After Chen Wen left, Zhou Dingbang naturally stayed behind to help. He ran in and out, procuring quite a few necessities—pots, pans, bowls, chopsticks, rice, flour, cooking oil, vegetables, and other essentials.
Chen Xiang felt a bit apologetic and invited Zhou Dingbang to stay for dinner.
Zhao Wansheng saw how attentive Zhou Dingbang was to them and was quite satisfied with this man who was about to become her stepfather.
Being so satisfied, while Chen Xiang was cooking, she secretly added a few drops of Spirit Spring Water into the pot.
Food cooked with water infused with the Spirit Spring tasted exceptionally fresh and delicious—though this freshness came entirely from the natural flavors of the ingredients themselves, nothing seemed exaggerated.
Zhou Dingbang, who was used to eating from the cafeteria's big communal pots, found himself unable to stop eating.
"Comrade Chen Xiang, I never expected you to cook so well! After eating your cooking, I'm afraid I won't be able to stomach the cafeteria food anymore."
Zhou Dingbang rubbed his stuffed belly, feeling energy coursing through his entire body, and his whole being felt considerably lighter.
This subtle change, he simply attributed to the food being to his liking, having eaten his fill, and being in a good mood.
Zhou Dingbang reluctantly set down his bowl and chopsticks, then looked at Chen Xiang with an expression like someone who'd found a treasure.
Chen Xiang felt a little embarrassed by the praise. "They're just home-style dishes. It's not as good as you say."
"Being able to make such delicious food from home-style dishes is exactly what tests one's cooking skills." Zhou Dingbang's gaze was fixed tightly on Chen Xiang's flushed face, and for a moment, he felt both jealous and fortunate.
He was jealous that Chen Xiang's ex-husband had also eaten the delicious meals she cooked, and fortunate that that man had been blind and missed out on such a wonderful woman as Chen Xiang.
Zhao Wansheng was perceptive. She scraped up the last few grains of rice in her bowl, then exaggeratedly yawned. "Mom, I'm sleepy. I'm going to bed first."
With that, without giving the two any time to react, she quickly ran into the bedroom and shut the door behind her, leaving the space to the two of them.
The moment Zhao Wansheng left, the atmosphere in the main room shifted. In the cool autumn evening breeze, there seemed to be a hint of warmth that made one's heart restless.
Chen Xiang didn't dare meet the other's gaze. Just as she reached out to clear the dishes from the table, a pair of large hands grasped hers.
"You've been busy all day. Sit down and rest for a while. I'll clean up in a bit. Let's talk."
After Zhao Wansheng returned to her room, she was curious about how the two were getting along. She pressed herself against the door, pricking up her ears to listen to the sounds outside.
In the main room, Zhou Dingbang pressed Chen Xiang down onto a stool beside him, keeping hold of her hand the entire time.
"I've already submitted a marriage application to my superiors. Once it's approved, we'll go get our marriage certificate.
It's just that I'm stationed at the military base long-term. However, you and Wansheng can come with me as military dependents. But it's a bit remote out there, and the conditions aren't as good as in the city… If you're unwilling to come along… then I'll just have to wait for my leave to come home."
"Is there a school there?" Chen Xiang asked urgently.
She had endured harder times than this. Chen Xiang didn't mind the living conditions being worse than in the city. She was a traditional woman—after marriage, she would naturally go wherever her husband was. Her only concern was whether her daughter could attend school.
"Yes, there is. The three siblings can even walk to and from school together." Zhou Dingbang said.
Chen Xiang thought of the job she had just found and said with some regret, "Then I'll come with you to the base. I just wonder how long I can keep this job…"
Zhou Dingbang smiled and gently squeezed the woman's hand. "It shouldn't be more than a month.
The marriage approval will come down in at most three days. Once we get our certificate, I'll apply for housing. After the place is fixed up, we can move at the latest within a month."
"So fast! Then what about my job? I just started working and I'd have to leave already—that's not really appropriate…"
Chen Xiang hadn't expected to be living under the same roof as this man so soon. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Seeing that the woman had fallen silent, Zhou Dingbang leaned in a little closer. "You can have a relative take over your job.
Once we're at the base, if you want to work, I'll find you something easy over there. If you don't want to work outside, you can stay home and take care of the kids. I'll be the one providing for the family."
In the dimly lit main room, a man and a woman alone, with the man so close to her, Chen Xiang was enveloped by his hot breath. She felt the temperature around her rising continuously, her face burning hot. She couldn't focus on what the man was saying and could only nod randomly.
Still, she kept his words in mind, thinking she'd discuss it with her daughter later.
Chen Xiang sat beside the man with her head slightly lowered. Under the orange lamplight, her fair neck seemed draped in a soft veil—mysterious and hazy, making one want to draw near.
Zhao Wansheng pressed against the door panel. She had just heard Zhou Dingbang tell her mother that she could work if she wanted to, or stay home and take care of the kids if she didn't. She was waiting for her mother's answer, but after waiting for a long time, she didn't hear her mother's voice at all.
Strange—had they gone somewhere?
But she hadn't heard any footsteps either!
Zhao Wansheng quickly held her breath and pressed her ear gently against the crack of the door again. Suddenly, a faint, soft moan drifted into her ears.
She thought she must be hearing things, but then she heard Chen Xiang's somewhat flustered voice from outside.
"It's already dark—you should head back now!" The words were accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps.
Zhao Wansheng could tell the footsteps were coming toward the room. She tiptoed quietly away from behind the door, kicked off her shoes in a hurry, climbed onto the bed, and lay down.
The moment she lay down, the door was pushed open.
Then, a cheerful, low chuckle came from outside. "Alright, you go rest. I'll wash the dishes and then leave."
Chen Xiang didn't respond to the man. She walked quickly into the room, closed the door, and switched on the light.
Zhao Wansheng pretended to have been woken up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Mom~"
Chen Xiang sat on the edge of the bed, and even the warm yellow lamplight couldn't hide the flush on her face.
If Zhao Wansheng still didn't understand what had just happened, she would have wasted her previous life.
Seeing only embarrassment and irritation on her mother's face, Zhao Wansheng couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
In her previous life, when she learned that her mother had remarried, she had secretly gone to the Shen family's neighborhood and caught a distant glimpse of her mother from afar.
She remembered that her mother had been hanging clothes in the yard back then, looking far less vibrant than she did now. At that time, her face had worn a numb, weary expression that was heartbreaking to see.
"Mom, has Uncle Zhou left?" Zhao Wansheng asked deliberately.
Sure enough, at those words, Chen Xiang's face grew even redder. "He's washing the dishes in the kitchen!"
"Wow! Uncle Zhou is such a good man!" Zhao Wansheng praised.
Men of this era—not a hundred percent, but ninety percent—were chauvinistic and wouldn't touch a single bit of housework.
Zhou Dingbang had cleaned the place and washed the dishes, so calling him a good man was actually an understatement.
And Chen Xiang, thinking of everything the man had done for her today, felt warm inside. She smiled softly and said, "Your Uncle Zhou really is a good man."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Your Uncle Zhou wants us to come with him to the military base, but if we go there, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my job here. He said I can work if I want to, and if I don't want to, I can just stay at home…"