Chapter 56.1

The next morning, the Kitchen Team announced the list of job recruits. 

Deng Juxiang especially pulled Wen Nuan and Zhang Guihua along, and the three of them perked up their ears, fearing they might miss even a single word of the broadcast. 

When Wen Nuan heard the announcer clearly pronounce Deng Juxiang’s name, she finally let out a sigh of relief. “Congratulations, Sister Juxiang!” 

Zhang Guihua, equally tense, felt happy for Deng Juxiang when she heard the name on the broadcast. “Juxiang, you’re amazing! Congratulations!” 

“Did I hear that right? Is it really me?” Deng Juxiang’s legs trembled; if it hadn’t been for Wen Nuan and Zhang Guihua to be there, she would have collapsed to the ground. 

“Deng, Ju, Xiang! Who else could it be? Now you’re part of the Kitchen Team too,” Wen Nuan said, linking arms with Deng Juxiang—worried that she might get too carried away and faint from excitement. 

In the next moment, Deng Juxiang was bouncing up and down, holding onto Wen Nuan and Zhang Guihua’s hands, laughing as she shouted, “It really is me! I can work in the Kitchen Team with Xiao Nuan! This is fantastic!” 

She looked at Wen Nuan and added, “I have to thank Xiao Nuan; if it weren’t for her, there’s no way I would have gotten this chance.”

If it hadn’t been for Wen Nuan acting as her “strategist,” Deng Juxiang certainly wouldn’t have received this job opportunity. After all, she had originally planned to cook meat dishes.

Fortunately, Wen Nuan had repeatedly reminded her to focus on just one vegetarian dish. 

To her surprise, she had actually passed! 

Although the job in the Cafeteria wasn’t exactly comfortable and the pay wouldn’t be particularly high, Deng Juxiang felt genuinely happy to have finally found work after being idle in the family compound for so long. 

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “I didn’t do anything special. It’s all thanks to you, Sister Juxiang; you’re already excellent. Even without my help, you would have surely been selected for this job!” 

Deng Juxiang replied, “I don’t care; this is all your credit. Now I’ll be able to see you often, and who knows, I might even get to learn from you regularly.” 

Zhang Guihua suddenly felt a bit envious. If she’s not trying to get pregnant, she definitely would have participated in the exam. 

She said, “Seeing you both like this makes me want to go to work too.” 

Deng Juxiang smiled at Zhang Guihua and said, “There’s no rush. Just take care of your health now. Once your child is older, who knows, there might be even better job opportunities waiting for you.” 

Zhang Guihua had a slightly higher level of education than Deng Juxiang, and if she really wanted to find work, she certainly had opportunities. However, over the past few years, she has chosen not to pursue a job and instead focused on having children.

Zhang Guihua nodded, feeling optimistic. “It’s okay; anyway, I still have Lele to keep me company.” 

At that moment, Lele was sitting with Deng Juxiang’s children, Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei. Each of them held a coconut, happily sipping the juice inside. 

Xiao Mei asked, “Sister, what did Aunt Wen Nuan just say this is called?” 

Xiao Dong tilted his head and replied, “I think it’s called coconut. It’s a fruit from the southern region.” 

Xiao Mei took small sips, savoring each drop, reluctant to finish it all at once. She sighed, “Wow, this coconut tastes really good! Is it really a fruit? Can we eat this coconut, too?” 

Xiao Dong, also unwilling to finish his drink quickly, added, “Aunt Wen Nuan said the meat inside the coconut is edible. Once you finish drinking the juice, could you not throw it away? Let Dad chop it open so we can eat the meat inside.” 

Lele held a coconut that was even larger than her little head, grinning at the two older children while trying to sip through her straw, but she couldn’t get anything. 

Seeing that she had pulled the straw out, Xiao Dong quickly helped Lele insert it back into the hole of the coconut. “Lele, you can’t pull the straw out; otherwise, you won’t be able to drink.”

Lele didn’t like the coconut juice very much. She shook her head and handed the coconut to Xiao Dong. “Eat, Brother.” 

Xiao Dong shook his head and pushed it back. “Brother already has one; you should drink it yourself, Lele.” 

Lele seemed disinterested in the coconut and, holding the heavy fruit walked toward the chicken in the yard. 

