When Father Gu and Father Lin returned in the evening and saw the broken-legged bed in the yard, they merely glanced at it and said nothing.  

However, Gu Juyuan—Father Gu—peeked into the kitchen and, seeing his son bustling inside, stepped in.  

“Is your mother still angry?” Gu Juyuan asked his son.  

Gu Yanli remained silent, but Lin Jingshen answered first, “Yeah, Grandpa. My mom’s still mad too, so my uncle and I are cooking. It’ll be ready soon—you and Dad can go wait.”  

Gu Juyuan nodded and left the kitchen.  

With both Lin Jingshen and Gu Yanli out of the room, Wen Tang and Chi Yue started chatting through the wall again.  

The only difference was that Chi Yue was lying on the bed, while Wen Tang sat on a small stool by the wall.  

Chi Yue asked, “Lin Jingshen said you guys changed the bed in your room?”  

“Your man’s in a hurry, huh?”  

Wen Tang sat with her arms crossed, her face flushed but her tone defiant. “Oh, he’s not the one in a hurry—I am. Who knows, after saving the female lead by the river the day after tomorrow, I might not get to sleep in it anymore.”  

Hearing this, Chi Yue clicked her tongue. “Now that you mention it, I’m starting to feel anxious too.” She counted on her fingers. “No matter how much we try to ‘cook the raw rice,’ there’s just not enough time left to pop it into popcorn!”  

Chi Yue’s words made Wen Tang’s face burn even hotter.  

It seemed she had already put her impatience into action…  

Day and night…  

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Chi Yue muttered for a while before realizing Wen Tang had gone silent.  

She listened carefully—no sound came from the other side.  

“Wen Tang,” she called again.  

Wen Tang quickly responded, “Y-yeah! I’m here!”  

“Why’d you suddenly stop talking?” Chi Yue was curious. Whenever the topic veered toward bedroom matters, this girl was usually the most enthusiastic!  

Unless…  

“Did you sneakily do something naughty?”  

“Huh? No! What could I possibly do?” Wen Tang’s eyes darted around as she denied it.  

But then she remembered—there was a wall between them. Feeling much more at ease, she wasn’t afraid of Chi Yue detecting her lie or spotting any telltale signs on her face.  

Chi Yue also realized this. Gritting her teeth at the wall, she said, “One of these days, I’m tearing this wall down.”  

Wen Tang immediately protested, “No, no! That’d make sleeping so awkward!”  

That single remark made Chi Yue catch the underlying meaning. “Ohhh~ I get it. You definitely snuck some daytime action with your man.”  

Chi Yue’s guess was spot-on.  

On the other side of the wall, Wen Tang covered her face with her hands, then remembered Chi Yue couldn’t see her and let them drop, allowing her blush to spread freely.  

Wen Tang’s continued silence confirmed Chi Yue’s suspicion.  

With admiration, Chi Yue said, “That’s my girl. You’re awesome.”  

Dinner was simple and quick to prepare. This time, the moment Wen Tang heard movement, she rushed over without needing to be called.  

Just as Gu Yanli was about to push the door open, it swung inward, startling him. But he quickly said, “Dinner’s ready.”  

“Coming!”  

Wen Tang eagerly volunteered to help serve, but since it was getting dark, Gu Yanli didn’t trust her to carry the hot porridge—he was afraid she might trip and scald herself.  

Fortunately, Wen Tang was obedient. The moment Gu Yanli said, “It’s hot,” she grabbed the sweet potatoes and eggs and dashed off.  

Dinner wasn’t just sweet potatoes and eggs—there were also leftover steamed buns from the banquet. At this time, it was quite a lavish meal.  

Lin Jingshen went to call his mother for dinner, saying, “Mom, hurry up and eat! Uncle made a ton of delicious food.”

Gu Jinfeng turned over in bed with a disdainful “hmph,” ignoring him.  

Lin Jingshen said, “There are eggs.”  

Gu Jinfeng swallowed hard, her back still turned to him, but she didn’t budge.  

Lin Jingshen returned to the main hall and announced to everyone, “My mom’s still angry and doesn’t want to come eat.”  

Gu Juyuan, who had gone to fetch his own wife, also returned and said, “She won’t eat, says she’s not hungry. Let’s eat without her.”  

With that, he sat down. As the patriarch, no one else could start until he did.  

The others could wait, but there were two newlywed brides present!  

Gu Juyuan thought his wife and eldest daughter were being unreasonable, but these two had been like this for decades—clearly, they wouldn’t change even if it killed them. There was nothing this old man could do about it.  

Wen Tang, remembering the silver bracelet and hundred yuan her mother-in-law had given her, timidly raised her hand and said, “Um… should I go call Mom?”  

She started to stand, but Gu Yanli grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the bench. “It’s no use even if you try,” he said.  

Gu Juyuan quickly agreed, “Yanli’s right. His mother and sister are as stubborn as mules—this isn’t new.”  

“Don’t worry about it, daughter-in-law. Just eat,” Gu Juyuan said kindly.  

He was quite fond of Wen Tang. Sure, the circumstances of her marriage to his son hadn’t been dignified, but who hasn’t had moments of foolishness?  

If not for foolishness, would his wife and eldest daughter have caused that scene at noon?  

Young people make mistakes—it’s no big deal. If not for the girl’s momentary lapse in judgment, his son would still be a bachelor!  

In a way, this was a happy accident.  

And now, seeing her good-natured personality, he thought she was just fine.  

Even though both father and son had advised her not to interfere, Wen Tang couldn’t stop thinking about that hundred yuan…  

But just as she was about to say more, Gu Yanli had already picked up a bowl, filled it with sweet potatoes, eggs, and steamed buns, and told her, “You eat first. I’ll take this over.”  

Meanwhile, Chi Yue, following Gu Yanli’s example, also prepared a bowl of food.  

Lin Jingshen took it and brought it to Gu Jinfeng’s room.  

When Gu Yanli returned after delivering the food, he saw Wen Tang munching on a sweet potato, so he peeled an egg for her.  

One sweet potato, one egg, and half a bowl of porridge later, Wen Tang was stuffed.  

After dinner, while helping clear the table, Wen Tang couldn’t resist whispering to Gu Yanli when no one was around, “Gege, you’re amazing!”  

Gu Yanli: “…”  

He glanced up at the starry sky, thinking he understood her hint.  

But Wen Tang’s next words shattered his imagination.  

“Gege, you’re not just handsome and hardworking—your cooking is delicious too!”  

“The sweet potatoes were steamed perfectly—sweet, soft, and not dry at all.”  

Technically, he hadn’t steamed the sweet potatoes—Lin Jingshen had tended the fire.  

But Gu Yanli wasn’t about to tell Wen Tang that. Instead, he said, “If you like it, I’ll cook whenever I’m home.”  

What he didn’t say aloud was: If you like my cooking, then stay with me for good.  

Wen Tang, touched by his words, leaned in closer. “Gege, you’re the best!”  

Gu Yanli’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his fingers tightening slightly. In a husky voice, he said, “I’ll wash the dishes first.”  

Wen Tang, feeling she should offer, said, “Let me do it!”  

Gu Yanli shot her a glance—his eyes darker than the night outside, though Wen Tang didn’t notice.  

After a pause, he said, “Go wash up first.”  

With that, he quickly finished cleaning the kitchen.