Lui Haici huffed. “I’m not giving it to you! You’re mean—you didn’t even say thank you, and you carried me like that. Even little kids know they’re supposed to say thank you!”

Lu Cheng took a deep breath and, despite himself, muttered, “Thank you.”

“No problem!” Lu Haici replied instantly, his anger dissipating as soon as he heard what he wanted.

Lu Cheng sighed. “Now, where are my things? I need to brush my teeth.”

Lu Haici reached into his small backpack and pulled out the items. “Here you go. Don’t forget to brush your teeth next time! If you forget again, I won’t bring it to you.”

Lu Cheng could only think that he’d rather Haici didn’t bring it at all.

As Lu Cheng headed off to brush his teeth, Lin Qingqing waved at Lu Haici, whispering, “Alright, head on to kindergarten now, quickly!”

Being the sharp little boy he was, Lu Haici took his mom’s cue and ran off with his backpack.

Of course, Lu Cheng heard his son leaving, but he pretended not to notice.

After he finished brushing, he saw Lin Qingqing still there and looked over at her, his expression calm and neutral, as if nothing had happened. “I’ll leave these here for now,” he said, referring to his items. “I’ll come back after lunch to take them.”

Lin Qingqing smiled. “That’s fine; leave them here.”

“Alright,” Lu Cheng nodded before quickly turning and walking away—his pace gradually increasing as he left.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Lin Qingqing couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into laughter.

It had been ages since she’d laughed this hard.

Although Lu Cheng hadn’t gone very far, he could still hear her laughter, and his face darkened.

Grinding his teeth, he thought to himself, Lu Haici…

Today, he’d lost face both in front of his subordinates and in front of Lin Qingqing—all because of his little rascal of a son.

He decided that come summer vacation, he’d increase the morning training sessions for Lu Haici.

Meanwhile, Lu Haici was happily playing with his friends in kindergarten, completely unaware that his father had started making plans for his summer “training camp.”

…

The Family Compound

Zhang Hongping finished her breakfast, tidied up the house, and then went to look for Yang Mailian.

However, she hadn’t found Yang Mailian yet when she decided to stroll around the family compound.

While at the laundry area, she saw Yang Mailian busy washing clothes and energetically saying, “Do you all know? Lu Cheng went to see a gynecologist yesterday! Why would he go to a gynecologist?”

Yang Mailian was careful not to directly say that Lu Cheng went because Lin Qingqing was seeing a gynecologist.

“How would we know?”

“Isn’t it strange? A man going to a gynecologist?”

“Could it be for Lu’s deputy team leader’s wife?”

“Who knows?”

“Yang Jie, you know a lot, why don’t you tell us why he went to the gynecologist?”

Yang Mailian replied loudly, “I don’t know about that. But his wife hasn’t gotten pregnant yet, maybe it was for her.”

“Does that mean Lu Cheng’s wife can’t have kids?”

“Well, it wouldn’t happen that quickly, right? Lu Cheng just got married a month ago.”

“So what’s the gynecologist visit for?”

“Could there be a problem down there?”

“What kind of problem could there be?”

“I heard some people have a lot of little bumps down there.”

“I’ve heard that too, and…”

Zhang Hongping arrived just then and called out, “In-law…”

Seeing Zhang Hongping, Yang Mailian waved and said, “You came at the right time! Everyone’s talking about Lu Cheng’s visit to the gynecologist. Why don’t you join us and guess why Lu Cheng went?”

Zhang Hongping knew Yang Mailian would mention this and said, “Lu Cheng was just worried about his wife.”

“What?” Yang Mailian didn’t expect Zhang Hongping to say that. “You mean Lu Cheng is worried about his wife?”

“Aunt Qin, you seem to know something, please tell us!”

“Exactly, Aunt Qin, hurry up and tell us.” The family compound was quite large and usually had its share of petty gossip, but this was the first time they had heard about a man going to a gynecologist; how could it not be surprising?

Zhang Hongping explained, “I heard Lu Cheng went to the hospital because his wife had stomach pains when she got her period. We’re all women here, and we know that sometimes the pain is unbearable when menstruation comes. Back in my younger days, there were times when the pain made me wish I could die. So, I’ve never seen a husband who cares for his wife like Lu Cheng.”

“What? Because of that?” Yang Mailian was taken aback.

However, she didn’t doubt Zhang Hongping’s words; she just couldn’t believe Lu Cheng would ask a gynecologist about such a minor issue.

It didn’t seem very manly, but privately, she thought that kind of man was good, leaving her feeling quite conflicted.

“Lu Cheng is really too caring for his wife!” The others who heard this were envious.

“Isn’t it? My man wouldn’t even think about asking a gynecologist for me; he won’t even bring me a cup of hot tea without hesitation.”

“Exactly, we women can hold up half the sky too.”

“Lu Cheng’s wife is really lucky.”

“But Lu Cheng’s wife is also a good person; she became a stepmother at such a young age and treats Lu Haici well. Doesn’t Lu Cheng cherish such a wife?”

“I think it’s Lu Cheng’s wife who’s not right.” Amid the chorus of envy, someone also made a sour remark.

“Chen Zhou’s mom, how can you say that?” someone asked.

It turned out this woman was Chen Zhou’s mother.

