Chapter 212 Will he dislike her?

Ma Jinhua looked at the gold lock and nodded; this in-law truly doted on her child. Without hesitation, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cloth bag, peeling back the layers to reveal a translucent, emerald-green jade safety buckle.

“My dear mother-in-law, this gold lock is valuable, but I don’t have anything of value. This jade was part of my dowry. Wenchang was able to be transferred to the capital this time thanks to Minister Cui’s help. Please accept this as a return gift to Minister Cui.”

As Ma Jinhua spoke, she directly stuffed the safety buckle into Lin Wan's hand.

Lin Wan was a connoisseur. The moment her fingers touched the jade, it felt warm and cool. She picked it up and held it up to the light. The emerald green was rich and the jade was incredibly translucent. It was actually a top-grade old mine glass jade! In today's market, this kind of thing would be priceless and unavailable.

She was slightly startled. She had originally thought that the Zhao family was just an ordinary rural family, but she did not expect that the old lady would be so extraordinary.

It seems that the Zhao family had some background and resources in their ancestors.

Lin Wan's opinion of the old lady from the Zhao family instantly improved, and her smile became even more genuine: "Sister, this is far too precious..."

"Take it." Ma Jinhua waved her hand, looking completely unconcerned.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Lin Wan gestured with her eyes, indicating that she wanted to speak a few words to Zhao Wenchang and Jiang Wanqiu alone.

The three of them went up to the bedroom on the second floor.

As soon as the door closed, Lin Wan's smile faded, and her expression turned serious. Looking at Jiang Wanqiu's much-recovered complexion, she first breathed a sigh of relief before saying, "The higher-ups have already investigated the matter at the hospital."

Lin Wan sneered, her tone tinged with disdain and glee: "The Yue family has really blown up this time. It's a serious violation of discipline and an abuse of power. The old man is serious; he's joined forces with a few old friends who have long disliked the Yue family and investigated them thoroughly."

"How is it now?" Jiang Wanqiu asked nervously.

“Old Master Yue has been ‘invited’ for tea and probably won’t be coming out,” Lin Wan said. “As for Yue Ke, his work at the Ministry of Commerce has been suspended and he is under investigation. All the shady things his family did in the past have been exposed. When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. This time, the Yue family has been uprooted.”

At this point, Lin Wan turned to Zhao Wenchang and said, "Wenchang, you did the right thing this time. In Beijing, anyone who dares to harm the descendants of military personnel is courting death! Although our Cui family doesn't cause trouble, we are absolutely not afraid of trouble."

After recounting the fate of her Yue family, Lin Wan picked up her teacup to moisten her throat, then changed the subject, her gaze falling on Zhao Wenchang.

"Wenchang, this major worry has been removed, but this leave is probably not going to last long."

Lin Wan said, "The military region called Lao Cui yesterday. Although they didn't explicitly urge him, the message was clear. Your position is crucial, and the backlog of documents is almost a mountain. The higher-ups are understanding that your family just had a new baby and that something happened, but they can't give you too much special treatment. Lao Cui's idea is that you can stay with Wanqiu for a maximum of one more week before you have to return to your unit."

Lin Wan paused, then a smile appeared on her face: "But this is also a good thing. This time you withstood the pressure from the Yue family and did not disgrace the military. The higher-ups have all seen it. When you go back this time, you'll probably have another star on your shoulder."

Zhao Wenchang frowned subconsciously. This upgrade was a complicated matter. If he really had to get promoted, it would be common for him to be away from home for ten days or half a month at a time.

He glanced at Jiang Wanqiu with a slightly apologetic expression.

Jiang Wanqiu was quite perceptive. She said softly to Zhao Wenchang, "Wenchang, Madam Lin is right. You are a soldier, and obeying orders is your duty. You have your parents and grandmother at home, and I am here too. You can focus on pursuing your future. I am already grateful that you can spend this week with me."

"That's right, she's a sensible military wife." Lin Wan nodded with satisfaction.

As she spoke, Lin Wan seemed to remember something, and mysteriously reached into her handbag, rummaged around for a while, and pulled out a palm-sized carved wooden box.

The box looked quite old; it was made of mahogany and had a glossy, oily sheen.

She shoved it directly into Jiang Wanqiu's hand.

"What is this?" Jiang Wanqiu felt a heavy weight in her palm.

Lin Wan reached out and lifted the lid, and a faint herbal fragrance instantly filled the air. It wasn't overpowering, but rather calming.

Inside was a jar of dark brown ointment, which looked unremarkable, but had a texture as smooth as lard.

Lin Wan leaned closer, smiling mysteriously: "This is an old remedy that circulated in the palace back in the Qing Dynasty. It's specifically for removing scars and fading stretch marks. This stuff is precious; you can't buy it in pharmacies these days."

Jiang Wanqiu's eyes widened in surprise.

“Don’t take it lightly,” Lin Wan said. “When I gave birth to my second child, I had a difficult labor and had a C-section. I looked so ugly that I wanted to cry. Later, I used this and applied it for half a year. Now my belly is as smooth as ever, and you can’t see any marks at all.”