The hen, which had grown quite a bit over the past few months, was no longer afraid of people. Lele often enjoyed feeding her, so when the hen saw Lele approaching, it assumed there was food to be had. 

Lele reached out and grabbed the hen by its neck, saying, “Chicken drink.” 

Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei gasped in shock, shouting, “Lele, let go!” 

“The little chicken doesn’t eat that! Be careful; it might peck you!” 

They didn’t care about the coconut anymore and rushed over to rescue the flapping hen from Lele’s grasp. 

Wen Nuan wanted to see what mischief Lele was up to, and then she noticed Lele still holding onto the hen’s neck, planning to stick the straw into the chicken’s mouth. 

“……” 

Wen Nuan shouted, “Lele, are you causing trouble again?!” 

Upon hearing this, the little girl quickly tossed the straw into the yard and ran, giggling, toward the house.

In the end, Lele poked her head out through the crack in the door, secretly glancing at Wen Nuan to see if she was chasing after her. When she saw Wen Nuan actually coming, she quickly closed the door. 

“Gu Wanyue, I’m counting to three. Open the door immediately.” 

Wen Nuan didn’t really intend to scold her; seeing the door slam shut with a “bang” made her worry that Lele might accidentally pinch her fingers. 

The little girl obediently opened the door but then quickly ran back to the living room and buried her head on the table— 

She thought that if she couldn’t see outside, it meant she was hidden. 

Wen Nuan walked over and unceremoniously gave her two light smacks on her little bottom. “Always causing trouble, you need to be taught a lesson!” 

Deng Juxiang and Zhang Guihua watched as Lele was caught in the act, and both burst into laughter. 

However, even after being smacked on her bottom by Wen Nuan, Lele didn’t get upset. Instead, she hugged Wen Nuan’s neck and planted a kiss on her cheek, saying, “Love you, Mommy.” 

Wen Nuan really didn’t know what to do with her. 

—o—o—o—

Gu Qinghan returned to the team that day, but when he got back to the flight crew, the expressions of the older gentlemen seemed a bit strange.

Liang Guangan was the first to step forward. “Old Gu, welcome back to the team.” 

“How was it? Did you sleep well last night?” 

Gu Qinghan casually glanced at him, not wanting to engage, and asked, “Is today’s task arranged?” 

Liang Guangan wore a mischievous grin. “What’s the rush? You just returned; you can take an extra day off. It’s fine if you don’t fly today.” 

He then inquired, “I heard your bed collapsed. Is the kang tray fixed? Do you need me to help?” 

Gu Qinghan finally understood the reason behind Liang Guangan’s smirk—it was about his bed. 

“It’s fixed,” Gu Qinghan replied. 

Liang Guangan chuckled. “That kang better be sturdy. Don’t end up collapsing it again…” 

“……” 

“What are you so shy about? Back in my day, I was no worse than you!” Seeing Gu Qinghan’s silence, Liang Guangan continued—reminiscing about his past bravado. 

However, the more Gu Qinghan listened, the more his brows furrowed. He asked, “Is this something you can talk about outside? Does sister-in-law know?” 

Liang Guangan stared at him, bewildered. “???” 

“What are you talking about? Of course, my wife doesn’t know…” 

Damn it, if she found out, she’d definitely skin him alive! 

Liang Guangan immediately shut his mouth. 

Gu Qinghan didn’t even look at him; he directly gathered the squad members to prepare for training. 

—o—o—o—

In the back kitchen of the flight crew Cafeteria, 

Gu Qinghan had brought back quite a few things from Qiongzhou Island, but they were all stored in the back kitchen. 

In addition to a pile of coconuts, there were green mangoes, longan, watermelons, and other tropical fruits. There were also many shellfish, such as scallops, clams, oysters, crabs, and lobsters. However, everyone looked a bit troubled, unsure of how to handle them. 

Among these items, there was one covered in spikes, which everyone disliked and suggested that the cook take it to feed the chickens. 

The cook looked at the spiky fruit, his brow furrowing tightly. “What’s going on with Old Gu? Why did he bring back such a stinky thing this time? Who would eat this stuff?” 

He had just walked around the back kitchens with the durian, and everyone had kept their distance from it. They had no choice but to bring it back to the flight crew kitchen. 

He then turned to Old Zhong and said, “Old Zhong, come here. Quickly chop this thing up and take it to feed the chickens.” 

