Chapter 195 Report, I need to go into the bathroom.
Xia Qianqian looked at the group of men with their sleeves rolled up and their eyes shining, and suddenly her eyes crinkled with laughter.
The wind swirled peach petals through her hair, and she called out, "Alright! When we drive the enemy away, I'll make you braised pork!"
"Alright—!"
The deafening roar crashed into the peach grove, startling the blossoms so that they fell in a flurry, like a pink and white snowfall.
After Xia Qianqian and Lu Zheng stepped out of Peach Blossom Spring side by side, they got into the jeep.
Lu Zheng started the engine. The main force had already settled in Peach Blossom Spring, and only he and his wife were heading straight to the front line.
Needless to say, the journey was filled with wind, frost, and bumps.
By the time the jeep had crossed the frozen river and arrived at Haicheng, the city closest to the front lines, Xia Qianqian's once round cheeks had become thinner, and all the weight she had gained during her postpartum period had been lost.
Looking at the faint dark circles under her eyes, Lu Zheng felt a pang of pain in his heart, as if it had been sanded raw: "I told you to rest a little longer in Peach Blossom Spring—"
"What's the point of resting compared to shopping?" Xia Qianqian wrapped her cotton coat tighter, opened the car door, and rushed towards the supply and marketing cooperative.
Like a little squirrel hoarding goods, she swept all the sewing kits, cotton swabs, and sulfanilamide powder from the counter into her basket, not even leaving behind the dusty coarse salt on the top shelf.
“These fine chemical products are lacking in Peach Blossom Spring, but the soldiers need them for sewing clothes and treating wounds.”
She rummaged through the pile of fabrics, then suddenly her eyes lit up. She pulled out a piece of indigo serge cloth. "This is dirt-resistant for military uniforms! Boss, wrap up the rest for me!"
Xia Qianqian took out her wallet to pay, and watching the money in her hand quickly disappear, she couldn't help but sigh that no matter how much money she earned, it wasn't enough to spend, and it was almost gone before she knew it.
She sighed, "I should have sold more goods back then..."
Lu Zheng grasped her hand holding the banknotes, his fingertips tracing her red, frostbitten fingertips, and comforted her, "Qianqian, money can be earned back. After this war, I'll take you to Hong Kong."
He suddenly curled his lips into a smile, a hint of defiance flashing in his eyes, "I refuse to believe that I, Lu Zheng, can't make a name for myself there. I'll make you money then!"
Xia Qianqian tiptoed and kissed his earlobe, which was red from the cold: "I believe everything you say."
She carefully folded the remaining banknotes and stuffed them into her inner pocket, then suddenly yawned. "But right now... I need to get a good rest tonight. If I go to the battlefield tomorrow, it won't be so easy to get some rest then."
Lu Zheng nodded, and the jeep rolled over the street covered with a thin layer of ice, stopping in front of a courtyard with a wooden sign that read "Military Guesthouse".
Peng Fei somehow obtained a letter of introduction, and the two of them were able to move into a room on the second floor without any problems. The conditions were surprisingly good, with a small tiled bathhouse in the corner.
"Oh my!" Xia Qianqian's eyes lit up instantly, like a child who had discovered a new continent. She shook off Lu Zheng's hand and ran to the bathroom.
In Peach Blossom Spring, she was the only woman there, so how could she always trouble them to light the fire and fetch water?
Every time I wanted to take a bath, I had to sneak off to the stream, freezing cold and still not enjoying it. Now, seeing this white porcelain bathtub is like seeing my dear mother again.
Seeing Xia Qianqian so happy, Lu Zheng's eyebrows softened with a smile. He reached out to tidy up her wind-blown hair and brushed his fingertips against her reddened earlobe: "Whatever you say."
He glanced out the window; in the twilight, light snow was falling in Haicheng. "If you've had a good soak, get some rest. Tomorrow we'll go to the liaison station to gather information—there's no rush."
Xia Qianqian hummed in agreement, then turned and headed into the bathroom, peeking half her head out as she closed the door: "Don't peek!"
Lu Zheng leaned against the door frame and laughed, listening to the rushing water inside, thinking that Qianqian could finally get some rest.
Lu Zheng had just sat down on the edge of the bed when the sound of water coming from the bathroom seemed to hook him, making his heart itch.
Xia Qianqian must have felt comfortable after the bath, because she started humming a Jiangnan folk song. The last syllable of her song went in a curve, like a feather tickling his heart.
He unconsciously stroked his burning earlobe with his fingertips. Back in Peach Blossom Spring, she always said that men and women were different, and she would always hide in the deepest stream to take a bath. Now, this small bathhouse was surrounded by walls, and the steam rising from the white porcelain bathtub looked like it was covered with a layer of milk, which reminded him of her blushing ears on their wedding night.
As if possessed, he pushed open a crack in the door.
In the misty steam, Xia Qianqian was rubbing her hair with her back to him, her jet-black hair tangled with snow-white foam, sliding down her smooth back and into her collar.
The lines of her shoulders and back were faintly visible in the mist, the girlish naiveté gone, replaced by a breathtaking allure at her waist and hips. Lu Zheng's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and he felt all the blood rush to his head.
"Towel—" Xia Qianqian suddenly reached out to touch the towel, her eyes still closed, her long eyelashes covered with fine water droplets.
Lu Zheng hurriedly took the towel off the hook and handed it to her. As soon as his fingertips touched her slightly cool fingertips, Xia Qianqian let out a soft "Ah!" because the foam had gotten into her eyes, and she reached out to take it haphazardly.
Just then, Lu Zheng's warm breath, mingled with the scent of pine after the snow, gently brushed against her sweaty nape. Xia Qianqian stiffened, and before she could turn her head, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
“Lu…Lu Zheng?” Her voice trembled, and her fingertips clenched the towel tightly.
He didn't speak, but lowered his head, his burning lips pressed against her delicate skin, from the back of her neck down her shoulder blades, his tongue sweeping over every protruding vertebra, like a lit spark spreading along her meridians.
The towel in Xia Qianqian's hand fell to the ground with a "thud." All the strength in her body had been drained by that burning kiss, and she could only stand by leaning on him.
"Lu Zheng—" Xia Qianqian's voice trailed off with a hint of moisture, clinging to the damp tiles like a cotton thread softened by water.
Lu Zheng's laughter rose up from the back of her neck, mixed with his warm breath, making her ear tips turn red: "I'll help you wash."
His voice was hotter than the steam in the bathroom, so hot that Xia Qianqian curled up her toes.
She dared not turn around, only feeling the figure behind her getting closer and closer, a strong chest pressing against her back, making her heartbeat beat at the same frequency.
"Who let you sneak in?" She buried her face in her foamy hair, her voice muffled like a startled cat, but the last syllable involuntarily rose slightly.
"Don't you like it?" Lu Zheng gently pinched her waist with his fingertips. The force was not strong, but it felt like an electric current running up her spine to the top of her head.
Xia Qianqian let out a soft "Mmm," and her waist subconsciously shrank into his arms, making it seem more like she was throwing herself into his embrace.
"What...what do you want to do?" Her voice trembled, and water droplets fell from her eyelashes, mingling with the foam and rolling into her collar, making her shiver slightly.
Lu Zheng's breathing suddenly became heavy, his burning palm sliding down his waistline, his fingertips applying slight pressure as they brushed against his buttocks: "You just said I sneaked in,"
He lowered his head, his teeth gently nibbling at her sensitive earlobe, his voice hoarse like crumpled sandpaper, "Now—I'm going to come in openly and legitimately."
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