Volume One, Chapter Four: We Are Husband and Wife; We Must Share the Same Quilt!

Tang Guanwan smiled, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m not going anymore!”

“From now on, I’ll stay with my parents, my little sister, and Lu Hang. We’ll live a good life together!”

Lu Hang, leaning against the earthen kang, felt a surge of shock at her words.

Tonight, Tang Guanwan was truly different.

Had his wife finally understood?

How could a person change so drastically?

In the morning, she had been snarling at him, and now she was talking about living well together?

He was somewhat overwhelmed by this sudden favor.

Yet, a deep suspicion soon crept into his heart.

Could this be another one of Tang Guanwan’s schemes to run away?

At that thought, the joy that had just blossomed in Lu Hang’s chest immediately faded.

His expression darkened, filled with scrutiny and caution.

Tang’s parents, not as scheming, simply took Tang Guanwan’s words at face value.

After chatting casually with their second daughter a little more, they noticed how late it had grown, and how Tang Guanwan’s clothes were dirty, damp, and cold.

They gave a brief reminder and then returned to their adjoining room.

Once the elder couple left, only Tang Guanwan and Lu Hang remained inside, and the atmosphere grew subtly tense.

Tang Guanwan had knelt outside the Zhao family’s gate for most of the day, feeling chilled to the bone. She took out fresh clothes from a straw-woven chest to change.

Life in the Tang household was harsh, the house humble.

It was a row of four low earthen rooms built with a mix of straw and mud bricks.

There were two large courtyards, one front, one back.

One room had belonged to the eldest sister, but now that she had married, it was used for storage.

Another was for the elder couple, one for little sister Tang Jing.

The last was the bridal chamber for Tang Guanwan and Lu Hang.

Even though it was the best room in the Tang household, it was still just a single room with an earthen kang.

There was no privacy when changing clothes.

Grasping the clean clothes she intended to wear, Tang Guanwan hesitated briefly, then began undressing in place.

Lu Hang watched her silently from the corner of his eyes.

Seeing her undress openly before him, his throat tightened.

“W-Won’t you change somewhere else?” he asked awkwardly, turning his face away to avoid looking.

“There’s no other room at home,” Tang Guanwan answered naturally, continuing to change.

She had decided to live well with Lu Hang; wasn’t it only natural to change clothes in front of her husband?

“Oh, okay, then you go ahead. I-I won’t look,” Lu Hang stammered, his sun-kissed face flushing.

Upon hearing this, Tang Guanwan paused mid-change, then looked back at Lu Hang with a hint of amusement.

“You don’t have to avoid looking. We’re married.”

Boom!

The principle of a gentleman not looking at what is improper shattered like fireworks in Lu Hang’s mind.

That fleeting glimpse of her graceful figure tightened his throat and sent his heart pounding wildly, like a startled deer.

Could it be that Tang Guanwan truly intended to live well with him?

Or was this just a ploy to lower his guard?

If so, the sacrifice was considerable.

Though rough in appearance, Lu Hang was sharp and cautious, and after a moment’s thought, his face darkened again.

Tang Guanwan had no idea of the tangled thoughts swirling through her husband’s mind.

It was winter and cold inside, so after swiftly changing into dry clothes, Tang Guanwan warmed her hands and climbed onto the kang.

The Tang family’s conditions were no match for the Zhao family’s.

When she married Lu Hang, the entire family had only managed to make a single new quilt for the two of them — and that was already a generous effort.

Even the elder couple and little sister Tang Jing next door still used patched, worn old cotton quilts.

In her previous life, Tang Guanwan hadn’t appreciated these things; now, having lived through hardship again, her eyes and heart had opened, and she felt a profound warmth.

Lu Hang noticed her climb onto the kang and clenched his fists beneath the quilt.

He was about to rise uncomfortably on his injured leg to get off the bed.

“I-I’ll sleep on the floor,” he said.

For three days since their marriage, Tang Guanwan had shunned him, never letting him sleep on the kang.

Hearing this, a pang of guilt and pain struck Tang Guanwan’s heart.

How despicable had she been in her past life!

On such a cold night, she had made Lu Hang lie on the floor wrapped in a tattered army coat.

No wonder his recovering injury had relapsed.

“No need. We’ll share the quilt. It’ll be warmer,” she said, lifting the quilt and slipping into his bed like a little eel.

The softness of her body pressed close, making Lu Hang stiffen suddenly.

Before he could react, a pair of smooth, delicate hands rested on his waist.

At twenty-five, full of youthful vigor, Lu Hang felt a surge of heat rush from his lower abdomen to his head.

“Y-You’re willing?” he asked hoarsely in the darkness, the kerosene lamp extinguished.

“Mm, yes. It’s late, let’s sleep,” Tang Guanwan replied, unconcerned, pulling him into an embrace and closing her eyes.

She didn’t worry that Lu Hang might do anything to her.

Firstly, they were already married, and this time she was willing to stay with him.

Secondly, in the last two years of her previous life, she had overheard the Lu family urging Lu Hang to leave her and marry another woman to have children. Lu Hang had replied that he was injured that year and couldn’t do it.

Since then, the Lu family had ceased pressuring him, tacitly allowing him to care for her.

No wonder in those last two years, although Lu Hang treated her kindly after rescuing her, he never touched her.

It didn’t matter—if Lu Hang couldn’t, then a spiritual love affair would suffice.

If the forty-something Lu Hang from her past life had known Tang Guanwan’s thoughts, he would have been speechless. He had only found a reason to make the Lu elders give up, never expecting she would take it seriously!

As these thoughts drifted through her mind, Tang Guanwan’s eyelids grew heavy.

Within moments, the steady rhythm of her breathing filled the room.

Tang Guanwan slept soundly, but it was hard for Lu Hang.

The little woman was restless in her sleep, her hands wandering.

Several times, she touched his injured leg.

That alone wasn’t too bad; he could shift his position.

More troublesome was the soft, fragrant body beside him, exuding the scent of a young girl.

It kept him aroused all night long.

Until dawn.

Lu Hang opened his eyes, dark circles beneath them, a hint of grievance in his gaze.

Tang Guanwan was already up and gone.

He touched the spot beside him—cold and empty.

She had evidently left early.

Lu Hang was surprised; the usually late-rising Tang Guanwan was up so early today.

Glancing outside, the sky was still gray.

The snow had stopped, but the sun had not yet fully risen. Why had she gotten up so early?

His brow furrowed.

Could she have run off to the Zhao household again?

Suddenly, his face darkened.

Little liar!

Tang Guanwan returned, carrying a bowl, only to find Lu Hang’s dark face staring at her.

Puzzled, she asked, “What’s wrong? Is your leg hurting again?”

She nervously set the bowl down on the three-legged table by the wall, then began pulling back Lu Hang’s quilt. “Let me see.”

Lu Hang’s face ceased to be dark; instead, it flushed red.

He hurriedly grabbed the quilt corner to stop her. “No, it’s nothing. It doesn’t hurt!”

“Really? If something’s wrong, don’t hide it!” Tang Guanwan tugged at the quilt a few times, but it wouldn’t budge.

She looked up, puzzled, meeting Lu Hang’s eyes.

Under her gaze, Lu Hang’s face reddened further, his eyes flickering.

He quickly averted his gaze as if to flee.

Last night, he had been useless and soiled his pants!

There was no way he could let her see that!

At this moment, he was immensely grateful for his dark skin, which masked his blush somewhat.