Chapter 45: Lu Zhanlin – Having a Wife Is So Great

Chu Yue cracked open three eggs in one go — all large, golden, free-range eggs. She whisked them together, and when the oil in the wok reached just the right temperature, she poured the mixture in. The sizzling sound, paired with the rich aroma of frying eggs, wafted into every corner of the house.

Eggs are famously good at absorbing oil — and for them to taste great, they need plenty of it. Most people in the 1970s would be reluctant to use so much oil, but Chu Yue wasn’t.

So, as soon as the egg mixture hit the hot oil, it puffed up like a balloon — golden and puffy, resembling sweet golden cakes.

When Lu Yuanbao walked into the kitchen, it was at the exact moment the smell reached its strongest.

He stopped in his tracks instantly, a dazed look spreading over his face, clearly overwhelmed by the delicious aroma. His wide black eyes stared straight at Chu Yue in a trance.

Chu Yue turned her head and happened to catch sight of him. Her lips curved into a natural smile.

She scooped the fried eggs out of the pan — once out in the air, their puffiness deflated a bit, but the smell remained irresistible.

Tearing off a small piece from the edge of the big, round fried egg, she blew on it and walked toward Lu Yuanbao.

“Open your mouth.”

Lu Yuanbao was already used to Chu Yue’s simple and straightforward tone. If she told him to open his mouth, he did — without asking why.

The next second—

The warm, fragrant fried egg was placed into his mouth. The heat tingled his tongue, while the egg and oil melted tenderly in his mouth.

Chu Yue raised her eyebrows and asked, “Tasty?”

“So tasty!”

Lu Yuanbao nodded without a second’s hesitation, putting all his effort into that nod. The egg was already swallowed, but he still licked the oil off his lips. Too delicious!

“If it tastes good, eat more during dinner later. Eat more and grow strong — that way you’ll have energy for fights and won’t lose.”

Chu Yue clapped the flour off her hands and turned back to the stove to continue cooking.

Lu Yuanbao followed behind her step by step — not because he wanted more egg, but…

His little eyebrows were furrowed together in a tangled, hesitant expression.

He got closer and looked up to say:

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hit someone.”

Chu Yue paused, setting aside what she was doing. She looked down at Lu Yuanbao, who now wore a guilty expression like he’d made a grave mistake.

So small, the fierceness of a little wolf cub completely gone. Right now, he looked more like a soft, squishy little bun.

To take a rough little wildling and raise him into a sweet, squishy little dumpling — Chu Yue felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

She crouched down to speak to him seriously.

“Yuanbao, hitting people depends on the situation. If a bad person bullies you and you fight back — that’s not ‘hitting someone,’ that’s self-defense. That’s justice, and it’s the right thing to do to protect yourself. But if you use your strength to bully someone weaker than you — that would be wrong. So there’s no need to apologize today. You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you did very well — you deserve a reward.”

“A reward?”

Lu Yuanbao furrowed his little brow even more. He hadn’t expected not to be scolded — but to get a reward?

Chu Yue nodded, lips curved in a smirk.
“Yep. A reward! Because you won. Winning means you get rewarded. And next time, you can’t lose either — understand?”

Lu Yuanbao had never heard anything like this before, but the way Chu Yue said it… sounded completely reasonable. Before he realized it, he was nodding.

Chu Yue glanced over at the newly organized sugar jar, opened it, and pulled out a piece of rock candy.

Just like before, she popped it into his little mouth.

“This is your reward. Dinner’s coming up soon, so you can’t eat too much — just this one to satisfy your sweet tooth.”

It was candy.

Lu Yuanbao sucked on the rock candy, licking it with his tongue.
So sweet, so sweet!

Without realizing it, his eyes narrowed into happy little slits — like a fluffy, spoiled village puppy.

On the stove, the rice had already been cooking for about ten minutes. The heat had been turned down from high to low, and the two steamed dishes were also ready.

Chu Yue patted Lu Yuanbao’s head and said,

“It’s ready. Go call your dad for dinner.”

“Your dad”—such a strange title. It felt so unfamiliar, yet suddenly intimate.

Chu Yue carried the dishes out, but didn’t see Lu Zhanlin inside the house. Instead, she saw a tall man entering from outside. He shook the dirt off his clothes at the door—the sky outside was already pitch black.

At this moment, Lu Zhanlin looked different. He had taken off his impeccably worn military jacket, held a hoe in his hand, and had mud on his boots. Judging from the box nearby… he’d just finished digging the soil.

As he washed his hands, Lu Zhanlin glanced at Chu Yue and asked,

“You’re planning to plant crops in the yard?”

“…Yeah,” she replied. “It’s such a big empty space—it’d be a waste to leave it barren. If we plant some greens and radishes, it’ll be enough for our family to eat.”

Lu Zhanlin liked hearing the word “our” from her mouth.
He said,

“Next time don’t do such tiring work by yourself. Just tell me—I’ll take care of it. I’ve already tilled the rest once. One more pass and it should be good to go.”

His tone was warm, calm—just an everyday conversation between husband and wife.

Ever since Chu Yue had met Lu Zhanlin, he had always been the awe-inspiring, untouchable Commander Lu. She had nearly forgotten that he came from a rural background, that as a teen he’d also worked the fields—and was far more experienced at it than she was, who had only recently picked it up.

Cool military man turned farmhand—how amusing!

Chu Yue smiled and said,

“Alright, I’ll listen to you. Let’s eat.”

At dinner, Chu Yue’s steamed dishes—lap cheong with napa cabbage and Henan-style steamed vegetables—were completely new to Lu Zhanlin and Lu Yuanbao. The father and son both wore matching looks of puzzlement, but after taking a bite, the fragrance lingered on their tongues and their taste buds lit up.

Unexpectedly delicious.

Lu Zhanlin had initially thought, seeing how delicate and clean Chu Yue looked, that she had probably never stepped foot in a kitchen and would make some kind of culinary disaster.

Looks like his wife’s cooking skills were anything but ordinary.

A faint, almost unnoticeable smile crept onto Lu Zhanlin’s lips, and a warm feeling filled his chest.

Having a wife like this—what a blessing.

Chu Yue knew that Lu Yuanbao liked fried eggs, so she gave him most of one. She placed the little bowl in front of him, with a golden, shiny “quilt” of egg covering the rice.

Lu Yuanbao wasn’t tall enough, so he tiptoed to pick up a slice of cured pork. Once he got it, he placed it into Chu Yue’s bowl.

The family was quietly enjoying dinner when a sudden knock came at the door.

“Commander Lu, Commander Lu, are you home?”

It wasn’t a woman’s voice, but a man’s.

Chu Yue’s thoughts stirred—she had a feeling she knew what this was about.

Lu Zhanlin put down his chopsticks and stood up. He told Chu Yue and Lu Yuanbao,

“You two keep eating. I’ll go take a look.”

As soon as he walked out, Chu Yue also set down her chopsticks, her bright eyes twinkling.

She said to Lu Yuanbao,

“Yuanbao, hurry and finish eating. After that, I’ll take you to watch a show.”

A show?
Was there a stage here?
Where would an opera be performed?

Lu Yuanbao was full of question marks, but he held his bowl in one hand, his chopsticks in the other, and started shoveling rice into his mouth in big bites. His cheeks puffed out as he mumbled:

“Wuh—I’m done!”

Chu Yue grabbed him quickly and rushed into the small room, crouching by the window. She opened a narrow slit in the window to peek outside.

From the layout of the house, that window was the closest to the main door, and you could clearly see Lu Zhanlin’s silhouette as well as hear the conversation at the door.

Chu Yue listened closely—the drama was about to begin.