Chapter 198: Chapter 196: The Person I Love and I Are in the Same World

Everyone was overjoyed by Su Tang’s return. No one cared how she had woken up.

All that mattered was Su Tang herself.

Even the ever-stoic Mr. Lu turned away to shed a quiet tear.

Su Tang was back, but it seemed Lu Xiao had been left with some side effects.

This decisive, iron-willed man of the Northwest had suddenly turned into Su Tang’s giant human appendage—a super-clingy one at that.

When Su Tang went to the kitchen to help with a meal and had just picked up a cleaver, Lu Xiao rushed in from behind like a gust of wind, his large hand enveloping her small one.

"Let me! You just recovered. Don’t touch the knife, you might hurt yourself!"

From the way he acted, you’d think she was holding some kind of hazardous material, not a kitchen knife.

When Su Tang wanted to get some fresh air in the courtyard, Lu Xiao was already following her every step before she could even cross the threshold.

He hovered behind her, one arm held protectively around her, his eyes scanning the ground like searchlights, terrified a small pebble might trip her.

Bedtime was even more of an ordeal.

They had always been intimate, but Lu Xiao was a disciplined sleeper, at most holding her in his arms.

But now, he had to hold her tightly, with one arm serving as her pillow and the other wrapped around her waist.

His legs had to be tangled with hers, too, as if he wanted to meld her entire body into his own.

If Su Tang so much as moved in the middle of the night to turn over, Lu Xiao would jolt awake, his arms tightening instinctively as he asked in a daze.

"Tangtang? What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

Only after hearing her soft reply that she was fine and just wanted to turn over would he relax slightly, but he’d soon be clinging to her again.

Su Tang didn’t know whether to feel sorry for him or laugh.

She knew he was terrified. The fear of losing her still had him in its grip, leaving him shaken.

Only through this almost clumsy, constant contact could he reassure himself that she was truly back, truly within his reach.

She didn’t point it out, simply letting him be.

「That afternoon」

The sun was perfect, spilling through the window and casting a warm glow on the kang.

Su Tang was leaning against the head of the kang, mending a small piece of Cheng’an’s clothing that he had torn while playing.

Lu Xiao sat beside her, a book in his hand, but his eyes weren’t on the pages at all. He just stared at her, his gaze filled with the preciousness of having her back after nearly losing her.

Su Tang finished the last stitch and bit the thread with her teeth.

When she looked up, she met Lu Xiao’s deep eyes. The tangible affection and focus within them warmed her heart.

She couldn’t help but smile. Putting down her needle and thread, she reached out and gently stroked his face. "Chief Lu, your surveillance skills are even better than when you’re catching criminals, huh?"

Lu Xiao caught her hand, brought it to his lips to kiss her palm, and then pressed it against his own cheek. His gaze was possessive. "You’re my wife. I could never get tired of looking at you."

’So shamelessly self-assured.’

A sweet feeling bloomed in Su Tang’s heart. She decided to tease him, "Well, keep looking then. I’m going to get Cheng’an a drink of water."

She made a move to get up, and just as she expected, Lu Xiao immediately stood up too. "I’ll get it."

"Oh, just stay seated."

Su Tang pushed him back down on the kang and shot him a reproachful glare.

"I was just unconscious for a few days, I’m not a porcelain doll. Is pouring a glass of water going to tire me out? If you keep this up, I really won’t do anything anymore and just let you wait on me hand and foot."

Held down by her, Lu Xiao didn’t insist, but his gaze remained glued to her. As he watched her walk to the table and pour the water, he said softly, "I’d be happy to wait on you for the rest of my life."

Su Tang’s hand paused as she poured the water, his words striking the softest spot in her heart.

She walked back with the cup, not giving it to the eagerly waiting Cheng’an, but first bringing it to Lu Xiao’s lips.

Lu Xiao froze for a moment.

"Your lips look dry. You drink first."

Su Tang’s tone was gentle but left no room for refusal. "You’ve been watching over me these past few days. You haven’t been taking care of yourself, have you?"

Lu Xiao obediently took a few sips from the cup in her hand.

The water was the perfect temperature. It felt sweet, warming him all the way to his heart.

He watched Su Tang’s gentle, delicate profile as she lowered her head to blow on the water before carefully giving it to Cheng’an.

A sense of steady happiness and contentment finally and completely dispelled the panic and unease that had plagued him for days.

’His Tangtang is really back.’

Not only had her body returned, but her heart was still here, too, caring for him and thinking of him just as it always had.

He reached out, not with the tight grip born of fear, but gently pulling both Su Tang and Little Cheng’an, who was gulping down his water, into his broad, warm embrace.

Su Tang leaned into his solid chest, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat. With her soft son in her arms and the warm sunlight blanketing the family of three, she felt at peace.

’So this is what they mean by peaceful years.’

Lu Xiao lowered his head, rubbing his chin against the crown of her head. His voice was deep and steady. "Tangtang."

"Hm?"

"It’s nothing." He tightened his arms, sighing in contentment. "I just wanted to say your name."

’To make sure you’re here. To make sure none of this is a dream.’

Su Tang understood. She leaned against him, content, a happy smile curving her lips. "Yes, I’m here."

’I’ve always been here.’

When Wang Xinxin arrived and saw this scene, she clucked her tongue a few times. "Hey now, in front of the child and everything. Have you two no shame?"

"What are you doing here?"

Lu Xiao was a little displeased that his cousin was interrupting his intimate moment with Su Tang.

Wang Xinxin smiled and handed something to Su Tang.

"This is a peace charm Chen Zhengnian got from the temple. They say it’s very blessed. I brought one for you."

Chen Zhengnian had gotten them for the pregnant Wang Xinxin.

Su Tang accepted the peace charm. It was made of fine red silk embroidered with a simple auspicious cloud pattern. It felt warm to the touch, as if still carrying the warmth of the temple’s incense.

She looked down at the peace charm, the smile on her lips deepening. "That’s very thoughtful of Chen Zhengnian. He’s taking good care of you during your pregnancy."

Wang Xinxin rubbed her slightly swelling belly, her face full of a sweetness she couldn’t hide, and grumbled fondly.

"Oh, him. He’s just being needlessly anxious. He kept going on about how blessed the temple’s Bodhisattva is and insisted on making a trip to get a peace charm before he’d feel at ease. I figured since you just woke up, you could use some of this good luck, so I brought an extra one over."

Lu Xiao, listening from the side, looked at the peace charm in Su Tang’s hand. He reached out to touch it lightly, his tone earnest.

"Since it’s a blessed peace charm, keep it safe. It’s best to wear it close to your body."

Afraid that Su Tang wouldn’t take it seriously, he added.

"It’s an extra layer of protection. It’ll put my mind at ease, too."

Su Tang knew what he was thinking. She smiled, tucked the peace charm into a pocket close to her body, and patted it. "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep it safe. I won’t lose it."

Then, she looked at Wang Xinxin.

"You’re pregnant now, you shouldn’t be running around. If Chen Zhengnian finds out you made a trip just to bring me a peace charm, he’ll be worried sick."

Wang Xinxin waved her hand dismissively. "Bah, I’m perfectly healthy. A short walk is nothing."

"Besides, I wanted to come see you anyway. Knowing you’re awake has put my mind at ease, too. The way my cousin looked before, like his soul had left his body, really scared me. I was afraid that..."

She stopped mid-sentence, realizing she had misspoken.

"No, no, no, let’s not talk about unlucky things. The important thing is that you’re alright now."