Chapter 14: Laughter in the Courtyard, Shadows at the Door 

The previous military family that lived here had children, and the walls were covered in messy scribbles, which severely affected the overall appearance. 

Now that this house had been given to them, they weren’t sure how long they would be staying. It was entirely possible that they would live here for years. Naturally, Li Xia wanted to make the space as comfortable as possible. 

“Let’s scrape the walls clean. It looks too ugly as it is now,” Li Xia suggested. 

“And the restroom—it doesn’t have a roof. I want to put one up. Otherwise, we’d have to use an umbrella just to go to the toilet on rainy days. That’s way too inconvenient. It would be best if we could add a separate bathing area next to it too.” 

She was used to having a dedicated bathing space rather than washing up with just a basin in the bedroom. 

“Also, I want to enclose this part of the courtyard and turn it into a small vegetable garden. We can lay a pebble pathway through the middle and build a small pergola over there. It’d be nice to plant some grapevines so that, when they grow, they’ll provide both shade and a beautiful view.” 

“And over there—I’d like to set up a play area for An An. A little sandbox, a wooden rocking horse, and a swing.” 

Once the cleaning was done, Li Xia stood at the doorway, gazing at the spacious courtyard and mapping out her vision. 

This courtyard was truly big and wonderful—exactly the kind of courtyard she had always dreamed of. 

After voicing all her ideas, she suddenly realized that she had been doing all the talking. Gu Weicheng hadn’t given a single opinion. She wasn’t even sure if he agreed with her plans. 

“Gu Weicheng, what do you think? Is this, okay?” Li Xia asked. 

Gu Weicheng had been staring at her all this time. 

As she spoke about how she wanted to transform the courtyard, her eyes sparkled with excitement, her entire being radiating joy and vitality. 

“Whatever you want,” Gu Weicheng answered without hesitation. 

“Great! That means I already have two votes in the family. An An, do you agree with Mommy’s plan?” Li Xia turned to their son, who was still busy pulling weeds. 

She walked over and used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. 

“Master of Weeding, take a break and have some water before continuing,” she teased. 

Hearing himself called the ‘Master of Weeding,’ An An burst into giggles. “I agree with Mommy too! That makes three votes!” 

“That’s right! Mommy now has three votes—unanimous approval!” Li Xia laughed. 

…

In the courtyard, the family of three chatted and laughed together, their joyous laughter carried away by the wind. 

Outside the courtyard, Su Wenyen peeked in through a small gap in the door. 

Inside, a woman dressed in a dull navy-blue outfit was wiping sweat off a child wearing equally worn-out clothes. Gu Weicheng stood beside them, his face carrying a faint smile. 

So, Gu Weicheng wasn’t as cold and distant as he had appeared yesterday. 

So, he could smile too. 

And when he smiled… he was unbelievably charming. 

Su Wenyen was unconvinced. 

That woman’s outfit was so plain and old-fashioned. Even though she hadn’t seen her face, she could already imagine that it wouldn’t be anything special. Someone from the countryside had to be both rustic and unattractive. 

Gu Weicheng was so handsome and had already become a regimental commander at such a young age. How could he possibly be married to a woman like that? 

Not to mention, this woman was shameless—she had taken a lover back in her hometown and even tried to elope with him. 

A woman like that… How did she deserve to be so happy? 

But what Su Wenyen couldn’t understand was—based on this timeline, Li Xia should have already been dead. 

So why had she suddenly appeared here as a military spouse? 

Could it be… 

Li Xia, just like her, had been reborn? 

If that were the case, then everything made sense. 

But just because Li Xia was reborn, did that mean she could erase the fact that she had once been unfaithful? 

Gu Weicheng must still be in the dark. He clearly didn’t know that Li Xia had betrayed him by finding another man behind his back. 

Once he found out, there was no way he would continue to accept such a disgraceful woman! 

That meant Su Wenyen’s next step was clear—she had to expose Li Xia’s affair and let Gu Weicheng see her true nature. 

After thinking it through, Su Wenyen made up her mind—she would take a trip to Li Xia’s hometown, Luzhou County. 

She would personally bring back that lover and tear away Li Xia’s mask! 

With that decision, some of the jealousy in Su Wenyen’s heart faded, replaced by a sense of satisfaction. 

Go ahead and laugh, Li Xia. You won’t be laughing for much longer. 

Su Wenyen turned around and ran off. 

Meanwhile, next door, Sister-in-law Tao had heard movement from the Gu family’s house. She had just stepped out, intending to take a look, when she saw a woman in a long dress standing at their door. 

She was just about to ask who she was looking for, but before she could say anything, the woman suddenly turned and ran off. 

Sister-in-law Tao was baffled, scratching her head in confusion. 

“Who was that? Standing at someone else’s door for so long without saying a word, then suddenly running away… how strange.” 

Strange things happened from time to time, but lately, they seemed to be happening more frequently. 

Take Commander Gu’s family, for instance—just a few days ago, his wife had adamantly refused to relocate with him. Yet now, she had suddenly come on her own. 

Well, in any case, Sister-in-law Tao was happy for Gu Weicheng. A family should be together, after all. 

The courtyard gate wasn’t latched, so she simply pushed it open and walked in, greeting them with a smile: 

“Commander Gu, you’re tidying up, aren’t you? Need any help? I’ve got some free time right now—I can lend a hand. Old Ma told me yesterday that your family has moved in next door to us. I was thinking, this is great! Now I have company.” 

