Gu Yanli’s face remained expressionless as he replied, “No one!”  

“Then why buy a new bed?” the person muttered after he left.  

Someone next to her nudged her and then glanced meaningfully at Gu Yanli’s sturdy physique.  

The other didn’t quite get it.  

So she laughed and said, “Silly, it must be because the newlyweds went at it too hard and broke the bed!”  

“Haven’t you seen how thick and solid the new bed he’s pulling is?”  

“The bed was…” The one who had asked blushed, then giggled with the others as they walked away, whispering among themselves.  

By the next day, the story of the newlywed Gu couple breaking their bed on their first night had spread throughout the entire brigade.  

But Wen Tang knew nothing about this.  

When Gu Yanli pulled the bed home, Lin Jingshen happened to be in the yard, folding the bedsheet.  

The sky was growing dark, and if the laundry was left outside any longer, the dew would soak it, rendering the day’s drying useless.  

Just as he was folding the sheet, he spotted his uncle.  

Gu Yanli stood in the Gu family’s courtyard and called over the wall to Lin Jingshen, “Come help me move something in a bit.”  

Lin Jingshen immediately stepped forward. “Coming!”  

He didn’t even bother with the bedsheet anymore.  

Gu Yanli: “…”  

“First, go untie the rope at the gate,” he said, pointing to the cart parked at the entrance.  

Lin Jingshen cheerfully nodded. “Got it!”  

Gu Yanli strode back into the house and saw Wen Tang plastered against the wall like a gecko again.  

Gu Yanli thought—this wasn’t a good habit. The new bed would need to be placed in a different spot.  

Of course, this would also be beneficial for nighttime activities.  

Wen Tang had been pressing herself against the wall, trying to listen for whether Lin Jingshen was still next door. If he wasn’t, she could chat with her best friend.  

But just as she leaned in, the door was pushed open from the outside.  

She turned her head and saw Gu Yanli entering. At the sight of him, Wen Tang felt a pang of guilt. Awkwardly, she lowered her arms and legs, stretching them out. “Just… stretching a bit, stretching a bit, heh.”  

Wen Tang: I’m definitely not some kind of pervert who enjoys eavesdropping! I just… just wanted to talk to my best friend, that’s all. Seriously… ugh! 

“Ah!”  

Wen Tang had been stretching her limbs, but in her flustered state, she misstepped and suddenly lost her balance.  

Just as she was about to tumble off the bed, Gu Yanli swiftly caught her.  

Panicked, Wen Tang wrapped her arms around his neck, and then…  

Gu Yanli felt the soft warmth and sweet fragrance against his face and thought—If I were to die like this, it wouldn’t be such a bad way to go.

Though undignified… I really like it.

Because he liked it, Gu Yanli held her for a long moment before reluctantly letting go.  

Wen Tang was starting to worry she might have smothered him to death.  

After setting her down and taking in her slender frame, Gu Yanli had only one thought: Appearances can be deceiving.  

He released her, his Adam’s apple bobbing several times before he finally spoke in a hoarse voice, “The new bed’s here. I’ll have Jingshen help me move it in later.”  

Wen Tang immediately flashed an “OK” gesture and nodded. “Got it, got it. I’ll start cleaning up now.”  

As she spoke, she quickly hid the “OK” hand behind her back, her demeanor turning stiff again. She fussed with her hair, adjusted her clothes—basically, she looked very busy.  

Gu Yanli wanted to take another look at her hand gesture, but it was already out of sight. Fortunately, since the bed was still outside, he didn’t linger. Instead, he reached out and swiftly gathered all the bedding from the bed, moving it aside in a few quick motions.  

Then he walked out.

The new bed was carried into the yard, while the broken-legged old bed was hauled out. Then the sturdy new bed was brought into the house. Gu Yanli was about to make the bed, but Wen Tang quickly raised her hand. “I’ll do it, I’ll make the bed.”  

Gu Yanli nodded. “Then I’ll go fold the bedsheet.”  

“Mm-hmm,” Wen Tang replied, her cheeks flushing slightly at the mention of the bedsheet.  

Gu Yanli wasn’t much better off, but since he had already turned to leave, she couldn’t see his expression.  

Lin Jingshen, having helped move the bed, hurried back to finish folding the bedsheet.  

After bringing the sheet inside, Lin Jingshen asked Chi Yue gently, “Xiao Yue, what would you like for dinner tonight?”  

“Congee, noodles, or rice?”  

“Anything’s fine. I’ll eat whatever everyone else is having,” Chi Yue replied with a soft, sweet smile.  

She really liked boys like Lin Jingshen—handsome, gentle, and refined, like a rare and exquisite orchid.  

Clean and pure, just looking at him made her feel like she could smell his fresh scent.  

Seeing her tender, smiling face, Lin Jingshen couldn’t help but blush. He adored gentle girls like Xiao Yue!  

His face burning, Lin Jingshen pointed outside. “Then I’ll go ask Mom what she wants to eat.”  

“Okay,” Chi Yue nodded sweetly again, making Lin Jingshen’s cheeks grow even hotter.  

Lin Jingshen ran off to ask Gu Jinfeng what she wanted for dinner, only to be snapped at. “Not eating. If you want food, go eat by yourself.”  

Lin Jingshen looked innocent. “You’re not eating just because you’re mad at Grandma?”  

His bluntness made Gu Jinfeng want to smack him. She bent down, grabbed a shoe from beside the bed, and hurled it at him. “Get lost!”  

Lin Jingshen dodged just in time, slamming the door shut behind him.  

The shoe hit the door with a thud before falling to the ground.  

Gu Jinfeng sat alone in the room, grumbling under her breath.  

Gu Yanli wasn’t one for asking opinions. After bringing the still-damp bedsheet inside and draping it over a bench to dry, he said to Wen Tang, “How about steamed sweet potatoes and boiled eggs for dinner?”  

In this era, food options were limited, but fortunately, both things Gu Yanli mentioned were dishes Wen Tang liked. She nodded. “Sure, that works.”  

Then, after a pause, she added, “Thank you, gege!”  

“…No need,” Gu Yanli muttered, gripping the doorframe.  

Every time she called him gege, he wanted to respond, but he still felt too shy. Still… this counted as progress.  

Wen Tang asked, “Should I help you?”  

Gu Yanli refused. “No need. Dinner’s simple. I can handle it myself.”  

But when he entered the kitchen, he found Lin Jingshen already there.  

Lin Jingshen sat by the stove and asked, “Uncle, are we having noodles or congee tonight?”  

Gu Yanli wasn’t particularly skilled at hand-pulled noodles, so he said, “Let’s make some congee and steam sweet potatoes.”  

Lin Jingshen nodded. “Fine. Neither of us can roll out noodles anyway, and Mom and Grandma definitely won’t come help.”  

Just thinking about it gave Gu Yanli a headache.  

When his sister and mother were gossiping about others, they were as close as could be—the epitome of a devoted mother-daughter pair. But the moment competition flared up, they turned into sworn enemies.  

No one could talk sense into them.  

Despite saying they’d just have sweet potatoes, Gu Yanli still fetched a few eggs and placed them under the steamer to boil alongside the potatoes.  

Lin Jingshen’s eyes widened at the sight of so many eggs. “Uncle, you’re boiling that many eggs?”  

Gu Yanli glanced at him. “You don’t want one?”  

“Well… maybe just one for me!”  

“Mm. Then eat and keep quiet.”  

Lin Jingshen obediently sealed his lips.