Chapter 203 - 203 155 Instructions

Words : 2083 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

203: Chapter 155: Instructions 203: Chapter 155: Instructions There was a delay, and I’m really too embarrassed to show my face, but Nuan will make it up tomorrow, by before dawn, definitely. —————————————————— “When we meet Uncle Lang, we must thank him properly. Having Chuxia marry into a family like the Zhou family and learning such a skill is really something to be proud of.” Hearing Zhao Yushan say this, Chuxia’s heart suddenly leapt to her throat, and she silently prayed that her parents wouldn’t run into Old Master Lang, especially not anytime soon! “That’s not called a skill, it’s called art!” Li Aiyuan corrected her husband. “Whatever it is, it’s a good thing that our Chuxia knows it,” Zhao Yushan said while frowning. “Calling it art doesn’t seem quite right, does it? Baohe, what do you think?” “Hmm, ‘art’ does sound a bit too grand. It should be called a craft, right?” Lin Baohe said, looking to Zhao Yulan for confirmation. Zhao Yulan waved her hands happily, “Anything is fine, skill, art, craft; as long as our Chuxia hasn’t wasted her effort learning it.” “Yes, that’s the way it is,” Zhao Yushan glanced at the time and stood up, “You all should get some sleep early. We can’t have you lacking energy for the betrothal ceremony tomorrow.” After sending the eldest maternal aunt and uncle away, Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe hurriedly turned off the light and urged Chuxia to sleep. Half an hour later, Zhao Yulan quietly propped herself up, tested her daughter’s breath with her hand, breathed a sigh of relief, got out of bed, sat beside Lin Baohe’s bed, and whispered, “Hubby, are you asleep?” “How could I sleep?” Lin Baohe said as he got out of bed and led Zhao Yulan to sit at the table by the wall, “Let’s talk here and not wake up Chuxia.” Chuxia, who was lying in bed, curled her lips. How could she sleep? Her parents really thought she was too carefree! She had been pretending to sleep so her parents wouldn’t worry, not even daring to turn over, which was incredibly uncomfortable. Now taking the opportunity while Zhao Yulan had left, she quickly turned over. Seeing her daughter turn over, Zhao Yulan tiptoed back to the bedside and carefully observed her for a while before returning with assurance, “She’s really asleep.” Ah, my skill at feigning sleep is just too good! Thinking like this, tears uncontrollably slid down her cheeks. The ability to feign sleep was something her mother had inadvertently taught her. Back when she was in elementary school, she became addicted to reading novels. With no time during the day, she would sneak in some reading at night, which her mother eventually discovered, prompting her to start checking up on her room unpredictably every night. And it was during that time, playing a game of wits against her mother, that she perfected the art of pretending to sleep. Unexpectedly, it had come in handy this time. Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, I’m about to be betrothed. Are you happy for me? Once upon a time, what the elders most hoped for was that she would marry a good man who would take care of her and love her after they were gone. Now, has she fulfilled their wishes? They must be happy, she believed. The her from that era already had someone to marry, and he seemed quite agreeable, getting along well with her parents and grandparents. If he had comforted her family, then naturally, she should comfort his. Marrying Zhou Mikang could be the right choice, she supposed. Actually, Zhou Mikang wasn’t so bad. Maybe her aversion to him stemmed from his overly domineering attitude at their first meeting. Being domineering wasn’t necessarily a bad trait in a man. However, since his father had once sacrificed personal ties for the country, if one day he had to choose between the country and her, he would probably abandon her too, right? If anything happened to her, who would take care of her parents? Tch tch tch... What was she thinking? She wasn’t even married yet, and here she was, worrying like this. How nervous would she be when the actual wedding day arrived? Snapping back to the present, she overheard Zhao Yulan asking, “...It hasn’t hurt again, has it?” “No, it just hurt for a while in the afternoon, and then it stopped.” “That’s good to hear,” Zhao Yulan sighed, “I’ve been worried all day. You know, with our girl getting married, it will be up to you to keep me company.” “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you forever. I even want to hold our grandchildren and great-grandchildren with you,” he assured her. Zhao Yulan chuckled, “Grandchildren and great-grandchildren? Do you plan to live forever?” “Hehe...” Lin Baohe laughed and said nothing more. Meanwhile, Chuxia’s heart was churning. She held back as long as she could but finally couldn’t help it. Suddenly sitting up, she asked, “Dad, are you feeling unwell?” The abrupt question startled both Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe. Lin Baohe reacted quickly, “After lunch, I drank some cold water and felt a bit of stomach pain. Your mother has been worrying about me. Chuxia, I’m fine now, so don’t worry. Just go to sleep.” He said while pulling at Zhao Yulan, “Let’s sleep.” “Yeah, let’s sleep,” Zhao Yulan said, walking back to the bedside, patting her daughter, “Lie down and sleep. You don’t want to meet people tomorrow with dark circles under your eyes, do you?” Chuxia resisted sitting down, “Dad, Mom, you can’t lie to me. You have to tell me everything!” “We’re not lying to you. This afternoon, I was thinking about getting your dad a pill, but he went to the washroom and felt better, so I didn’t get it. You know your dad, he can endure a little discomfort, and we didn’t really find a chance to talk about it. Plus, we didn’t want to worry