Chapter 9

as qin xue entered the room, she saw that dishes were already arranged on the table. instead of sitting down directly, she went into the kitchen. fang hong, seeing qin xue come in, called out:

“qin xue, just sit down, i’m almost done with the soup, and we can start eating.”

“sister-in-law, don’t make too much, we won’t be able to finish it all.” seeing that there indeed wasn’t much help needed, qin xue grabbed some bowls and chopsticks and left the kitchen.

“qin xue, come sit down, let’s eat.” xie jun put away his newspaper and asked qin xue to sit.

without hesitation, qin xue chose a seat on the opposite side of the table, allowing fang hong and her husband to sit together.

qin xue observed the arrangement of the room. the space was very similar to her own, but fang hong’s house had many items, all neatly organized. it was obvious fang hong was a diligent and capable woman.

it seemed that she needed to tidy up her own place soon. just now, she had to mentally prepare herself to put her cleanliness obsession aside before taking a nap. after eating, she would go back and clean up.

“oh my, why aren’t you eating? the food will get cold. mr. xie, you should invite qin xue to eat too.” fang hong placed the soup on the table and urged qin xue to eat.

there were three dishes and one soup on the table: a stir-fried vegetable dish, radish stir-fried with meat, stir-fried salted vegetables, and tomato and egg soup.

it was clear that this meal was considered quite lavish at that time, likely specially prepared because of qin xue. perhaps they normally wouldn’t indulge like this.

qin xue poured herself a bowl of soup and took a sip, praising, “sister-in-law, your cooking skills are excellent, the soup is delicious.”

“if it’s delicious, then drink more. you’ve lost a lot of blood, and your body is weak. here, eat some meat.” fang hong placed a piece of meat in qin xue’s plate with her chopsticks, then served xie jun some vegetables.

xie jun handed the meat in his bowl to fang hong before eating, “hey, why are you serving me? just eat.”

fang hong looked at the meat in her bowl with a gentle smile.

qin xue observed the interaction between fang hong and her husband; it was apparent that their marriage was a happy one. she was excited for them and couldn’t help but wonder about her own cheap husband and if they would be able to get along.

after eating quietly and helping clean up the dishes, qin xue returned to her own home.

once qin xue had left, fang hong finished tidying up the kitchen before placing a glass of water in front of mr. xie. “mr. xie, don’t you think qin xue has changed a lot?”

“yes, based on her performance today, she’s doing quite well. now chu molin can finally work in peace.” xie jun couldn’t help but think about how chu molin had been unfairly punished, and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him.

however, as a section chief, he could only encourage reconciliation and not divorce. it was already difficult for men at the institute to get married, and as long as they weren’t breaking the law, divorce wouldn’t be an option.

fortunately, qin xue had calmed down after her injury, and everything was working out. otherwise, he would have had to inform chu molin, who might not have been able to focus on his research. fortunately, everything was progressing in a positive direction.

xie jun took a sip of the water and looked at his wife: “wife, let’s take a nap together.”

“i’m not sleeping. you go ahead.” fang hong still had many things to do at home after taking care of qin xue in the hospital for several days. she didn’t have time for a nap.

xie jun put down the glass and approached his wife: “are you sure?”

“yes, i’m sure.” having said that, fang hong got up to wash the clothes.

xie jun wasn’t about to let his wife escape so easily. it had been days since he’d been able to hold her.

ever since qin xue’s injury, his wife had been taking care of her at night. during the day, she didn’t rest well either. there were dark circles under her eyes. with a pull, he brought his wife into his embrace:

“what are you doing? let go. i need to wash the clothes, and i have to help qin xue clean her house tomorrow.” fang hong struggled but couldn’t escape xie jun’s embrace.