“It’s… time to go to Grandpa Ge’s house.”
Gu Jingzhou glanced at her ears, dusted with a faint pink, and smiled softly:
“Let’s go together.”
They walked down the alley, one after the other, and Gu Jingzhou couldn’t help but stare intently at Su Die’s delicate, petite back.
He… really wanted to hold her hand, but… didn’t dare, forcing himself to endure it silently.
Su Die had no idea what he was thinking; she was secretly frustrated herself…
In her previous life, she had learned everything… except how to date.
Just now, her heart had felt like it was out of control.
She blamed the feeling on Gu Jingzhou’s devilishly good looks he could steal a soul with just a glance.
When they arrived at Ge Wenhan’s house, the old man immediately noticed something off between them.
“Have you been teasing Die?” Ge Wenhan glanced sharply at Gu Jingzhou.
Gu Jingzhou hurried to explain, “I… would never dare to bully her.”
Ge Wenhan: “……” He shouldn’t have asked this cabbage-picking guy’s tricks were way too advanced.
Su Die’s emotions surged, and she felt his presence was too strong, distracting her from work. “You should go out. I need to focus.”
Hearing this, Gu Jingzhou froze for tens of seconds, pouting, before sighing heavily and heading outside to sweep the courtyard.
As he swept, he kept glancing back toward the house, silently cursing how slowly time was passing.
When would he finally be able to bring his wife home and snuggle with her? This waiting was torture.
Inside, Su Die stared at her foreign language materials, zoning out for a while before finally getting into the work.
Ge Wenhan frowned as he looked out the window and muttered quietly:
“Tsk… dating is scary. It turns people into idiots.”
Su Die paused mid-writing… harsh but true. Somehow, he was right.
By late morning, a heavy rain began to fall.
Gu Jingzhou, feeling the chill, made a pot of hot noodle soup for lunch, garnished with scallions and minced meat, with two fried eggs in each bowl.
But Su Die’s bowl was especially large she couldn’t possibly finish it. She suspected Gu Jingzhou did it on purpose.
Ge Wenhan and Gu Jingzhou ate from normal bowls, while hers could’ve been a soup basin.
“There’s too much… I can’t finish it,” Su Die said, glaring at Gu Jingzhou, who was already slurping his noodles.
The old man buried his head in his own bowl, silent, letting Gu Jingzhou “dig her a hole.”
“You eat first, I’ll finish the rest,” Gu Jingzhou said.
His goal was simple: eat from the same bowl as his wife. Naturally, he used a big bowl for her.
If he couldn’t snuggle her, at least he could eat her leftovers, right?
Su Die glared at him, then gave in: “Fine… okay.”
After finishing, Ge Wenhan went to rest in his bedroom—otherwise, he’d get another stye.
Su Die ate slowly, while Gu Jingzhou sat across, staring intently.
“Delicious?” he asked.
“Mm, yes. The noodles are especially chewy.”
Su Die already loved noodle soup, and with the rain outside, this meal felt perfect.
“As long as I’m home, I’ll make you meals every day.”
Gu Jingzhou was grateful he could cook.
He genuinely believed that capturing a wife’s heart started with her stomach. Looks alone weren’t enough.
You had to start with the little things, seep into her life bit by bit, and make her fall in love without noticing.
Su Die, however, had no idea about Gu Jingzhou’s thoughtful scheming. Sweat dotted her forehead as she ate.
“Use this… it’s new,” Gu Jingzhou handed her a blue handkerchief.
He paused, then added, “When you’re done… return it to me.”
Su Die took it, stunned. “I’ll wash it first… it’s dirty.”
“I’ll wash it myself. I… want to wash something you’ve used.”
Gu Jingzhou didn’t hide the affection in his eyes, nor his blunt words.
Su Die: “…” She felt like she was being seduced every day.
She didn’t finish the noodles; more than half went into Gu Jingzhou’s stomach.
After cleaning up, Ge Wenhan came out.
He clasped his hands behind his back, snorted coldly:
“Young, but tricky… all these tactics have got Die’s head spinning.”
Gu Jingzhou didn’t argue, bowing his head obediently, doing his chores like a meek little snail.
Su Die: “…”
She suddenly thought of something…
Jiang Ziya fishing: the willing fish bites the hook.
She seemed more than willing to be caught in Gu Jingzhou’s trap.
A “violent girl” like her, who wielded a cleaver at other men, turned into a soft, helpless little sister around Gu Jingzhou.
If it wasn’t willingness, what was it?
In the end, she was just letting herself indulge.
Her thoughts were soaring… until Ge Wenhan snapped her back.
“Stop staring at him! Keep translating!”
Su Die was handed an even thicker foreign textbook.
The entire afternoon, she barely lifted her head, except to drink water.
Gu Jingzhou, worried, paced outside.
He didn’t dare defy Ge Wenhan, so he ran to the supply store to buy snacks for Su Die:
Arctic soda, peach crisps, ox-tongue pastries, sponge cakes, hawthorn preserves, sesame candy a whole bagful.
“Grandpa Ge, have something, take a rest,” Gu Jingzhou said, placing the snacks on a small table, glancing eagerly at Su Die.
Ge Wenhan removed his heavy glasses. “That’s enough for today. You’ve worked hard.”
“I’ll continue translating tomorrow,” Su Die replied, rubbing her sore neck and taking a soda from Gu Jingzhou.
Ge Wenhan went inside and took out five “Great Unity” bills, three grain coupons, and two cloth coupons.
“This is last month’s translation fee. The upcoming tasks may get heavier you need to be prepared.”
His words were really meant for Gu Jingzhou, who Ge Wenhan had already noticed worrying about Su Die’s hard work.
But the country needed talent. Ge Wenhan wanted to contribute more in his limited life while paving the way for Su Die’s future.
Even marrying into a prestigious family, a woman needed her own skills to survive that was her real passport in the world.
Su Die understood the old man’s intentions.
“Don’t worry, Grandpa Ge. I’ll do well and won’t hold anyone back.”
She had already decided to take Ge Wenhan with her to the Northwest, and she was determined to see her career through.
She wanted a legitimate way to earn money without the drudgery of tedious jobs so she would work seriously alongside the old man.
After an afternoon of work, she was starving. She had already finished a soda and a jar of hawthorn preserves.
The remaining syrup was naturally consumed by Gu Jingzhou.
Ge Wenhan was used to this by now; if Gu Jingzhou didn’t cling to Su Die constantly, he’d actually worry.
“You two may go home now.”
“After feeding Grandpa Ge first.”