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By the time dinner was almost ready, Li Xia had finally finished cooking all the dishes.
She hadn’t prepared a wide variety of dishes, but each dish was made in generous portions. It was their first time hosting guests at home—being stingy wouldn’t do. Running out of food mid-meal would be embarrassing.
“Sister-in-law Tao, let’s bring the dishes over. Weicheng, go check if everyone has arrived.”
As Li Xia untied her apron, Gu Weicheng instinctively took it from her and hung it up.
“Alright, I’ll go take a look,” Gu Weicheng replied.
Vice Regimental Commander Yan and Hu Songlin were the first to arrive. Hu Songlin glanced around and asked, “Old Yan, why didn’t your wife come with you?”
Vice Regimental Commander Yan scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly. “Haha, she’s visiting her parents again.”
Hu Songlin smirked and teased, “Visiting her parents again? At this rate, you’re not just a husband—you’re practically a live-in son-in-law. Your wife runs back home every other day.”
Vice Regimental Commander Yan’s wife, Lin Jinghe, was a local, and since her family home was close to the military district, she often visited them.
With how frequently she went back, it was inevitable that people would joke about it, saying that instead of marrying a wife, Vice Regimental Commander Yan had ended up becoming a live-in son-in-law.
Fortunately, Vice Regimental Commander Yan had a good temper and never got upset about such remarks.
Gu Weicheng, however, still remembered Hu Songlin’s joke that morning about the bed breaking in front of Li Xia. He glanced at Hu Songlin and said coolly, “You shouldn’t be laughing at Old Yan—at least he qualifies as a live-in son-in-law. You don’t even have that chance.”
This was a jab at Hu Songlin’s sore spot—he was already twenty-seven and still hadn’t found a wife, yet here he was teasing others about being a live-in son-in-law.
Hu Songlin’s face fell. “Come on, Old Gu, why do you have to hit me where it hurts?”
“You’ve got it all now—wife, kid, and a warm bed. Meanwhile, I’m stuck in the dorms all alone, without even someone to talk to at night.”
Just then, a voice called out, “What are you all doing, standing around at the gate instead of going inside?”
An older soldier strode over and grinned at Gu Weicheng. “Xiao Gu, has your wife finished cooking? I could smell the food all the way from my yard. If we don’t start eating soon, my boys are going to drool all over the place.”
Commander Ma stepped out of his courtyard. His house was close by, just a few steps away.
Right behind him, Ma Aidang poked his head out. “Dad, you were drooling just as much.”
Ma Aimin chimed in, “Yeah, yesterday you were even fighting us over the scrambled eggs with chives Auntie Li brought over. It was delicious.”
Commander Ma had always maintained a strict and serious image outside, but now, hearing his sons expose his little food-related misdeeds, he felt a bit embarrassed.
With an awkward cough, he quickly changed the subject. “Xiao Li’s cooking skills are truly exceptional—far better than my wife’s.”
Hu Songlin nodded in agreement. “I second that. Sister-in-law’s cooking is amazing. Old Gu, you’re one lucky guy. When will my turn come?”
Among them, only Deputy Commander Yan had never tasted Li Xia’s cooking. Hearing their praises, he couldn’t help but swallow unconsciously. “With all of you saying that, I’ll have to make sure to savor Sister-in-law’s cooking properly later.”
“It looks like Commander Su and his wife haven’t arrived yet. No worries, let’s take our seats first.”
Seeing his comrades praise Li Xia’s cooking skills, Gu Weicheng felt even happier than if he had been the one receiving the compliments himself.
The group moved into the courtyard and sat down. A large table had been set up outside, and all the dishes had been served.
Since the men were going to drink, Gu Weicheng brought out a bottle of liquor.
“Weicheng, is everyone here?” Li Xia glanced around the courtyard and asked.
“Commander Su hasn’t arrived yet, but he should be here any moment. Let’s wait a little longer,” Gu Weicheng replied, pulling out a chair and seating Li Xia beside him.
He then leaned in close to her ear and asked softly, “What’s wrong with your hand?”
