Chapter 98 A Belated Wedding Night

Starlight, evening breeze, Qiao Xingyue and Xie Zhongming standing side by side, their shadows intertwined under the dim lamplight, and the treetops rustling in the evening breeze.

This scene under the night sky is as beautiful as a painting.

Qiao Xingyue let Xie Zhongming hold her hand gently yet firmly, and couldn't help but smile.

Looking at the man sideways, she could clearly see a faint blush rising near his earlobe in the dim streetlights.

Why would he worry about her slipping on the pebbles on the road? This man clearly just wants to hold her hand.

In her previous life, Qiao Xingyue was born into a wealthy family and was pampered and loved by her family since childhood. She was never lacking in love and devoted herself to her medical career. She was too busy to date and never had time for romance. Her family did not urge her to date and supported her in living the way she liked.

So in her previous life, she never experienced the sweetness of being in love.

At this moment, being held so gently by Xie Zhongming, a man who seemed so tough and resolute, a sweet feeling suddenly welled up in her chest.

Is this what it feels like to be in love?

The evening breeze seemed to have become exceptionally gentle.

Qiao Xingyue had never felt that the night sky in this era was so clear and bright, with countless stars densely adorning the night sky, the outline of the Milky Way faintly visible, so bright that the silhouettes of the barracks in the distance could be seen.

Even the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the locust trees is as beautiful as heavenly music.

She glanced at Xie Zhongming from the side.

Starlight shone on his broad shoulders.

His profile, with its clear and smooth facial features, was illuminated by the night, exuding a unique fortitude and sharpness.

It's precisely this ruggedly handsome face that turns red at the tips of its ears when it gets shy.

Qiao Xingyue recalled the first time she met him in Shantang Village, when she performed the surgery on him there; he had been just as shy then. This tough, unyielding man's shyness was truly endearing.

She gripped his hand tightly in her palm, glancing at him sideways, and asked decisively, "Xie Zhongming, shall we kiss?"

Xie Zhongming turned his head to look at him.

A look of surprise mixed with shyness and disbelief fell into Qiao Xingyue's incredibly calm eyes.

What kind of inappropriate and offensive language is this?

What woman is so direct?

Although Xie Zhongming knew that Qiao Xingyue was from the future and her thinking was definitely more progressive than that of women in this era, this was still too progressive.

The faint redness from Xie Zhongming's earlobes spread all the way down to his straight neck.

The burning sensation went straight to my chest.

A gentle evening breeze blew, ruffling the stray hairs on Qiao Xingyue's cheek. She tucked a few strands behind her ear, revealing a fair and delicate ear.

Xie Zhongming gripped her hand tightly, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Let's go home first!"

Qiao Xingyue grabbed Xie Zhongming's hand and pulled him back from walking forward.

The atmosphere has reached this point, how can we just cut it off like that?

She raised two slender, soft arms and wrapped them around Xie Zhongming's neck, giving him a playful smile. "Xie Zhongming, we haven't had a proper kiss yet. Want to kiss?"

In this day and age, few people probably use the word "kiss".

Qiao Xingyue replaced the word "kiss" with "lip kiss".

As she said those two words, she deliberately tiptoed, wrapped her arms tightly around Xie Zhongming's neck, and went to meet him.

In the evening breeze.

A cool, warm lip landed on Xie Zhongming's lightly pursed lips.

At that moment, Qiao Xingyue closed her eyes.

Xie Zhongming also closed his eyes.

The sounds of cicadas and frogs, the rustling of leaves, all around faded away, leaving only their awkward and clumsy kisses.

...

Two figures hurried towards the locust tree in the distance.

Those were the wives of Xie's eldest and second sons, Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu.

The two people came to pick up An An and Ning Ning's change of clothes. Today, they helped Qiao Xingyue and Xie Zhongming decorate their new home, and all the clothes of the four of them were taken to the new home.

When it was time to give An'an and Ningning a bath, we realized that we didn't have any clean clothes for the two kids.

Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu came along this road, and took the opportunity to deliver something to Qiao Xingyue.

Unexpectedly, halfway there I saw two people kissing under the shadow of a tree not far away.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be his fourth son and his wife.

Shen Liping made a shushing gesture, and unable to suppress a laugh, she pulled Sun Xiuxiu to a stop.

Sun Xiuxiu was from the countryside and didn't have much formal education.

She met Xie Zhongjie, the second son of the Xie family, in the countryside. At that time, Xie Zhongjie went to their village to carry out a mission. Xie Zhongjie fell in love with Sun Xiuxiu at first sight. Their relationship was a free love, and later, with the support of Huang Guilan and Xie Jiang, they got married.

Sun Xiuxiu, who had little formal education, had not seen much of the world and was conservative in her thinking, unlike Shen Liping, who had studied abroad and was not as open-minded.

Seeing Lao Si and Xingyue kissing under the shade of the tree, she subconsciously covered her eyes.

