"Who is it?" An Hao was startled and stopped with her chopsticks.
Qin Jian shook his head, "Don’t know. I’ll go open the door; you keep eating."
When Qin Jian opened the door, he was surprised to see Li Zecheng standing outside. He was Zhang Guifang’s husband, about seven or eight years older than Qin Jian, but not holding as high a position as him.
"Big Brother Li!" Except when addressing rank in the military, Qin Jian normally called them "big brother" in private life.
Here he was almost the youngest, but he didn’t hold the lowest position.
"Chief of Staff, may I come to your place for a sit?" Li Zecheng still had a lot of respect for Qin Jian, who was younger than him.
"Just call me Qin Jian. Big Brother Li, come on in," Qin Jian said as he let Li Zecheng into the house.
Seeing that the family was having dinner, he felt a bit embarrassed and sat aside by himself, smoking a cigarette.
It was dinner time when he arrived, so he surely hadn’t eaten.
Luckily, An Hao had cooked plenty of food. She turned around, went back to the kitchen, and brought another set of bowl and chopsticks: "Big Brother Li, you haven’t had dinner, right? We’ve just started eating. Join us if you don’t mind."
Indeed, Li Zecheng hadn’t eaten. He had an argument with Zhang Guifang as soon as he got home, exchanging blows in a clattering dispute, before storming out.
After being busy all afternoon, he was indeed very hungry.
The food at An Hao’s house smelled delicious, truly making him start to salivate.
"Big Brother Li, join us! Try my wife’s cooking!"
"Alright, then. I won’t stand on ceremony! I’ll also try my sister-in-law’s cooking," said Li Zecheng as he washed his hands and sat down at the dining table.
He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. He immediately couldn’t stop himself: "Sister-in-law is a great cook! To tell the truth, in all the years I’ve been married, I’ve never eaten meals as delicious as these. My wife is a pretty good cook too, but she’s lazy. She won’t cook if she can avoid it. The mess food in the army isn’t bad, but it can’t compare to the taste of home cooking."
Looking again at the meal An Hao had prepared, with perfect color, fragrance, and flavor, it was truly irresistible.
"Big Brother Li, you’re too kind! If you think it’s good, come over often, and bring my sister-in-law too," said An Hao, and then she suddenly remembered Zhang Guifang, "In fact, why not have her come over right now? I’ve made a lot of food. It’ll save her the trouble of cooking in this hot weather."
As she spoke, An Hao put down her chopsticks, ready to go downstairs and call Zhang Guifang.
"Don’t, don’t." Where could Li Zecheng muster the nerve? It was one thing to mooch a meal, but to bring his wife over as well?
"What’s wrong? You can come but your wife can’t?"
Seeing An Hao was really about to go, Li Zecheng hurriedly said, "I had a fight with your sister-in-law. So, I just left on my own. It was quite hot outside, so I thought I’d come up and sit for a while."
"A fight? Sister-in-law seems so warm-hearted, why would you argue?" asked An Hao.
Qin Jian put down his chopsticks, "Big Brother Li, I just got married and there are things I don’t understand as well as you, but I think that a woman who has married you deserves to be cherished. We’re in the military, they manage a home all by themselves, and we barely see each other a few times a year. Actually, they have it tougher."
At Qin Jian’s words, An Hao suddenly saw him in a new light.
This usually reticent man was quite insightful today, almost fit to be a political commissar.
"I know," sighed Li Zecheng. "Your sister-in-law has many virtues, but also not a few faults. Take that ’warm heart’ An Hao mentioned: it’s not so much warm-heartedness as a love for chaos. After gathering excitement, she spreads rumors all over, just can’t control her own mouth."