Chapter 152 Intimate Bond She was quietly becoming a part of his life...
"Did you twist your ankle? Is it serious?" Upon hearing this, Zhu Liushuang stood up abruptly.
"It's not obvious yet, her ankle is a little red..." The middle-aged man's voice grew weaker and weaker, followed by a rustling sound, and in the blink of an eye, the speaker became Gu Chunling.
"Shuangshuang, it's nothing serious, I'm icing it on. You, Uncle Zhang, are just overreacting."
Zhu Liushuang, of course, knew her mother's reserved nature, and automatically filtered her words through her mind, saying, "Mom, the symptoms of a sprained ankle may not appear immediately. Like the time I sprained my ankle before, it didn't swell up until the second day. Does it hurt now?"
"A little bit..."
"Just to be on the safe side, you should still go to the hospital. Where are you now? Ah Ming and I will come pick you up."
With a serious expression, she hung up the phone and hurriedly turned around, only to unexpectedly bump into He Ming, who had somehow appeared behind her.
"Didn't you go hang up the clothes?" Zhu Liushuang asked in surprise.
"We can hang the clothes out to dry later," He Ming said, holding his car keys. "Did Mom sprain her ankle?"
Zhu Liushuang said with some concern, "Yes, we need to take her to the hospital for an X-ray to see if she has injured any bones or muscles... She is already taking hormones, so her bones are more brittle than normal."
"Then let's go quickly..." He Ming said, taking her hand.
“Hey, wait a minute…” Zhu Liushuang called out to him, “I’m packing a couple more clothes. I’ll probably be sleeping over there for the next few days.”
Upon hearing this, He Ming unconsciously loosened his grip on the car keys, and the keys almost slipped from his palm.
"Honey, why don't we just bring Mom here to stay for a while? There's an elevator here, so it'll be easier for her to go out whenever she wants."
Seeing her hesitation, he gripped the car keys tightly again and said in a roundabout way, "I might have to work overtime recently and won't be able to take care of you all the time. If you live in Chunhua Lane, it's close to your company, which will make it easier to take care of Mom and save you the trouble of traveling back and forth."
In the end, he was only acting out of his own selfish motives.
Since returning from East Lake that day, Zhu Liushuang hasn't taken the initiative to suggest moving into the master bedroom. She's naive and shy, seemingly wanting this innocent "post-marital romance" to last longer, but he's lost patience to continue.
His gaze swept casually across her face, and He Ming subconsciously slowed his breathing.
The person in front of me was deep in thought, their brows furrowed, then suddenly relaxed.
"If we bring Mom over tonight..." Zhu Liushuang stammered, "we can't let her see us sleeping in separate rooms, can we?"
Clearly, she had given his proposal serious thought.
“Then move your things to the master bedroom.” He Ming said gently. “The second bedroom is perfect for Mom. The sheets and blankets are already there, and the room doesn’t need to be cleaned.”
"It will take a long time to pack..." Zhu Liushuang glanced at the clock on the wall. In the short time they had been talking, they had already been delayed for about five minutes.
“Okay… I’ll take Mom to the hospital by myself, and you stay home and tidy up the house.” He Ming proposed a solution calmly, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
"Can you manage on your own? I'm a little worried..." Zhu Liushuang hesitated, tugging at his sleeve.
"Don't worry, it's just taking Mom to the hospital, I can manage on my own."
He spoke calmly and composedly, which was enough to convince Zhu Liushuang.
“Let’s do it this way!” Zhu Liushuang said, looking down to find her phone. “I’ll call Mom again and let her know in advance.”
“Okay, I’m going now.” He Ming strode off. “If the clothes are too much trouble to sort, just pile them on my bed and we’ll fold them together when I get back.”
With her gaze fixed on her phone screen, Zhu Liushuang seemed to remember something important and hurriedly looked up and called out to the entrance, "Honey—remember to send me a message when you're almost home so I can prepare."
