Chapter 39: Clearly Tired from the Night

Jiang Yue had dug up a whole bag of bamboo shoots. It looked like a lot, but after peeling them, there wasn’t much left, as these small, sharp shoots lose a lot of their size after their shells are removed.

The process of peeling the bamboo shoots was quite relieving. Seeing the white, tender shoots pile up, Jiang Yue had already thought of several ways to cook them.

However, fresh bamboo shoots had a bitter taste, so they needed to be blanched in hot water to remove the bitterness.

Jiang Yue had already boiled a pot of hot water, and after cleaning the bamboo shoots, she cut them into pieces and tossed them into the pot. They only needed to boil for two minutes before they could be taken out.

She kept enough for today’s meal and placed the remaining bamboo shoots in a bamboo sieve, letting them dry in the sun for two sieves’ worth of time. She placed them in a well-lit, well-ventilated spot to dry them into dried bamboo shoots for easy storage. Whenever she wanted to eat them, she could just grab a handful and soak them in water to rehydrate.

As a highly productive food blogger, every video Jiang Yue filmed required long preparation. She traveled all over the country to shoot material. She was hands-on with everything, and every shot was only made after she had thoroughly learned how to do it herself. Because of this, Jiang Yue had become very skilled at these tasks.

Over here, Jiang Yue was digging up shoots and peeling them, completely exhausted, and her throat felt like it was about to give out. She pulled a chair over and sat down, pouring herself a drink from her enamel cup.

While drinking, she massaged her back. She hadn’t felt it while she was digging and peeling, but now that she was done, her waist ached terribly.

Someone called out from outside: “Jiang Yue? Are you home?”

Jiang Yue recognized it was Sister-in-law Zhao’s voice, so she hurriedly put down her cup and walked toward the yard gate. “I’m home!”

“Mom, the door’s not locked!” Zhao Yuanqi had come with his mother. He reached out and pushed the door, and it opened.

When Gu Ye left, Jiang Yue had been sleeping. He had locked the door from the outside, and after Jiang Yue woke up, she didn’t think to lock it again. In this era, people lived simply, and no one worried about theft, especially since every household was poor, and there wasn’t much worth stealing.

“You troublemaker, is your skin itching again? Can’t keep your hands to yourself?” Sister-in-law Zhao slapped Zhao Yuanqi’s head and glared at him fiercely.

What she was thinking was: “Is this door something you can just push open? Especially Gu Ye and Jiang Yue’s door! What if something embarrassing happened inside, like last night, and you just opened the door like this? That would be so awkward!”

“Mom, why are you hitting me!” Zhao Yuanqi didn’t know what his mother was thinking. He felt wronged, thinking he had just pushed the door, and now he was being slapped!

Besides, the door wasn’t even locked, and he hadn’t used much force. The door opened on its own!

Just then, Jiang Yue arrived in front of them. Seeing Sister-in-law Zhao had come, she greeted her happily: “Sister-in-law, what brings you here at this time?”

As soon as Sister-in-law Zhao saw Jiang Yue, a smile appeared on her face. She took a bunch of vegetables, a few chili peppers, and a piece of meat from the basket she was holding and handed them to Jiang Yue. “Here!”

Jiang Yue was puzzled. “Sister-in-law, what’s this for?”

She hadn’t asked Sister-in-law Zhao to help buy groceries. Even if Sister-in-law Zhao wanted to give her something, it wouldn’t make sense.

In this day and age, every family was struggling financially. Even if Sister-in-law Zhao was kind-hearted, it wasn’t like she would just hand over a piece of meat without reason.

Sister-in-law Zhao noticed Jiang Yue’s confusion and smiled, explaining: “Regiment Commander Gu came to our house this morning. He told me that you wouldn’t be able to go to the market today and asked me to buy some fresh vegetables and bring them to you. I came over earlier and called you, but you didn’t answer.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yue felt a bit embarrassed. “I didn’t sleep much last night, and I was so tired this morning that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I must have been sleeping too deeply, and I didn’t hear you calling me!”

After hearing this, Sister-in-law Zhao’s smile became more meaningful, and in her mind, she started to speculate. When she and Old Zhao came over last night, it wasn’t even seven-thirty or eight o’clock yet. At that time, Gu Ye and Jiang Yue were… Then Jiang Yue said she hadn’t slept well last night, and Gu Ye had come to their house early this morning, saying Jiang Yue wouldn’t be able to go to the market and asking for help buying groceries…

As someone with experience, Sister-in-law Zhao couldn’t help but overthink.

