Just then, a burly, broad-shouldered man walked in through the door.
“Regimental Commander Pei, what delicious food are you having at home? My wife has been pregnant for days and can’t eat anything, but as soon as she smelled the aroma wafting from your place, she said she was craving it and asked me to come over and ask… Oh, who is this young lady…?”
The visitor was Regimental Commander Wang, who lived next door.
He was a comrade-in-arms of the same rank as Pei Zhao, and the two had always gotten along well.
In her previous life, Su Qingyi had been completely focused on He Annian. With her less-than-stellar reputation, she hadn’t really gotten to know these people.
So she remained silent.
Wang Tieshan stepped inside.
Seeing Su Qingyi sitting and eating with them, he assumed she was Pei Zhao’s girlfriend and was about to tease them.
But Su Qingyi had already stood up.
“Hello, I’m Su Qingyi, the new nanny hired by the Pei family. You can call me Xiao Su.”
Her introduction was poised, graceful, and natural.
As she spoke, she had already poured a cup of tea and brought it over.
Pei Zhao swallowed back the words he had been about to explain.
He gave Su Qingyi a strange look.
Then, lowering his gaze, he calmly introduced, “This is Regimental Commander Wang Tieshan, who lives next door.”
Su Qingyi quickly nodded.
“Regimental Commander Wang, what I made today are all home-style dishes. They’re perfectly fine for pregnant women to eat, and the ingredients are simple. I can explain the cooking methods to you.”
Her speech was brisk, yet her words were exceptionally clear and logically structured.
Unfortunately, Regimental Commander Wang was a rough-and-tumble man who had no idea how to cook.
He was left scratching his head in confusion.
“Um, Xiao Su, how many minutes do you steam the Eight-Treasure Rice for?”
Su Qingyi was instantly speechless.
So after all that explanation, his mind was still stuck on how to steam the Eight-Treasure Rice?
For a complete novice, it would be impossible to explain clearly in a short time.
“Regimental Commander Wang, I’m on duty right now. How about when I have some free time, I come to your place and teach you in person? It’s really easy to learn.”
Wang Tieshan was overjoyed.
“Thank you so much! I’ve been worried sick these past few days. She’s only three months pregnant but has already lost seven or eight pounds. She vomits everything she eats.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance longingly at the dining table.
With a shameless grin, he chuckled, “Regimental Commander Pei, you don’t mind sharing a bowl of food with me, do you?”
Saying this, he pulled out a large bowl from behind his back.
His manner made it clear that he had come prepared to snatch some food from the moment he stepped in.
Pei Zhao shot him an annoyed look.
“Can I say no?”
Wang Tieshan had already picked up his chopsticks and started helping himself.
“Of course not. My wife used to wash Xiao Chuan and Xiao Yun’s diapers. With a friendship like ours, you wouldn’t be stingy.”
His words were polite, but his chopsticks showed no such courtesy.
He piled a huge bowl full of food and left happily.
However, before leaving, he took another look at Su Qingyi and Pei Zhao.
Something wasn’t right. Since when did this guy allow a woman in his house, especially such a young and beautiful one? A nanny?
He smirked to himself. Heh, maybe an iron tree could bloom after all.
Over here, Pei Zhao and the others had no idea what he was thinking.
Looking at the table, less than half of the four dishes remained.
Pei Yun, nibbling on a spare rib, pouted pitifully.
“Uncle, I’m still hungry.”
Pei Chuan also swallowed hard.
But he quickly placed the yam meatballs from his bowl into hers.
“Here, have mine.”
Seeing this, Su Qingyi quickly said, “It’s fine, I’ll go stir-fry two more dishes. It won’t take long.”
She neither complained nor brushed it off.
Soon, the sizzling sound of hot oil could be heard again from the kitchen.
From the direction of the dining table, one could see Su Qingyi’s figure through the window in the kitchen—full-figured yet exuding a youthful liveliness.
