Chapter 110 - 108: Warmth After the Exam
It was July, the middle of the sixth lunar month. With an intercalary sixth month this year, the exams fell right in the thick of the fiery summer. Even the morning sun was scorching hot. After riding his bicycle all the way with his wife and daughter, Li Xiu was so drenched in sweat he looked like he’d been fished out of a river.
After seeing Zhou Lian all the way to the exam site and checking that she had her admission ticket and stationery, Li Xiu took their daughter from her and said with a smile, "Bao’er, go on and take your exam. Don’t worry about a thing. Our daughter and I will be waiting for you."
Gazing at the blazing sun, Zhou Lian frowned. "No, it’s too hot. Nuonuo is still so young; I’m afraid she won’t be able to stand it. Besides, why would you just wait here foolishly in this weather? Go find a guesthouse. You and Nuonuo can wait for me there."
Feeling his wife’s concern filled Li Xiu with joy. He smiled and agreed softly, then watched as Zhou Lian entered the examination hall. Gazing down at the chubby little girl in his arms, Li Xiu kissed her cheek. Pushing the bicycle with one hand, he set off to find a guesthouse and get a room to rest.
Inside the examination hall, Zhou Lian stared at the test paper before her, the fresh scent of ink wafting from it. She steadied her nerves. ’I’ve worked so hard for three months, and my husband has poured his heart and soul into supporting me. I can’t let my efforts go to waste, and I can’t bear to see his devotion come to nothing.’
He let their daughter nap for a while at the guesthouse. When it was nearly time, Li Xiu carried her back to the school to wait for his wife to finish her exam.
The moment she walked out of the examination hall, Zhou Lian saw Li Xiu standing at the school gate holding their daughter, and a smile instinctively spread across her face. Her beauty stunned the other test-takers nearby. Following her gaze, they saw the tall, handsome man holding the child. A strange pang of disappointment struck many of the young men’s hearts. ’So, the fair lady is already married.’
Holding their daughter, Li Xiu smiled as his wife’s eyes found his. His heart swelled with secret delight. ’My beautiful wife spotted me right away,’ he thought, watching as she walked gracefully toward him.
The palpable affection between them was the envy of everyone around. A handsome man, a beautiful woman, and a chubby little baby.
Unaware that they had become a picturesque scene for onlookers, the family of three walked back toward the guesthouse together. Li Xiu wanted Zhou Lian to rest for a bit before lunch, since she still had an exam that afternoon.
Back in their room, Zhou Lian washed her hands in the basin of water Li Xiu had prepared for her in advance. Then she took their daughter to nurse her. Li Xiu smiled at Zhou Lian and asked, "Bao’er, are you hungry? Do you want to rest a while before we go eat, or eat first and then rest?"
Gently patting Little Nono in her arms, Zhou Lian looked at her husband, who was bent over her, and said softly, "Let’s eat first. We can come back to rest after. I still have an exam this afternoon!"
"Alright," Li Xiu softly explained the plan for the next three days. "I booked the room for three days. We’ll stay here overnight tomorrow, since I didn’t bring a change of clothes for you. After your final exam in the afternoon the day after tomorrow, we’ll head home."
"Okay, I’ll leave it all to you. You can handle the arrangements," Zhou Lian said nonchalantly. ’My husband would never let me be wronged,’ she thought. ’All I have to do for now is listen to him obediently.’
In the county’s state-run restaurant, the servers and other patrons couldn’t help but notice the scene. A handsome man was holding an adorable child, his eyes fixed gently on the beautiful, elegant woman across from him as she ate. He would occasionally place choice morsels of food into her bowl, earning a shared smile whenever she looked up. He didn’t stop until she was full, and even then, he coaxed her into drinking a small bowl of soup. Only after she took the child from him did the man finally begin to wolf down his own meal in a few large bites. The sight made others smile warmly, as if they were gazing upon a lovely painting.