After speaking, he pinched his nose in disgust, waiting for Old Zhong to get to work.

Old Zhong was hiding by the door, enjoying the breeze. Usually fearless, he quickly shook his head when he heard the cook’s words. “Whoever brought it in, whoever deals with it! I’m not handling that!” 

The cook felt a slight headache coming on and replied, “If you won’t handle it and I won’t handle it, then we’ll just leave it here. I’m going to a meeting soon anyway, so I won’t have to deal with the smell.” 

Old Zhong watched as the cook prepared to leave in a carefree manner and widened his eyes. “Luo Qingjun, if you dare to leave, I swear I won’t cook today!” 

As soon as the cook heard this, he hastily made his escape. 

Wen Nuan had just arrived at the Cafeteria from the family compound when she saw the cook fleeing as if for his life. Spotting Wen Nuan, he whispered to her, “Comrade Wen, run! There’s a toxic gas attack!” 

Wen Nuan looked at the cook with confusion before laughing. “What could possibly make our cook panic like that?” 

“It’s all because of your Old Gu!” The cook clicked his tongue. “Old Gu brought back a stinky thing from Qiongzhou Island, and Old Zhong is throwing a fit today, saying he won’t cook unless that thing is dealt with!” 

‘Tsk tsk tsk, really spoiled. ‘

He couldn’t believe that Old Zhong would actually refuse to cook—he was just being stubborn.

Wen Nuan raised her eyebrows, recalling that Gu Qinghan had told her this morning that many items had been transported back from Qiongzhou Island.

However, that night, in her eagerness to return home, she had left everything in the back kitchen of the Flight Crew Cafeteria.

This morning, he brought her some coconuts, mangoes, longans, and a lobster weighing several catties back home.

Wen Nuan planned to cook the lobster after their new kang had dried, considering it a celebration for the new kang and a treat for Daxiang and Erhu, who had helped prepare the kang yesterday.

However, Wen Nuan had yet to hear Gu Qinghan mention bringing back any stinky items. What could they be?

Wen Nuan smiled at Quartermaster Luo, “Let’s give Squad Leader Zhong a day off; I’ll cook today.”

Quartermaster Luo chuckled, “Then I won’t interfere; you all can discuss it.”

Quartermaster Luo took a few steps away but turned back to look at Wen Nuan and asked, “By the way, Comrade Wen, what are we having for lunch in the back kitchen today?”

Since Wen Nuan had joined the Flight Crew Cafeteria, their meals had become increasingly healthier, and the people in the back kitchen had followed suit.

However, Wen Nuan occasionally “rewarded” them with a few spicier dishes, so everyone eagerly anticipated those two days when Wen Nuan would be in charge of the cooking.

Wen Nuan thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go check the kitchen first. You can go ahead and get busy, Quartermaster Luo.”

When Quartermaster Luo did not hear her answer, he walked away, slightly disappointed as he went to the meeting.

Before she could enter the back kitchen, Wen Nuan encountered Yang Xiaomei, who had taken the exam with Sister Juxiang yesterday. Wen Nuan remembered her because she was one of the new employees recruited for the Kitchen Team.

Yang Xiaomei approached her excitedly, calling out, “Comrade Wen, I can finally work with you! Thank you! If it weren’t for your reminder, I definitely wouldn’t have made it into the Kitchen Team!”

Wen Nuan slightly raised her eyes, a bit puzzled. “Why are you thanking me?”

Yang Xiaomei scratched the back of her head and laughed, “I heard what you said to Comrade Deng yesterday. So, I changed the menu to vegetarian dishes at the last minute, and I really got selected.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan smiled, “That wasn’t me helping you; it’s because you did well enough to be chosen.”

Moreover, she did not know Yang Xiaomei before, so it was impossible for her to have helped her in any way.

Yang Xiaomei’s personality seemed quite cheerful as she grinned and said, “I don’t care; I’m saying you deserve half the credit!”

“By the way, can I ask you how to cook in the future?”

Seeing her sincere demeanor, Wen Nuan nodded, “As long as it doesn’t affect work, of course, you can.”

“Wow, that’s great!” Yang Xiaomei’s eyes seemed to sparkle as she continued, “Comrade Wen, you’re such a nice person. I really like you!”

