Qin Jizhi didn’t know what to call Yu Qiaoqiao.
Anything too intimate felt impossible for him to say.
“Comrade Yu Qiaoqiao?”
“Seriously, Qin Jizhi? Do you think ‘Comrade Yu Qiaoqiao’ sounds more intimate than just ‘Yu Qiaoqiao’?” She was truly speechless at this straight man’s way of thinking.“How does it sound like we’re getting less familiar the more you call me?”
“Then what should I call you?” he asked.
Yu Qiaoqiao grinned and leaned closer. “Call me Qiao’er or ‘wife.’ How about that?”
Qin Jizhi got so flustered he bit his tongue. He fell silent, unsure whether he should agree—those terms were really hard for him to say out loud…
“Pick one. What will you call me?”
His face turned red all the way to his neck. After a long pause, he finally forced out a few words, “I… I can’t say that.”
Yu Qiaoqiao had expected this, but she was naturally rebellious and insisted on “retraining” him. “That’s just because you’re not used to it yet. Listen to me—from now on, call me ‘wife.’”
“I’ll use the other one!” Qin Jizhi blurted out.
“Wife” might not seem like a big deal to others, but Qin Jizhi was conservative by nature. He really couldn’t bring himself to say it—probably not even in the future. Compared to that, using her name felt much easier.
Yu Qiaoqiao raised an eyebrow. “Alright then, let me hear it.”
Qin Jizhi looked like he was being forced into it. He glanced at her before slowly speaking, “Qiao’er.”
“Ah, that sounds nice. Say it again.”
Having said it once, the second time came easier. “Qiao’er.”
“Jizhi.”
“…Mm.”
It was just a simple syllable, but somehow it carried warmth.
Yu Qiaoqiao finished sewing the bedsheet and glanced at the small bed. This was where she and Qin Jizhi would be sleeping together tonight.
Qin Jizhi clearly realized it too. “How about I sleep on the floor and you take the bed?”
In the end, under Yu Qiaoqiao’s insistence, they shared the only quilt. Under it, their bodies were close—so close that she could feel the heat radiating from him.
She suddenly turned to face him. “Qin Jizhi, I want to talk to you about something.”
He didn’t dare look at her.
Her big, bright eyes made his heart race, so he simply closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. “Go ahead.”
“Can I touch your legs?”
She had purely medical intentions—wanting to feel the condition of his bones—but after a whole day of being “tormented” by her, Qin Jizhi’s mind immediately went elsewhere. “Qiao’er… go to sleep.”
Yu Qiaoqiao realized he had misunderstood. “That’s not what I meant. I mean—if I could heal your legs, would you be willing to try?”
Only after becoming ill does one truly understand the value of health. During all the days Qin Jizhi had been bedridden, what he missed most was his former self—the one who could walk and run freely.
So when she said this, he looked at her in surprise. “What did you say?”
Yu Qiaoqiao knew her words sounded unbelievable. In the eyes of the people in Qingshi Village, she was an uneducated, aimless woman. If she suddenly claimed she could heal someone, no one would believe it.
“I know it sounds unlikely, but I really can heal your legs. Will you trust me?”
Qin Jizhi thought she was just trying to comfort or encourage him, not that she truly meant it. But seeing her sincerity, he didn’t want to disappoint her, so he nodded. “I trust you.”
Though he said he believed her, Yu Qiaoqiao knew he didn’t—not really. But that didn’t matter. As long as he agreed to let her try, she was completely confident she could help him stand again.
Since she was going to treat him, she needed to check his pulse. She slipped her hand under the quilt and rested it on his wrist.
His heartbeat quickened immediately.
Having never been this close to a woman before—let alone lying under the same blanket and being touched—Qin Jizhi felt his body react uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Yu Qiaoqiao, thinking she hadn’t examined enough, moved her hand further. Accidentally, she brushed against something firm and raised.
Just as she was about to lift the quilt to check, Qin Jizhi grabbed her wrist. “That’s enough.”
Realizing something, Yu Qiaoqiao stared at him in disbelief. “Jizhi, you…”
You’re… a normal man?
So just now—that was…?
And it was quite… firm.
Qin Jizhi’s face turned redder than ever before. This time, even Yu Qiaoqiao felt embarrassed. She had assumed only his arms and upper body could move—but clearly…
That part of him was perfectly responsive.
It was unbearably awkward.
At least she had gotten a general sense of his pulse. The two of them lay far apart afterward, pretending to sleep and not disturbing each other. Eventually, Yu Qiaoqiao drifted off first.
When she woke up again, it was to the sound of Qin’s mother knocking on the door.
Rubbing her eyes, she noticed Qin Jizhi staring at her without blinking. She chuckled. “Jizhi, do you think I look prettier in the morning?”
Following his gaze downward, Yu Qiaoqiao encountered a fresh moment of utter embarrassment.
She was sprawled over him like a clingy octopus, her limbs wrapped around him. One leg was even draped over that sensitive area, pushing it off to the side.
She quickly sat up, threw on a jacket, and jumped off the bed. “I’ll go see what’s going on.”
Qin Jizhi took a deep breath. He knew his lower body was fine—every morning, it proved itself quite… spirited.
But sharing a quilt with Yu Qiaoqiao every night like this, he worried he might actually develop problems from suppressing himself.
Yu Qiaoqiao ran to the door, wondering what urgent matter Qin’s mother had so early in the morning. To her surprise, it was like the sun had risen from the west—Qin’s mother was holding two bowls of porridge, two pieces of flatbread, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.
Though she had been knocking impatiently, the moment Yu Qiaoqiao opened the door, her expression turned warm and welcoming. “Qiaoqiao, nothing special. I just brought breakfast for you and Jizhi. After you eat, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of him—we’re heading to work.”
Yu Qiaoqiao thought to herself: yesterday’s mention of splitting the household must have scared Qin’s mother. She was afraid of losing their source of support.
With Qin’s mother smiling, Yu Qiaoqiao put on a smile of her own. “Oh, Mom, you’ve worked so hard. If I didn’t have to take care of Jizhi, I’d definitely go work with you.”
Then she changed her tone slightly. “Good thing our Jizhi gets a subsidy. Otherwise, with neither of us earning work points, things at home would really be difficult.”
The words sounded harmless, but Qin’s mother immediately grew uneasy. Afraid Yu Qiaoqiao would bring up dividing the household again, she quickly pressed her hand. “What are you saying? As long as I have something to eat, you two won’t go hungry. Just stay home and take care of Jizhi.”
Yu Qiaoqiao carried the bowls and chopsticks back inside, glanced at Qin Jizhi, and said, “Jizhi, I need to tell you something.”