"Little Yu, I just saw you talking with Regiment Commander Huo's wife for a long time. Did she agree to put in a good word for your brother?"
"Sister-in-law, what are you talking about?" Yang Xiaoyu turned her head, playing dumb. "I was just asking for directions."
"Directions?" The two women thought to themselves, who are you trying to fool? You don’t bring so many gifts just to ask for directions.
But Yang Xiaoyu stubbornly insisted she was only asking for directions.
Finally, she added, "I didn’t expect Regiment Commander Huo’s wife to be not only beautiful but also kind-hearted! Unlike some people who spend all their time scheming against others—no wonder they can’t get promoted even at their age."
Without waiting for a response, she strode straight toward the gate of the residential compound.
"What’s gotten into that girl today? Did she swallow gunpowder?"
"Who knows? She’s been staying at the guesthouse for days, and we’ve never seen her this sharp-tongued."
With that, the two sighed heavily.
They had hoped Regiment Commander Huo’s wife would accept the gifts, eliminating one more competitor.
But the girl had backed out at the last moment, even after reaching the doorstep.
If they’d known, they wouldn’t have wasted their time on her.
Unaware of what happened afterward, Jiang Si closed the gate and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Since lunch had been quite rich, she planned to keep the evening meal light to avoid indigestion.
After rinsing the rice, she added a handful of mung beans.
A little extra water didn’t matter—she just needed to open the vent at the bottom of the coal stove and let it simmer.
With time to spare, she grabbed scissors and went to the vegetable garden, picking seven or eight tomatoes and a few crisp cucumbers still dotted with blossoms and tiny thorns.
Later, she’d make sugared tomatoes and a cold cucumber salad.
Paired with Sister Hu’s pickled radishes and sour beans, it would be perfect with porridge.
While washing the vegetables, Jiang Si tasted a tomato and found it almost as good as the ones from her space, so she quietly replaced them all with the ones from there.
By the time Huo Tingzhou returned, Jiang Si had already finished the sugared tomatoes.
"Let me handle it," he said, rolling up his sleeves.
Jiang Si shook her head. For her, smashing cucumbers was simple—just cut them into sections and pound them. The tricky part was the sauce ratio.
Seeing her enthusiasm, Huo Tingzhou let her continue.
When she finished, he couldn’t resist teasing, "You smashed them really well."
Jiang Si almost hit him.
"Stop joking and help me mix the sauce for the cucumber salad."
Huo Tingzhou smiled and quickly prepared the dressing.
"Where are Third Grandpa and Uncle Zhong?"
Before Jiang Si could answer, there was a commotion outside.
She hurried out and found Weidong and Weimin standing there.
"Auntie, these are oysters we dug up this afternoon. Mom said to bring them over as an extra dish for your meal."
The brothers handed her a bucket.
From the way they’d been swaying while walking, Jiang Si had guessed the bucket was heavy.
But she hadn’t expected it to be nearly full.
This wasn’t just one extra dish—it was enough for five.
Jiang Si: "This is too much. We won’t be able to finish it all."
"It’s fine, we kept half a bucket for ourselves," the brothers said in unison.
Hearing they still had more at home, Jiang Si accepted the gift.
Before she could fetch some candy for them, the boys dashed off like the wind.
Helpless, she carried the bucket back to the kitchen.
These oysters were completely wild—smaller than modern ones, but each piece was plump and fresh.
Best of all, with no pollution, they were safe to eat raw.
But the quantity was overwhelming.
"What should we do?" Jiang Si fretted.
Huo Tingzhou wasn’t worried about cooking methods, but he did fear they might end up with nosebleeds from overindulgence.
Still, with the current weather, the oysters wouldn’t keep, so they had to cook them all.
"Don’t worry, I’ll prepare them in different ways tonight."
Jiang Si nodded. There was no other choice.
Since seafood tastes best fresh, they decided to wait for Third Grandpa and Uncle Zhong before cooking.
Recalling the earlier incident, Jiang Si said, "Someone came by earlier—she said she was Deputy Company Commander Yang’s sister."
At the mention of Deputy Company Commander Yang’s sister, Huo Tingzhou frowned. "What did she want?"
Jiang Si chose her words carefully. "She was probably trying to secure the military academy recommendation for her brother."
She then recounted their conversation in detail so he’d have the full picture.
"When she arrived, two others were trailing her. I think someone put her up to it."
"I didn’t accept the gifts and sent her away."
Noticing Huo Tingzhou’s dark expression, she asked, "Is something wrong?"
He nodded, his gaze unreadable.
Very few people knew about the five candidates tied in scores for this round.
Even when he’d mentioned the military academy recommendation to his wife yesterday, he hadn’t gone into specifics.
That afternoon, he and the political commissar had finalized the selection plan, intending to announce it officially upon their return. Yet someone had already shown up today.
And Deputy Company Commander Yang was one of the five.
This could only mean the list had been leaked long ago.
If recommendation lists could be leaked today, military secrets might be next.
The thought made Huo Tingzhou stand up. "Jiang Si, I need to go to the regiment headquarters."
Understanding the gravity, she replied, "Go ahead."
Not long after Huo Tingzhou left, Third Grandpa and Uncle Zhong returned on a bicycle.
It turned out they’d woken up restless in the afternoon and decided to explore the nearby town to familiarize themselves with the area.
They came back loaded with gear for beachcombing and had even ordered a small boat in town.
Jiang Si sighed. It seemed Third Grandpa was determined to move out.
But she didn’t try to dissuade him—she’d let them do as they pleased.
The family chatted for a while, and by the time Huo Tingzhou returned close to nine, everyone was still waiting.
Guilt tugged at him—he should have clarified earlier that they didn’t need to wait.
"Jiang Si, next time I go to the regiment, don’t wait up for me."
Not one to play the perfect wife, she admitted, "I napped too much this afternoon, otherwise I’d be sleepy by now."
Before he could say more, she nudged him toward the kitchen.
"The oysters are cleaned. Now it’s your turn to show off your skills."
Alone in the kitchen, Huo Tingzhou couldn’t resist pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"Go keep Third Grandpa company. I’ll handle this—it won’t take long."
Jiang Si glanced nervously toward the living room, relieved no one was looking their way.
Then she warned, "No more touching while cooking from now on."
Huo Tingzhou wanted to comply, but sometimes it was just too hard to resist.
Ten minutes later, the meal was ready.
Huo Tingzhou had divided the oysters four ways: one batch boiled, another steamed with garlic.
A third was stir-fried with leeks, and the last was mixed with eggs and flour to make seafood pancakes.
Originally, Jiang Si had planned to have a light dinner, but with the addition of the earlier cold dishes and pickles, the table was soon filled to the brim.
Unsurprisingly, everyone overate that evening.
Perhaps it was the enchanting moonlight, or maybe it had simply been too long since they'd indulged—but as their eyes met, Jiang Si tilted her neck slightly upward, and Huo Tingzhou instinctively leaned down.
Their lips brushed, and for a moment, their breaths faltered.
Soon, a large, well-defined hand emerged from beneath the covers.
Just as the drawer slid open with a soft sound, Jiang Si reached out and grasped his wrist.
Huo Tingzhou paused, turning to look at her. "Si?"
She didn’t answer, only held him tighter.
For some reason, her mind suddenly flashed back to the words Sister Hu had shared with her earlier that day—
