Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

Lin Tingting went to wash the dishes, feeling wronged. She felt she couldn't stay in this house for even a day longer.

-

After a long day, with the snow falling heavily and darkness falling, everyone went back to their rooms.

The night is long.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhou Yanshen found his young wife exceptionally alluring. Outside, the hail pelted down, conveniently masking some… peculiar sounds.

Su Wanqing lay comfortably on the kang (a heated brick bed), having changed into loose-fitting autumn clothes and covered herself with a new cotton quilt. The kang was heated sufficiently, warm and cozy, the warmth seeping into her very bones.

After Zhou Yanshen finished washing up, he came over, hugged her, and kissed her cheek: "You were frightened yesterday, are you sleepy?"

The two hadn't spent any time alone together all day, and now they were finally able to have a few private words.

Su Wanqing shook her head: "You guys didn't sleep much last night, but I slept quite well. I've been sitting up all day, so I'm not tired."

Hearing his wife say she wasn't sleepy, Zhou Yanshen's old idea started to stir. He leaned closer and whispered, "Then... how about it?"

A few days ago, when they returned, they happened to encounter their mother's distressing situation. In the past two days, he has come to terms with it, and after escaping death yesterday, he has come to understand many things.

Su Wanqing didn't answer, but kissed him directly. The man smelled wonderful, and tasted delicious; she hadn't tasted anything like it in a long time.

However, things didn't go so smoothly.

Zhou Yanshen wanted to be cautious and take it slow, but his wife's belly was already quite big at only three months, which was a real nuisance. Last time, when she was still in her early stages, the little ones were already protesting, making it impossible for him to move. This time, he just wanted to be gentle and not wake the little ones.

"Wanqing, lean against the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) and hug your pillow."

Su Wanqing didn't like other styles, but as long as it didn't tire her out, she obediently followed their instructions. Zhou Yanshen changed the style, and sure enough, he got his wish, as if he had discovered a new world.

That night.

Some people experience a revival of life, even when their trees are barren.

Some people are struggling to survive.

Some people stayed awake all night until dawn, without being able to sleep a wink – Lin Tingting.

She and Qin Xue slept in the outer room. She had hoped for a good night's sleep, but to her right was her cousin and Su Wanqing's room, and to her left, separated by a wall, was her aunt and that pretty boy Gu Yuan. The pattering of hailstones masked the noise, but it couldn't stop the entire kang (heated brick bed) from shaking. It shook from one side to the other, rising and falling in waves.

She sat up abruptly, feeling that her life was truly miserable.

With a "smack," Qin Xue, who was sleeping restlessly, slapped her and then pressed her leg down on top of her. Lin Tingting angrily pushed her away, and Qin Xue rolled over, slapping her loudly.

Lin Tingting felt like she was going crazy.

Su Wanqing also felt like she was about to fall apart.

She had just felt satisfied and was about to go to sleep, as she always did, but today Zhou Yanshen leaned in and asked, "Wanqing, is it safe this month?"

She nodded groggily, and then felt like a small boat drifting on the sea all night.

She clearly didn't want to, but then she did, and finally she didn't want to anymore... In short, words can't describe the feeling of inner turmoil.

She finally understood what it meant to be something that could only be understood intuitively and not explained in words.

The next day, Su Wanqing glared resentfully at Zhou Yanshen.

Zhou Yanshen was refreshed and full of energy.

The hail outside the window had lessened, but the blizzard still hadn't stopped. The coal had been burning all night, and the room had cooled considerably; Su Wanqing, wrapped in a blanket, still felt cold.

Zhou Yanshen pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead: "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself last night."

He had been restraining himself for months, but the more he restrained himself, the less he could control himself. After not touching her for half a month, he completely lost control last night, and they made love for most of the night and he still wasn't satisfied. Towards the end, when he saw that his wife was so sleepy that she was about to fall asleep, and the kids were also getting up to protest, he finally let her go.

Su Wanqing glanced at him sideways, her tone tinged with resentment: "Yan Shen, you have way too much energy, don't you?"

She wasn't saying it herself, but Zhou Yanshen had barely slept these past two days. He tossed and turned most of the night last night, only managing to get about three hours of sleep, yet he was still wide awake this morning. What kind of constitution is that? In her past life, that entertainment host, a certain Jiong, claimed to be full of energy with only three hours of sleep a day, which she thought was an exaggeration, but now she had no doubt about it at all.

Zhou Yanshen said modestly, "It's alright. When I was on a mission before, it was common for me to go three days without sleep." As he put on his clothes, he instructed, "You sleep a little longer. I'll go and light the coal and keep your food warm."

He knew he was in the wrong, and he knew he had to take good care of his wife today.

Su Wanqing definitely needed to sleep! She was the kind of person who needed at least eight or nine hours to recharge. However, Zhou Yanshen had so much energy, so she still needed to find him something to do to prevent him from bothering her every day.

Judging from Zhou Yanshen's tone, it seems like he's coming again tonight? She can't do that.

"Yan Shen, I want to eat honey chicken cake." Her eyes lit up. "Since everyone's here today, let's make a lot and save some for winter. When Brother Qin and the others leave, let's give them some to eat on their journey. Yesterday, the villagers braved the hail to come looking for us, so we should share some with them too. You must have saved up quite a few eggs at home, right?"

Zhou Yanshen paused in his steps as he walked out, feeling his legs go weak and almost kneeling down.

The shadow of that egg-breaking incident at the camp hadn't faded yet. He knew all too well how many eggs Su Wanqing meant by "dividing them up."

Seeing him pause, Su Wanqing's lips curled into a slight smile: "What's wrong, Yan Shen? Don't you want some honey chicken cake?"

Zhou Yan took a deep breath and said casually, "I want to eat. Make as many as you want, it's just cracking eggs. Brother Qin is here today, we'll crack them together."

He paused, thinking that he couldn't suffer alone, and would call Gu Yuan along later, but he absolutely couldn't show weakness in front of his wife.

Su Wanqing smiled gently: "Okay, then I'll sleep a little longer."

—Hopefully, beating eggs will tire Zhou Yanshen out and give him a few days to calm down.

She turned over and continued to sleep soundly.

……

Outside, everyone else had already eaten breakfast. Gu Yuan had prepared a very lavish meal.

Zhou Yanshen picked out half a plate of vegetables, half a dish of pickled cucumbers, a boiled egg, half a corn cob and half a sweet potato, and two egg pancakes, arranged them on a plate, and took them into the inner room to keep them warm for Su Wanqing.

Lin Tingting, with dark circles under her eyes, said sourly, "She's so delicate. Everyone else eats, but she's the only one sleeping. She even needs someone to bring her food in and serve her."

Zhou's mother waved her hand dismissively, "She's pregnant, Tingting, don't take it to heart."

After warming the rice, Zhou Yanshen came out, picked up his bowl, and said in a calm tone, "Even if Wanqing wasn't pregnant, I would still do this."

Lin Tingting felt like every word her cousin said was like a knife stabbing into her heart.

……

After dinner, it was time to hibernate. But no one was idle—except for Zhou's mother.