Chapter 101: Childish

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Childish

The dishes were all simple, everyday fare. Since she wasn’t sure if everyone could handle spicy food, she had mostly made milder dishes.

Zhang Shun and Wei Hong were in the kitchen, helping out.

Zhang Shun was chopping vegetables, and he looked like he knew what he was doing.

Wei Hong didn’t know how to cook, but he could handle washing the vegetables.

Su Wan was in charge of the wok. By almost eleven in the morning, a table full of fragrant dishes was ready.

"Sister-in-law, your cooking is amazing." Zhang Shun’s stomach rumbled just from the aroma.

Wei Hong nodded in agreement repeatedly.

Lately, the food at home was either takeout or cooked by Su Jue. He absolutely refused to let Su Wan cook.

"They’re back! They’re back!"

Su Wan and Wei Hong had just finished plating the food. Luckily, it was summer, so they didn’t have to worry about the dishes getting cold. Just then, they heard Zhang Shun’s excited voice from outside.

Su Wan said, "Go ahead and take everything to the living room."

"Okay, Sister-in-law."

Su Wan was scooping rice when she heard footsteps. She turned to see Lu Zhengchuan striding in.

"Why are you covered in dirt?" Su Wan immediately noticed the dirt on his knees.

Lu Zhengchuan hadn’t expected her first thought to be about him. He was pleasantly surprised, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "When we got there, Aunt Zhao was being bullied by some hooligans from Zhao Village. They heard she was leaving, so they snuck into her house to steal things."

"Third Brother and I took care of them, and then we cleaned up Aunt Zhao’s yard. This dirt isn’t from the fight; it’s from tidying up the yard."

"Oh. Well, go change your clothes and wash your hands. We’re about to eat."

"I’ll carry this. You go rest in the living room." The sight of her working with her pregnant belly made Lu Zhengchuan’s heart pound with anxiety.

Su Wan gave a resigned smile. "Alright."

After watching him head to the bathroom, Su Wan turned and went into the living room, where she could hear Zhang Shun talking with Aunt Zhao.

"Sister-in-law, come and sit down." Zhang Shun spotted her right away and gestured for her to come over warmly.

Su Wan walked over and noticed Aunt Zhao staring at her for a few moments, her gaze eventually landing on her belly.

"Aunt Zhao, hello. My name is Su Wan." Su Wan greeted her kindly.

Aunt Zhao’s cheeks were thin and her skin was sallow. Her fingers were a bit rough, the hands of someone who clearly excelled at farm work.

"Wanwan, is the baby in your belly four months along? I’ll take good care of you for the next six months. If you need anything, just tell me directly. I’m a straightforward person and don’t get all that beating around the bush. Just give me orders, and we’ll avoid a lot of trouble."

Aunt Zhao’s voice was firm, but her attitude was relatively gentle. She seemed to have an awkwardness that came from not interacting with people much over the years.

"Okay, Aunt Zhao. I’m also the type to speak my mind. If you have any questions, you can ask me directly, too. I’m usually quite busy, so I might not notice everything."

"Good."

Aunt Zhao visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

The meal was a great success, and everyone had a wonderful time.

During the meal, Aunt Zhao’s eyes were fixed on the table. She tasted every dish, getting a general idea of things.

「After lunch.」

Zhang Shun and Wei Hong left for home one after another. They had to go out with Su Jue in the afternoon. For the past few days, they had been so busy selling the goods Su Wan brought that they hadn’t had time for their own business.

Seeing that both Lu Zhengchuan and Su Wan were home, Su Jue approached them.

"Wanwan, brother-in-law, this is the ledger for the goods sold these past few days. You two should take a look."

Su Jue handed over the ledger. In his other hand, he held a stack of cash, several hundred yuan.

"The money from the sales is basically all here. I’ve calculated everything; the accounts match up perfectly."

Lu Zhengchuan and Su Wan exchanged a glance. They had already discussed this. After they both finished looking at the ledger, neither of them counted the money.

Lu Zhengchuan stepped forward and counted out some money for Su Jue.

"Third Brother, this is for your hard work, and for Zhang Shun and the others. Please give them their wages for the past few days."

"If Wanwan and I have more goods in the future, we’ll need to trouble you again." Lu Zhengchuan’s real intention was to stop Su Jue from refusing the payment.

Even blood brothers must keep clear accounts. Besides, he had to support his own wife and child. He appreciated his brother-in-law’s kindness, but he couldn’t keep taking advantage of him.

"I don’t need it. It’s just a small thing. What kind of person would I be if I took money from Wanwan for this?" Apparently, Su Jue had his own ideas. "My bicycle is good enough for my daily needs."

Lu Zhengchuan knew that Su Wan and Su Jue had bought the bicycle together.

Actually, his original intention had been to just buy one outright, without his brother-in-law having to pay anything.

But Wanwan had explained that Su Jue had insisted on it.

’This is giving me a bit of a headache,’ he thought. ’My brother-in-law is so good to Wanwan, it’s making me subconsciously competitive.’

"Third Brother, thank you then." After saying this, Lu Zhengchuan pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Su Wan. "Wanwan, this is bonus money from the army. I don’t know how much is in there. I just brought it back with me on my way home."

Surprised, Su Wan took it and opened it. Inside were thirty yuan.

"Did the army reward you for completing a mission?"

"Yes." Lu Zhengchuan nodded. "I can’t go into the details of the mission, but I’ll work hard to earn more money to support you and the baby."

Seeing him peacocking like that, Su Wan subconsciously glanced at Su Jue beside them and noticed the subtle competition between the two men. She couldn’t help but chuckle.

"You keep half of this. It’ll be your spending money for the month. If it’s not enough, you can ask me for more."

Su Wan gave him the money, and Lu Zhengchuan accepted it happily. "Okay."

Seeing that the two of them didn’t argue about money, Su Jue knew their relationship was quite good. The tension in his brow relaxed, and his expression softened.

"Wanwan, I’m heading out to get busy. Now that Aunt Zhao is here to take care of you, I might not always come back. I’ll let you know when I’m tied up with work."

"Okay."

Su Wan knew her brother was busy making money. After all, school was starting soon, and he needed to get his business settled before classes began so he wouldn’t be so swamped.

Su Jue left.

Aunt Zhao came and knocked on the door. "Wanwan, Battalion Commander Lu, where will I be staying?"

The courtyard house wasn’t large. It only had two side rooms, a living room, and a storage room.

The storage room had previously been used as a woodshed, but instead of firewood, it was filled with coal briquettes.

Su Wan had considered this problem long ago. The house wasn’t big, and housing so many people was going to be tricky.

"Aunt Zhao, I’ll clear out the woodshed for you. We can move all the coal briquettes to the kitchen. I was planning to buy some wood to make a few crates, put the briquettes inside, seal the crates, and stack them in the kitchen. That way, they won’t go bad and won’t take up much space."

"No need. Just leave the briquettes in the woodshed. I can just put two benches together and sleep on those."

Aunt Zhao said, "I just came to confirm where I’ll be sleeping. I’ll go get it ready now."

As she spoke, Aunt Zhao picked up her luggage and went into the woodshed.

With a broom in hand, she began sweeping the woodshed with brisk, efficient movements.

The woodshed was relatively tidy, but it was still dusty.

Su Wan had guessed that Aunt Zhao was efficient, but she hadn’t expected her to be such a go-getter.

She nudged Lu Zhengchuan. "The bed planks are in Third Brother’s room. Come on, let’s go get them."