Chapter 95: Exchanging for Gold

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Exchanging for Gold

This line of thinking made Su Wan realize her own blind spot. Since she hadn’t asked Lu Zhengchuan where the gift money from his other comrades had gone, did that mean returning the favor for their weddings in the future would be his problem alone?

But they were married now. If Lu Zhengchuan didn’t have the money then, could she really just stand by and watch?

"Fine, I’ll take this money." Su Wan took the bankbook back without the slightest hesitation. Lu Zhengchuan, who had been stewing, was too taken aback to stay angry. He was confused but still wanted to save face.

His face remained taut. "Why?"

"What?"

Su Wan was putting the bankbook into her money box.

"Why did you take it back?" Lu Zhengchuan didn’t even realize his tone had softened.

Su Wan looked up. "First, tell me where the rest of the gift money you received went."

Lu Zhengchuan: "..."

Seeing his hesitation, Su Wan shot him a glare.

Lu Zhengchuan rubbed the tip of his nose, looking sheepish. "I used the rest of the gift money to buy gold."

"Hmm?"

This was the first Su Wan was hearing of this. She had never heard a whisper about it before. ’Lu Zhengchuan is certainly good at keeping secrets,’ she thought. ’I wonder what else I don’t know about him.’

"I’d already thought about what you said—about returning the gift money. I wanted to prepare in advance. As it happened, I was on a mission and ran into some people selling gold at a pretty low price, so I bought some. The gold is in a bank vault. My plan was that whenever one of my comrades gets married, I can use it to return the favor."

"You even know about investing?" Su Wan couldn’t help but give him a surprised look.

"What investing? I just thought it was cheaper than usual at the time..."

Su Wan fell silent for a moment. "Do you know the current price of gold per gram in Hong Kong City?"

"I knew the price a couple of years ago, but not now." Lu Zhengchuan shook his head. He couldn’t care less about the price of gold. He just lifted his chin, a hint of arrogance in his posture, and watched her covertly. "So, don’t worry about me not being able to pay back those gifts. Your husband isn’t that incompetent. I’m not the type to live hand to mouth."

When Su Wan saw his focus wasn’t on the gold at all, she knew her worries had been unfounded.

This man didn’t care about money, so he had no interest in how much of a profit he’d made. He wasn’t concerned that he’d earned money by hoarding gold; he was concerned that she had misunderstood him.

"I’m sorry. You’re right. I misunderstood you," Su Wan said with genuine sincerity.

The corners of Lu Zhengchuan’s mouth turned up. "Mm, I know. You keep the money safe. I’m going to take a shower."

With that, Lu Zhengchuan went into the bathroom and took a quick, military-style shower. He returned with a basin of hot water for Su Wan to wash up with.

"Honey, you’re not mad anymore, are you?"

After they had both cleaned up, they lay in bed. Lu Zhengchuan reached around from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Feeling too warm, Su Wan pushed him away. "Mad? I was never mad to begin with."

"We were clearly on the verge of an argument just now, and you’re saying you weren’t mad? Don’t be mad, it’s not good for the baby."

Su Wan truly wasn’t angry, but it was clear that no matter how she explained, Lu Zhengchuan wouldn’t believe her. She decided to just drop it.

"Let’s just go to sleep. Don’t you have to report to the military district for official business tomorrow morning?"

She also had to go with her third brother to sell their goods and take the opportunity to familiarize herself with the Capital, so she wouldn’t be in a situation where she didn’t even know her way around.

’And I need to visit Professor Wang. Since I’m here, I should go see him soon. It’s the least I can do to honor Dean Xu’s recommendation.’

"..." Lu Zhengchuan could only press against her back.

Su Wan couldn’t sleep, so she reached out and patted his head. "If you’re so restless, go for a run. Go train. Stop keeping me from my sleep."

"Wanwan, you’re so cold and heartless."

"That’s right. My name is Su Wuying." Su Wan was exhausted. She mumbled the words and fell asleep.

In a fit of pique, Lu Zhengchuan actually got up in the middle of the night to go for a run instead of sleeping.

Unexpectedly, on his way back, he ran into Su Jue, who had gotten up to use the bathroom.

"Brother-in-law? You’re just getting back from a run this late?" Su Jue stared at him quizzically, then glanced behind him, seeing no one.

"...That’s right." Relying on the fact that his brother-in-law didn’t know the whole story, Lu Zhengchuan lied without batting an eye.

"...I’ll figure out a way to buy a bicycle. From now on, try to come back earlier if you can. Spend more time with Wanwan." Su Jue was slightly displeased that Lu Zhengchuan couldn’t spend more time with Su Wan.

Lu Zhengchuan had made a rod for his own back. He wanted to explain but had no opportunity, so he could only accept the blame with a stiff expression.

"Third Brother, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to go get cleaned up."

Lu Zhengchuan said, about to head back to his room.

Su Jue took two steps away, then suddenly turned and called out to him.

"Brother-in-law, come here."

"What is it, Third Brother?" Lu Zhengchuan turned and came back. Even though Lu Zhengchuan was a year older, he still respected Su Jue as an elder brother.

"Have you found someone to take care of Wanwan and the baby?" This was what Su Jue had wanted to ask.

Fearing Lu Zhengchuan might not take it seriously, he added a stern reminder, "When Wanwan gives birth, if she’s going to continue her studies, there’ll be no one to look after the baby. You’ll be far away in the Southwest, and it takes ten to fifteen days for a letter to even arrive. You won’t be able to help at all."

"I’ve already thought about that. I’ll find someone to take care of Wanwan," Lu Zhengchuan nodded gravely.

Seeing that Lu Zhengchuan had indeed taken it to heart, Su Jue felt much more at ease.

"Who did you find to take care of her?" Su Jue pressed, wanting to make sure he wasn’t lying.

Lu Zhengchuan wasn’t flustered in the least. "I’ve contacted the family of a fallen comrade of mine, Zhao Qiang. He was from a village on the outskirts of the Capital. His family wasn’t well-off, and since his father died young, his mother raised him all by herself. Who would have thought he’d be killed in action at only twenty, leaving his elderly mother behind."

"Aunt Zhao has a good disposition. She’s always been a patient, hardworking woman. I tried to find excuses to help her before, but she refused, just bearing her grief and continuing to work her fields in the village."

"But she’s getting on in years, and Zhao Qiang was born to her late in life. I’ve already had someone ask if she would be willing to come and take care of my wife. I’ll pay her a salary of twenty yuan a month."

"Aunt Zhao agreed. I was thinking that in a couple of days, I’ll go and bring her here. You and Wanwan can see if you get along with her. If you’re both happy with her, we’ll hire her. If not, we’ll find someone else."

Su Jue frowned. "You’ve already made an arrangement with her. If we say we’re not satisfied and want someone else, won’t that be offensive?"

Although that’s what he said, he was actually satisfied with Lu Zhengchuan’s arrangements.

After all, Lu Zhengchuan had at least made proper arrangements. It was just a few minor details that weren’t perfect, but there was no need to make things difficult. That would only push Lu Zhengchuan away.

Wanwan could argue with Lu Zhengchuan, but he needed to maintain a measured relationship with the man.

"Alright, I understand. Thanks for making the arrangements. When the time is right and you’ve finished your business, go ahead and bring her over."

"Okay."

When Lu Zhengchuan saw Su Jue return to his room, satisfied, he breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. ’Facing his third brother is really stressful.’

He was really seeing firsthand just how much Su Jue cared for Wanwan.