you, so we thought we’d wait until you were asleep to discuss it further. Why were you pretending to sleep? Can’t you rest easy and fall asleep?” “Mm.” Chuxia responded, went to turn on the light, and looked at her parents carefully. “Are you sure you’re not lying to me? Dad, look at me when you talk.” Lin Baohe stared straight at his daughter. “Xia, does your dad seem like someone who lies? If there were anything, Dad would definitely not hide it from you.” “Then why did your conversation just now feel off to me?” Chuxia still looked suspicious. “I heard Mom’s tone, and it seemed like she was worried there was something wrong with Dad’s health.” “I’m just worried that your dad, despite a stomachache, is stubbornly holding it in. You know what people say, holding in a poop is bad for your health.” Lin Baohe glared at Zhao Yulan. “In front of the child, what are you saying?” “Well, the kid is worried.” Zhao Yulan said while beckoning Chuxia, “Alright, come to bed and sleep, stop worrying for no reason. If there really was something wrong with your dad, Mom would definitely not hide it from you. Think about it, if you married into a family like the Zhou family and something were to happen to your dad, who would have your back? Even just for that reason, Mom couldn’t keep it from you.” Although Chuxia still felt something was off in Zhao Yulan’s words, seeing her dad’s complexion looking perfectly fine, she turned off the light and went back to bed. After a while, she murmured softly, “Dad, Mom, no matter when and what happens, you can’t hide it from me, otherwise, I will hate you.” At the end of her words, she distinctly felt Zhao Yulan’s body tremble slightly. “Xia, when you go to your husband’s family, you can’t act so willful. Otherwise, how could Dad and Mom be at ease?” Hearing Zhao Yulan say that, Chuxia’s heart relaxed somewhat, realizing that her mom had trembled earlier out of concern she would be too willful and be disliked by her husband’s family. She then cheerfully said, “Mom, don’t worry, I won’t.” “Sigh, Xia, you have to understand that there’s no such thing as a perfect situation. To live a good life, you’ve got to suppress your temper. If you’re diligent with your work after you get married and win over the affection of your in-laws, you’ll be able to secure your place in the family. Zhou family isn’t like ours, and Commander Zhou isn’t someone his parents dislike. You can’t make things difficult for him.” “Dad, I know, don’t worry, I’m not stupid.” “Go to sleep.” Zhao Yulan tucked in her daughter’s blanket and then said no more. Lin Baohe was also silent on the other side. Chuxia stared with wide eyes for a while, then drifted off into a drowsy sleep. The next day, bright and early, Zhou Mikang rushed over, taking the family of three and Aunt Xia and Uncle Xia out to a restaurant for some soup dumplings. Afterwards, they all got in the car, heading towards the Zhou family home. On the way, everyone was silent—not a word—too tense to think of anything to say. From what Chuxia observed, Zhou Mikang was nervous too, because his facial muscles were slightly stiff. This made her feel a bit more balanced inside. As they were about to arrive, Zhou Mikang glanced at everyone in the rearview mirror and said, “Dad, Mom, Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt, during the wedding, please be sure to invite our relatives.” Zhao Yulan waved her hand after a slight pause, understanding his intent, “It’s fine as it is. They’re too far away; there’s no need for all that fuss. During the wedding, if you are busy with work on your end, there’s no need to run back and forth. Your dad, your eldest uncle, your eldest aunt, and I can make the trip over.” Zhao Yushan joined in, “That’s the way it is, work is important.” “That’s not right...” Chuxia interrupted him, “There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t want to go back to the village to show off. When the time comes, as long as my parents, my eldest uncle, my eldest aunt, my little aunt, my little uncle, Fat Auntie, and Uncle Gangshun come over, I’ll be content. But remember, we’re all poor, so you’ll have to reimburse our travel expenses.” Zhou Mikang’s lips curled slightly, and he nodded, “Alright, as you wish.” Chuxia quickly added, “It’s a deal then!” Zhou Mikang frowned slightly, “Are you really that reluctant to let others know you’re marrying me?” “It’s not that...” Chuxia pouted, “If we really invited all the relatives... Sigh, I’m doing this for your own good, whether you appreciate it or not is up to you!” “What are you saying, child?” Zhao Yulan glared at her daughter and then apologetically looked at Zhou Mikang, “Xiao Zhou, Xia has been spoiled by us. If she does anything wrong in the future, just tell her, and we definitely won’t blindly take her side.” “Mm.” Lin Baohe nodded and added, “Xia is younger than you, so please be patient with her and gradually correct any mistakes.” Zhao Yushan and Li Aiyuan exchanged a look, both of them wearing a helpless expression. This brother-in-law really spoiled his child to an inconceivable extent. Zhou Mikang smiled and nodded, “Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I’m almost ten years older than Chuxia, and I will be patient with her. She’s still a child, and I won’t be mad at her.” “So you’re marrying me even though I’m a child?” Chuxia was not pleased. “I married you so I can teach you slowly,” Zhou Mikang smiled as he glanced at Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe in the rearview mirror. “Dad, Mom, you won’t blame me for teaching her, right?” Zhao Yulan: “We won’t blame you!” Lin Baohe: “It depends on how you teach.” (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to recommend and vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)

Chapter 203 - 203 155 Instructions

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