Chapter 11

“What are you waiting for?”

Pei Ji’an broke the awkward silence first, quietly asking the question.

His words were clearly directed at Pei Zheng and Shen Jiming, who obediently lowered their heads and entered the room.

Before long, they came out dressed in green military uniforms, wearing rubber-soled shoes. They carried heavy military blankets on their backs, with a pair of old cloth shoes stuffed inside, and had water bottles hanging from their waists. Each held a wooden stick in hand.

With their familiar and swift movements, it was likely they had been punished for this before.

Pei Ji’an said, “Run three five-kilometer laps. If you don’t finish, you won’t get to eat.”

“Understood!” Pei Zheng and Shen Jiming replied, their faces resolute as they lined up and began to run, looking quite serious about it.

As they passed by Xiao Gu Huai, the little one clapped his hands and tugged at his brother’s shirt, saying, “Run.”

Pei Zheng playfully tapped Xiao Gu Huai on the head, saying, “You ungrateful little one, I’ve been so good to you.”

“Ah?” Xiao Gu Huai tilted his head, adorably trying to charm them.

Lu Nong: “!” Son, come and stay close to Mama.

Pei Zheng, feeling a bit envious, ran off but couldn’t help glancing back at them occasionally.

Lu Nong felt proud in her heart and leaned closer to Xiao Gu Huai again.

Who understands this kind of heavenly life with a baby?

Oh, that mischievous Pei Zheng understands, but he can’t enjoy it now and has to endure running as punishment, hahaha.

After enjoying the moment with Xiao Gu Huai, Lu Nong remembered that Aunt Wu still hadn’t settled in. She called out to Pei Ji’an, who was preparing to head upstairs to change clothes, saying, “Pei…”

Just as she started to say his name, Lu Nong hesitated. Pei Ji’an was much older and held a high position, so it felt rude to call him by his full name.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to follow Aunt Wu’s example and address him as “Chief.”

Pei Ji’an stopped in his tracks, looking down at Lu Nong with his usual indifferent and stoic expression, which he often wore when he didn’t show any emotion.

Lu Nong noticed that Pei Ji’an really suited the role of looking down from a high place, especially when he was silent.

He was imposing and distinct.

Although he had a refined and handsome appearance, people were often captivated by the aura he exuded at first glance, overshadowing his looks. They would remember the intimidation they felt rather than his face.

Lu Nong paused, then added the unfinished thought, her tone slightly sorrowful as she said, “Could you help me decide where Aunt Wu should stay?”

By using the term “you,” her attitude was undoubtedly respectful.

After all, she needed something from him, and Lu Nong was trying to show her willingness to be humble, forgetting the earlier bravado she had shown toward Pei Ji’an.

Aunt Wu, who had been standing nearby, immediately perked up her ears, nervously watching Pei Ji’an’s lips, fearing she might hear that she was being dismissed.

Her concern was a bit unnecessary. Since Pei Ji’an had gone out of his way to pick her up, it was impossible for him to throw her out. It only showed how anxious she was.

No matter how well-versed Pei Ji’an was, he had never encountered someone like Lu Nong before. His personal qualities were firmly rooted in strength, believing one should be unyielding and brave in the face of hardship.

Women were no exception, women held up half the sky.

Most people shared the same mindset, but with a larger group, there were always a few who thought differently. They concealed their thoughts and harbored schemes while maintaining the same demeanor as others.

Pei Ji’an saw through people’s hearts easily. To him, those kinds of individuals were completely transparent, yet he never pointed out their hypocrisy or insincerity. He simply regarded them as a joke.

However, Lu Nong didn’t fit into either category. She wasn’t so naive and had her own little schemes. Strangely enough, while others would feel embarrassed and ashamed about their hidden motives, to her, they seemed completely natural.

Just like now, despite her earlier arrogance, she showed no discomfort at all.

She even wore her thoughts openly on her face, leaning closer as if demanding him to see them.

