Chapter 12: Regiment Commander Gu, Please Help Yourself!

First, peel the potatoes and cut them into thick slices, then into strips. Soak them in water for five minutes to remove the starch.

Next, clean the salted pork, slice it, and fry it in a pan with oil. Sprinkle with chopped green onions. Since the salted pork is already salty, there is no need to add salt. Then, steam it together with the washed rice.

Gu Ye’s family still used a wood-fired stove, with two large pots and two stove pits. When Jiang Yue was a blogger in her past life, she had seen this common rural stove when filming videos, so using it now was quite familiar to her.

Although there was a bit of a hiccup when lighting the fire, Jiang Yue quickly figured out how to use it.

While the rice was cooking, she cleaned the other large pot, poured in some oil, and added the potato strips to fry them. Once they turned golden and crispy, they were ready to be taken out. They smelled delicious and were tasty even on their own.

As Jiang Yue brought the salted pork rice and the sweet and sour cabbage out of the kitchen, she saw Ningning salivating and staring eagerly at the fries.

Indeed, no child could resist fries with ketchup!

Jiang Yue smiled slightly and pretended to take the fries away. “What’s wrong? Don’t want to eat them? Then I’ll just take them away!”

“Dad!” Ningning panicked, her small hands clenching tightly.

But since Gu Ye didn’t speak, she didn’t dare eat. What if Mom really poisoned these fries?

“Calling Dad won’t help. If you don’t eat, I’ll eat them all by myself!” Jiang Yue chuckled.

At that moment, a large hand reached over and took the plate from Jiang Yue’s hand. Gu Ye picked up a fry, glanced at Jiang Yue, and put the fry in his mouth. He bit down, and the outside was crispy while the inside was soft—it was indeed very tasty.

Gu Ye’s furrowed brows slowly relaxed. Just as he was about to reach for a few more fries, his large hand was suddenly slapped by Jiang Yue with a “smack.”

“Go wash your hands!” Jiang Yue, seeing the sharp gaze Gu Ye raised, and the muscles under his shirt tightening, felt a bit intimidated.

This man was handsome, but he was also truly frightening!

Actually, taming such a man would be quite an accomplishment. And the more rebellious a man was, once tamed, he would become more loyal and devoted.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yue suddenly shivered. Forget it, forget it. Gu Ye was like a fierce wolf; she wouldn’t have the fortune to handle him. Let the female lead take care of him!

She, Jiang Yue, only hoped to survive!

“Alright, you don’t want to wash? Fine!” Jiang Yue immediately shrank under Gu Ye’s cold gaze. She gritted her teeth and, with great effort, pushed the plate in front of him. “Regiment Commander Gu, please help yourself!”

When Gu Ye saw Jiang Yue’s fawning reaction, the corners of his tightly set mouth twitched imperceptibly.

“I’ll go wash my hands!” he said gruffly, leaving behind those words as he stood up and walked toward the well.

Jiang Yue immediately brightened and said: “That’s more like it! Even little Ningning knows to wash her hands before eating, Regiment Commander Gu, there’s no way you’re worse than little Ningning, right?”

At this, Gu Ye’s mouth not only twitched but his handsome face also began to show signs of struggle to control his expression.

Jiang Yue had actually said that he was no match for Ningning?

When Gu Ye returned after washing his hands and saw Ningning’s expectant gaze, he nodded. Jiang Yue had already eaten, so it should be fine.

Although Ningning was still a bit hesitant and scared, the fries in front of her were too tempting. She reached out her small hand and grabbed one.

“Here, dipping it in ketchup makes it even tastier!” Jiang Yue pushed a small bowl of ketchup in front of Ningning.

“Ketchup? You mean persimmons? Are persimmons for sale at this time of year?” Gu Ye had not paid attention earlier, but now, looking at the dark mixture in the small bowl, he expressed doubt.

“Oh, it’s like this!” 

