Chapter 45 : Then we can be neighbors?

When Ye Suiwan returned to the dormitory again, she entered the space, then took out her little notebook and wrote down notes about Sun He’s family. There was no other way, good memory couldn’t compare to a good pen.  

Only then did she prepare to take a bath in the stream, of course, with a book in her hand. Ye Suiwan had moved a chair with armrests from her dormitory into the stream, turning the stream into a natural bathtub.  

She was really smart.  

After taking a bath and washing her clothes, Ye Suiwan sat back down at the Eight Immortals table. This table had now become her desk, study table, and clothing rack. In short, it was multifunctional.  

But once she opened the Time Mall, she would definitely redecorate this thatched cottage.  

She also needed to see if she could buy a mobile house like the ones in later generations. If she couldn’t, then she would just pretend she never had the idea.  

At around nine o’clock in the evening, Ye Suiwan left the space.  

Unless necessary, she wouldn’t spend the night in the space, though she had already prepared a small bed for herself.  

Lying in bed, Ye Suiwan still found it a little unbelievable that she and Xiao Yuyan had actually received their marriage certificate.  

Tomorrow, she planned to pick some vegetables and steam big buns in the space kitchen, making it more convenient for her to eat later.  

She had thought about learning how to make smoked meat from Miao Yan, but she didn’t have any meat on hand, so she put it on hold for now. Once her space was filled with pigs, cows, and sheep, would she get sick of making it?  

—  

When she woke up the next morning, everyone else had already gone to work. Ye Suiwan made herself a cup of malted milk, ate a piece of egg cake, and prepared to pack her belongings.  

Some were stored in the space, some were packed in bags, and the rest things she used daily were set aside separately.  

Though it looked messy, there was actually order in the chaos. As long as she could quickly find what she needed, that was enough.  

She worked diligently, and time passed quickly. When lunchtime approached, she wanted to eat with everyone, so she went out to see what was for lunch. She was considering whether to get rice or noodles.  

Zhou Jingjing was in charge of cooking today. Ye Suiwan actually felt that Zhou Jingjing didn’t seem like an ordinary person. She was very grounded.  

Before, the two of them would never have gotten along, but now she quite liked her.  

“Jingjing, what are we having for lunch?”  

“Why are you sweating? What were you doing?”  

Zhou Jingjing asked curiously when she saw the sweat on Ye Suiwan’s face.  

“I was packing my things. I’ll take them to the Xiao family tomorrow.”  

“I see. Now that you’ve got the marriage certificate, how do you feel?”  

Zhou Jingjing teased.  

“Just tell me what you want to eat. I’ll see what I can get for you.”  

Ye Suiwan didn’t want to answer her gossiping question.  

“We’re having steamed buns and stew. My cooking skills are limited, so I just try to make it edible.”  

Zhou Jingjing spread her hands helplessly.  

“How about noodle soup? I’ll teach you.”  

Ye Suiwan figured she still had some packing left to do, but she wasn’t in a hurry, so she decided to stay and cook with her.  

“Okay! How do we make it?”  

“We have whole grain noodles, right?”  

Zhou Jingjing’s eyes lit up.  

“I’ll go get a bowl of white flour. I ran out of whole grain noodles.”  

After saying that, she ran back to the dormitory.  

“Go pick some tomatoes!”  

She also didn’t forget to assign Zhou Jingjing a task.  

“Okay!”  

The two returned to the kitchen. Ye Suiwan gave instructions while Zhou Jingjing worked.  

“Not enough water, add a little more.”  

“Yes, that’s right….wait, too much!”  

“Add some flour.”  

“That’s good. Just enjoy the process!”  

“Okay, this texture is just right.”  

“If you’re not skilled at it yet, add flour and water little by little in multiple rounds.”  

“Let it rest for a moment. Now, let’s make the tomato soup.”  

“First, make a cross-cut on the tomatoes, scald them with hot water, and peel them.”  

“Chop the tomatoes right in the bowl.”  

“Yes, that’s right. Chop some scallions too. We’ll cook them later.”  

“Splash!”  

All the chopped tomatoes were poured into the hot pan.  

“Stir-fry over high heat until fragrant, then add water and bring it to a boil.”  

“Once it boils, throw in the noodles.”  

“Got it?”  

Ye Suiwan glanced at Zhou Jingjing.  

“I got it! I’ll cook like this from now on. It’s so much easier!”  

Zhou Jingjing looked at Ye Suiwan with admiration in her eyes.  

“Here, beat these four eggs and add them later.”  

“I’ll pick some vegetables from the garden in the afternoon as a replacement.”  

Ziye had never watered the garden before the year-end, so she didn’t want to eat the vegetables for free now. That wouldn’t feel right.  

“Why don’t you just take my share? No need to use the eggs.”  

“Put them in!”  

Ye Suiwan insisted.  

“Alright!”  

Zhou Jingjing felt like Ye Suiwan was getting impatient with her.  

“You know, the secretary’s daughter got married today.”  

“Yeah, I heard yesterday.”  

Ye Suiwan wasn’t surprised at all. Sun He would never let his daughter ruin his plans.  

“Huh? I just found out from an auntie. How come you’re more informed than me?”  

Ye Suiwan thought, “That aunt didn’t tell you I kicked someone out? Looks like her gossiping skills aren’t that great!”  

But she didn’t want to continue the topic.  

“Focus on the pot.”  

Back to cooking.  

“Okay, I’m watching!”  

“By the way, are you joining the army?”  

“Yeah, but I’ll stay for two or three more months. I’ll come back to visit during holidays.”  

She knew that most educated youths couldn’t return to the city so easily.  

“Which province?”  

“Lu Province Construction Corps.”  

“No way! What a coincidence!”  

Zhou Jingjing was shocked.  

“What’s wrong?”  

Ye Suiwan was puzzled.  

“My family arranged a blind date for me… and he’s stationed there.”  

“Really? Have you met him?”  

“We grew up in the same compound, but I haven’t seen him in years. He rarely comes home.”  

Zhou Jingjing barely remembered what he looked like, only that he used to bully her as a kid.  

“If you marry him, you can accompany the army, right? Then we’d be neighbors?”  

Ye Suiwan thought that would be great.  

“He’s high-ranking enough for me to accompany him, but nothing’s set in stone yet. Let’s wait and see.”  

Zhou Jingjing spoke honestly.  

“Alright, follow your heart.”  

Since Ye Suiwan didn’t know the details, she didn’t want to interfere.  

“Okay, the water’s boiling! Time to cook the noodles.”  

“I’ll teach you how to stretch the dough.”  

The two of them got busy.  

“If you’re slow, roll it out first, cut it with a knife, and just pull it when it’s time.”  

Ye Suiwan shared a trick.  

After some chatting and laughter, lunch was finally ready.  

At the dinner table, everyone was happy to see the appetizing noodle soup.  

“By the way, I added four eggs. I want to pick some vegetables from the garden as a replacement.”  

“Just do as she says. Eat up!”  

Zhou Jingjing cut off further discussion, knowing what everyone wanted to say.  

After lunch, Ye Suiwan went straight back to her dormitory for a nap. She planned to wake up, harvest crops in her space, and replant them.  

She hoped to open the Time Mall before returning to Beijing.  

Still, as she packed her last belongings, she suddenly felt reluctant to leave this little house.  

After just a few days of rebirth, this place had become familiar.  

She hoped the next educated youth would have a good life here.