Chapter 17

Jiang Chunzao was caught off guard when Captain Lu suddenly stole a kiss from her.

She froze for a moment, then lifted her head and met his dark eyes.

Those usually cold and indifferent eyes were now shimmering with a light that made her feel flustered and embarrassed.

Under Captain Lu’s gentle gaze, Jiang Chunzao’s face turned bright red.

Her heart was filled with a mix of sweetness and shyness.

She felt that ever since Lu Lin returned from the army and became more passionate, she had become increasingly shameless.

For example, in the past few nights, when the two of them had been “fighting” on the kang, each time, she ended up being tossed around by Lu Lin so much that she couldn’t get out of bed the next day.

And, first thing in the morning, she would be faced with the curious eyes of her two kids and her mother teasing her with a smile.

Every time, Jiang Chunzao would feel so embarrassed in front of her mother and children that it would take her half a day to recover.

As for Lu Lin, he was full of energy every day, like a cat that had stolen fish, chopping wood and doing various chores at home.

Mother Jiang saw all of this and, of course, couldn’t help but nag her. The point of her words was clear: “Dear, we are lucky to have a good man who works hard and cares for his wife. But even though he treats you like a treasure, we still need to be considerate. Now that the man is taking care of the housework, you should also help out a bit. Do something simple, like boiling water or cooking, it’s not that hard.”

So, Jiang Chunzao, who had been “bullied” every night by Lu Lin until her back ached and she couldn’t get out of bed, was now being seen as an “ungrateful” young wife by her own mother.

Where could she go to seek justice?

She was the one being “bullied” and crying at night, the one whose back hurt so much she couldn’t get out of bed the next day, yet somehow Lu Lin, the one who had been the “bully,” had become the good husband who adored his wife. And she had to listen to her mother scold her!

There was no justice in the world!

Thinking of this, Jiang Chunzao became angry. She raised her head and glared at the culprit, Lu Lin, who thought she was just shy.

Lu Lin’s smile grew even brighter. Unexpectedly, the next moment, Jiang Chunzao jumped up and planted a kiss directly on Lu Lin’s sexy lips.

After “kissing” Captain Lu, Jiang Chunzao proudly put her hands on her hips, her face beaming with a smug expression as if to say: “Next time, see if you dare steal a kiss again.”

Lu Lin: “…….”

Seeing Captain Lu frozen like a wooden block, Jiang Chunzao felt a sense of satisfaction.

Haha, this was the result she wanted. Let him bully her—now, let’s see if he dares to do it again.

Jiang Chunzao gave Lu Lin a cold snort, turned her back arrogantly, and then saw her mother and two kids standing in the doorway of the kitchen, staring at her in shock.

Jiang Chunzao: “…..”

Jiang Chunzao’s face immediately turned red.

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Jiang Chunzao meticulously washed the tomatoes until they were clean and sliced them with precision. She placed the beef in hot water to remove the blood, then stir-fried it in lard until it was perfectly cooked before setting it aside. After heating the large pot, Jiang Chunzao added more lard, and once it was hot, she tossed in onions, tomatoes, beef, and a few slices of ginger.

She stir-fried everything until the tomatoes softened, changed color, and released a rich fragrance. She poured in hot water, covered the pot, and waited patiently for the soup to heat up.

Then, she added her homemade noodles, covered the pot again, and let them cook for exactly 10 minutes.

After the time was up, Jiang Chunzao carefully took the cooked noodles out and poured the fragrant tomato beef soup over them. She topped the dish with marinated eggs and some baby greens, sprinkled it with chopped green onions, and presented her freshly made, aromatic, and tempting tomato beef noodles.

In the courtyard of the Lu family, Lu Lin fetched water from the well to water the vegetables in the garden. He also watered the flowers in Jiang Chunzao’s small garden. Following the requests of Little Shitou and Little Moli, he fed the three hungry chickens clucking together, and then found time to wash his hands by the well.

The cold well water splashed onto his face, instantly cooling down the heat from his body. Lu Lin splashed some more cold water on his face, and his handsome, stern features became even more striking.

Just as this was happening, Jiang Chunzao poked her head out of the kitchen and happened to see him.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her pulse raced uncontrollably.

Oh my, they say time makes people age, but Captain Lu seemed to defy this. The older he got, the more handsome and charming he became.

Jiang Chunzao couldn’t help but admire Captain Lu’s good looks, almost becoming infatuated.

Just as she was about to drool over his beauty, Lu Lin, who was washing his face at the well, seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head towards the kitchen.

Startled, Jiang Chunzao quickly ducked back out of sight.

That was a close call—I nearly got caught daydreaming about him.

If Captain Lu ever found out she was nearly drooling over him, she would probably not sleep tonight.

Jiang Chunzao imagined how embarrassing it would be. She shuddered at the thought. She quickly shook her head to shake off the thought.

At this moment, her mother, Mother Jiang, walked in to check if their meal was ready.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw her daughter shaking her head like a sheep with epilepsy. She immediately scolded her: “What are you doing? Is the food ready?”

Jiang Chunzao quickly responded, “It’s done, I’ll set the table right now.” With that, she rushed to the cupboard to grab the bowls and chopsticks.

Mother Jiang sighed as she saw her daughter act so childishly even though she was a mother now, wondering when she would ever grow up.

–

Jiang Chunzao, the “I don’t know when I’ll grow up” type, came out of the kitchen holding the bowls and chopsticks.

