Gu Jingzhou took the bowl Su Die handed him and sipped. “Wife, is this sugar water?”
Su Die smiled and wiped the sweat from his face and neck with a damp towel. “I added a bit of sugar to replenish your energy.”
Gu Jingzhou’s lips curved happily. “My wife is the best.”
Xiao Lu and Meng Shiguang: “……”
Finally, they could work happily without stress.
“Everyone take a break, drink some water, and then continue.”
Su Die smiled as she poured a bowl of water for each of them.
Meng Shiguang still remembered what Su Die had said earlier. “Sister-in-law, in today’s times, are there really girls with such reckless behavior?”
Su Die nodded. “People with messy personal lives don’t care about timing they just use honest people as their targets.”
Meng Shiguang shivered in fear. “Then I have to be careful. Sister-in-law, you must help me with my future marriage.”
Xiao Lu quickly added, “Sister-in-law, I need help too.”
Gu Jingzhou glared at them. “You two always want my wife to help with everything. What if you wear her out?”
Su Die tugged on Gu Jingzhou’s tank top, laughing. “Don’t be so serious; look how scared you’ve made them.”
After drinking water, everyone returned to work.
Feng Tao was efficient. The pork belly was already cut into chunks, and even the potatoes were peeled.
“Sister, should I steam the buns now?”
“Yes, steam them, make plenty. We’ll eat them again this afternoon.”
When Su Die had delivered water, she had scoped out the work most of it could be finished in the next day or two.
Everyone was hardworking; none were lazy or shirking.
So she was happy to make a proper meal.
Feng Tao took the lead at the stove, Su Die assisted.
By noon, two large basins of braised pork with potatoes were served, with steamed wheat-flour buns as the staple.
The dishes were glossy and savory, soft and flavorful.
“Sister-in-law, I… feel bad making you spend so much,” Xiao Lu said, drawn by the aroma.
Despite the words, everyone willingly paid their food coupons; after all, no one was wealthy these days.
“You all came to help without pay. I can’t thank you enough eat quickly, it won’t taste as good if it cools,” Su Die said with a smile.
Gu Jingzhou knew his wife didn’t eat fatty meat, so he picked out lean pieces for her. “Wife, eat these.”
Su Die didn’t eat much; half a bun and a bowl of lean pork with potatoes filled her up.
The others devoured theirs greedily, grease dripping from their mouths.
Just as everyone was enjoying the meal, someone knocked on the door.
Su Die stood and walked over. At the doorway stood a round-faced girl of medium height, with two thick braids, holding a bucket of mung bean soup.
“You… looking for someone?”
Huang Ru bit her lip shyly. “It’s hot… I, I brought some mung bean soup for Captain Meng…”
Su Die: “??!!”
Wait, did she come all the way here chasing someone?
“What’s your name?”
“Huang Ru. My family lives in the yard across the way. My brother-in-law is Deputy Captain Wang.”
Su Die sized her up from head to toe. Her eyebrows tilted, her gaze flickering she didn’t look like a quiet girl.
“Wait a moment.”
She shut the door, not letting Huang Ru in.
In these times of strict separation of men and women, this girl was surprisingly bold.
Su Die worried Huang Ru would cling to Meng Shiguang, so she didn’t let her inside.
“Captain Meng, Deputy Captain Wang’s sister-in-law Huang Ru brought you mung bean soup.”
Meng Shiguang, buried in his food, suddenly looked up, horrified. “Sister-in-law, I can’t stand that girl.”
Deputy Captain Wang was unlucky too. After marrying Huang Ru’s sister, both his mother-in-law and sister-in-law had come along.
The two women were like rabid dogs in the compound, biting at anyone they saw.
Huang Ru was similar to Xue Shanshan, wanting to marry a well-off officer for a big bride price to benefit her family.
Meng Shiguang, tall and muscular with a commanding presence, was the type of man she liked.
So today she followed the smell of food to him.
Xiao Lu chuckled with glee. “Finally, someone’s interested in you. We really are suffering brothers together, haha…”
Meng Shiguang instantly lost his appetite for the braised pork. “Forget it! A dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory. I’ll go find Huang Ru and make her chase you your rank’s even higher than mine!”
Xiao Lu: “……Big brother, I was wrong.”
Outside the door, Meng Shiguang glared fiercely. “A grown girl running after a man all day shameless! Go away!”
Huang Ru pouted, tears in her eyes. “Captain Meng, I like you.”
“I don’t like you!”
He slammed the door with a bang.
Huang Ru cried miserably outside. Su Die blinked, looking at Gu Jingzhou devouring meat.
If Xiao Lu and Meng Shiguang had girls chasing them, surely this impossibly handsome man also had plenty of admirers.
Sensing her wife’s cold stare, Gu Jingzhou paused his eating. “Wife… what’s wrong?”
Su Die sat beside him, tilting her face to interrogate. “Tell me honestly before you married me, how many girls confessed to you?”
Gu Jingzhou’s survival instincts kicked in. “I’m sharp-tongued. Anyone who liked me… I scolded away. Over time, no one dared.”
“Really?” Su Die said, half-believing.
Xiao Lu swallowed a bun. “Sister-in-law, Brother Zhou’s insults are vicious. He doesn’t just scold anyone lightly he even reports them to their bosses or family. No girl with thick skin could take it.”
Gu Jingzhou shot Xiao Lu an approving look. Keep talking.
Meng Shiguang added, “The troupe’s star performer was scolded by Brother Zhou five times. He even publicly said she was uglier than a toad, smelled worse than a toad, and told her to get lost.”
Su Die: “……” That was even harsher than her wielding a kitchen knife.
Under the table, Gu Jingzhou held Su Die’s hand. “Wife, I won’t have any stray admirers. If anyone dares to show me affection, I can stand at her workplace and scold her until her boss comes begging.”
Su Die pursed her lips, smiling. “Good. Keep it up.”
Suddenly, she understood why Gu Jingzhou had fallen for her at first sight.
They were the same type of person if you didn’t like someone, you rejected them immediately, no ambiguity, no false hope.
Even if the methods were extreme, the results were effective.
Gu Jingzhou blushed with pride. “In this life, I only want to speak sweet words to my wife. Everyone else can step aside.”
Others: “……”
Not even the braised pork smells as good as you two showing affection.
Before finishing work in the afternoon, in a great mood, Su Die cooked a big pot of mung bean soup with plenty of sugar. Refreshing to drink, it paired perfectly with buns for dinner.
“Is Commander Gu home?”