Qin Yuanzheng was truly considerate in everything he did, and he really knew how to take care of people.
He wouldn't let Qiao Lanshu lift a finger to do any household chores.
Qiao Lanshu stood at the bathroom door, her eyes sparkling. "Brother Zheng, you're so smart to think of using this for bathing."
Why hadn't she thought of that before?
Both she and Brother Zheng had to work during the day and only came back to eat one meal at night. They actually didn't use much water. Using just one wooden barrel to store water would be more than enough.
The water left over from bathing could be used to flush the toilet, mop the floor, and so on.
Qin Yuanzheng looked at Qiao Lanshu. The young woman was wearing only a camisole. She had curves in all the right places, and her figure was beautifully voluptuous.
This kind of subtle reveal was the most alluring.
He was originally going to head back to the kitchen, but upon seeing Qiao Lanshu standing at the door, he couldn't help but pin her down and kiss her for a long time.
His hands weren't behaving, either.
His dough-kneading technique was becoming increasingly masterful.
More than ten minutes later, he finally let go of Qiao Lanshu and said, "You go in and soak first. I'll be right there."
He pinched her earlobe and added, "Wait for me inside."
Blushing, Qiao Lanshu went in to take her bath.
Qin Yuanzheng hurried back to the kitchen and checked on the millet porridge. It had been boiling for about twenty minutes and was just about done. He turned off the heat and let the porridge simmer in the pot.
Then, he turned and went to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Inside the cramped bathroom, Qiao Lanshu had just taken off her clothes and was carefully stepping on a stool to climb into the water vat.
As soon as the large-framed Qin Yuanzheng entered, the bathroom instantly felt a bit crowded.
The moment he saw Qiao Lanshu, his eyes darkened. He strode over and suddenly scooped up the petite Qiao Lanshu in his arms.
Qiao Lanshu let out a soft gasp and cried, "Brother Zheng, put me down quickly."
Qin Yuanzheng said in a low voice, "Why aren't you calling me Hubby anymore?"
For some unknown reason, Qin Yuanzheng was extremely fixated on this term of endearment.
He would demand she say it from time to time.
Qiao Lanshu was willing to humor him. She wanted to captivate Qin Yuanzheng so much that he would be entirely infatuated with her, preferably head over heels, unable to live without her in the future.
Qiao Lanshu wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Hubby, put me down quickly."
Qin Yuanzheng held her, and the two of them entered the large water vat together.
This vat was actually more suitable for one person to bathe in; it was still too cramped for two.
But Qin Yuanzheng insisted on squeezing in with her.
Blushing, Qiao Lanshu said, "Brother Zheng, isn't it too crowded?"
Qin Yuanzheng said without batting an eye, "It's not crowded. I think it's just right."
With that, he got into the vat first, sat down, and then had Qiao Lanshu sit on his lap with her back to him.
Qin Yuanzheng wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "See? Isn't this just right?"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qin Yuanzheng held a washcloth in one hand to scrub Qiao Lanshu, while his other hand was submerged in the water, doing who-knows-what.
Qiao Lanshu's face flushed so red it looked like it might bleed. Calling him brother or hubby was of no use.
Qin Yuanzheng even said with a straight face, "Didn't you say we have to bathe before we can be intimate? I'm helping you wash a bit cleaner. Be a good girl and don't squirm."
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
***********
Their bath took nearly an hour.
If it weren't for the water temperature dropping and Qin Yuanzheng worrying that Comrade Xiao Qiao might catch a cold, he wouldn't have wanted to get up at all.
Not to mention, this large water vat was quite useful. He felt it was great and was already pondering buying an even larger one next time.
During this bath, Qiao Lanshu was washed thoroughly clean from the inside out.
Qin Yuanzheng had personally bathed her. Except for her hair, every part of her had been meticulously scrubbed.
Ensuring that Qiao Lanshu wouldn't dare utter the words "not clean" ever again.
After the bath, Qin Yuanzheng wrapped Qiao Lanshu in a large towel, placed her on the small sofa, and said, "Have some sweet potato and millet porridge. Do you want to eat a cornmeal steamed bun?"
Exhausted, Qiao Lanshu lay paralyzed on the sofa. Wrapped in the towel blanket, her entire body was flushed with a pink hue. She whispered, "Yes, I'm so hungry."
Qin Yuanzheng looked at her with a smile and deliberately teased, "With so much just now, are you still not full?"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu rolled over and ignored him.
With a smile on his face, Qin Yuanzheng reached out and rubbed Qiao Lanshu's head. His affectionate eyes were full of tender love for his little wife.
He casually pulled on a pair of shorts, then went to ladle out the sweet potato and millet porridge. He placed six cornmeal steamed buns on a plate, carried them out, and set them on the low table in front of the sofa.
Then, he tied on an apron and began cooking in quite a good mood.
First, he shredded a potato and stir-fried it with scallions and vinegar. Then, he sliced two of the sausages Qiao Lanshu had brought over and used them to scramble some eggs.
The two dishes were very simple, and it only took him half an hour to finish cooking them.
Then he brought them out and said, "Comrade Xiao Qiao, get up and eat."
He took off his apron, came over, and picked up Qiao Lanshu, making her sit next to him as they ate together.
Qiao Lanshu didn't have a big appetite. She only had a bowl of porridge, half a steamed bun, and a little bit of the scrambled eggs.
The rest all went into Qin Yuanzheng's stomach.
He polished off the food completely and went to wash the pots and dishes.
Qiao Lanshu lay on the sofa, feeling drowsy.
Looking at Qiao Lanshu, Qin Yuanzheng wondered if he should find some books for his wife so she could read when she had nothing to do.
Oh, right. Since they got married, he hadn't bought a radio yet.
He could buy one for Comrade Xiao Qiao to listen to for fun.
Qiao Lanshu was almost asleep when Qin Yuanzheng picked her up, carried her back to the bedroom, and put her on the kang bed. He said to her with a serious face, "Wife, the revolution has not yet succeeded, and comrades still need to work hard. We've only just occupied two strongholds, and there are still seven left unoccupied. It won't do for you to tap out now."
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Over the course of the night, Qiao Lanshu truly paid the price for her big talk.
Commander Qin dragged her into fighting battles all night long. After every battle, he would report the combat results to her.
It wasn't until they had occupied seven strongholds and perfectly completed the mission that Commander Qin finally announced in her ear, "The war has been won. Comrade Xiao Qiao performed well tonight. I'm going to reward you with a first-class merit."
Dazed and confused, Qiao Lanshu wondered what the reward could be.
Then, she felt Qin Yuanzheng's broad, warm hand press against her stomach, saying that she had been injured in battle and her stomach had gotten chubby, so he was going to give her a slimming and restorative massage.
Qiao Lanshu: "???"
If Qiao Lanshu hadn't been completely drained of energy, she would have kicked him right then and there, sending him straight to the floor.