Chen Zhou’s mom replied, “You all talk about how hard men work every day. We women should help them relieve their burdens and take good care of them. How could we let them ask about something so… so inappropriate? Besides, who among us isn’t a woman? Who hasn’t gone through this? Menstruation is just some pain; it’ll pass, it won’t take a life. In my opinion, this is just being dramatic.”

“Exactly.” Others chimed in sourly, “And what’s wrong with her being a stepmother? Lu Cheng is a deputy team leader; if she wasn’t a stepmother, could she find someone better than Lu Cheng?”

“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with Lu Cheng’s wife?” Yu Xiuyuan had just returned from the supply and marketing cooperative with ingredients, planning to wash clothes first, when she heard this conversation. “Lu Cheng’s wife is beautiful, kind, and treats Lu Haici well. How could she not be a match for Lu Cheng? Lu Cheng has a child, and his wife, a pure girl, married him. How is that a climb? Besides, Lu Cheng’s wife’s grandfather is a doctor, and she graduated from middle school; she’s not illiterate like you all. Just because you’re lacking, don’t think everyone else is!”

Yu Xiuyuan and Lin Qingqing had a good relationship, so she knew some things about Lin’s family.

Regardless of whether Lin Qingqing was from the countryside, just the fact that her grandfather was a barefoot doctor was better than many.

Furthermore, although Lin’s grandfather was a barefoot doctor in the countryside, he had a medical license; he just happened to live in the countryside.

In Yu Xiuyuan’s view, if Lin Qingqing truly liked Lu Cheng, why would she marry a widower?

It was clear that Lu Cheng was the one taking advantage.

“Ha! You’re close to the Lu family, so naturally, you’ll speak up for them.” Chen Zhou’s mom retorted.

Yu Xiuyuan replied, “You say I’m close to the Lu family, and our family, Old Qin, has always been friends with Lu Cheng. If I were to help someone, wouldn’t it be Lu Cheng? But I’m a reasonable person; Lu Cheng’s wife is genuinely good. I won’t, like some, speak with a guilty conscience. You all talk too much; be careful your tongues don’t grow thick!”

“Just speak your mind; why insult others?”

“What? Do you want to fight? Otherwise, we can go find the political committee’s wife and see how you all chew your tongues!” Yu Xiuyuan wasn’t afraid; she was a decisive person.

Lin Qingqing was unaware of what was happening in the family compound.

At that moment, she was preparing the lunch menu.

The canteen had very few dishes; among the limited vegetables, Lin Qingqing planned to make stir-fried cucumbers with minced garlic and braised potatoes for lunch.

Stir-fried cucumbers with minced garlic is very simple: heat the pan, pour in oil, add minced garlic, and stir-fry for a few seconds until fragrant, then add the cucumbers, which are cut into chunks.

The cucumbers shouldn’t be cooked too long; just two minutes is enough to keep them crisp.

Braised potatoes is a dish Lin Qingqing really likes.

First, she steams the potatoes until cooked, then peels and cuts them into pieces.

Of course, in modern times, she would peel them before cutting, but since there were no peelers in this era, it was easier to steam and then peel.

After the potatoes are cooked, heat the pan, pour in oil, and then add the potatoes.

Braised potatoes require a bit more oil; after adding the potatoes, stir a few times, then add soy sauce, putting in a bit more to give it color, without adding salt.

When the soy sauce is absorbed, it’s ready to be served.

Once the two dishes are prepared, the canteen menu for the three cooking classes is complete.

“Qingqing…” Yu Xiuyuan came in just then.

“Sister-in-law, what brings you here? Did you come for the dishes?” Lin Qingqing smiled.

Yu Xiuyuan said, “Of course! I smelled something delicious and came just in time; the dishes are freshly cooked.” As she spoke, she waved for Lin Qingqing to come over to chat.

Lin Qingqing greeted Qi Shao and went over.

As soon as Lin Qingqing entered, Yu Xiuyuan couldn’t wait to say, “Lu Cheng went to the hospital to see a gynecologist yesterday.”

Lin Qingqing raised an eyebrow, finding it a bit funny.

Why was everyone suddenly asking about this?

“Did Aunt Zhang tell you?” She only heard Aunt Zhang ask about this, so she guessed it was her.

“It’s not that; I heard it when I went to do laundry…” Yu Xiuyuan recounted the events. “When I arrived, everyone was talking about it. Aunt Zhang was there too. Afterwards, I asked a few people I was close to, and they said it was Yang Mailian who started it. Aunt Zhang helped explain, saying that you…”

She summarized what she had learned.

Lin Qingqing pondered for a moment, somewhat surprised that Zhang Hongping would speak up for her.

However, she understood; it seemed Zhang Hongping had specifically come to inquire about it in the morning.

Since Qian Yuelan could tell Zhang Hongping, she would naturally tell Yang Mailian.

So, Lin Qingqing recounted what Zhang Hongping asked in the morning: “It’s thanks to Zhang Hongping.”

“Yang Mailian’s such a big mouth…” Yu Xiuyou was infuriated. “Zhang Hongping and Yang Mailian get along well. Knowing that Yang Mailian would spread the news, she came to verify it with you. But usually, they speak in unison; this time it’s quite surprising.”

Lin Qingqing replied, “Maybe it’s out of consideration for Qin Ming.”