“Can we borrow a stove?” Lu Huaizhou thought he misheard.
The talent show was going to be held in the grand auditorium of the military district.
Everyone else was performing songs, dances, poetry recitations, or at worst, doing a short comic sketch. Who would bring a stove onto a stage?
“That’s right!” Su Hongxia nodded vigorously, her eyes shining with excitement. “Didn’t you say we can choose our own performance? I want to perform cooking!”
Lu Huaizhou looked at her enthusiasm, unsure how to respond.
He admitted that Su Hongxia’s culinary skills were extraordinary, but bringing kitchen work onto a stage as a talent performance… that was unheard of.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Absolutely!” Su Hongxia’s tone was decisive. “The more they want to see me embarrass myself, the more I want to shock them! I want everyone to know that Lu Huaizhou’s wife is neither a fool nor someone to be trifled with!”
Her words hit Lu Huaizhou’s calm heart like a stone thrown into still water.
He looked at her slightly flushed, excited face, at her eyes burning with determination. Something deep inside him was stirred.
From being sold by her parents to being mocked in the compound, she seemed never to have truly yielded.
She was like a wild grass growing in a crack of the stone—seemingly fragile, yet fiercely resilient.
“All right,” Lu Huaizhou said, almost to himself. “I’ll help you borrow it.”
A stove? Not just one—ten of them, if she wanted, he could get them.
..
In the following days, Mrs. Wang went around spreading the word that Su Hongxia was going to perform at the talent show, exaggerating and portraying her as a foolish girl who would only go on stage to act ridiculous. The whole compound eagerly awaited to see Lu Huaizhou’s “embarrassment.”
Some even placed bets: would Su Hongxia cry and run off the stage, or be so scared she’d soil herself?
Su Hongxia ignored all the gossip.
She continued her daily routine—cooking, doing laundry, and occasionally exploring the back hills for useful herbs and ingredients.
Meanwhile, Lu Huaizhou followed her regime without fail, soaking his feet in the herbal decoction she made and receiving her massages.
His leg was recovering at a pace that even surprised him.
From complete numbness, to tingling and soreness, and now occasionally feeling some strength, he was making progress.
He could even walk slowly across the yard using just a cane.
All these changes made his feelings toward Su Hongxia increasingly complex.
She was a puzzle—a mystery he was desperate to solve, yet unwilling to reveal too quickly.
..
Two days before the talent show, someone’s arrival shattered the compound’s quiet.
Lin Wan’er was back.
She practically ran straight to Lu Huaizhou’s home as soon as she set down her luggage.
At that moment, Su Hongxia was in the yard, slaughtering a chicken.
She had traded a few pieces of Sachima with Mrs. Li next door for this chicken, planning to cook it to strengthen Lu Huaizhou.
With one hand holding the wing and the other gripping the knife, she swiftly cut the chicken’s neck, letting the blood drain precisely into a bowl of salted water.
Every movement was clean and efficient, with no wasted motion.
It was at this moment that Lin Wan’er pushed open the courtyard gate.
She was dressed in a fashionable blouse-and-skirt set, the latest trend, accentuating her slender figure and fair skin.
Her hair was styled in delicate waves, and she wore light makeup, exuding an air of sophistication and superiority completely out of place in the humble courtyard.
She had entered with the air of a winner, planning to “visit” the supposedly weakened Lu Huaizhou, while sizing up the countryside fool brought in for luck—curious to see what kind of person she was.
But as soon as she entered, she was confronted with this “bloody” scene.
A rural woman in patched, worn clothes squatting on the ground, handling a struggling chicken with practiced precision.
The floor was covered with feathers and blood, the air filled with the strong smell of raw poultry.
Lin Wan’er’s brows instantly furrowed. She instinctively stepped back half a pace, covering her nose with a handkerchief, her eyes openly showing disdain and disgust.
“Who… who are you? Where’s Huaizhou?” she asked, her tone high and haughty, as if speaking another word to Su Hongxia would insult herself.
Su Hongxia glanced at her, silently acknowledging the woman.
Oh, so this is the woman from the photo… in person, she’s even… “aromatic.”
From this distance, Su Hongxia could almost smell the overpowering perfume.
Ignoring her, she bent back to the chicken.
Lin Wan’er, irritated by the indifference, was about to flare up when the door to the east room opened.
Lu Huaizhou stepped out, cane in hand.
“Huaizhou!” Lin Wan’er’s eyes instantly reddened. She hurried forward, wanting to help him, her voice full of concern and grievance. “Your leg… how did it get like this? I heard… you even married a rural woman for luck? How could your parents do this to you?”
She shot a challenging glance at Su Hongxia with the corner of her eye, clearly implying: see, I’m the one who cares about him; you’re just an outsider.
But Lu Huaizhou sidestepped as she reached for him.
His movement was subtle, but the refusal was unmistakable.
“Why are you here?” His voice was cold, three degrees colder than when speaking to Mrs. Wang.
Lin Wan’er froze, unable to believe her ears.
He had never been this distant before, even though he wasn’t particularly warm to her.
“I… I just returned to the unit and came to see you immediately,” she forced a smile. “Don’t worry, Huaizhou, my father has already contacted the best orthopedic specialist in Beijing. Your leg will be fine. As for this woman…”
She turned to point at Su Hongxia, her tone dripping with contempt. “I know your heart is in pain, but you shouldn’t degrade yourself. A countryside fool… how could she be worthy of you? Send her away, and I—”
“She is not a fool,” Lu Huaizhou cut her off coldly. “And she is not ‘from the countryside.’ She is my wife, Su Hongxia.”
He stepped forward, positioning himself directly in front of Su Hongxia, completely blocking Lin Wan’er’s hostile gaze.
It was a protective stance, an unyielding declaration.
Lin Wan’er’s face turned pale.
She had imagined countless reunion scenarios, even planned how to console Lu Huaizhou and quietly get rid of the rural woman.
She had never imagined that he would defend this woman!
“Huaizhou…”
“If you came to see me, you’ve already done so,” Lu Huaizhou interrupted again, his tone now laced with impatience. “It’s not convenient here. Please leave.”
It was a merciless dismissal.
Tears welled up in Lin Wan’er’s eyes. Frustrated, she glanced at Lu Huaizhou, then at the silent woman behind him, still focused on the dead chicken. She bit her lip, stomped her foot, and turned to run out.
The courtyard finally fell silent.
Lu Huaizhou frowned, watching her retreating back.
He turned to check Su Hongxia’s reaction, intending to explain a few things.
Instead, he saw her holding the drained chicken, looking at him seriously.
“Lu Huaizhou.”
“Yes?”
“That lady’s perfume… smelled awful,” Su Hongxia wrinkled her nose, clearly disgusted. “Look, it even made my chicken pass out.”
She shook the now-dead chicken in her hand.
Lu Huaizhou looked at her earnest expression, then at the dead chicken. Any irritation and heaviness in his heart melted away at her blunt, childlike remark.
He couldn’t help but let out a low laugh.