Chapter 54 Use and discard, wife, you're so heartless.

Upon hearing the man's words, Jiang Wanqiu's face flushed instantly.

She immediately retorted, her tone a mix of embarrassment and annoyance: "I...I've never had a scrubbed body before. Besides, do you think everyone is as thick-skinned as you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenchang deliberately drew out his tone and let out an exaggerated "Oh—".

His deep eyes scanned her up and down as if she were some rare object, and finally he nodded seriously: "Never scrubbed before? How much dirt must have accumulated? Tsk, I can't believe it, you're so dirty."

You're the dirty one!

This is an utter disgrace! Jiang Wanqiu was so angry that she straightened up on the kang (a heated brick bed), glaring at him, her chest heaving: "I shower every day, I'm perfectly clean! I'll prove it to you if you don't believe me!"

She froze as soon as she said it.

Her strong-willed mind cleared instantly, and she realized how fatal her words had been.

How can this be proven?

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the man opposite him instantly smiled broadly.

He leaned leisurely against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), propped up on his arm, exuding a lazy and oppressive aura.

The man's thin lips parted slightly, his voice deep and irritating: "Where's the proof? Why aren't you providing any?"

The last syllable rose slightly, like a small hook, making one's heart tremble.

“You…” The color that had just faded from Jiang Wanqiu’s face suddenly surged back up, turning a deep red that looked like it could bleed.

She bit her lip, unable to utter a single word. Finally, she simply turned the back of her head to him, shrinking back into him, clearly indicating that she didn't want to talk to him.

How does this person's brain work? I can never win an argument with him.

A low chuckle came from behind, followed by the rustling sound of someone getting up.

Jiang Wanqiu listened intently and realized that he had indeed gotten off the kang (a heated brick bed) and was walking towards the door. She immediately felt a pang of panic.

He... left already? Was he angry? Surely not, they only exchanged a few words.

She turned around abruptly and, sure enough, saw the man's tall figure already at the door.

"Where are you going..."

Before he could finish his question, the man stopped and slowly turned around.

The dim light outlined his striking features, and the playful curve of his lips was clearly visible.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow. "You're already reluctant to let me go?"

"..."

Jiang Wanqiu's cheeks burned again. She quickly turned her head back, covered her head with the blanket, and cursed the man a thousand times in her heart.

You scoundrel! All you do is bully people!

A short while later, Zhao Wenchang's footsteps approached again.

Jiang Wanqiu felt the kang (heated brick bed) next to her sink slightly, and the man sat back down.

Just as she was about to play dead, something hard was thrust at her arm through the blanket and poked her.

She pulled down a corner of the blanket, revealing a pair of wary eyes, and saw a green bankbook.

"What's this?"

"All the money I've saved over the past few years is here." Zhao Wenchang casually stuffed the bankbook into her hand. "From now on, you'll be in charge of all the money in the house."

Jiang Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously opened the passbook.

When she saw the string of zeros above, she gasped and her eyes widened in shock.

Ten thousand!

A full ten thousand yuan!

In an era when a worker's monthly salary was only twenty or thirty yuan, this amount of money was a huge sum!

It's likely that her family, which was once known as capitalists, won't be able to come up with that much cash anytime soon.

"Where...where did you get so much money?" Her voice trembled slightly.

“The military subsidies, my salary, and the bonuses I received for meritorious service in previous missions,” Zhao Wenchang said casually. “I’m alone in the military, and I don’t have many places to spend money, so I’ve saved it all.”

Jiang Wanqiu felt that the money was too much and pushed it back without thinking: "No, this money is too much, I can't accept it."

Zhao Wenchang pressed her hand down with his large hand, his attitude firm: "Take it if I give it to you. There will be many expenses for the family in the future. Besides, if I don't give you my money, who will I give it to?"

His words were so matter-of-fact that Jiang Wanqiu couldn't refuse and had no choice but to accept them.

He thought to himself that he should save this money carefully in case he needed it urgently in the future.

The two are currently living and eating at the military base, so they don't have any major expenses.

After the two of them joked around for a while, they actually lay down in bed, and only then did Jiang Wanqiu belatedly feel a chill.

Because they had just arrived, the earthen kang (heated brick bed) hadn't been heated for long enough to be fully warmed up, and the stove in the room hadn't been filled with charcoal yet, so the cold air was seeping into their bones.

She couldn't help but curl up into a ball, especially her feet, which felt like two blocks of ice in the blankets, so cold they were almost numb.

She instinctively bent her knees, trying to warm her feet with her hands to warm her toes.

But as soon as her hand touched her cold toes, a pair of even hotter, broader hands suddenly covered her, enveloping her hands and feet together.

"!"

Jiang Wanqiu trembled with fright, like a startled rabbit.

Zhao Wenchang had moved closer without her noticing, his warm breath brushing against her neck as he asked in a low, husky voice, "Are you cold?"

"It's...it's alright," Jiang Wanqiu said stubbornly.

The man didn't speak, but the warmth of his palm continued to emanate from him.

The warmth slowly seeped from his palms into her icy soles, soothing her so much that she almost wanted to sigh.

The icy little feet gradually warmed up.

But... having a grown man grab her foot like that felt both itchy and strange. An inexplicable electric current surged up from the soles of her feet, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

She curled her toes, trying to pull her foot back.

But those hands tightened their grip, preventing her from moving an inch.

The man whispered in her ear, his voice carrying a hint of warning: "Don't move."

His voice sounded even hoarser than before.

Jiang Wanqiu stood stiffly, when she suddenly felt a change in the man's body behind her; a burning heat emanated from him through her thin nightgown.

She was so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear into the ground.

"Ahem!" She cleared her throat and spoke awkwardly, "I...I'm not cold anymore! Really, the kang is warm now!"

After a moment of silence, Zhao Wenchang slowly released his hand.

He rolled over and lay flat, his tone tinged with a hint of annoyance: "Use it and then throw it away, Comrade Jiang Wanqiu, you're really heartless."

"I didn't!" Jiang Wanqiu retorted, blushing.

"Yes, there is."

"No!"

The two bickered casually, their voices growing softer and softer until one of them fell silent and drifted off to sleep, leaning against the other.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Jiang Wanqiu got up, took a washbasin and toothbrush, and went to the water room at the end of the residential compound.

The man beside her was called away by the battalion commander of another camp before dawn.

When the other person came to find him, their eyes shone brightly, as if they had finally seen a savior descend upon the world. They didn't forget to tattle, "Oh my dear father, you've finally returned to the team. I can't control your little brats, and if I try to manage them for even one more day, I'll shorten my lifespan!"

Zhao Wenchang raised an eyebrow: "Is that so? I'd like to see how they behave when I'm not around."

As he spoke, he didn't forget to rub Jiang Wanqiu's fluffy head. The woman, who was fast asleep, was forcibly woken up and looked at the man with drowsy eyes.

The next moment, the other person said, "It's okay. Let's see if you're awake or not. If you're not awake, just keep sleeping."

Jiang Wanqiu: "..."

"Zhao Wenchang, are you crazy?!"