Tang Qiyue wasn't stupid, so she quickly made her choice.
Sacrificing her earlobes was far better than being slept with and then having to get up early to travel.
Zhan Zeyi looked somewhat disappointed at the little woman obediently nestled in his arms. However, he was indeed extremely sleepy.
He rubbed the soft cartilage of her earlobe with his teeth a few times in dissatisfaction, but eventually gave up the urge to continue teasing her and fell asleep while holding her.
The next morning, Tang Qiyue woke to the sound of a rooster crowing.
She thought she would still be trapped in Zhan Zeyi's arms, but when she opened her eyes, she discovered that he was no longer in bed.
Using the faint light coming through the window, she quickly dressed.
Just then, Zhan Zeyi pushed the door open and walked in.
The suitcase had already been placed in the room. Zhan Zeyi was wiping the sweat from his neck with a towel. When he saw that she was awake, he turned on the light.
Tang Qiyue turned her head and noticed that Zhan Zeyi was wearing a loose, old shirt.
Under the warm yellow light, sweat slowly trickled down his temples, slid past his brows, traveled along his cheeks, and finally gathered at the tip of his chin.
A single drop of sweat hung there precariously.
For some reason, that drop of sweat carried a strange, irresistible charm, drawing Tang Qiyue's gaze and making her unconsciously hold her breath.
She wanted to look away from the tempting sight, but in the end she failed.
Only when Zhan Zeyi tilted his neck and the drop of sweat fell onto his chest—disappearing into his shirt—did she quietly exhale.
She suppressed the strange unease rising in her heart.
Before she could calm herself, she heard Zhan Zeyi say,
"Why didn't you sleep a little longer? Dazhuang and the others won't be here until after nine."
Chen Dazhuang and the others had to pick up several military wives who were traveling with them, so they wouldn't arrive very early.
Tang Qiyue pretended to button her clothes and yawned.
"I still need to pack everything into the suitcase. By the time I finish, it'll already be late."
She subconsciously rubbed her ear and suddenly noticed Zhan Zeyi staring at her.
Seeing her movement, he suddenly grinned.
The smile made Tang Qiyue feel extremely embarrassed.
Naturally, she remembered how that jerk had bitten her earlobe earlier that morning.
She glared at him angrily before picking up the washbasin to fetch water.
Zhan Zeyi wasn't embarrassed in the slightest.
Instead, he walked over and helped open the suitcases.
His wound had completely healed.
He had woken briefly before dawn after returning home. Feeling unusually energetic and excited, he first moved the suitcases inside before going out for a run.
Now that he had confirmed his body felt perfectly fine, he had returned home.
Leaning casually against the doorframe, he watched Tang Qiyue hurriedly washing up.
A faint smile curled at his lips, and his eyes narrowed slightly as a trace of amusement flickered within them.
As someone extremely perceptive, how could he fail to notice Tang Qiyue's unusual behavior?
What surprised him was that Tang Qiyue, who normally appeared calm and restrained, actually seemed rather curious in private.
Zhan Zeyi had only been watching for a short time when he heard his mother calling from outside.
He returned to the room, took off his old shirt, tossed it into the washbasin, and picked up a sailor-style shirt from the bed before heading out.
Since Zhan Zeyi was returning to his military unit that day, his mother's expression was somewhat stiff during breakfast.
Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying.
After all, she only saw her son once a year, and now he would be leaving again after just a few days.
Any mother would find that painful.
However, Zhan's mother was a strong-willed woman. She hid her emotions and simply kept adding porridge to her son's bowl.
Because her son was leaving, she hadn't prepared many dishes.
Instead, she had woken up early to cook plain white porridge and stir-fried salted beans. She also asked her eldest son to buy fried dough sticks and sesame cakes from the breakfast stall at the alley entrance.
The salted bean porridge wasn't actually made with rice.
First, ground soybeans were boiled to produce soy milk.
Then a prepared millet-flour paste was slowly poured along the side of the pot while stirring continuously, allowing the soy milk and millet flour to blend into a thick, semi-solid porridge.
As for the salted beans, they weren't simply soybeans boiled in salt water.
Very small beans had to be chosen; otherwise, large beans would sink to the bottom of the porridge and ruin the appearance.
The beans were first boiled in salted water and then slowly dried.
High heat was extremely important. If the heat was too low, the beans would split open and lose their flavor.
The outer skin had to remain slightly moist while the inside became completely dry.
Plain white porridge by itself was bland.
Salted beans alone were also unremarkable.
But when the two were eaten together, their flavors blended perfectly, creating an unexpectedly delicious taste.
Many people could cook white porridge.
But very few could prevent it from scorching.
Even fewer could stir-fry salted beans properly.
Every time Zhan Zeyi returned home, he always drank his mother's salted bean porridge.
Naturally, she wouldn't allow her son to leave for the army with regrets.
Tang Qiyue had eaten plain porridge before, but this was the first time she had tasted one so delicious.
She drank two full bowls.
Zhan's mother was very pleased.
She even wanted to teach Tang Qiyue how to cook porridge properly, but there wasn't enough time.
So she could only give a few quick instructions before handing Tang Qiyue a jar of salted beans.
"You can slowly learn how to make white porridge," she said.
"I've prepared plenty of salted beans. This jar should last you for quite a while."
It was a mother's way of showing her care.
Tang Qiyue obediently accepted it.
Since Tang Qiyue still needed to pack her dowry, Zhan's mother didn't speak much to her.
She believed dowries were private matters and didn't try to supervise.
Instead, she told Zhan Zeyi not to go out and to help his wife pack.
Zhan Chunying and the eldest daughter-in-law were curious and wanted to take a look.
But Zhan's mother stopped them.
Her eldest daughter-in-law had only brought a small bundle when she got married; her family hadn't prepared any dowry for her.
If she saw Tang Qiyue's dowry, she might feel jealous.
As for her younger daughter, Zhan's mother knew her personality well.
If she saw Tang Qiyue's dowry, she might start comparing it to what she herself would receive in the future.
Every woman would feel some disappointment in that situation.
Zhan's mother didn't want to risk creating tension in the family.
Fortunately, her words carried weight, so neither of them insisted.
Tang Qiyue had already sorted her belongings.
Putting everything into the boxes didn't take long.
Originally, she hadn't planned to bring pots and pans with her.
But Zhan Zeyi insisted.
"Bring them," he said.
"After all, they're part of your dowry."
Tang Qiyue didn't think much of it at the time and assumed he was simply being considerate.
Many of the dowry items her stepmother had prepared were beautiful but impractical.
They mainly served as decorative pieces, so they didn't take up much space.
Because of that, Tang Qiyue was able to fit everything her biological mother had prepared into the boxes.
Even the items prepared by Zhan Zeyi's mother were packed inside.
By the time Chen Dazhuang and the others arrived, Tang Qiyue had already locked all the boxes.
She rubbed her sore back and watched them carry the boxes outside.
Finally, she thought with relief, it was all over.
She had survived.
But that sense of relief was clearly premature.
Just as Tang Qiyue picked up her handbag and prepared to follow them outside—
A commotion suddenly erupted at the door.
A familiar voice made her frown.
But she didn't stop walking.
She stepped outside to see what was happening.