CHAPTER 18

Lu Zhi first went to find Lu Yue.

After hearing the whole story, Lu Yue remained calm. This was just the sort of thing Li Cuihua would do.

Lu Yue said, “She’s a good person, but when it comes to stuff like this, she’s just…” She paused for a while, then said, “too enthusiastic.”

She took the pork belly into the kitchen. The two pieces were about the same size. Lu Zhi kept one to give to Li Cuilan, then calculated the money and ration tickets and returned the extra to Lu Yue.

She also gave Lu Yue a portion of her own meat.

Lu Zhi said, “Second Sister, it’s not much, but I’ve got enough. I’m planning to make stir-fried green beans and potatoes with pork belly tonight. Secretary Li and Sister-in-law Chen are coming over for dinner.”

She continued, “I also made some spicy strips. I’ll bring some over next time.”

When she turned around, she saw Lu Yue nearly moved to tears.

Lu Zhi: “……”

All she did was something small, right?

Lu Yue: “Our little Zhi is so good to Second Sister. I’m going to write a letter to your big brother right away!”

She looked proud as she said this.

Then she started rummaging around and told Lu Zhi to wait while she found what she needed. Meanwhile, Lu Zhi took Zhou Jun to see little Tuantuan.

Tuantuan was asleep. At that age, babies spent most of their time napping.

Lu Zhi reached out and touched her chubby little hand, unable to hold back a smile.

Her niece was seriously too cute.

Zhou Jun whispered softly, “Sister-in-law, she’s asleep.”

Lu Zhi said, “That’s right, she’s asleep now. Once Tuantuan learns to walk, you’ll be able to play with her.”

Zhou Jun asked, “When will Tuantuan be able to walk?”

Well, that… Lu Zhi honestly didn’t know.

Before learning to walk, Tuantuan still had something else to learn—how to speak.

Lu Zhi said, “Before she walks, she’ll learn to talk. She’ll be able to call me Little Aunt and call you Little Uncle.”

Just thinking about Tuantuan calling him Little Uncle made Zhou Jun stand up straighter.

That’s his niece!

Lu Zhi said with a smile, “Our little Jun is so amazing—already a little uncle.”

Zhou Jun puffed up proudly. “I’ll be a great little uncle!”

When Lu Yue came back, she brought brown sugar and honey for Lu Zhi. There wasn’t much brown sugar, but plenty of honey.

Lu Yue said, “Here, take all of this. Make yourself sweet drinks with it from time to time.”

….

In the evening, when it got a bit cooler, Lu Zhi stood at the window and looked out. Unfortunately, from the second floor, she couldn’t see the sea—she’d have to go up to the rooftop terrace for that.

She casually tied her thick hair into a low messy bun and headed to the kitchen to cook.

Zhou Jun followed her with quick little steps. “Sister-in-law, are you making dinner?”

Lu Zhi said, “Yup. Uncle Li and Auntie Chen are coming over to eat with us.”

Then she paused—only just realizing she’d forgotten something. Did they have a child? How did she forget? She should’ve told them to bring their child along too.

In the kitchen, Lu Zhi checked on the dried string beans she had soaked earlier. They were soft now, so she rinsed them again and prepped them. Then she started on the pork belly and baby potatoes.

Once the oil was hot, she stir-fried the pork belly in the wok. Soon, a fragrant smell filled the air, and she added the string beans and potatoes.

After adding seasoning, Lu Zhi began to stir-fry everything together.

Zhou Jun stood on a little stool, watching with wide eyes and swallowing his saliva.

Zhou Jun asked eagerly, “Is it done yet, sister-in-law?”

Lu Zhi smiled, “It still needs to simmer a bit. Help me fetch some water.”

Zhou Jun immediately ran to get her water. Lu Zhi poured it into the wok and covered it with a lid.

The aroma grew stronger and stronger.

Meanwhile, she cleaned the seafood and started steaming it.

She set aside the swimming crabs—she planned to make them with sauce.

When Zhou Cheng’an came back, he stepped into the kitchen. “Need help with anything else? I’ll do it.”

Lu Zhi said, “I’m going to cook cornmeal pancakes along the sides of the wok. You can do that.”