Completely unaware that they were the center of attention, Zhou Lian smiled as she watched her husband wolf down his food. "Slow down," she said gently. "There’s no rush."
Li Xiu looked up and smiled at his wife, swallowing the mouthful of food before replying, "It’s fine. Don’t worry."
Zhou Lian said no more, simply watching him with a gentle smile. But inside, her heart felt heavy. ’Isn’t he exhausted from living like this?’ she wondered. ’He prioritizes me in everything, so much so that there’s almost nothing left for himself.’
The three days flew by. After Zhou Lian finished her last exam, her first thought wasn’t about how well she had done, but a sigh of relief that it was finally over. ’Li Xiu can finally rest,’ she thought. Accompanying her for these three days had completely exhausted him, leaving dark circles under his eyes. During the day, he’d drop her off and pick her up while also soothing their daughter. At night, he barely slept, watching over the baby, terrified she might wake up crying and disturb Zhou Lian’s rest. He had pushed himself through three grueling days like that.
Once they were back home, Zhou Lian couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. It felt so good to be back. Seeing her relax, Li Xiu smiled, laid their daughter on the bed, and asked Zhou Lian to watch her while he went to the kitchen to boil water and prepare a meal.
After dinner, Li Xiu prepared a bath for Zhou Lian, mixing the water to the perfect temperature. Staring at the steaming water, Zhou Lian hesitated before finally asking, "Li Xiu, it’s so hot out. Do I really have to use hot water for my bath?"
"Bao’er, bathing in cold water is bad for your health," he said. "Be good, now. I’ll fan you afterward so you won’t feel hot!"
Hearing him coax her as if she were a child, Zhou Lian’s lips twitched. ’This man... he’s really treating me like another daughter!’
After her bath, Zhou Lian lay on the bed, gently fanning her daughter as she lulled her to sleep. Her own thoughts, however, had drifted far away. ’If I really get into university, this life will be completely different from my last one. I won’t be that illiterate farmwife anymore. Li Xiu has already changed so much... I’m the one who’s been stuck reliving the past, forgetting that this Li Xiu won’t be content with the same unremarkable life as before.’
’It’s not that Li Xiu is overly ambitious. I remember our daughter once told me something he said when he was drunk: if he could live his life over, he would never let his wife and child suffer in poverty again. He didn’t have some grand ambition; he just wanted us to live a life free of worries.’
’Judging by the knowledge and capabilities he’s demonstrating now, he wasn’t just making a drunken boast. He really can do it. It’s just a shame about the Li Xiu from my last life... He held fast to a promise he made to his master, failing to see the poison disguised as familial affection, and forced himself to live as an unremarkable farmer. I don’t know if he was pitiable or pathetic. But considering how cunning he could be, it’s no surprise that in the end, he told our son and daughter to never bury him in the ancestral grave and to never return to pay respects at the family tombs.’
When Li Xiu returned from his bath, he saw their daughter was sound asleep and his wife was once again lost in her thoughts. He gently moved the baby to her little cot nearby, then climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around his wife. "What’s on your mind, Bao’er?" he asked.
Snapping back to the present, Zhou Lian looked at Li Xiu holding her. "Aren’t you hot?" she said with exasperation. "Why are we still hugging?"
"I’m hot, sure, but I can’t sleep if I’m not holding you!" Li Xiu said with a laugh. And it was true. Ever since marrying Zhou Lian, he had developed a habit: he simply couldn’t get a good night’s sleep unless he was holding his wife.
"Alright, that’s enough. Stop talking and get some sleep," Zhou Lian said softly, patting him. "You’ve barely slept at all these last three days. How can your body keep going like this?" His dark circles were so pronounced, yet he still had the energy to joke around with her.
He could hear the concern in her voice. ’She’s been taking exams for three days, so she must be exhausted, too,’ he thought. ’I should let her rest properly.’ He was also tired. ’Best not to make my wife worry anymore.’