It was the first time Wen Nuan had heard someone say they “liked” her so directly. She didn’t even know what was so good about herself.

However, having a fan who inexplicably liked her made her quite happy.

Moreover, Yang Xiaomei’s personality was somewhat similar to Gu Qinglan’s, which made Wen Nuan feel a sense of fondness toward her.

But by the time Wen Nuan returned to the kitchen of the Flight Crew Cafeteria, she quickly put this little encounter out of her mind.

Because she smelled something she hadn’t had in a long time—durian!

Yes, it was durian!

Heaven knew how enticing that aroma was; Wen Nuan quickened her steps toward the back kitchen, eager to see which kind-hearted soul had brought durian.

In Northern City, a place in the north, apart from persimmons, apples, and snow pears being quite common, it was rare to find other kinds of fruit.

Sometimes, when she went to the mountains to search for wild goods, local villagers familiar with the area often got to them first.

However, durians are a fruit that can hardly be found in many places across the country, making them quite precious in this era!

When Wen Nuan walked into the back kitchen, she expected to see everyone drooling over the fragrant durian and scrambling for a piece.

To her surprise, upon entering, she found the soldiers led by Old Zhong, all covering their noses and looking as if they wanted to flee the kitchen.

Wen Nuan smiled and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Old Zhong came over when he saw Wen Nuan had returned and pointed to the large durian on the table, saying, “Don’t even mention it! Luo Qingjun brought this stinky thing back, and now it smells so bad that no one can work.”

Wen Nuan laughed and asked, “You all think it stinks? Isn’t it quite fragrant?”

As soon as she said this, the kitchen fell silent, and everyone turned to look at Wen Nuan as if they were seeing something strange.

Old Zhong, holding a spatula, looked at Wen Nuan in disbelief. “You, you, you actually think this thing… smells good?”

Wen Nuan chuckled, “Isn’t it?”

Heaven knows that just smelling it made her want to crack it open and eat a few pieces right away.

“Well, well, well… you should hurry up and deal with it, take it to feed the chickens,” Old Zhong stammered—a man usually as straightforward as a cannonball.

Wen Nuan, however, was too preoccupied to pay attention to his odd behavior. She frowned and asked, “Feed it to the chickens?”

What kind of people are they?

Such a waste!

Everyone looked at Wen Nuan and asked in unison, “What else should we do?”

Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “If you all don’t want it, then I’ll take it.”

“I’ll take it home to eat.”

“…”

The kitchen fell silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Comrade Wen actually wanted to eat this thing? Was she really willing to make such a contribution for the Flight Crew Cafeteria kitchen?

Old Zhong took a deep breath, feeling even more admiration for Wen Nuan, wishing he could call her “master” right then and there.

Seeing their expressions, which looked as if they had seen a ghost, Wen Nuan picked up a snakeskin bag nearby, wrapped the durian in it tightly, and placed it outside in the hallway, afraid this group might ruin her durian.

Everyone watched Wen Nuan’s fluid movements and silently gave her a thumbs-up.

Wen Nuan clapped her hands and walked back into the kitchen to check what Gu Qinghan had brought back.

Since some items had already been distributed to the logistics and ground service teams, there was little left for their Flight Crew Cafeteria, and most of it consisted of durable shellfish.

Wen Nuan then stated directly, “Let’s make spicy crab, oil-sautéed shrimp, and garlic steamed scallops with vermicelli…”

There were also some clams and cockles, which she planned to save for a seafood vermicelli casserole the next day.

Having sorted out the kitchen affairs, Wen Nuan happily rode her bicycle home with the durian.

 

Chapter 56.2

She originally planned to invite Sister Juxiang and Sister Guihua to share it, but when the two of them caught a whiff of the smell, they turned and walked away.

Only she and little Lele remained, both drooling at the aroma of the durian.

Wen Nuan patted Lele’s small head and smiled, “You truly are my daughter.”

Hearing this, Lele was overjoyed and reached out to touch the durian, but the next moment, she suddenly burst into tears.

Wen Nuan laughed heartily, “Serves you right for being too curious! Didn’t you see all those spikes on the durian?”

Lele, looking pitiful, clung to Wen Nuan’s neck and pointed her little red finger for Wen Nuan to see, saying, “It hurts!”

