Qiao Lanshu had thought that cooperating with the investigators today would mean she wouldn't be able to get home until at least eight or nine in the evening.
After all, there had been cases before where people were reported, and due to the seriousness of a teacher's identity, the investigation would take a long time and be very troublesome, whether the accusations were true or not.
But this time, as soon as Qin Yuanzheng appeared, the investigators stopped making things difficult for her.
It seemed that as the wife of the military district commander, she still enjoyed some preferential treatment.
The chauffeur drove the car, with Qin Yuanzheng and Qiao Lanshu sitting in the back.
Qin Yuanzheng held Qiao Lanshu's hand and stroked it, kneading each of her fingers one by one.
But Qin Yuanzheng remained silent for a long time, so Qiao Lanshu tilted her head to look at him. "What's wrong? Brother Zheng, are you angry?"
Qin Yuanzheng sat there and turned to look at her. His expression was still serious with a hint of coldness.
But there was also a trace of tenderness in his eyes as he looked at Qiao Lanshu. Even though he deliberately put on a stern face, he still couldn't fool his little wife.
Qiao Lanshu couldn't help but laugh and said softly, "Brother Zheng, are you jealous?"
Qin Yuanzheng looked at Qiao Lanshu's fair and rosy face. His wife had given birth to two children and had been married to him for nearly ten years, yet she was still a young and beautiful girl.
Her fair skin was flawless, her eyes as clear as ever, and her figure had shed the slenderness of a girl, becoming the plump and full figure of a young matron.
Only her waist remained slender. He reached out and grabbed her waist firmly, jealous, even slipping his hand into her clothes and pinching her soft waist.
Qiao Lanshu let out a low cry, and then he pressed her into his arms with one hand.
He held her tightly, looking at her with a straight face, and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is going on? Last time it was young Teacher Zhao, and this time it's Han Wenlin."
He paused, very displeased, and said, "Why Han Wenlin? He's about the same age as me, and he doesn't look as good as me. Look at his hair—half of it is white. Could you really fall for him?"
The work at the public security bureau was too exhausting. Over the past few years, Han Wenlin had been mentally and physically drained. Although he was only in his thirties and in his prime, white hair had already appeared.
Qin Yuanzheng felt that in terms of appearance alone, Han Wenlin was absolutely no match for him.
Qin Yuanzheng continued, "Besides, how many years has Han Wenlin been out of the military? He hasn't kept his figure either—he doesn't even have abs anymore. If you fell for him, wouldn't you miss out on your favorite abs?"
As he spoke, he unbuttoned his military jacket, grabbed Qiao Lanshu's hand, and pressed it against his own abs.
Qin Yuanzheng had always kept himself in excellent shape. Perhaps because his wife was so young, he had become more and more concerned about his appearance and physique in recent years.
He went to the training ground every day, even earlier than the young soldiers.
He had to maintain his body, training from his arms to his torso and legs.
A man's stamina must not decline—once it does, women won't like it anymore.
The two young chauffeurs sitting in the driver's and passenger's seats heard their commander say these things for the first time.
They were extremely shocked but dared not look back, nor could they exchange glances. They could only hold it in with great effort.
They never would have imagined that the commander they regarded as cold, stern, and rigid was actually so desperate in private.
Just to win his wife's favor, he was even selling his looks.
Qiao Lanshu was also amused by Qin Yuanzheng despite herself.
He pressed her into his arms, and she laughed so hard she was shaking all over. As he watched her laugh, even his stern expression couldn’t hold up.
He pinched Qiao Lanshu’s chin and said in a low voice, “Still laughing? You’ve got some nerve laughing?”
Qin Yuanzheng was practically fuming at Qiao Lanshu, but then he reconsidered—his wife hadn’t really done anything wrong. The real culprit was the one who had filed a baseless complaint against her after catching wind of some rumor.
Qiao Lanshu leaned against him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and murmured, “Of course I wouldn’t take a liking to Han Wenlin. I’ve already got the most handsome and outstanding man in the world. ‘Once you’ve seen the vast ocean, no other water can compare.’ Now, aside from you, I can’t see anyone else worth my attention.”
Even though she found those words a bit cheesy, Qiao Lanshu knew that Qin Yuanzheng loved hearing them.
And sure enough, after hearing that, Qin Yuanzheng could barely keep his composure.
He lowered his head, playing with Qiao Lanshu’s earlobe as he said quietly, “If this matter isn’t handled well, it could affect your future work and promotions.”
He continued softly, “Let me handle it. I’ll go to the Education Bureau myself tomorrow.”
Qiao Lanshu looked up at him. “Do we really need that? Isn’t that going a bit overboard?”
The thought of the military district commander showing up at the Education Bureau—didn’t that sound a little intimidating?
Qin Yuanzheng was still in a sour mood. “Overboard? My wife’s been reported, so it’s only natural and proper for me to follow up on it.”