Jiang Yue knew it was hard to dispel Gu Ye’s dislike and prejudice toward her with just one meal, so when faced with his doubts, she explained patiently: “It’s actually not the season for tomatoes, so I steamed sweet potatoes, mashed them, and then used white sugar and water to caramelize and mix them together…”

“Although it doesn’t look great, it tastes fine! But Ningning, I’ll make you real tomato ketchup when tomatoes are in season. Tomato ketchup is sweet and sour, and it’s so delicious!”

Ningning’s big eyes seemed to light up.

Tomato ketchup, fries, she remembered!

“Alright, enough talking, let’s eat!” Jiang Yue swiftly served rice to Gu Ye and then said to Ningning, who was crunching on fries: “Ningning, eat five more and then stop. Let’s eat the rice first, and you can have more fries afterward, okay?”

Ningning obediently nodded and placed five more fries in her small bowl.

Gu Ye narrowed his eyes and glanced at Jiang Yue, something flickering in his dark gaze.

Although there were only two dishes, Gu Ye was surprised to find that Jiang Yue’s cooking was actually quite good. He ate two large bowls, and even Ningning finished all the food in her small bowl.

Jiang Yue, on the other hand, had intended to show off her cooking, but her body was too weak, and her appetite poor. She could only eat half a bowl before being unable to eat any more.

After finishing the meal, Jiang Yue stood up to clear the dishes.

“I’ll do it!” Gu Ye also stood up and took the chopsticks from Jiang Yue’s hands.

Jiang Yue looked at the handsome profile of the man and, with a quick thought, decided to push her luck a little. “Could you also wash the bowls?”

Seeing Gu Ye look at her, she quickly made a gesture of rubbing her waist, speaking in a coquettish voice: “I’ve been working all afternoon, I’m so tired! My waist is aching and I can’t even stand up straight!”

Gu Ye: “…Fine, you go rest.”

Jiang Yue smiled and watched as Gu Ye cleared the table and placed the dishes in the water basin beside the well. She silently gave him a thumbs up in her heart.

He’s handsome, and he’s willing to do housework. I’ll give him an extra point!

Jiang Yue knew that one meal wouldn’t change Gu Ye’s opinion of her, but she had also keenly noticed that when he looked at her during the meal, his gaze wasn’t as cold as it had been in the morning.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Ningning, go open the door!” Jiang Yue had gone inside the room, and since Gu Ye was washing dishes, she asked Ningning to open the door.

With a creak, the wooden door opened, and Ningning, biting a fry, saw who it was and muttered indistinctly: “Aunt Xiuxiu!”

It was Li Xiuxiu, holding a bowl with food pressed inside, standing shyly at the door.

“Ningning, who is it?” Gu Ye turned to look.

“Regiment Commander Gu, it’s me, Li Xiuxiu.” Upon seeing Gu Ye, Li Xiuxiu’s face immediately turned bright red.

“Oh, why are you here at this hour? Is something wrong?” Gu Ye stacked the washed dishes neatly to one side and wiped his hands with a towel, walking toward the door.

He thought Li Xiuxiu had come to bring something that Ningning had left behind. Occasionally, Ningning’s things would be forgotten at Chen Baozhu’s house, and Li Hongying would send Li Xiuxiu to return them.

When Li Xiuxiu saw Gu Ye washing dishes, she couldn’t help but feel even more disdainful of Jiang Yue. Lazy woman! She doesn’t do any work and even makes the man wash the dishes!

“Regiment Commander Gu, my sister is worried that you and Ningning might not have dinner, so she asked me to bring you some food.” Li Xiuxiu said, her face turning red as she spoke, her voice barely audible like a mosquito’s hum.

Li Hongying had told her that Jiang Yue, that lazy woman, hadn’t cooked, and Gu Ye’s house would definitely have a cold stove. So, in the afternoon, Li Hongying had specifically told Li Xiuxiu not to let Ningning eat anything, hoping to make sure Ningning would be hungry by the time she got home. Gu Ye could go without food, but if Ningning had nothing to eat, he would definitely argue with Jiang Yue.

Thus, Li Hongying had carefully timed when to send the meal over, ensuring that Gu Ye would feel grateful to her.