CHAPTER 13

Zhou Cheng’an put the pickled cabbage into a plate and came out, still holding a spatula in his hand, “Political Commissar, sister-in-law, you are here.”

Li Changyuan didn’t speak for a long time.

Chen Chunni: “Cheng’an, can you cook?”

Zhou Cheng’an nodded. “Yes.”

They seemed to have a good relationship.

Lu Zhi said, “Political Commissar, Sister-in-law, Cheng’an is about to start dinner—he’s steaming some seafood. Why don’t you stay and eat with us?”

Zhou Cheng’an added, “It’ll be ready soon.”

Li Changyuan finally spoke, “Alright, alright.”

As they walked in, he cleared his throat and muttered to Chen Chunni, “Cheng’an may have a cold face, but he can cook. That’s a plus, definitely a plus.”

Chen Chunni nodded in agreement.

Lu Zhi poured them some water—just plain boiled water—but she also brought out wedding candies.

Wrapped in red paper, the candies were fruit-flavored and very sweet.

Before she came here, Lu Zhi’s eldest sister-in-law had given her the candies, knowing she’d be unfamiliar with everyone here. Offering candy was a good way to ease into the community.

Chen Chunni said, “Yesterday, I already heard people saying Deputy Commander Zhou’s wife was really pretty. I didn’t expect that in person, you’d be even prettier than I imagined. People kept saying Cheng’an was cold and too picky, and no one knew when he’d ever get married. If he had met you earlier, he would’ve married long ago!”

Lu Zhi was about to offer a humble reply—

But Zhou Jun jumped in: “My brother definitely really likes my sister-in-law! I really like my sister-in-law too!”

That line made everyone laugh.

Soon, it was time to eat.

There was a large dish of steamed seafood in the center, a plate of stir-fried cabbage in vinegar, two boxes of fresh shrimp dumplings, and steamed buns. Since Li Changyuan and Chen Chunni had joined them, Zhou Cheng’an had added another dish of spicy and sour shredded potatoes just to make sure there was enough.

Chen Chunni smiled. “Looking at the way you two are living now, my husband doesn’t have to worry anymore.”

Zhou Cheng’an peeled a mantis shrimp and placed it onto Lu Zhi’s plate.

Chen Chunni glanced at Li Changyuan, who was fumbling with peeling his own shrimp, and suddenly found herself speechless.

The mantis shrimp, prepared simply, was delicious. The swimming crabs were even better—the flavors were both fresh, but the textures were very different.

As for the dumplings that Li Changyuan and Chen Chunni had brought over—those were nothing short of amazing. Stuffed with fresh shrimp, they were so tender that if not for the wrapper, Lu Zhi might have mistaken them for shrimp paste.

This was Lu Zhi’s first time tasting Zhou Cheng’an’s cooking.

Not restaurant-level gourmet, but the flavors were decent.

By the end of the meal, Lu Zhi was almost too full to move.

While chatting with Li Changyuan, Zhou Cheng’an naturally reached over to take Lu Zhi’s bowl and finished the rest of her dumplings.

….

Lu Zhi stood outside the courtyard gate. “Sister-in-law, come visit often when you have time.”

Chen Chunni nodded. “Of course. I’ll drop by when I’m free. Since Cheng’an will be working tomorrow, I’ll come keep you company for a bit so you won’t feel too out of place here.”

Lu Zhi paused, then smiled. “Okay.”

As they walked away, Li Changyuan turned back to glance at them. Lu Zhi waved her arm, and Zhou Jun mimicked the gesture beside her.

Lu Zhi looked over at Zhou Cheng’an. “You’re going back to work tomorrow?”

Zhou Cheng’an nodded. “Yes. If you’re still sleepy, just stay in bed. I’ll bring back breakfast from the cafeteria. You can eat as soon as you wake up.”

Zhou Jun’s eyes lit up, as if he’d found new purpose in life. “I can get breakfast for Sister-in-law!”

Lu Zhi, as always, gave a perfunctory rejection. “Let’s talk about it when you’re in elementary school.”

Meanwhile—

Li Changyuan was still marveling, “Cheng’an can cook? And clean up after eating!?”

No matter how he thought about it, it felt completely surreal.

He’d known Zhou Cheng’an for many years and knew exactly what kind of person he was.

Li Changyuan chuckled. “Hahaha, I can’t believe he turned out like this. I thought he was the kind of cold flower on a high mountain—too proud for anyone.”

They were nearly home when he realized Chen Chunni hadn’t spoken to him in a while.

Puzzled, he turned to her.

Chen Chunni said, “You always say Cheng’an and his wife don’t know how to live life. I think the one who doesn’t know is you. We’ve been married for so many years—when have you ever cooked for me?”

Li Changyuan scratched his nose awkwardly. Chen Chunni snorted softly and walked ahead.

Zhou Cheng’an really knew how to dote on his wife.

….

Lu Zhi was clearly in a great mood that evening. She came out after her bath, glowing with joy.

“Make sure you wake me up tomorrow morning,” she said.

She didn’t see herself as someone who couldn’t sleep in. At home or at Grandpa and Grandma Zhou’s, she always slept late.

She only woke up early today because she wasn’t used to the morning bugle.

She was determined to get up early so she could see Zhou Cheng’an in his military uniform. She just wasn’t sure which one he’d be wearing.

The white one was so handsome. She really liked that one.

Zhou Cheng’an said, “You don’t have to get up early. I’ll go get breakfast. Zhou Jun can take care of himself.”

