Chapter 20.1

The people at the table saw her like this and all smiled as they picked up their chopsticks.

After a few bites, Zhang Dongling looked at the foie gras and peas on the table. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she solemnly said, “Let me tell you all—”

Before she could finish, Gui Caihong immediately cut her off: “This foie gras tastes a little strange.”

Zhang Dongling’s expression froze, and the words she was about to say got stuck in her throat.

A moment later, she heard Gui Caihong staring at the peas and saying, “Aren’t these peas overcooked?”

Zhang Dongling’s cooking was a delicate subject in the Gui family. Complaining about her food might get you a verbal onslaught.

Everyone in the family usually tolerated her cooking—after all, it wasn’t that it could kill someone, it just didn’t taste very good.

No one had expected that Gui Caihong would criticize Zhang Dongling’s cooking in this kind of setting. Everyone was secretly confused.

Little Gui Xiwu, being a child, didn’t understand the subtleties. Seeing Gui Caihong daring to question Zhang Dongling’s cooking publicly, he happily joined in, completely unrestrained: “Yeah! This foie gras is bad, and the peas are bad too!”

Gui Xiwu’s blunt honesty was even funnier than Gui Caihong’s nitpicking.

Gui Xiangrong and Gui Xiwen held back their laughter but didn’t say a word—it was clear they agreed with Gui Xiwu.

Zhang Dongling watched all this coldly, fuming with anger. She suddenly stood up and slammed her palm heavily on the table, just about to explode.

But Gu Ying quickly pressed her back down and explained to everyone, “Sorry, I made these two dishes, not Mom. I’m really sorry they didn’t taste good. I’ll try to improve my cooking from now on.”

This was exactly what Gui Caihong had been waiting for. With a considerate smile, she said, “Oh, so you made them? Understandable, understandable. For someone who usually doesn’t cook, doing this well the first time is already impressive. But you really should learn more from your elder sister-in-law.”

Her words, while seemingly understanding, were actually criticizing Gu Ying for not helping with housework enough.

Others might not catch on, but Zhang Dongling understood her meaning perfectly.

Most didn’t know the two dishes were made by Gu Ying, but Gui Caihong definitely did. She deliberately nitpicked in front of everyone, clearly trying to embarrass Gu Ying.

Zhang Dongling remembered how Gui Caihong once went to Gu Ying’s home uninvited before she married in, and even tried to have Meng Huairong marry Gui Xiwen instead, just to break off Gu Ying’s engagement.

Gui Caihong had disliked Gu Ying from the beginning—and she still did.

She probably suggested Gu Ying cook on purpose, all so she could create this awkward moment now!

Zhang Dongling felt she had fully seen through Gui Caihong’s scheming. The more she thought, the angrier she got. Gu Ying was her daughter-in-law, not Gui Caihong’s. Why was she acting like she had the right to lecture her?

Unable to hold back, Zhang Dongling suddenly stood up again, ready to lash out. But Gu Ying quickly pulled her back.

“Mom, today is Dad’s birthday, and Auntie came all this way. I made food that didn’t suit their tastes—it’s my fault, not yours. Don’t cover for me anymore. Auntie’s advice is something I sincerely accept. I’ll make sure to learn cooking from you properly from now on.”

Gu Ying’s words were layered with meaning, and Zhang Dongling was taken aback.

True, today was Gui Xiangrong’s birthday. It wouldn’t be good to make a scene. And after all, Gui Caihong was still Gui Xiangrong’s biological sister. If they fought, it would be hardest on him.

Zhang Dongling held back her temper and sat down again.

She only said, “It’s fine. Since Xiaoying’s cooking isn’t very good, she doesn’t need to cook anymore. I’ll take care of all the cooking from now on. As for Xiaoying, she’s delicate and should be taken care of—no need to do anything.”

No one else objected, because at this moment, they were all looking at Gu Ying with admiration.

These two dishes were clearly made by Zhang Dongling. Everyone at the table had eaten her cooking for years and knew it well.

But Gu Ying claimed they were hers just to protect Zhang Dongling’s pride. Every man at the table lowered his head in shame.

In an instant, the foie gras and peas were devoured by the three men at lightning speed.

“Actually, they taste pretty good,” said birthday boy Gui Xiangrong.

“Yeah, not bad at all,” echoed Gui Xiwen.

Gui Xiwu licked his chopsticks. “Let’s have peas again tomorrow!”

