Upon returning to the base, Xiao Xu helped her carry her belongings upstairs. Yang PeiMin, grateful, handed him a package of pastries and said, awkwardly, "Thank you. You have no idea how I could have struggled until dark and not known if I could even make it back."
Xiao Xu smiled and replied, "Today, after escorting the officer out of the city, I rushed back and reached the town by noon. Before Brother Cui’s arrival, he specifically told me to take a couple extra rounds to see if I could pick up you all. It got delayed because we had to take an elderly person who fainted to the clinic. Luckily, we ran into you all, otherwise Brother Cui would’ve thought I was inefficient."
It turned out that Shen Yiguang had also reminded them.
With a sweetness in her heart, Yang PeiMin sent Xiao Xu off and energetically began tending to her meat.
First, of course, she had to burn the coal. Mrs. Cui arrived home twenty minutes later than Yang PeiMin who was stewing meat. The aroma of the meat wafted out into the hallway, pausing Mrs. Cui’s footsteps as her face fell slightly and her lips turned downwards, clicking her tongue, "Oh, Mrs. Shen is stewing meat? Your family’s life is really good."
Yang PeiMin chuckled, "Auntie’s family is not bad either. Brother Cui is also capable. Don’t hold back on them. They train outside almost every day, which is very tiring. It’s only right for them to eat well."
Mrs. Cui exclaimed, "That’s true; who doesn’t know that logic? It’s just my old self who lacks talent. Heavy burdens at home, many kids below; I’m not embarrassed to tell you, it’s been months since New Year, and our family hasn’t smelled meat at all..." She unconsciously sniffed in the direction of Yang PeiMin’s door, exaggerating, "It smells so good, if I could have a taste, this old lady could savor it for a month."
Yang PeiMin laughed. It was as if her house was the only one with heavy burdens, as if other families didn’t need to provide for theirs. If she used her own salary to support able-bodied siblings, then there would be no way out, nor could she blame the neighbor’s family for living better than theirs.
She decided not to pay much attention to her and simply said, "Everyone is in the same situation." She then moved the pot to a small balcony behind the bathroom. It was too conspicuous here; lacking an independent kitchen was an inconvenience. In the same hallway, everyone knew what others were cooking. If things were more or less the same, it was fine, but it was her extravagance, needing meat with every meal, that could arouse jealousy. While she could ignore it, in the long run, it could cause unnecessary trouble for her family, so she preferred to move it out of sight, even if it meant having to deal with some smoke in her own room.
Watching her actions, Mrs. Cui felt agitated again and entered her apartment, slamming things around and scolding her daughter-in-law.
After closing her door, Yang PeiMin organized her things, cleaned up, and put everything away. The meat was stewing, and she also began to handle her cosmetics. Thankfully, the ride in the small vehicle saved her quite some time, which she was short on, hoping to make it in time.
In the early evening, Shen Yiguang came home earlier than usual. As he entered, he saw his wife arranging the bowls and chopsticks. Seeing him, she walked over with a smile, "Go wash your hands, it’s time for dinner."
Shen Yiguang raised his eyebrows and asked, "How’d you know I was back?"
Yang PeiMin smiled and replied, "I was looking down the hallway and saw you coming up just as the food was ready. Your timing couldn’t have been better."
After washing his hands, Shen Yiguang sat down at the table, astonished by the array of dishes: a large pot was placed on the table with a vegetarian lamb stew, a small bowl of soup, two bowls of plump white rice, and a small dish of chili sauce. It all looked irresistibly tasty, prompting him to reach out and touch her hand, "My wife is really capable."
Yang PeiMin modestly nodded her head, feeling she had indeed improved.
"Try it and see how it tastes? This is my first time making this lamb dish. I specifically asked the Red Army wife and Lu Family’s Sister-in-law. They suggested putting a small green section of sugarcane and some carrots in the stew to remove the gamey taste, making it sweet and fragrant. I followed their advice exactly, but I’m not sure if it’s the right flavor." Yang PeiMin eagerly loaded some meat onto Shen Yiguang’s chopsticks, then watched his reaction with bright, hopeful eyes.
Shen Yiguang felt warmth in his heart. This was the wife he wanted, preparing delicious meals at home and waiting for him to come back and eat.
He also served her a piece and chuckled, "Try some yourself."
Afterward, Shen Yiguang nodded approvingly and agreed with her statement that it was as fragrant and sweet as she described, and with chili, it took on another flavor altogether. He expressed his satisfaction.
Yang Peimin was also very pleased with his attitude; she couldn’t accept that after all her effort cooking for him, all she’d get back were complaints.
While eating, they started talking about the day’s events.
Knowing she had ordered a batch of porcelain and needed to write a letter of introduction, he asked her, "Why did you agree so readily? What if your man can’t manage it?"
Yang Peimin blinked at him, "Then what?"
Shen Yiguang frowned, "I need to think about this carefully, Wife. You have to realize your man isn’t omnipotent, he gets tired too, and later you’ll have to give me a good massage to relax my bones..."
Yang Peimin felt sorry for him and quickly nodded, "Okay, I’ll definitely massage you well. How about a bath with herbal medicine tonight? It will relax you a lot... Eat up, eat more, you need to replenish."
Shen Yiguang glanced at her slender figure, somewhat worriedly said, "Wife, look at you, you’ve lost more weight in these few days. How are we going to explain this to your parents and my in-laws?"
Yang Peimin felt quite positive about herself, "It’s actually quite good this way, no need to diet anymore. You don’t know, being too fat isn’t good either, it makes you prone to illnesses."
"Nonsense, does being robust make you prone to illness?"
"It’s fat, not robust."
Shen Yiguang didn’t argue with her. After dinner, he took an early bath and lay on the bed, looking like he was awaiting her favor. Thinking this, Yang Peimin couldn’t help but smile. Shen Yiguang urged her to come over quickly.
It wasn’t long before she couldn’t smile anymore; his idea of a massage was nothing like what she had in mind!
Afterward, she was so exhausted she didn’t want to move a finger and glared at him resentfully, "You cheat."
Shen Yiguang soothed her, stroking her gently, and blinked, "I really didn’t lie to you. The usual training is quite tiring, but with you, I feel no tiredness at all. I’ll bring back the letter of introduction tomorrow."
While Yang Peimin rested, Shen Yiguang got up again and started working on the electronic equipment and tools that Yang Peimin needed but hadn’t finished assembling.
Perhaps because his wife sleeping beside him was too endearing, his hands worked swiftly, and in less than an hour and a half, he had finished everything. After washing his hands, he hurried back to bed...