The rich aroma of the meal made Zhan Zeyi restless, and he felt an almost uncontrollable urge to devour the delicious little wife in his arms.
Tang Qiyue noticed his unusual behavior immediately. She gripped her chopsticks tightly, but instead of panicking, she asked softly,
"Then… let me feed you?"
Ever since she had decided to marry in his place and agreed to Zhan Zeyi's three conditions, Tang Qiyue had never considered remaining chaste. In fact, she had long prepared herself to handle all the intimate acts couples shared.
Still, she wasn't sure about Zhan Zeyi's physical condition. If, as Tang Chunlan had said, he had been injured and could no longer… perform, then provoking him might be unwise.
Zhan Zeyi leaned back in his chair, turning Tang Qiyue to face him. He watched her awkward expression with an unreadable, almost predatory calm.
"Okay," he said.
For some reason, he allowed Tang Qiyue to feed him. His hands rested on her waist, his thumbs brushing her sides lightly.
Even through his clothing, Tang Qiyue could feel her skin quiver. The rough calluses on his thumbs seemed to carry a strange, magnetic power—one she couldn't ignore.
She didn't eat from the two lunchboxes herself. Instead, she used her chopsticks to feed Zhan Zeyi, one bite at a time.
He didn't make things difficult. Whenever the food came to his lips, he simply opened his mouth and ate.
His cooperation, however, only heightened the tension. The languid, intense gaze he gave her made the air feel charged with intimacy.
Tang Qiyue fed him everything—the braised ribbonfish, the steamed eggplant, even the three steamed buns. Beads of sweat appeared on his freshly washed back.
Her breathing grew uneven.
Just as she was about to give up, Zhan Zeyi snatched the chopsticks from her hand.
"Now it's my turn!"
He didn't give her a chance to refuse.
Compared to Tang Qiyue's delicate, careful feeding, Zhan Zeyi's method was rough—yet commanding.
Tang Qiyue had never been fed by anyone in her life, certainly not in such a close, intimate way. She tried to wriggle free from his embrace, but he held her leg, sliding her fully onto his lap.
"Be good," he murmured. "You need to eat to have strength."
Strength for what? Tang Qiyue didn't dare ask.
Her cheeks flushed. The face cream she had just applied made her scent even stronger, and it clearly affected him. Zhan Zeyi's agitation was obvious—but he maintained just enough control not to speed up.
Just as the tension threatened to overwhelm her, there was a knock on the door.
"Brother Zhan, Lao Guan and the others are here!"
Tang Qiyue didn't care who Lao Guan was. She was grateful for the interruption—it rescued her from the suffocating atmosphere.
Quickly, she slid off Zhan Zeyi's lap, taking the chopsticks back.
"You go ahead and do your work. I'll keep eating," she said, relieved.
She wasn't full yet, and honestly, she didn't even know how much she had eaten.
Zhan Zeyi watched her flee with a hint of dissatisfaction but said nothing. He got up, straightened his clothes, and reminded her,
"Dry your hair, or you'll catch a cold. Medicine is scarce here."
His words, though meant to be caring, carried the weight of an order.
Tang Qiyue obeyed, while Zhan Zeyi clicked his tongue and left.
He had no intention of taking her to his room. While he could admire her beauty freely, he didn't want anyone else to see her alluring side.
With him gone, Tang Qiyue exhaled heavily, patting her cheeks to calm the flush.
After a while, as the heat on her face subsided, she finished her meal.
She let her hair down and dried it carefully with a towel, missing some of the advanced post-apocalyptic technology she was used to.
For instance, a handheld hair dryer could evaporate 90% of hair moisture in five seconds, without damage or discomfort.
Luckily, she still had enough points from previous redemptions to acquire one. She redeemed it and tucked it into her bag discreetly—no one would guess it resembled a small whirlwind.
After drying her hair, Tang Qiyue washed the lunchbox and met Xu Qiuju from next door at the water pipes.
"Sister-in-law," Xu Qiuju said, voice trembling, "we're taking a boat to the island early tomorrow. Do you think there won't be wild people there?"
Xu Qiuju had grown up in the countryside and never seen the sea. Standing at the dock today, looking at the vast ocean, her legs had gone weak. Living on a tiny island was terrifying.
Though Hu Peng had assured her the island was safe, fear lingered.
Tang Qiyue smiled reassuringly. "There shouldn't be any savages. Plenty of seafood too—we won't go without meat."
Xu Qiuju's eyes widened. "Meat? I barely eat it twice a year! My husband said we'd have enough on the island?"
With grain rationing and large families, meat had been scarce for most countryside families. For Xu Qiuju, joining the army with her three children meant they'd finally have enough to eat.
Tang Qiyue, knowing a lot about seafood, told her they could go beachcombing. She also considered checking the system to assess seafood exchange value—it might help them improve their living conditions.
After a short chat, they returned to their rooms. Xu Qiuju had to look after her children, while Tang Qiyue briefly studied the system and then fell asleep.
When Zhan Zeyi returned, he saw her sleeping, clutching her blanket. He didn't wake her.
Instead, he removed his clothes and slid into bed beside her.
He wasn't being cautious; he wanted to hold his wife openly.
The image of feeding her earlier flashed through his mind.
His fingers involuntarily brushed her lips.
Still seemingly unsatisfied, he turned her over to face him.