Faced with his aunts' questioning, Zhou Jiuzhen didn't turn around, quickened his pace, and his ear tips turned so red they could bleed. "Go deal with family matters!"

The sea breeze was still blowing. Ling Huanwu's hand was being held by him, and she could feel the heat of his palm. She couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Zhou Mutou, didn't you say that soldiers don't beat around the bush?"

The man didn't say anything, but just gripped her tighter and led her toward the family compound.

It wasn't her who taught him to seduce; it was clearly her sticky gaze that first stirred his heart into a tangled mess.

When Zhou Jiuzhen slammed the wooden door of the family compound shut, it still carried the coolness of the sea breeze, but the air inside instantly ignited.

The sun was blazing outside the window, and the golden light shone through the wooden window frame, casting incongruous bright patterns on the ground, like crushed heat waves that enveloped the people inside the room and refused to dissipate.

Ling Huanwu's back was pressed against the door panel. Just as she was about to speak, he grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms.

The calluses on his palm brushed against her still damp clothes, burning her slightly, and her gaze involuntarily drifted to the window.

The leaves of the old banyan tree in the corner of the courtyard were withered from the sun, but a gust of wind made them sway violently. The shadow swept across the window paper, just like his breath on her neck, trembling with urgency.

There was still half a cup of cold tea left in the enamel mug on the table, which Zhou Jiuzhen had just drunk while his throat was parched.

Water droplets dripped down the rim of the enamel mug, splashing onto the table and spreading into small damp marks, which were quickly wiped away by the heat of the room, leaving only a faint imprint.

When the kiss landed, it carried the saltiness of the sea breeze and the heat of the sun.

She gripped the lapel of his military uniform, her fingertips tracing the brass button she had been staring at, and heard him say in a hoarse voice in her ear, "From now on, you're not allowed to teach anyone else..."

The sun outside the window was even stronger, making the clothesline under the eaves taut.

The floral handkerchief she had hung out to dry in the morning was blown by the wind and stuck to the half-open wooden window, looking like a soft cloud.

As Zhou Jiuzhen led her toward the bed, the wind from his footsteps stirred the military blanket at the foot of the bed, the edge brushing against her ankles. It tickled her, and she shrank closer to him, but he held her waist even tighter.

Sunlight streamed in through the half-open window, falling on his taut back and illuminating the old scars on his shoulders and neck.

That was something Zhou Jiuzhen had left behind during a previous exercise. Ling Huanwu lightly touched it with her fingertips, but he grabbed her hand and pressed it against the headboard.

His breathing became more and more rapid, like the buzzing of cicadas in the summer sun outside the courtyard, making one's heart tremble.

The banyan leaves outside the window swayed again, this time more violently, disrupting the light and shadow on the ground, which overlapped with the intertwined figures inside the room, making it impossible to tell whether it was the light that was moving or people's hearts that were swaying.

Ling Huanwu leaned against him and heard the neighbor's children outside the courtyard shouting "It's so hot!" She then realized that the sweat on her forehead had been smeared on his military uniform.

Only today did she realize that winter is over and the spring season with its warm weather and blooming flowers is just around the corner.

Zhou Jiuzhen reached out and wiped the sweat from her temples, the calluses on his fingertips tickling her a little.

The sun was still high in the sky outside the window, making the air inside the room warm and cozy, like his embrace around her, airtight and comforting.

If people found out in broad daylight, I'd be so embarrassed!

Ling Huanwu got up cursing and went to find her shoes, but as soon as she got up, her legs gave way and she almost fell to the ground.

Fortunately, Zhou Jiuzhen reacted quickly and pulled her back into his arms, otherwise she would have been so embarrassed that she wouldn't be able to go out and face anyone later...

At the entrance of the family compound.

Qin Zhizhi, sporting a fake muscular physique, appeared with difficulty walking in the family compound.

The older women from the cooperative just called her over to ask Ling Huanwu for the exact size of the cuffs on her clothes.

She had no choice but to reluctantly come over, remaining silent once again.

She inquired which room belonged to the couple, and just as she was about to knock on the door, she saw a wooden sign hanging on the door that read, "Daughter-in-law, come back and wash the clothes and cook the meal. A daughter-in-law must be capable!"

Qin Zhizhi couldn't help but gasp; this new mother-in-law of Ling Huanwu was truly no kind person.

Thinking that the wooden sign was still there, she figured Ling Huanwu might not have come back at all. Just as she turned to leave, she heard a loud commotion coming from inside the house.

The sound was like various pieces of furniture fighting.

Qin Zhizhi was puzzled, so she walked around in a big circle to the window next to the house.

The window was half-open, and dust was even falling from the wooden windowpane.

Curiosity killed the cat.

She froze by the window, unable to move, her eyes never leaving the crack in the window. She suddenly realized that being a wife meant being this capable!

If it weren't for the guards calling her from behind, she probably would have already peered out the window to get a closer look.

"Miss, are you alright? Don't listen to those old women's orders. From now on, just give me any work you need."

The guard looked worried and came over to pull the young lady away, not wanting her to be exposed to the scorching sun.

Qin Zhizhi was on high alert.

She hurriedly pushed the guard away, afraid that he would see the scenery through the wooden window and laugh at her for being a female pervert!

"Come on, stop looking. The two of them are fighting. They don't have time to talk about clothing sizes."

Qin Zhizhi deliberately lied and pushed the equally burly guard Ma away.

She pushed too hard, and ended up tripping over her own feet, accidentally knocking the guard to the ground instead.

Just as the guard was about to shout "Watch out!", he was pulled backward by a soft force. His lower back hit a dry burlap sack in the alley, and a warm sensation landed on his lips first.

It's actually the young lady's lips!

The guard was terrified; his mind went completely blank.

On the lips, it was as soft as if it had just been sun-dried, with a slightly sweet, soapy taste.

Both of them stood frozen in place, with only their increasingly loud heartbeats pounding against each other's eardrums.

Ma Huwei could see the redness rising from the corners of her eyes, while Qin Zhizhi stared at the curve of his Adam's apple, even softening her breathing.

She tried to prop herself up against his chest, but in her haste, her fingertips touched something hard first.

It was Ma Huwei's abs, visible through his thin shirt, their lines taut and firm.

The touch was so hot it made her fingertips go numb, like touching a red-hot iron.

Qin Zhizhi gasped softly, abruptly withdrawing her hand. Her cheeks flushed instantly, and even the tips of her ears turned burning hot.

She dared not look into the guard's eyes again. She tried to get up, but found her body limp and she couldn't bear to get up.

Until a scream of "Ah..." came from behind.

Qin Zhizhi then got up and ran outside, her canvas shoes making a "clattering" sound on the ground, as if she wanted to flatten her heart that had been pounding wildly just now.

The guard sat on the sack, the softness of the woman's hair still lingering on his fingertips, the warmth of her lips still present, and even the area on his abs where she had touched him still felt like it had a burning mark.

He completely forgot that there was an auntie screaming in the distance. Watching the girl run away, he couldn't help but let out a silly laugh, and the tips of his ears turned red.

Inside the house, Zhou Jiuzhen and Ling Huanwu, who were oblivious to the world, were startled by a scream from outside, causing their souls, which had just soared into the sky, to immediately return to their original positions.

The two then realized that the small window was not closed properly and hurriedly tried to close it.