Han Ye still had no idea that his relationship with Xiaxia had already been discovered.
The two of them were still whispering secretly in her room. Standing beside Xiaxia’s desk, he held her hand and said in a furtive voice, “Xia’er, don’t you think there was something strange about the way our dad was looking at me just now?”
Han Ye had always had his principles.
He had eaten countless meals at Qin Yuanzheng’s house growing up, but he had never once called Qin Yuanzheng “Dad.”
Yet now, less than three days into his relationship with Xiaxia, he was already calling him “our dad” at every opportunity.
The two of them had grown up together as childhood sweethearts and knew each other inside and out.
Even so, now that they were dating, there was still that thrilling, heart-fluttering excitement between them.
Han Ye lowered his voice. “The way he looked at me just now was exactly the same as when he wanted to beat me for doing something wrong as a kid.”
Xiaxia sat in her chair with one hand propping up her cheek as she looked at him. “So what did you do wrong this time?”
Han Ye said, “What could I have done? I’ve been with you every day since I got back. Don’t you know whether I’ve done anything wrong?”
As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Xiaxia’s cheek.
She did not dodge, simply letting him pinch her. Then she said, “Then you must have gotten into trouble in the army. Your commanding officer complained to my dad.”
Han Ye frowned and fell silent for several seconds before saying, “Impossible. I haven’t caused trouble in a whole month. When I asked for leave to come back, my commanding officer even said I’d been performing well, so he approved two extra days off.”
Xiaxia looked at him, her expression gradually turning serious. “Ah. Then there’s only one possibility…”
Before she could finish, there was a knock on the door. Qiao Lanshu called from outside, “Xiaxia, are you in there? I’m coming in, okay?”
Han Ye immediately let go of Xiaxia’s hand and straightened up, standing ramrod-straight. He exchanged a nervous glance with her.
Xiaxia, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm. She gave him an exasperated look. “Honestly, what are you so nervous about?”
Of course they would have to tell their parents eventually. And this was hardly a big deal, was it?
They weren’t biological siblings, after all.
Cold sweat broke out on Han Ye’s forehead. He wiped it away and said in a low voice, “I don’t know. I’m just nervous.”
Being scolded or beaten up by Qin Yuanzheng was no big deal.
He was tough as nails. Surely he wasn’t afraid of getting hit?
He didn’t even know what he was afraid of. All he knew was that he was incredibly nervous.
Xiaxia stood up and went to open the door. “Mom, what’s up? Did you need something?”
She opened the door and saw Qiao Lanshu standing outside.
Qiao Lanshu glanced at her, then walked straight into the room. A moment later, she spotted Han Ye standing beside the desk by the window.
Han Ye scratched his head awkwardly. “Mom, I—I just came in to see Xiaxia.”
Han Ye rarely went into Xiaxia’s room. In fact, he almost never went there alone.
She was a girl, after all, and Han Ye had always understood the importance of keeping a proper distance.
But now they were both adults, and he had come into her room anyway. How could that not make people suspicious?
Qiao Lanshu looked at him helplessly. “You go outside first. I have something to discuss with Xiaxia.”
Han Ye wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, glanced at Xiaxia, and silently left the room.
The moment he stepped outside, he saw Qin Yuanzheng standing in the courtyard, rolling up his sleeves.
When Qin Yuanzheng saw him, he beckoned. “Come here. Let’s spar a few rounds.”
Han Ye: “…”
…
Inside the room, Qiao Lanshu chatted with Xiaxia for a while. Xiaxia did not hide anything and directly told her about her relationship with Han Ye.
Qiao Lanshu was not surprised in the slightest. She asked, “How long have you two been together?”
Xiaxia held up three fingers. “Today is the third day.”
Qiao Lanshu: “…”
Qiao Lanshu let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you’d been together for a long time.”
Xiaxia shrugged. “How could that be? Just look at Han Ye. He’s completely clueless. If I hadn’t made things clear first, he probably still wouldn’t have realized how I felt.”
Qiao Lanshu: “…”
Qiao Lanshu was so startled by Xiaxia’s words that she froze for several seconds. Then she poked Xiaxia on the forehead. “You were the one who made the first move? You child, how could you…”
She did not even know what to say.
Xiaxia smiled and hugged her arm, pleading sweetly, “Oh, Mom, don’t be mad. Haven’t you always worried that I’d marry far away? Well, this is perfect. I won’t have to move far away like you did. I can stay here with Han Ye, and after we get married, I can still live nearby. Wouldn’t that be great?”
Those words struck a chord deep inside Qiao Lanshu.
She had married far from home herself. Although she had lived a happy life, returning to her family home had always been difficult.
After marrying here, she had only managed to visit her family in Yangcheng five or six times over the years.
When the children were young, she could not get away and had no way to make the trip.
