Chapter 30: How Will You Bully Me?

　　　　　　

After a bit of a hassle, they returned to the family compound. Jiang Ning was a bit confused when she saw that the car could drive into the compound.

She asked, “Can the car drive into the compound?”

Qian Feng didn’t understand why she asked, and honestly replied, “Yes, it can.”

Jiang Ning didn’t say much more. She was happy to save a few steps.

They had left early in the morning, and by the time they returned home, it was just after ten o’clock. It wasn’t even time for Shen Mo to finish his training yet.

Jiang Ning wanted to invite Qian Feng to stay for a meal, but he declined no matter what. In the end, Jiang Ning grabbed a handful of candies for Qian Feng as a thank you.

When Qian Feng saw the large handful of candies in his hand, his mouth could have fit an egg. Was Sister-in-law’s way of thanking people always this extravagant?

With a large handful of candies, Qian Feng left feeling light and happy.

Jiang Ning looked at the large box in the courtyard and moved it to the table under the tree.

This table was brought back by Shen Mo last night. Looking at the gradually furnished courtyard, she was very satisfied. Now the courtyard had the style she had envisioned.

She took each item out of the box and placed them on the table, then went to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients.

Jiang Ning hummed a song while leisurely picking vegetables. Soon, she heard a loud, steady footstep outside, and it sounded like more than one person.

Jiang Ning looked up and saw Shen Mo carrying something that looked like a cabinet into the courtyard. There was another person outside helping him carry it in.

As they entered the courtyard, Jiang Ning saw that the person was not Yang Zhengtu nor Qian Feng, but a stranger.

The two of them carried the cabinet into the small room, and then went out again to carry in a fairly large desk, which also went into the small room.

Jiang Ning remembered that this morning when she was tidying up the room, she had asked him to get these things sorted out.

Since someone had helped, it wouldn’t be right to let them leave empty-handed.

Jiang Ning ran into the house and grabbed a handful of candies, a few cookies, and a cup of water.

Shen Mo wiped the sweat from his forehead and saw his wife coming out of the house with a cup of water in her hand. He thought to himself how thoughtful his wife was.

Shen Mo had already extended his hand, but the cup of water was handed to the nearby Commander Li.

“Thank you,” said Commander Li with a smile, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunching up. “You must be Comrade Jiang, Young Shen’s wife.”

“Hello.”

Jiang Ning greeted him and gave Shen Mo a look, indicating that he should make an introduction.

Shen Mo introduced her, “This is Commander Li, Sister Li’s husband.”

Jiang Ning then handed a handful of candies to Commander Li and said with an understanding expression, “Commander Li, I’ve often heard Sister-in-law praise you. She says you’re an expert at fishing and that she learned all her fishing skills from you.”

These words made Li Weiguo feel very pleased.

He knew that Shen Mo had just moved here and had a lot of things to take care of at home. Usually, they had to train their soldiers and didn’t have much time for socializing.

But recently, his wife had been constantly praising Young Shen’s wife in his ear, saying how beautiful she was and how delicious her cooking was.

She even mentioned that the famous braised pork with preserved vegetables, which he had raved about last time, was made by Young Shen’s wife.

The lingering flavor of the braised pork still tantalized his taste buds, making him curious to meet the woman who had earned such high praise from his wife.

It even made Shen Mo, who had never been interested in women and lived like a monk in the military, rush home on time every day, saying that his wife was waiting for him at home.

It was as if he was eager to let everyone know that he had a wife.

In the past, he would always delay training by half an hour or even an hour, but no one dared to complain.

Being stricter in training meant saving more lives on the battlefield.

“That’s right, I taught my wife how to fish,” Commander Li said with a smile. He then handed the empty enamel cup back to Shen Mo and teased him, “Live a good life with your wife. Don’t always look so serious; it’s scary. And remember, never bully your wife.”

He then turned to Jiang Ning, his tone becoming more familiar, “Don’t be afraid, Young Jiang. If this guy ever bullies you, come find me. I’ll back you up. Although I might not be able to beat him, I’m older than him, so he has to listen to me.”

Outside of the military, there was no strict hierarchy, so Commander Li treated Shen Mo like a brother and joked with him.

After saying that, Commander Li left the courtyard.

Without Commander Li’s hearty laughter, the courtyard became quiet again.

Jiang Ning rested her chin on her hand and looked at Shen Mo.

Just now, Commander Li said that Shen Mo always looked serious and scary, but she thought it was quite cool and resolute.

But when it came to the idea of him bullying her, she suddenly felt like teasing him. She tapped her soft cheek with her finger and leaned forward, “How would you bully me?”

‘Gulp—’

Shen Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

As the girl got closer, his heart pounded violently, and he even thought that if she got any closer, she might hear his heartbeat.

“N-n-no…”

The words circled in his mouth but didn’t come out. Whenever his wife got a little closer to him, he seemed to get so nervous that he couldn’t speak.

Jiang Ning’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she helped him articulate, “Won’t? Or don’t dare?”

“I won’t,” Shen Mo couldn’t hold on and took two steps back, “and I don’t dare! Besides, it’s always you who bullies me.”

A big, unexpected accusation landed on Jiang Ning’s head.

Her beautiful eyes widened a bit, “When did I ever bully you?”

Shen Mo glanced at the enamel cup in his hand, “I’m thirsty, and I haven’t had any water to drink.”

The way he said it made it sound like he was blaming Jiang Ning for not giving him water despite seeing him tired, but his pitiful tone didn’t sound like blame at all; it was more like he was whining.

Jiang Ning looked at him.

A tough guy whining!?

It was a rare sight, and it was so cute!

Seeing the increasingly strange smile on Jiang Ning’s face, Shen Mo thought to himself, “…….”

His wife’s way of thinking might be a bit different from others.

Jiang Ning somehow found another piece of candy, peeled it, and popped it into Shen Mo’s mouth, saying, “You’ve worked hard. Have a candy first, and I’ll get you some water.”

The sweet taste exploded in his mouth.

He had eaten candy before, but this one felt like it went straight to his heart.

It wasn’t because the candy was sweet, but because it was given by his wife.

Jiang Ning went back inside and took out their special drinking cups to pour a glass of water for Shen Mo.

People in this era weren’t as particular as in the future, but Jiang Ning was a doctor, and the principle of “disease enters through the mouth” was deeply ingrained in her.

So, they had their own special drinking cups at home, as well as some cups prepared for guests.

After drinking the water, Shen Mo said, “I’ll go pick up Zhiqi.”

Jiang Ning nodded, “Okay, go ahead.”

Everything was ready, and it was time to bring the child over.

Jiang Ning returned to the kitchen, opened the pot, and added seasoning. Inside was a lotus root rib soup, which smelled delicious.

It was perfect for nourishing a child’s body. Zhiqi was so small, clearly because he hadn’t been getting enough nutrition. Eating more nutritious food would help him grow taller.

She and Qian Feng had bought this while passing by a pork vendor on their way back. Qian Feng was puzzled why she bought meat and also ribs, which didn’t have much meat.

Jiang Ning said he didn’t understand.