
Ling Xiuli, in turn, learned that the couple were newlyweds and that Jiang Lianyue’s hometown was Jiangxiang Village in Luancheng Town.
“If you run into any trouble in the future, just come to the Women’s Federation and look for me,” Ling Xiuli said kindly to Jiang Lianyue.
Luancheng Town was a half-day bicycle ride from Hengzhou. If something happened, her natal family wouldn’t be able to look after her right away.
Jiang Lianyue didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted directly, “Alright!”
She really did have no relatives or acquaintances in Hengzhou. Having a friend she could interact with wasn’t a bad thing.
Ling Xiuli glanced at her watch and said, “I really don’t have time today. When my mother’s health improves a bit more, I’ll invite the two of you to dinner to thank you properly.”
Jiang Lianyue tried to keep her for dinner, but Ling Xiuli said she still had to go back and cook and deliver food to her mother-in-law, and waved her hand in refusal.
After seeing Ling Xiuli off, Jiang Lianyue turned around and discovered Zhou Jiajing staring at her intently, as if studying her.
She paused slightly, then smiled radiantly. “Am I good-looking?”
Zhou Jiajing: “!”
At her words, his attention shifted from her expression to her features.
Her skin was smooth as jade, her brows and eyes vivid, her expression lively and charming, her smile blooming like a flower. How was she merely good-looking? She was practically a celestial beauty.
Zhou Jiajing felt his ears burn. He immediately turned his head away and retreated into the study.
Jiang Lianyue looked at the closed door, thoughtful.
She felt that Zhou Jiajing seemed to have noticed something.
But she had no intention of explaining, nor of hiding anything.
In the future, she would do many more things that would surprise him. Explaining each one would be exhausting, and impossible. In any case, once policies loosened in a few years, she would divorce him. At that point, they’d have nothing to do with each other. There was no need to explain too much.
Besides, living under the same roof, hiding everything would be far too tiring. She couldn’t be bothered.
The aroma of food drifted in from outside. Jiang Lianyue glanced out the window, the sky was already darkening. It was time to cook.
There was still some leftover pickled-vegetable fish from noon, though the egg porridge was gone. She cooked some rice, reheated the fish, and made do with that.
Cold leftovers didn’t taste very good. Zhou Jiajing ate only a little before he couldn’t continue. He’d been hungry since five in the afternoon. Originally, he’d planned to eat after escorting her home, but then a guest arrived, and afterward he’d been teased by her and retreated into the room out of embarrassment.
Smelling the fragrant food outside, Zhou Jiajing rubbed his aching, ravenous stomach, feeling irritable.
Why?
Why was it that after she’d only been here one day, he’d already gone hungry twice?
After eating, Jiang Lianyue felt a bit sticky all over and heated water to take a bath.
Only after it became quiet outside did Zhou Jiajing come out of the study.
He opened the bedroom door, then stopped short when he heard the faint sound of running water from the bathroom, caught in a dilemma.
Would she think he was a pervert, for only coming out after she’d gone to bathe?
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Jiajing ultimately stepped out of the study and left the house.
If he didn’t go eat something, he was afraid he’d starve himself sick.
He found a random noodle stall outside, ate a bowl of noodles, and then returned.
He hadn’t slept well the night before. He’d gone to the factory early that morning and later made a trip to the village. He was utterly exhausted. After eating his fill, he felt even more tired and just wanted to rest.
Back home, he habitually pushed open the bedroom door, only to stop halfway, suddenly realizing that this room was no longer his.
Zhou Jiajing looked up, intending to apologize to Jiang Lianyue. But when his gaze landed on her bent over, wiping her hair, the words stuck in his throat.
She was wearing loose, long-sleeved clothes and trousers, fully covered. Yet perhaps because she’d just bathed, her fair little face was tinged with pink, as delicate and radiant as a lotus just emerged from water.
Zhou Jiajing froze, staring.
He had never seen such a captivating woman.
When Jiang Lianyue noticed Zhou Jiajing frozen by the door, she raised her brow slightly, lifted her index and middle fingers together, drew an imaginary circle in the air, pointed at him, and lightly commanded, “Retreat!”
Then, with a look that said you’ve been saved, she added, “Your seal has been lifted. You can speak now.”
Zhou Jiajing: “!”
What… What kind of nonsense was this?
Her playful interruption snapped him out of his wandering thoughts. His mind raced as he found an excuse for himself, “I came to get some clothes.”
All his personal belongings were still in the bedroom. Last night, Jiang Lianyue had fallen asleep right away. He’d felt awkward lingering and had only grabbed two items before leaving. Now he needed to bathe, of course he had to come back in to get clothes.
Zhou Jiajing felt rather proud of his quick thinking. Too clever. How could he come up with such a perfect excuse so fast?
“Oh, go ahead,” Jiang Lianyue said, withdrawing her hand and continuing to wipe her hair.
Zhou Jiajing paused, then stepped inside. Opening the wardrobe, he saw his clothes hanging alongside brightly colored women’s garments. Among them were even a few intimate pieces. His ears instantly burned.
He had never been this close to any woman before.
From a young age, he’d known he was good-looking. He also knew that many women approached him because of his looks and family background. Precisely because of that, he found women troublesome, delicate, prone to sulking at the slightest thing. Annoying, so he’d always maintained a polite distance.
He’d just seen her fresh, alluring appearance. Now, suddenly seeing her undergarments hanging right next to his clothes, his mind couldn’t help but wander into unspeakable territory.
“Don’t take everything out,” Jiang Lianyue said, worried he might clear the wardrobe. “Leave a few pieces inside in case someone accidentally opens it.”
Ah, right!
They were only a nominal couple.
All of Zhou Jiajing’s romantic thoughts vanished instantly.
Remembering her clear, businesslike expression when she’d mentioned the agreement yesterday, an inexplicable irritation rose in his chest. He grabbed a few clothes at random, along with some personal items, and fled the bedroom as if escaping.
Zhou Jiajing heated water in the kitchen, poured it into a bucket, and carried it into the bathroom. Seeing the pink towel and the bar of Bee Flower sandalwood soap that hadn’t been there before, his ears burned again.
She’d just bathed here!
The air seemed to retain a faint, lingering fragrance. He recalled the subtle scent that had emanated from her during the day as she sat beside him. Was that from this soap?
He thought about it. No, that wasn’t sandalwood. It was something indescribable, but very pleasant.
Would the scent on her body change after using this sandalwood soap?
Driven by some inexplicable impulse, Zhou Jiajing leaned closer to the soap and took a deep breath, trying to memorize its scent so he could tell,
No, no!
He stopped himself in time, held his breath, and forced himself to forget the smell.
They were only a couple by agreement, not a real married couple. Thinking about her like this was disrespectful to her.