Su Wan followed her into the kitchen. Gu Xingyao had brought a sack of rice because her brother had told her the house was out of rice and asked her to bring some.
But when she lifted the lid of the rice bin just now, it was full—brimming with white rice.
“Uh, this is the rice I sent over. It’s all going to be eaten anyway. I had rice coupons, so I sent some,” Su Wan explained.
Gu Xingyao looked at the rice bin speechless. “Rice? There’s rice everywhere. You actually spent money to send rice over to eat? You have too much money to spend?”
If Su Wan didn’t have her storage space, of course she wouldn’t have brought rice. She wasn’t stupid!
Now that Gu Xingyao said it, she had a point—this excuse did sound a little ridiculous.
Su Wan could only accept the label of being a spendthrift.
Seeing the salted meat and vegetables on the kitchen counter, Gu Xingyao was about to start cooking.
Su Wan quickly stopped her. “Xingyao, I told Huaizhi that I’ll cook tonight.”
Gu Xingyao rolled her eyes impatiently. “My brother asked me to cook. You can cook?”
Her tone was clearly dismissive, as if she didn’t believe Su Wan could actually cook.
Su Wan gritted her teeth. So that morning when Gu Huaizhi had agreed so quickly, it was really because he wanted Xingyao to help!
No wonder he couldn’t trust her that much. In his eyes, she was probably still that lady who couldn’t do any household chores.
“I can!” Su Wan said firmly.
Gu Xingyao dropped the eggplant she was holding. “Fine! You can! Then you cook!”
She just wanted to see what kind of disaster Su Wan would make. Xingyao rubbed her stomach—she hadn’t eaten much at lunch and was actually a little hungry now.
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got. Su Wan didn’t know what had come over her—suddenly running off to follow the army was one thing, but now insisting on cooking? There was no way a highborn lady who had never lifted a hand in the kitchen could actually cook!
She was just waiting for Su Wan to make a fool of herself. Later, she could refuse to help if needed—or just have her brother pick up some food from the mess hall to avoid everyone going hungry tonight.
Lost in thought, Gu Xingyao was snapped back to reality by the sound of a match striking. The smell of burning kindling filled the air.
Su Wan held a handful of fine dry twigs in her left hand and struck the match with her right, bringing it under the twigs.
The fire caught quickly. Carefully, she placed the small flame into the arranged firewood in the stove.
The fire grew steadily, and Gu Xingyao couldn’t hide her shock.
Su Wan could start a fire—this was unbelievable.
Gu Xingyao’s eyes tracked Su Wan as she moved. Su Wan was wearing a two-piece dress. The cut, fabric, and style were all the latest fashion.
Her figure was excellent—slim waist, though modest, but a strikingly ample chest.
She also wore a lace-trimmed apron tied in a bow at the back.
Su Wan was undeniably beautiful. Even among the many pretty girls in the arts troupe, Gu Xingyao had to admit that her sister-in-law was uniquely stunning.
Her beauty was bold and eye-catching, flaunted openly. Her skin had a rosy porcelain glow—not pale, but radiant.
Her hair was thick, black, naturally curly. Unlike other natural curls that sometimes looked odd, hers were beautiful, each curl forming naturally and elegantly.
Her thick hair was tied at the back with a fabric headband matching her dress, hanging gracefully down.
Su Wan had a talent for dressing well. Even though the dress she wore now was from a state-run store, she somehow made it look exceptional.
She had already washed the rice and poured it into half-boiled water. Then she covered the pot and went to wash the salted meat.
Gu Xingyao stood there dumbfounded, staring at Su Wan’s nimble movements.
Out of the corner of her eye, Su Wan glanced at her and smiled. “I bought you two dresses—they’ll suit you well. They’re on your bed. Go try them on.”
Gu Xingyao was even more suspicious. Su Wan was buying her dresses? She must be dreaming.
“I don’t want the dresses you bought!” Gu Xingyao snorted and left the kitchen.
Su Wan didn’t mind Xingyao’s words—she was even willing to acknowledge her at all. If the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t even bother.
Xingyao sat in the living room for a while, glancing at the table full of canned food and candies.
She pursed her lips. Su Wan was exactly like this—everything she ate, wore, or used had to be the best.
Now she had come to follow the army and brought so much food; she couldn’t endure any hardship at all.
She wondered when Su Wan would throw a fit again, hoping she wouldn’t cause trouble in the army and implicate her brother and herself.
Xingyao stood casually, listening to the sounds from the kitchen—someone chopping meat—and went to her room.
Sure enough, her bed was stacked with clothes she hadn’t seen before. She picked up a dress and spread it out.
It was a light pink long dress, with excellent cut and fabric, clearly expensive.
Gu Xingyao liked it. She held it against herself and liked it more and more.
She had always envied Su Wan—beautiful, dressed well, and wore her clothes perfectly.
She admired Su Wan’s eye for fashion. The dresses she chose were always better than anyone else’s.
Even Zhao Mengxue, who was plain-looking, would look far better after Su Wan styled her.
Xingyao, however, had never received such guidance, and she felt a little insecure.
Back in Shanghai, though she lived in a Western-style building and Uncle Su bought her many beautiful dresses, they never looked quite right on her.
When she first entered school, some classmates even mocked her as an ugly duckling. She had always considered herself average-looking.
Her brother was handsome, Su Wan was beautiful, Zhao Mengxue looked decent after styling, but she felt she hadn’t changed—still a country girl.
After years in Shanghai, her skin became fairer, and she learned to dress and accessorize like Su Wan. She finally felt better.
Some even sent her love letters, but she gave them to her brother.
He told her she was too young and should focus on her studies before dating.
She was obedient, following her brother’s advice to study diligently.
The door knocked. Gu Xingyao loosened her grip on the dress, and it fell to the floor.
She picked it up tenderly, brushing off the dust.
Su Wan’s voice came from outside—