TPW – Chapter 22 Smashing Window

Before bed, Qiao Lu fed Bubble and Little White. After the fish finished eating, she helped her son wash up. Mother and son lay in bed, waiting for Xu Haizhou.

The scene from last night replayed in her mind. Xu Haizhou walked to the wardrobe to change clothes. This time, Qiao Lu was prepared. As he took off his shirt, she cast a glance his way—what met her eyes were six clearly defined abs…

She had been too nervous last night and hadn’t gotten a chance to touch them. It was a bit of a pity. She wondered if tonight she might get the chance…

As she was thinking this, her man looked over—his gaze clear and piercing—catching her in the act.

Qiao Lu gave an awkward smile. “Taking another shower?”

“Mm.”

“It’s winter, there’s no need to shower every day. It dries out your skin,” Qiao Lu said, sneaking another quick glance downward.

Xu Haizhou saw her little gesture clearly. As he pulled on his clothes, he chuckled and walked over. “Alright, I’ll shower every other day from now on.”

“But that one area still needs to be washed every day.”

“Which area?” he asked reflexively.

Qiao Lu’s eyes shifted downward. Her gaze locked onto his crotch like a cat targeting prey. Xu Haizhou’s scalp tingled—he instantly got the message.

In a flustered panic, he yanked the light cord and jumped into bed.

The room fell into complete darkness. Qiao An was startled. “Was it Daddy who turned off the light?”

“Yup. Scared?” Qiao Lu teased him.

The little guy shook his head furiously. “Mommy, don’t you know I’m a man?”

In other words—of course he wasn’t scared! He was a real little man! Absolutely not pretending!

He looked so proud, Qiao Lu couldn’t stop laughing.

Having just received new gloves, Qiao An was too excited to feel sleepy. He snuggled in Qiao Lu’s arms, chattering away.

“Mommy, can I wear my new gloves tomorrow?”

“Of course! You can wear them whenever you like.”

The little guy covered his mouth and giggled. “Then Mommy, are we going to have meat again tomorrow?”

“Yes, we’ll have meat every day. Mommy will always make sure you get meat, okay?”

“Okay. But… is it really hard for Daddy to earn money?” He knew meat was expensive. His second aunt was reluctant to buy it. Back in the countryside, sometimes they wouldn’t even get to eat meat once a year.

Such a sensitive child. So many words he knew that no adult had ever taught him. Where did he learn them?

Qiao Lu patted his back and said softly, “Yes, Daddy works very hard. So we have to be understanding. But we also need to eat nutritious food and stay healthy so we don’t cause Daddy any trouble. Getting sick costs a lot of money, right?”

“Mm!” Qiao An understood now—eating meat was helping Daddy, easing his burden!

Good thing he liked eating meat!

After saying that, Qiao Lu felt an arm drape over her waist. It was a bit heavy, pressing down on her and making her skin tingle.

Hot breath brushed against the crook of her neck. Xu Haizhou hugged her from behind and kissed her ear, his voice husky: “Daddy isn’t tired. Daddy wants you and Mommy to eat meat every day. Wants you both to be happy every day.”

Qiao An beamed. “I’m already really happy every day. I love Mommy and I love Daddy…”

As he spoke, his tiny hand reached out. First, he touched Qiao Lu’s face. He knew this was Mommy—there was a small bump on the bridge of her nose, a unique trait!

Then his hand reached forward again and touched another face. He felt the stubbly hair above the upper lip—it was a bit rough. “Is this Daddy?”

“It’s me.” Xu Haizhou chuckled, then grabbed his son’s hand and playfully gave it a gentle bite, making the little guy burst into giggles.

“Daddy, don’t eat me!”

Xu Haizhou couldn’t help laughing. “I won’t eat you. Go to sleep.”

“You better not sneak a bite!” Qiao An warned him.

Qiao Lu gave him a light swat on the butt. “Alright, enough. Go to sleep.”

Where did this kid get such a wild imagination?

Qiao An closed his eyes, a satisfied smile on his face as he drifted toward sleep.

The bedroom was quiet for a long while. Xu Haizhou silently counted—it must’ve been ten minutes, right? He whispered to his wife: “Is An’an asleep?”

