Lu Hehuan then realized something was off.

Frowning, she asked, “What’s wrong with you? You came here just to criticize me. I thought you came to see me because you missed me.”

Xu Shihua said, “Aren’t you supposed to be at your family’s home?”

Lu Hehuan thought he didn’t like her going back to her family and got a bit annoyed.

She stuck out her tongue playfully and said, “Alright, don’t be mad. I’ll ask you next time before I go back to my family.”

She held his arm, gave it a little shake, tilted her head, and blinked her pretty eyes at him, “Is that okay?”

Xu Shihua found her annoying, pretentious, and affected.

He then said, “Your mother and sister-in-law came and took away quite a bit of food. Did you let them?”

Lu Hehuan was confused, “My sister-in-law? I know my mother took some food for Little You. There was a scoop of cornmeal. How did my sister-in-law take any?”

Xu Shihua pulled his arm away, “My mother said you should get it back. What your mother took is fine, but your sister-in-law took the flour I just bought. It’s for Yao Yao’s food. Bring it back.”

Lu Hehuan pouted and stamped her foot, “How could my sister-in-law do this? It’s too much! I’ll go get it from her!”

Xu Shihua put his hands in his pockets, looked down in thought, then looked up and said, “I’ll take you there.”

For some reason, he felt a blazing fire in front of him, making him a bit anxious. He wanted to get closer but was afraid it would be too intense.

This was what he wanted and was willing to dedicate himself to.

He wanted to write her poetry.

When they arrived at Lu’s village, before they could go to Lu’s house, they were stopped by Xu Xiaoyou.

“Dad, Mom?”

Qiu Pozi and others were there too.

She loudly called out to Lu Hehuan, “Hehuan, did you and your husband come back to bring something for your sister-in-law?”

Qiu Pozi continued, “Let me tell you, your mother-in-law is actually a generous person. I misunderstood her before. Back then, she didn’t give you a dowry or make you new clothes. I thought she was stingy. Now she’s letting you stay at her family’s house. I thought, ‘Wow, this old woman is really something!’”

“He’s scheming!”

Lu Hehuan awkwardly waved his hands. “No, it’s not my mother-in-law…”

Xu Shihua’s face darkened as if a storm was brewing.

Jin Ping’er said in a high-pitched voice, “What a straightforward person. The granddaughter was sent to her second aunt’s house, and today they brought vegetables. They also asked Shaotang’s wife to go back and get eggs, saying that later, the son and daughter-in-law should send over five dollars.”

Lu Hehuan gave an embarrassed smile, trying to pull Xu Shihua away.

The 93-year-old uncle scolded, “Why doesn’t this young man care about us old folks? Look at that frown. Young man, let me tell you, you live the life you create for yourself. If you’re always frowning, that’s the life you’ll have. If you’re cheerful, you’ll have a cheerful life.”

A woman said, “This son-in-law is no good. When he comes to visit the in-laws, he doesn’t even smile. He’s really giving his wife a hard time.”

“It’s true. He didn’t even send his wife back when she came home.”

“He’s busy. Is he busier than Shaotang? Shaotang went to pick up the bride himself and stayed three days with his wife’s family.”

Xu Shihua’s frown deepened, her face turning pale, and her fingers clenched tightly in her pocket.

She thought, These old fools don’t understand anything.

I won’t stoop to their level.

Seeing Xu Shihua’s severe expression, Lu Hehuan knew they couldn’t stay any longer and had to leave.

On the way, Xu Shihua walked briskly, almost as if she was afraid Lu Hehuan would catch up.

Lu Hehuan jogged after her. “Shihua, wait for me.”

Xu Shihua suddenly stopped, suppressing her anger but speaking with a mix of frustration and humiliation. “Lu Hehuan, are you satisfied now? Did you bring me here just to let them insult me?”

Lu Hehuan blinked, a bit puzzled. “Um… Shihua, wasn’t it you who wanted to come?”

Xu Shihua was momentarily stunned.

She replied angrily, “You always blamed me for not accompanying you to visit your family. Now you see, this is why I didn’t want to come.”

Lu Hehuan immediately apologized, speaking softly, “I’m sorry. I won’t let you go back again.”

