When Qiao Lanshu saw Huang Erling open the door, she guessed the other woman probably wanted to talk about the mattress.
But Qin Yuanzheng was angry. Qiao Lanshu thought she had better coax Brother Zheng first.
The mattress wasn't urgent anyway; there was still bedding spread out on the kang.
Qiao Lanshu followed Qin Yuanzheng into the house.
As Qin Yuanzheng took off his clothes, he looked at Qiao Lanshu without saying a word.
Observing his expression, Qiao Lanshu felt as if he was deliberately waiting for her to coax him.
He didn't seem truly angry.
But she wasn't entirely sure, so she tried to get a closer look at his face. As a result, Qin Yuanzheng turned his back, refusing to let her see.
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu took off her thick padded jacket, her lightly padded coat, and her cotton-padded trousers. She also hung her hat and scarf on the hooks behind the door.
Then, she went back into the room to pour herself some water. As she drank, she stole glances at Qin Yuanzheng's face.
Qin Yuanzheng was now wearing nothing but an army-green tank top and a pair of black shorts. He then went to the kitchen to cook.
Qiao Lanshu was stunned.
Was Qin Yuanzheng really angry?
Usually, when they came home together, he would help Qiao Lanshu take off her coat and hug and kiss her a few times.
But right now, let alone kissing her, he hadn't even given her a single hug.
Qiao Lanshu held her enamel mug, took a sip of water, and followed behind Qin Yuanzheng. She deliberately softened her voice and said, "Hubby, this water is so cold."
Qin Yuanzheng: "..."
Qin Yuanzheng could barely maintain his straight face.
He coughed, took Qiao Lanshu's mug, and grabbed the thermos to pour her half a cup of hot water. Then he said, "Alright, go out and sit down. I'm going to cook."
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu didn't leave. Clutching her mug, she paced around Qin Yuanzheng. One moment she tilted her head to look at him from his left: "Brother Zheng, are you angry?"
The next moment she pressed closely against his right side, reached out to shake his arm, and whispered, "Hubby, don't be mad at me, okay? I know I was wrong. I won't ever dare do it again."
Qin Yuanzheng simply couldn't resist her acting so coquettishly.
He paused his movements, turned around, and reached out to lift her chin. Looking at her, he asked, "Where did you go wrong?"
Qiao Lanshu blinked her eyes and said infuriatingly, "I don't know."
Qin Yuanzheng: "..."
Stifling his frustration, Qin Yuanzheng scolded her, "You don't know, yet you're apologizing to me?"
Qiao Lanshu replied obediently, "Because if I don't apologize, you'll ignore me."
See? The moment she said she was wrong, Brother Zheng immediately paid attention to her.
Qin Yuanzheng was completely wrapped around her little finger; he was utterly helpless against her.
At once, he abandoned the cooking and stopped asking questions. He hoisted Qiao Lanshu over his shoulder and strode into the bedroom, saying fiercely, "I think you're just asking for it..."
********
Pinned down on the kang by Qin Yuanzheng, Qiao Lanshu was genuinely crying this time.
While keeping busy, Qin Yuanzheng asked her, "Now do you know what you did wrong?"
With red-rimmed eyes, Qiao Lanshu said aggrievedly, "I know, I know. Brother Zheng, I really know I was wrong."
Qin Yuanzheng asked again, "Then tell me, where did you go wrong?"
Qiao Lanshu knew exactly what Qin Yuanzheng liked to hear. She had only been deliberately provoking him earlier, but now she regretted it immensely.
After all, she really couldn't handle the consequences of provoking Qin Yuanzheng.
Looking pitiful, she said, "I shouldn't have praised Director Guan. I should praise you. You are my man."
Hearing her say this, Qin Yuanzheng finally felt satisfied.
However, hearing the little girl say 'You are my man' made him lose control all over again.
He immediately pressed his little wife down again, making her say a whole basketful of sweet words to praise him. Only when she had said enough to make him happy and satisfied, and he calculated in his mind that it was half a basketful more than the praises she gave Guan Wenjun, was Qin Yuanzheng finally content.
By the time he finally forgave Comrade Xiao Qiao, he checked the time and saw it was already eight o'clock in the evening.
This apology session had lasted for more than three hours.
It completely exhausted and stuffed Qiao Lanshu. This time, she had truly and profoundly realized her mistake and made a sincere self-reflection.
She guaranteed she would absolutely never make the same mistake again.
With that, Qin Yuanzheng went to cook for her, completely satisfied.
******
The next day, Qiao Lanshu had to go to work.
But she almost couldn't get out of bed.
She was fed too much last night, causing her to sleep poorly through the night.
Qin Yuanzheng even threatened her, saying that if she ever praised Guan Wenjun again, he would make her apologize one more time.
This scared her so much that she had nightmares. In her dreams, Qin Yuanzheng locked her up with iron chains, feeding her while asking why she didn't praise him, and whether the food he made wasn't delicious enough or hadn't filled her up.
Qiao Lanshu was terrified, continuously shouting in her dream, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong."
After waking up, Qiao Lanshu touched her stomach, wanting to cry but having no tears left.
Qin Yuanzheng came out of the kitchen. He had already prepared breakfast and was coming to call Qiao Lanshu to eat.
Seeing Qiao Lanshu rubbing her stomach with a resentful expression, he found it somewhat amusing.
He walked over and asked, "Are you hungry? Breakfast is ready. There's sweet potato and millet porridge, and cornmeal buns. Hurry up and get up to eat."
Qiao Lanshu muttered, "I'm already stuffed to death, how can I eat anything else."
As she spoke, she let out a hmph, hopped off the kang, and sluggishly went to wash up while rubbing her waist.
Qin Yuanzheng watched her, his eyes filled with a smile.
......
After eating, Qin Yuanzheng drove Qiao Lanshu to the food factory, and then headed to the mining area military base for work.
After all, having rested for several days, there was a lot of work in the mining area that required his supervision. He would have to get busy recently.
Qiao Lanshu arrived at the factory, put on her protective clothing and gloves, and happily sat down to chop radishes again.
Wang Xue arrived a little later. She hurriedly sat opposite Qiao Lanshu and lowered her voice to say:
"Xiao Qiao, do you want to eat some bread? There's a problem with the recent batches of pillow bread produced by our factory. Two batches were ruined; the taste is off, so they are classified as defective products. Our quality inspection director said they can't be sold!
They can only be consumed internally. You don't need ration coupons, and you can buy them at half price! As soon as I heard the news, I went over and bought two. I tasted one; it's a bit sour and the texture is rock hard, but it's still edible. Do you want to buy a couple too?"
Defective products with issues like this could not be sold to the public.
However, food was precious and couldn't be wasted.
Therefore, they were usually sold internally.
Sometimes, if they couldn't be sold out, they would be sent to the food factory's internal cafeteria to be served as lunch for the employees.
Pillow bread was usually sold at a very high price. Even the food factory employees were reluctant to buy it for themselves.
With defective products available this time, many people were willing to spend their money.
Hearing her say this, and since she happened to like eating bread, Qiao Lanshu immediately asked, "Sister, where can I buy them? I'll go buy two as well."
Wang Xue immediately grabbed her arm and said, "They are with the bakery team. Come on, I will take you there!"
On the way, Wang Xue continued to gossip, "The team leader of the bakery crew is in deep trouble this time, though. I cannot believe she made such a massive mistake. The director of the Quality Control department just chewed her out on the factory floor right in front of everyone."