A soft voice came from under the covers. “Daddy, I’m not asleep yet.”

Qiao Lu couldn’t hold back her laughter, a soft snicker slipping out through her teeth.

Xu Haizhou furrowed his brow helplessly. Was his own son secretly a little clown?

Another ten minutes passed. Xu Haizhou leaned in close to Qiao Lu’s ear. “Tonight…”

Qiao Lu elbowed his chest. “Didn’t I say at lunch that it was a no?”

“Ahem.” Of course, Xu Haizhou couldn’t admit he had forgotten. “I was just going to ask if I could kiss you tonight.”

Qiao Lu: “……”

She slowly turned around, and the man eagerly pulled her into his arms. His embrace was so tight, it felt like he wanted to press her right into his flesh.

Qiao Lu squirmed a little and smacked him. “Dummy! Be gentle! That hurts!”

The thing about emotionally inexperienced virgins is—they get a little too intense once they fall in love. Heck, even without falling in love, just standing close and talking could make this man lose his composure. The way he looked at her—like a hawk eyeing its prey—so deep and intense, Qiao Lu felt like his gaze could melt her.

Xu Haizhou quickly let go. He had held Qiao An before—the little guy was small and skinny, but all soft. Yet how could Qiao Lu, the child’s mother, feel even softer than her son? Holding her was like hugging a puddle about to melt, unbelievably soft.

He’d gotten a little too excited just now and didn’t control his strength. Now that he realized, he wasn’t sure where to put his hands—hesitating and cautious.

Qiao Lu, amused and a bit speechless, said, “So sleepy. Are you kissing me or not? If not, I’m going to sleep.”

“I’ll kiss!”

The last syllable had barely left his mouth before their lips pressed tightly together. He controlled his strength this time, avoiding bumping teeth—gentle and measured…

His unique, pleasant scent instantly filled her nose—cool, clean, intoxicating. The kiss deepened, the hug tightened, and Qiao Lu felt the air in her lungs slowly being stolen away.

Honestly, Xu Haizhou was impressive. Even though it was only their second kiss, he was clearly better than yesterday. Yesterday, they were evenly matched in awkward technique; today, he’d taken the lead, kissing her so hard her head was spinning.

Qiao Lu couldn’t take it anymore. She gently pushed him away, finally catching a breath. Pressing her face against his ear to breathe, the scent of male pheromones hit her nose again, and to her shame, she missed him… already…

Sweet snacks might not fill your belly like a full meal, but they’re definitely addictive.

A restless heat surged through Qiao Lu’s body. In her dazed state, her hand slowly and sneakily crept toward him. A muffled gasp—success!

It felt so good! Six-pack! A whole, solid six-pack!

Xu Haizhou propped himself up, breathing heavily, voice hoarse beyond recognition: “Qiao Lu, what are you touching?”

Qiao Lu: “…Uh… ahem—your muscles… yeah, pretty good. How’d you train them?”

“You want to work out too?” he chuckled lowly and bit her lightly.

Qiao Lu gave a soft gasp: “No, no, I just think they’re really nice.”

He laughed aloud. “As long as you like them.”

The two continued kissing, more passionately now, dizzy and breathless.

His hands started to roam too, sending tingles up her spine straight to her brain.

Their breathing grew heavy, bodies tangled—no longer telling where one ended and the other began. But just kissing like this… wasn’t cutting it!

Unresolved desire only bred more intense longing.

Clinging to her last shred of reason, Qiao Lu shoved him away hard. That place was still sore—no way could they fool around.

“No, no, if we keep kissing, something’s going to happen.”

Their lips parted, unintentionally pulling a string of sticky saliva between them—intimate and suggestive.

Now Xu Haizhou finally understood what it meant to suffer from your own actions.

He knew he’d gone too far last night, and tonight, no matter what, he couldn’t touch her.

With a heavy sigh, he flipped over, got out of bed, put on his padded jacket, and left the bedroom.

Qiao Lu called out, “Where are you going?”

“The bathroom.”

Footsteps faded. Just as he reached the outer room and hadn’t even opened the door yet—CRASH—a sharp sound shattered the air from the bedroom window.

Screeech—

“Ah!” Qiao Lu screamed in fright.