He thought to himself: How dare the fourth brother and his wife be so bold? What if the neighbors in the courtyard see them? They'll be gossiped about again.

"Sister-in-law, quickly call Lao Si and Xingyue back to the house. It won't be good if someone sees them like this."

Sun Xiuxiu was in a hurry to move forward, but Shen Liping pulled her back. "There's no one here. Don't worry, no one will see you. Besides, it's dark here. Even if the people in the yard see you, they won't dare to come up and see who it is. They won't recognize Lao Si and Xingyue."

Shen Liping lowered her voice, "Let's not disturb the young couple, let's wait a little longer."

As she spoke, Shen Liping pulled Sun Xiuxiu away and turned her back to her.

...

Under the shade of the trees.

Her slender hand clenched into a fist and slammed it hard against Xie Zhongming's shoulder.

"Xie Zhongming, your teeth are hurting me."

"Sorry!" Xie Zhongming looked up, his large hand still holding Qiao Xingyue's slender waist, but with much less force. "I'm not very good at it, I'll learn slowly in the future."

Qiao Xingyue laughed out loud, "You don't need to learn this. You'll learn it naturally after doing it a few times. Come on, let's go home."

She took Xie Zhongming's hand and walked towards her yard, asking as they went, "Xie Zhongming, did you just take a shower? You smell so nice."

It has a fresh, clean scent of soapberry.

It smells delicious.

Xie Zhongming took this bath specifically for Qiao Xingyue, just in case she smelled his body odor.

"I was covered in sweat, so I took a shower."

"You're quite clean."

Xie Zhongming smiled when his wife praised him for being clean.

As they spoke, the two arrived at the gate of the courtyard. Xie Zhongming took out his key and opened the door.

The two stepped into the courtyard and, with the key in hand, unlocked the main room door.

Qiao Xingyue went in first, turned on the light in the main room, and said crisply to Xie Zhongming as he walked in, "However, you'll have to take a shower later, especially clean that area. If a woman wants to avoid gynecological diseases, the man has to be hygienic and clean."

"I'll go wash now." To listen to his wife, Xie Zhongming quickly grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the toilet on the first floor.

"You're going to wash with cold water?" Qiao Xingyue called out to him. "There's hot water on the honeycomb briquette stove. Go get a basin, fill it with hot water, and mix it with the cold water to wash."

In the afternoon, when the Xie family helped them decorate their new house, they even lit the honeycomb briquettes for them.

There was a large iron pot on the stove, with water heating inside.

If you need hot water, just go and scoop it up whenever you want.

In those days, gas was rare, so every household would put a pot on a coal stove, fill it with water, and use hot water conveniently.

Just as Qiao Xingyue was about to go to the kitchen, two people came to the outside of the main room.

"Xingyue, come out here."

Upon hearing the voice, it was recognized as that of his sister-in-law, Shen Liping.

Qiao Xingyue looked towards the door of the main room and called out, "Sister-in-law, come in, don't stand outside."

"Come out, your sister-in-law has something to say to you." Shen Liping knew Xie Zhongming was in the main room, so she didn't go in.

After Qiao Xingyue walked out, Shen Liping stuffed several kraft paper bags, each about the size of a matchbox, into her hand.

Qiao Xingyue didn't know what it was, and looked at it again and again, "Sister-in-law, what is this you gave me?"

Shen Liping whispered in Qiao Xingyue's ear, "These condoms were sent back by my classmate abroad through my sister-in-law. The military family planning commission also distributes condoms, but they're too thick and not as effective as these. Xingyue, you and Zhongming have to be careful about contraception. Public officials who have more children than allowed will be punished."

This era advocates for fewer births, later births, and better births.

A family can have a maximum of two children.

Subsidies will be provided to families with only one child, while economic restrictions will be imposed on families with two or more children. In the allocation of employee benefits, housing and rural homesteads, policies will favor families that comply with family planning.

By this time, contraception knowledge had been widely promoted and sterilization surgeries were being performed.

When Qiao Xingyue lived in the countryside, she also worked as a staff member promoting contraception knowledge.

Although there are no mandatory restrictions, public officials should take the lead.

"Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law." At this moment, Xie Zhongming, who was in the main room, heard the two chatting outside the main room, so he stood at the threshold of the main room and greeted his two sisters-in-law.

Then he added, "Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, why don't you come inside and talk?"

Shen Liping greeted her with a smile, "Your second sister-in-law and I have come to get An'an and Ningning's change of clothes. We'll leave right away and won't come inside."

"Go take a shower, I want to say a few words to my sisters-in-law." Qiao Xingyue pushed Xie Zhongming into the main room.

Xie Zhongming realized that his three sisters-in-law had something they didn't want to say in front of him, so he simply walked into the main room.

