Chapter 2

In the kitchen on the first floor, Ji Li was standing in front of the chopping board, rolling hand-rolled noodles.

On the stove, the beef soup base was bubbling.

There was no expression on her face and she was busy in an orderly manner.

Old Master Zhou sat in a wheelchair, looking at her back and speaking slowly.

“Dad knows you feel bad. Zhou Hong has been busy with business this past year and has not been home, so he has neglected you.”

“He shouldn’t have concealed Yangyang’s background, brought the child home to raise, and lied to us that he was an orphan of a friend. This is too stupid! Dad is angry too! When he comes back, I will definitely teach him a lesson!”

Seeing that Ji Li was still busy with his work with his back to him, he didn’t respond at all.

Old Master Zhou sighed heavily and softened his tone, “It has come to this. After all, Yangyang is the one you brought up. His biological mother is gone, and you raised him single-handedly. In the future, he will be like your own child.”

“Xiao Li, you should get over it sooner. Dad doesn’t want to see you so upset. Will you live your life the same as before in the future? Okay?”

“Dad asked Zhou Hong to compensate you.”

Ji Li’s hand holding the kitchen knife paused slightly, his drooping eyelashes trembled, and he continued to cut, cutting the noodles neatly.

Zhou Chi likes to eat the hand-rolled noodles she makes, served with tomato beef soup.

He said it tasted exactly like what his mother cooked when she was alive, and it was the most delicious meal he had ever eaten in the world.

Ji Li thought back to her previous life. After Zhou Chi’s death, she never made tomato beef noodles again.

I don’t know if the taste will be different…

Ji Li accepted the fact that he was reborn.

She even felt lucky to be reborn.

Even if it was a dream, she didn’t want to wake up.

Because in dreams, everything is never too late.

She has a life that she has been given for free, but this time, she must live it differently.

After sprinkling some corn flour and shaking the noodles, Ji Li picked up the spoon, turned around, opened the lid of the pot, and stirred the soup in the pot.

The beef was braised the night before, and it tastes better when absorbed by the tomato broth.

“Xiao Li, did you hear what dad said…” Old Man Zhou chattered on, still trying to persuade her.

This reminded Ji Li of Zhou Yang, whom he raised.

She quickly turned her head to look at Mr. Zhou, raised a faint smile and said.

“Dad, the soup is ready. Zhou Chi will be here soon, right? Should I prepare some vegetables first?”

Without waiting for Mr. Zhou to say anything, he took out a porcelain bowl and scooped out the tomato beef soup from the pot.

Zhou Chi is in the army, he has heavy training tasks and eats a lot.

She rolled a lot of noodles and made a lot of beef soup.

There would no longer be the embarrassing situation like in his previous life where he couldn’t eat enough on the first day he returned home.

Ji Li was busy cleaning the pot and started cooking.

Seeing her like this, Mr. Zhou frowned worriedly and sighed.

Forget it, if she doesn’t want to mention it, let’s not talk about it for now.

The main purpose was to comfort her, and I wasn’t worried that she wouldn’t take good care of her grandson.

Ji Li is gentle and kind, hardworking and capable, and she would never do anything to mistreat a child.

No matter how much of a bastard his eldest son Zhou Hong is, since Zhou Yang is his biological son, old people all love their grandsons, and Grandpa Zhou also hopes that Ji Li and his grandson can get along well.

As for children, even if they are not your own, once you raise them, you will still have feelings for them.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard a child crying from the second floor.

Mr. Zhou immediately looked up, “Xiao Zhou! What’s wrong with the child?”

Aunt Zhou came down hurriedly holding the child in her arms. “It’s nothing. He just woke up and peed. I just changed him. I’m afraid he needs some milk powder now.”

Grandpa Zhou glanced at Ji Li who was busy in the kitchen and could only reach out to take the child.

“I’ll hold you, go get the milk powder.”

“Oh! Good.”

From the moment Zhou Yang was brought to the Zhou family, he had a golden spoon in his mouth.

He has everything that others have, and he also has things that others don’t have. He is born to be a rich and noble young master.

Mr. Zhou is an old lieutenant general. The Zhou family lives in the city’s military district compound and is one of the wealthiest families in the country.

Although he is in poor health now, his two sons are still promising, and the Zhou family remains as prosperous as ever.

The eldest brother Zhou Hong originally had a stable job in a state-owned enterprise. Last year, he responded to the national call and applied for “suspending his job without pay”. He took some money from his father, started a business, and is now a big boss.

In the early 1980s, the country promoted economic development and encouraged people to “go into business”.

At this time, as long as people “go into the sea”, they can make a lot of money.

Zhou Hong had a good family background, money, and connections. He caught the right opportunity and his business was booming. He was so busy that he was rarely seen all year round.

On the day Ji Li registered her marriage with him and held the wedding banquet, he still found time to come back.

After that, except for the time when little Zhou Yang was sent back, Zhou Hong was never seen again.