Before Xu Haizhou could check on her, he bolted after the shadow by the door. In the blink of an eye, he had already disappeared into the night.

Heart pounding, Qiao Lu clutched her chest and quickly looked toward her sleeping son.

Thank goodness, the little guy was out cold like a pig—otherwise he would’ve been scared to tears!

Creak— the sound of doors opening from neighboring homes echoed outside.

“What’s going on? Qiao Lu, something happen at your place?”

“Who just screamed?”

“Did someone’s window break, or did I hear wrong?”

The neighbors all came out rubbing their eyes, shivering in the freezing night air.

Qiao Lu hurriedly threw on a coat, tucking her son in before getting out of bed.

“Someone smashed our bedroom window. Haizhou went after them,” she said, frowning.

“What? Someone did that?” Sister Liu shivered, thinking how shameless someone must be to pull a stunt like that in the compound.

“Goodness, it’s so dark out. Can he even find them? What if something happens?” Aunt Chen was pulling on her clothes as she headed outside, but the yard was pitch-black—not a single figure in sight.

“Exactly,” Wu Guifang stepped up and patted Qiao Lu’s shoulder. “Why’d you let him chase them? It’s just a broken window—replaceable. But what if something happens to him in the dark…”

“Sigh—” Qiao Lu sighed. “He just happened to see them when he opened the door. It was instinct to chase. No time to think it through.”

The temperature was too low at night for people to linger. After checking that everything was okay and giving Qiao Lu some comfort, the neighbors all returned to their homes.

In Lian, you really couldn’t sleep without a window in winter—the wind would freeze you to the bone. A few warm-hearted aunties began offering suggestions.

“Find a board and nail it over to block the wind.”

“Don’t,” Aunt Chen objected. “Too noisy this late, we’ll wake the whole place. Better use newspapers. My son works in an office and brings home old papers all the time. Go to my place and get some. Paste several layers—it’ll hold for tonight. Fix the window tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Auntie. Sorry to trouble everyone. Please go back and rest.”

It wasn’t suitable to stay outside in the cold night. One by one, the neighbors returned to their homes. Someone muttered: “Could it be Wang Bin?”

“I bet it was.”

“I think so too.”

“Sigh, this can’t go on. If I see that brat tomorrow, I’ll definitely grab him and give him a good talking-to!”

“Talking won’t help. We should go find his mom.”

Xu Haizhou came back about twenty minutes later. By then, Qiao Lu was anxious and restless. She had waited at the courtyard entrance for a bit, but it was too cold to bear, so she rushed back inside.

A blurry shadow slowly approached the doorway. As the figure came into focus, she saw it was Xu Haizhou.

Qiao Lu quickly stood up to greet him and poured a cup of hot water from the thermos to hand to him.

“Well? Who the hell was it that smashed our window?”

Even after being outside for half an hour, Xu Haizhou’s body wasn’t cold—in fact, it was shockingly hot.

Qiao Lu was startled. She reached out to feel his forehead with the back of her hand.

Xu Haizhou sat down at the table, held her wrist, and brought the cup of hot water to his lips.

When he spoke, a large puff of hot air escaped his mouth, misting up the air and making it hard to see his face clearly.

“It’s nothing. I caught the guy. Gave him a beating.”

Qiao Lu was shocked and sat down next to him. “Seriously? You got into a fight?”

She leaned in to examine his face under the dim light, but he pulled her hand away and avoided her.

He got up and walked toward the bedroom window. “It’s fine. I hit him, not the other way around. If he dares show up again, I’ll beat him every time I see him.”

Xu Haizhou never thought violence was necessarily a bad thing. If someone wronged him, he’d make sure they paid for it.

“Who was it? Did you see what he looked like?” Qiao Lu asked.

Xu Haizhou paused, then shook his head. “Didn’t get a good look.”

The temperature in the bedroom had dropped significantly since Xu Haizhou left. Qiao An’s little face was getting colder by the minute. Qiao Lu quickly handed him the stack of old newspapers she had borrowed from Aunt Chen.

“Go block up the window with these. We’ll fix it tomorrow.”

“Got it.”

The bedroom window was only about four feet from the bed. If that hole wasn’t covered, the wind would blow right onto their heads all night. No way could they leave it like that.

