Fu Yucheng pulled Yun Tangyin closer to his chest, his nose brushing against the scent of soap on her hair, his voice low as if soaked in warm water: "Besides, so what if we hit her? With me here, what's there to be afraid of?"
Yun Tangyin snuggled against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and all her previous anger dissipated: "I knew you would protect me."
"If I don't protect you, who will I protect?" Fu Yucheng lowered his head, his lips brushing against her hair. "Are you suggesting I protect that wild one?"
He reached out and pinched her earlobe, his fingertips calloused yet as light as a feather. "How's the injury on your arm? Let me see."
Yun Tangyin hid her arms behind her back: "It's all fine now. She just scratched me with her fingernails. I applied the badger oil that Mom gave me, and it'll be fine tomorrow."
"Let me see." Fu Yucheng insisted, gently pulling her wrist and examining her closely in the light of the setting sun.
The red mark wasn't deep, but it felt like a thin needle, making his heart clench.
He lowered his head and gently touched the mark with his warm lips. "Next time someone dares to hurt you, you won't need to lift a finger."
Yun Tangyin felt ticklish from his kisses and pulled her arms away, laughing, "What? You're going to fight for me? Don't you care about your reputation?"
"Your reputation is more important than my reputation." Fu Yucheng held her hand in his palm, his fingertips caressing the silver bracelet on her wrist. "Do you think I wear this military uniform to watch my own people get bullied?"
Yun Tangyin felt a warmth in her heart and tiptoed to peck him on the chin: "I know you're amazing. But I didn't suffer today. I even hit Xu Runli on the back with a spatula. Her scream was probably heard by the whole family in the compound."
Fu Yucheng chuckled softly, the vibration of his chest transmitted through their closely pressed collars: "Good. To deal with this kind of person, you have to teach her a lesson."
He suddenly bent down and picked Yun Tangyin up in his arms, startling her so much that she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Fu Yucheng, what are you doing!" Yun Tangyin patted his shoulder. "Mom and my two sisters-in-law are still inside!"
"What are you afraid of? They can't see." Fu Yucheng strode towards the room, his steps as steady as if he were walking on flat ground. "I'll let you rest for a while. You've been standing all day, your legs must be sore."
Yun Tangyin buried her face in the crook of his neck, smelling the faint scent of gunpowder on him, the smell of him just returning from the shooting range, mixed with the fragrance of soap, which made her feel particularly at ease.
"Actually, I'm not tired, I'm just angry," she muttered. "The way those two act makes it seem like we've wronged him."
"It's better if you don't acknowledge it." Fu Yucheng put her on the bed, squatted down and took off her shoes, his movements as natural as if he had done it a thousand times before, "so that his wife won't come and cause trouble every few days in the future."
He pinched the soles of her feet, making Yun Tangyin giggle.
"Stop fooling around!" Yun Tangyin pulled her foot back. "Let's get serious."
Fu Yucheng raised an eyebrow, stood up and sat down next to her, casually picked up the sewing basket, and took out the handkerchief she had half-embroidered during the day. "You embroidered this?"
Yun Tangyin snatched the handkerchief: "Don't change the subject."
He said that, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
Fu Yucheng wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder: "No. I just feel that keeping someone like that who doesn't know what's good for them is just a nuisance."
He suddenly lowered his head and bit her earlobe. "But you don't need to worry about these things. You just embroider your flowers and do your accounting. I'll take care of everything if the sky falls."
Yun Tangyin's ears turned red, and she didn't even notice the needle pricking her finger.
"Who needs you to take the blame? I can take the blame myself." She stubbornly insisted, but the needle in her hand went astray, poking the newly embroidered petals in the wrong place.
Fu Yucheng grabbed her hand and rubbed the blood from her fingertip with his thumb: "You're my wife, who else would I cherish if not you?"
He took the handkerchief and clumsily tried to thread the needle like her, but he couldn't get the thread through the eye of the needle no matter what he did, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead from his anxiety.
Yun Tangyin laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight: "Forget it, you should just go carry your gun, this job isn't for you."
Fu Yucheng tossed the needle and thread into the basket, then turned her around and hugged her tightly: "She's not suitable. What suits me is..."
He paused deliberately, looking at her flushed cheeks, before slowly saying, "She's perfect for massaging your shoulders, pouring you water, and warming your bed."
Yun Tangyin's face burned even hotter, and she pushed him away, saying, "You're being indecent."
"Do you need to be so serious in front of your wife?" Fu Yucheng lowered his head, his nose brushing against hers, their breaths mingling. "Yinyin, I have something to tell you."
"What is it?" Yun Tangyin's heart was pounding like a drum.
“The higher-ups have granted me three days off separately.” Fu Yucheng’s eyes shone like stars. “I’ll take you to the Songhua River. I heard the fish there are plump after the first ripples in the river.”
Yun Tangyin's eyes lit up: "Really?"
She's been in Northeast China for so long, but she hasn't had a proper look at the river yet.
“Of course it’s true.” Fu Yucheng pinched her nose. “But we’ll have to wait until you’ve sorted out the mess at the Jiang family. If your second sister-in-law still can’t figure it out, I’ll send her back to the Jiang family’s old house and let her figure it out herself.”
"No." Yun Tangyin shook her head. "We should leave her out of the picture now, so she doesn't get involved with Jiang Zhicheng again when she goes back. That would be so annoying for me."
Fu Yucheng pinched her cheek: "You're so kind-hearted."
Her words carried a hint of reproach, but her eyes were full of doting affection. "But whatever you say goes. You're the housekeeper, so you're in charge."
Yun Tangyin was amused by him: "So I've become your boss?"
Fu Yucheng gave her a serious military salute to tease her, "Fu Yucheng, listen to my orders, I will follow Comrade Yun Tangyin's command!"
This amused Yun Tangyin so much that she kept patting his arm.
After their playful fight, Fu Yucheng was combing Yun Tangyin's hair.
His large hands held the wooden comb, his movements clumsy yet gentle, as he smoothed out her stray hairs one by one.
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