There were only two stools in the house, so Yan Fengshou brought over two more. Zhou Maishu also brought over the dishes she had already prepared.
The square table immediately had four more dishes on it, while the centerpiece was the yipinguo that Qianxing had simmered for a long time.
As soon as the lid was lifted, the rich aroma of meat instantly filled the entire room.
Zhou Maishu took a deep breath and gave Qianxing a thumbs-up. “I finally understand why Zhu Xiuyun came over to scold you. This smells incredible!”
Qianxing smiled. “There wasn’t much food at home, so I just threw the cured meat and dried bamboo shoots we brought with us into a pot and stewed them together. Who would’ve thought she’d be our neighbor?”
She told the three of them about her encounter with Zhu Xiuyun and her son on the train. As Huo Yuan listened, he glanced toward the suitcase in the corner.
He had carried that suitcase before. It wasn’t heavy at all. There was no way it could hold that many things.
Qianxing noticed his gaze and secretly smiled, but didn’t explain anything. Instead, she continued chatting casually with Zhou Maishu.
But Zhou Maishu was far too busy eating to talk much at this point. How could such an ordinary pot of cured meat and dried bamboo shoots taste so good?!
It was such a homestyle dish. She made it often herself, but it always turned out greasy and cloying. Even Yan Fengshou, who loved meat, would lose his appetite after eating two pieces of cured meat.
“Qianxing, your cooking is really delicious.”
“If you like it, eat more.”
Since Qianxing hadn’t cured the meat herself, nor had she dried the bamboo shoots, she had been afraid the dish would turn out terrible. That was why she’d decided to add a little spiritual liquid to rescue it.
Who would’ve thought the effect would be so extraordinary?
She glanced at Huo Yuan, only to find that his attention had already returned to the food. His eating wasn’t particularly rough, but he certainly wasn’t slow either. He kept putting food into his bowl as though competing with Yan Fengshou.
“Exactly,” Yan Fengshou said, lifting his head from his bowl. “No wonder Zhu Xiuyun got so worked up. She must’ve been driven crazy by the smell!”
Meanwhile, Zhu Xiuyun was indeed hearing the same words at home.
“Why are you so greedy? Is there no meat at home, or what? Someone was simply cooking a meal and you had to go over there and yell at her. You’ve even spoiled our son!”
Qian Xuefeng sat coldly on the stool, looking at Zhu Xiuyun with nothing but reproach in his eyes.
He had only just been promoted to battalion commander. At a time like this, the most important thing was to be cautious with his words and actions. He wished he could keep an even lower profile, yet his wife was such a troublemaker. They had barely moved in before she had already caused trouble.
“What was I being greedy about? The smell of her cooking drifted over, and Baogen smelled it and started making a fuss about wanting meat too. And now that’s somehow my fault?”
“If he wants meat, then buy him some and cook it. Don’t be so stingy. Mom said long ago that you keep such a tight grip on the household money. Forget meat—you can’t even bear to cook a few extra eggs.”
The moment Zhu Xiuyun heard that, she exploded.
“I’m stingy?! Qian Xuefeng, get your facts straight! You used to be just a company commander, earning seventy yuan a month. You’d send forty yuan home, twenty of which had to go to your mother. The remaining twenty yuan was our entire family’s food budget.”
“Yes, your mother isn’t stingy. She’s so generous! She saves every single cent of the twenty yuan you give her and doesn’t spend a penny. Whenever she wants something, she asks me for money instead. Today she buys a piece of meat, tomorrow she buys some candy, and she sweet-talks you until you’re like a fool. I get stuck with all the blame, right?! Your whole family—”
“You!” Qian Xuefeng impatiently interrupted her. “Why are you dragging my mother into this again? We’re talking about you right now. Forget the old accounts. Now that you’re also living with me, I’ll give you my entire salary to manage from now on. Just don’t shortchange Baogen. He’s your own son, after all!”
“And you heard them at the door too, didn’t you? They’re inviting everyone over for dinner tomorrow. You’d better behave yourself tomorrow. Ask Huo Yuan’s wife to teach you a thing or two about cooking. Wouldn’t that resolve the conflict?”
Learn from that woman?
She’d rather bang her head against a wall!
Zhu Xiuyun’s expression darkened, hatred filling her eyes.