By then, Lu Lin had already set up the dinner table in the courtyard. The summer heat made eating outdoors more pleasant, and most families in the village ate their dinner like this.

Jiang Chunzao arranged the bowls and chopsticks on the dinning table. The family sat down, looking at the beef noodles in front of them, which were emitting an irresistible aroma. No one said much; they all picked up their chopsticks and began to eat heartily.

Times were tough these days. Most families could only fill their stomachs with miscellaneous noodles and cornmeal dumplings. Even the wealthier families in the village, who were better off, still ate mixed cornmeal dumplings for three meals a day.

Even the Lu family, who had been living somewhat comfortably thanks to Lu Lin’s military salary for the past couple of years, still mostly ate sweet potato dumplings and sorghum rice.

The food in the military wasn’t as luxurious as people in the village imagined. Soldiers could only eat enough to satisfy their hunger.

Tonight, the Lu family’s dinner was made from wheat they grew themselves, milled into white flour and used to make noodles. These noodles carried the fresh, fragrant taste of wheat. They ate the sweet and sour tomato broth and the savory beef, making each bite delicious and satisfying.

The whole family took their first bite, and their eyes lit up. They slurped up the noodles with gusto. Even Mother Jiang, who usually had little appetite due to the summer heat, finished an entire bowl.

As for Lu Lin and Little Shitou, who were both good eaters, they quickly devoured a large bowl each. Jiang Chunzao and Little Moli, however, only managed to eat a small bowl each and were full.

Lu Lin, always caring for his little wife, ladled a large bowl of noodles for her, with plenty of soup and meat.

He also filled Little Moli’s bowl to the brim. But since they had already eaten some snacks earlier, the two of them couldn’t finish the large portions.

Lu Lin and Little Shitou, father and son, didn’t say much. They each took their bowls and quickly dug into their meal. The two of them polished off the noodles in the pot.

Jiang Chunzao watched in amazement as Lu Lin finished his large bowl of noodles, and couldn’t help but glance at his well-built abdomen. She secretly wondered how he could eat so much yet still have such a great figure. Unlike her, who had eaten so little but couldn’t seem to lose that little belly.

Feeling a bit envious, Jiang Chunzao shot a glare at Lu Lin, who was busy cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks. She wasn’t too happy.

Meanwhile, Mother Jiang, having finished her meal, was taking a walk in the yard. Little Stone was holding Little Moli’s little hand, and the two kids were toddling along behind their grandmother. Lu Lin, after finishing the cleanup, finally realized he hadn’t brought a bowl of noodles to his father. He stepped out of the kitchen and asked: “The beef noodles taste really good today. Did you send a bowl to Dad?”

Jiang Chunzao, feeling a bit sour, shot him a small white-eyed look:

“I just sent it right after it came out of the pot. You only remembered now? By the time you got to it, the noodles would be cold!”

Captain Lu, caught off guard by her unexpected outburst: “…….”

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In the old Lu family courtyard, the family, who had come home late after a day of farm work, couldn’t take their eyes off the three large bowls of steaming tomato beef noodles on the table.

Mother Lu, holding a basket of mixed cornmeal dumplings, entered the room. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw the entire family staring at the noodles with hungry eyes, drooling. In a huff, she slammed the basket of dumplings onto the table.

The sudden slam of the basket startled the entire Lu family. Liu Hongyan, who was closest to Mother Lu, jumped up in shock. She quickly recovered and muttered to Mother Lu: “Mother, what on earth are you doing at this hour?”

“Doing? Eating!”

Mother Lu glared at Liu Hongyan and snapped.

Seeing the anger on Mother Lu’s face, Liu Hongyan figured someone must have angered her again. Whoever made the old lady mad would be the one to bear the brunt of her anger.

She thought to herself, *Why is she angry at me? I didn’t do anything to upset her.*

Liu Hongyan pouted and fell silent. Just then, Mother Lu’s husband, Father Lu, finished washing his hands and entered the room. When he saw the steaming tomato beef noodles on the table, he was surprised and asked: “Where did these beef noodles come from?”

Mother Lu’s face darkened further when she heard her husband asking.

“They came from the third family,” she replied bitterly. “They said they were having beef noodles at home today and brought a few bowls over for us to eat!”

From the third family?

The whole Lu family was taken aback. After all, they all knew what Jiang Chunzao’s temperament was like. When had the third family become so considerate?

Father Lu was quite pleased when he heard this. He glanced at the steaming bowl of noodles on the table and said with satisfaction: “The third family really knows how to treat people well. Not only did they say they were going to make me a new cotton coat, but today, they made beef noodles and didn’t forget about the old couple. That’s nice.”

Nice my foot!

Mother Lu’s face darkened even more, and she plopped down on the bed, sulking without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Liu Hongyan, who was standing by, suddenly became like someone who had crawled out of a vinegar jar. She sarcastically remarked: “The third family really is something! They make so much money each month, and they can’t even spend it all. We never see them treating their parents, but now, they decide to be generous for once. And yet, they only send over three bowls of beef noodles. Our whole Lu family—three bowls of noodles? One for Dad, one for Mom, and who’s getting the last one? Really stingy!”

Father Lu was about to scold Liu Hongyan for her remarks, but before he could speak, Mother Lu, from the bed, exploded first. She jumped up angrily and shouted: “Jiang Chunzao, that sharp-tongued girl, did this on purpose! She sent these three bowls of noodles just to make a mockery of me! There’s no noodle for me! What’s there to eat?!”