Chapter 26: A Qualified Wife

“Since there’s no bath here, there’s no need to wash. Just change your clothes.” Tan Qingya said patiently. After a moment’s thought, she added, “Or we could head to the apartment. There’s a bathtub there, and I can carry you over to bathe.”

Tan Qingya’s voice pulled Zhou Jianghao back from her reverie. She fell silent, gazing at the woman who had once seemed the most distant from her in the Tan Family.

“Zhou Jianghao?”

“Hm?” She responded with a sound, enduring her discomfort as she nodded lightly. “Either way works for me, if you don’t mind.”

Hearing that, Tan Qingya thought to herself, as expected—deep down, she was still worried about whether Tan Qingya would mind.

“I don’t mind at all now,” she said earnestly, looking at the girl who had grown up in the Tan Family household. She asked, “Have you heard about my germaphobia before?”

It wasn’t exactly a secret.

Years ago, Tan Yanxi had locked her in a storage room for an entire night, deliberately making the place damp and filthy. It had left her covered in grime, creating a deep shadow in her young mind.

After that, her germaphobia had become quite severe.

But these past few years, it had gotten better. She was no longer as obsessive as before. Besides, Zhou Jianghao looked so clean and pristine that she didn’t mind in the slightest.

Zhou Jianghao replied, “When I first came to the Tan Family, they said that if you saw anyone looking dirty, you’d throw them out of the house.”

“Oh, like how not eating your dinner means the tiger will come take you away? Just scaring you kids?”

Tan Qingya burst out laughing.

No wonder Zhou Jianghao had always been so afraid of her. It turned out someone had been using her name to frighten the girl since childhood.

Suddenly, her laughter froze.

In Zhou Jianghao’s eyes, what must it feel like to marry her? Did she think she was tying the knot with some fierce tigress?

She couldn’t laugh anymore.

With a light cough, she quickly cleared up the rumors for her younger self. “Don’t listen to their nonsense. Back then, my germaphobia was indeed bad, but I wouldn’t go so far as to throw out anyone who looked dirty.”

“I know.”

Zhou Jianghao said earnestly.

But Tan Qingya figured she was just being polite, so she explained further. “Even as a kid with severe germaphobia, I wasn’t so harsh as to kick people out of the Tan Family.”

Sensing that Tan Qingya didn’t quite believe her, Zhou Jianghao nodded again. “I know. You’re not that kind of person.”

Tan Qingya might not remember it anymore, but Zhou Jianghao had actually offended her once as a child.

Back then, the Tan Family juniors had already set their sights on her, pranking her now and then. They’d even considered using her to offend Tan Qingya as a way to get her kicked out.

They’d dumped herring-soaked water on her and then tried to shove her toward Tan Qingya’s territory. But no one dared actually push her into Tan Qingya’s room—nobody had the guts.

Unfortunately, someone had pushed too hard. With a bang, she crashed right through that door.

The others realized they’d caused a disaster and fled immediately, leaving her stunned on the floor in a heap.

Until that beautiful, radiant face appeared in her vision.

The Tan Family’s Second Miss, rumored to be the hardest to get along with, covered her nose with one hand and tossed a thin blanket over her with the other. Her tone wasn’t friendly:

“Get up.”

In that instant, she truly thought she was about to be thrown out of the Tan Family.

Her sense of grievance peaked. Instead of scrambling up right away, she huddled there, trembling, and started to cry.

It was the first time she’d cried in the Tan Family.

She’d always been an introverted child, and even her crying was quiet—silent tears streaming down her face.

In the end, it was Tan Qingya who hauled her to her feet.

Yes, hauled her up.

She wrapped her in two blankets, slipped on a pair of pretty gloves, and lifted her with just two fingers. Then she tossed away the gloves and blankets from a safe distance, staring at her expressionlessly.

Terrified out of her mind, she didn’t wait for any punishment before fleeing in panic.

But afterward, Tan Qingya never held her accountable. Word was that Tan Qingya’s little villa had been thoroughly cleaned top to bottom. The culprit—that is, her—hid in a crack in the garden rocks, listening to the commotion and spending the whole afternoon in anxious dread.

Later, someone came looking for her and pulled her out from the crevice. She thought it was to settle scores or kick her out, but it turned out they just took her outside to scrub her down several times, washing away the smell.

By the time she returned, she’d heard that Tan Qingya had punished all those Tan Family juniors.

That was when she realized Tan Qingya wasn’t as cold and unapproachable as the rumors claimed. She certainly wouldn’t throw someone out just for being dirty.

It was because of that incident that, later on, she’d taken a desperate gamble—biting her hand in an attempt to make those Tan Family kids face some consequences.

Of course, in the end, it seemed she hadn’t succeeded.

Only now did it hit her: Li Zhenyu and the others probably still didn’t know she and Tan Qingya were married. Old Lady Tan hadn’t demanded much; once she knew about the marriage, she’d stepped back, respecting their decisions and not interfering anymore.

So her phone still had those threatening texts from Li Zhenyu a couple of days ago. She hadn’t replied in two days and had no idea if the other woman was fuming with rage by now.

“Why are you spacing out like that?”

Unable to resist, Tan Qingya reached out and pinched Zhou Jianghao’s cheek. It was soft and plush in a way that didn’t match her appearance at all—pinchably delightful.

Zhou Jianghao shook her head. She didn’t bring up those childhood matters or mention Li Zhenyu and the rest. This was their first time living together after marriage; she couldn’t ruin it.

With that thought, she subtly glanced at her own feet, her brows furrowing slightly.

Tan Qingya had helped her so much. As her wife, she should do her duty—strive to please her, satisfy her.

After dinner, she gave herself a simple wipe-down and changed into pajamas.

They were the plainest plaid pajamas, a bit outdated in style and faded from too many washes.

As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, Tan Qingya came in through the door, holding an exquisite bag.

Tan Qingya steadied her and murmured, “Don’t walk too fast.”

Zhou Jianghao looked down and saw the clothes inside.

A silk nightgown.

A rose-colored dress, elegant and beautiful. Completely different from her faded plaid pajamas.

She had seen Tan Qingya wearing this nightgown before.

Beyond just pretty, it was sensual. Even from those hurried glances, she remembered the pearl-like expanse of white beneath the rose-colored collar.

A faint blush crept up behind her ears.

While the sound of running water had echoed in the bathroom earlier, she’d been unable to resist picking up her phone again. She’d secretly opened the notes she’d compiled recently.

She was going to be a proper wife.

Staring at those blush-inducing words, she took a deep breath and clenched her fists—she couldn’t disappoint Tan Qingya.