Qin An paused for a beat in his movements.
She was willing to learn how to cook?
He had thought that after what happened, she would find cooking troublesome and difficult, and never set foot in the kitchen again.
It seemed she wasn’t as delicate as she appeared.
“Mm.” He pushed aside those messy thoughts, cleared his throat, and said, “I’ll teach you.”
He scooped out the rice that had fallen into the ashes in the pot, rinsed it, poured the washed rice back in, added water, and covered the pot.
Then he crouched down and pulled a match from the box.
“Watch closely.”
The match scraped against the sandpaper and flared to life with a hiss.
He lit the newspaper, added kindling, and the flames steadily caught.
The whole process was as smooth as a demonstration.
“Tear the newspaper loose first, and leave some space in the middle when crumpling it. Don’t smother the flames with the kindling. Wait until the fire is steady before adding thicker wood.”
He dusted off his hands, stood up, and handed her the matchbox.
“You try next time.” He paused, then added, “Don’t set the house on fire again. If it happens once more, Zhao Yinghua next door will make a scene all the way to the division headquarters.”
Cheng Xi took the matchbox and clutched it in her hand.
Couldn’t this guy just speak properly?
He’d just finished teaching her and was already cursing her.
She looked up and flashed him a fake smile. “Got it. If it catches fire again, I’ll douse it myself with water. No need for you to rush in.”
Qin An was left speechless.
She sure had a sharp tongue.
But it was much better than the pitiful look she had earlier.
He didn’t reply and turned to stir the porridge in the pot.
Soon, the porridge was ready.
Qin An lifted the lid, and steam billowed out, carrying the aroma of rice.
He stirred it with a ladle. The grains had cooked until they bloomed, neither too thick nor too thin—just right.
He ladled two bowls and brought them to the table.
Cheng Xi sat across from him, picked up her chopsticks, and took a bite.
The rice was soft and sticky, with the smoky fragrance of firewood—completely different from what came out of an electric rice cooker.
She chewed twice, her eyes narrowing into satisfied crescents, then scooped another big spoonful into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks.
Qin An watched her, the corner of his mouth unconsciously quirking upward.
Just for a moment.
Then he picked up his own bowl of porridge, took a sip with a straight face, and said, “You eat like you haven’t had a meal in three days.”
Cheng Xi looked up from her bowl, cheeks still full. “I really haven’t had rice in three days.”
Qin An glanced at her. “Then eat more. So you don’t starve and lose weight, or the old man will start nagging me again.”
It seemed that without Old Man Qin, her life in this compound would be even harder.
Cheng Xi chewed her porridge and mumbled in reply, “Then thank the old man for me.”
She meant it sincerely.
Qin An didn’t say anything more and lowered his head to drink his porridge.
Quite the sharp tongue.
Evening.
Cheng Xi lay in bed, her stomach full.
Qin An had cooked lunch.
She thought he only knew how to make porridge, but he whipped up two dishes in minutes. The shredded potatoes were thinner than matchsticks, stir-fried with dried chili peppers, and the aroma was so enticing she almost swallowed her tongue.
The cabbage stewed with vermicelli was delicious too. The noodles soaked up the broth, slippery and smooth, and she even mixed the leftover sauce with her rice.
In the evening, he made hand-pulled noodles.
She stood by and watched him knead the dough. The muscles in his forearms tightened and relaxed with each movement, flour dusting his knuckles as he worked quickly and efficiently.
The cooked noodles were wonderfully chewy, the broth seasoned with lard and soy sauce, sprinkled with chopped scallions. It was so fragrant she couldn’t even spare a word.
The man's mouth might be sharp, and he didn't seem to think much of her, but his cooking skills were truly beyond reproach.
It was even better than the takeout she'd ordered in her previous life.
At noon, she devoured two big bowls of rice, and in the evening, she polished off two large bowls of noodles.
Now lying here, her stomach felt warm and content.
She turned over.
This wooden bed didn't seem so hard anymore.
Suddenly, the jade bracelet on her wrist flashed.
Cheng Xi sat up abruptly, raising her wrist.
This bracelet was given to her by her grandfather.
Her grandfather had said it was a family heirloom passed down through generations of the Cheng family and told her to keep it safe.
After her parents passed away, her uncle came with others and ransacked the house three times.
In the end, he stared at the bracelet on her wrist, saying it belonged to the Cheng family and that a girl like her wasn't fit to wear it.
She refused to give it up.
During the struggle, she fell down the stairs.
Her last memory was the dull thud of the back of her head hitting the steps.