The second son of the Zhou family, Zhou Chi, followed his grandfather’s wishes after graduating from high school, joined the army and climbed up the ladder.

The unit he was in was in a war zone, very remote.

After five years in the army, today is Zhou Chi’s first time home.

The dishes were cooked and served on the table. Ji Li stood alone in front of the stove, staring at the water in the pot that had not yet boiled.

How could divorce be so easy? In her previous life, when she was young, she had mentioned divorce many times.

In the end, if Zhou Hong didn’t nod, wouldn’t she have wasted her whole life?

Because she was too weak and naive, and had nothing, even if she asked for a divorce and Zhou Hong said no, she would not have the confidence to fight against him.

If she left the Zhou family, she would be penniless and have to starve.

If she wants to get a divorce, she must have enough confidence in this life.

I was lost in thought when I suddenly heard Mr. Zhou’s excited and joyful voice outside.

“You’re back?!”

“Quick! Xiao Zhou, push me out to see!”

Mr. Zhou looked very happy and asked Aunt Zhou to push him out of the yard.

Only then did Ji Li hear the sound of a car door closing in the yard and a deep, mellow laugh.

“Dad, I’m back.”

“Come here quickly, come here and let me see!”

In the yard, the father and son reunited after a long separation, and Mr. Zhou almost shed tears.

Ji Li hurriedly took off her apron, took a deep breath, and then walked out of the kitchen quickly.

In late summer and early autumn, the sun shines brightly in the yard.

The man was wearing a straight military uniform and was tall, like a thousand-year-old pine tree on a towering green mountain. He was talking to Mr. Zhou with his head lowered and a smile on his face.

He has a somewhat dark complexion, stern thick eyebrows, sharp black pupils, angular facial features, and moderately full lips. When he looks at people with a smile, the smile is ambiguous and not noticeable.

Zhou Chi is like this, he has a dignified and upright aura, but his face is fierce and ruffian. His eyes are like a wolf, and he reveals his cruelty for no reason. People are afraid of him and unconsciously feel inferior to him.

Ji Li stood stiffly where he was. He suddenly felt a sharp palpitation and his palms began to sweat slightly.

Until he suddenly raised his eyelids and looked at me, her phoenix eyes with the corners slightly raised, inadvertently carrying a look of scrutiny and examination, distant and indifferent.

Ji Li’s heart seemed to stop suddenly and he even forgot to breathe.

Mr. Zhou looked at the two of them, then he remembered and quickly introduced them with a smile.

“This is Ji Li, your eldest brother’s wife, call her sister-in-law!”

Ji Li stood at the door of the front hall, her pretty fair face looking a little nervous and at a loss.

Zhou Chi looked her up and down, then quickly looked away, smiled and said to Old Man Zhou.

“You’re four years younger than me, so I shouldn’t call you sister-in-law, right?”

Mr. Zhou was stunned for a moment, then he smiled proudly and shook his head.

“That’s fine. We’re all family. It doesn’t matter what. Just call her by her name.”

“Knowing you were coming back, Xiao Li has been preparing meals since yesterday. They are all your favorite dishes. Her cooking skills are incredible! She’s as good as your mom’s!”

“Come on, come on, come inside, let’s sit down and have a couple of drinks and chat!”

Zhou Chi smiled and pushed the old man into the house himself.

Aunt Zhou came in behind the father and son, holding little Zhou Yang.

Mr. Zhou’s guards put down the luggage and left tactfully.

Ji Li stepped aside to make way, lowered his eyelashes, watched Zhou Chi’s footsteps, and followed him into the house silently.

She didn’t know how to get along with him without looking too weird, so she subconsciously wanted to go back to the kitchen.

As soon as I raised my foot, a slender and powerful hand appeared in my sight. It was bronze in color, with slightly yellow calluses on the palm of hand and fingertips.

“Comrade Ji Li, hello, I am Zhou Chi.”

Nothing has changed.

Ji Li’s vision blurred instantly and tears almost overflowed from his eyes.

She hurriedly lowered her eyes, nodded, and quickly fled into the kitchen.

She was afraid that she would lose control and that Zhou Chi would notice something was wrong.

It took everything she had not to burst into tears in front of him.

If she had to do it all over again, she still didn’t want to have too much involvement with Zhou Chi.

Ji Li gave all his love and hope to his son Zhou Yang in his previous life.

My feelings towards Zhou Chi are just complicated.

In this life, she wanted to be nicer to Zhou Chi to make up for his true love in her previous life.

But that was all, she didn’t want more.

Only when you have experienced it yourself, you will know how heartbreaking it is to feel disappointed and disillusioned after giving your all.

She no longer wanted to give a penny to her marriage, family, or children.

She doesn’t want to be anyone’s wife or mother anymore.

Ji Li just wants to be Ji Li.

Little did he know that Zhou Chi silently withdrew his ignored hand, looked at her fleeing back, raised his eyebrows slightly, and a hint of depth flashed across his dark eyes.