Chapter 18.1

Last night, she had wiped down the windows and doors. Today, if she was going to cook, she definitely had to clean the kitchen first.

And if she were to cook at all, it would only be dinner that she put more effort into.

Lunch could just be something simple.

Lu Wei, upon hearing that, asked,
“What did you just ask me?”

Ye Zhi switched hands with the pot and said,
“I was saying—didn’t a comrade pick us up from the pier yesterday? Should we invite him over for dinner tonight?”

From the way Lu Wei had spoken to that man yesterday, Ye Zhi could tell they were quite close.

Even if Lu Wei hadn’t mentioned wanting to invite anyone, that comrade had driven all the way to the pier to pick them up. Since he helped, it would be only right to show some appreciation.

Lu Wei immediately knew she was talking about Li Weimin.

But just thinking about Li Weimin’s sarcastic face made Lu Wei not want to invite him at all.

However, Li Weimin had mentioned yesterday that since he moved into a new home, he wanted to “warm it up” by visiting.

So Lu Wei said,
“Once we get the things home, I’ll head to the logistics office to sign off and collect the furniture. I’ll check in with him then.”

Ye Zhi nodded.
“Okay. If there’s anyone else you think might come too, let me know so I can prepare a bit more.”

She had bought a lot of cured sausages and preserved meats in Yangcheng, and with the hot and humid island weather, they couldn’t be stored for too long.

If Lu Wei’s comrades were coming over, she could make a pot of rice with them—it would be fragrant and filling.

Lu Wei noticed Ye Zhi had once again shifted the pot in her hands and asked,
“Is it heavy? Give it to me, I’ll carry everything.”

Ye Zhi glanced at some passing soldiers who were looking at them and quickly said,
“It’s just a little. Not heavy at all!”

After bringing everything back home, Lu Wei headed out.

Ye Zhi, on the other hand, immediately began cleaning the kitchen after he left, hoping to start cooking before noon.

The kitchen was fairly large, with a stove that had two fire holes—one for the big wok and one for the kettle.

There was also a big water vat in the kitchen, but it clearly hadn’t been used in a long time and was full of dust.

Ye Zhi held the rim of the vat, bent down, and started picking out the trash inside before tossing it to the ground.

After gathering up the larger pieces, she went to the tap, filled two buckets with water, poured them into the vat, and began wiping it down with a cloth.

But the vat was too large, and Ye Zhi couldn’t clean it properly alone—she’d have to wait for Lu Wei to come back to finish it.

Besides the vat and the stove, the kitchen had a long brick counter. It was wide and long enough to later place a dish cupboard on it. Normally, it could be used for chopping vegetables or even rolling out dough.

There weren’t many things on top, so Ye Zhi easily wiped it clean in just a few moments.

Below the countertop, chopped firewood was neatly stacked—it looked like Lu Wei had prepared it.

She had looked around last night and hadn’t seen any firewood in the kitchen. When did he manage to bring it in?

Did he not sleep at all last night?

After tidying up, Ye Zhi immediately brewed a large pot of honeysuckle tea, planning to use it as drinking water.

Summer on the island was too hot. No matter how much water you drank, it never seemed enough.

She had bought the honeysuckle just before boarding the ship in Yangcheng.

At the time, she thought Lu Wei was overheating and had bought him herbal tea—but he ended up pouring it all out. Only Ye Xiaoding took a sip.

Apparently, Lu Wei was really afraid of bitter things.

Thankfully, she bought more honeysuckle on the side.
With this, at least he could drink something cooling without being scared off by the bitterness.

Ye Zhi rinsed the honeysuckle under the tap, then filled the cleaned flowers into a large pot of water.

The kettle was a deep, round pot—about 30 centimeters wide.
A full pot would be enough to drink for a day or two.

She carefully carried the full pot back to the kitchen and placed it on the small stove.

But just as she was about to start the fire, Ye Zhi suddenly realized—

She had never started a fire in a stove before!

So she shouted out into the courtyard:
“Ye Xiaoding! Come in!”

Her voice sounded urgent, and Ye Xiaoding ran into the kitchen in a flash.
“Auntie, what’s wrong?”

Ye Zhi pointed at the cold stove and said,
“Come here, help start a fire.”

Ye Xiaoding had done plenty of chores at home, so of course, he quickly got to work.

“Just starting a fire? Done!”

Ye Zhi watched as flames lit up in the stove and nodded in satisfaction, letting Ye Xiaoding go back to play.

This little guy was actually quite useful.

Before heading to get the furniture, Lu Wei went to Li Weimin’s office to invite him over for dinner that evening.

Li Weimin was probably the best brother he had.

Since Ye Zhi had suggested it, he had to invite him, no matter what.

Li Weimin agreed almost immediately, which gave Lu Wei a bit of a headache.
Couldn’t he have hesitated at least a little?

“Just don’t say anything stupid in front of my wife,” Lu Wei warned, wanting to preemptively shut him up.

Li Weimin chuckled,
“When have I ever said anything stupid? Don’t worry—I always speak the truth.”

Lu Wei gritted his teeth.
“Just say less, alright?”

Li Weimin replied,
“What? You afraid your wife won’t like you or something? What’s there to be afraid of? She already married you—what’s she going to do, run away?”
“So you’re a bit fierce, a bit cold—it’s not like you have some moral problem. Nothing wrong with you at all!”

Lu Wei paused.
That… actually made some sense.

Still, he added,
“Anyway—eat more, talk less. Or don’t bother coming.”

Li Weimin saluted with a grin,
“Yes, Commander Lu! Understood!”

Then he asked,
“By the way, is anyone else coming?”

Lu Wei shot him a glance and replied,
“Why would I invite a bunch of people? You’re enough.”

Li Weimin was silently touched.
After all these years of being classmates and comrades, he still held a special place in Lu Wei’s heart.

This brother was truly worth having!

Then, he heard Lu Wei say:

“Cooking for so many people would wear my wife out.”

Keep dreaming.

Li Weimin: “…”

Lu Wei couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. After leaving his office, he headed straight to the logistics office to sign off on the furniture.