When she woke up again, she was here.
To her surprise, the bracelet had followed her through the transmigration.
She stared at the bracelet for a long while.
It lay quietly against her skin, warm and smooth, showing nothing unusual.
Had she imagined the flash?
Forget it.
She was truly exhausted today.
She tucked the bracelet into her sleeve, pulled the blanket over herself, closed her eyes, and soon her breathing evened out.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling beside her pillow.
The jade bracelet pressed against her wrist suddenly glowed faintly once more.
It was dim.
A flash, then gone.
As if something was slowly awakening.
…….
The next day.
When Cheng Xi woke up, breakfast was already laid out on the table.
A bowl of porridge and two small side dishes.
The porridge was warm, and the side dishes were neatly arranged.
Beside them lay a note, the handwriting sharp and angular: "Afraid you'll burn the kitchen again. Breakfast is on the table."
Cheng Xi picked up the note, glanced at it, and pursed her lips.
It wasn't like she set the kitchen on fire every day.
Still, it was fine—he could handle breakfast from now on.
At this thought, a hint of secret delight welled up in her heart.
A slight smile curled at the corner of her mouth as she sat down and picked up the bowl of porridge.
The rice grains were cooked even softer than yesterday, and the side dish was pickled radish strips, crisp and drizzled with a few drops of sesame oil.
She finished the entire bowl of porridge.
Pushing open the door, sunlight flooded into the courtyard.
The toilet and shower room had been built.
The bricks were new, the cement seams still damp, and a faint smell of lime lingered in the air.
She walked inside.
The floor had been swept, and the broken bricks piled in the corner were cleared away.
On the newly built countertop lay a small bar of soap.
Still unopened.
Just then, a commotion arose from outside the courtyard.
Cheng Xi walked to the gate, where a crowd had already gathered in the alley.
Li Jing stood there, her pant legs soaked halfway, water dripping down the hem.
Zhao Yinghua stood opposite her, holding an empty bucket, her lips curled in disdain.
"Did you do that on purpose?" Li Jing's voice simmered with anger.
Zhao Yinghua set the empty bucket down on the ground and brushed the water off her hands. "Oh, it really wasn't on purpose. Who told you to stand there?"
"I was walking from the other end of the alley. You stood there with that bucket for a long time, and just as I passed, you splashed the water?"
"Listen to yourself," Zhao Yinghua said unhurriedly. "Do I need to check the time before I splash water?"
Someone nearby tugged at Li Jing's sleeve. "Forget it, forget it. Just go change your pants."
"Why should I forget it?" Li Jing shook off the hand.
She stared at Zhao Yinghua, her eyes red with anger.
Zhao Yinghua met her gaze, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
She was doing it on purpose.
Yesterday, she had been scolded by Zhou Desheng in front of so many people because of Cheng Xi, and when she got home, she even smashed a bowl.
This morning, when she saw Li Jing carrying a basin and heading toward Cheng Xi’s house, that anger flared up again.
If it weren’t for Li Jing helping Cheng Xi build that outhouse, could Cheng Xi have managed to get it done?
Would Cheng Xi be living so comfortably in this courtyard?
She looked Li Jing up and down, her gaze making Li Jing feel deeply uncomfortable.
“What are you looking at?”
“I’m looking at you,” Zhao Yinghua said slowly. “You and that capitalist’s daughter are quite a match. Both of you.”
She deliberately paused.
“Both of us what?” Li Jing’s voice tightened.
“Both of you forced your way in.”
The alley fell silent.
Li Jing’s face flushed red. “Zhao Yinghua, watch your mouth.”
“Did I say something wrong?” Zhao Yinghua’s voice was loud enough for the entire alley to hear. She had been waiting for this moment for a while. “How did your husband end up marrying you back then? Don’t you know in your heart? Can it be the same as those of us who were properly married?”
Li Jing’s face turned completely pale.
“Say that again.”
“I’ll say it as many times as you want,” Zhao Yinghua snorted. “You know it yourself. All these years, Commissar Chen has been neither warm nor cold toward you. Why? Because he never wanted to marry you in the first place! You forced yourself on him!”
Whispers rose from the crowd.
“Is that really what happened?”
“You came to our courtyard later, so you wouldn’t know. Back then, Commissar Chen was on a business trip by the river and pulled Li Jing out of the water. After that, Li Jing’s parents came every day to make a scene, saying that Commissar Chen had seen their daughter in such a state after falling into the water, ruining her purity, and that he had to take responsibility.”
“Really?”