At this moment, Shen Liping said to Qiao Xingyue, "Xingyue, having an abortion while pregnant is very harmful to your body. Take this set with you, and I'll bring you some more later. You two should be careful about this."

Shen Liping has studied abroad and has relatively progressive ideas.

When talking to Qiao Xingyue about contraception, he was very open and honest.

She added, "If you don't want to get an IUD, your sister-in-law will often have my classmate mail them back from abroad for you two."

She thought that Xingyue and Lao Si were still young, and as someone who had been through it all, she knew that newlyweds often had strong sexual desires. She was afraid that the condoms she had given Xingyue wouldn't last more than a few days.

Then, he leaned close to Qiao Xingyue's ear and whispered, "Xingyue, if you run out of this set, you should let Lao Si have it removed."

Although the voice was kept very low, Sun Xiuxiu next to her could still hear it clearly: How come her sister-in-law can say anything?

If Sun Xiuxiu were to say these words, she might be too embarrassed to speak.

Qiao Xingyue responded to Shen Liping frankly, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I used to work in the countryside promoting contraception, so I know all about these basic contraceptive practices. Don't worry, if I run out of condoms, I can get more from the family planning office in the compound. You don't need to worry about me; I'll be careful."

Sun Xiuxiu hurriedly asked, "Xingyue, do you still dare to go to the family planning office to get this thing?"

"What's there to be afraid of? I'm just responding to the national family planning policy; it's nothing shameful," Qiao Xingyue said frankly.

This surprised Shen Liping somewhat.

Xingyue doesn't seem to have grown up in the countryside; she seems to have gone abroad and studied overseas.

In short, Shen Liping saw a special quality in Qiao Xingyue, which was even more outstanding than her classmates who had studied abroad.

But Xingyue never studied abroad.

...

When Xie Zhongming finished his bath and walked into the main room, Qiao Xingyue had just seen Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu off.

First, I smelled a fresh scent of soap, and then I turned around and saw Xie Zhongming standing tall and straight under the light bulb.

He was wearing a white vest.

His neck was long and straight, like the branches of a poplar tree, and his jawline was clean and sharp, carrying the ruggedness of a soldier.

Water droplets rolled down the curve of her neck, sliding past her Adam's apple.

Upon seeing Qiao Xingyue standing under the light, his Adam's apple bobbed, and when he raised his hand to touch his ear, his arm bulged with strength—the smooth muscle lines honed from years of holding a gun and training.

The veins were faintly visible beneath the moist skin, exuding a sense of explosive power.

When he raised his hand, his waist and abdomen were taut under his tight white vest, without an ounce of excess fat. Every muscle line on his body exuded the strength and agility of a soldier, both resolute and composed, yet also displaying the youthful vigor of a young man.

Everyone has a love for beauty.

Qiao Xingyue was no exception.

The man in front of her was someone you'd be hard-pressed to find, whether it was his looks, physique, or family background.

She suddenly understood how Xie Zhongming felt after he had that kind of relationship with her, who weighed over 200 pounds.

If she put herself in his shoes, if she had just transmigrated to this era and slept with a lazy, good-for-nothing country man weighing over 200 pounds, she definitely wouldn't have been able to accept it either.

She would definitely run away; she would never live with a man who weighs over 200 pounds.

But Xie Zhongming married her, and when he received a monthly work allowance of forty-eight yuan, he sent thirty-eight back home. When he received an allowance of one hundred and sixty-eight yuan, he sent a full one hundred back home.

Although the money ended up in Zeng Xiuzhu's hands, he still took responsibility.

Qiao Xingyue suddenly stopped dwelling on the past.

She wrapped her soft arms around Xie Zhongming's tall neck and gave him a light peck on his handsome face. "Honey, wait for me to take a shower."

What did you call me?

The word "husband" drifted gently into Xie Zhongming's ears, like a feather lightly brushing against his eardrums and heart.

The sound was soft, but crisp.

Xie Zhongming's heart felt as if it had been scalded by that shout.

Qiao Xingyue was about to pull her arms back from Xie Zhongming's neck when she saw that Xie Zhongming seemed not to have heard her clearly and tightened his grip. She called out again, "Husband. In our time, couples with good relationships would call each other husband and wife directly. It wasn't customary to call each other by names."

Today, Qiao Xingyue's soft "husband" and her gentle attitude towards him made his head tremble and even his fingertips go numb.

But he was a soldier.

He appears to be very composed on the surface.

Qiao Xingyue then said in a clear voice, "It's rare that An Anning isn't here today, let's play cards in a bit."

"What, playing cards?" A hint of doubt flashed across Xie Zhongming's handsome face.

Qiao Xingyue raised an eyebrow and smiled, wrapped her arms around Xie Zhongming's neck, and whispered something in his ear.

Then, she let go of him, saying, "Wait for me."

The first half of her sentence made Xie Zhongming's ears burn, and he looked at her with tender eyes, "Okay, I'll wait for you."