Xu Shihua said, “You better handle your own issues. Don’t keep making your mother and sister-in-law come to my family with petty complaints.”

Lu Hehuan apologized profusely, and after a lot of coaxing, managed to get her back home.

She was still worried about how to get the flour back from her sister-in-law.

Sigh, why is my sister-in-law so unreasonable? She’s even more petty than before.

It was too much trouble, just adding to her problems.

Fine, she’d borrow a few pounds of ration tickets from her colleagues and pay them back with something else later.

Lin Shu was still at home preparing for Lu Hehuan to come and ask for flour, when the three kids came back saying that their aunt and uncle had just left angrily.

When Tiantian and Panpan recounted the events, Xu Xiaoyou stood silently with her head lowered.

Although she didn’t know the exact details, she could tell it wasn’t good news.

After hearing this, Lin Shu praised, “Tiantian’s recounting was clear, and Panpan’s gestures were on point. I understand what happened.”

She then said to Xu Xiaoyou, “Xiaoyou, your aunt has already gone to your house to get some food. Make sure to eat well.”

Though young, Xu Xiaoyou knew it wasn’t her grandmother who had sent the food voluntarily; it was her aunt and Grandma Fang who had gone to ask for it.

She nodded and said obediently, “Thank you, Aunt.”

Later that evening, Lin Shu discussed the matter at the dinner table.

The main focus was to address Sister Lu Er and Lu Cuicui, who were very unhappy about Xu Xiaoyou’s arrival.

“Today, I went to the Xu family and brought back a few pounds of flour. Yesterday, our mother also got a scoop of cornmeal and several eggs. This is all for Xiaoyou’s food. I’ll get more if needed.”

She then served Xu Xiaoyou a spoonful of egg stew with pickled vegetables to make sure she would eat.

Lu Er curled her lip but said nothing.

She was no longer able to smile and was just waiting for Lin Shu to finish making her new shoes.

….

Late at night.

The sea was calm like a mirror, reflecting the starry sky.

Suddenly, a breeze came, ruffling the sea surface, followed by the sound of wind and waves.

The wind grew stronger, crashing the waves against the giant rocks on the shore, creating mournful sounds.

Chen Yanming wanted to ask Lu Shaotang if they should move, but saw that Lu Shaotang remained as still as a rock.

He wondered if Old Lu had fallen asleep to the sound of the waves.

Nearby, the soldiers lay in ambush, perfectly still, without giving away any signs of their presence.

In the dark rocky area, it was as if they didn’t exist.

Only a patient hunter could catch the prey he wanted.

Lu Shaotang remained steady.

From the time he was five or six years old and went fishing in the river, he knew that when lying in ambush, you must be invisible, and when moving, you must be as swift as lightning.

He had earned the trust of the organization and the military leaders through his dangerous experiences.

He was tasked to fake his death and hide in his own country, then quickly eliminate his enemies when the time came.

One enemy stronghold after another, and traitors within.

This job is difficult because the traitors were once comrades, or it’s shocking to discover that comrades are actually enemy spies.

Fortunately, he never shared too much personal information. Besides Chen Yanming, very few people knew the specifics about him.

Based on previous intelligence, there was a radio station stronghold near the coast. Taking it out would almost complete this line of work.

Once the mission was done, he could go home!

Although he enjoyed adventure, just thinking about home made his heart beat strongly, and a gentle ripple of warmth spread through his chest.

He had two adorable children he wanted to go back and kiss.

At that moment, there was a flash of light at the target site.

Lu Shaotang signaled: Action.

In an instant, more than a dozen soldiers moved like leopards in the dark, their intensive training allowing them to navigate the black coastline with ease.

The battle began silently, without intense firefights, and ended very quickly.

This was Lu Shaotang’s habit: make as many preparations as possible, fight as briefly as possible, and ideally, avoid casualties and delays.

With the new intelligence gathered, there were still lower-level contact points in Rongcheng and Qizhou within the province.

Lu Shaotang instructed the communicator to send a report to the organization about tonight’s actions and the next steps.

They would be staying in Rongcheng and Qizhou for a while.

His hometown, Qingxian, was part of Rongcheng.