Qiao Lanshu didn’t argue any further.
What she didn’t expect, though, was that not only would Qin Yuanzheng go to the Education Bureau, but the Public Security Bureau director, Han Wenlin, would go as well. But that was a story for later. For now, Qiao Lanshu still had to deal with the jealous husband at home.
When the couple got home, Han Ye had already cooked the rice, fried a plate of eggs, blanched some lettuce, washed and plated some pickled vegetables, and steamed a few sausages. The three kids were sitting together eating dinner.
Just as they were finishing up, Han Ye finally relaxed when he saw Qiao Lanshu and Qin Yuanzheng walk in.
Xiaxia put down her bowl and rushed out. “Mom, you’re finally back!”
Qiao Lanshu gave Xiaxia a hug and smiled. “Your big brother made dinner for you?”
An’an came out holding his bowl, a piece of sausage still in his mouth. He said, “Big brother can’t cook. The rice is still hard in the middle, and the eggs are all burnt from too much soy sauce. Mom, why did you take so long? I’m so hungry.”
Qiao Lanshu looked at her son, her smile faltering. She frowned, reached out, and pinched An’an’s cheek, turning it left and right to examine it. “What happened to your face? Did someone hit you?”
Qin Qiao’an had fought with Li Taohua’s older brother, Li Jian, that morning, and half of his face had swollen up from the blows.
Thankfully, after an afternoon, it looked a lot better now. But one side of his face was still a little bruised, which looked alarming. Han Ye had even boiled an egg earlier to roll over his face to help with the swelling.
An’an said guiltily, “No, nothing…”
Xiaxia cut in right away, “Mom, big brother got beaten up by Li Taohua’s brother this morning. That brother is too fat and really tall too. My brother couldn’t beat him.”
Qiao Lanshu: “???”
Qin Qiao'an was unhappy the moment he heard this. He said loudly, "Who says I can't beat him? Didn't I make him howl in pain? Sure, the injuries on my face look scary, but he had plenty of bruises too—they just don't show."
Qiao Lanshu asked Xiaxia a few questions and finally learned what had happened.
It turned out that before Han Ye went to school to stand up for Xiaxia, An'an had already gotten into a fight with Li Taohua and her brother.
Qiao Lanshu sighed and turned to look at Qin Yuanzheng.
Qin Yuanzheng stared at An'an's face, his expression stern.
Qin Qiao'an sensed his father's bad mood and immediately grew a little guilty.
Even Han Ye sat there nervously, not daring to move.
The two brothers, who were nothing short of arrogant outside, now seemed meek and cautious.
Qin Yuanzheng looked at his son several times before saying, "What you did today was right. When your sister is being bullied, it's proper for her brothers to step up and help."
He paused and then continued, "But you also need to be smart about it. What you did today was too reckless—injuring the enemy a thousand only to suffer eight hundred yourselves! Especially you, Qin Qiao'an. If you're going to fight, at least win! This summer, you're coming with me to the military base for training."
Qin Qiao'an: "..."
The moment he heard about military training, he immediately wilted.
He'd heard that training at a military base was incredibly grueling. Even though he was still just a kid and the guards probably wouldn't be too strict with him, it would still be exhausting. He'd rather go out and play.
Han Ye, intimidated by the atmosphere, didn't dare to make a sound. He quickly stood up, slung his schoolbag over one shoulder, and dashed to the yard, calling out, "Mother Qiao, I have things to do at home, so I'll head back now. There's food in the pot—take your time eating."
With that, he vanished like a gust of wind. Given his years of training, he sure was fast.
Qin Yuanzheng had initially wanted to call Han Ye back and give him a piece of his mind, but on second thought, Han Wenlin seemed to have been pretty idle lately—idle enough to have rumors spread about him and his wife, and he'd even been going on blind dates, trying to find a girlfriend.
Let Han Ye go back. Having such a dutiful son around would give Han Wenlin something to keep him busy.
With that in mind, Qin Yuanzheng didn't stop Han Ye and let him slip out quickly.
By now, it was getting late, and the kids were hungry. Qiao Lanshu was also famished.
She said, "Let's put everything aside for now and eat first."
Qiao Lanshu went to check the dishes on the table. Han Ye couldn't cook well, but considering no parents were home, it was still impressive that he managed to make a few dishes for his younger brother and sister.
However, the fried eggs had too much soy sauce. Qiao Lanshu soaked them in hot water to rinse off the soy sauce before eating them.
The blanched lettuce had turned a bit yellow—it lacked oil when blanched—but it was still edible.
Qiao Lanshu steamed the undercooked rice again, along with a few sweet potatoes, and the family finally had their dinner.
After dinner, Qin Yuanzheng took Qin Qiao'an to the yard for boxing practice.
