“Head Nurse Ge, here’s my first draft. Could you take a look and see if it’s suitable?” Qin Yao stopped Head Nurse Ge before leaving work, handing over the manuscript she had written. She felt no nervousness at all. Having dealt with numerous clients in modern times and written countless academic papers during her school years, she was used to revising drafts repeatedly. She had the patience. At worst, she’d revise it a few more times until it met the client’s expectations.

Head Nurse Ge was stunned. “You’ve finished writing already? How many words is it?”

“It’s about ten thousand words, maybe a little more. I didn’t count carefully,” Qin Yao replied nonchalantly. To her, ten thousand words were nothing. Before transmigrating into the book, she had been an editor and frequently communicated with authors.

In the future world of online literature, writing three thousand words a day was considered slow. Writers churning out six thousand, ten thousand, or even twenty thousand words daily were everywhere.

Writing ten thousand words in a few days was no big deal for her.

Qin Yao wasn’t sure what Head Nurse Ge liked, so she wrote according to her own ideas. Though it was supposed to be a story about a person, it turned out to be more like a short novel with some emotional commentary at the end.

Since Qin Yao had read plenty of feel-good stories in the modern era, she instinctively added twists and highlights to Head Nurse Ge’s story. She wrote it like the inspiring tale of a heroine, with a plot that was both thrilling and moving.

By the time one finished reading it, they would feel both exhilarated and deeply touched.

“Let me take a look…” Head Nurse Ge picked up the manuscript with no expectations. But after reading the first page, her anticipation skyrocketed. Although it was her own story, why was she so eager to find out what happened next?

Yes! That patient remembered her kindness and even came back to apologize!

Exactly! She had always been so humble and eager to learn!

“Xiao Qin, you’ve written this too well!” Head Nurse Ge hugged the manuscript tightly, wishing she could pass it down as a family heirloom. No wonder ancient people aspired to write books and leave behind their stories. These ten thousand words were practically her life’s biography.

Qin Yao smiled and asked, “Head Nurse Ge, is there anything you think I should revise?”

“No revisions needed! This is perfect. I need to take it home immediately and show my family!” Head Nurse Ge was overjoyed, unable to contain her excitement. The article was written so well, free of pretentiousness, and instead left readers feeling inspired and passionate—a true motivational masterpiece.

“Xiao Qin, Xiao Qin, wait a moment,” Head Nurse Ge called out, quickly opening her drawer and pulling out a new can of malted milk. She placed it in Qin Yao’s arms. “Xiao Qin, you’ve worked hard. Take this home and drink it. Look at how thin you’ve gotten recently, all because you’ve been worrying about me.”

Qin Yao was deeply embarrassed. “Alright, I’ll accept it then.”

Why did everyone keep saying she was thin? She wasn’t skinny at all. At most, she was well-proportioned. There were plenty of girls at work much thinner than her.

“Head Nurse Ge, please review it again. If you notice anything that needs adjustment, let me know, and I’ll make the changes.”

“Alright.” Head Nurse Ge was all smiles. At this moment, she didn’t care about anything else. She just hoped her lifelong rival could see the ten-thousand-word article and recognize her heroic deeds. “I’ll contact Reporter Sun later. With your article, my story will be published, and your name will appear as the author. When it’s printed in the newspaper, the workplace will provide a bonus, and I’ll give all of it to you.”

Head Nurse Ge’s articles didn’t earn royalties from the newspaper, but the hospital gave a bonus for media exposure, typically a few yuan.

Feeling guilty, Head Nurse Ge thought about how Qin Yao had gone through so much effort for just a few yuan. To her, these ten thousand words were “priceless,” worth at least one hundred yuan!

Ultimately, she felt indebted to Xiao Qin.

Carrying the can of malted milk, Qin Yao headed downstairs. Gu Cheng was waiting for her to go to the grocery store to buy meat. He remembered his promise from a few days ago—to buy meat, visit the Gao family, cook, and show off his “culinary skills.”

