Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 170 - 168: Seeing You When the Flowers Bloom

Chapter 170: Chapter 168: Seeing You When the Flowers Bloom

Qin Guanglin really hadn’t seen it coming, Qin’s Mom pulling He Fang into the room so secretively only to hand out a manual and condoms.

"What... what did she say to you?" he eyed He Fang suspiciously, "Could it be..."

No wonder he wasn’t allowed to eavesdrop; Qin’s Mom was being too mysterious.

"Pah, pah, pah, throw out your dirty thoughts this instant." He Fang snatched the bag away, then looked at the condom in his hand, "Aren’t you going to put it back?"

Qin Guanglin pinched it twice and, with a tinge of regret, tossed it back, "Ah, what a waste of her old lady’s kind intentions."

"So you’re thinking of using it?" He Fang glanced at him sideways.

"Hehe, just kidding. I wouldn’t know how to use it even if you gave it to me," Qin Guanglin chuckled as he pulled her toward their rented place, "You’d have to help me when the time comes..."

If it couldn’t be used now, it couldn’t be used; snatching a little verbal advantage and teasing his girlfriend was quite fun.

"Don’t know how to use it, huh? I’ll teach you." He Fang snorted, pulling another condom from the bag, "You just tear it open, there’s a balloon inside you can inflate with your mouth, then find a string to tie it up and hang it in the room. It’s super fun."

"..."

"Got it now?"

"Got it, I’ll blow one up later and hang it by your bed."

"Hang it by your own bed."

After going through broad daylight assistance and half-revealing the truth to each other, the two seemed to have entered a new stage. Although they had not taken the last step, making jokes about it had become very natural.

Apart from that last step, they had essentially done everything that could be done. Qin Guanglin didn’t feel a strong pressing need; he occasionally craved a bit, made a couple of jokes to test her attitude, or simply enjoyed some verbal satisfaction. If He Fang didn’t want to, then she didn’t want to. After all, there was no rush; she would be his sooner or later.

Hmm, can’t rush things; this kind of matter should be mutual, both should be willing and happy. If one side had to compromise, it was better not to do it at all.

Together they went upstairs to unlock the door, and He Fang looked around with the bag before deciding to stuff it into a drawer and lock it up, to keep it out of sight and prevent it from triggering any messy thoughts.

Out of sight, out of mind.

"Did you really buy a lock? You don’t trust me that much?" Qin Guanglin was somewhat speechless at the sight of the little lock on the drawer, "Am I the type to sneak a look at your manuscript?"

Even though he indeed had the idea to sneak a peek at the art section she wrote tomorrow morning, at the moment it was just a thought...

"Yes!" He Fang nodded affirmatively.

"Anyway, when you publish your book, I’ll see it sooner or later. I’m not in a hurry." Qin Guanglin watched her lock the drawer, giving up the idea of snooping, "What’s your pen name?"

"The Flowers Have Bloomed."

"The Flowers?" He pointed at the pot in the living room, "That pot of leeks?"

"I told you, it’s not leeks." He Fang didn’t feel like educating him, "Come on, let’s go running."

The two of them had been running for a month now, almost forming a habit. Nowadays, if they didn’t go for a run, they kind of missed it.

"Hey, is your pen name like... ’When flowers bloom they must be plucked, for it’s a shame to wait till no flowers remain’?" Qin Guanglin pondered and then mimicked picking a flower towards He Fang.

"No."

He Fang glanced at him, "Why do I get the feeling that anything gets a different taste when it comes out of your mouth?"

"No change, I’m very serious."

"I think you’re just full and idle, you know, when warm and fed you think of ’that’— running a few laps until you’re tired will fix it."

"’That’? What is ’that’?" Qin Guanglin looked earnest.

They had reached downstairs while talking, and He Fang picked up a small twig from the corner that had become handy, waving it aimlessly, "Never mind ’that’, just run."

Qin Guanglin shrugged and silently started jogging ahead.

Exercising daily could actually increase the appetite. He distinctly felt that he seemed to be eating a bit more after running...

