Chapter 204: Protecting You

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Protecting You

"You didn’t!"

Zhang Yun ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, fine. I forgot. So what? Mom, if you have something to say, just say it. Don’t waste my time."

"Don’t get into petty fights with your cousin’s wife anymore. Get on her good side. She’ll be your support here in the Capital. Your cousin is on her side, but he’s not the one who handles things."

"If Zhao Yuan is really playing you, you need to get your head on straight, you silly girl. Find someone new. Your factory is full of eligible young men; are you really worried you won’t find a good one?"

"In any case, you are to stay in the Capital. At the very least, your prospects here are much better than back in our village. Do you understand?"

Zhang Yun was not pleased. "What’s wrong with Ah Yuan? Mom, why are you bringing this up again?"

"Just listen to me. Stall on marrying Zhao Yuan for now. Give it time, and he’ll show his true colors. If the Zhao family gets upset, just blame it on me. Tell them to contact me."

Zhang Yun wanted to say no, but she was afraid of making her mother angry.

"Ah Yuan wouldn’t force me to marry him. Last time, when I went missing, Ah Yuan got drunk and took me to his single friend’s house. We didn’t do anything; he didn’t even touch me."

"If he dared to touch you, I’d break his legs!"

Aunt Zhang finally understood the same frustration and anger Su Wan had felt.

In this era, getting pregnant before marriage was considered a crime of hooliganism. If Zhao Yuan refused to acknowledge it, Zhang Yun’s life would become incredibly difficult.

Aunt Zhang tore into Zhang Yun, giving her a fierce scolding.

Her words made Zhang Yun’s heart pound with anxiety.

"Mom, I’ll listen to you. I’ll listen to whatever you say. I don’t want to ruin the good life I have now." After getting a job, Zhang Yun’s horizons had gradually expanded. She had made friends with some of the other women at the factory and found that she didn’t want to lose this job.

Lu Zhengchuan took care of the matter with the Zhang family.

He reported his success to Su Wan, looking for praise.

Su Wan said, "Let’s just wait and see."

Nothing had happened yet. One could only see a person’s true colors after a crisis.

Lu Zhengchuan thought she had a point, so he dropped the unpleasant subject.

After dropping Su Wan off at school, he was getting ready to buy ingredients for the meal they were hosting the next day.

But before he could even leave the military compound, Zhou Yu found him. The person who had brought Zhou Yu was Liu Qi, Commander Liu’s grandson.

Although Commander Liu was retired, the Liu Family still had members serving in the military.

"Mr. Lu, hello. Mr. Zhou wanted to see you, so I brought him over. I hope I’m not disturbing you?" Liu Qi was a civilian cadre, the director of the propaganda department. Both his official post and military rank were lower than Lu Zhengchuan’s, but his family background was influential.

"Hello, Director Liu. Thank you for taking the trouble."

"It’s nothing. Well, you two have things to discuss, so I’ll be on my way." Liu Qi patted Zhou Yu’s shoulder and made a tactful exit.

Zhou Yu only managed to get out a quick word of thanks before turning to Lu Zhengchuan. His tone was urgent. "Zheng Chuan, Old Lu is critically ill. You have to come with me—"

He instinctively reached out to pull Lu Zhengchuan away.

Lu Zhengchuan batted his hand away.

Stunned by the rejection, Zhou Yu instinctively looked back at him.

"Zheng Chuan?"

"Don’t look at me like that. Anyone who didn’t know better would think I’m the one who wronged you people." Lu Zhengchuan sized him up from head to toe. "Are you here to apologize to my wife? You didn’t even bring a gift? So insincere. Go home and give it some more thought."

With that, Lu Zhengchuan turned and walked away.

There was no way Zhou Yu could keep up with his stride, and he didn’t want to lose face by shouting his name in the middle of a crowd.

He could only watch helplessly as Lu Zhengchuan walked away.

