Chapter 38.2

“Hey, you two are having all the fun here,” Xu Zhu walked in and saw the scene.

He sniffed the air.

When he saw the clay pot in front of Ruan Mingfu, his eyes lit up.

“Quick, sister-in-law, give me a bowl too.”

Xu Zhu was so tempted by the aroma that he nearly drooled.

Ruan Mingfu: “…Oh…”

Isn’t this a bit inappropriate? This is kidney-tonic soup.

“Ah,” Xu Zhu was impatient and directly grabbed a bowl to serve himself, “I’ll do it myself!”

Ruan Mingfu swallowed and looked up at Xie Yanzhao, just in time to see his calm demeanor, as if he had everything under control.

She felt a bit uneasy.

The words she was about to say were swallowed back.

Let him drink, it won’t hurt him. Besides, he and Hu Wanning were planning for a second child, so maybe this is a good thing.

Xu Zhu was not one to be polite.

He scooped out a large bowl of soup, not missing any of the ingredients.

Xu Zhu took a deep breath before tasting it. Then he gave a thumbs up, “This soup is made by sister-in-law? It’s really delicious, absolutely amazing!”

Ruan Mingfu forced a smile, “…I’m glad you like it.”

Xu Zho’s praise meant that most of the soup ended up in his stomach.

Ruan Mingfu wanted to stop him but was met with Xie Yanzhao’s half-smiling gaze.

She was a bit frightened.

Would that dog-man figure something out?

After the dishes were ready, Xu Zhu had only drunk soup and was quite full.

Hu Wanning shot him a disgruntled look, “Are you starving or something?”

He drank so much soup by himself and didn’t even leave a bowl for her.

Since Xu Zhu was in the wrong, he could only sheepishly apologize.

“Wife, I’m sorry.”

“Go away!”

Hu Wanning glared at him.

Words are one thing, but getting close like that is another!

Xu Zhu fanned himself with his hand, feeling a bit hot. It was summer, so the heat was normal. He didn’t pay much attention to this reaction and instead eagerly picked up the dishes.

The same people from Xu Zhu’s house were here again.

Just like last time, they brought a bottle of wine.

“We let Old Xie off last time, but this time we’ll make him drink!”

“Right!”

Sister Lin shot him a glance, “Let those drunks drink by themselves. We’ll just enjoy our meal.”

Knowing that there would be drinking, they split into two tables. To accommodate them, Hu Wanning even fried an extra plate of peanuts for them to snack on with their drinks.

“That’s right,” Sister Wang added disdainfully, “Last time they drank so much and had to be sent home by Old Xie, and now they still had the nerve to continue drinking with him.” 

“Seriously, you don’t know how much trouble my husband gives me.”

Sister Wang and Sister Lin’s eyes lit up, staring intently at Li Xianglan.

“What do you mean?”

Ruan Mingfu looked at her in surprise as well.

Who says people in this era are reserved?

Even shy Li Xianglan is so outspoken—where’s the subtlety?

Li Xianglan realized she had misspoken and blushed slightly, quickly correcting herself, “I mean, he came home drunk and vomited everywhere. I spent the whole night cleaning up.”

Upon hearing this, Ruan Mingfu understood, though whether it was believable or not was another matter.

Sister Lin looked at the fish head with chopped chili on the side, picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, and put it in her mouth.

Her eyes brightened immediately. “It’s really good.”

The chopped chili, mixed with garlic and pre-cooked by Hu Wanning, had a unique aroma spread over the marinated fish head. The fish head was laid over vermicelli, and the flavor of the fish soaked into the vermicelli.

It not only removed the fishy smell but also had a unique spicy and savory taste.

Just one bite won Sister Lin’s heart.

“Really?” Sister Wang, who hadn’t tried this dish either, picked up a piece. “I need to taste this for myself…”

Before she could finish her sentence, she was already singing its praises.

“By the way, Comrade Ruan, where is your soup?”

Sister Lin looked at the dishes on the table but didn’t see Ruan Mingfu’s special kidney-tonifying soup.

Apart from Hu Wanning, the other three also turned to look at her.

“It’s all gone.”

At this moment, Ruan Mingfu was somewhat relieved that Xu Zhu had finished the soup. Otherwise, she really wouldn’t know how to handle the situation.

Sister Wang’s face showed disappointment. “I could smell the aroma of that soup from the kitchen and was looking forward to trying it. Who knew that Old Xu drank it all? Sister-in-law, you must teach me how to make it next time.”

“I want to learn too.”

Hu Wanning, who also smelled the aroma, felt that the soup Ruan Mingfu made was now a cherished memory, even more so than having tasted it herself.

She definitely needed to learn how to make it.

Ruan Mingfu laughed awkwardly. “Let’s eat first, and I’ll definitely teach you when I have the chance.”

She turned and happened to meet Xie Yanzhao’s intense gaze.

He leaned back in his chair, looking different from his usual upright posture. His handsome face had a flush, and stray hairs fell lightly on his forehead.

At that moment, Xie Yanzhao exuded a dangerous aura. His gaze towards her was filled with possessiveness and aggression.

Ruan Mingfu felt a shiver and couldn’t bear to look any longer.