The three men all used actions to support Zhang Dongling after seeing how Gu Ying defended her.

But in Gui Caihong’s eyes, that support took on a different meaning. She didn’t know the dishes were Zhang Dongling’s. Thinking they were Gu Ying’s work, and seeing everyone defend Gu Ying, she nearly spat blood.

Great, now she looked like the villain.

Gui Caihong picked at her food, barely tasting anything, while eyeing Gu Ying carefully.

To win over the whole family in such a short time—this Gu Ying was clearly not as ordinary as she looked.

With a smile on her face, Gui Caihong began plotting. She would need to learn more about Gu Ying.

After dinner that night, Gu Ying went back to her maternal home.

It was only a few steps away. Whether she was married or not didn’t make much difference—if she wanted to see Sun Lan, all she had to do was run over.

Because of this, Sun Lan didn’t worry much about her daughter being married. She only had one concern—that Gu Ying might be mistreated in the Gui family. Every time Gu Ying visited, she would hold her hand and ask a barrage of questions, checking if anything bad had happened.

This time was no different.

Gu Ying smiled and said, “Mom, I’m doing great. Everyone treats me really well. I haven’t been wronged at all.”

Sun Lan was not satisfied with this answer: “You always say the same thing. It sounds like a lie you’ve prepared in advance.”

Gu Ying smiled and hooked her arm around Sun Lan’s. “Why can’t it just be the truth? I’m just stating the facts, so of course it’s the same every time.”

Sun Lan still didn’t feel assured and couldn’t help but nag, “Getting married is not the same as staying at home. When you were living here, I let you off the hook because you were weak and didn’t make you do chores. But once you’re married, you’ll need to be a bit more diligent, or your in-laws will look down on you.”

Gu Ying shook her head with a smile. “They won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?” Sun Lan glared at her. “Don’t go getting lazy with a bad temper. Do what you’re able to—sweep the floor, take out the trash, clean up the room.”

“Mom, I can do all that,” Gu Ying protested.

Sun Lan continued to lecture: “You can also cook. Your cooking has always been good. Back when you and your brother were learning the craft, the master even praised your talent. But your body was weak and couldn’t handle heavy work. Still, cooking at home isn’t like being a chef outside. You don’t need to flip and toss the wok. Just making some simple home dishes will be enough—they won’t have anything to complain about. That part actually puts me at ease.”

Gu Ying’s eyes lit up. “I told them I don’t know how to cook.”

Sun Lan froze. “Why?”

Gu Ying stuck out her tongue mischievously. “What if they find out I can cook and make me do it all the time?”

“You…” Sun Lan was so exasperated she laughed. “You just want to be lazy!”

Gu Ying replied seriously, “That’s not it. It’s just that my mother-in-law seems pretty confident in her cooking. If I do too well, she might feel embarrassed.”

Sun Lan snorted, clearly not believing her. “Yeah, right—you just want to slack off!”

Gu Ying grinned cheekily, neither admitting nor denying it.

Time flew by, and in a few days, the weekend arrived.

The Gui family got ready and headed out together to the Wuning Tree Planting Site.

Not long after they left, Ming Xue also changed her clothes and pulled Zhang Kuo along to leave the house.

Wuning was crowded and lively. The Forestry Bureau staff were already in position. Qin Changkang and Wei Fang, as volunteers, were already on site helping the forestry team hand out water to the enthusiastic crowd planting trees.

When they saw Gui Xiwen bringing his whole family, Qin Changkang exchanged a look with Wei Fang, and the two of them approached to greet him.

Gui Xiwen introduced each member of his family to his colleagues and then urged his parents to take Gui Xiwu to plant trees.

Once the family had gone off, Qin Changkang immediately leaned in and asked Gui Xiwen, “Wait a second, didn’t I tell you to bring your wife? Why did your parents and little brother come, but there’s no sign of your wife?”

Gui Xiwen glanced at the entrance. “She’s outside. She’ll be here soon.”

“What? You left your wife outside by herself? Go bring her in already! What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know how to take care of your wife?” Qin Changkang nudged him, urging him on.

Gui Xiwen sighed and walked toward the entrance.

He hadn’t gone far when Ming Xue suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

Ming Xue asked directly, “Gui Xiwen, you should know where the saplings are placed, right? I looked around and couldn’t find any.”