"knew……"
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Zhu Liushuang turned and dialed her mother's number. After giving her a brief explanation, she threw herself into the "massive" project of tidying up the house.
The second bedroom was filled with traces of her life, from the giant dolls on the bed to the heart-shaped stickers on the dressing table.
She remembered that when she first moved to Chunhua Lane, she only brought a 28-inch suitcase and a few woven bags with her. After that, she would bring a little bit of stuff from her own home almost every week, plus the things He Ming added for her... In just a few months, the things in the room had doubled compared to when she first moved in.
Time was of the essence, so Zhu Liushuang didn't have time to sort things out and simply packed everything on the desktop, bedside table, and dressing table into the storage box. Then, she went through every drawer, and soon the second storage box was also full.
Clothes were the main focus; she carried stacks of folded and hung underwear into the master bedroom.
By the time the second bedroom was completely emptied, it was already past 8:40.
At this moment, He Ming sent her a message, telling her that he had just registered at the emergency room and that he would have to wait about ten minutes to see a doctor.
Zhu Liushuang was exhausted and hot, and had stripped down to just a long-sleeved undershirt. She was lying sprawled on the sofa in the master bedroom, panting, when she saw the message and hurriedly got up.
She hadn't moved the things to the bathroom yet, so she needed to hurry.
After a long period of busy work inside and out, the secondary bathroom was emptied down to just shower gel and shampoo.
The things Zhu Liushuang moved away were still trembling in her arms.
She tiptoed open the door to the master bathroom and slowly walked in. This private territory, belonging solely to He Ming, was a place she had never set foot in before. Now, standing there, she couldn't help but look around with curiosity.
The master bathroom is much larger than the secondary bathroom, with a round bathtub by the window and a shower inside. The bathroom has a wet and dry separation, with two washbasins outside... The decoration style is very consistent with the secondary bathroom, both using a cool gray and white color scheme.
Zhu Liushuang walked inside step by step, looking around and putting things down as she went. He Ming's dark blue bath towel hung on the drying rack; she tiptoed and hung her own pale yellow towel on it. His large black slippers were on the waterproof mat in front of the bathtub; she followed suit, placing her own beige slippers next to them. Then came towels, conditioner, a bath sponge…
With her presence, the cold and hard bathroom gained a bit of brightness.
She put the toothbrush cup and other bottles and jars in last. She lined them up and placed the facial cleanser, skincare products, and the like on the washstand.
After doing all that, she couldn't help but smile foolishly at the overflowing washbasin.
From tonight onwards, they will truly live like an ordinary couple.
A warm feeling welled up in her heart, and Zhu Liushuang was acutely aware that she was quietly becoming a part of He Ming's life, filling every crevice.
"Buzz," the phone notification sounded again.
This time, He Ming was reporting the doctor's findings to her: the CT scan was normal, no bones or tendons were damaged, it was just a minor sprain. Spraying some Yunnan Baiyao (a traditional Chinese medicine), elevating the leg, and resting in bed for a few days should help it recover.
Knowing that her mother would be arriving soon, Zhu Liushuang hurriedly replied, "Thank goodness," and began tidying up the clothes scattered on the bed.
The master bedroom's walk-in closet was also more spacious than the second bedroom's. Opening the wardrobe doors revealed a uniform collection of black, white, and gray garments, with only a few coats in other colors. He Ming seemed to have a slight case of obsessive-compulsive disorder; he had meticulously categorized shirts, T-shirts, suits, overcoats, and down jackets into different wardrobes, even ensuring that the hangers faced the same direction.
A quick glance revealed his clothes in every wardrobe, meticulously arranged, neatly organized, and monotonously dressed—just like the impression others had of him. Zhu Liushuang chuckled and picked up the clothes, hanging them one by one. Then, a mischievous thought crossed her mind. She decided to hang the clothes however she pleased, ignoring any distinctions like thickness or the direction the hangers faced…
In this way, the originally dull wardrobe becomes more lifelike.
