With an extra person in the house, Su Yiyi still felt somewhat uncomfortable, even though they were sleeping in separate rooms.
Since they were going to divorce anyway, she wasn’t that considerate as to help heat the kang in his room. Gu Zhenyang handled that himself, and by the time he finished, Su Yiyi had already gone back to her room to sleep.
After a quick wash, Gu Zhenyang also returned to his room.
Lying in bed, Su Yiyi found herself unable to fall asleep.
Sigh… what kind of situation is this…
If transmigrating was already troublesome enough, she had ended up as a married woman. She was still technically a pure, unmarried girl, yet once she divorced, she’d become a second-marriage woman.
This era was especially harsh on women.
That was also why she asked Gu Zhenyang not to inform their families about the divorce for now. On one hand, she didn’t want Niu Guihua and Su Jianguo to worry. On the other hand, if the divorce became known, her family might insist she return home.
And going back to the countryside as a divorced woman would invite endless gossip. It might not hurt her physically, but just hearing it would be exhausting.
Rather than that, she’d rather stay here—or move to a bigger city. She could write articles, dabble in the black market, accumulate capital, and quietly wait for the reforms in a couple of years. Once that time came, she could make money hand over fist.
Alright, enough thinking. Sleep.
On the other side, Gu Zhenyang also couldn’t fall asleep.
With his hands behind his head, he stared at the ceiling, his thoughts tangled.
After these few interactions, Su Yiyi really seemed different.
Her dressing style wasn’t flashy anymore—no more bright, gaudy colors. Now she looked simple and neat, which, combined with her natural beauty, made her even more attractive.
And her cooking… it was so good he couldn’t help wanting to eat it again.
Her way of speaking had changed too—gentle and composed.
And she could even write articles…
Shaking his head, Gu Zhenyang forced himself not to overthink.
Tomorrow, they would file for divorce—it should have been something to feel relieved about.
But strangely, he felt a bit uneasy.
She had agreed to the divorce so readily.
At first, he thought she might resist—after all, it was said she liked that educated youth, who was already in a relationship.
Yet she still agreed so decisively.
And she didn’t even plan to return to her hometown.
Could it be… he had misunderstood her all along?
Maybe there really wasn’t anything between her and that man.
In the middle of the night, Su Yiyi woke up—she needed to use the bathroom.
Thinking that Gu Zhenyang was outside, she decided not to go out. In fact, she hadn’t gone to the outdoor toilet these past few nights—it was freezing, and getting up at night felt like it could freeze her to death.
Just as she was about to slip into her space, she heard movement outside—it was probably Gu Zhenyang going out.
Even though the windows were covered with newspaper, there might still be gaps. Entering her space now wasn’t safe.
She waited until he returned to his room before quickly entering her space to take care of things, then hurried back out, worried he might notice something off.
The night passed peacefully like that.
Early the next morning, Gu Zhenyang got up.
Even though it was snowing outside, he still went out for his usual run.
By the time he came back, Su Yiyi had just woken up. As she stepped out, she saw him wearing only a black sweater.
His hair was slightly wet—probably from the snow.
For a brief moment, Su Yiyi felt her heart stir.
Damn… why is this man so good-looking?
But it was only a fleeting thought.
“I’ll make breakfast. Have you eaten?” she asked.
“No.”
“If we’re having dumplings, how many can you eat?”
“About fifty or sixty…”
Su Yiyi: …
That’s seriously a lot.
She calculated quickly—she had fewer than a hundred dumplings left. She’d only need about ten to feel full.
The rest… should be enough for him… probably.
With that in mind, she went outside to get the dumplings. She had just taken the bamboo tray out of the snow-covered box when she turned around—
—and met Gu Zhenyang’s gaze.
“Whoa—!”
She jumped in fright.
“Do soldiers walk without making a sound?!”
Gu Zhenyang looked puzzled. “What is this?”
He stared at the box frozen in the snow, curious.
“Can’t you tell?” Su Yiyi rolled her eyes. “It’s for freezing meat and dumplings.”
He shook his head. “Aren’t they usually just frozen directly in the snow? Why use a box?”
Su Yiyi was speechless. “Because it’s more hygienic, obviously.”
He shook his head again. “Doesn’t feel any different. When we’re on missions, if we’re thirsty, we just grab snow and eat it.”
This time, Su Yiyi fell silent.
She even felt a sense of respect.
No matter the era, soldiers were admirable.
The hardships they endured were often beyond what ordinary people—living in peace behind them—could truly understand.
Even in later times without war, border soldiers still lived tough lives. Some couldn’t even reunite with their families during holidays. If they were on duty, even a simple video call would be a luxury.
Hearing him say this made her feel a little heavy-hearted.
Gu Zhenyang followed her into the kitchen and took the initiative to start the fire.
Su Yiyi didn’t stop him and began adding water to the pot. Cooking nearly a hundred dumplings required quite a lot of water.
The wood-fired stove worked quickly, and soon the water was boiling.
She dropped in the dumplings, and gradually, the aroma began to spread.
But before the dumplings could even float to the surface, there was a knock on the door.
Su Yiyi found it strange—who would come so early?
The moment she opened the door, she almost didn’t recognize the person.
It wasn’t until the woman spoke that Su Yiyi searched her memory and found a vague impression.
“Xiao Su, it’s me! What, forgot me? I’m Aunt Sun.”
The visitor was a woman in her fifties, smiling brightly, her face full of wrinkles.
Su Yiyi finally remembered and nodded, replying flatly:
“Aunt Sun. What brings you here so early?”
Aunt Sun looked a bit embarrassed.
“Well… it’s like this. You’ve been cooking meat every day these past few days, right? My little Bao smelled it. This morning you’re making dumplings, aren’t you? The child is making a fuss wanting some… Could you give him a few to satisfy his craving?”
Su Yiyi frowned.
The original owner hadn’t really interacted with this Aunt Sun, and her memory of her was vague.
For her to say something like this… was honestly quite presumptuous.