Gui Xiwen was a bit surprised to see Ming Xue here. He casually pointed behind her. “Go ask the volunteers over there.”

With that, he lifted his foot to leave.

Ming Xue, irritated, blocked him again. “Gui Xiwen, you work at the Forestry Bureau. You’re the only one I know here. Isn’t it reasonable for me to ask you where the saplings are?”

Gui Xiwen’s face turned cold. “Isn’t asking the volunteers the same thing? Would they hide it from you and refuse to tell you?”

“Hey! Gui Xiwen, can’t we talk like normal people? I’m just asking a simple question—what’s with your attitude? We grew up in the same compound. The past is in the past. Are you really going to treat people like this forever?”

Ming Xue felt that nothing had gone right since she stepped out today. When she and Zhang Kuo arrived, the saplings in their section had already been taken. She just wanted to ask someone reliable, but Gui Xiwen still had his same awful attitude.

If it weren’t for the chance to help Zhang Kuo meet a potential benefactor like Wei Zhenhua, she wouldn’t even bother coming to support some dumb event from Gui Xiwen’s workplace!

Gui Xiwen laughed angrily. “Why don’t you look at us both right now—who exactly has the bad attitude?”

“You…” Ming Xue glared at him furiously.

These two old acquaintances had nothing but anger in their eyes—no warmth at all.

But from a distance, Qin Changkang saw something completely different. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but caught sight of Ming Xue’s beautiful face.

He nudged Wei Fang beside him. “Did you see that? Look! That must be Xiwen’s wife—so pretty!”

Wei Fang had already noticed the commotion near Gui Xiwen. She looked at the elegant and attractive woman from afar, and jealousy welled up inside her.

Objectively speaking, the woman really did have the advantage in looks. She matched well standing next to Gui Xiwen.

Wei Fang felt uncomfortable and said coldly, “From their expressions, it doesn’t look like they’re having a pleasant conversation.”

Qin Changkang suddenly understood. “No wonder! I was wondering why Xiwen left his wife outside. Looks like they had a little fight. He’s going to have to do some serious coaxing.”

Wei Fang didn’t want to hear another word. She turned and went off to hand out water.

Qin Changkang wanted to watch a bit longer, but someone came over to ask about saplings, so he had no choice but to stop gossiping and get back to work.

If he had looked just a bit longer, he would’ve noticed something off.

Gui Xiwen walked right past Ming Xue and left her standing there, stomping her feet in frustration.

He was too busy looking for Gu Ying. When he reached the entrance, he realized she wasn’t there and immediately turned back to search for her.

Gu Ying had never been fond of crowded events. When Gui Xiwen led the family inside, she asked to stay outside for a while and go in later.

Realizing she had stayed out a bit too long, Gu Ying didn’t want Gui Xiwen to wait for her inside, so she turned around and went in.

Just as she entered, Gui Xiwen happened to be stopped by Ming Xue. The two of them didn’t see each other and missed each other perfectly.

Gu Ying looked around but didn’t see any members of the Gui family. She guessed they had already gone ahead to start planting trees, so she followed the crowd inward.

Around her, many volunteers were handing out water. Those sweating profusely while planting trees would usually take the water offered by the volunteers and drink it in one big gulp.

Gu Ying also had a bottle of water, specially prepared for her by Zhang Dongling.

She usually only drank boiled water, and the water here was all unboiled. Zhang Dongling was worried she’d get an upset stomach from it, so she had specially bought her a bottle of mineral water—something even Gui Xiwu hadn’t been treated to.

With the mineral water in hand, Gu Ying wandered around looking for the Gui family.

As she walked, she unconsciously drifted toward the outskirts of the area.

There, she saw a middle-aged man, drenched in sweat, digging a hole. This area had fewer people planting trees, and the volunteers seemed to have not made it over yet, so no one was there offering water.

Seeing the man’s face covered in beads of sweat, Gu Ying couldn’t help but hand him her bottle of mineral water.

The middle-aged man paused from digging, looked up, and sweat streamed down his chin. He wiped his face, smiled, and accepted the water. “Thank you.”

He was very thirsty. Twisting off the cap, he drank the entire bottle in one go.

After putting down the bottle, he wiped the sweat from his palm on the hem of his shirt, then solemnly extended his right hand toward Gu Ying. “Hello, comrade. I’m Wei Zhenhua.”

Gu Ying smiled and generously extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Gu Ying.”