Lin Wan glanced at Zhao Wenchang, who was standing there dumbfounded, and earnestly began to impart her "husband-taming techniques": "Wanqiu, let me tell you the truth. Men, no matter how sweet their words are, saying they don't mind or care, it's all empty talk. They are visual creatures at heart, and what they crave is freshness. It's inevitable that we women suffer the pain of childbirth, our figures will change, and scars on our stomachs are badges of honor, but we must cherish ourselves and not give men an excuse to go out and look at other women. This ointment is priceless, so be sure to apply it every night after showering, don't be lazy."

Zhao Wenchang, who was listening nearby, frowned and couldn't help but interject, "Madam Lin, what nonsense are you teaching Wanqiu? Do you think I'm that kind of person? Wanqiu was stabbed to give birth to my son. Even if she's covered in scars, I would never complain! She will always be the most beautiful in my heart."

Jiang Wanqiu felt a sweet warmth in her heart, but she couldn't maintain the facade. She nudged Zhao Wenchang with her elbow, giving him a solid shove, and scolded him, "Can't you speak properly? What do you mean by 'covered in scars'? Can't you say something nice to appease me?"

Zhao Wenchang winced as he was poked, chuckled awkwardly twice, scratched his head, and fell silent.

Lin Wan watched the young couple flirting and shook her head with a smile: "That's all I have to say. You and Wenchang should rest well these next few days." With that, she stood up, straightened her clothes, and left.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Wanqiu's recovery is going well, and her wounds have almost healed. The doctor has given her permission to take a simple shower.

The bathroom was filled with steam, and a layer of white mist covered the mirror.

Jiang Wanqiu washed herself clean, and the long-lost feeling of freshness made her sigh with comfort.

She reached out and wiped the fog off the mirror, looking at herself in the mirror.

Although she hasn't fully recovered to her teenage figure after giving birth, she's still quite curvaceous, and her skin is fair and rosy under the steam.

But when her gaze slowly moved down and landed on her lower abdomen, her eyes instantly dimmed.

A dark red incision now runs across her once flat and smooth abdomen, resembling a grotesque centipede crawling on it, a shocking sight.

Around the incision, the once firm skin became somewhat loose, covered with faint silvery-white lines—stretch marks.

She reached out and touched it; the texture was uneven and rough to the touch.

This is the price to pay.

Jiang Wanqiu bit her lip, unable to suppress the discomfort in her heart. Although Zhao Wenchang said he didn't care, even she herself disliked her ugly belly, let alone a vigorous young man.

At night, the moon rises above the willow branches.

After finishing the last batch of backlogged documents in his study, Zhao Wenchang returned to his bedroom, rubbing his sore neck.

Only a dim bedside lamp was on in the room. Jiang Wanqiu had just finished showering and was sitting on the edge of the bed with her back to the door, wearing a conservative long-sleeved cotton nightgown. She lifted the hem of her nightgown and was applying the dark brown ointment to her stomach with her finger.

Hearing the doorknob turn, Jiang Wanqiu, like a startled rabbit, hurriedly pulled the blanket over her stomach and shrank further into the bed.

"What's wrong?"

Zhao Wenchang keenly sensed that his wife's mood was off. He walked over a few steps, sat down on the edge of the bed, and reached out to put his arm around her shoulder.

Jiang Wanqiu instinctively flinched.

Zhao Wenchang's hand froze in mid-air, his brows furrowed, and his voice softened: "Wife, what's wrong? Is your wound hurting?"

Jiang Wanqiu was still dawdling there, her hands tightly gripping the corner of the blanket, looking hesitant and indecisive. Zhao Wenchang, with his impatient temper, couldn't stand it any longer. He reached out and yanked the blanket off.

Under the dim light, Jiang Wanqiu's snow-white abdomen was exposed without any cover. It was covered with a layer of dark ointment, and the dark red scar was faintly visible under the ointment. Combined with the wrinkled lines around it, it looked rather alarming.

Jiang Wanqiu panicked and tried to cover it, but before she could reach out, Zhao Wenchang grabbed her wrist.

"Don't look..." Jiang Wanqiu's voice was trembling with tears as she turned her head to the side, not daring to look at Zhao Wenchang's face. "Isn't it particularly ugly? Doesn't it look like a rotten watermelon rind?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenchang sighed helplessly, extended his rough thumb, avoided the ointments, and gently rubbed the soft flesh on Jiang Wanqiu's waist twice.

He raised his head, looked steadily into Jiang Wanqiu's eyes, and said with exceptional seriousness, "Wife, you underestimate me, Zhao Wenchang. Just listen to what Madam Lin said and let it go. Don't take it to heart. What I, Zhao Wenchang, cherish is you as a person, your heart, not just your skin. Even if it's just a scar, and even when we're old and you're a wrinkled old woman with all your teeth gone, you'll still be my treasure, a great contributor to the Zhao family."

Jiang Wanqiu's eyes welled up with tears. She sniffed, pulled her hand out, and punched his hard chest muscles. She laughed through her tears and said, "You're so glib! I don't know where you learned that from."

"I learned it from you." Zhao Wenchang took her fist, kissed it, and chuckled.

...

A few days later, before dawn, there were only a few sparse bird calls outside the window.

Zhao Wenchang got up quietly, put on his military uniform, and stood by the bed for a long while looking at Jiang Wanqiu.