Jiang Yue, however, had no idea that Sister-in-law Zhao’s mind was running wild. She greeted her and Zhao Yuanqi: “Sister-in-law, come sit for a while. I’ll get the money and the meat tickets for you.”

Sister-in-law Zhao snapped back to reality and quickly said: “No need, Regiment Commander Gu gave them to me this morning!”

“Gu Ye gave them to you?” Jiang Yue was surprised again. Was Gu Ye really that considerate?

“Jiang Yue, are you okay?” Sister-in-law Zhao stepped inside and immediately fixed her gaze on Jiang Yue. She could tell that Jiang Yue didn’t look well. There were dark circles under her eyes, indicating she was clearly exhausted from the night.

Moreover, she noticed Jiang Yue had been rubbing her back and leaning on it occasionally. Sister-in-law Zhao, being someone who had been through a lot, couldn’t help but think more deeply.

“I’m fine!” Jiang Yue assumed Sister-in-law Zhao was just showing her usual concern. She didn’t realize what Sister-in-law Zhao was thinking. Smiling, she added: “Sister-in-law, I just dug up some bamboo shoots from our backyard. If you don’t mind, you can take some home to cook.”

Sister-in-law Zhao hurriedly tried to refuse. “How can I take them? We came to deliver vegetables, not to take yours back!”

Jiang Yue smiled and said: “Sister-in-law, don’t be so polite. I dug these myself, they’re not worth much. Just a little something to taste. Don’t mind it, alright?”

Having heard Jiang Yue’s insistence, Sister-in-law Zhao couldn’t refuse any longer. “Well then, I’ll shamelessly accept them. Thank you!”

“Sister-in-law, don’t be so polite with me!” Jiang Yue grabbed the bamboo shoots drying in the sieve and began placing them into Sister-in-law Zhao’s basket.

“That’s enough, that’s enough!” Sister-in-law Zhao thought Jiang Yue just meant to toss in a couple of handfuls, but to her surprise, Jiang Yue filled half the basket. Sister-in-law Zhao couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and tried to hide the basket behind her.

At that moment, Sister-in-law Zhao’s opinion of Jiang Yue grew even more favorable. She had always known that Jiang Yue was a good little girl. Her past behavior wasn’t because she was a bad person, but rather because she hadn’t adapted well to life in the Family Residential Compound.

“Jiang Yue, there are a few things I’ve been thinking about, and I think I should talk to you about them.” Sister-in-law Zhao said.

Because of the strong relationship between Gu Ye and Regiment Commander Zhao, even though Jiang Yue hadn’t always had a good reputation, Sister-in-law Zhao had never said anything bad about her. She had always hoped Jiang Yue and Gu Ye would live happily together. Therefore, seeing Jiang Yue’s recent changes, Sister-in-law Zhao was the happiest person.

“What is it? You can just tell me, Sister-in-law!” Jiang Yue thought Sister-in-law Zhao had something important to say, so she immediately focused and listened attentively.

Since the moment they had entered, Zhao Yuanqi had been staring at Jiang Yue, hoping she would notice him and give him a piece of sugar cake. He had already seen the oil-paper-wrapped cakes on the table in the main room.

But his mother had been holding Jiang Yue’s attention with conversation, and he was getting desperate. How could he hint to Jiang Yue that he wanted to eat the sugar cake?

Sister-in-law Zhao thought for a moment before speaking again. “Jiang Yue, our two families have a deep connection. Regiment Commander Gu and our Old Zhao have a life-and-death bond. It’s only because of that connection that I feel comfortable talking to you like this.”

Jiang Yue nodded. “Mm-hmm.” She was curious about the life-and-death bond between Gu Ye and Regiment Commander Zhao.

“As women, we rely on men to provide for us. Men work hard outside, earning money to support our little families. It’s very tough for them.” Sister-in-law Zhao continued.

Jiang Yue nodded again. “Mm-hmm.”

She thought to herself, Is Sister-in-law Zhao giving me a lesson on proper female conduct? Did Gu Ye say something?

But that didn’t make sense. She hadn’t had any conflicts with Gu Ye recently, except for the incident where he argued with her about sleeping!

So why was Sister-in-law Zhao specifically telling her to understand men?

Was that what she meant?

On the surface, Jiang Yue remained calm, but inside, she began to wonder. She had been taking great care of Gu Ye these past few days, making sure he ate well and was comfortable. What more did Sister-in-law Zhao expect from her to show her understanding of men?

Just as Jiang Yue was deep in thought, Sister-in-law Zhao suddenly changed the topic.