Chapter 40.3

For several days now, there have been no adverse effects.

Hu Wanning thought that since the soup was so effective, she wanted to get some tips from Ruan Mingfu.

Recalling the earlier mix-up, Ruan Mingfu felt a bit awkward.

“Ah, I’ll write down the recipe for you when I get home.”

In fact, it was Xie Yanzhao who was truly embarrassed. Thanks to Xu Zhu’s big mouth, many people knew about his “kidney deficiency.” Many laughed about it behind his back.

If Xie Yanzhao weren’t on leave now, he’d probably give Xu Zhu a hard time.

“Thank you, sister-in-law,” Hu Wanning said with relief.

She was worried it might be some kind of family heirloom.

Hu Wanning took her child’s hand. “Son, say goodbye to Auntie.”

“Goodbye, Auntie.”

The little boy was straightforward and friendly when he wanted to be, unlike his usual reserved self.

Ruan Mingfu waved goodbye to the little boy.

Once she got home, she saw Xie Yanzhao hanging a few military coats on the clothesline to dry.

“Back already?”

Xie Yanzhao hung up the four worn-out coats, then noticed the items in Ruan Mingfu’s hands and took them from her.

He said in a deep voice, “Went up the mountain?”

“Yes,” Ruan Mingfu replied. Seeing that Xie Yanzhao’s brows didn’t furrow yet, she continued, “There were a lot of people; several sister-in-laws were there.”

Xie Yanzhao swallowed his words and didn’t say anything more, only softly added, “Next time you go up the mountain, remember to call me.”

“What’s wrong?” Ruan Mingfu asked, pondering, “Is the mountain unsafe?”

Xie Yanzhao responded lightly.

“It’s okay for now, but in winter, when there’s nothing to eat in the mountains, wild boars come down.”

In reality, there are many more wild beasts besides wild boars.

But Xie Yanzhao didn’t want to scare Ruan Mingfu, so he didn’t go into too much detail.

Even just the thought of wild boars made Ruan Mingfu break into a cold sweat.

She had seen pictures of wild boars.

They looked nothing like the sleek domestic pigs, being black and ugly with long tusks. A single charge could cause serious injury. Each boar weighs several hundred pounds—someone like Ruan Mingfu would be in big trouble if she encountered one.

Miss Ruan was not only delicate but also highly valued her life.

Hearing this, she naturally wouldn’t dare to go down the mountain again.

Xie Yanzhao said in a deep voice, “You don’t need to worry. Every year, the military organizes hunting trips.”

During these trips, every household in the family compound receives a few pounds of pork, making for a good year.

“Have you ever hunted wild boar?”

Ruan Mingfu asked curiously. Given his demeanor, he had probably participated in such hunts.

Indeed, Xie Yanzhao gave a slight nod. However, he seemed less enthusiastic about it, looking at the items in the basket and asking, “Do you like eating these?”

Ruan Mingfu had always been a well-behaved child in her previous life. Not only had she never foraged for food, but she hadn’t even tasted these items. She had no idea about the taste, so she couldn’t say whether she liked them or not. Her curiosity was all she had.

The basket was still dripping with water. Instead of going through the front door, Xie Yanzhao went around the entire house to the backyard.

“What do you plan to do with these?”

Ruan Mingfu looked at the contents of the basket with curiosity. Although she had heard Hu Wanning talk about how to prepare them, she hadn’t paid much attention. Seeing Xie Yanzhao separate the items into two bowls, she moved closer to observe.

“How do you want to cook them?”

Ruan Mingfu looked up at him, puzzled.

“How else? Stir-fry with eggs.”

It was clear that he hadn’t experienced hardship.

Ruan Mingfu fiddled with the stone snails, sweetly saying, “As long as it’s made by you, I’ll love it.”

Xie Yanzhao was too shrewd to be easily deceived by such small tricks. In fact, he was more than willing to fall into the trap.

“Alright, bring the other basin from the kitchen.”

Stone snails need to be soaked before eating, but the mushroom can be tasted tonight.

Xie Yanzhao, tall and imposing, squatted by the side, slowly washing off the dirt and weeds.

If his subordinates saw him like this, their eyes would probably pop out.

Such a fierce man, reduced to this humble task.

Ruan Mingfu didn’t slack off either. She helped Xie Yanzhao. But after her hands wrinkled from soaking in water, she hadn’t cleaned many land mines.

“Why is it so hard to wash?”

With all its grooves and crevices, cleaning off the weeds and dirt was difficult. In the end, the water turned black, and only one plate of mushrooms was cleaned.

Ruan Mingfu gritted her teeth in frustration.

If this dish doesn’t taste good, she might just use a shovel to get rid of it.

However, when the dish was served, Ruan Mingfu was delighted.

