“Alright, thank you for your hard work.”

The man nodded politely. Since their marriage, he had truly started living a life where everything was done for him—clothes ready at hand, meals prepared—a pace that felt like early retirement.

Hearing his polite response, An Xin’s face inexplicably flushed. She quickly composed herself and replied earnestly, “What’s so hard about this? It’s just day-to-day life. Go wash up quickly, and I’ll check if breakfast is ready. After we eat, I still need to visit Mom in the provincial city.”

However, her inner thoughts were far from calm. If Bai Yichen ever finds out that I schemed to marry him, forcing him into this situation, will he still thank me? He’d probably kick me out instead.

That’s why An Xin had a pressing mission: to save enough money before Bai Yichen had a chance to kick her out. If she could secure her finances, she’d be able to support her family independently and wouldn’t have to rely on him. Who knows? Maybe she could even secretly become a wealthy woman.

“Mm.”

Bai Yichen hummed in acknowledgment and walked into the bathroom. The washbasin was already filled with warm water, and his toothbrush had toothpaste neatly squeezed onto it.

He raised an eyebrow, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he began brushing his teeth.

The reality was much less romantic than Bai Yichen imagined. An Xin had simply squeezed out too much toothpaste earlier and used his toothbrush to avoid waste.

By the time Bai Yichen entered the kitchen, An Xin had already set the breakfast table. Steam rose from freshly cooked soup dumplings, golden corn porridge simmered in a pot, and a side dish of cold-dressed daylily sat ready, all creating an incredibly appetizing spread.

“Come eat!” An Xin called cheerfully, motioning for him to join her.

Bai Yichen sat down, scooped himself a bowl of porridge, and gazed through the fragrant steam at the young woman across from him. Her face, flushed from the morning’s work, glowed with a warm pink hue, like a perfectly ripened peach. A strange but pleasant feeling stirred in his chest.

Since marrying An Xin, everything in his life seemed to be going smoothly. Just yesterday, on a trip to the provincial city, he stopped by their operation site.

Huzi had already used the profits from their last batch of goods to restock. A few brothers had stayed behind to run small street stalls, ensuring their daily expenses were covered.

The goods sold faster than before, yielding a significant profit. Bai Yichen had instructed Huzi to take the funds north for bulk purchases, reinvesting everything into more goods.

Now that he had a family to support, Bai Yichen felt the weight of responsibility. An Xin, this little woman of his, had a particular palate and spared no expense when it came to food. Every breakfast was unique, and he was often the biggest beneficiary of her culinary skills.

He resolved to earn more money—not just to sustain his operation and set his brothers up for the future but also to provide for An Xin and her family.

An Xin had already taken on the responsibility of her orphaned siblings and widowed mother. Now that she was his wife, her family was his responsibility too. As a man, Bai Yichen believed it was his duty to stand tall and bear these burdens.

While Bai Yichen pondered their future, An Xin sat at the table, casually picking up a few dumplings with her chopsticks and placing them on his plate.

“Try these. Today’s dumplings are soup-filled; you should eat more!”

Her words snapped Bai Yichen out of his thoughts. Looking down, he saw the plump, delicate dumplings on his plate, still steaming hot.

“Mm, thank you,” he said sincerely.

An Xin, busy chewing her own dumpling, could only smile in response before continuing to eat.

These soup-filled dumplings had a bit of a story behind them. During a trip to a coastal city, she fell in love with Guangdong-style breakfasts and spent a month frequenting a particular shop famous for its soup dumplings.

Eventually, she pestered the chef so much that he reluctantly shared his recipe. Before she left, she even promised not to use his techniques for commercial purposes, earning a few extra private recipes as a parting gift.

Back in the 21st century, she had taken great joy in experimenting with Cantonese breakfasts and flaunting her creations on food blogs, garnering admiration from food enthusiasts.

Yet here she was now, in a different time and place. She hadn’t even gotten to fully enjoy the fruits of her labor in the modern world. Worse still, she had just paid off her house loan and was planning a trip to the Maldives when fate tossed her into this impoverished era.

What a cruel twist of fate!

Lost in thought, An Xin bit into a dumpling a little too forcefully. Hot soup burst out, splattering her face, mouth, and even her clothes.

Across the table, Bai Yichen looked up just in time to witness her mishap. For a moment, he froze, staring at her soup-streaked face, before suppressing a laugh. He grabbed a tissue and handed it to her while scolding lightly, “How can you be so careless? Did you burn yourself?”

An Xin, already mortified, hadn’t expected Bai Yichen to help wipe her face. Before she could respond, the remaining soup slid down her throat, causing her to choke.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

She turned away from the table, coughing violently. Her mind raced with indignation: This is one of those days where everything goes wrong!

Bai Yichen quickly got up and patted her back, his tone full of concern.
“Careful! Why are you choking now?”