Zhou Cheng’an sniffed the air. The seafood was already steaming, and the crabs Lu Zhi had set aside clearly weren’t meant to be steamed.

“You’re making sauced crabs?” he asked.

Lu Zhi nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

The two of them worked side by side in the kitchen.

Zhou Jun glanced around, then stepped off his little stool and dragged it over to sit off to the side. He rested his chin in his hands and watched them quietly.

Lu Zhi suddenly asked, “Do Uncle Li and Auntie Chen have a child?”

Zhou Cheng’an replied, “Yeah, a son. His name is Li Weidong. He’s the same age as Zhou Jun, and he’s in kindergarten now.”

Lu Zhi said, “I totally forgot about that.”

Zhou Cheng’an said, “It’s fine. They’ll bring Weidong with them.”

There was no need to say more—he and Li Changyuan were really close friends.

The braised dish of pork belly, potatoes, and string beans was finally done. The potatoes looked soft and fluffy, the pork glistened a rich red, and the string beans looked super appetizing.

Zhou Cheng’an took the cornmeal dough and pressed rounds along the sides of the wok. He stuck on over a dozen before stopping.

The corn cakes slowly soaked up the broth at the bottom of the pan. When eaten later, they’d be crisp on the outside and soft inside.

On her side, Lu Zhi finished mixing the crab meat with sauce and packed it up.

Little Zhou Jun was practically drooling by this point, but he stubbornly didn’t ask to eat first.

Lu Zhi picked up a piece of pork belly with her chopsticks. “Xiao Jun, have a bite.”

Zhou Jun put his hands on his hips. “Sister-in-law eats first!”

Just as he said that, Zhou Cheng’an had already picked up a piece of pork belly and brought it to Lu Zhi’s mouth.

Lu Zhi looked at him. “Zhou Cheng’an.”

Zhou Cheng’an replied, “Hm?”

Lu Zhi: “Do you know the phrase a beauty is a feast for the eyes?”

Zhou Cheng’an’s eyes lit up with a smile. “I know. Just like how I’m looking at you right now.”

Lu Zhi: !!!

Aaaaahhhh!

She was the one who was supposed to be flirting with Zhou Cheng’an!

Forget it—time to eat!

Mm, soft, tender, flavorful—absolutely delicious.

….

Li Changyuan and Chen Chunni were bringing their son Li Weidong over to Lu Zhi’s place. They hadn’t even arrived yet and were already hit by a wave of mouthwatering aroma.

Neighbors nearby were chatting too.

“Who’s cooking at home?”

“Smells so good.”

“Smells like string beans.”

“I’m cooking string beans too tonight!”

Li Changyuan said, “That smell—really something else.”

Little Weidong nodded in firm agreement.

When they finally arrived at Lu Zhi’s house, the whole Li family was stunned by the delicious fragrance.

Wait a second… that smell was coming from Lu Zhi’s house?

Lu Zhi stepped out and greeted them with a smile. “Sister-in-law, you’re here! Come in, take a seat. Cheng’an, serve the dishes—let’s eat!”

Chen Chunni said, “So this amazing smell was coming from your place! I didn’t expect Cheng’an to be able to…”

…make food that smelled this incredible!

Zhou Cheng’an emerged and said, “It wasn’t me. Today’s meal was made by Zhi Zhi.”

Chen Chunni exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, Cheng’an, you really married a treasure!”

Zhou Cheng’an laughed and said, “Yes, I’ve married a treasure.”

There was a clear difference between “marrying a treasure” and “marrying my treasure,” but it seemed only Lu Zhi noticed it.

With both hands clasped behind her back, Lu Zhi lightly brushed Zhou Cheng’an’s hand—only for him to immediately take hold of it.

Soon, the four adults and two little ones officially began eating.

Li Changyuan was eating so happily he was about to cry!

The corn cakes soaked in broth—just one bite and they were unbelievably good. That unique texture, the aroma of corn… He had never eaten corn cakes this delicious before.

He regretted it, deeply. Why had he eaten lunch at the cafeteria? Why, when he ran into Vice Commander Li in the afternoon and the man offered him snacks, had he eaten so much?