His sharp eyes had caught her rubbing her wrist just now.
“It’s nothing. I accidentally burned myself a little earlier, but it’s not serious. I already ran it under cold water,” Li Xia said.
Still worried, Gu Weicheng insisted, “I’ll apply some burn ointment for you later.”
At that moment, Su Wenbin walked in and apologized sheepishly, “Sorry, sorry! I’m late. I’ll punish myself with three drinks later!”
“You have to! Lao Su(means Old Su), being late isn’t like you at all!”
Su Wenbin glanced at his younger sister, Su Wenyen, who was standing behind him. It was true that being late wasn’t his usual habit, but he had no choice—his sister was a handful. Just as they were about to leave, she suddenly complained that her hair was messy and went back inside to fix it, causing their delay.
Su Wenyen didn’t notice Su Wenbin’s gaze; her attention was completely focused on Gu Weicheng.
So, the woman sitting next to Gu Weicheng was Li Xia?
Could there be a mistake?
Li Xia was just a country bumpkin from the countryside. Shouldn’t she look as plain and dull as the woman sitting next to Commander Ma?
But instead, she looked so young and beautiful, her skin fair and radiant…
The most important thing was—hadn’t Zhou Qingshan already gone to confront Gu Weicheng?
Gu Weicheng knew that Li Xia had cheated on him behind his back. Shouldn’t he be furious, demanding a divorce?
Shouldn’t he have even beaten up this shameless woman by now?
Why did they look like a loving couple?
Li Xia said something, and Gu Weicheng actually laughed!
He ‘laughed’!
But that day, when she had returned to the army base with Gu Weicheng, his face had been completely cold the entire time…
Su Wenyen’s mind was in complete chaos, like a pot of glue boiling over.
Could it be that Zhou Qingshan never confronted Gu Weicheng?
She had come today expecting to witness Li Xia being abandoned, a complete joke!
But the situation was nothing like she had imagined. She had no idea what to do next!
This happiness was supposed to be ‘hers’!
Why was the person who should have been ruined still standing there, completely fine?
“Wenyen, Wenyen! What are you thinking about? You’re completely lost in thought!”
Su Wenbin had called her name several times before Su Wenyen finally snapped out of her daze.
She hurriedly withdrew her gaze, hoping she hadn’t just revealed her inner thoughts. Forcing an awkward smile, she asked, “Brother, what is it?”
“Let me introduce you,” Su Wenbin said, gesturing to the people around the table. “This is Commander Gu, and this is his wife—Xiao Li, right? This is Deputy Commander Hu—you’ve met him before. This is Commander Ma and Sister-in-law Tao, and this is Deputy Commander Yan. And this here is my younger sister, Su Wenyen. She just arrived at the base a few days ago.”
“Commander Ma, Deputy Commander Yan, Deputy Commander Hu, Sister-in-law Tao, Commander Gu… Hello, Sister Li.”
Su Wenyen immediately put on an innocent, harmless smile, greeting everyone in turn. But when she reached Li Xia, she hesitated for a brief moment before adding with a sugary tone, “Sister Li, you’re so beautiful! You don’t look like someone who has already given birth at all.”
Li Xia looked at Su Wenyen calmly.
The heroine of the novel.
She didn’t miss the emotions flickering in Su Wenyen’s eyes as she looked at her.
There was shock, doubt, and… unwillingness.
Li Xia could understand everything Su Wenyen was feeling at this moment. After all, the novel had made it clear—once Su Wenyen was reborn, she had resolutely decided that she would marry Gu Weicheng.
Unfortunately for her, Li Xia, the supposed cannon fodder ex-wife, had not died in the cold, lonely guesthouse as the original storyline had dictated. Instead, she had survived, brought her child to the army base, and was now living as Gu Weicheng’s military spouse.
So, Su Wenyen would not get what she wanted.
Hopefully, the original novel’s heroine was someone who could let go and make a better choice after a brief moment of resentment.
Because right now, Li Xia was Gu Weicheng’s wife. She had An An. There was no way—nor any reason—for her to give up this position.