Chapter 11: Every Time Jiang Yue Goes into the Kitchen, Nothing Good Comes of It!

At five thirty in the afternoon, Li Xiuxiu tugged at Ningning, standing at the door and eagerly peering out.

The Family Residential Compound was located inside the 179th Military Division Headquarters, but it was quite far from the training area. Usually, the regiment-level officers living here were chauffeured by Driver Xiao Zhang.

As soon as Gu Ye got out of the car, Li Xiuxiu, with her sharp eyes, spotted him. Her eyes brightened, and she quickly excitedly picked up Ningning, eager to go greet him.

“Xiuxiu! Wait for me!” Li Hongying called out, putting down her spatula and wiping her hands on her apron as she followed behind: “I have a few words to say to Commander Gu.”

“Oh!” Li Xiuxiu was completely focused on the tall and handsome man walking towards them, her mind and eyes filled with him, hardly hearing what Li Hongying was saying.

“Dad!” As soon as Ningning saw Gu Ye, she immediately opened her arms towards him, her little face full of joy.

Gu Ye quickened his pace, smiling as he caught Ningning. “Did Ningning miss Dad today?”

“Mhm, Ningning has been thinking about Dad all day!” Ningning clung to Gu Ye’s neck, completely affectionate.

Li Xiuxiu had originally prepared a lot to say to Gu Ye, but as soon as he got closer, her mind went blank. Her face turned so red it felt as if it might bleed. She nervously tugged at her thick braid, not daring to look up at Gu Ye.

“We’re going home!” Gu Ye, unaware of Li Xiuxiu’s bashfulness, simply carried Ningning and began walking toward home.

“Wait, Commander Gu!” Li Hongying hadn’t been working today, although Jiang Yue had forbidden her to do so. However, she was worried that Gu Ye might return home, and Jiang Yue might retaliate, so she quickly rushed to explain things to Gu Ye.

“Alright! I understand!” Gu Ye responded upon hearing that Jiang Yue had kicked Li Hongying out of the kitchen and wouldn’t even let her cook. His brows briefly furrowed, but he only gave a faint acknowledgment, indicating that he understood.

Since yesterday, Jiang Yue had been acting very out of character, and any additional strange behavior no longer surprised him.

Gu Ye walked with Ningning toward their home. The Family Residential Compound at the Military Division Headquarters was divided into two sections. The old houses were row-style, with one family per house. Last year, a few new family buildings had been constructed by the headquarters, but only those with a rank of Company Commander or above could apply to live there.

One issue between Jiang Yue and Gu Ye was that she had wanted to move into one of the new buildings, but Gu Ye had given her spot to someone else. This had made Jiang Yue so angry that she had started a hunger strike at home.

As Gu Ye walked further away, Li Xiuxiu continued to gaze after him, reluctant to tear her eyes away.

Li Hongying yanked Li Xiuxiu by the arm, her face full of frustration, as if she were disappointed: “You, you’re just too honest. When Commander Gu was standing right in front of you just now, why didn’t you say anything? Now, what’s the point of just looking?”

Li Xiuxiu bit her lip and remained silent.

Gu Ye’s house was located at the farthest end of the compound. Just as father and daughter were about to reach the door, Ningning suddenly tugged at Gu Ye’s clothes and looked up cautiously, asking: “Dad, will Mom leave again when she comes back this time?”

“Why do you ask that?” Gu Ye crouched down, looking at Ningning.

Ningning pouted: “If Dad brings Mom back, does that mean you don’t want Ningning anymore?”

Gu Ye furrowed his brows at this: “Who told you that? Did Mom say that?”

Ningning opened her mouth to deny it but suddenly recalled Li Hongying’s words. She glanced around, worried that a big bad wolf might suddenly appear to bite her, and in fear, she hid into Gu Ye’s embrace.

Gu Ye’s gaze darkened immediately: “It’s Jiang Yue again!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yue, busy in the courtyard, suddenly sneezed. She rubbed her nose and looked up at the sky. It seemed like the wind had picked up, and it felt a little cold.

