CHAPTER 70: CHAPTER 068: BENEFITS MUST NOT BE CUT

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Zhou Xiuhua breezed into the kitchen, noticing the orderly arrangement without a close look and knowing that the Third Son’s Wife must have taken great care of it again, everything clean and bright.

"Mom, come over and sit down," Zhang Shanni called to her mother-in-law who just came in, "We’re about to start eating."

She took the wooden bowl that had been set aside to cool earlier and carefully placed it in front of Xiao Liu. Seeing his big eyes staring at her with an adorable begging expression, she cheerfully coddled him:

"Xiao Liu, be good, let’s wait for Grandpa to come, then we can start."

"Okay!" Xiao Liu then obediently continued to sit, staring at the steaming wooden bowl in front of him and swallowing hard.

"Today we’re starting dinner early!" Zhou Xiuhua noticed that Xiao Liu was really just sitting obediently not beginning to eat first, she curiously watched the little interaction between the Third Son’s Wife and him.

"It smells good! Grandpa, I’m back," Xiao San returned home alone today, running all the way and therefore arrived home about ten minutes earlier than usual, just in time to join the dinner. He put his schoolbag in the main room, saw Grandpa finishing drinking water, called someone to drink water, and then he entered the kitchen with Grandpa and Xiao Liu. However, Xiao Liu was the first to speak up, pointing to his elder brother:

"Grandma, Third Brother didn’t wash his hands!"

Xiao Liu’s seat was diagonally opposite the entrance, so he saw Xiao San entering the main room and then the kitchen right after coming home, and promptly spoke out, causing everyone to laugh while looking at Xiao San.

"I’ll go wash right away!" Xiao San glared at his younger brother secretly. This kid, he didn’t say anything when he didn’t wash his hands before, why is he being so fussy today?

"Alright, Xiao Liu is hungry, you can start eating first." Xie Tiesheng sat down and saw Xiao Liu staring straight at him, thus coaxing him to eat.

Xiao Liu looked puzzledly at Second Aunt, and seeing that she didn’t speak but was just making eye contact with him, he thought about it and whispered to Grandpa: "Grandpa eats first, then Xiao Liu will eat!"

"Wow, our Xiao Liu is getting so smart and well-behaved?" Zhou Xiuhua happily patted Xiao Liu’s shiny head sitting next to her, asking with a delighted smile.

"Second Aunt said that waiting for the elders to eat together is being a good child! Xiao Liu is growing up and is a good child!" Seeing Second Aunt smile, Xiao Liu expressed himself more clearly.

Zhang Shanni felt a bit embarrassed, feeling like she was overstepping. The child wasn’t her responsibility to discipline, it was just a casual remark, but Xiao Liu spilled the beans.

Seeing that neither of the family heads was displeased, Zhang Shanni breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing Xiao Liu’s words, the adults all laughed and praised Xiao Liu for being a good child, and their looks towards Zhang Shanni became even more satisfied. Even Xie Tiesheng, who was usually reticent, felt a warm heart seeing how Zhang Shanni was, and became even more dissatisfied with the previous three daughters-in-law, "Alright, Grandpa will eat first!"

Xie Tiesheng really picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of noodle into his mouth, fragrant, tender, oily, and with a strong taste of fresh shrimp, along with the vibrant long bok choy, colorful, fragrant, and delicious in every aspect. He then took another sip of the soup, the rich and fresh flavor. The old man had lived most of his life and was tasting such a sweet soup for the first time, "Good!"

Xiao Liu saw that Grandpa finally ate, and under his gaze, Grandma also ate. Then saw Second Aunt and Second Uncle already holding their big bowls to eat, he happily pressed down on his own small wooden bowl, "Let’s eat~~"

After dinner and washing the dishes, Zhang Shan Ni was sent back to her room by her mother-in-law. Today, only Xiao Liu needed to be looked after for bathing, and Xiao San was also helping by the side, so there was nothing for this newly married couple to do in the front yard.

As they left the main courtyard and turned onto the path to the left courtyard, Xie Jingchen directly grabbed his little wife’s slightly rough hand and walked slowly, his large hand silently caressing it.

Zhang Shan Ni: "..." Glared at the tall and burly man’s back for a moment, but the two were walking one in front of the other. To the people behind, it still looked like Zhang Shan Ni had to ’stride’ to keep up with Xie Jingchen’s pace!

"Wife, you go into the room first, I’ll heat some hot water for you to soak in bath to relieve fatigue."

"Mhm." Zhang Shan Ni’s face turned slightly red, not used to it. Under the dark and moonlight, it was completely invisible, but she still felt bashfully warm inside.

By the time it was her era, which husbands would still heat bath water for their wives? Perhaps Xie Jingchen’s every move now is laden with the psychology of compensating for being apart, but she didn’t mind. When two people form a family, isn’t it necessary to hustle for daily life, needing food and clothes?

Moreover, he’s gone to join the Canrong Guard, he is a great Brother Rong Wei!

The most important aspect is, Brother Rong Wei wouldn’t cheat! Unless he didn’t care about his future. Otherwise, which ambitious military officer with aspirations would dare talk lightly of family discord?

So-called "cultivate oneself and bring order to the state and peace to the world," every man with ambition and power wouldn’t easily let himself fall into divorce. A man must have his own logic to have strong self-control.

At this moment, Zhang Shan Ni feels that being separated is not a big problem. Now that she just married into the family, she definitely needs to make her father-in-law and mother-in-law satisfied before she can propose to join the Sui Rong’s subordinates. Besides, her feelings for Xie Tiesheng and his wife aren’t just superficial politeness, she truly thinks Xie Family’s parents are good parents!

Xie Tiesheng also resembles her late father, couldn’t she have a bit of transference? Well! Maybe this is her blessing in this life?!

Seeing Xie Jingchen go to heat the bathwater, Zhang Shan Ni starts to clean her husband’s clothes from today, soaking them all in water. Taking advantage of no one being around, she poured some odorless detergent into it, lightly rubbed, and thick soap suds emerged with a smokey layer. Then, she briskly scrubbed and washed, cleaning the two undershirts and wide boxer shorts that the big man had changed out of due to the hot weather, and hung them out to dry.

Just then, Xie Jingchen came in carrying two buckets of hot water, one on each side.

"Why did you heat so much hot water?" Zhang Shan Ni organized the clothes she was going to change into on the ledge of the partition, just in time to see him looking relaxed. But she didn’t need so much hot water, the weather isn’t very cold right now, one bucket would have been enough!

"It’s alright, I just cleaned a big bathtub in the kitchen, I’m going to carry it in for you to soak."

It’s said that women benefit from frequent baths for their health, and thinking of how he had been very energetic last night and this morning, his little wife said she felt uncomfortable all over when she got up.

Although he held her later and cleaned her up, it was not a real soak. Now that conditions allow, he naturally wants his little wife to feel better.

Thus, when his wife was cooking, he went to the storage warehouse and took down the large bathtub he had custom-made before, just to give her a proper soak.

Of course, necessary benefits definitely can’t be skimped on.

A glint of dark surge flashed in Xie Jingchen’s tiger-like eyes, but when he lifted his head to meet Zhang Shan Ni’s big almond eyes, his gaze had already returned to being clear and rippleless. His stern and straightforward hard man’s face revealed no hints of his thoughts or emotions.