"I'll return this to my brother and sister-in-law myself. I have a salary now." Xia Xiaoli didn't want to trouble Li Qingming's family any further.

“We don’t need to be so clear about it. Just tell me directly. This is my duty as a husband,” Li Qingming said again.

Xia Xiaoli silently lowered her head and remained silent.

“I heard from my mother that it’s a thousand yuan. Let’s withdraw the money tomorrow and give it to my brother and sister-in-law,” Li Qingming said tentatively.

"It's over six hundred." Xia Xiaoli thought it wasn't that much. The surgery cost over five hundred, and with the post-operative care, it came to over six hundred. "I owe my brother and sister-in-law more than just money; it's a debt of gratitude that I can never repay!"

This is no longer about money.

Seeing Xia Xiaoli's furrowed brows, Li Qingming smiled and said, "You really are a girl who likes to frown. Money is money, and kindness is kindness. There is no conflict between us separating. After returning the money, we will still be a family and there will be no conflict. Their kindness to you is my kindness, and we will definitely repay and give back to my brother and sister-in-law's family."

After listening, Xia Xiaoli's eyes flickered a few times. She looked up at Li Qingming with an ambiguous expression, her gaze towards him complex yet grateful.

Li Qingming suddenly stood up and said, "It's so late, you should get some rest."

Arriving at the cabinet, Li Qingming opened it, pulled out the quilt, and planned to sleep on the floor.

"Are you going to sleep on the floor?" Xia Xiaoli hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Yes, I told you I would respect your decision. I'm a grown man, it's fine for me to sleep on the floor. You're probably not used to having another person sleeping next to you yet," Li Qingming explained as he moved out the blankets.

Xia Xiaoli bit her lip and said, "I have to get used to it. You... don't sleep on the floor anymore, this bed is big enough."

Li Qingming looked at Xia Xiaoli; she was inviting him to sleep in the bed with her.

When Li Qingming stared at Xia Xiaoli, he noticed that her face was already flushed.

“Besides, you’ve already said we’re family, it’s not appropriate for us to sleep on the floor, and we… we are already a real couple, and what’s done is done.” Xia Xiaoli couldn’t finish her sentence, her cheeks flushed red as she lowered her head, clutching the corner of the blanket. “Anyway, let’s not sleep on the floor.”

After saying that, Xia Xiaoli shyly lay down.

Li Qingming chuckled inwardly; Xia Xiaoli was still a lovely girl.

He looked at the cup in his hand, silently put it back, and said to Xia Xiaoli, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Put the blanket back, lie down on the bed, and then turn off the light.

In the dark room, neither of them could sleep. Xia Xiaoli was so nervous that she covered her head with the blanket, and she started sweating from the tension.

In this quiet room, Li Qingming could clearly hear his own heartbeat.

In the sweltering heat of summer, Li Qingming forgot to turn on the fan.

Xia Xiaoli also felt very hot, but she was embarrassed and tensed up, not daring to move at all.

They've been holding one position for a long time.

Li Qingming turned over to look at Xia Xiaoli. Hearing the sound of him turning over, Xia Xiaoli trembled all over.

She wondered if Li Qingming might lose control and try to have sex with her.

Although the two are married, Xia Xiaoli still has a lingering trauma.

"Xiaoli, are you asleep?" Li Qingming asked tentatively in a low voice. He was afraid that Xia Xiaoli had fallen asleep, and if he was too loud, he would definitely wake her up. Anyone who was awake would definitely be able to hear this sound.

After asking but receiving no response, Li Qingming assumed the man had probably fallen asleep.

After mentally preparing herself, Xia Xiaoli slowly asked, "No... what's wrong?"

"Is it hot?" Li Qingming asked.

"A little." Of course it's hot; Xia Xiaoli was sweating profusely from being covered up.

Li Qingming thought Xia Xiaoli wasn't hot, but it turns out she was.

"Then I'll get up and turn on the fan, is the lowest setting okay?" Li Qingming said to Xia Xiaoli as he got up.

"Mmm." Xia Xiaoli responded, feeling relieved. She had thought it was Li Qingming who wanted it!

Li Qingming turned on the bedside lamp and then went to bring in the fan, so Xia Xiaoli could finally wipe away her sweat.

She threw back the covers; she was covered in sweat, it was so hot.

Looking at the sticky sweat, Xia Xiaoli suddenly felt like taking a shower.

Xia Xiaoli was so nervous that she was sweating profusely, as if she had just taken a shower.

Li Qingming carried the fan in, just as Xia Xiaoli got out of bed.

Xia Xiaoli's face was covered in sweat, and the shoulder strap on her shoulder had fallen off.

Li Qingming glanced at it and blushed as well.

Xia Xiaoli hurriedly explained, "It's too...hot, I want to take a shower."

"Wait a moment, I'll bring you some water. There's still some hot water left in the big pot." Li Qingming turned and went to the kitchen to fetch water for Xia Xiaoli to take to the water room.

In the next room, Zhang Hehua mentioned Li Qingming's movements.

She felt relieved; at least the two of them had a marital relationship. She thought to herself, "It's just that it was a little short!"

Zhang Hehua thought that Xia Xiaoli might not be used to it yet; this woman would feel very uncomfortable the first few times.

Either Li Qingming didn't understand this aspect and ended it early.

I've already started thinking about finding some tonics to help them recover.

Li Qingming brought in hot water and a bucket of cold water as well.

After coming in, he said to Xia Xiaoli, "Go wash up, I've already brought you in."

"Okay, thank you." Xia Xiaoli thanked her softly and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

I was out in just a few minutes, and I felt much refreshed.

Xia Xiaoli changed into her usual pajamas this time, a vest-style pajama set, to keep cool.

I went back to bed and, with the fan on, I didn't feel so hot.

After Xia Xiaoli lay down, she saw that Li Qingming had already fallen asleep.

She breathed a sigh of relief, no longer needing to chat. After lying down, she only covered her stomach, not her whole body, enjoying the coolness brought by the fan.

Actually, Li Qingming wasn't asleep; he just closed his eyes because he was afraid of embarrassing Xia Xiaoli.

The sound of the fan had a hypnotic effect, and Xia Xiaoli fell asleep to it, though in a rather unhealthy sleeping position.

Li Qingming suffered all night, silently reciting the Eight Disciplines in his mind.

On a new day, Shen Qiaoyue and Jiang Jinyao went to work as usual. The sky was overcast as they walked from home to the factory, a journey that only took about ten minutes by bicycle.

When I arrived at the office, Wang Tiantian hadn't come to work today. She left a note saying that she was in a bad mood and wanted to take a day off to clear her head.

After reading the note, Shen Qiaoyue and Jiang Jinyao couldn't help but sigh.

Recently, factory workers haven't been working overtime, and there haven't been many orders.

Shen Qiaoyue and Jiang Jinyao were called in for a talk by Director Lü Zhengshan.

The factory is barely making ends meet. Without working overtime, the workers get off work at 5:30 pm every day. Shen Qiaoyue and Jiang Jinyao have also stopped receiving their bonuses, and their meat ration has been reduced by five jin.

He gave some instructions, reminding Shen Qiaoyue and Jiang Jinyao to always be mindful of their words in daily life.