After dinner, Uncle Huang happily left with the half-pound of tea leaves and a piece of cured meat that Qiao Lanshu had packed for him.
Qin Yuanzheng took a broom and a mop, spending quite a while tidying up the house.
Finally, he got the place completely clean.
The newly built kang looked solid. Having slept on a heated brick bed since he was a child, he felt a fond familiarity looking at it.
He reached out and touched it; the mud at the bottom wasn't dry yet and needed to air out. Tonight, the two of them would still have to sleep on the wooden bed in the next room.
Qiao Lanshu washed all the dishes and chopsticks before walking in and asking him, "Brother Zheng, is there anything you need me to do?"
Qin Yuanzheng had already cleaned everything inside and out.
He wiped his sweat with a towel, glanced at Qiao Lanshu, and said, "Xiao Qiao, come here."
Qiao Lanshu walked toward him.
Then, Qin Yuanzheng pulled her into his arms and kissed her forcefully.
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu blushed, her heart beating fast. She liked Qin Yuanzheng and enjoyed being intimate with him, but a rough and rugged man like him sometimes didn't know his own strength when he got excited.
Qiao Lanshu could barely handle his kisses. Still kissing her, Qin Yuanzheng suddenly lifted her up. Startled, Qiao Lanshu quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling.
Supporting her with his thick, strong arms, Qin Yuanzheng murmured, "Why are you so light? You need to put on some weight."
With that, not waiting for Qiao Lanshu to reply, he pinned her against the wall and continued kissing her.
After a while, he asked gruffly in her ear, "What do you think of this kang?"
Her lips numb, Qiao Lanshu blushed and nodded.
Qin Yuanzheng asked again, "Have you ever slept on one?"
Qiao Lanshu shook her head.
Holding her, Qin Yuanzheng gave her neck a light bite and said in a hoarse voice, "From now on, you sleep with me."
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
The current Qin Yuanzheng was like a completely different person from when they first met.
He had become so clingy now that Qiao Lanshu was having a hard time handling it.
Just then, someone knocked on the door outside.
The two exchanged a glance, and Qin Yuanzheng said softly, "I'll go get it."
He released Qiao Lanshu, turned, and went out to open the door. Standing outside was a tall man around thirty years old, wearing a black trench coat and with slicked-back hair.
The man was tall and thin, with fair skin and a handsome, somewhat roguish look. He smiled and said, "Regiment Commander Qin, I heard you finally got married? This is a great occasion! Why didn't you tell me in advance so I could rush back early for your wedding banquet?"
As soon as Qin Yuanzheng saw him, his face darkened. "Director Guan, why are you here?"
Guan Wenjun was the director of the provincial revolutionary committee. However, before coming to the committee, he had also been in the military and was once in the same regiment as Qin Yuanzheng.
The two had never really gotten along.
Guan Wenjun once liked a woman, but that woman liked Qin Yuanzheng. From then on, Guan Wenjun always claimed that Qin Yuanzheng stole his wife, and he swore that if Qin Yuanzheng ever got a girlfriend, he would steal her away.
In the end, Qin Yuanzheng was diagnosed with infertility and simply decided not to marry at all.
When Guan Wenjun heard about Qin Yuanzheng's marriage this time, he was truly shocked. He drove back overnight just to see what kind of deity had managed to tame Qin Yuanzheng.
Thick-skinned, Guan Wenjun squeezed his way in through the door that Qin Yuanzheng was blocking. With one hand in his pocket, he smoothed his hair, walked a circle around the room, and said, "Regiment Commander Qin, this won't do. This is too shabby. Apart from this sofa, you don't even have any decent furniture in here."
Saying so, he wandered around a couple more times and continued, "How come I heard that your cousin introduced you to a divorced female worker with a kid, and you married her? Tsk, tsk, tsk, Qin Yuanzheng, oh, Qin Yuanzheng. You have fallen! You have become vulgar! My former prospect was so beautiful, and she desperately wanted to be with you, yet you didn't even look at her. How is it that now you've settled for a divorcee with a child? Is there something wrong with your taste?"