Because Qin Qiao'an had lost his fight today, Qin Yuanzheng made him train an extra half hour, focusing on teaching him hand-to-hand combat.
Qin Yuanzheng had initially wanted to teach his daughter as well, but Xiaxia was afraid of getting tired and didn't want to learn. She only wanted to read.
Sometimes, Qin Yuanzheng worried that his daughter might turn into a bookworm.
After finishing the training and taking a shower, Qin Yuanzheng went back to the house.
Their house had three rooms. Both his son and daughter had their own rooms, but since the two children were timid, they usually slept together in one room.
When Han Ye came over, he got a room to himself.
Qin Yuanzheng wiped his hair with a towel and glanced into the room. There were two beds inside, with a table set up between them. On the table sat a small oil lamp.
The lamp gave off a faint light. An'an and Xiaxia each lay on their own beds, already asleep.
Xiaxia was covered with a quilt, sleeping in a quiet, well-behaved manner.
But An'an, exhausted from the training, had his feet still on the floor and his upper body sprawled across the blanket. He was snoring softly, fast asleep.
Qin Yuanzheng chuckled, walked over, moved An'an onto the bed, pulled the quilt over his belly, and then left the room.
Qiao Lanshu had also finished her bath. She hung up the clean clothes to dry, and when she saw Qin Yuanzheng coming over, she asked in a low voice: "Are they both asleep?"
Qin Yuanzheng nodded. He took the clothes from her hands, helping to hang them, and said quietly: "They're both asleep. Should we turn in too?"
Qiao Lanshu nodded. Once the couple returned to their room, she was about to discuss with Qin Yuanzheng the idea of letting Xiaxia skip a grade.
But Qin Yuanzheng suddenly scooped her up and headed straight for the bed. He said in a low voice: "Let's talk about other things later. First, let's deal with the matter of you disrupting a military marriage."
Qiao Lanshu looked surprised: "I thought that matter was already settled?"
Qin Yuanzheng said quietly: "It's not that easy to settle. To make sure you don't set your eyes on any other man, I need to remind you of my capabilities."
He continued: "I've been too busy lately. How long has it been since we've been intimate? Twenty-something days, right? Or a month? Have you been thinking I'm losing my touch, and that's why you've been getting so close to other men?"
Qiao Lanshu felt that Qin Yuanzheng was talking nonsense.
She couldn't help laughing and said: "I've never thought that..."
Qin Yuanzheng carried her onto the bed. They were an old married couple by now—look, his wife didn't even blush at the sight of him anymore.
He looked at her and asked: "So tell me, is a month a long time?"
Qiao Lanshu nodded honestly: "It has been a little long."
Not wanting to be teased by him the whole time, she deliberately replied: "Brother Zheng, you've never held back this long before. Why have you stopped for nearly thirty days this time? Are you telling me you've got someone else out there?"
Qin Yuanzheng: "..."
His face darkened, and with a loud "smack," he hit her on the bottom.
He said sternly: "Nonsense. Besides you, who else could I have eyes for?"
Qiao Lanshu covered herself, let out a few soft grumbles, and glanced at him: "Who's to say? You're now the commander of the military subregion. There must be plenty of female comrades in your office, right? The time you spend with them every day is more than the time you spend with me. So who knows..."
Qin Yuanzheng abruptly pinned Qiao Lanshu down on the bed. He was genuinely irritated by her and said through gritted teeth: "It looks like you're just asking for a spanking today. Just wait—I'll see if you can still say that later."
With that, his big hand reached out and began pulling off her clothes.
Qiao Lanshu put up a playful resistance as she said: "Hey, hey, hey, Chief Qin, before you finish explaining yourself, don't you dare mess around. A gentleman uses words, not hands!"
Qin Yuanzheng pulled off her pants, placing a pillow under Qiao Lanshu's lower back. He pressed down on her legs, squinting as he said, "Fine, I'll use my mouth and not my hands. Don't complain later when you're not satisfied."
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qin Yuanzheng felt that Qiao Lanshu was being a bit too cheeky—she really needed a good lesson this time.
It had been nearly thirty days since they'd last been intimate, so it had been a while.
Before half an hour was up, Qiao Lanshu couldn't take it anymore. She said, "Ah, Brother Zheng, maybe you could..."
Qin Yuanzheng wiped his face, cutting her off. "It was you who said a gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands."
Qiao Lanshu was on the verge of tears and started to act cute. "I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? Besides, Brother Zheng, are you really a gentleman?"
Hearing this, Qin Yuanzheng immediately slapped her once and said in a deep voice, "Still teasing? Asking for another spanking?"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu dared not say another word. Qin Yuanzheng had plenty of strength and ways to make her regret it—she wouldn't provoke him anymore.
But even staying silent wasn't okay.
Qin Yuanzheng gave her another spank and ordered, "Talk!"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
