“Mom, you haven’t had breakfast yet, right? I’ll go make something for you.”
As she spoke, Su Yiyi headed straight into the kitchen.
“Let Zhenyang do it. You should rest,” Zhao Yunzhi hurried to stop her. She really hadn’t eaten yet—she came straight to the army compound as soon as she got off the train.
“It’s fine, Mom. I’ll just make you a bowl of noodles—it’ll be quick. Zhenyang wouldn’t even know where things are.”
Su Yiyi insisted.
In the original host’s memories, she had always spoken sharply to this mother-in-law. Yet Zhao Yunzhi had always been kind. Even though she wasn’t the original person, those memories were real, and now Su Yiyi actually felt a bit embarrassed.
Seeing that she sincerely wanted to cook, Zhao Yunzhi didn’t stop her and instead pulled Gu Zhenyang aside to talk.
“Zhenyang, Yiyi has really changed.”
Gu Zhenyang didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded.
“Yiyi was a bit unreliable before, and her parents aren’t the easiest people to deal with. But really, they’re just too protective of her. If they say anything unpleasant when they come this time, don’t take it to heart.”
Zhao Yunzhi reminded him worriedly. She knew what kind of people her in-laws were; otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to the marriage. They were just overly concerned about their late-born daughter. She was afraid her son might develop resentment and let it affect the couple’s relationship.
Gu Zhenyang didn’t know how to respond. After all, what the Su family was like—and what Su Yiyi was like—had little to do with him. They were getting divorced.
But seeing how attentive Su Yiyi was toward his mother, and how polite she spoke, she really had changed a lot. Could it be that she actually had feelings for him?
“Mom, I understand. You’ve had a long trip—after breakfast, go rest for a bit. I still have winter training today, so I probably won’t be back until tonight.”
Gu Zhenyang felt a bit uneasy. What if he left and Su Yiyi reverted to her old self, yelling at his mother?
“You just go do your work. With you not at home, Yiyi and I can have a proper talk. You being here is just in the way.”
Zhao Yunzhi waved him off.
Gu Zhenyang: …
Since the fresh meat at home had already been used, and they had just enjoyed a hearty meal of dumplings, Su Yiyi felt a bit embarrassed that she didn’t have anything especially good left to treat her mother-in-law. It felt like she had been eating alone without sharing.
But there was still cured meat and sausage. She sliced some, washed them clean, diced them, and stir-fried them in the pan. After preparing the topping, she fried an egg, then finally cooked the noodles.
The noodle water still carried the oil from frying the egg, making it look rich and glossy. She tossed in a handful of dried noodles, topped it with the egg and the savory mixture—it smelled absolutely delicious.
Su Yiyi carried the bowl out to the kang table. “Mom, give it a try!”
Looking at the bowl—egg, cured meat, sausage—Zhao Yunzhi was stunned and a bit overwhelmed. “Y-Yiyi, you don’t have to make it like this for me. Plain noodles would’ve been fine… you two should save these things for yourselves…”
“Mom, they say dumplings when you leave, noodles when you arrive. This is to welcome you. Go ahead and eat, or my effort will go to waste.”
Su Yiyi said with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of playful grievance.
Hearing that, Zhao Yunzhi beamed. “Alright, alright! I’ll eat, I’ll eat!”
Seeing this scene, Gu Zhenyang felt complicated emotions. It was clearly impossible to submit the divorce report today. He could only say to Su Yiyi,
“I have to go back for winter training. I’ll leave Mom to you.”
Su Yiyi understood that their original plan had to be postponed. She nodded. “Mm.”
After exchanging a few more words with Zhao Yunzhi, Gu Zhenyang grabbed his coat and left. But at the door, he turned back to glance into the main room—clearly still worried.
Su Yiyi understood. In the original memories, the host had always treated Zhao Yunzhi poorly, so his concern wasn’t unfounded. But she wasn’t that person.
She knew Zhao Yunzhi had always been good to the original host. They were from the same production brigade, and since the marriage had been arranged early, whenever the Gu family had something good, they would always send a portion to Su Yiyi. She really didn’t understand how things had turned out that way between them.
Sigh… all debts to repay, she thought. After all, she had taken over this body.
Zhao Yunzhi was indeed hungry. The journey had been exhausting—bad food on the train, and she had been reluctant to spend money, surviving on hot water and coarse buns. This warm bowl of noodles made her feel much better.
“Yiyi, your cooking is really good!” Zhao Yunzhi praised after finishing.
Su Yiyi moved to clean up, but Zhao Yunzhi refused. “Yiyi, go rest. Mom will do it. You just recovered a few days ago—you need proper rest.”
Without giving her a chance to refuse, she carried the dishes into the kitchen and began washing them.
Su Yiyi stood at the doorway watching her busy figure, feeling a bit emotional.
Even if this woman weren’t her mother-in-law, anyone witnessing this scene would feel something.
Zhao Yunzhi wasn’t tall—Gu Zhenyang must’ve taken after his father. It was said she had fled from the south during hard times and married into the Gu family. She was small and delicate, and now, with age, she looked even smaller. Busy in the kitchen, even tidying up the stove area afterward—such a scene couldn’t leave anyone untouched.
After finishing, Zhao Yunzhi came back smiling and pulled Su Yiyi to sit on the kang, opening the large bundle she brought.
“Yiyi, look—I brought you your favorite chili sauce. You loved this since you were little. The chili harvest was good this year, so I made it all into sauce and brought it for you.”
“And these cloth shoes—I made them over the past few months. They’re not as pretty as the ones from the supply store, but they’re comfortable. I made two pairs each for you and Zhenyang. Try them on…”
“This is a wild chicken your father caught in the mountains—I preserved it. And these are dried vegetables. Winters here in the north don’t have many fresh veggies—it even makes going to the toilet difficult. I prepared these early. There’s still more at home, but I brought some for you. Just soak and stir-fry them to change up the flavors…”
Listening to Zhao Yunzhi chatter nonstop, Su Yiyi couldn’t help but think of Niu Guihua. When she visited last time, she had also brought so many things.
It was clear Zhao Yunzhi had put a lot of care into these preparations. In her previous life, Su Yiyi had been alone for too long, rarely receiving such concern. Now, hearing this kind of heartfelt nagging from an elder, her eyes couldn’t help but turn red.