With that, Lu Xiao started walking.
Su Tang followed him. Just as she entered the house, she saw Lu Xiao grab an enamel basin to get some water.
A moment later, Lu Xiao returned from outside and called Su Tang over.
"The thorns are slightly poisonous, and with the strong winds and sand in the Northwest, the wounds will get infected if you don't treat them,"
he explained, gesturing for Su Tang to hold out her hand and wash it.
The clear water in the enamel basin reflected Su Tang's pale face. She stared at the fine scratches on her palm left by the jujube thorns, then dipped her hand in.
Once she had washed the grit from the cuts, Lu Xiao squatted on a small stool to treat them for her.
The pads of his fingers held her wrist with a remarkably gentle pressure, but the moment the iodine-tipped cotton swab touched her finger, she flinched.
"Don't look if it hurts,"
he said, noticing her tremble.
As he looked down, his eyelashes cast shadows like butterflies' wings on his eyelids, and his Adam's apple bobbed gently as he spoke.
'This man seems cold, but his heart is warm. And as for his looks... he's the most handsome man I've seen out here.'
"Lu Xiao,"
Su Tang said suddenly, looking at him.
At her words, his fingers stilled for a moment.
He didn't look up, merely humming in acknowledgment. Seemingly sensing what Su Tang was about to say, he spoke again.
"My dad once said that if it weren't for Professor Su, I wouldn't be here."
"Besides, I'm his own son."
'He was telling her that his father knew everything about the Su Family's situation.'
'Lu Xiao was his own flesh and blood. Would his father really do anything to harm him?'
His words made Su Tang's chest tighten. She felt the awkwardness of having her thoughts seen right through.
She remembered the book mentioning that the Lu and Su Families shared a life-and-death bond.
It was because of this bond that her life had been saved.
But the original Su Tang had been pampered since childhood and never realized the great lengths her family had gone to just to protect her.
She said no more, simply letting Lu Xiao tend to the cuts on her fingers.
...
Su Tang didn't bring up the topic of work with Lu Xiao again over the next few days. Knowing the difficult position he was in, she didn't have the heart to say anything so inappropriate.
'So what if I don't work?'
'After her residency, she'd spent eight years at the hospital. She'd had more than enough of work, anyway.'
One day, Lu Xiao returned from training and told her that in a few days, as was the custom in the family compound, they needed to invite some friends over for a meal.
It was a tradition for newlyweds to have a housewarming party to "warm the house and stove," which symbolized a thriving and prosperous family in the future.
Lu Xiao spoke to Su Tang while washing his face. "I've already talked to Sister-in-law Zhang Cui. I asked her to come help with the cooking when the time comes."
Lu Xiao made the suggestion considering that Su Tang was a pampered young lady who'd never had to do housework.
Su Tang nodded without objection. After all, it was a dinner party, and she definitely couldn't manage it all by herself.
Lu Xiao looked at Su Tang, who had seemed a little down lately. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, said nothing at all.
Three evenings later, several of Lu Xiao's army buddies came to visit, carrying two bottles of sesame oil.
After helping cook the meal, Zhang Cui went home to look after her child.
Her child was young and at an age that required constant attention.
On the kitchen's earthen stove, the radish soup was bubbling, sending up puffs of steam.
As Su Tang bustled about in the kitchen, she heard Zhao Tiezhu outside, clapping Lu Xiao on the shoulder and bellowing.
"Lu, that's not cool! The promotion list is already out, and you've been hiding it from us?"
Lu Xiao, who was in the middle of serving rice, felt his hand tremble. He shot a glance toward the kitchen before saying in a normal tone, "Don't talk nonsense."
Zhao Tiezhu took a big gulp of liquor, his tongue a little loose. "Stop pretending. The political instructor already gave us the scoop. Said you're being held back because of your wife's family background..."
Before he could finish, Lu Xiao kicked the leg of his stool. The liquor bottle on the table clattered with a dull thud.
Zhao Tiezhu's face was beet red. He looked like he wanted to say more, but his comrade Chen, sitting beside him, kicked him under the table.
Su Tang came out carrying the radish soup and set it on the table.
"Drunk before we've even started eating. I told you you can't hold your liquor,"
"But Sister-in-law's radish soup smells way better than what we get at the barracks."
Chen gave Su Tang an apologetic smile and reached out to steady Zhao Tiezhu. "This guy can't control his mouth once he starts drinking. Please don't take it to heart, Sister-in-law..."
Everyone glanced at Su Tang before silently looking away.
'Even though they knew what Zhao Tiezhu said was true, they couldn't say anything more.'
'She wasn't their wife, after all.'
"The soup was simmering in the kitchen, so I couldn't really hear. What's going on?"
Su Tang gracefully chose not to pierce the veil of their tacit understanding.
As the wife who had suddenly been dropped into his life, she felt like an awkward patch on a piece of fabric.
No matter how you looked at it, she was a jarring and ill-fitting presence.
After several rounds of drinks, the meal was more or less finished, and the men helped Zhao Tiezhu to his feet.
"Uh, we're, we're done eating. We wish Brother Lu and Sister-in-law a hundred years of happiness together!"
That Zhao Tiezhu, always bringing up the one thing you shouldn't.
'The night was supposed to be a happy one. Tomorrow, they'd have to make sure he understood the consequences of his big mouth.'
Lu Xiao got up to see them out. When he turned back, he saw Su Tang standing in the doorway.
"About what Zhao Tiezhu said..."
"What about it? I thought you didn't hear anything?"
The atmosphere was heavy, making it difficult for Lu Xiao to still be trying to ease the tension.
Su Tang didn't take the bait, so he finally spoke up. "The process is always like this. They do extensive background checks, including on immediate family."
"Who knows what the hold-up is. If you were really a problem, our marriage application wouldn't have been approved in the first place."
Su Tang bit her lip, her nails digging into the faint scratches on her palm.
Her father was still under isolated investigation, and she, a relative of a person of interest, was now casting an inescapable shadow over Lu Xiao's otherwise bright career.
"I'm sorry."
She suddenly turned, her back pressed against the cold brick wall, apologizing to him on behalf of the Su Family.
'Marriage shouldn't be a bargaining chip. If Lu Xiao's father hadn't been so determined to repay a debt of gratitude, none of this would be happening.'
"Do you city folk just love saying you're sorry?"
Tiny flecks of light danced in his eyes, like pebbles on the Gobi Desert polished smooth by the wind and sand.
"This was my choice."
"Besides, some things are the result of many different factors. You don't have to take it to heart."
Lu Xiao had never explained so much to anyone before, yet here he was, speaking one sentence after another.
A simple misunderstanding was nothing; he was afraid Su Tang wouldn't be able to handle the pressure and might do something drastic.
'Women were naturally thin-skinned, after all.'
Choice.
Su Tang mulled over the word in her mind.
'She knew what this marriage meant to Lu Xiao.'
'It was a repayment for the life-saving debt he owed the Su Family, a fulfillment of a promise. The one thing it was not, however, was love.'
'It was just like the yellowed marriage contract tucked away in his drawer, the paper bearing his father's forceful fountain pen script that nearly pressed through to the other side.'
'A life-saving debt is impossible to repay.'
The night deepened. In the kitchen, the lightbulb swayed gently in the wind, casting flickering shadows.
"I've written a letter to my father. I'll mail it tomorrow."
It had originally been a letter just to let him know she was safe and sound. But now, Su Tang had to ask what the worst possible repercussions were.
"Letting him know you're safe is fine, but don't tell Professor Su about this. He'll worry about you."
"The whole point of sending you here was so I could take care of you. If he found out about all this, he'd be even more worried."