Chapter 209: Words from the Heart

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Words from the Heart

"You’re not... angry?" Su Wan finally decided to ask. "Was this the leadership’s arrangement, or your own choice?"

"Wanwan, what do you think?" Lu Zhengchuan looked at her with a hint of reproach.

Su Wan gave a light cough and reached out to pat his shoulder, but Lu Zhengchuan caught her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

Su Wan blushed and gave him a bashful glare.

Lu Zhengchuan’s heart skipped a beat. He could feel genuine emotion from her again, not the distance she had shown recently. A wave of elation brought an unconscious smile to his face.

The moment he realized it, he consciously reined in his smile and, with a touch of reserve, pulled Su Wan into his arms.

"Wanwan, I chose this. The leadership did make the arrangement, but there’s no denying it. Transferring to the political commissioner role now will allow me to develop my political skills, which will help me climb higher later on."

"When I found out the leadership had included me in this development program, my first reaction wasn’t disappointment about leaving the battlefield, but a yearning for power and influence."

"Commanding on the southern front was incredibly fulfilling. I realize now that I was too narrow-minded before. If I’d stayed on the front lines, my only options would have been dying in action or retiring early. After all, everyone’s physical condition declines with age, and I wouldn’t be able to serve as a special forces captain forever."

This was the first time Su Wan had ever heard Lu Zhengchuan be so introspective.

She felt that Lu Zhengchuan wasn’t lying to her this time.

Because she could feel a joy and ambition that seemed to emanate from his very soul.

Seeing that he was on the right path, the anxiety in Su Wan’s heart eased slightly.

"That’s the right way to think about it. Once you’re in a leadership position, you can do more for the country. You’ll be able to provide better arrangements and benefits for the families of fallen soldiers, just like how you used your own money to help your comrades’ families before."

His heart stirred at her words. It would be a long time before he had that kind of decision-making power, but it gave him a new goal to strive for.

"Mm!"

Lu Zhengchuan rested his chin on Su Wan’s shoulder. "Wanwan, can you forgive me now?"

"’Forgive?’ It’s not a matter of forgiveness. I’ll be as sincere with you as you are with me." Su Wan arched an eyebrow. ’I’m not so foolish that I’d fall madly in love with a man just because he changed his job description.’

’That just wouldn’t be me.’

’Even when you love someone, you have to love yourself first. That’s what makes love healthy.’

But Lu Zhengchuan just smiled in relief. Cupping her face, he began to kiss her. "Then feel my sincerity first. You can reciprocate later. I’m not in a hurry."

Su Wan didn’t push him away. Only the tips of her slightly reddened ears betrayed her true feelings.

「The next morning」

Su Wan woke up feeling a little dazed, unsure of when she had fallen asleep.

When she heard the babbling of Aunt Zhao and the two children in the courtyard, she sat up abruptly and pulled open the door. "Aunt Zhao, I haven’t fed Yuanyuan yet."

"Wanwan, you’re awake? Don’t you know? Zheng Chuan already fed both of them. You probably fed them very early this morning and were so groggy you thought you hadn’t."

Aunt Zhao said with a smile.

Su Wan’s expression froze for a second. A deep blush threatened to creep up from her neck to her face. Before Aunt Zhao could see, she gave a noncommittal nod, muttered an excuse, and hurried off to get some water. Only after splashing her face with cold water did the burning heat begin to subside.

"Wanwan, I’m back." Just as Su Wan finished washing up, Lu Zhengchuan walked in from the courtyard, carrying a fish and some vegetables.

"I’ll cook lunch. You’ve hardly ever tasted my cooking."

Su Wan was still feeling shy about last night. She lowered her voice and asked, "Did you give Yuanyuan formula this morning?"

"Mm-hmm. Did I disturb your rest?" Lu Zhengchuan studied her face. She was glowing and had no dark circles under her eyes; she should be well-rested.

Meeting Lu Zhengchuan’s puzzled gaze, Su Wan couldn’t help but reach out and pinch his side. "Then what about me...?"

"I was afraid of waking you, so I took care of it myself... and sucked it out."

Lu Zhengchuan belatedly realized what Su Wan was shy about. He coughed lightly, a smile in his eyes. "Wanwan, I’m your husband. It’s only right that I help you. The most important thing is that you’re not in discomfort."

"...I’m weaning the children." Su Wan was too embarrassed to argue with Lu Zhengchuan about what happened in their bedroom.

’We’ve already slept together, and it felt... nice. There was no point being stubborn and rejecting him. She had to try to treat this kind of intimacy as normal. After all, Lu Zhengchuan was her legitimate husband.’

"So soon? The twins aren’t even eight months old."

Su Wan hung the washcloth on the rack. "Then I won’t."

With that, she turned and walked into the kitchen.

Lu Zhengchuan froze for a couple of seconds before her meaning dawned on him. He couldn’t help but let out a silent laugh.

However, when he followed her into the kitchen, the smile on his face vanished. He knew Wanwan was easily embarrassed, and if he kept teasing her about this, she probably wouldn’t let him near her tonight.

"Wanwan, for lunch we’ll have tofu fish soup, and braised pork ribs with glass noodles..."

"For breakfast, just have some soy milk and fried dough sticks to tide you over. You’re finally on vacation, so don’t spend it reading. You can play with the kids or just rest."

Su Wan was worried about Lu Zhengchuan’s health, and Lu Zhengchuan was similarly concerned that she had been busy with her experiments and neglecting her own health.

Hearing this, Su Wan’s gaze fell to his abdomen. "Your wound hasn’t healed yet. Don’t rush to cook. I appreciate the thought, but true concern means taking care of yourself."

Su Wan wanted him to focus on his own recovery, not risk aggravating his injury by cooking.

"Aunt Zhao will help me prep the ingredients. Besides, I promised my superior my leave would end in ten days. The wound is already starting to scab over."

"...Fine. As long as you know what you’re doing."

Seeing his insistence, Su Wan didn’t argue any further.

She ate breakfast and then went to play with the two children at the entrance to the courtyard.

It was rare for her to have a day off. Su Wan didn’t know many of the other military families living nearby, but over the course of the morning, she bonded with quite a few of them while watching the children.

Su Wan learned that the family of Mr. Zhou lived in the house to their left, Director Qian lived to their right, and Political Commissioner Xie lived across from them. They were all of comparable rank, so it was no wonder they were assigned to live together.

"Tuantuan, be careful! Don’t crawl out there, it’s dirty." Su Wan was holding Yuanyuan, teaching her how to crawl.

Logically, Yuanyuan should have learned to crawl by now, but perhaps because she was physically weaker, she was never very active.

Tuantuan was already boisterously trying to pull himself up on a stool to walk, but she remained listless. Most of the time, she would just watch Tuantuan with curiosity, as if simply observing him was excitement enough.

"Are these Zheng Chuan’s two children?"

A strange, elderly voice sounded out. There was no discernible emotion in it, but because he mentioned Lu Zhengchuan, Su Wan looked up.

’Hm... an old man in a wheelchair I don’t recognize.’

However, the person standing next to him, Zhou Yu, was all too familiar.