Chapter 165: Leave the Outside Messes to Me

"Waiting for you." Jiang Ran said briefly, his hand still moving, "Is the drawing not going smoothly?"

"Hmm, I always feel… something's missing."

Su Ruan opened her eyes and, irritated, poked the drawing with the tip of her pen.

"Resilience… I want to convey an inner sense of strength, not outward hardness. But these lines…"

She let out a sigh and put down the pen.

Jiang Ran stopped his hand and leaned over the drawing.

In the light, his profile was sharp, yet his gaze was unusually focused.

He stared for a moment, then extended his index finger, hovering over the waist area of the drawing: "Here… is it too tight? Looks a bit… held back?"

Su Ruan was startled and looked in the direction he indicated.

That was the waist line she had deliberately tightened after repeated revisions, aiming to highlight a tense tension.

But after Jiang Ran said that, she suddenly felt the tension had gone too far, losing its composure.

"You mean… it should be a bit more relaxed?" she mused.

"I can't put it into words," Jiang Ran scratched his head, "but I think true resilience isn't stretching yourself into a string that could snap at any moment. It should be like… hmm, like that old locust tree in our courtyard; when the wind blows it sways, its roots are deep, and after the wind passes it's still the same."

His metaphor was a bit clumsy, yet it unexpectedly hit a chord in Su Ruan's heart.

Her eyes brightened; she picked up the pen again and swiftly sketched a smoother, slightly curved revision line beside the waist line.

"Right… it's not confrontation, but adaptation and persistence… the inner framework holds, allowing the exterior to be more relaxed…"

Jiang Ran watched her revived gaze and the dancing pen tip, and his mouth involuntarily curved upward.

He didn't disturb her, just stood behind her, one hand resting on the back of her chair, watching quietly.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Ruan finally exhaled, set the pen down, and a relieved smile appeared on her face: "There! That's the feeling!"

She turned her head and saw Jiang Ran still standing there, his gaze a little blank.

"What are you daydreaming about?" she asked with a laugh.

Jiang Ran snapped back, grinned, and reached to rub the slightly messy top of her hair: "Seeing my wife get serious looks really beautiful."

He paused, his voice lowered, "It's just… look at you, you're so tired, your eye circles are dark."

Su Ruan felt a sweet yet slightly sour feeling, lifted her hand to grasp his hand that was on her head, pulled it down to press against her cheek, and gently brushed: "You too. These past days, you've worked hard."

Her soft skin rested against his rough palm, full of dependence and tenderness.

Jiang Ran's Adam's apple rolled, and he reversed his hand to grip hers tightly, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand: "There's nothing hard about it. It's you, don't overexert yourself. Come, let's go home, we'll finish it tomorrow."

He lifted her without waiting for a word, helped her put on her coat, wrapped the scarf, donned his own overcoat, carefully checked the doors and windows, then led her out into the biting cold wind.

As soon as they stepped outside, the cold wind cut like a knife, and Su Ruan instinctively tucked her neck. Jiang Ran immediately turned, pulling most of her into his embrace, using his broad back and shoulders to shield her as much as possible.

"Stay close!" he shouted, his voice partially carried away by the wind.

Su Ruan clung tightly to him, arms wrapped around his waist, feeling his body heat through the thick clothing. The two moved briskly down the empty street like conjoined twins.

"Jiang Ran," Su Ruan began as the wind softened, her voice muffled in his arms, "do you think… we're being too naive? Relying on just a few garments, one collection, can we withstand those rumors and investigations?"

Jiang Ran's steps faltered briefly, and he tightened his hold around her arm.

"Nonsense."

His voice was low, yet decisive.

"What's wrong with the clothes? The clothes are our guns, our cannons! Rumors are empty, investigations just aim to clarify."

"But our clothes are tangible, worn on a body; good is good, bad is bad! As long as our stuff is solid, those who like it will naturally vote with their feet!"

He lowered his head, his chin brushing her cool forehead: "Besides, I've got you. If the sky falls, I'll hold it up first! If it crashes, it'll hit me first! What are you afraid of?"

Those words were overbearing and domineering, yet they made Su Ruan's cold chest suddenly blaze with heat.

She buried her face against his chest and let out a muffled "mm."

Back home, a small lamp still glowed inside; Li Huijuan and the others had already fallen asleep.

Jiang Ran pressed Su Ruan onto the chair, turned and headed to the kitchen to heat water.

"I can do it myself…" Su Ruan tried to stand.

"Sit still!"

Jiang Ran issued the command without turning his head, and soon returned carrying a basin of steaming warm water.

Squatting before her, he removed her shoes and socks without waiting for a word, and placed her cold, slightly reddened feet into the hot water.

The warm water enveloped them, and Su Ruan felt so comfortable her toes curled.

Jiang Ran stayed squatted there, his hand reaching into the water, grasping her foot and kneading it with moderate pressure.

"Sss… lighter…"

Su Ruan's soles were sensitive; his press made them tingle and numb, and she couldn't help a soft sigh.

"Hold on, once it's loosened it'll be fine, it'll get the blood flowing."

Jiang Ran said that, but eased his grip, his fingertips patiently working the pressure points on her soles and the tight muscles of her calf.

The Main Hall was quiet, with only the sound of water and the two's faint breathing.

The dim light cast their cuddled silhouettes onto the wall.

Su Ruan watched his focused profile, his nose bridge straight, lips slightly pursed, his long lashes casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes.

An indescribable sense of security and dependence enveloped her completely.

"Jiang Ran." she called his name again.

"Hmm?" he replied, without looking up.

"If… this really doesn't make it, if the shop can't stay open, we'll take Jinjin and An'an, find a place no one knows, you do some manual labor, I'll take some mending side jobs, okay?"

Her voice was very soft, like a murmured dream.

Jiang Ran's massaging hand finally stopped.

He lifted his head and, at an extremely close distance, stared at her, his gaze filled with shock, heartache, and finally turning into an almost ferocious resolve.

His damp hands cupped her face, his thumb pressing forcefully across her slightly reddened eye corner.

"Su Ruan, listen," he said each word deliberately, his voice low and powerful, "There is no such 'if'! Chongsu will not fall! We also will not go to some unknown place!"

"We stay right here, go nowhere! What's ours won't be missing either! Those scumbags who want to see us as a joke, who want to step on us, I won't let a single one get away! Do you believe me?"

His eyes burned bright, like two unextinguished flames.

Su Ruan felt her heart violently shaken by his gaze; that fleeting thought of retreat was instantly burned to ash.

She nodded hard, her voice choked yet clear: "I believe! I believe you!"

Jiang Ran only then released his grip, lowered his head again, and more attentively massaged her, his voice softened, carrying an undeniable promise: "That's right. Just keep drawing your designs, making your clothes. All those petty things outside, leave them to me."

"When husband and wife are of one mind, our strength can cut steel. I can't believe there's still no place in this world that makes sense!"