“Hmm, did it turn red? Next time, don’t touch it, okay?” Wen Nuan blew on Lele’s finger as Lele clung to her neck adorably.

When Gu Qinghan returned home, he heard the child crying and hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Qinghan rejoined his team today but didn’t have time to return home in the afternoon. Just as he came back, he heard Lele crying.

Wen Nuan walked over with Lele in her arms and immediately said, “She touched the durian with her hand, and it hurt, so she cried.”

Lele was about to pout at Gu Qinghan, but when Gu Qinghan caught a whiff of the smell, he asked, “Durian?”

“Yeah, didn’t you bring it back from Qiongzhou Island?” Wen Nuan pointed to the durian on the Eight Immortals table. “Don’t you remember?”

That guy had brought back so many things but had yet to bother to bring the durian home.

“Oh.” Gu Qinghan said expressionlessly, “I did bring it back, but I thought you wouldn’t eat it, so I gave it to the kitchen instead.”

If it hadn’t been for the difficulty of declining, Gu Qinghan wouldn’t have even bothered with that durian.

Wen Nuan smiled, placed the heavy Lele down, allowing her to walk on her own, and said, “I will eat it; it smells so good!”

Gu Qinghan raised his eyebrows slightly, smiling as he looked at Wen Nuan and asked, “Smells good?”

“What? Do you think it smells bad?” Wen Nuan glared at the man as he questioned him.

Gu Qinghan shook his head. “No.”

Wen Nuan smiled, then hooked her arm through the man’s and walked over to the table, saying, “Alright then, we’ll eat durian together tonight.”

“…”

Wen Nuan noticed that the man was indeed trying to fool her. Unable to resist, she pinched his arm and said, “You’re trying to trick me! You think it smells bad, right? Tonight, you’ll sit beside me and watch while I eat.”

—o—o—o—

When night fell, Wen Nuan indeed pulled Gu Qinghan down to sit.

Lele had been craving it for a while. As Wen Nuan opened the durian, she quickly took a piece of the soft, fragrant durian from her hand and opened her mouth wide to take a big bite. Upon tasting the delicious durian, she smiled in satisfaction.

“Delicious.”

“Mommy, it’s delicious.”

“Daddy, it’s delicious.”

Wen Nuan smiled, gently ruffling Lele’s hair as she said, “Even if it’s delicious, you can’t eat too much; you still need to drink milk later.”

Wen Nuan gave Lele a large piece, and for such a small child, that seemed quite a lot.

Lele pointed at the flesh on the durian shell and said, “I want more.”

Gu Qinghan watched as the big and little ones enjoyed their treat, with Lele even licking her fingers clean of the durian. He got curious, so he asked: “Is it really that good?”

“Why don’t you try it and see?” Wen Nuan looked at Qinghan and gave him a piece. “Give it a shot; if it really tastes bad, you can give it back to me.”

Gu Qinghan hesitated for a moment but eventually took the piece of durian from Wen Nuan’s hand. He sniffed it; maybe it was because he had been sitting there for a while, but it didn’t smell that bad—just not very pleasant.

Seeing Gu Qinghan take a piece of durian, Lele immediately reached out her hand and pushed the piece toward Gu Qinghan’s mouth, laughing as she said, “Daddy, eat.”

“Yummy.”

Gu Qinghan took a bite and found it wasn’t so hard to accept after all; instead, it had a soft, sticky, and sweet taste.

“How is it? Is it good?” Wen Nuan looked at her eagerly, her curiosity piqued.

She and Lele had both tried it, and it was essential to pull Gu Qinghan into their camp, too; otherwise, it would be a pity!

Of course, sharing the delicious durian together was the best part!

“Seems okay?” Gu Qinghan smiled and took a second bite. The texture was soft and creamy, and it was genuinely good. No wonder Captain Lu insisted that he brought one back to Northern City, saying there were only one or two durian trees on Qiongzhou Island, making it quite rare.

At that time, he thought the fruit had a strange smell and assumed that Wen Nuan wouldn’t like it, so he left it in the kitchen. Fortunately, after all the twists and turns, it had still come back home.

Wen Nuan looked at Gu Qinghan with a beaming smile and said, “It’s really delicious. I’m so glad you brought it back!”

Gu Qinghan smiled back, noticing Wen Nuan’s satisfied expression, and said, “If you like it, I’ll bring you more next time I go to Qiongzhou Island.”