Once they were older, she could finally take the whole family back to visit—but the train ride alone took two days and one night, making the journey exhausting.
She rubbed Xiaxia’s head and said, “Feelings between lovers are different from feelings between siblings. You need to think carefully. When two people get together, it’s for a lifetime. A person’s life is very long, so you need to consider this carefully and not act on impulse.”
Xiaxia was only eighteen, still very young. She still had four years of university ahead of her, and there was no need to rush into thinking about marriage until after graduation.
What Qiao Lanshu feared was that Xiaxia and Han Ye might break up by then. Wouldn’t that mean they could not even remain siblings afterward?
Xiaxia said, “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve thought it through. I think Han Ye is a great guy.”
Finding a man who suited her better than Han Ye would probably be difficult.
After Qiao Lanshu finished talking with Xiaxia, their relationship had officially been acknowledged by the adults.
When Qiao Lanshu and Xiaxia came out of the room, they saw Qin Yuanzheng and Han Ye sparring shirtless in the courtyard.
Han Ye spent most of the time being beaten up. It was not that he could not defeat Qin Yuanzheng; he simply did not dare use his full strength.
Qin Yuanzheng, meanwhile, showed no mercy. He claimed they were only sparring, but he gave Han Ye quite a beating.
After a full round of training, both men were drenched in sweat. Han Ye sat on the ground, groaning and complaining, “Chief Qin, you’re hitting way too hard! Are you trying to beat me to death?”
Qin Yuanzheng snorted. “You’re tough as an ox. Are you really afraid of taking a few hits?”
Did he think Qin Yuanzheng did not know him?
Han Ye was clearly putting on an act because Qiao Lanshu and Xiaxia had come outside, pretending to be pitiful.
It seemed he had gone too easy on him just now.
Xiaxia did feel sorry for Han Ye. She said, “Oh, Dad, stop hitting the brothers all the time. They’re grown up now. They need to save face.”
Qin Yuanzheng: “…”
Qin Yuanzheng was furious. His daughter was not even married yet, and already she was taking someone else’s side.
Still, he could not bring himself to scold Xiaxia. He turned to Han Ye instead. “A grown man should act like one. What’s with all the whining and groaning?”
Han Ye: “…”
Han Ye hurriedly scrambled to his feet.
Qiao Lanshu smiled and said, “All right, all right. Go take a shower. Dinner will be ready soon.”
And so, Han Ye and Xiaxia’s relationship won the approval of both families.
Unfortunately, Han Ye was about to return to his military unit.
He couldn’t bear to leave her!
They had only held hands for a few days, and already he had to go back to the unit. To make matters worse, Qin Yuanzheng refused to let him stay at home during the days before his departure.
He sent Han Ye back to the Han family home instead. Han Ye could only come visit Xiaxia during the day and had to take her home before dark. Otherwise, he would have to face a beating.
On the afternoon before he returned to his unit, Han Ye took a walk with Xiaxia by the river. His face was full of worry as he said, “After I go back this time, we probably won’t see each other again until you start school.”
Xiaxia was reluctant to part with him too. She asked, “You’re not coming home for the New Year either?”
Han Ye shook his head. “Not this year.”
He looked at Xiaxia and hesitated for a long while before asking quietly, “Xia’er, can I hug you?”
Xiaxia: “……”
The tips of Han Ye’s ears turned red, and he looked a little embarrassed.
Although he was older than Xiaxia, he was rather innocent when it came to relationships.
The two of them had gone out together every day over the past few weeks, but all he had dared to do was hold her hand.
Xiaxia took the initiative and hugged him. She said, “You have to keep yourself in check while you’re in the military. Call and write to me regularly. And when I start school, remember to meet me at the train station. Do you hear me?”
Han Ye’s heart was pounding. He hugged her tightly and hurriedly said, “I hear you, I hear you. I’ll do everything you say.”
Ever since he was little, he had thought Xiaxia was sensible and clever.
Now that Xiaxia was his girlfriend, he naturally saw her through rose-colored glasses. Whatever she said was right.
The next day, Qiao Lanshu loaded plenty of food into Han Ye’s car, and Han Ye drove back to his unit himself.
Xiaxia secretly handed him a bracelet and whispered, “Remember to think about me, okay?”
Han Ye looked at the silver bracelet. It was one Xiaxia had been wearing herself—a delicate women’s bracelet.
It looked somewhat out of place on his wrist, since the women’s bracelet was so thin.
But he was thrilled. This was their token of love!
He gazed at Xiaxia reluctantly and said, “You remember to think about me too. Don’t talk to other men, understand?”
Qin Yuanzheng had been standing nearby, watching the two of them act all lovey-dovey, and found it rather irritating.
He walked over to Han Ye and said sternly, “All right, enough. Hurry up and go.”
