Lu Xiaotang watched the group’s exaggerated reactions and cleared his throat, saying, “What wedding? Your sister-in-law is still young; she hasn’t reached the right age yet.”

Ignoring their chatter as they pointed at the pile of meat on the table, he asked, “How should we prepare this? Which of you will help?”

The group exchanged glances, looking at the mound of meat. None of them had ever cooked at home. Although their families were well-off, food was rationed, and their mothers were unwilling to let them waste it by cooking.

Lu Xiaotang sighed as he observed them, thinking that none of them were as capable as Xiao An. Xiao An could already whip up several dishes thanks to his sister’s guidance. His wife was truly remarkable; she could cook anything.

Since no one else knew how to cook, Lu Xiaotang took it upon himself to get to work. As the others watched him skillfully chop and boil, they teased, “Bro, not bad! Looks like you’ve had plenty of training from our sister-in-law.”

Seeing them egging him on, Lu Xiaotang laughed, “Get lost! You think I’m like you guys? I’ve been helping my family with cooking since I was young. Your sister-in-law wouldn’t let me do any work anyway.”

“See that bag of baked buns? Your sister-in-law made those for me to eat on the road. I’ve eaten quite a few, and there are still so many left. I’ll heat some up in the pot, and then you can all have a taste of your sister-in-law’s cooking.”

Before Lu Xiaotang finished speaking, the others had already rushed over to grab the bag. Inside were nearly twenty unconsumed beef tongue buns from the journey.

The group ate from noon until after three in the afternoon before finally dispersing. Guan Zi took a few of them home, knowing that Lu Xiaotang had something to discuss with Zhenting and Wen Qing.

As the three watched the others leave, Wen Qing finally brought up the matter of Lu Xiaotang’s aunt coming over.

After Wen Qing finished explaining, Lu Xiaotang’s expression turned cold, and he sneered, “I have to report to the military academy tomorrow. I won’t have time to deal with this for a while, so keep an eye on things for me. I’ll meet my good uncle in due time.”

Wen Qing nodded, saying, “Don’t worry, bro. I’ll keep watch over here.”

Lu Xiaotang nodded again and asked, “Do you both know Yang Wenli from No. 2 High School? He’s a year below me and should be in the same class as you two.”

Wen Qing replied, “I know him, bro. He’s in my class. His family lives not far from mine, and I currently work with his dad. His dad is the director of our procurement department, and his mom seems to work at the Women’s Federation in our area. What’s up with him?”

Lu Xiaotang shared the encounter he had in Yushu Village with the two of them. “There’s also someone named Gu Wenping; his cousin is Gu Wenjing, who knows Fang Qianqian. Can you help me look into their backgrounds?”

Wen Qing nodded and asked, “Got it, bro. Is there something going on over there?”

“These three seem fine, but there’s someone named Lin Miao who is quite interested in the lower ranks. She kept trying to befriend them and me. Nowadays, people don’t usually initiate friendships with those in lower positions. Even if they don’t hold any prejudice, they tend to keep their distance. Yet she insists on getting close, which is quite abnormal.”

Huo Zhenting asked, “Where is that Lin Miao from?”

“According to your sister-in-law, she’s from Su Province. I’ve already contacted my uncle and asked him to help investigate. The whole family is over there now. I won’t feel at ease until we get to the bottom of this!”

They continued to discuss recent events for a while, and by nine in the evening, Huo Zhenting and Wen Qing prepared to leave.

Lu Xiaotang took out a few bags. “These are things your sister-in-law prepared for you. Wen Qing, please take Mingyu’s share to his home tomorrow.”

Lu Xiaotang rummaged through his luggage and pulled out the hazelnuts and pine nuts, saying, “I forgot to give these to those kids when they left. Zhenting, take them back and let them share.”

Huo Zhenting and Wen Qing took the items and teased him, “Bro, look at you, always talking about your sister-in-law. We know she’s great, preparing so many things for us. That shows she cares about us.

But you mentioning your wife all the time isn’t like you. You used to be so manly, and now it’s like whatever your wife says goes. Wen Qing, what’s the term for that? Wife slave?” After Huo Zhenting said this, he and Wen Qing exchanged mischievous glances.

Lu Xiaotang felt a bit embarrassed and coughed, saying, “I can’t talk to you single guys about this. Get lost!”

The two of them left with sly grins, and Lu Xiaotang watched as they drove away, closing the door with a sigh of melancholy, wondering if Xu Ning was thinking of him right now.

That Xu Ning, however, was too busy to think about him. She was excitedly discussing plans with Xu An about picking up Xu Yang the next day.

“Do you think Big Brother has grown taller now? Is he as tall as Big Brother Lu?” This question had already been asked by Xu An at least five times that evening.

Xu Ning looked at him speechlessly. She didn’t want to talk to this kid anymore that evening. With the repetitive questions and seeing that it was getting late, she went back to her room to sleep.

Seeing his sister go back inside, Xu An figured he must have annoyed her with his questions. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he scratched his head and lay on the kang, breaking into a silly grin.

The next day, the siblings woke up early. Xu An went off to school while Xu Ning bundled up warmly to sit on the ox cart at the village entrance. Old Chen saw her and asked, “Xu Zhiqing, are you heading into town? Not riding your bicycle today?”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “Grandpa Chen, my brother is coming to visit me and my little brother from the army these days, so I’m going to pick him up today. I’ll be taking your ox cart.”

Old Chen chuckled, “Xu Zhiqing, your cousin just left, and now your brother is coming to see you!”

Xu Ning’s heart skipped a beat at this, but she quickly regained her composure and said, “Grandpa Chen, it’s because my little brother and I insisted on going to the countryside back in the day, and our family disagreed. We secretly signed up, and now our parents are ignoring us. They just let my cousin and brother visit us often. My little brother and I are too scared to go back; we’re afraid of getting punished. We think we’ll wait a few years until we’re older before going home to visit.”

Old Chen slapped his thigh and said, “Xu Zhiqing! Why didn’t you two listen to the adults? I wondered why you both came to the countryside so young. I thought your family was having difficulties, but it turns out you sneaked away! You kids…”

Xu Ning sighed and replied, “Grandpa Chen, my little brother and I listened to the radio back then, saying that the countryside was a vast land of opportunity. I thought since I was strong as a child, I could make a difference with my enthusiasm. It was only after arriving here that I realized that without the kind-hearted villagers’ help, my little brother and I would have had a much harder time.”

Old Chen smiled and comforted her, “What’s the big deal? Since you two are here, you’re part of Yushu Village. Besides, you and your little brother are so capable! You earn a lot of work points and are diligent and sensible. Everyone in the village speaks highly of you both.”

As they joked and laughed, a few more people arrived, prompting Old Chen to get the ox cart moving.

Xu Ning thought to herself that she was grateful that Sister Xiaoran had written to say she wouldn’t be coming this year. Otherwise, with so many people coming here, it would be hard to explain. She decided she should discuss it with a few adults another day.