Wen Nuan nodded eagerly, like a little chick pecking at rice. “That would be great!”

Under the warm yellow light, the three of them sat in the living room, happily enjoying their meal.

But the neighboring families were suffering; they all hurried to close their doors and windows.

It turned out that Vice Captain Gu wasn’t so happy after all—he was forced to eat the stinky fruit with his wife.

Aside from the dining table, Gu Qinghan had also set aside a small piece of land in their yard to build a tiny bathroom for Wen Nuan.

Now, she wouldn’t have to be so awkward when showering or brushing her teeth at home.

Just last night, they had mentioned that Vice Captain Gu was not such a fortunate person. Now, looking at the suddenly added bathroom in their yard, envy began to creep in.

“Wen Nuan is really lucky. In Northern City, we barely have time to take a shower, and Vice Captain Gu even built her a bathroom.”

“Isn’t that right? I’ve been in Northern City for years, and my man hasn’t even bothered to build one for me.”

Seeing that Wen Nuan’s family had added a bathroom, Sister Guihua was tempted and asked her husband, Zhou Jianshe, to go to the office and buy some supplies to bring back.

Although it would cost some money, they weren’t tight on funds at the moment, and having a bathroom is very convenient.

Gu Qinghan smeared cement on the bathroom floor and then asked Wen Nuan, “Wife, do you want me to buy you a bathtub so you can soak in it later?”

Wen Nuan felt a bit strange under Gu Qinghan’s peculiar gaze. The idea of a bathtub seemed odd, but the thought of soaking in one made her somewhat excited.

“Then you can arrange it,” she replied.

—o—o—o—

The next day, Gu Qinghan really did bring home a large bathtub. It was so spacious that it could easily accommodate two people, let alone just one.

Lele looked at the big tub and immediately started shouting that she wanted to take a bath in it in the evening.

However, Wen Nuan was too lazy to heat up that much water, so she didn’t let her use the large bathtub.

Lele, Lele, became unhappy, crossing her little arms and squatting in the corner—not knowing what to do.

Wen Nuan had already taken the red-and-green dress Gu Qinghan bought and cut it up, then made two dresses for Lele. With her fair skin and chubby figure, Lele looked quite cute in them, even more so than adults would.

Bright colors suited children well, and Lele insisted on wearing that dress every night after her bath.

As Gu Qinglan walked in, she saw Lele squatting in the corner by the wall and called out, “Lele, look what Auntie brought you!”

“It’s your favorite—candied hawthorn!”

Wen Nuan glanced at the candied hawthorn in Gu Qinglan’s hand and said, “More sugar? Don’t let her eat so much.”

Gu Qinglan hid the candied hawthorn behind her back and said seriously, “I’ll only give Lele one. The rest is for me.”

“You say Lele loves it, but it turns out you’re the little glutton,” Wen Nuan teased, poking her on the forehead.

Gu Qinglan chuckled. “Lele loves it, too, but I’ll listen to sister-in-law and won’t let her have more than half a piece!”

“By the way, sister-in-law, since you have the stove set up, are you planning to cook that lobster?”

Many people didn’t like shellfish, especially Sister Guihua, who had originally come from a coastal area and shook her head at such things.

However, thinking that it was something made by Wen Nuan, Gu Qinglan felt it must be delicious!

“Your timing is quite impeccable,” Wen Nuan said, glancing at the man over there who was busy digging a pit. She turned to Gu Qinglan and added, “Your brother is still angry with you!”

She didn’t dare to say that the dress was ugly directly, yet Gu Qinglan seemed eager for the entire family courtyard to know.

As soon as Gu Qinglan heard this, she understood why Wen Nuan mentioned that her brother was angry. Leaning closer to Wen Nuan’s ear, she whispered, “It’s indeed ugly. I don’t know where big brother got his confidence to think that Sister-in-law would like it!”

“Even if your Sister-in-law is beautiful, that grandmotherly color scheme would be hard to pull off!”

Wen Nuan let out a soft laugh and pinched Gu Qinglan playfully. “Don’t say that in front of your brother!”

Gu Qinglan looked at her with a pitiful expression. “So, I’m just an outsider! It is ugly, though!”