Like most men in this world, Gu Cheng loved pork, especially fatty cuts. He had already arranged for someone to set aside two pounds of pork belly for him.

Qin Yao suggested, “Let’s buy some crabs.”

Comrade Qin had little faith in Comrade Gu’s cooking skills. Crabs or shrimp, when steamed or boiled, were less likely to go wrong.

She refused to believe anyone could mess up steamed crabs!

Gu Cheng said, “Crabs are too cooling for women. You shouldn’t eat too many.”

“I just love crabs. Buy them.”

After buying crabs, they also got some grouper, oysters, and clams. The two of them carried a pile of food to the Gao family. Chen Baozhen had just returned from school. Seeing them, she was both happy and surprised. “You didn’t need to bring so much stuff just to visit!”

“I bought a chicken today, and Old Gao said he would make chicken soup for you. You must try Old Gao’s cooking skills. I will help him.”

Gu Cheng quickly interjected, “You don’t need to help. Today, I’ll be the head chef. You ladies just wait outside.”

Chen Baozhen was stunned. Gu Cheng, known for being strict like a Yama King, was coming to her house to play chef? Was he trying to cook or lead people to their doom?

“Let Old Gao assist me today. I’ll handle the chicken soup.”

With that, Gu Cheng reversed roles, confidently taking over the Gao family kitchen, exuding an air of authority.

Chen Baozhen was dumbfounded. She pulled Qin Yao aside to a corner and whispered, “What’s gotten into him?”

Qin Yao replied softly, “He wants you to praise him.”

Chen Baozhen’s eyes widened. “He’s gone crazy, hasn’t he? Me, praise him?”

“He said Doctor He cooked at your house once, and you kept praising Doctor He. But you never complimented him. Next time, just say something nice to him in front of others. You know how competitive men can be.”

Chen Baozhen was left speechless.

Just then, Gao Jianguo returned with a basket of scallions, ginger, and garlic. He had planned to spend the day cooking alongside Chen Baozhen. It was their version of running a “couple’s kitchen,” working together harmoniously and showcasing their sweet marital bond to Gu Cheng and Qin Yao.

“Baozhen, I’m back. Oh, Xiao Qin is here too? Great timing! You and Commander Gu can sit outside. Have you made tea? Where is Commander Gu?” Gao Jianguo asked with a simple, honest smile.

Chen Baozhen twitched the corner of her mouth. “Commander Gu is in the kitchen.”

“What’s he doing in the kitchen?”

Gao Jianguo rolled up his sleeves and entered the kitchen, only to see Gu Cheng already in full command.

“Ah, you’re here. You’re out of scallions, ginger, and garlic at home. Did you buy garlic? Start smashing it now,” Gu Cheng ordered without missing a beat, fully absorbed in cooking and assigning Gao Jianguo to prep tasks.

Gao Jianguo stood at the kitchen door in disbelief, thinking he had walked into the wrong house. Who was this man, wearing an apron, sleeves rolled up, effortlessly cutting through crab shells?

Gu Cheng skillfully halved a crab, revealing the orange roe, cleaned out the innards, and moved on to the next.

Frowning, he said, “Your yard is so spacious. You never thought about planting some scallions, ginger, and garlic?”

Commander Gu never expected that there was a family in the family yard who had no onions, ginger, or garlic in their kitchen. It would have been fine if there were no onions, ginger, or garlic in the kitchen, but there were none in the yard either.

Gao Jianguo awkwardly replied, “We planted some on the second-floor balcony, but they didn’t grow well.” Now they’re all potted.

His wife, Baozhen, wasn’t attentive to watering, and while the ground-planted ones fared better, everything in pots eventually died.

Gu Cheng shook his head, silently giving the couple a failing grade.

“Hurry and smash more garlic. A lot of it. You’ll be assisting me later,” Gu Cheng commanded.

Instinctively, Gao Jianguo picked up the knife and smashed some garlic. After completing one clove, he suddenly paused, realizing something was off. Why was he following Gu Cheng’s orders?