It was incredibly delicious.

She wanted to have more!

…..

Ruan Mingfu had just sent the prepared items to her parents along with a letter about her marriage, hoping they wouldn’t be too surprised.

Xie Yanzhao, the new son-in-law, also wrote a letter but kept it mysterious, not letting her see it.

“Hmph! Fine, if you won’t let me see it, I’ll find out eventually.”

Ruan Mingfu had just entered the army when someone called out to her.

“Sister-in-law, you have a phone call.”

It was the same comrade as before.

Ruan Mingfu walked over. The call had already been connected. She picked up the receiver and heard the familiar, fast-talking voice of Gu Yilin.

She knew it was her.

“Did you receive the items I sent you?”

Gu Yilin spoke rapidly, as if afraid Ruan Mingfu wouldn’t hear her clearly.

“…Are you testing my hearing?”

Gu Yilin on the other end snorted, sounding a bit awkward but with a hint of arrogance, “I’m asking if you received the things I sent.”

“You sent me something?”

Ruan Mingfu was genuinely surprised.

Even though she was with the military, her plastic friend still sent her things.

Gu Yilin was quite enthusiastic about it.

If the person involved heard this, they’d probably be infuriated.

“What?!”

Gu Yilin couldn’t believe it and screamed.

“You actually didn’t receive it!”

She had sent it out that very afternoon without any delay. By now, it should have arrived.

Damn slow delivery!

How was she supposed to mock her plastic friend now?

Curse it!

Had she known, she would have brought it herself; at least it wouldn’t be lost.

She had spent over a hundred yuan on it.

Gu Yilin felt like her heart was bleeding.

She felt it was worth spending the money if it achieved the goal of mocking her plastic friend.

But now it was lost…

She actually lost it!

Ruan Mingfu thought for a moment and said, “It should still be on its way. I’ll check with the military later.”

She was curious about what her plastic friend had sent her.

Gu Yilin on the other end of the line, sounding satisfied but still somewhat haughty, said, “It’s fine if you can’t find it. It wasn’t very expensive anyway.”

Did you hear that?

She was implying that Ruan Mingfu wasn’t worth much.

Gu Yilin thought she was clever for coming up with such a perfect sarcastic remark.

Ruan Mingfu replied lightly, “Oh, then I’ll do as you say. If I can’t find it, I won’t look for it.”

Gu Yilin: “…”

Was that what she meant?

Was her plastic friend’s brain only capable of thinking about men?

How could her comprehension be this bad?

Gu Yilin wanted to scold her but couldn’t find the words, her face reddening.

After a long pause, she finally said in a muffled voice, “…Actually, it wouldn’t hurt to check a bit.”

Ugh!

What a detestable plastic friend, she actually looked down.

Damn it, she’s just angry.

“By the way,” Ruan Mingfu thought for a moment and then said, “Didn’t you say you were coming to the military camp? My house has been renovated, so you can come over anytime.”

Gu Yilin: “…”

Oh no!

It sounds so tempting.

The military camp is lacking in many things, but probably not in masculine energy…

Thinking about it, she wiped her mouth.

Though she was full of anticipation, Gu Yilin’s voice remained as haughty as ever, knowing that Ruan Mingfu couldn’t see her expression.

“Since you put it that way, I suppose I’ll reluctantly come over,” she said. “By the way, have you met the Lu brothers yet?”

Since Lu Yang gave her the money, Ruan Mingfu hadn’t seen the brothers. Hearing Lu Yan’s name now made her pause for a moment.

Her pretty brows furrowed. “How do you know?”

She recounted her encounters with the brothers and the subsequent events.

“Good! Well done,” Gu Yilin clapped and praised. “I’ve always disliked that little bastard Lu Yan. He deserved that beating. The whole family of bastards; I would have kicked them a couple more times if they were in front of me…”

“Where’s your man? Why didn’t he help you beat them up?”

“Lu Yang looks all gentlemanly, much better than his brother, but how could he say such shameless things? And marrying you like he’s doing you a favor—does that mean in the future you’ll have to kneel and thank him every time he speaks?”

Gu Yilin rambled on with a lot of complaints.

In summary, she felt her plastic friend was too soft-hearted.

She only asked for a thousand yuan!

The Lu family all have jobs. A thousand yuan can be earned back in two months. For them, it’s just a trivial amount.

If it were her, she would have demanded much more to show the Lu family their place.

Ruan Mingfu’s face remained expressionless. “Let’s get back to the main topic. Why are we talking about those two brothers?”

Don’t mention the Lu family—it’s bad luck!

“Oh right, I almost forgot,” Gu Yilin slapped her forehead. “The Lu family is spreading rumors about you in Haicheng!”