Chapter 39: Do You Hit Your Wife?

Chapter 39: Do You Hit Your Wife?

Su Taotao sighed and met Fu Zhengtu's gaze. "Are you sure you want to discuss these matters in front of outsiders?"

She emphasized the word "outsiders."

"Uncle Fu, please go back," Fu Zhengtu said, though his eyes never left Su Taotao.

Uncle Fu thought his words had an effect and took the opportunity to fan the flames. "Zhengtu, let me tell you, your wife can't be indulged. If you don't keep her in line, she'll start causing trouble. She only pretends to be obedient in front of you, but in reality, she's quite wild..."

Fu Zhengtu's gaze shifted away from Su Taotao's face and gave Uncle Fu a cold look.

Uncle Fu immediately fell silent and then said, "That is... Zhengtu, about Secretary Hu..."

Fu Zhengtu said, "Please leave!"

His words were polite, but his tone wasn't.

Uncle Fu had some understanding of his nephew. If he knew when to back off, the matter would be over. But if he kept stirring up trouble, he might lose his position as village captain.

Uncle Fu rubbed his nose. "I'll go back then. After all, a married couple has a hundred days of affection. Don't be too harsh on her. If something happens, it won't sound good."

Zhou Linglan couldn't stand it anymore. "Uncle Fu, the men in our family don't hit women. You should go now."

Uncle Fu didn't think much of it. "Zhengtu's dad died young, and even when he was around, he was never home much. Otherwise, with his temper, even ten of Second Uncle's daughter-in-law's slim figure wouldn't have been enough for him to handle."

If Zhengtu's father were alive, he'd probably want to jump out of his coffin and beat Uncle Fu up for spreading rumors.

"Should I leave this meat here?" Uncle Fu said painfully, pushing the piece of pork, which probably weighed less than a jin, towards Fu Zhengtu.

Zhou Linglan was about to refuse.

Su Taotao, who had been blocked by Fu Zhengtu, moved to the side and tilted her head. "Mom, let's not fight over the meat. When Uncle Fu comes over, he either scolds or spreads rumors. It's rare for him to bring us meat. Not accepting it would be disrespectful."

Who would turn down free meat? Not us. It could be cooked for Teacher Cao and not let Uncle Fu take credit.

Zhou Linglan, who usually followed Su Taotao's lead, stepped forward and took the meat. She then looked at Uncle Fu, who was still holding on tightly.

Reluctantly, Uncle Fu let go. He hadn't seen meat in a long time and wanted to eat some too.

Uncle Fu, not wanting to see the meat anymore, felt more and more heartbroken. "I'll go back then. Call me if you need anything."

After Zhou Linglan closed the door, she looked at Fu Zhengtu with concern. "Zhengtu, it wasn't like what Uncle Fu said. It wasn't Taotao's fault, you..."

Fu Zhengtu said, "I know."

He then took Su Taotao's wrist and led her to the room.

Fu Zhengtu's fingers had a thin layer of calluses, but his palm was soft and warm. The temperature passed through her skin and veins, reaching Su Taotao's heart. The way his hands had touched her last night and at noon, the shivers they caused, still lingered in her memory.

A great writer once said something quite vulgar, roughly meaning that once a man and a woman have intimacy, their feelings can easily deepen, either in the heart or in the soul.

Before yesterday, Su Taotao felt that she and Fu Zhengtu were still strangers. She didn't plan to take it further and hoped they could respect each other as guests. If they couldn't develop feelings, they would peacefully part ways after the reforms, once Chenchen was older.

But after having intimacy, she found herself growing bolder, confident that Fu Zhengtu wouldn't punish her no matter what she did.

Could this be... love?

It's too early to say.

But a man who is good-looking, has a great body, is skilled in bed, and makes a great lover would be hard to find, even if you searched high and low.

If possible, Su Taotao wanted to try and salvage things.

After entering the room, Su Taotao asked him seriously, “Do you hit your wife?”

Fu Zhengtu was stunned for a moment, then curved his lips and shook his head. “No, the men in our family never hit women.”

Su Taotao sighed. This man’s smile was killer. How could anyone look that good?

“Then do you want to hear my explanation?” Su Taotao asked again.

Fu Zhengtu shook his head again. “It’s not important. What I want to ask you is, do you still want to return to the city?”

He hadn’t been fully committed when he married her, and he hadn’t known much about “Su Taotao” at the time. Since she had been so eager to marry him, he had thought of treating her like a memorial tablet—something to be left on a shelf. After all, marriage and having children were inevitable, and it didn’t matter who he married. He didn’t have the time to waste on women anyway.

But time changes a person significantly. He could hardly find any trace of the past “Su Taotao” in the woman standing before him now. His current wife had the ability to relax his body and mind. They even had a child together. This forced him to redefine marriage and his wife. It seemed right to spend some effort and time to understand her.

Su Taotao nodded honestly. “Yes, I do. When I married you, it wasn’t because I wanted to live in the countryside. It’s not that I didn’t want to; I simply didn’t have the ability to survive in rural areas.

Su Taotao looked at her own two hands. “I have thin arms and legs. I’d starve if I had to rely on farming for work points. Back then, I didn’t have the foresight or experience. I only thought about hanging onto you to solve my basic needs. But then you left me behind and disappeared. What was I supposed to do?”

Su Taotao mixed truth with fiction, using her eloquence to craft a narrative that even moved herself. The more she spoke, the more she believed it.

“Before Chenchen came along, I was just slacking off, wanting to be a good-for-nothing. But then I got pregnant unexpectedly. The money you left ran out, and you were still MIA. I had no choice. With a young child and elderly parents to care for, the work points my mom earned were only enough for one person’s food. I had to rack my brains to find a way to earn money without working in the fields.

So, even if you hadn’t come back, I could still support my family now. It would just be a bit harder. I wouldn’t really abandon them and return to the city alone. Even if I had such a thought for a moment, it’s only human nature, right?

As for jumping into the river, it was truly an accident. I only wanted to put on a show for your uncle, but I accidentally fell in.”

She couldn’t tell Fu Zhengtu that “Su Taotao’s” selfish mother hadn’t cared about Chenchen’s life at all and had wanted to abandon them to return to the city and reunite with her childhood sweetheart.

She didn’t want to take the blame for that, but she had to provide a reasonable explanation for the river incident. Otherwise, it would be a constant thorn in their side, affecting their relationship.

Although there weren’t many feelings between them right now.

Fu Zhengtu felt deeply guilty as he listened. She, an educated youth sent to the countryside, had thought that marrying him would give her a sense of security. But he hadn’t taken the marriage seriously and hadn’t treated her like a real wife.

After going back to work, he hadn’t given her a second thought. When he received her photo, he had found her unfamiliar.

“I’m sorry.”

He wanted to say that it wouldn’t happen again, but the nature of his work didn’t allow him to make many promises. The next time he would lose contact with the outside world was out of his control.

He couldn’t even provide an explanation.

In fact, Su Taotao knew that top-secret research related to national security required the highest level of confidentiality. Great researchers like Fu Zhengtu were often beyond their control, and their families, like military wives, could only silently stand behind them.

Su Taotao didn’t want to pretend she didn’t know. “I forgive you, so please forgive me too.”

Fu Zhengtu looked into her clear, clean eyes, his heart twisting with emotions. Finally, he nodded and said, “Okay.”

“There’s one more thing I don’t want you to hear from someone else,” Su Taotao continued.