Meng Junchuan drove the car directly to the supply station for non-staple food.
It was a rest day, so there were quite a lot of people shopping. Since it was still morning, most of the goods were still available.
Young Master Meng immediately entered his “buy everything” mode.
Young Lady Lin simply followed along, telling him what to buy and what not to buy.
People inside couldn’t help but glance at the two of them. That young military officer was unbelievably generous—it seemed like he had endless money and ration coupons.
Envious gazes kept falling on them.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough. We’ve bought too much,” Lin Qianyi quickly stopped him. He really had no sense of restraint.
They carried the things back to the car.
Meng Junchuan drove steadily back toward the machinery factory, and soon they arrived at the residential compound.
Once again, they got out of the car under everyone’s stares, then calmly carried their things upstairs and entered the house.
“Today I’ll cook. You just give instructions,” Meng Junchuan said, not intending to let Lin Qianyi lift a finger.
“Then… will we only be able to eat dinner today?” she teased.
“You’re underestimating me?” he replied unhappily.
“Haha.” Lin Qianyi laughed. Fine, Young Master, do your thing.
She stood in the kitchen directing him while he worked.
Washing and chopping vegetables were already easy for him. The only part that needed guidance was stir-frying.
“Heat the oil. Add ginger and garlic to sauté first.”
“You can add the chicken now.”
“Hey, hey—stir it quickly, don’t let it burn!”
“Yes, yes, just like that.”
“…”
Unexpectedly, the soldier was very quick to learn. He picked things up fast and handled everything quite skillfully.
His movements were smooth and confident, even a bit elegant, and Lin Qianyi found watching him oddly pleasing.
Cooking in this heat was honestly a form of suffering. Even standing nearby made her sweat.
She ran to get a fan and stood beside him fanning him gently.
“No need to worry about me. Fan yourself instead. If it’s too hot, go sit in the living room,” Meng Junchuan said without stopping his work. This level of heat meant nothing to him—training was even worse.
Still, Lin Qianyi insisted on helping.
To save time, she prepared a big pot of pork bone and radish soup, which was simple and didn’t involve much oil smoke. Meng Junchuan agreed.
With all the ingredients he had bought, they ended up cooking several dishes.
Stir-fried chicken with green peppers, braised fish, braised pork with tofu, stir-fried greens, and pork bone radish soup.
For just two people, this was quite an extravagant spread for this era.
Fortunately, the portions weren’t huge, and the fish was a small one.
When the dishes were placed on the table, they looked appetizing and smelled delicious.
“I’ll taste it first,” Meng Junchuan said.
He didn’t let Lin Qianyi eat first—he wasn’t sure how it had turned out.
He took a bite, frowned slightly, and said nothing.
“It’s okay, it’s already very good for a first attempt. It looks great and smells great,” Lin Qianyi quickly comforted him.
She also took a bite.
Then she was surprised. “It’s really good!”
“Not bad,” he said casually.
Lin Qianyi was speechless. That sounded way too smug.
Seeing her surprised expression, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. It wasn’t for nothing—he had specifically gone to the canteen cook to learn.
When he asked to learn cooking, the cook had even dropped his spatula into the pot.
Meng Junchuan carefully picked the fish apart, removed all the bones, and placed the clean meat in front of her.
He did the same with the chicken, deboning it neatly before giving it to her. Throughout the meal, he served her attentively.
Even simple things like serving rice and soup never required her to do anything.
Lin Qianyi ate very comfortably and couldn’t help but silently praise him—this man was way too capable.
They both ate quite a lot.
After the meal, he handled all the cleanup as well.
Lin Qianyi went to make tea instead, not wanting to overwork him too much—he probably never did housework at home.
Thinking about it, she wondered if his mother would feel heartache seeing this.
While her thoughts wandered, she still enjoyed his careful service without complaint. And he did it willingly.
“Are you leaving tonight?” she asked while leaning on the sofa.
“Yes,” he replied. The base wasn’t far—about two hours by car—so a same-day return was possible.
“If you don’t want me to leave, I can go back tomorrow morning instead, as long as I reach before morning roll call,” he teased.
Her face flushed again. Lately, she seemed to be blushing more often than usual.
He looked at her reddened face and couldn’t help smiling.
“I’ll come whenever I have time on rest days.”
“Come or don’t come, whatever,” she muttered, still flushed.
“I’ll definitely come,” he said without hesitation. With his girl here, how could he not? There were already too many people eyeing her.
He needed to keep an eye on things.
“Wanna go for a walk to help digestion?” he suggested.
“Sure,” she agreed—they had eaten quite a lot.
They went downstairs and strolled slowly along the path, greeting people along the way.
The factory compound was large enough for them to walk around for quite a while.
But soon Lin Qianyi realized it wasn’t a good time for a walk—the sun was too strong. It would’ve been better to go out in the evening.
Meng Junchuan noticed her slightly sun-flushed face and immediately regretted it. They were used to training under the sun and hadn’t considered this.
He quickly led her back home.
Once inside, he found a fan for her and fanned her gently, then went to cut watermelon.
“It’s all my fault. Your face is red,” he said, feeling guilty.
“It’s fine, it’ll go away soon,” she replied.
She even thought about secretly applying some cream, but then remembered—she had the space’s spring water.
In fact, it wasn’t necessary at all. Soon enough, the redness faded completely, and her skin returned to its usual fair, smooth state.
“See? I’m fine,” she said after checking the mirror.
He finally relaxed.
Next time, he definitely wouldn’t do something so thoughtless again.
“Tired? Want to take a nap?” he asked.
“You should rest too,” she said, thinking he still had to drive back later.
“I’ll just nap on the sofa,” he agreed.