A few days ago, when he mentioned this to He Fang, she just asked if his weight had changed. That response was enough to quash his desire to quit—although he ate more, his weight hadn’t changed.

When he thought about it, he must have become more toned. Eating more without getting fatter, according to the conservation of mass and quantum mechanics and all those chaotic theories, Qin Guanglin felt that had to be the truth.

Shed the fat, keep the muscle.

Though it’s not visible in the mirror yet, persistence is bound to pay off.

And her spirits had definitely lifted compared to before; it turns out that a little exercise each day is indeed no bad thing.

He Fang also kept up with her daily foot soaks, and what had started as a ten-minute routine had become the norm. Last time her period came, she still felt some pain, but it was much better than before.

"To nurture a tree, you must care for its roots; to nurture a person, you must care for their feet. A basin of hot water before bed surpasses any prescription."

Even just soaking in plain hot water had a good health effect, let alone with added ingredients. After Qin Guanglin had prepared it for her for some time, he shamelessly squeezed in to join her.

After running and returning to He Fang’s place, Qin Guanglin waited for He Fang to finish her shower. He lugged a bucket filled mostly with hot water to the bedside, grabbed a chair from the desk to sit on, and took off his shoes to gradually adjust to the temperature with a few "ow" sounds.

"Okay, it’s ready, come join," Qin Guanglin patted the edge of the bed, calling He Fang over.

"We’ve prematurely taken up the elderly’s health regimen," he lamented, leaning in his chair.

And truth be told, the two of them sitting face to face, with all four feet in one tub, felt incredibly comfortable.

"The youth of the new era... stop moving around." He Fang noticed his feet fidgeting restlessly against hers at the bottom of the bucket, and gently lifted her leg to pin his feet down, "One of these days I’ll buy you some goji berries to carry around, you can steep them in a thermos every day, and that will complete the experience."

"Hey, are you really treating me like an old man?"

"We all have to get there eventually, right? Skipping the process and heading straight for retirement isn’t so bad, is it?"

"Hmm, maybe I’ll get a job as a doorkeeper too, and be forty years ahead of my peers."

Qin Guanglin responded with a few words, slumping in his chair, but looking across at He Fang’s flushed face, he suddenly felt aggrieved, "Tomorrow, I’ll bring some clothes over."

"Why are you bringing clothes?"

"You get to enjoy a relaxing post-run shower here, while I have to wait until I go back before I can wash off the sweat. That’s not fair; I want to shower here as well."

It’s better when both are fresh and snuggled together.

"Sure, that makes sense. Bring a few extra pieces to leave here, and I can wash them together with mine in the evening."

He Fang thought about it and nodded in agreement. It was indeed uncomfortable to be sweaty, and sitting too long might even polish the chair to a sheen... Eugh, what a gross thought.

After soaking for more than ten minutes with a splash, Qin Guanglin slipped on the slippers He Fang had bought him—large blue ones with two pandas resting together on them, which matched her small red slippers perfectly, making a couple’s set. When she first bought them, it had made him secretly happy for quite a while.

Everything should come in pairs.

"Lift your foot," he said, squatting down with a towel.

He Fang obediently stretched out her feet, pursing her lips as she waited for him to dry them.

Although she still felt a bit strange when he was holding her foot, it was bearable as long as he didn’t pinch too much.

Initially, Qin Guanglin would intentionally pinch her feet a couple of times, but after repeated protests, he stopped toying around and swiftly dried her off, then carried the bucket into the bathroom to empty.

"Moved by Luo City’s top ten boyfriends, I’ll give you a like," He Fang proclaimed from the comfort of her bed, rolling around before shouting toward the living room.

"Any reward for me?"

Qin Guanglin, having sorted everything out, inquired on his way back, wiping his hands.

"A kiss."

"Hmm..." He turned to close the door, his eyes shifting left and right, "Could I maybe..."

"What?"

"Ask for a little help?"

The experience of reaching for the stars, completely different the second time, made her inevitably nostalgic.

"..."

"..."

"Come over here."