Or rather, it has become a mess.
Zhu Liu's eyes gleamed with a sly smile; she was eager to see He Ming's expression when he opened the wardrobe.
————
At 9:30 p.m., the sound of a button beeping came from outside the door.
Zhu Liushuang, who was still tidying up the desk in the master bedroom, rushed out in a panic, almost kicking off her slippers.
The door opened, and He Ming entered, holding a cane in one hand and pushing a wheelchair with the other.
It was just a minor sprain, why is it making such a big fuss?
Zhu Liushuang hurriedly went to meet her and took over pushing the wheelchair herself.
"Mom, did you wear yourself out from all that?"
Gu Chunling looked exhausted: "Aming carried me back and forth, he's the one who's worn out."
"Mom's exaggerating. She only carried part of it when she went back to pack her clothes." He Ming glanced at Zhu Liushuang and said calmly, "We rented a wheelchair at the hospital quickly, no trouble at all."
Zhu Liushuang hummed in agreement and then said to her mother, "The floor heating is very warm in the house. Would you like to take off your down jacket?"
Gu Chunling waved her hand: "It's alright, Mom is a little tired and just wants to get some sleep."
"Then let me help you to wash up."
Upon hearing this, He Ming stepped forward and helped Gu Chunling, who was sitting in a wheelchair, to her feet: "It's convenient to use crutches at home. You can fold up the wheelchair and put it in the entryway so you can sit down when you go downstairs."
He was so considerate of his mother.
Zhu Liushuang felt a warmth in her heart: "Okay, honey, you should go and rest for a while too. I can take care of Mom here."
"Call me if you need anything." He Ming lifted the woven bag in his hand. "My clothes and toiletries are all here."
The three of them separated in the living room. Zhu Liushuang accompanied her mother to wash up and spray medicine, then helped her mother to bed. After giving her some instructions, she yawned and walked towards the master bedroom.
My heart started pounding as soon as I reached the bedroom door.
The sound of rushing water came from inside the house, like the scalding beat of a drum hitting her eardrums.
He's taking a shower!
A wave of heat surged up her cheeks, and she gripped the doorknob tightly, slowing down the pace of pushing the door open.
A sliver of light peeked through the crack in the door, and she tiptoed inside.
The moment she slipped into the house, the sound of water in the bathroom abruptly stopped. She instinctively held her breath, the only sound around her the chaotic beating of her heart.
"Creak—" The bathroom door was pushed open, and steam rushed out.
The man, who had just finished showering, slowly walked towards her, carried by the rising steam.
He wasn't wearing anything on his upper body, but he had wrapped a towel around his lower body, which was loose and looked like it might fall off at any moment. Zhu Liu stared at him intently. The man's hair was dripping wet, and water droplets trickled down his strong chest and taut abs. He casually raised a hand to dry his hair, and his gaze met hers.
He...did it on purpose!
Zhu Liushuang withdrew her gaze, which had been burned, and felt somewhat at a loss.
He Ming seemed completely unconcerned about her reserved shyness. He walked to her side and said in a familiar and gentle tone, "Wife, I'm done washing up. You should go wash up now."
"Oh..." Zhu Liu avoided looking at him, "I'll get some clothes."
"There seems to be a piece of underwear left on the bed," the man said, pulling her hand to remind her.
"Ah, really?" Zhu Liushuang's throat tightened, and in the moment of stunned silence, He Ming led her to the bedside.
"Here, it's under the pillow..." The man pulled out a pair of pink cotton underwear and handed it to her without changing his expression.
She even forgot one item!
Zhu Liushuang was so ashamed that she wanted to turn around and run away immediately, but she managed to hold back.
They are husband and wife, and she should be used to this kind of intimacy.
After mentally preparing herself, she pretended to be calm and accepted the underwear He Ming handed her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