In the corner, five-year-old Qian Baogen silently shrank into himself without saying a word. His face was numb with the familiarity of it all.
At the same time, the Hu family was also discussing tomorrow’s dinner at Huo Yuan’s home.
He Manhong originally hadn’t wanted to tell her younger sister, He Manqing, about it, but since Huo Yuan wasn’t coming over anymore, she had to give her an explanation.
So she told her sister everything that had happened that evening, emphasizing that Huo Yuan was already married and that his wife was definitely not someone to mess with.
However, He Manqing’s attention had been completely captured by the first few things her sister said.
“Sis, are you saying that Song Qianxing is ugly? Then how did she manage to marry Huo Yuan?!”
“…”
Was that really the important part?!
He Manqing couldn’t help rubbing her forehead.
“Qing’er, did you even listen to what I said? I’m telling you that Song Qianxing isn’t someone you can mess with. Give up on Huo Yuan and let your brother-in-law introduce you to someone better.”
“No!” He Manqing rolled her eyes at her sister. “Who else in the military district is worthy of me besides Huo Yuan? If there were someone suitable, your husband would’ve found him for me already.”
“Isn’t she inviting everyone over for dinner tomorrow? I want to see exactly what kind of person she is that could make Huo Yuan marry her. Besides, the marriage approval hasn’t even come through yet. And even if they do get married, they can still get divorced!”
…
Back at the apartment building, the dinner finally ended. Zhou Maishu and her husband had already said their goodbyes, leaving behind a table covered in leftovers and dirty dishes.
Huo Yuan sat on the stool, staring at the bowls on the table with unconcealed disgust.
Zhou Maishu had mentioned that Huo Yuan had a cleanliness obsession.
The thought flashed through Qianxing’s mind, and she stood up to clean the dishes.
Back in the Great Xia Dynasty, she had always been the one to cook and wash the dishes, so she didn’t mind doing it.
However, in the next instant, another large, well-defined hand took the bowls from the table.
“I’ll do it.”
Qianxing smiled and poked his arm. “Huo Yuan, do you have a cleanliness obsession? Let me wash them.”
Huo Yuan silently carried the bowls to the balcony, poured water into the wooden bucket, and began washing them.
“I just have a bit of a cleanliness obsession when it comes to things that have already been cleaned. It’s not that I can’t wash dishes. We wash our own dishes in the military camp.”
Qianxing’s eyes widened curiously.
“What do you mean?”
Huo Yuan pressed his lips together.
“Tell me. We’re going to be living together from now on. What if I accidentally offend you…”
At the thought of living together, Qianxing’s face also turned slightly red. Ever since she was little, the only person she’d ever slept with had been her master.
Huo Yuan broke off a piece of soap and rubbed it over the inside and outside of the bowls as he explained, “Nothing particularly special. Once I’ve cleaned something, I don’t like anyone touching it again. And the bed has to be kept clean.”
That sounded pretty normal to her.
Qianxing blinked, not finding it strange at all. Instead, she asked about tomorrow’s food.
“When are we going to buy groceries? There’s barely anything to cook at home. Do you never cook?”
“Mm. We can eat at the mess hall from now on. It’ll save us the trouble of cooking.”
“Is the food there good?”
“Average. Not as good as the food you stewed today.”
Mm… So that meant it was terrible.
Qianxing didn’t have many demands in life, but when it came to food, she had inherited her master’s high standards. She’d long since become spoiled by good food and could barely swallow anything that tasted bad.
“I’ll cook whenever I have time from now on.”
Huo Yuan frowned. “Cooking is tiring.”
Qianxing smiled. “I actually like cooking. Besides, look at how skinny I am. I need to eat properly and put on some weight. And your training is exhausting too. You need to eat good food. Your health is the most important thing.”
Huo Yuan hadn’t expected her to consider him as well. He was stunned for a moment before saying, “All right. We’ll cook together from now on.”
Qianxing’s large, catlike eyes immediately curved into a smile.
“Okay! Then let’s solve the grocery problem first.”
Huo Yuan rinsed the last bowl clean, returned the bowls belonging to Yan Fengshou’s family, then turned to Qianxing.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
By now, the sky had already darkened, and the area outside the apartment building was pitch-black.
“To buy groceries.”