Guan Wenjun was so bothered.
He originally thought about stealing Qin Yuanzheng's wife to avenge his past grievance.
But as it turned out, Qin Yuanzheng was ruthless enough to just find a divorcee with a child.
Even if Qin Yuanzheng fancied her, Guan Wenjun certainly wouldn't.
How was he supposed to steal her then?
How could he get his revenge?
Therefore, Guan Wenjun came knocking directly to denounce Qin Yuanzheng.
Qin Yuanzheng's expression was somewhat ugly. He had never stolen Guan Wenjun's prospect at all. It was that woman who kept pestering him back then. To avoid her, he had taken on many missions and left for several months.
Who would have thought that Guan Wenjun would still hold a grudge to this day?
If it were in the past, Qin Yuanzheng wouldn't have cared.
But now, the thought of Xiao Qiao being stolen by Guan Wenjun would probably drive him mad.
With a dark expression, Qin Yuanzheng looked at Guan Wenjun and said, "Director Guan, are you done talking? If you're done, please get out."
Guan Wenjun acted as if he didn't hear him and continued talking on his own, "Hey, I heard you picked up a son for free. Where is he? Let me take a look. No matter what, he should call me godfather, right?"
Qin Yuanzheng's face sank. "Guan Wenjun, are you done or not?"
Seeing Guan Wenjun walking toward his bedroom, Qin Yuanzheng frowned, rolled up his sleeves, and strode over.
However, Guan Wenjun suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He stared dumbfounded at Qiao Lanshu, who was walking out of the bedroom, his expression shocked and his movements stiff.
He stood there, looking Qiao Lanshu up and down several times, looking utterly stunned by her beauty.
Qiao Lanshu was wearing a thin, long-sleeved loungewear set. Her black hair cascaded down, and her neat bangs covered her brows, framing her small, palm-sized face.
She had heard them talking from inside the room. Based on her understanding of Qin Yuanzheng, seeing him roll up his sleeves meant a fight was about to break out.
That was why she hurried out.
She walked up beside Qin Yuanzheng, looking at Guan Wenjun with an awkward expression. "H-hello."
Saying so, Qiao Lanshu tugged at Qin Yuanzheng.
Qin Yuanzheng, with a gloomy face, suppressed his frustration. He then walked over, casually poured a cup of cold tea, placed it on the table, and said, "Drink. Drink it and leave."
Guan Wenjun: "..."
Guan Wenjun's throat bobbed. He glanced at Qiao Lanshu again before asking Qin Yuanzheng, "Didn't they say she brought a son? It seems the rumors were wrong. She brought a daughter over?"
Qin Yuanzheng: "..."
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Guan Wenjun took a sip of the cold, bitter tea and said without changing his expression, "Regiment Commander Qin, actually, I could also be your son-in-law and call you Dad..."
With a loud bang, Guan Wenjun was kicked squarely by Qin Yuanzheng, and then Qin Yuanzheng threw him out.
Guan Wenjun: "..."
Guan Wenjun stood up from the ground. He patted his black trench coat, his expression still somewhat dazed.
Then, it belatedly dawned on him.
That beautiful little girl from just now wasn't Qin Yuanzheng's daughter; she was his fucking wife!
Fuck!
How could Qin Yuanzheng have such a charmed life? His luck was always better than his!
Inside the room, Qiao Lanshu asked in a low voice, "Brother Zheng, who was that person?"
He seemed a bit unhinged.
With a dark expression, Qin Yuanzheng said, "He is the director of the Provincial Revolutionary Committee. If you ever see him in the future, stay far away from him."
Qiao Lanshu nodded.
It seemed that the man from just now did not have a very good relationship with Qin Yuanzheng. However, Qiao Lanshu figured she probably wouldn't have any reason to cross paths with him anyway.