“Of course it’s true. Commissar Chen originally had a childhood sweetheart, and they were even at the point of discussing marriage, but it was completely ruined because of this. That girl later transferred to the south and never came back.”
“Tsk tsk, Commissar Chen really…”
“What could he do? Li Jing’s parents came every day, making such a scene that the whole compound knew about it. Commissar Chen couldn’t hold out any longer and finally agreed to marry her.”
Someone lowered their voice. “Even after marrying, it wasn’t peaceful. Her father still comes to the compound every now and then, always asking for this or that.”
“No wonder Commissar Chen spends all day in his office, avoiding coming home whenever he can.”
“No wonder they haven’t had a child even after being married for several years.”
Li Jing stood there, head bowed.
Those words were like needles, piercing her ears one by one.
She remembered that day by the river, water flooding into her mouth, thinking she was going to die.
Later, someone pulled her ashore. She coughed up water, and the first person she saw when she opened her eyes was Chen Wangping.
He was soaked through, frowning, asking her if she was alright.
That was the thing she regretted most in her life.
Not regret at being saved by him.
But regret at letting him get entangled because of it.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
Something was welling up in her eyes, and she fought hard to hold it back.
Seeing her like this, Zhao Yinghua’s smile widened even more.
She was just about to speak.
The courtyard gate opened.
Cheng Xi walked out from inside.
Seeing her, Zhao Yinghua’s smile froze for a moment before twisting into a sneer. “Well, look who’s here—the capitalist’s daughter.”
Cheng Xi ignored her.
She walked over to Li Jing’s side.
Li Jing was trembling all over, her lips pressed tightly together.
Cheng Xi felt a pang of heartache.
Li Jing and Commissar Chen's situation—she didn't know the full story, nor did she understand what exactly had happened back then.
All she knew was that on her first day in the compound, when she fell and everyone laughed at her, it was Li Jing who walked over and helped her up.
When she struggled to dig the soil for the latrine, it was Li Jing who picked up a shovel without a word and dug for her.
This person was the first in the compound to show her kindness.
As for the rest, she didn't care.
She gripped Li Jing's wrist.
Li Jing froze.
Cheng Xi turned her head and looked at Zhao Yinghua.
"Sister-in-law."
Her tone was gentle.
"You just said that Sister-in-law Li Jing and I are both the ones who forced our way in."
Zhao Yinghua crossed her arms. "What, did I say something wrong?"
Cheng Xi looked at her for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"But Sister-in-law, aren't you the same?"
The alley fell silent all at once.
Zhao Yinghua's face changed. "What nonsense are you talking?"
"Yesterday, when you were arguing with Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou, I happened to be in the yard and overheard." Cheng Xi spoke unhurriedly. "Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou said he never took a liking to you back then. It was you who kept running to his dorm every day. One day bringing food, the next washing clothes, the day after knitting a sweater. Only after you pestered him relentlessly did he finally give in."
The onlooking wives all turned their eyes to Zhao Yinghua.
"Is that true?"
"Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou said that?"
"Tsk tsk, chasing a man yourself and then calling others clingy…"
Zhao Yinghua's face flushed purple. "You—you're talking crap!"
The corners of Cheng Xi's lips curved, a faint smile appearing on her fair, clean face. "Whether what I said is true or not, you know in your heart."
That smile was like a knife, plunging straight into Zhao Yinghua's anger.
She abruptly raised her hand and swung a slap toward Cheng Xi. "You're spreading rumors! I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Li Jing moved faster, grabbing Zhao Yinghua's wrist.
"You dare touch her?"
Zhao Yinghua struggled but couldn't break free, so she used her other hand to yank Li Jing's hair.
Li Jing winced in pain, her grip loosening.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Yinghua broke free and lunged for Cheng Xi.
Cheng Xi grabbed Zhao Yinghua's hair.
In her past life, her grandfather had forced her to memorize the meridians and acupoints of the human body.
She knew better than anyone which areas on the head had dense nerve clusters and which spots would cause excruciating pain with just a touch.
She deliberately targeted those spots.
Zhao Yinghua let out a sharp cry.
"Let go!"
Cheng Xi didn't let go.
Zhao Yinghua tried to pry her hand away, and Li Jing took the chance to break free.
As Zhao Yinghua went for Li Jing's collar again, Cheng Xi tightened her grip, making Zhao Yinghua cry out in pain, tears welling in her eyes.
The three of them tangled together.
The alley erupted into chaos.
"Hurry, hurry! Pull them apart!"
"What kind of scene is this!"
"Go call the regiment headquarters!"