They were dragging things out too much. What kind of behavior was this?
Han Ye had wanted to give Xiaxia one more hug, but with Qin Yuanzheng and Qiao Lanshu there, he didn’t dare. He didn’t even dare hold her hand.
In the end, the two of them merely exchanged one deeply affectionate look before Han Ye drove away.
Han Wenlin had been watching from the side as well, and he was quite pleased.
After Han Ye left, he walked over to Qin Yuanzheng and said, “Yuanzheng, should we find a matchmaker and choose a date for the two of them to get engaged? They can get engaged first, and then get married after Xiaxia graduates.”
Qin Yuanzheng was already feeling irritated, so he said, “Xiaxia just turned eighteen. It’s too early for an engagement. We’ll talk about it later.”
Han Wenlin was a little disappointed, but he soon became happy again.
His son was truly impressive. He had actually managed to win Xiaxia over.
From now on, Xiaxia would be his daughter-in-law! Their family and Qin Yuanzheng’s family would become related by marriage—truly one family.
That was a good thing.
……
……
After Qin Qiaoxia graduated from university, she stayed in the capital to work.
By then, she and Han Ye were preparing to get married.
Han Ye had waited four years for Xiaxia. From the moment they had confirmed their relationship, he had already wanted to marry her.
But their families had refused to agree, insisting that they wait until Xiaxia finished university before registering their marriage.
In the year Xiaxia graduated, Han Ye was already twenty-seven or twenty-eight. If he waited any longer to marry, he would become a confirmed bachelor.
Both Han Ye and Xiaxia owned homes in the capital. Qiao Lanshu had bought them years ago—one shop and one house for each of her three children.
After they got married, Han Ye was assigned housing through the military. For convenience, they moved into the home provided by his unit.
Han Ye had already decorated the place. He had even prepared a study especially for Xiaxia.
The young couple wandered around the house, and Han Ye asked proudly, “Well? Do you like it? I decorated everything according to your preferences. Look, even the curtains are the blue you like.”
Xiaxia nodded. “I like it.”
Han Ye wrapped his arms around her. “From now on, this is our home.”
They were married now—husband and wife. They had created a little family of their own and had a warm, cozy home.
Han Ye had looked forward to this day for three or four years. Now that he could finally carry Xiaxia home in his arms, he was indescribably excited.
Xiaxia had her arms around his neck as he carried her in his arms, and she was happy too.
She and Han Ye had been together for nearly four years, and they had hardly ever argued.
However, because Han Ye was in the military, they could usually only see each other about once a week. When he was busy, it was perfectly normal for them to go ten days or even half a month without meeting.
Fortunately, Xiaxia wasn’t the clingy type, so she felt it was all right. Han Ye, on the other hand, was very attached to her. Every time they met, he couldn’t wait to see her, and he was constantly worried that her classmates might steal her away.
Xiaxia was so beautiful and striking that many people at her university liked her.
Han Ye had spent the past few years constantly on edge. The key problem was that they weren’t married, so they couldn’t be intimate, and it had been very difficult for him to endure.
Holding Xiaxia against the wall, he sighed, “We’re finally married. From now on, you’re my wife. You’re not allowed to get close to other men anymore.”
Xiaxia said, “Even before we registered our marriage, I never got close to other men.”
Han Ye said unhappily, “But other men were getting close to you. Don’t think I didn’t know…”
As he spoke, he suddenly scooped Xiaxia up and carried her into the room. “Shouldn’t we consummate our marriage? You’re my woman now.”
These past few years had nearly driven Han Ye crazy with frustration.
When he had still been clueless, he hadn’t thought much about the kind of things that happened between men and women.
But after he and Xiaxia began dating, he started having dreams all the time.
He was always dreaming about Xiaxia, and then they would do this and that…
The men in his unit would also chat about such topics in their spare time…
Once he understood those things, it became difficult to restrain himself. Now that they were married, he no longer had to hold back.
Xiaxia said to him, “Are you really in such a hurry? We haven’t even gone home to hold the wedding banquet yet.”
Han Ye: “……”
He pressed her onto the bed and said in a low voice, “I don’t care. We’re legally married now.”
They had been dating for so long, but when it came to intimacy, the two of them were still rather shy.
Fortunately, they were both adults, so they didn’t fumble too badly.
Han Ye simply had an excessive amount of energy, and Xiaxia could barely keep up with him.
Luckily, he had taken a long marriage leave this time, so he had plenty of time to take Xiaxia with him to explore this new world every day.
Originally, they should have chosen a date to return to Wencheng and hold their wedding banquet.
But during his marriage leave, Han Ye became so absorbed in their married life that he spent every day holding Xiaxia at home. Sometimes, they didn’t even leave the house all day.
He had completely forgotten that they were supposed to go home and hold a wedding banquet.