She quickly turned her head, bit her lip, and said, “Let’s eat, everyone… eat more.”

The men at the adjacent table were also discussing Ruan Mingfu’s soup.

Xu Zhu was extolling its virtues. “You don’t know how good Sister-in-law’s cooking is. That soup… it’s so fragrant!”

He didn’t know why, but he felt increasingly hot.

Xu Zhu reached up and unbuttoned the top button, feeling much better.

“Really? Sister-in-law looks delicate, and she can make such good soup?”

“Honestly, I don’t believe it.”

“You don’t believe it?” Xu Zhu lifted his chin and looked at the slouched Xu Yanzhao. “Old Xie drank it too. If you don’t believe me, ask him.”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Old Xie, why is it getting hotter in the room?”

Xu Zhu felt he was about to be overwhelmed.

“No way,” Xie Yanzhao hadn’t spoken yet, but other comrades chimed in, “It’s dark outside, and the wind’s picking up. It’s not hot.”

“Exactly.”

Wu Gang glanced at Xu Zhu.”Old Xu, so many people here are not hot, but you are hot. Could it be that you are… weak?”

“Bullshit!”

No man likes to be told he’s weak.

Xu Zhu was no exception.

He wiped the sweat from his head and showed them his sweaty hand. “Look, I’m sweating so much. It must be you who’s not feeling the heat.”

“Oh, Old Xu…”

Xie Yanzhao straightened up, but his gaze remained fixed on Ruan Mingfu.

“Keep calm and stay cool.”

Hearing this, the others seemed to be meeting him for the first time.

“Old Xie, that doesn’t sound like something you’d say.”

“Exactly.”

“”Old Xie has changed so much, could it be that he was taught a lesson by his wife…”

“If you want,” Xie Yanzhao picked up the wine glass and took a sip, “I can teach you a lesson.”

The comrades quickly begged for mercy. “Please don’t.”

“My small frame can’t handle one of your punches.”

Xie Yanzhao’s punches were indeed painful.

Just thinking about the last time he was hit made them ache all over.

“Stop talking nonsense, and drink!”

“Tonight, we’re getting Old Xie drunk. Don’t be like last time—everyone needs to hold their own.”

“You’re the fastest to get drunk last time…”

Hearing the voices from the neighboring table, Ruan Mingfu looked at Hu Wanning. “…Should we get Old Xu a glass of water?”

“No need,” Hu Wanning didn’t even lift her head, “There’s soup on the table. If he’s thirsty, he can serve himself.”

If Xu Zhu needed her to get him water to drink, then what use was such a useless husband? Given Hu Wanning’s temper, she would have kicked him out long ago.

Sister Wang spoke up. “Sister-in-law, you can’t be too soft on men. Treat them like children. If you’re too good to them, they’ll take advantage. If you hit them once and give them a treat, they’ll behave like well-trained dogs.”

This is advice from someone with experience, accumulated over more than ten years of living together.

Not only Li Xianglan but even He Cuixiang perked up their ears.

“See, we can’t be like an old ox, just burying our heads and contributing to the family,” Sister Wang said, showing her deep understanding of marital relations. “We need to make sure he knows what you’ve done for the family at all times.”

“Otherwise, over time, it just seems like it’s expected.”

“Take your contributions as a given.”

“Men are like dogs; they need to be trained!”

Sister Wang looked smugly at the stunned Li Xianglan and He Cuixiang.

“You two are newlyweds. There’s still much to learn.”

“Sister Wang is right,” Sister Lin nodded in agreement, “You can’t just keep working without recognition, or it will eventually become taken for granted.”

If she had met Sister Wang when she was younger, she might have realized this truth sooner.

Wu Xianglan and He Cuixiang were rethinking their views.

No one had ever told them these things before.

Their parents had only told them to be diligent in their new homes and keep their eyes open for work…

Li Xianglan and He Cuixiang fell silent for the first time.

“Sister Wang is right.”

Ruan Mingfu felt she could never be a perfect wife and mother.

If it weren’t for the fact that hiring a nanny was not allowed in this era, she would have hired three. One to handle daily chores, one for cooking, and one for cleaning.

How wonderful it would be to not have to lift a finger.

If a man dares to say this or that to her in the future, Ruan Mingfu would kick him out and find a newer, younger man~

Seeing that everyone was listening, Sister Wang nodded with satisfaction.

Compared to the men drinking, the women at this table ate the fastest.

Originally, they planned to make ten dishes, but at the last minute, two more were added.

With only five people, there was no way they could eat that much. Ruan Mingfu took out several food containers and packed the extra dishes, handing them to the sisters.

“Sisters, take these dishes back and let the kids at home try them.”

Ruan Mingfu had intended for them to bring their children along.

However, Sister Lin’s children were at school, and Sister Wang didn’t want to bring the unruly kids. So none were brought.

Ruan Mingfu packed mostly meat dishes.

Even if the food was leftovers, they didn’t mind. In this era, where even basic meals are scarce, having meat is like living in heaven. Moreover, it’s their own food, so they’re perfectly fine with it.

“Thank you, sister-in-law.” They accepted without hesitation. “We won’t be polite.”

It felt awkward to both eat and take food when visiting someone’s home.