Gu Ye pushed open the courtyard door, expecting to see a mess. Jiang Yue never did housework and always left things lying around, with terrible living habits. That’s why he had asked Li Hongying to come and help clean up, as well as make lunch.

However, to Gu Ye’s surprise, the courtyard looked unusually tidy. The dead leaves and branches he had seen earlier in the morning were gone, and the ground seemed to have been watered. Everything was clean and neat.

Gu Ye felt that something wasn’t right. He looked around, trying to find Jiang Yue. At this time, she should be inside reading, so he decided to head indoors.

Just then, Ningning wrinkled her little nose. “Dad, it smells so good!”

Gu Ye also noticed the fragrance wafting from the kitchen. His brow almost knitted together as he scolded: “Jiang Yue, what are you doing?”

Every time Jiang Yue went into the kitchen, nothing good came of it!

A head poked out from the kitchen window—it was Jiang Yue, her hair tied up in a ponytail, holding a spatula and grinning brightly. “You’re back! Wait a moment, there’s one more dish; it’ll be ready soon!”

Gu Ye thought his eyes were deceiving him. Had Jiang Yue just smiled at him?

“Ningning, hurry up and wash your hands! I made something delicious!” Jiang Yue’s voice called out again from the kitchen.

“Dad!” Ningning looked up at Gu Ye with confusion. This was the first time Mom had smiled at her, and she was scared.

“Go wash your hands!” Gu Ye patted Ningning’s little head. When he looked up again, his dark eyes were filled with coldness. He was eager to see what trick Jiang Yue was trying to play this time.

By the well, there was a small basin with half a basin of water in it. Ningning washed her hands clean, then noticed a towel on the nearby stool. She recognized it as Jiang Yue’s towel but didn’t dare to touch it.

Jiang Yue’s voice came again at the right moment: “Ningning, use the towel to dry your hands, then you can come over and eat the fries!”

Fries? Ningning, still young, was immediately excited. As soon as she heard there was something tasty, and with the delicious aroma wafting in as they entered the courtyard, she was already drooling.

Jiang Yue came out holding a plate, placing it on the small table in the courtyard. “The weather’s nice today, let’s eat outside!”

Gu Ye looked down at the plate, which was filled with long pieces, and a small bowl of red stuff beside it. He asked suspiciously: “What is this?”

“These are fries with ketchup, they’re really delicious!” Jiang Yue picked up a fry, dipped it in the sauce, and held it out to Ningning’s mouth.

But Ningning didn’t open her mouth. Instead, she looked at Gu Ye.

Jiang Yue turned her gaze to Gu Ye as well. Seeing him frown with suspicion, his handsome face filled with doubt, she sighed and slightly curled her lips. “What, are you afraid I poisoned it and will kill you?”

Gu Ye’s dark eyes suddenly shot up, a cold glint flashing across them.

Jiang Yue twitched her lips, deciding to ignore Gu Ye’s hostility. After all, she was stuck with the identity of the original owner’s malicious female supporting character.

“These are made from potatoes that I fried!” She popped a fry into her mouth and chewed it loudly: “Crunch, crunch.”

Jiang Yue had been hoping that Gu Ye would praise her when he came back. Even if he didn’t, at least he wouldn’t look at her with such cold and murderous eyes. She had worked hard all afternoon, just trying to change her image in his eyes.

But it seemed that neither father nor daughter appreciated her efforts!

They even suspected her of poisoning them?

Speaking of what Jiang Yue had done that afternoon, she first cleaned the courtyard, organizing the clutter. Fearing the dust, she also sprinkled some water on the ground.

Once that was done, she moved inside to clean, sweeping and dusting. As the evening drew near, she started preparing dinner, only to find that the house was almost out of ingredients—just a few potatoes, a bunch of wilted green onions, and a couple of sprouting sweet potatoes. Luckily, she managed to find some dried salted meat and a large cabbage, which was enough to start making dinner.

As a food blogger with millions of followers, Jiang Yue made full use of the limited ingredients she had.