Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Wifey, I’m Getting Tired of Acting

Su Tang handed the shoe pattern to Lin Jianqiu, her gaze sincere. “Sister Qiu’er, don’t overcomplicate things. If you care about him, show it. If you want to be closer to him, reach out.”

“Brother Chang isn’t made of wood. He can feel your affection.”

Lin Jianqiu clutched the shoe pattern tightly. Su Tang’s words were like a key, slowly prying open the hard shell around her heart.

Behind them, the courtyard gate creaked shut.

Just moments ago, Lu Xiao had been sitting ramrod straight, the very picture of a steady and reliable man.

Now, it was as if all his bones had been removed. His shoulders instantly slumped.

He tossed aside the dirt- and rust-caked hoe, letting it fall to the ground with a thud.

The man stretched out his arms like a large dog that had finally seen its owner come home, looking both clingy and wronged.

In one motion, he scooped Su Tang, who was still sitting on a small stool beside him sorting green beans, into his arms.

Caught off guard, Su Tang let out a soft cry and fell onto his sturdy thighs.

“What are you doing!”

Half-annoyed and half-amused, Su Tang lightly punched his rock-hard chest. “What’s gotten into you!”

Lu Xiao rested his chin in the crook of Su Tang’s slender shoulder, his warm breath fanning across the sensitive skin of her neck.

His voice was muffled as he drew out his words in a long, obviously exhausted drawl. “Honey~ My sweet Tangtang~ When is this whole ’deeply-in-love’ act of ours ever going to end?”

As he spoke, he nuzzled her neck with the tip of his nose, acting like a bit of a rascal.

“My back is so stiff from sitting straight it’s about to turn into a wooden plank. I didn’t even dare let my eyes wander, terrified she’d see through our act.”

“You didn’t see it, but when I took that green bean from you just now, my palms were sweating from how nervous I was!”

He raised his large, slightly grimy hand and waved it in front of Su Tang’s face.

It was as if he were presenting evidence of some great sacrifice.

“Playing the part of a doting husband is more exhausting than my military drills!”

The nuzzling tickled Su Tang’s neck, and she couldn’t help but giggle.

She squirmed, trying to get away from his fluffy head, but he held her tight.

So, Su Tang turned her head, extended a slender index finger, and with a hint of playful reproach, precisely poked Lu Xiao’s broad forehead, pushing his troublesome head back a little.

“Look at you, what a baby.”

She shot him a glare, but her eyes were brimming with an indulgent smile, as if filled with honey.

“We’ve only done this a few times and you’re already complaining? It took so much effort for Sister Qiu’er to finally start coming around, you know!”

She recalled how Lin Jianqiu had clutched the shoe pattern as if it were a lifeline, and her tone couldn’t help but soften.

“Chang Jia and she are still at odds. If we don’t give them a little push, believe me, those two would just stand there and turn into a pair of stone statues.”

Lu Xiao pouted and rested his chin back on Su Tang’s shoulder, though a little more gently this time, and grumbled in dissatisfaction.

“Well… there has to be some light at the end of the tunnel, right? We can’t just keep acting like this forever. Tangtang, I’m really no good at acting.”

’If this goes on any longer,’ Lu Xiao thought, ’I might as well go into acting professionally.’

“What’s the rush?”

“When the time comes, not only will Chang Jia have to replace that jar of good wine he secretly drank, but he’ll also have to treat us to a great meal! I’ll be the undisputed number one hero in all this! And you… well, you can be my… hmm, my supporting actor!”

“Supporting actor?”

Lu Xiao’s head snapped up, his thick brows furrowing in an exaggerated look of indignation.

“I put on such a convincing performance, and all I get is ’supporting actor’? Honey, you sure drive a hard bargain, don’t you?”

That night, Su Tang, this heartless capitalist miss, naturally received her “punishment” from Lu Xiao.

The kerosene lamp burned for most of the night before it was extinguished, and Su Tang was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open.

A fluffy head was resting on her lower abdomen. In her drowsy state, Su Tang heard a phrase.

I love you…

She was too tired. She didn’t have the energy to think about it.

…

Lin Jianqiu took this newfound resolve, along with the naturalness she had learned from Su Tang, back home with her.

Although her heart still pounded and her face would flush, and though her movements remained a bit clumsy, she no longer hesitated or backed away.

Chang Jia discovered that his little old-fashioned wife was truly changing.

When he came home, it was no longer to a cold basin of water and a towel left on a shelf. Instead, she would bring them to him, and though her voice trembled slightly, her eyes held a look of anticipation.

During meals, she would try to move the dishes he liked closer to his bowl, whispering, “Brother Jia, this… you should have some more.”

When he sat reading under the lamp at night, she would quietly bring him a bowl of warm, sweet soup and place it by his hand.

Then she would sit quietly to one side sewing shoe soles, no longer deliberately keeping her distance as she had before.

Although they still didn’t speak much, the deliberate distance between them was slowly melting away.

What made Chang Jia happiest, however, came one evening a few days later.

He had been held up by drills and came home later than usual.

Pushing open the door to their home, he was surprised not to smell the familiar aroma of a cooked meal.

In the kitchen, Lin Jianqiu was in a flustered mess. There seemed to be a slight burning smell coming from the pot, and she was so anxious that her nose was beaded with sweat, her cheeks smudged with a few streaks of ash.

When she saw him walk in, a look of panic and self-blame flashed across Lin Jianqiu’s face, making her look like a child who had done something wrong.

“Brother Jia, I was trying to make a soup, but I couldn’t get the heat right…”

Chang Jia looked at her, disheveled but trying so hard, and at the ingredients on the stove that had clearly been prepared with great care.

In that instant, it felt as though something had forcefully struck a hard place deep inside his heart.

It was a bittersweet feeling, tinged with an indescribable warmth.

She wasn’t just taking the initiative anymore; she was trying to do more for him, learning how to build a life together.

He walked over, not with blame, nor did he take over with a cold expression as he would have in the past.

Chang Jia picked up the spatula and deftly stirred the food in the pot, instructing in a low voice, “Lower the heat. Add some water. Don’t panic.”

“This stove is just like that. I’ll teach you.”

Lin Jianqiu quickly did as he said, carefully controlling the heat.

For the first time, the two of them worked together on something in the small kitchen. Though their movements were still a little clumsy, the atmosphere became strangely harmonious.

Chang Jia’s tall figure was right beside her, his familiar scent enveloping her.

It was no longer a source of nervousness that made her want to retreat, but instead brought a strange sense of peace.

The meal was finally served. It didn’t taste that great, and there was even a slight burnt flavor.

But Lin Jianqiu ate with great earnestness, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Chang Jia, filled with nervousness and anticipation.

Chang Jia picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

It was definitely burnt, but he felt that this meal was perhaps the most flavorful he had ever eaten.

He looked up and met Lin Jianqiu’s cautious eyes, which were brimming with hope.

The air was quiet for a few seconds.

Just as Lin Jianqiu thought he would respond with silence again, Chang Jia’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he let out a low, almost inaudible “Mm.”

“Jianqiu,” he said, his voice quiet, “you don’t have to be so cautious around me. We’re husband and wife.”

“Last time… I was wrong. I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you. I’m sorry.”

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