Chapter 111: Zhu Yan Has Returned

When Wu Guoliang picked up Shi Xiumei, the woman kept muttering that Xia Yan was shameless, which nearly provoked Wu Guoliang to lose his temper. If it hadn’t been for Zhuang Lili and the others holding him back, a fight would have been inevitable that day.

The incident became a laughingstock in the military family housing area. Some said Shi Xiumei was arrogantly relying on her seniority, while others claimed Xia Yan was immature and disrespectful—everyone had their own opinions.

Yet, to Xia Yan, those words were like the wind—passing by and fading away.

During dinner that evening, Lin You brought up the matter of Shi Xiumei’s visit earlier that day and advised Xia Yan, “Next time, don’t give such people any face. Just refuse them outright, understood?”

“I didn’t expect that little old lady to come looking for you. But what surprised me more was that you actually turned her down.”

“Why? Do you think I’m the kind of man who wouldn’t stand up for his wife?”

Lin You raised an eyebrow, and the three children at the table burst into laughter.

“Mom, Dad is right. You need to be tougher, or else everyone will bully you,” Lin Hongzhe said coolly, mouth full of the stuffed pancake Xia Yan had made for dinner.

Xia Yan picked up a piece of braised pork, “Alright, Mom will listen to you. Eat more.”

Since she changed her tone, Lin Hongzhe’s heart had completely opened to Xia Yan. Now, as she served him food, he was overjoyed—he grabbed the meat and quickly popped it into his mouth.

As the family’s lively character, Lin Hongzhuo naturally wouldn’t miss out. He lifted his bowl and said, “Mom, I want some too.”

Lin You glared at him with mock annoyance. “Don’t you have your own chopsticks?”

“Food served by myself isn’t as tasty as when Mom serves it,” Lin Hongzhuo chuckled.

Xia Yan couldn’t resist the little one and picked up a piece for him. “Alright, here you go. You’re even more spoiled than your sister.”

After serving Lin Hongzhuo, Xia Yan also served Lin You with a playful smile. “The men of the house must be treated equally.”

“I thought you forgot about me,” Lin You said, making everyone at the table freeze.

“Dad, you’re the one talking!” Lin Hongzhuo was the first to react, pouting.

“What? She’s my wife. If my wife serves me food, do you have a problem with that?”

The family laughed and joked, making the meal especially joyful.

After dinner, the two boys played with Nuannuan inside while Lin You helped Xia Yan tidy the kitchen. Xia Yan tidied up as she asked, “Lin You, you could have agreed today.”

“To what?”

“To cooking. If you had agreed, I would’ve listened to you.”

Lin You paused his actions, lowering his brows. “What are you saying? You’re my wife. How could I make decisions for you if you don’t agree?”

“But they pay too.”

“Money? Our family doesn’t lack those two coins. If others find out, how would I face them?”

Lin You grew angrier as he spoke. Seeing his agitation, Xia Yan reached out and held his hand. “Alright, I know you care about me. I was just joking earlier.”

“Don’t joke about things like that. I don’t like it,” Lin You said angrily.

It wasn’t until Xia Yan stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek that his anger eased. The next moment, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply.

When their lips parted, Xia Yan blushed and said, “The kids are outside. Honestly…”

Seeing her like that stirred a rush of emotions in Lin You’s chest. He held her hand and whispered near her ear, “How about Nuannuan and Xiao Zhe sleep together tonight?”

“You…” Xia Yan’s intended refusal never escaped her lips. Memories of that electrifying night flooded her mind, and she quietly nodded. “We’ll talk after the kids fall asleep.”

Later that night, after helping the children with their homework, Xia Yan found Nuannuan already asleep in bed, sparing her the awkwardness of asking the boys to let their sister sleep there.

Truth be told, she really didn’t know how to bring it up.

When she stepped outside, Lin You was already at the door. Xia Yan gave him a sharp look. “You handle this next time.”

Her words reminded Lin You that it might be necessary to build another room in the backyard for convenience.

“The bathwater’s ready. You go ahead and shower first.”

Xia Yan had been bathing nearly every day lately, so tonight she was quicker than usual. But just as she finished dressing, the room lights flickered twice before going out, and she accidentally stepped on the basin by her feet.

Startled, Xia Yan let out a small cry.

Power outages were common in the mountains. Since arriving, they had experienced several blackouts, but those usually happened during mealtime. This time, having just finished bathing, she was truly startled.

“Yan Yan, what’s wrong?” Lin You called out.

“Nothing… I just accidentally kicked the basin,” she replied.

Hearing this, Lin You relaxed. “Wait for me. I’ll go light the kerosene lamp.”

At that moment, Lin Hongzhuo also came out. “Mom, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. You and your brother stay inside. Dad’s going to get the lamp.”

“Okay!”

In the dark, Lin Hongzhuo responded and went back inside. “Brother, Mom’s fine.”

“Keep it down. Don’t wake Nuannuan.”

...

Soon, two flickering lights appeared in Xia Yan’s sight. “It must be the transformer. I heard someone’s already gone to fix it. The power should come back soon.”

“No worries. As long as we have kerosene lamps…”

Watching the soft flames, the tiny sparks in the dark comforted her greatly.

Less than ten minutes later, the lights in the house flickered back on.

Yet, at that moment, Xia Yan found she rather liked the kerosene lamp after all.

The next morning, Xia Yan woke up with a hoarse throat—a consequence of holding back her voice all night.

During breakfast, Lin Hongzhuo noticed her husky voice and asked repeatedly what was wrong, causing Xia Yan to pinch Lin You’s leg repeatedly under the table.

Just then, a knock came from the courtyard gate.

“I’ll get it…”

Lin Hongzhuo dashed off.

When he returned, Xia Yan saw Zhu Yan, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time. But Zhu Yan looked unwell, even somewhat haggard.

Xia Yan stepped forward and took her hand. “Zhu Yan, what’s wrong?”

Zhu Yan said nothing. She embraced Xia Yan and burst into tears. “Xia Yan… I don’t know what to do…”