“Mama?” While Xu Haizhou was patching the window, he made a bit of noise and accidentally woke Qiao An.

Qiao Lu gently patted his back. “What’s wrong? Just go back to sleep. The window broke and Daddy’s fixing it. Sleep, baby, sleep.”

“No more breaking…” the little one murmured with his rosy lips, snuggling in her arms to find a more comfortable position. Within seconds, he fell back asleep.

Qiao Lu let out a breath and smiled, kissing his chubby little cheek.

This kid really didn’t cause her much trouble.

“Haizhou, just block it casually and come back inside, don’t catch a cold.”

“Alright.”

The next morning brought rare bright sunshine and clear skies.

Qiao Lu woke up from her sleep, her eyelids so sore she couldn’t fully open them, just enough to peek through her lashes.

The bedroom door was open, and soft morning light fell on the man in the outer room. He was placing a stack of corn cakes on the table. He wore a dark gray cotton jacket and long pants. His neck was bare—no scarf—revealing a long, slender neckline. Though that word was usually used for women, somehow it didn’t feel out of place on Xu Haizhou.

Further up was a lean, prominent Adam’s apple. Qiao Lu didn’t know why she could see it so clearly from this distance—she just thought her man looked really handsome.

Yawning and blinking her sore eyes, she lowered her head and suddenly locked eyes with a pair of big, sparkly “Kazi Lan” doll-like eyes. The little one was quietly watching her, unusually well-behaved.

“Good morning, son.”

“Mama, I had a dream last night,” the little one said, rubbing his eyes and nestling into Qiao Lu’s arms.

She ruffled his hair. “What dream?”

“I dreamed our window broke, and you said Daddy was fixing it.”

Pfft—Qiao Lu couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Silly boy, that wasn’t a dream. Our window really did break.”

She turned his little head so he could see for himself.

The once-spotless window now had layers of old newspaper pasted all over it. It looked so strange…

The little guy started flailing his arms in surprise. “Ahhh! So it wasn’t a dream!”

Qiao Lu laughed and patted his butt. “Nope, not a dream. Come on, time to get up. Daddy’s already made breakfast. If you don’t get up, it’ll get cold.”

“Okay!”

Mother and son got dressed and went out. The little one clung to Qiao Lu’s back like a baby koala. They headed to the courtyard to wash up. The toothbrush was newly bought a few days ago, and brushing teeth was a skill Qiao An had just picked up. His mom told him brushing could get rid of little bad bugs in his mouth, so every time, he brushed each tooth one by one—so serious about it.

He didn’t like the idea of bugs making a home in his teeth.

After finishing up, Qiao Lu went back into the small kitchen. Xu Haizhou was making the final dish: millet porridge.

She looked around but didn’t see him at first, so she went over and hugged him from behind.

“What tasty thing are you making?”

Xu Haizhou’s eyes crinkled as he smiled and turned to kiss her a few times. His breathing quickly grew uneven.

“Why didn’t you sleep a bit more?”

“It’s already seven-thirty, how could I still sleep?” She had checked the wall clock in the outer room before coming out.

Xu Haizhou laughed and rubbed the back of her head. “We don’t have anything to do at home anyway. Might as well sleep more.”

Qiao Lu pouted. “You spoil me too much.”

Though they had met through a blind date, Xu Haizhou always made her feel like they were in a romance—like they were together because of love. Truly, young and handsome husbands were undefeated!

Xu Haizhou chuckled and pinched her soft earlobe. “We’re out of eggs. I’ll go buy some later.”

Qiao Lu: “Okay. Remember to wear the gloves I made for you when you go.”

Xu Haizhou: “Got it.”

Then, when Qiao Lu looked up again, she belatedly noticed the bruises on his face—his cheekbone was a little discolored, and there was a scrape on his chin.

She gently touched his injury, heart aching.

No wonder he didn’t let her get a good look last night. This man…

“You deliberately kept me from seeing it last night,” Qiao Lu complained, glaring at him.

Xu Haizhou didn’t deny it. “I just didn’t want you to worry.”

It wouldn’t be good if she lost sleep over it.

Seeing the pain in her eyes, Xu Haizhou comforted her, “It’s fine. He ended up worse than I did.”