It was as if she were a little cat, cautiously testing her master’s feelings, playfully exposing her belly to ask for food: “No pretense, I’m being honest. Hurry up and feed me.”

At that moment, he felt a mix of amusement and disbelief, refreshing his understanding of the young wife he had just married.

Pei Ji’an slowly walked down the stairs and stood in front of Lu Nong and Aunt Wu, asking gently, “Well then, where do you think Aunt Wu should stay?”

Having just come downstairs, Pei Ji’an seemed much more approachable.

Lu Nong blinked, thinking that since he asked so nicely, she wouldn’t hold back.

Previously, Aunt Sun had a small room in the house. However, the room was not in good condition. The window was small and did not let in much light, and the bed was merely a makeshift structure made of wooden boards. The room was barely big enough for one person to enter and exit.

Aunt Sun usually stayed at her own home, using that room just to store her belongings. After years of this arrangement, she had grown accustomed to it, but Aunt Wu was different.

Aunt Wu needed a proper living space, and Lu Nong couldn’t let her stay in a place with such poor lighting, especially as Aunt Wu grew older. Over time, it could affect her health.

On the first floor of the Pei family house, besides that small room, there was another room with a similar layout. The two rooms were separated by a wall. This room was assigned to Xiao Zhou, the guard and driver, who, like Aunt Sun, didn’t sleep in the small room at night and only used it as a place to rest and store things.

Lu Nong planned to merge the two rooms into one larger space, do a little renovation, and improve ventilation so that Aunt Wu could move in comfortably.

As for Xiao Zhou, she silently apologized to him, thinking she could ask Aunt Wu to prepare some extra delicious meals for him later.

“Do you think that would work?” Lu Nong shared her idea with Pei Ji’an. “Until the renovations are done, Aunt Wu can sleep with me.”

Pei Ji’an listened quietly and then pondered for a moment before suggesting, “Why not just move Aunt Wu to the second floor?”

“Second floor?” Lu Nong asked in confusion. “But there are no empty rooms there.”

Pei Ji’an replied, “We can give up Xiao Huai’s room and let Xiao Huai move in with Pei Zheng.”

“Oh, that wouldn’t do!” Aunt Wu shook her head in alarm, refusing the idea.

Lu Nong held Aunt Wu’s hand and thought for a moment before firmly rejecting it. “It wouldn’t be good for Xiao Huai and Pei Zheng to share a room. Pei Zheng probably wants his own space.”

Teenagers going through puberty value their personal space greatly. At twenty, Lu Nong felt she had more say than Pei Ji’an in this matter.

Moreover, deciding to take half of Pei Zheng’s room for his brother without his consent would not only be disrespectful but also harmful to family harmony.

Just imagine any child’s feelings, a stepmother moving in with her son and inviting someone else to stay, while that child has to share his room with his younger brother. It would be uncomfortable for anyone.

Pei Ji’an shouldn’t have suggested this in the first place. Once he started with the first action that put Pei Zheng at a disadvantage, countless similar situations would follow. Human hearts can never withstand too much testing.

She did not want to be seen as a cruel stepmother. She was beautiful and wanted to remain that way.

However, considering Pei Zheng and Gu Huai couldn’t stay together, Aunt Wu could stay with Gu Huai.

“Aunt Wu, how about you live with Xiao Huai?” Since Pei Ji’an had already agreed to let Aunt Wu move to the second floor, he likely wouldn’t oppose this arrangement.

“Xiao Huai?” Aunt Wu hesitated.

“Yes, live with Xiao Huai and help take care of him,” Lu Nong encouraged.

Once Aunt Wu heard about taking care of Xiao Huai, she finally nodded. “Alright then.”

Seeing that the two had made arrangements, Pei Ji’an did not object. He called Xiao Zhou and asked him to buy a ready-made single bed from the military supply office.

