"Shh!"
Lin Zhilan turned her head and shushed Su Bingcheng and Su Lang, who were standing by the door.
She put away her acupuncture needles, walked softly to the door, and left it slightly ajar.
"Is your mother asleep?" Su Bingcheng lowered his voice, asking in surprise.
Older people usually slept less, and Xu Yueyun had a bad heart and suffered from frequent insomnia, often only falling asleep at one or two in the morning.
It wasn't even nine o'clock yet, but Xu Yueyun was actually already asleep.
Lin Zhilan led them a little further away from the room. "It might be because Mom went out for a walk today, plus I just gave her acupuncture and massaged her Anmian acupoint. Let Mom sleep. Good rest is good for her health."
"Yes, yes, yes," Su Bingcheng nodded repeatedly. "Where is the Anmian acupoint? Teach me later, so when you guys leave, I can massage it for your mother too."
Lin Zhilan smiled and told him the location of the acupoint.
Seeing that his wife had finished teaching his father, Su Lang wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her toward their room. "Dad, you should go to bed early too. Don't wake Mom up."
After saying that, he didn't even look back as he ushered his wife into their bedroom.
Su Bingcheng cursed "brat" behind his back.
Back in the room, Lin Zhilan went to check on the children first.
Today, neither of the two children was there.
Jiang Chengzhou had been sent back to his own room. Linlin had gone for a walk outside today, played with her dad for a while in the evening, and had been coaxed to sleep early and placed in the next room.
Su Lang's room was in the southeast corner. It had good natural lighting, was spacious, and even had an en-suite bathroom.
Next to the large wardrobe was a corner cabinet.
Lin Zhilan had just come over from her daughter's room when Su Lang suddenly picked her up and set her on the cabinet.
"Commander Su," Lin Zhilan glared at him. "This isn't our own home. Take it easy."
Su Lang knew about his wife's neat freak tendencies.
When doing the deed, whether before or after, they had to take a shower.
"I've already showered, and I boiled hot water for you too. It's in the bathroom."
Lin Zhilan punched him lightly. "If you act like this, Mom and Dad will find out."
Su Lang grabbed her hand with a wicked smile. "Don't worry, Mom and Dad are both asleep. If worst comes to worst, just say I'm a neat freak and get itchy if I don't shower."
Lin Zhilan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she could only give him a fierce glare.
"Do you need my help?"
"No need!"
Lin Zhilan pushed him away, hopped down to the floor, grabbed her pajamas, and went into the bathroom.
Not long after, she emerged from the bathroom.
Lin Zhilan was wearing the pajamas Xu Yueyun had prepared for her. Since it was currently the trend to buy clothes a bit large rather than small, Xu Yueyun had bought them one or two sizes bigger.
On her body, they were slightly loose.
The hem of the pajama top fell just below her bottom, and the pants were rolled up a fold, giving off a slightly baggy feel.
Chengzhou was also there yesterday, so Lin Zhilan hadn't worn these pajamas.
Older girls should keep a distance from fathers, and older boys from mothers.
Xu Yueyun had bought this set of pajamas for her at the Friendship Store.
Although it was a winter style, it had lace on it. In this era, it was truly considered avant-garde.
Lin Zhilan felt a bit embarrassed.
The length of the pants was fine, but the waist was a bit too wide.
Her waist and hips were slender, so she had to reach back and pull up the waist occasionally to keep the pants from slipping right off.
Su Lang was leaning leisurely against the headboard, and his eyes lit up when he saw his wife.
Lin Zhilan's long hair cascaded down her back, and her face was flushed pink from the steam, truly looking like she had skin of ice and bones of jade, with a complexion like peach blossoms.
Although she had buttoned the pajama top all the way to the top, looking very conservative—not nearly as revealing as the nightgowns she wore during the summers on the island.
Yet, it was precisely this loose fit that inexplicably tickled his heart.
He tossed his book onto the nightstand and sat up straight. "Come here."
Lin Zhilan didn't move, using a towel to dry the hair that had gotten wet during her shower.
Su Lang got out of bed, walked over, took the towel from her hands, and pressed her down onto the stool in front of the vanity.
"I'll dry it for you."
Lin Zhilan looked at him in the mirror. "One who is unaccountably solicitous is hiding evil intentions."
Su Lang lowered his head, earnestly drying her hair, a smile on his lips. "Don't worry, I won't steal."
Her hair was only slightly damp. Su Lang dried it for her, draped the towel over the back of the chair, and bent down to pick her up.
Startled, Lin Zhilan instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
The winter night in the capital had particularly bright moonlight, so white it felt chilly. A thin sliver leaked in through the gap in the window, but it couldn't affect the fiery passion inside the room at all.
The whole world was very quiet; all that remained was the sound of each other's panting.
...
After an unknown amount of time, everything finally settled down.
Lin Zhilan nestled in Su Lang's embrace, her whole body so soft she didn't want to move.
Su Lang held her, gently stroking her back with one hand. "Shall I carry you to wash up?"
Lin Zhilan was too lazy to even open her eyes. "I don't want to move."
"Doctor Lin's love for cleanliness is selective?"
Lin Zhilan snorted softly and gave his waist a pinch. "I used up all the hot water in the bathroom. Go down and bring up another bucket."
Su Lang felt the pinch and had to be ordered around to do chores, but he smiled even more happily.
The two washed up again. Su Lang cleaned everything up, lay back down, and pulled his wife into his arms.
"Have you been happy these past two days?"
Lin Zhilan hummed but didn't answer.
Su Lang lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "It's definitely not as comfortable as being in our own home. If you feel uncomfortable about anything, just tell me and I'll handle it."
Lin Zhilan was originally sleepy, but hearing him say this, her mind cleared up again.
The weather in the capital was cold, but the small Western-style house had radiators installed, so it wasn't too bad.
Her parents-in-law seemed to be reasonable so far, especially her mother-in-law. The sense of boundaries in their interactions made Lin Zhilan feel very comfortable and at ease.
She propped herself up against Su Lang's chest and half-sat up. "Is your oldest brother really Mom and Dad's biological son?"
There were four siblings in the Su family. Jiang Chengzhou's mother went without saying.
Of the remaining three brothers, Su Ding was practically a mutation. How could he be so annoying?
Su Lang said helplessly, "Sorry to disappoint you, but my oldest brother really is Mom and Dad's biological son."
"Alright." Lin Zhilan was a bit disappointed and lay back down on his shoulder.
Su Lang's Adam's apple bobbed. "Why? Do you have some thoughts about my oldest brother?"
"I'm not saying anything," Lin Zhilan said. "An outsider shouldn't come between family. He's your biological brother, so I won't just casually judge him. And you too, don't speak ill of him in front of Mom and Dad. Anyway, I can tell Mom and Dad know exactly how he is."
Su Lang agreed with the latter half of her statement.
But, an outsider shouldn't come between family?
Su Lang reached out and tickled his wife's waist. "Who are you calling the outsider? And who is the family?"
Lin Zhilan held back her laughter and hurriedly begged for mercy. "I was wrong, I was wrong! I'm the family, and he's the outsider."
Seeing her admit her mistake, Su Lang finally let her go.
Lin Zhilan calmed her breathing before reminding him, "I have a feeling that this New Year won't be easy. Your oldest brother and sister-in-law's family will definitely come to make a fuss."
Su Lang nodded. "I know. When that happens, just bring the kids and Mom upstairs. Don't bother with their messy drama."
