Chapter 66: Communication

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Communication

"You don’t know?" Doctor Qi placed one hand on Su Wan’s wrist to check her pulse, raising an eyebrow at Lu Zhengchuan.

His gaze seemed to question whether Lu Zhengchuan even cared about Su Wan. "Even I know about it. Xiao Lu, you’re really slacking. Not only did you not talk it over with your wife, but you didn’t even bother to ask around?"

Lu Zhengchuan’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively glanced at Su Wan while trying to smooth things over. "Doctor Qi, don’t leave me hanging. Since when do I not care about my wife?"

"Hmph, coming to me for information now?" Doctor Qi deliberately gave him a hard time, huffing, "Too late."

Annoyed yet trying to curry favor, Lu Zhengchuan blinked at Doctor Qi.

When had Doctor Qi ever seen Lu Zhengchuan back down so readily?

The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. "I hear you managed to buy some excellent tea in the county town last time..."

What was left unsaid didn’t need to be voiced. Both men instantly understood each other.

Lu Zhengchuan nodded. "Doctor Qi, you’re helping my wife with her check-up. I should be thanking you regardless. It’s just a little tea. I’ll send it over to you in a bit. Thank you for taking the trouble to check on Wanwan’s pregnancy."

Doctor Qi knew that hearing such pleasantries from Lu Zhengchuan was a rare occasion.

So naturally, he didn’t continue teasing him.

"Alright, alright, I’m starting to get jealous of you, kid." Doctor Qi said this with sincerity, unable to resist glancing at Su Wan. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, ’How did a fierce guy like Lu Zhengchuan manage to snag such a wonderful girl?’

"Don’t you know how outstanding your own wife is?"

"On your last mission, didn’t you almost have an accident? Your wife was the one who resolved that situation."

Doctor Qi didn’t go into detail about the mission’s specifics, after all.

He only said what he was permitted to.

Lu Zhengchuan immediately recalled being abruptly halted during a mission. He had contacted his superior and learned that hidden landmines had been discovered near the national highway up ahead.

Upon hearing the news, he had naturally taken his squad to help.

He had personally located the landmines, only to discover they were a type with extremely high concealability, hidden many years ago.

Due to road construction and other factors, they had just become a hazard.

He didn’t dare to imagine what would have happened. If he had led his squad through there unknowingly, the result would have been catastrophic casualties.

"Su Wan..." Lu Zhengchuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

Although he had long known Su Wan was exceptional, he never imagined she would help him in such a tangible way—and on a matter of life and death, no less.

"I’m sorry. Political Commissioner Lin told me not to talk about it. It’s a military rule, so I didn’t tell you," Su Wan said apologetically.

Lu Zhengchuan couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to her.

"Hm?" Su Wan looked at the large, well-defined hand in front of her, then glanced at him in confusion.

Lu Zhengchuan gave her no time to think. He reached out and took her hand, his firm grip conveying his intentions.

"You are my wife. It’s perfectly normal for me to hold your hand." Lu Zhengchuan’s eyes were fixed on her face, his tone firm, as if staking a claim.

Su Wan was taken aback for a moment. Not daring to overthink the meaning behind his words, she simply took them at face value.

"Oh."

"So I won’t hold such a small thing against you," Lu Zhengchuan said, referring to her earlier apology.

Hearing this, Su Wan relaxed. "That’s good."

"However..." Lu Zhengchuan’s tone shifted.

"I hope you can give me a hint next time." Lu Zhengchuan gestured toward Doctor Qi, who was standing nearby, a hint of displeasure in his voice, as if he couldn’t even compare to the doctor.

"Okay." It was a small matter, so Su Wan had no reason not to agree.

"Alright, you two, stop with the public displays of affection in front of me. Ms. Su’s pregnancy is progressing well. Keep taking the vitamins. The shock you received probably unsettled the baby a little, but it’s not serious."

"Also, Ms. Su, don’t keep things bottled up inside. Excessive worry can affect your health and the health of the baby in your belly."

After his long-winded instructions, Doctor Qi efficiently wrote her a prescription.

Lu Zhengchuan only registered one thing: that she kept things bottled up.

After getting the prescription filled, Lu Zhengchuan continued to carry Su Wan back to the family courtyard.

Su Wan tried to refuse, but Lu Zhengchuan refuted her every attempt.

"Aren’t you tired from walking?"

Tired? Of course she was tired. But the pregnancy was her business, and she couldn’t just let Lu Zhengchuan carry her all the time.

"Su Wan, if you have something on your mind, you can tell me directly." Lu Zhengchuan’s sudden words completely shifted her attention.

She lowered her eyes, not looking at Lu Zhengchuan.

"I know."

"Then why were you unhappy earlier?" Lu Zhengchuan asked out of the blue.

Su Wan’s hand, gripping his military uniform, tightened slightly.

"It’s okay, just tell me. We’re husband and wife, and we’ll have a child in the future. If you don’t communicate with me, how can we give our child a healthy family environment?"

That sentence instantly made her stubborn reservations waver.

"You were away on a mission for half a month. You had the chance to send me a letter, but you didn’t. Why?"

Su Wan finally asked the question, but she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

"...I wanted to write to you, but I didn’t know if you’d want to receive my letters." Lu Zhengchuan’s face was tense.

His answer surprised Su Wan.

"Why wouldn’t I want to?" Su Wan looked up in confusion, completely unable to understand why he would think that.

"I was worried I’d be bothering you," Lu Zhengchuan said succinctly, pursing his lips.

Su Wan felt his explanation was too simple. The words revealed very little, leaving her with the feeling that he hadn’t really answered her question.

"Bothering me? Didn’t you just say we’re husband and wife? Isn’t it perfectly normal to keep in touch by writing letters?"

Lu Zhengchuan’s eyes lit up. "You’re right. I’ll always contact you from now on."

"Then why didn’t you contact me this time?" Su Wan looked up, deliberately bringing the question back.

Lu Zhengchuan wrinkled his nose. "...My comrade said that contacting someone too often can be annoying."

For a moment, Su Wan couldn’t tell if he was being truthful. She studied him and asked curiously, "Which comrade?"

"He Rong. You haven’t met him. He didn’t come back this time, but I’ll introduce you when there’s a chance." Lu Zhengchuan sold out his friend without a moment’s hesitation.

Su Wan only knew from her precognitive dreams that no such person existed. Since she couldn’t know the real story, she couldn’t be sure if the bad advice—wherever it came from—was given with malicious intent or not.

To ensure her own peace of mind in the future, she stated her position clearly. "From now on, I hope you’ll contact me more if anything comes up. I don’t like being the only one reaching out and getting no response."

"After all, I’ll be going to the Capital soon. We’ll be living apart for a long time, and letters will be the only way to maintain our relationship. If you still don’t write to me, over time, I can’t be sure what will become of our relationship."