Whose house was this anyway?

He put down the knife and asked, “Commander Gu, why are you in my kitchen?”

Gu Cheng replied, “To cook.”

“Why?”

After a brief pause, Gu Cheng explained, “So your wife will praise me in front of Yaoyao.”

“A man’s desire to get married—you understand that, don’t you?”

Gao Jianguo picked up the knife again, feeling utterly exasperated. He wanted to scream, “I don’t understand at all! Just get married already!”

Meanwhile, Qin Yao and Chen Baozhen sat outside in the yard. Chen Baozhen was peeling a pineapple, a fragrant and sweet variety that didn’t need to be soaked in saltwater. She loved eating it.

The best thing about this island, in her opinion, was the fruit. Everything grew so sweet it was almost overwhelming.

Some fruits were so sweet they even carried a hint of fermented wine.

Qin Yao chuckled at her and offered, “How about I help? Your peeling job looks like it’s been chewed on by a dog.”

“You already have your Commander Gu busy in the kitchen. Let me do the work outside,” Chen Baozhen teased. Then she added, “By the way, Old Gao and I have to thank you for your advice. Wang Chunlan returned all the money. Every family got their money back.”

A while ago, after Chen Baozhen discussed Wang Chunlan’s debt issues with the women’s director, it didn’t take long for Wang Chunlan to show up at her house, returning the money. The remaining debts were also settled.

“I heard from some of the wives that Wang Chunlan had been hiding a lot of money at home, keeping it from both her in-laws and her own family. When the director sent someone to her hometown to investigate, her secret was exposed.”

“She borrowed over a thousand yuan. I think she was planning to borrow even more and leave with her child. At that point, do you think she’d ever pay it back?”

From all over the world, these creditors on the island could not go all the way to the home of their comrade’s widow to ask for money just for a few dozen or two hundred yuan.

Over a thousand yuan, nearly three years of her salary. Chen Baozhen admitted she almost admired Wang Chunlan for her audacity.

“The money’s all been returned. The director advised us to keep things low-key and only discuss it privately,” Chen Baozhen said. “She also told us we lend too much. Most others only loan out a few dozen yuan.”

Qin Yao laughed. “She’s calling you two rich fools.”

“Nonsense. Old Gao’s family doesn’t have that much money.”

As the two chatted in the yard, a clump of mud suddenly flew in, followed by the noisy chatter of children shouting, “Oh! Oh! Oh!”

“Teacher Chen, smile! Teacher Chen, smile!”

Chen Baozhen frowned and snapped, “First the old ones come, now the little ones. Don’t they have any shame?”

Qin Yao asked curiously, “What’s going on?”

“The one leading is the child from the widow’s house. After the money was returned, her child, along with others, was outside my yard shouting. They weren’t doing anything specific, just shouting and throwing mud and small stones.”

“Old Gao told me to endure, but I couldn’t take it anymore. How could I? What kind of mother raises such a child?”

When Qin Yao saw Chen Baozhen charging toward them angrily, she quickly stopped her, “What are you going to do?”

Chen Baozhen angrily said, “I’m going to scold them until they leave.”

Qin Yao chuckled, “You’re a primary school teacher, but these children are so small and unreasonable. The more you scold them, the more they’ll laugh at you.”

Chen Baozhen was silent for three seconds. She tugged at Qin Yao’s sleeve, “Yaoyao, you’re right. Scolding them won’t help. You go to the kitchen and call your Commander Gu out.”

“I don’t believe these kids won’t be scared of him.”

Qin Yao: “…”

“Yaoyao, don’t worry about it. Your Commander Gu’s cold face would scare anyone. Not just kids, even adults can’t handle it.”

To be honest, Qin Yao didn’t think Gu Cheng’s temper was that fierce. She felt it was just a misunderstanding on Chen Baozhen’s part.

“Baozhen, why don’t we try something else first?”