It was so good. Truly delicious. But now, he couldn’t eat another bite!

Chen Chunni said, “Weidong, Xiao Jun will be in the same kindergarten as you soon. Maybe you’ll even go to the same elementary school. You two can play together.”

Still chewing, Chen Chunni waited for a reply, but Li Weidong didn’t respond.

Strange. Her son was usually very well-behaved. Why wasn’t he answering?

Wait a second—

Good grief!

Her son had practically buried his head in his bowl.

This was getting a little awkward.

The two little ones finished eating first. While the adults chatted, the kids went out to the yard to play.

Li Weidong stood in the courtyard, glancing around.

Lu Zhi’s yard was still empty—it hadn’t been tidied up yet since they’d just moved in.

Li Weidong said, “Wow, your yard is so fun! You can run in it!”

Lu Zhi, who had just stepped outside, fell into a thoughtful silence.

So… even though there were no vegetables planted yet, no tables or chairs for relaxing… her yard could still be praised?

Li Weidong’s eyes sparkled. “Auntie, do you wanna see me do a backflip?”

Oh my.

Such a talented little guy. Of course she wanted to see!

Lu Zhi asked, “You can do a backflip?”

Li Weidong puffed out his chest proudly. “I can!”

Inside the house, the three chatting adults paused when they heard the word “backflip.”

Chen Chunni put a hand to her forehead—she couldn’t bear to look. Just couldn’t. Maybe it was time to send Li Weidong home.

Out in the yard, Li Weidong ran far across to the edge of the wall.

Lu Zhi looked on with a mix of admiration and worry. She didn’t want him getting hurt—after all, he was still a kid. She stepped forward to stop him. “Weidong, you—”

Li Weidong made a mighty effort… and then did a full-body roll on the ground.

Wait—who taught you that kind of backflip?

….

As the Li family of three was about to leave, Lu Zhi suddenly remembered the spicy strips. She brought out a batch for them to take home.

Chen Chunni said, “These look delicious!”

Lu Zhi explained, “You can eat them as a snack. This one’s mildly spicy—not too strong. And this one’s extra spicy.”

“They’re made from the chili peppers I bought last time.”

“Yes, the ones from last time.”

Li Changyuan glanced at them longingly, but alas, he couldn’t eat spicy food. What a pity.

On the way back, Chen Chunni noticed that the people chatting outside and cooling off in the evening air seemed… a little envious?

And come to think of it—who wouldn’t be? That heavenly aroma from Lu Zhi’s cooking—who could resist?

….

While applying some Snow Cream, Lu Zhi kept thinking about Li Weidong’s “backflip” and found it more and more amusing. She was very curious—who on earth taught him that?

Zhou Cheng’an said, “I did.”

Lu Zhi: “……”

Zhou Cheng’an recalled that before moving to the island, he used to have meals at Li Changyuan’s house all the time, so he was quite familiar with the little guy.

Li Weidong had heard some stories about him and insisted on learning backflips from Zhou Cheng’an. Li Changyuan told him to just humor the boy.

But no one expected Li Weidong to be… a little slower than they thought.

From then on, the Li family gained a walking punchline.

To this day, the word “backflip” was something Li Changyuan couldn’t bear to hear. Absolutely not.

If only they had taken pictures or recorded it—when Li Weidong grew up, showing him that moment would be enough to make him so embarrassed he’d resolve all their housing issues just to forget it.

Wait a minute. Take pictures?

She couldn’t post to her Moments, but she could still take pictures for her own records.

Lu Zhi called out, “Old Zhou.”

Zhou Cheng’an replied, “Hm?”

Lu Zhi declared, “I want to buy a camera!”

Zhou Cheng’an said, “We’ll get one this weekend.”

Wuwuwuwu, this kind of sweet talk was really too heart-melting.

Lu Zhi’s eyes lit up. She smiled and said, “So you really did marry a treasure—so you’d better treasure me well, right?”

Zhou Cheng’an looked at her under the glow of the lamp.

The bugle for lights out began to play.

The room went dark.

Lu Zhi heard Zhou Cheng’an whisper next to her ear, “Yes… my treasure.”

His voice was deep, smooth, and magnetic.