Wen Nuan chuckled, glancing at Gu Qinglan before noticing Gu Qinghan approaching them. She immediately turned serious. “I’m on the same side as your brother!”

This time, Gu Qinglan had learned her lesson. In her brother’s territory, she certainly couldn’t speak carelessly.

She quickly slipped into the house, scooping up Lele, who was still in the corner. Looking at the circles she had drawn, Gu Qinglan couldn’t help but ask, “Little one, tell Auntie, what are you drawing?”

Lele hugged Gu Qinglan’s neck tightly and exclaimed, “Auntie, candy!”

Gu Qinglan mimicked Gu Qinghan’s way of teasing by gently poking her forehead. “All you think about is eating!”

Unbeknownst to them, Gu Qinghan had arrived behind them and began to retort, “She’s so little; of course, she only thinks about eating.”

Gu Qinglan smacked her lips in annoyance. “Different people, different fates. Lele, scold your daddy for me! How could he treat me like this?”

Lele leaned into Gu Qinglan’s ear and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Candy.”

“…”

“If there’s no candy, do you not love Auntie anymore?”

As soon as Lele heard this, she immediately struggled to get down from Gu Qinglan’s arms…

Gu Qinglan felt her heart shatter into pieces.

Meanwhile, Wen Nuan had taken out the lobsters that Gu Qinghan brought back. They weighed at least six or seven catties and measured around sixty to seventy centimeters in length, almost too large to fit in the snakeskin bag.

Since everyone had helped set up the kang, Wen Nuan planned to treat everyone to a meal.

Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang, who had come to help, couldn’t help but wonder if this thing could be cooked to taste good.

Sister Guihua had seen family members catch these creatures before, but since pigs wouldn’t even eat them, they were always thrown back into the sea.

Sister Juxiang was seeing such a large lobster for the first time; she thought it resembled shrimp. She hadn’t expected it to look so shabby. “Can we really eat this?”

Gu Qinghan held a kitchen knife, waiting for his wife’s instructions on how to cut it. However, Wen Nuan had called him, specifically asking him to bring one of the lobsters back.

But this thing was all hard and tough; it was really unclear how to eat it.

Wen Nuan laughed at them. “The meat inside is delicious; just wait and see.”

She then instructed Gu Qinghan to chop up the lobster while she took charge of extracting the meat. Despite the size of the lobster, the amount of meat they managed to get was just a little over two catties.

Sister Juxiang remarked, “No wonder Sister Guihua said pigs won’t eat it. This huge lobster yields so little meat.”

Wen Nuan found it amusing. In her previous life, she hadn’t seen a lobster that cost over a hundred bucks for just a little meat; this was actually quite good.

Despite everyone’s doubts, Wen Nuan began heating the pan. She first steamed the lobster heads with egg yolk, then coated the remaining lobster in flour and fried it.

It proved to be true that everything Wen Nuan cooked tasted delicious.

Everyone gathered around the octagonal table, eyeing the plates filled with spicy crabs, garlic oysters, vermicelli with clams, fried lobster, and steamed lobster heads with egg custard…

Gu Qinglan was already drawn in by the enticing aroma. Holding Lele, she looked at the table full of dishes, her eyes shining. “Wow, if I had known there would be so much delicious food tonight, I wouldn’t have eaten that candied hawthorn earlier!”

Li Daxiang had just arrived from the troupe and overheard Gu Qinglan’s voice. He asked, “Do you like eating candied hawthorn?”

Gu Qinglan nodded. “Yeah, it’s so tasty! But seeing the dishes my sister-in-law made suddenly makes me feel like I don’t like it anymore.”

Gu Qinglan looked at the plate of spicy crabs and exclaimed, “Wow, I love spicy food!”

Wen Nuan brought out the last dish, stir-fried squid with chili, and upon hearing Gu Qinglan’s remark, she pinched her nose playfully. “You’re the only one who knows how to eat.”

Gu Qinglan was used to the playful banter from her brother and sister-in-law, and she cheerfully replied, “Ever since big brother came back, I’ve started eating bread again. How can I not be happy?”

Gu Qinghan, following behind Wen Nuan, cast a glance at Gu Qinglan. “So it’s still my fault?”

“Not at all!” Gu Qinglan stuck out her tongue. “I’m just jealous that Big Brother gets to eat delicious food every day.”