「Early the next morning.」

Su Wan, Aunt Zhao, and Xiao Liu were bustling about in the kitchen.

Mother Su and Father Su were in the courtyard watching the two children, while Second Brother Su, suddenly idle, felt restless all over.

He held Nuannuan and leaned in toward the kitchen window. "Wanwan, are you sure you don’t need our help?"

"Second Brother, how long has it been since you’ve spent time with Nuannuan? Aren’t you afraid she won’t recognize you anymore? Today is our housewarming party, so you all just have to wait to eat. I haven’t cooked in ages; my skills are getting rusty."

"...I’m just not used to this," Second Brother Su said, sighing as he held Nuannuan. "It would be great if Eldest Brother and Third Brother were here."

"By the way, Eldest Brother sent you a gift, Wanwan. It probably won’t arrive until next month."

"And we can’t get in touch with Third Brother. I don’t know what’s going on with him."

As Su Wan listened to her second brother muttering, she felt a pang of worry. Thinking back, she realized it had been almost a month since she had last contacted her third brother.

She touched the tip of her nose, feeling a little guilty. ’I hope Third Brother isn’t mad at me from all the way over there.’

"I’ll try to contact him again in a couple of days," she said. "He probably ran off campus again."

’Studying abroad isn’t as strict. Su Jue was only learning English and Russian for his business ventures, so Su Wan strongly suspected he had gone off to do business again. But she couldn’t mention it, or she would worry their parents. She would have to contact him privately.’

The lunch was a satisfying affair for the whole family.

Eating Su Wan’s cooking once again, Lu Zhengchuan found the familiar taste more comforting than anything else.

"Don’t eat anything too spicy. You’re still recovering."

Unfortunately, Lu Zhengchuan had only managed a few bites before Su Wan stopped him.

Lu Zhengchuan instinctively touched his abdomen, hating himself for his mistake. ’If I hadn’t been injured, Wanwan wouldn’t have fought with me. She’s not mad anymore, but she’s obviously being cold. We both know what the problem is, but there’s no way to solve it.’

"Here, Wanwan, you eat then." Lu Zhengchuan put some food on her plate, trying to curry favor.

But this was exactly the kind of behavior Su Wan hated most.

’Instead of solving the root problem, he’s trying to cover up the conflict with these small favors. In the end, it just proves that the children and I aren’t that important to him.’

"Mm, I’m eating. You just take care of yourself."

Su Wan’s every action was polite.

She didn’t even push his hand away from her waist when they went to sleep at night, but she was distant.

Lu Zhengchuan noticed Mother Su frowning at him from across the table and quickly fixed his expression. "Yes, I’ll definitely protect myself better from now on. I have to stay healthy to take care of you and the babies."

Su Wan glanced at him but said nothing.

Mother Su looked away.

Once the elder was fooled, Su Wan dropped the act. Lu Zhengchuan was so incensed by her sudden shift in attitude that his chest swelled with anger, but he couldn’t bring himself to lash out at her.

He didn’t even realize it himself, but with every time he yielded to Su Wan, his love for her grew, even if he remained unaware.

When the meal was over, Lu Zhengchuan offered to do the dishes.

Mother Su shot to her feet, kicking Father Su under the table.

"We’ll do it. Clearing the table after a meal is no problem at all," Father Su said with a smile.

He and Mother Su gathered the dishes and went into the kitchen.

Su Wan turned, picked up the two children, and went into the bedroom, laying them down on their small bed to continue their nap.

Lu Zhengchuan followed her in, shutting the door behind him. He pulled the half-open window closed, then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Su Wan’s waist, his grip a little too tight. His voice was thick with frustration. "Comrade Su Wan, why won’t you forgive me? Have I not been on my best behavior lately? I even defended you in front of Zhou Yu."

"Wrong. You were defending your wife. It doesn’t matter who your wife is; you’re supposed to defend her. What kind of man lets outsiders bully his own wife?" Su Wan wasn’t about to be swayed by his feigned vulnerability.