Chapter 3: Is It Okay to Call Him “Husband” in This Era?

Rong Jingchen’s father had also been a soldier, who died in the line of duty ten years ago.

This was the first time Ye Muqi had met her husband in person, and she couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times. As expected, soldiers were handsome no matter the era!

Rong Jingchen: “……”

Seeing Ye Muqi’s eyes glued to him without even a blink, Rong Jingchen frowned ever so slightly.

She was probably fangirling again, just like when she had seen him in the past.

A year had gone by, and she was still the same, no change at all.

“Qiqi.” Xia Ying walked in, tugging at Ye Muqi and quietly reminding her, “…Say hello.”

Ye Muqi snapped out of her trance with that tug.

Say hello?

Sure, Rong Jingchen was good-looking, but this was their first meeting. Should she just go, “Hi, hubby”?

That… really didn’t seem appropriate.

Besides, was it even acceptable to call someone “husband” in this era?

If she used the wrong term, she might actually get arrested…

Ye Muqi’s brain suddenly overflowed with thoughts, nearly overheating like a burnt CPU.

“Well, you… you all, come in—please come in.” After some effort, Ye Muqi finally squeezed out a sentence.

Trying to act normal, Ye Muqi stiffly stepped forward, smiled politely at Rong Jingchen’s mother, Yin Lan, and then noticed the gift box in his hand. As the hostess, she instinctively reached out to take it.

“Let me take that.”

But she was so nervous that her hand accidentally grabbed Rong Jingchen’s hand instead.

Rong Jingchen: “?”

The three adults immediately turned their eyes toward the accidental hand-holding.

“My bad, my bad, I didn’t mean to!” Ye Muqi quickly let go.

Rong Jingchen gave her a strange look. The little fangirl actually apologized?

When their hands touched just now, his first instinct was to pull away—but then he remembered that this girl in front of him was his wife, so he restrained himself.

Of course, more importantly…

He was afraid Ye Muqi might suddenly get upset and go jump in a river again.

Before they came, his mother had repeatedly warned him that she had just been discharged from the hospital and he should not provoke the girl any further!

“These are some specialty products from the capital,” Rong Jingchen said in his deep, magnetic voice.

“Thank you.” Ye Muqi looked down, and this time carefully avoided touching his hand as she accepted the gift.

“Don’t just stand at the door—come in and have some tea.”

Xia Ying couldn’t help smiling. Before meeting him, Ye Muqi had been all anxious to see him. Now that he was back, why was she acting so shy?

Her daughter had grown up, learned to be reserved.

Not bad!

If only she’d been like this earlier, she wouldn’t have scared the poor guy so badly.

“Sorry for the trouble, Mother-in-law.” Rong Jingchen ducked slightly as he stepped inside. Once he entered the house, his tall figure instantly made the living room feel much smaller.

Xia Ying prepared the tea and welcomed Rong Jingchen and his mother.

“I’ll go make lunch. You two have a good chat.” Xia Ying leaned toward Ye Muqi and whispered.

After all, the two had gotten their marriage certificate and then Rong Jingchen had gone back to the army. They hadn’t seen each other for so long—Muqi must have lots to say.

Yin Lan seemed to be thinking the same thing. She stood up, apparently ready to follow Xia Ying into the kitchen to give the young couple some space.

Seeing this, Ye Muqi quickly got up.

She definitely didn’t want to be left alone with him—the atmosphere was too awkward. Cooking in the kitchen sounded far more comfortable.

“Mom, let me help with the cooking,” Ye Muqi said urgently.

Everyone: “?”

Do you even know your own skill level?

Rong Jingchen glanced at her curiously.

They hadn’t spent much time together in the past. It had always been her showing affection unilaterally—sometimes even forcibly—so in his mind, Ye Muqi had always been a shallow, ditzy beauty with no brains.

“You…” Xia Ying hesitated. Sure, Ye Muqi had been learning to cook at a restaurant, but thinking back to when she nearly set their kitchen on fire, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

“It’s fine, let me help!” Ye Muqi grabbed her mom’s hand and dragged her toward the kitchen.

“Well, alright then.” Yin Lan glanced at Rong Jingchen and suddenly sat back down. From Ye Muqi’s enthusiasm, she could guess what the girl was thinking.

Her son had returned, and now she was eager to show off.

Well, since this was the Ye family’s home, she couldn’t interfere. As the mother-in-law, she would just sit and enjoy some tea.

Xia Ying also suddenly realized what Muqi was up to.

If her daughter ended up serving a pot of culinary disaster, wouldn’t it scare the poor boy away?

“You can help by slicing the vegetables,” Xia Ying decided to play it safe and didn’t dare let Muqi actually cook.

“Okay!”

Ye Muqi picked up a potato, washed it, and started slicing. Her movements were clean and fluid—the slices were even and delicate, like they had come from a machine. Visually satisfying.

“Huh?” Xia Ying couldn’t hide her surprise. She hadn’t expected her knife skills to be so sharp.

“Not bad, not bad. Looks like you’ve put in the work.” Feeling reassured, she took off her apron and smiled. “Then I’ll leave the cooking to you.”

“Don’t worry, Mom.”

Once Xia Ying left the kitchen, Ye Muqi glanced at the dishes she was supposed to prepare and then at the few seasonings available at home.

Though simple seasoning can preserve the original taste of food, not all natural flavors are pleasant. Some seasonings were absolutely essential.

“Good thing I have my space…” Ye Muqi silently thanked the heavens for her awakened spatial ability.

With a thought, she pulled out the ingredients she needed from her portable space, moving with practiced ease. In no time, the kitchen was filled with a mouthwatering aroma that made people’s stomachs rumble.

The people chatting in the living room all kept sneaking glances toward the kitchen as the fragrance wafted out. Suddenly, everyone was looking forward to lunch.

“All done.” Ye Muqi stopped and looked at the colorful, fragrant dishes in front of her, thoroughly satisfied.

Even though she had changed bodies, her culinary skills hadn’t diminished one bit. Even if it was just simple home cooking, it was on par with any restaurant out there.

Dish by dish, she laid them on the table: shredded potatoes in vinegar, stir-fried pork with green peppers, sweet and sour ribs, stir-fried green beans, minced meat with eggplant, and finally, a bowl of tomato and egg soup.

The delicious aroma was overwhelming—many times stronger than what had been drifting out earlier. The plating was also gorgeous—just looking at it made mouths water.

“This… Muqi really made all this?” Ye Zhengfeng, her father, was stunned.

She’d been learning to cook for over half a year and hadn’t made a single meal for her parents—but the moment her fiancé showed up, she whipped up a whole feast?

Ye Zhengfeng couldn’t help but feel a bit sour in his heart.

“Come, try Muqi’s cooking,” Xia Ying beamed as she served everyone rice.

“Let me try,” Yin Lan was also surprised. Half a year ago, this same girl nearly burned down her kitchen. And now this?

She picked up a piece of eggplant.

“Delicious!”

The eggplant was soft and tender, with a rich, savory flavor that was hard to describe.

Yin Lan’s eyes lit up—it was even better than the restaurant’s!

Seeing her praise, Xia Ying quietly let out a breath of relief and quickly urged Rong Jingchen, “Jingchen, you should eat more too. Muqi learned to cook especially for you!”

She couldn’t help but say it, wanting him to know just how much effort Ye Muqi had put in.