Her gaze shifted, landing on the young woman in the courtyard. 

“This must be Commander Gu’s wife, right? Oh my… this, this… you’re absolutely stunning! And this little one—such a handsome boy! He really took the best features from both his parents. Not like my three rascals—every single one of them takes after Old Ma. Rough as can be.” 

To be honest, part of the reason Sister-in-law Tao had come over was sheer curiosity. She had wanted to see what Li Xia looked like for herself. 

Before now, Li Xia had refused to relocate with the military, and people had speculated that it was because she was too unattractive and didn’t want to show her face. 

When Sister-in-law Tao first stepped in and saw Li Xia wearing old clothes, she thought the rumors might be true. But the moment she actually saw her face, she was stunned. 

She almost wanted to ask—who was the person who spread that nonsense about Li Xia being ugly? Didn’t their conscience hurt? 

If someone who looked like Li Xia was considered ugly, then she might as well give up on life! 

Her compliments weren’t just empty flattery—she truly meant them. Li Xia’s skin was so fair and delicate that even if Sister-in-law Tao were to lie in bed for three days straight, she doubted she could be this pale! 

And that small face—probably no bigger than Sister-in-law Tao’s palm—with those large, expressive eyes, that petite upturned nose, and those soft red lips… No matter how she looked at her, she found her beautiful. 

Li Xia noticed the unexpected guest and glanced at Gu Weicheng, waiting for an introduction. 

Gu Weicheng said, “This is Sister-in-law Tao, the wife of Commander Ma next door. Sister-in-law Tao, this is my wife, Li Xia, and my son, An An.” 

Li Xia smiled at her. “Hello, Sister-in-law Tao. I’ve heard… Weicheng say that you’re warm and hospitable, and now I’ve experienced it firsthand. An An, say hello to Auntie.” 

She had initially been about to say Gu Weicheng’s full name but, finding it too formal and distant, quickly adjusted to just ‘Weicheng.’ It still felt a little unfamiliar, but she was getting used to it. 

“Hello, Auntie,” An An greeted timidly. Though he was lively around Li Xia and Gu Weicheng, he was still a little shy around strangers. 

Gu Weicheng glanced at Li Xia. The time had been too short for him to introduce their neighbors to her, yet she handled the situation with ease. It seemed his previous worries about her had been unnecessary. 

“Well, they say distant relatives aren’t as good as close neighbors. Now that we’re neighbors, of course we should help each other out!” Sister-in-law Tao laughed heartily. 

She was a straightforward person—after exchanging greetings, she didn’t just stand around talking. Instead, she immediately looked for something to do. 

Seeing that some weeds still needed to be pulled, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work, her hands moving quickly and efficiently. 

…

Seeing that Sister-in-law Tao was about to eliminate that patch of wild grass, Li Xia noticed the anxious look in An An’s eyes and quickly called out: 

“Sister-in-law Tao, we’re moving in soon. We’re planning to go to the city tomorrow to buy furniture and household essentials, but I’m worried we might overlook something. Since you and Old Ma must have gone through the same process when you moved in, I’d love for you to check our list to see if we’re missing anything.” 

Hearing this, Sister-in-law Tao rolled down her sleeves and patted the dirt off her hands. “That’s true! When we first moved in, we had nothing and had to buy everything. There were so many things to get, and it was easy to forget something.” 

She let the patch of grass be, and An An’s worried expression turned into a bright smile. He cheerfully picked up the hoe and went back to tilling the soil. 

“Exactly, that’s why I wanted to ask you,” Li Xia said with a smile, pulling out the list Gu Weicheng had given her earlier. 

“Oh wow, you actually wrote everything down! You two are so meticulous. Old Ma and I weren’t this thorough.” 

“When we went shopping, we just relied on memory. We didn’t think to make a list, so we kept forgetting things. We had to make several trips to the city before we finally got everything we needed.” 

Li Xia glanced over at Gu Weicheng, who was helping An An pull weeds. “Weicheng made the list. He’s very detail-oriented.” 

The more she called him ‘Weicheng,’ the more natural it felt, and the initial awkwardness of addressing him so intimately had faded. 

Sister-in-law Tao sighed with admiration. “If only my Old Ma was half as meticulous as him.” 

Although she was from the countryside, she had attended literacy classes and could read a little. 

“Let me take a look at your list… It seems like you’ve got all the big items—tables, chairs, wardrobes, thermos flasks. 

“Those are easy to remember. What people tend to forget are the small things, like chopping boards, knives, soy sauce bottles, salt containers, bowls, and chopsticks. You should make sure to note these down. If you don’t, you’re bound to forget something. Especially when you get to the department store in the city—it sells so many things that it’s easy to get overwhelmed.” 

“You’re right! I’ll write them down now,” Li Xia said hurriedly. 

However, she wasn’t in the habit of carrying a pen with her. After thinking for a moment, she remembered that Gu Weicheng always had one in his chest pocket. 

Gu Weicheng was still busy with An An and hadn’t noticed their conversation yet. 

Li Xia walked over and reached for the pen in his pocket. 

Reacting instinctively, Gu Weicheng quickly grabbed her hand before she could take it. 

Li Xia: “…”