Gu Qinghan snorted lightly. “You can’t be jealous; this is my wife’s cooking.”

Gu Qinglan responded with a blank stare.

Wen Nuan pinched Gu Qinghan’s arm and said, “Alright, let’s sit down and eat!”

At Wen Nuan’s invitation, everyone squeezed together to take a seat.

Lele, having caught a whiff of the delicious aroma, had already rushed over to Wen Nuan.

Wen Nuan picked Lele up and placed her on her lap, then scooped a spoonful of steamed egg custard with lobster head for her.

Seeing Lele enjoying her meal, Wen Nuan asked, “Is it tasty?”

“Delicious!” Lele exclaimed, completely satisfied. She opened her mouth wide, signaling Wen Nuan to keep feeding her.

Wen Nuan scooped another spoonful for her and then turned to Gu Qinghan. “Qinghan, go grab a bowl for me and fill it with some hot water. I’ll rinse off some of the spicy stuff before giving it to Lele.”

Before long, Gu Qinghan returned with a bowl full of water. Wen Nuan picked up a bit of crab meat for Lele, who savored the tender, chewy meat, her eyes squinting with enjoyment. “Ah, I want more meat!”

“Is this really shrimp?”

“Technically, it’s called lobster, which is different from the regular shrimp.”

“No way! I’m going to indulge myself; I want to feast!”

Wen Nuan listened to Sister Guihua and the others chatting and chuckled, “Go ahead and eat. It’d be a shame to waste any if there’s leftover food.”

Seafood doesn’t taste as good the next day, so if they could finish it all, that would be ideal.

“Then we won’t hold back!”

Seeing everyone enjoying their meal, Gu Qinghan picked up a piece of thick lobster meat and brought it to Wen Nuan’s lips. “Here, you should have a bite too.”

Since there wasn’t enough room, Wen Nuan sat holding Lele in her lap. When Gu Qinghan fed her a piece of lobster meat, Wen Nuan opened her mouth without hesitation and took a big bite.

“Not bad,” she said.

Gu Qinghan playfully scratched her nose. “It’s really delicious.”

He then helped her peel a lobster leg, revealing tender crab meat inside.

Seeing her father feeding her mother but not giving her any, Lele quickly tugged at Gu Qinghan’s sleeve in frustration. “Want to…”

“Wait a moment; your mom hasn’t had enough yet.” Gu Qinghan picked up an oyster and offered it to Wen Nuan.

Meanwhile, Gu Qinglan called out, “Lele, come over to Auntie. I have something tasty for you!”

As soon as Lele heard this, she climbed down from Wen Nuan’s lap and walked over to Gu Qinglan. “Auntie, give me!”

“Here you go, here you go.” Gu Qinglan had already bitten off a few crab legs, dipped them in garlic sauce, and offered them to Lele.

Lele hugged Gu Qinglan and sweetly said, “I like Auntie.”

Gu Qinglan pinched her little nose playfully. “You only like me because I have food!”

Wen Nuan had eaten a lot of the meat that Gu Qinghan had given her. After thinking for a moment, she offered him an oyster. “Here, you should have a bite too.”

Gu Qinghan hesitated for a moment, glancing at the oyster, but ultimately ate it.

Of course, Wen Nuan regretted giving that guy a few oysters!

Men truly were like gas stations, never failing to deliver.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, a month had passed.

One evening, Gu Qinghan returned home early and saw Wen Nuan giving Lele a bath. He walked over to help her.

Wen Nuan was already half-drenched from Lele splashing water everywhere. Upon seeing Gu Qinghan return, she exclaimed, “Qinghan, come here and manage your daughter! Is this a bath or a water fight? I’m so frustrated!”

Gu Qinghan noticed that Wen Nuan’s white shirt was already wet, faintly revealing what was underneath.

Clearing his throat, he washed his hands and stepped over to where Wen Nuan and Lele were. He picked up a towel from the plate and began bathing Lele.

They had bought a new basin; the old enamel basin was too small for Lele now, so they replaced it with a larger one.

Although the two of them worked together to bathe the child, it was still unavoidable to be splashed by Lele.

As they were dressing Lele afterward, Gu Qinghan leisurely said, “Zhao Baogang called me. Gu Qingsong and Lin Meizhi have already divorced.” Wen Nuan didn’t react much; she had already guessed this outcome.