The next day, when Qin Lian woke up, she was momentarily confused.
She sat on the bed in a daze, blinking at her unfamiliar surroundings. It took a few seconds before she remembered this was Xu Yinchen's room.
Everything that happened yesterday wasn't a dream. It was real.
She looked down and noticed that Xu Yinchen was no longer in the room. The bedding on the floor had been folded and taken away.
"Did he already go to work?" she muttered, frowning as she glanced at the wall clock.
It was only 7 a.m.
She hadn't even realized when he left.
Lifting her hand, she gently touched her head. The pain from yesterday had dulled. It was still a little uncomfortable, but far more bearable now.
Not wanting to laze around anymore, she got up and headed to the bathroom. After washing up, she changed into a sunflower-yellow dress with small floral prints. She tied her hair into a simple ponytail and got ready for the day.
The bandage on her head was still in place. She made sure to avoid getting it wet. It was slightly loose but still hanging on her head.
As she looked around the room in search of some moisturizer, she found… nothing.
In all the rush yesterday, she had only packed a few essential clothes. And from the looks of it, there wasn't even a vanity table or mirror in this room.
Just the bare basics.
She sighed softly. There were no signs of a woman's presence in this house, only men.
'What was I even expecting?'
Shaking her head, she made a mental note of what she needed and decided she'd buy a few things later.
As Qin Lian prepared to go downstairs to make breakfast, she noticed that the door to the children's room was still closed.
"Are they still sleeping?" she murmured, deciding to let them rest a little longer. She would wake them once breakfast was ready.
But when she reached the kitchen, she froze.
There was nothing left.
She had already used up the last of the broken, low-quality rice and wilted vegetables for dinner last night. Even the water in the basin was running low. The shelves and jars were nearly empty.
"What do I do now? Should I go out and buy some ingredients?" she muttered, glancing around the barren kitchen.
She planned to use the 100 yuan Qin Zhong had given her yesterday as a farewell gift. Since she had no money of her own, she could at least use that to buy the essentials for now.
Just as she was debating her next move, she heard movement outside.
Curious, she stepped out, and her eyes widened in surprise.
Xu Yinchen entered the house, carrying several heavy bags, with another man following closely behind, also loaded down with groceries. Both of them had their hands completely full.
She stood frozen as they placed several bags on the wooden table in front of the sofa.
Vegetables, oil, seasonings, eggs, meat, rice, flour, there was everything. Everything she could possibly think of.
"This… Did you rob a grocery store this early in the morning?" she asked, blinking in disbelief.
Xu Yinchen glanced up, just as surprised to see her already awake and dressed.
He had quietly gone to the morning market, planning to restock the kitchen before anyone woke up. Since she had just arrived from the city yesterday, he assumed she'd be sleeping in till late today.
But clearly, Qin Lian wasn't what he expected.
She really surprised him.
Upon hearing her question, Xu Yinchen calmly explained, "I went to the morning market to buy groceries and kitchen essentials."
" Yesterday, there was barely anything left, so I bought everything I could think of. If there's anything else you need, just let me know. I'll get it next time."
Qin Lian was momentarily speechless, touched by his thoughtfulness.
She looked at the heap of items and blinked in awe. Last night, seeing the state of the kitchen, she had assumed Xu Yinchen might be a little stingy when it came to groceries and food supplies.
But now? Seeing the way he shopped, without holding back, she realized she had completely misunderstood him.
If anything, she was the stingy one in comparison.
Shaking her head with a faint smile, she said, "There's more than enough."
As she checked through the bags, she finally came back to her senses and noticed the man who had accompanied Xu Yinchen.
Looking up, she asked politely, "Ah, and you are…?"
The man gave her a big grin and introduced himself cheerfully, "Sister-in-law, I'm Wen Zian. I work at the pig farm with Xu Yinchen and his friend. Nice to meet you!"
He looked to be around the same age as Xu Yinchen, but his personality was completely opposite.
While Xu Yinchen was quiet, rarely smiled, and gave off a cold, distant vibe. Meanwhile, his friend was lively, chatty, and full of energy.
"Nice to meet you, too," Qin Lian said with a smile. "Please, have a seat. I'll get some water for both of you."
Just as she turned toward the kitchen, Xu Yinchen frowned slightly and stopped her. "He's my friend, but you don't need to bother about him."
"He's not thirsty. He didn't do anything to get thirsty. We're heading to the pig farm soon."
"Ah… okay," Qin Lian nodded, slightly startled by his blunt response.
Wen Zian shot him a glare.
'Tch. So now that he has a wife, his friend doesn't even get water? What a heartless guy.'
Ignoring his friend's resentful look, Xu Yinchen turned back to Qin Lian. His tone was calm and matter-of-fact. "You should rest more and leave the chores to Aunty."
"She'll be here soon to clean and cook. You don't have to worry about anything." His gaze paused on the bandage wrapped around her forehead, a faint crease forming between his brows. "Just take it easy. You're still sick."
"That won't do," Qin Lian replied firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Since I'm already here, I can take care of the children. Why should we still rely on someone else for housework?"
Now that she was married into this family, she felt there were things she wanted to take care of herself.
She didn't have any other responsibilities right now, and at the very least, she wanted to make the space feel a bit more like her own.
Before Xu Yinchen could respond, she continued, "I'll be home anyway. If I sit around doing nothing, I'll be bored to death."
"You go to work. I'll handle the house." Her calm and straightforward tone caught him off guard.
He was still treating her like a guest, half-expecting her to leave once she realized how hard it was to adjust here, that she didn't belong in this kind of life.
But something about her words made him pause, and for the first time, he looked at her a little differently.
Seeing him still silent, Qin Lian hesitated, then quickly added, "As for Aunty, I'll talk to her when she arrives. However... if you have any objections about me handling things..."
She trailed off, suddenly realizing she might have overstepped.
'What if he thinks I'm trying to take over the household? That I'm here to assert control?'
After all, she was still a stranger to him, and she had only arrived yesterday. Leaving children and the entire household in her care might seem too much, too soon.
But before she could finish her sentence, Xu Yinchen spoke up."As you said, this is your home too. You can do whatever you want," he said simply.
He handed her a small stack of bills, rolled up and slightly crumpled. "When she comes, just give her 60 yuan for this month's salary and let her go."
"The rest….you can keep with you." His tone was steady and calm.
Qin Lian stared at the money in her hand, stunned.
Did he just trust her to handle this so easily, without questioning her once?
She looked down and quickly counted. Three hundred yuan?
Her fingers paused. She stiffened in surprise.
Three Hundred Yuan??