Xiao Zhou immediately set off to do so. Lu Nong remembered that they were out of meat at home and called Xiao Zhou back, asking, “Comrade Xiao Zhou, is the military supply office far from the supply and marketing cooperative?”

“It’s not far. If you want to go out, I can give you a ride,” Xiao Zhou replied.

Since she could hitch a ride, there was no need to walk. Lu Nong was thrilled, passing the baby to Aunt Wu and then hurrying upstairs to grab her saved-up money and tickets, quickly returning downstairs.

With a good harvest and a reunion today, they should have a nice meal.

When she came back down, Pei Ji’an was still there. Lu Nong took Gu Xiao Huai from Aunt Wu’s arms and handed him to Pei Ji’an. “Emergency! Please entertain him while we go buy groceries.”

With that, she pulled Aunt Wu and they dashed out of the little red building.

Pei Ji’an: “…”

Gu Xiaohuai: “…”

They stared at each other in confusion.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhou first took them to the supply and marketing cooperative before heading to the military supply office to buy the single bed.

Lu Nong and Aunt Wu arrived just in time. The pork stall had just been set up, and there weren’t many people in line.

She was really craving the braised pork that Aunt Wu made, along with sweet and sour cherry meat, coral cabbage, braised eggplant, and honey pear balls…

They had to have it all today!

Lu Nong told Aunt Wu to stand in line at the meat stall, handing her the money and tickets to buy ten jin of skin-on pork belly and pork tenderloin, as well as two pig’s feet and some pork offal.

She planned to browse around nearby stores.

… Ten minutes later, Lu Nong regretted her decision. Unfortunately, it was the arrival time for a batch of popular fabrics, and a crowd of young women was jostling in the store, almost turning Lu Nong into a sardine.

Finally squeezing past the fabric counter, Lu Nong headed towards the candy area. It wasn’t that she was craving candy; she just had some candy tickets that would go to waste if she didn’t use them.

During this era, White Rabbit milk candy was considered hard currency. A handful of candy could very well help her find a good partner.

Of course, the prices matched its reputation. Ten yuan would only buy three jin, and she also needed candy tickets.

Lu Nong bought half a jin of White Rabbit candy and three jin of rock candy, planning to ask Aunt Wu to make some rock candy bird’s nest soup for dinner.

She had keen eyes and spotted Aunt Wu’s rattan basket, which contained not only utensils but also a pile of good stuff underneath, including some high-quality bird’s nest.

Next, she went to the agricultural and sideline products section to buy some yellow pears, honey, and sesame oil. She picked up various seasonings like Sichuan pepper and star anise, spending more than half of her money.

When she returned to the meat stall, Aunt Wu had finished shopping and was waiting by the stall for her. Seeing Lu Nong approach, she quickly took the items from her hands. “Why did you buy so much? Is there nothing at home?”

As soon as Lu Nong thought of Aunt Sun’s cooking, she shivered.

“You always have your quirks.” Aunt Wu teased Lu Nong, then added with a hint of regret, “There’s no large intestine left.”

At that time, no family was particularly wealthy, and everyone wanted a taste of meat. The large intestine was perfect, it wasn’t too expensive and could satisfy the craving for meat. Moreover, this was an era when Shandong cuisine was dominating the north. The nine-turn large intestine was a famous dish. While not every household could prepare it, at least people had a good acceptance of eating large intestines.

“It’s fine, we can have it next time,” Lu Nong reassured Aunt Wu.

After about twenty minutes, Xiao Zhou returned driving a car, and helped the two women load their things.

Once they got home, Aunt Wu officially started cooking.

Curious about how Pei Ji’an was taking care of the baby, Lu Nong didn’t see him downstairs, so she went upstairs. She first checked the baby’s room but found it empty.

Then she ran to the bedroom to take a look, but it was also empty.

Finally, she reached the door of the study and quietly pressed her ear against it.

Just as she did, the door suddenly swung open, and Pei Ji’an stood there looking at her.

Lu Nong: “…” This was quite awkward.

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