It was just such a person who worked with such efficiency.
She resembled the ideal wife in a man’s dreams.
Pei Zhao’s heart, for some reason, trembled slightly.
However, he quickly snapped back to reality, his expression darkening.
What was he thinking? A wife? Ha!
This woman truly had some tricks up her sleeve.
After the meal, the two children clamored to go out and play.
Outside the door, Pei Chuan’s triumphant shouts grew fainter as he ran off,
“My new ‘treasure’ will definitely be unbeatable.”
Pei Yun softly reminded him,
“Brother, Auntie Su is pretty amazing, right?”
Su Qingyi, who was clearing the dishes, shook her head with a smile.
After efficiently washing up, she meticulously mopped the living room floor.
Every corner was scrubbed with care.
All items were tidied up neatly and in order.
Pei Zhao sat at the table reading the newspaper, but his gaze was involuntarily drawn to her.
With the children gone, only the two of them remained in the room.
Yet this woman seemed to have eyes only for her chores, completely ignoring him.
Not only did she not deliberately speak to him, but she didn’t even glance his way once.
However, her posture while working kept reminding him of some inappropriate images, and he even felt a lingering warmth on his lips.
Especially when he recalled her words, “Your lips moved just now,” his face flushed hot in an instant.
“Regimental Commander Pei? Regimental Commander Pei?”
It wasn’t until Su Qingyi called out several times that Pei Zhao suddenly snapped out of his daze.
He realized Su Qingyi was looking at him with a puzzled expression, and he felt even more embarrassed. How could he have stared at her like that!
This woman must truly have some bewitching tricks!
But then again, she hadn’t forced his eyes open—it was indeed his own doing!
He quickly cleared his throat and responded with feigned indifference.
“What is it?”
Su Qingyi didn’t notice his suddenly reddened ears.
“I’ve finished the chores. I’d like to go to Regimental Commander Wang’s house to check on things. After all, the food was brought over from here, and I don’t want anything to go wrong. But as your family’s nanny and during working hours, I must report to you and get your permission before leaving.”
She stood upright, strictly adhering to the rules, leaving no room for criticism.
Yet Pei Zhao inexplicably felt like a ruthless exploiter from the old society, squeezing even the little midday break time.
Was he really that intimidating?
“Go ahead. If anything happens, don’t make decisions on your own. Report back to me.”
Su Qingyi detected a hint of emotion in his tone but couldn’t figure out what was bothering him.
Assuming he was worried she might cause trouble that would be hard to handle, she didn’t dwell on it and quickly bowed.
“Understood.”
Regimental Commander Wang lived next door, just a few steps away.
As soon as she knocked on the door, before she could even ask, she heard a series of painful retching sounds from inside.
Her heart sank immediately.
Could it really be that the food didn’t agree with them?
Wang Tieshan hurriedly scrambled to clean up the mess.
He felt both regretful and heartbroken.
“You just ate, and now you’re vomiting again. Son, don’t torment your mother like this. When you come out, just wait for me to give you a good beating.”
Wang Tieshan’s wife, Chen Xiu, couldn’t stop herself. She leaned over the bed, vomiting and crying uncontrollably.
When Su Qingyi had studied to become a nutritionist, the neighboring class was for maternity nurses.
She had learned a lot of related knowledge in her spare time.
Seeing this scene, she quickly stepped forward to help.
“Wang Tuan, please fetch some hot water and a clean towel.”
As she spoke, she continued pressing the acupoints at the tiger’s mouth area on Chen Xiu’s hand.
Her pressure was precise, and before long, Chen Xiu’s overwhelming urge to vomit miraculously disappeared.
Wang Tieshan entered with the hot water and was astonished at the sight.
“What method did you use? My wife actually stopped vomiting.”
Who would have thought that this delicate-looking girl, who seemed like a young lady from a wealthy family, possessed such skills.
Could she really be a nanny after all?