Qiao Lu couldn’t help but laugh. “So who was it, really? You didn’t see his face?”

Xu Haizhou shook his head. “It was too dark, I couldn’t see clearly. But I’m sure he’s worse off than me.”

She pouted. “Alright, as long as you didn’t come out on the losing end.”

After breakfast, Xu Haizhou headed to the hardware store to get tools for fixing the window.

The neighbor asked, “Who was the shameless jerk that smashed your window last night?”

Xu Haizhou shook his head. “No idea.”

Chen Simei came out holding a rice bowl, eyes wide with shock.

“What? Someone smashed their window? Who did it?”

She walked over for a look — a big hole, with layers of old newspaper pitifully trembling in the cold wind.

But then it struck her — it was Qiao Lu’s window that got smashed — and her mood instantly brightened.

“Hmph, that’s what she gets for calling me Chen Shimei yesterday! Serves her right!”

Aunt Chen awkwardly tugged her daughter back inside and scolded her. “What’s wrong with you, saying stuff like that! Still bitter over a nickname? Got nothing better to do?”

She gave her a disapproving side glance.

This girl was truly spoiled — never knew when to keep her mouth shut.

Chen Simei raised her chin proudly and huffed, “Hmph! I am bitter, and I’ll hold a grudge too!”

Meanwhile, Qiao Lu was getting ready to head to the department store to buy fabric. She and Xu Haizhou had agreed — she’d start by making ten pairs of gloves. If they sold well, she’d make more; if not, they’d drop the idea.

The little one bundled up in his scarf and gloves, wrapped up like a panda against the cold, full of energy and excitement as he prepared to go out with his mom.

Just as mother and son reached the courtyard gate hand in hand, a man in a patched gray cotton coat was walking by, and a few older women in the yard called out teasingly: “Yo, Ma Xiaoshuan! Did you go out stealing last night? Who beat you up so bad?”

“What? Ma Xiaoshuan got beat up? Lemme see!”

Ma Xiaoshuan glared at the women with his bulging fish eyes, rolled his eyes, and muttered, “Mind your own business, you nosy women…”

Then he turned and came face-to-face with Qiao Lu. His bruised and battered face twitched into a strange expression, like a startled weasel, and he immediately turned and bolted, vanishing in a flash.

Qiao Lu watched his retreating figure, thoughtful… Could he be the one who smashed their window?

It took about an hour to return home after buying the fabric, and surprisingly, Xu Haizhou still hadn’t brought the glass back.

Curious, Qiao Lu went to Wu Guifang’s house. She was by the courtyard’s only water well, pumping cold water to wash dishes — too stingy to use hot water in this weather.

Qiao Lu asked if she knew Ma Xiaoshuan.

Wu Guifang looked up from her dishes. “You mean Ma Xiaoshuan? He’s the youngest son of Old Ma from the next courtyard. Just a good-for-nothing punk who likes to stir up trouble. Why are you asking about him? Oh right, come to think of it, he’s pretty close with Wang Bin. Grew up together, always up to no good.”

Now Qiao Lu understood — this must be connected to Wang Bin.

“No reason, just curious.”

As the workday approached, the street filled with bicycles and people in gray cotton coats. Only a few elderly folks and Wu Guifang, who didn’t have a job, remained in the courtyard. The place was calm and quiet — until a woman’s urgent voice shattered the peace.

“Hey everyone, come quick! If you’re not here, hurry up and get over here! I’ve got something juicy to share!”

Qiao Lu stepped out of the bedroom and saw a not-so-familiar woman rushing into the courtyard, her face practically shouting “I’ve got gossip!”

“What? New gossip already?” Everyone eagerly gathered around.

“Hahaha—” The woman clutched her belly and laughed for a good while before flipping her perm and shouting toward Xu Haizhou’s house.

“Hey! Xu family’s Wife! Come here, you’ve got to hear this!”

Qiao Lu exchanged a glance with her son, then walked over hand-in-hand.

Only then did the woman get to the point, clapping and laughing uncontrollably:

“Ma Xiaoshuan’s window got smashed — by Qiao Lu’s man! Hahaha— he took it right off! Hahahaha—!”