"Okay, I’ll go by what you say," Shen Chi really didn’t care about what he wore as long as it kept him warm. Even wearing patched-up clothes wouldn’t bother him.
But now that they were in the Capital and with his identity as the youngest son of the Han Family, their social circle was different. Lin Xiaoguai would now need to take notice of such things for him.
Shen Chi put away the woolen socks and then asked, "Did you make some for yourself and our son?"
"I did, two pairs of socks each, and Little Niangao got an extra hat." Actually, she had finished them last week, but because they were considering moving, she forgot to bring them back.
Shen Chi pulled her into his embrace, "Speaking of which, wasn’t your woolen hat from last year pulled out of shape by our son? Make one for yourself when you have time."
He wasn’t a detail-oriented person in daily life, but when it came to matters concerning Lin Xiaoguai, he always paid extra attention.
"Got it, that’s not urgent, we still have time before winter." Lin Xiaoguai placed her hand on his waist, feeling around before saying, "Has your waist slimmed down recently?"
"It’s become firmer," Shen Chi corrected somewhat dissatisfied.
He wasn’t a woman; what’s all this about a slim waist?
Lin Xiaoguai didn’t mind and continued, "Has it been tough recently?"
"Not too bad, I’ve been doing recovery training. Although I didn’t encounter much on my last trip to Myanmar, I felt that my condition wasn’t as good as when I was on the battlefield before, so I’ve picked up my old training routines." Even though Shen Chi hadn’t stopped training over the years, juggling administrative work meant that he was no longer as fully dedicated as before, resulting in neither improvement in his skills nor reaction times.
Lin Xiaoguai touched her chin, "Should I prepare a medicinal bath for you, something to strengthen muscles and bones?"
"Is there such a bath?" Shen Chi’s eyes lit up; he knew about Wanwan’s abilities. After all, his severe leg injury had been resolved after one course of treatment thanks to her.
"There is, but the process is very painful." The bath she had given Shen Chi previously had extra ingredients added by her, maintaining its effect, yet making it more painful.
What was bearable for the average person was already hard to endure, and the bath designed for conditioning muscles and bones was expected to be even more intense.
Lin Xiaoguai hadn’t tried it herself, but she had a clear understanding of every medicine she concocted.
"That’s a minor issue." Shen Chi had never been one to shy away from challenges. The idea of a painful bath that could lead to greater strength not only did not scare him but also excited him.
"It’ll be much more painful than the last one," Lin Xiaoguai said, somewhat conflicted.
"Just do it for me," Shen Chi pleaded with sparkling eyes, like an eager child.
Lin Xiaoguai had no choice but to give in, "All right, just don’t whine about it."
"I won’t." Shen Chi hugged her and gently kissed her forehead, chuckling, "Wanwan, marrying you was the greatest fortune of my life."
Lin Xiaoguai’s cheeks flushed pink, and she awkwardly averted her gaze.
Shen Chi didn’t mind; his hand, which had been around her waist, quietly slipped under her clothes, and they kissed passionately. Discarded clothes fell from the bed, the air warmed, and the room glowed with springtime warmth.
Early in the morning, before the wake-up call had sounded, Lin Xiaoguai was still half-asleep in bed when she heard her son’s voice from the yard.
She groggily opened her eyes, and Shen Chi, noticing immediately, kissed her and softly asked, "What’s wrong?"
"I think I heard Little Niangao get up?"
"Don’t worry about him." Shen Chi held her close, soothingly patting her back, "He’s been doing this for a few days now, you should sleep some more."
Hearing him say that, Lin Xiaoguai, who was already sleepy, obediently went back to sleep.
It wasn’t until half an hour after the wake-up call that Lin Xiaoguai finally woke up.
"You’re awake?" Shen Chi had just returned from his morning exercise, and upon seeing her awake, he bent to give her a kiss, gently straightening her hair, "Get up, wash up, and I bought you some tofu pudding."
"Ugh..." Lin Xiaoguai frowned as she got up, searching for her clothes.
Seeing her still drowsy, Shen Chi took it upon himself to dress her. Lin Xiaoguai didn’t resist and eventually just leaned entirely into his embrace.
Shen Chi tenderly helped her into her shoes, fondly saying, "There, stand up now."
As the family sat down for breakfast, Lin Xiaoguai, recalling the morning’s events, asked her son, "Little Niangao, why did you get up so early?"
"I was teaching the chick to crow," Little Niangao said, dead-serious, "I made a bet with Brother Junzi and Taotao. Whoever’s chick learns to crow first gets to be the boss."