Lu Zhi shook her head like a rattle drum. “No, you have to wake me. I’ll go to the cafeteria with you. That way I can remember the route. If I don’t feel like cooking lunch, I’ll take Zhou Jun there to eat.”

When the lights were turned off, Zhou Cheng’an asked again, “Are you sure you want me to wake you up tomorrow?”

Lu Zhi replied, “Yes. Definitely wake me up.”

The room quieted.

Zhou Cheng’an was usually ascetic and self-disciplined—but lying beside him was Lu Zhi.

Just as he was settling in to sleep, Lu Zhi tugged lightly on his pajama sleeve.

She called his name in a soft voice that tickled his ear.

Zhou Cheng’an’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. “Hmm?”

Lu Zhi whispered, “I want to eat more mantis shrimp.”

They were just too delicious!

She felt like she could devour a whole plate more.

There had been plenty that evening, but since they had guests, Li Changyuan and Chen Chunni—who’d lived on the island longer—were more interested in the stir-fried cabbage and shredded potatoes than the seafood Zhou Cheng’an made.

Zhou Cheng’an asked, “Should we go downstairs, or should I bring it up?”

Lu Zhi whispered, “Keep your voice down. Why don’t we go downstairs to eat?”

Zhou Cheng’an replied, “Okay.”

He got out of bed first. The lights were already off, so he grabbed a flashlight and used it to guide Lu Zhi down from the bed.

At the doorway, Zhou Cheng’an took Lu Zhi’s hand. One in front, one behind, they headed downstairs.

The mantis shrimp was absolutely delicious!

Zhou Cheng’an took care of peeling them for her, and Lu Zhi focused on eating. She even helped herself to a leftover swimming crab midway through.

By the time they headed back upstairs, Lu Zhi was completely satisfied.

Everything was perfect—except that now she had to brush her teeth again before sleeping.

….

Lu Zhi was a sucker for good looks, good voices, and good hands. Before the morning wake-up bugle even sounded, she was already awake.

Lying on her side, she gazed at Zhou Cheng’an and couldn’t help but think—his eyelashes were really long.

His skin was great too, though it didn’t seem like he used any products.

Now that she wanted to start using toner and essence, going through an entire skincare routine clearly wasn’t doable here, but she still made sure to use her Snow Cream seriously.

Zhou Cheng’an opened his eyes. His voice was still husky from sleep. “You’re awake?”

Lu Zhi lifted the covers. “Mm, I’m up. Let’s get ready. I’ll stop by next door to check on Zhou Jun.”

She got up to wash up. Since they had to eat breakfast in the canteen today, she looked through her clothes and picked out a white dress.

Her whole family doted on her. Even though Lu Zhi didn’t have a job yet, she got plenty of pocket money. When her eldest brother was still single, he gave her nearly all his cloth coupons. With money and fabric, Lu Zhi owned more clothes than anyone else in the Lu family.

She’d even had some new clothes made for her wedding.

Dressed in her white dress, she tucked her thick, long hair behind her ears and stepped out. Zhou Cheng’an still needed to wash up.

Right then, the morning wake-up bugle sounded.

Zhou Jun heard it and jumped out of bed on his own. Wearing slippers, he ran out with soft thudding steps.

“Big sis-in-law!”

Lu Zhi called out, “Take your little stool and go find your big brother. You two wash up together.”

Zhou Jun answered loudly, “Yes, ma’am!”

Not a single complaint.

He ran back to grab his stool and rushed off to find Zhou Cheng’an.

Lu Zhi headed downstairs, found the lunchboxes, and waited outside for Zhou Cheng’an.

When she heard footsteps, she looked up from where she’d been daydreaming by the courtyard gate—and was stunned.

Tall and straight, with cold, defined features.

For a moment, it felt like Lu Zhi’s eyes could only see him.

Zhou Cheng’an said, “Let’s go.”

Lu Zhi nodded. “Okay!”

….

In the morning, the canteen was crowded.

When Lu Zhi arrived, she stood in line at the back with Zhou Cheng’an.

“Deputy Commander Zhou.”

“Good morning, Deputy Commander Zhou!”

“Good morning, sister-in-law.”

“Morning, sister-in-law.”

Lu Zhi even saw Jiang Dong and a few others come over to eat. The guys from Jiang Dong’s dorm were particularly friendly—especially one who looked especially simple and honest.

As for Jiang Dong and the others, they seemed a little… off.

When it was nearly Lu Zhi’s turn, she glanced at the breakfast options: steamed buns, mixed grain porridge, and a few cold side dishes.

Being near the sea, the cold dishes were mostly shredded kelp and dragon whisker seaweed.

That was all the canteen had in the mornings.

Lu Zhi thought maybe she’d eat at home from time to time.

The steamed buns yesterday were good, but they weren’t available every day.

And while the cold seaweed salads were tasty, she didn’t want to eat them daily.

….

Zhou Cheng’an left for work. Lu Zhi and Zhou Jun stayed home. Zhou Cheng’an had already done all the housework, so there wasn’t much left to do.

Upstairs, Lu Zhi turned on the radio, and the two of them listened together.

The adult and the child lay sprawled across the bed.

Just then, Chen Chunni came by and called from outside the yard, “Lu Zhi? Lu Zhi?”

When Lu Zhi came out, Chen Chunni smiled and said, “Let’s go to the market together.”

Lu Zhi replied, “Sister-in-law, give me a minute.”

She ran inside to grab some money and coupons, then asked Zhou Jun whether he wanted to come with her or stay home. After sorting everything out, she left with Chen Chunni for the market.

Since they were buying groceries anyway, Lu Zhi figured she’d cook dinner tonight.