Xiaoxiao, heedless of her bare body, clasped her husband tightly with her arms, fearing he would fall to the ground, and kept calling out, "Husband, husband..."
Yang Ming, roused by his wife’s calls, opened his weary, drooping eyelids and said softly, "Wife, I am all right."
He was just too tired. Learning that his wife wouldn’t leave again, he finally relaxed his tense nerves. Heaving a great sigh of relief, his body could no longer hold up.
He propped up his exhausted body and stood up, still speaking words of concern, "Wife, come out quickly, I will help you dry off. It’s too cold ; you could easily get sick."
Moved to tears by these words, Xiaoxiao’s eyes instantly brimmed with tears. He was so worn out, yet he was still thinking about her. How could she not love such a kind husband? She truly loved him so much.
Unable to control her emotions any longer, tears gushed forth like a fountain. She rushed into his broad chest, hugging him tightly and saying, "Husband, I love you, I love you..."
That ’I love you’ was repeated so many times, she kept saying it, feeling that no matter how many times she said it, it could never fully express her feelings at that moment.
Xiaoxiao’s declaration of love moved Yang Ming deeply. He snatched up clothes hanging on a chair, draped them over his wife, and enveloped her tightly, afraid she would get cold.
Hearing his wife sobbing and repeating the three words ’I love you’, Yang Ming was overwhelmed with emotion. He gently stroked his wife’s head and said with sympathy, "Wife, don’t cry, and no need to say it, I already know."
"No, I must say it, I just love you." Xiaoxiao truly didn’t want to stop; she felt it still wasn’t enough.
"Mhm, I love you too. Let’s go home and you can say it as much as you want. But for now, let’s get out. Everyone at home is worried sick."
Hearing this, Xiaoxiao stopped crying and said childishly, "Okay."
Yang Ming lifted his wife out of the bath and found a towel, drying every inch of her body as one would with a child.
Xiaoxiao allowed her husband to tend to her, enjoying the feeling of being cared for.
Yang Ming liked this feeling too. He took his wife’s clothes, helping her dress from inside out, his eyes filled with doting affection. "Wife, shall I comb your hair for you?"
Xiaoxiao sat quietly, letting Yang Ming comb her hair. Surprised at his skill, she asked, "Husband, how did you do that?"
"I’ve been watching you comb every day." Yang Ming said softly. He had observed intentionally, thinking that one day he might comb his wife’s hair.
Xiaoxiao’s heart warmed again. She had found a man who doted on her so much, a rarity even in modern times. She had given up everything from the modern world, but having gained him, it was all worth it in the end.
"Husband, would you be scared of me?"
"You know my identity, right? Actually, I am not your wi..."
Before she could finish, Yang Ming interrupted, "Your identity is as my wife, forever and always."
Understanding his meaning, Xiaoxiao smiled knowingly, "Mhm, I am your wife, forever and now. I’m no longer afraid of leaving you. It’s all thanks to her, for giving up her chance to return, allowing me to come back to your side."