Chapter 4: Agreement Reached, Three Rules Established

“Do you agree?” Zhou Susu’s voice echoed softly in the quiet room, each word striking deeply into Lu Zhan’s heart.

He looked at her. The woman before him was so unfamiliar it startled him. The Zhou Susu who used to cling to him, whining and making unreasonable demands, seemed to have vanished overnight. In her place stood a calm, rational, even somewhat cold woman.

“A cooperative marriage?” What kind of bizarre phrase was that? Lu Zhan had lived over twenty years and had never heard such a thing before. His instinct was to refuse—this was absurd! How could marriage be a cooperation?

But then his gaze drifted to An An, sleeping soundly on the bed. The little one’s face was flushed with contentment, lips slightly pursed as if savoring the sweet taste of the minced meat porridge. It was the first time since he brought An An home that he had seen her sleep so peacefully.

And before this? An An had been starved to a gaunt shadow, bullied into silence, and nearly frozen to death. The pain in Lu Zhan’s chest was like a thousand needles.

He was a soldier. Protecting his country was his duty. Yet he could not even safeguard the child he had vowed to protect for life.

And this woman, whom he had long despised, had done in just one day and one bowl of porridge what he never had—she brought a smile to An An’s face.

What could be more important than that? Pride? Face? In front of a starving child, those meant nothing.

Lu Zhan took a deep breath, as if making a difficult decision. Finally, he forced out one word from his throat: “...Fine.”

Hearing this, Zhou Susu’s heart finally settled. “Words alone aren’t enough,” she said firmly, not relaxing but instead explaining further.

“We’ll draw up a contract.”

She turned to the table, pretending to rummage through a pile of clutter but actually retrieving a Hero-brand steel pen and a brand-new hardcover notebook from her spatial pocket.

Lu Zhan watched her pull these out like a magician’s trick, frowning again but saying nothing.

Zhou Susu tore off a page, laid it on the table, and began writing swiftly. Her handwriting was beautiful—delicate yet strong, unlike the original owner’s scrawl.

“A cooperation agreement,” she read aloud in a cool, decisive tone as she wrote.

“Party A: Lu Zhan. Party B: Zhou Susu.

“Article One: Financial Management. From the date of signing, all wages, allowances, subsidies, and any additional income of Party A, Lu Zhan, must be handed over in full to Party B, Zhou Susu, on the day of receipt for unified planning and management of household expenses.”

Lu Zhan’s eyelid twitched violently. This was like taking away his lifeblood!

“Article Two: Household Responsibilities. Party B, Zhou Susu, will have full charge of Lu An An’s daily care, health, education, and will be responsible for three meals a day and household chores.

“Party A, Lu Zhan, will undertake all physical labor, including but not limited to fetching water, chopping firewood, and repairing the house, and is obligated to protect Party B and Lu An An’s personal safety and handle all external disputes.”

Listening to this, Lu Zhan felt he hadn’t married a wife but hired a housekeeper who also happened to be his boss.

“Article Three, the most important,” Zhou Susu emphasized, looking directly into Lu Zhan’s clear eyes.

“The marital relationship clause: To ensure smooth cooperation, both parties shall maintain a safe distance in daily life. No unnecessary, active, intimate physical contact is allowed. The parties shall sleep separately and not interfere with each other’s private space.”

Lu Zhan’s face darkened instantly. What was this? Was he being treated like a thief to be guarded against? Though he harbored no feelings for this woman, having it so blatantly written on paper was a blow to his pride as a man.

“Do you have any objections, Captain Lu?” Zhou Susu raised an eyebrow and tapped the table lightly with her pen.

“If you find this unacceptable, you need not sign. Tomorrow, I will return to my mother’s home and you can take care of An An yourself.”

“You!” Lu Zhan was choked by her blunt threat. Yet, oddly, he was swayed by it.

Seeing his defeated expression, Zhou Susu smirked inwardly. Dealing with such a macho, stubborn man meant finding his weak spot. When you are more unreasonable than him, he has no way out.

“No objections? Then sign.” Zhou Susu slid the completed agreement toward him.

Lu Zhan stared at the paper, heavy-hearted. After a long silence, he finally took the pen and signed his name in bold, flowing strokes after “Party A.”

“Good.” Zhou Susu tucked the agreement away carefully, folding it as if it were a priceless treasure.

Then she extended her fair hand toward Lu Zhan, expression unreadable.

“Party A, please fulfill your first obligation.”

Lu Zhan: “...” He felt as if he had fallen into a carefully laid trap.

Grinding his molars, he reluctantly pulled from the inner pocket of his military coat a faded, crumpled canvas wallet.

He opened it. Inside were a few banknotes, some coins, and thick stacks of ration tickets and cloth vouchers. This was his entire fortune for this month, and the foreseeable future.

Painfully, he slapped the wallet into Zhou Susu’s hand, his rough gesture full of silent frustration.

Zhou Susu paid no mind. She took the wallet and meticulously counted the money and vouchers in front of him.

“Thirty-eight yuan and fifty cents, fifteen jin of national ration tickets, three chi of cloth vouchers...” She tallied every item with the precision of a shrewd accountant.

Watching her so businesslike, Lu Zhan’s temples throbbed. He wanted to ask whose example she had learned from to be so money-minded.

Just then, outside the door, Wang Cuifen’s resentful shouting rang out again.

“Zhou Susu, you little bitch! Open the door! If you’ve got the guts to steal a man, have the guts to open the door! Don’t hide inside pretending you’re not home—I know you’re there!”

Zhou Susu frowned. This troublesome mother-in-law was truly relentless.

Lu Zhan’s expression darkened as he turned to open the door.

“Wait,” Zhou Susu called out.

“What?” Lu Zhan snapped.

“Party A, please fulfill your second obligation,” she said slowly, waving the agreement.

“Handling all external disputes. The door is right there.”

Lu Zhan: “...” He felt completely cornered by this contract.

He took a deep breath and flung open the door.

Outside, Wang Cuifen was mid-rant but froze when she saw Lu Zhan’s dark, forbidding face. She shivered and swallowed the rest of her words.

“Son-in-law... you’re still here,” she forced out a smile more pitiful than tears.

Lu Zhan said nothing, only staring coldly at her with icy eyes.

“I... I just came to check on Susu,” Wang Cuifen explained weakly.

“Done checking?” Lu Zhan’s voice was devoid of warmth. “If so, go back. You’re not to come here again without my permission.”

Intimidated by his imposing presence, Wang Cuifen dared not utter another word and slunk away.

Peace finally returned.

Closing the door, Lu Zhan’s mood worsened. He felt he had completely lost his standing in this household.

Turning around, he saw Zhou Susu already carrying a quilt into the small cluttered room next door.

She truly intended to sleep separately.

An indescribable feeling stirred in Lu Zhan’s heart.

***

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window.

Zhou Susu awakened to faint noises. Opening her eyes, she saw An An already awake, sitting on the bed beside her.

The little one rubbed her sleepy eyes, but as her gaze settled on Zhou Susu’s face, the hazy sleepiness instantly gave way to deep fear.

Her body recoiled sharply, like a frightened rabbit.

She hurriedly retreated to the farthest corner of the bed, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt.

Only her wide, alert eyes remained visible, fixed warily and fearfully on Zhou Susu.

The brief trust built by a bowl of porridge was shattered by deeply rooted terror.