Nan Sheng sneered inwardly, thinking how impressive Wang's Mother was—playing both the villain and the victim all by herself. Too bad she’d seen enough of such acts growing up.
Go ahead and report it, she thought. Mingli was just an unofficial employee with pitifully low wages. Even if the higher-ups received a complaint, they wouldn’t bother with it.
Before Nan Sheng could speak, the door swung open with a sharp bang. Lin Han strode in, his eyes locked onto the Wang couple with a warning glare. "If you want your son to spend the rest of his life digging dirt for food, go ahead and report us. I, Lin Han, am not someone to be trifled with!"
He had many comrades who had transferred to civilian posts—brothers who’d survived life-and-death situations together. They rarely kept in touch, but if trouble arose, their combined force would be formidable.
Lin Han usually kept a low profile, but that was only if no one crossed him—and especially if no one dared bully his wife or children!
Wang's Mother, all bluster and no bite, had put on a shameless act for her son’s sake. But under Lin Han’s intimidation, she immediately cowered.
Wang's Father was even more spineless, shoving all the blame onto his wife. "I told you not to beg the Lin Family! You never listen. Let’s go—stop embarrassing us!"
He turned to leave, but Lin Han shoved him back against the edge of the kang (heated bed). "Did I say you could leave? Apologize to my wife. Now!"
Wang Yuting flinched, and Zhou Wei quickly pulled her behind her, leaving only her head peeking out as she pleaded, "Uncle, please talk things out properly. Don’t resort to violence!"
Wang Yuting wouldn’t have minded if Lin Han beat her father—she might’ve even wished for a few more hits—but she was afraid Wang's Mother would intervene and get caught in the crossfire.
To Nan Sheng’s surprise, Wang's Father had absolutely no backbone. He immediately muttered an apology—"Sorry!"—before bolting out the door without even waiting for his wife.
Where was the ferocity he showed at home? Just a coward who bullied his own family!
Wang's Mother still wanted to fight for her son, but her daughter yanked her away. Bowing apologetically, Wang Yuting said, "I’m sorry, Uncle, Auntie. My parents were wrong today. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure they don’t cause trouble. As for the job… we’ll figure it out ourselves."
Wang Yuting felt torn. Her mother had promised they were just asking Auntie Nan Sheng for help, testing the waters. Yet now the two families were nearly at each other’s throats.
Would she even have a peaceful life in the Lin Family after this?
Lin Han’s anger flared again at the sight of the gifts on the kang. He snatched them up and hurled them into the yard, shouting at the Wangs to take everything with them.
The climax came when Wang's Mother, already out the gate, was forced by Wang's Father to go back and pick up the discarded gifts. In his eyes, since their request had failed, they shouldn’t let the Lin Family benefit from a single thing.
Wang's Mother didn’t dare lift her head, quickly gathering the items before scurrying away. Zhou Wei, too, felt humiliated. After a hasty goodbye, she hurried off.
For the first time, she wondered if this marriage alliance had been too rash. Her in-laws’ character was truly questionable!
With the outsiders gone, Lin Han immediately turned his attention to Nan Sheng.
Scanning her up and down, he asked, "Before I got back, did they do anything out of line? Don’t worry—tomorrow I’ll call my comrades in town. I won’t let anything happen to you or Mingli."
His wife had mentioned the Wangs had connections in the county. He’d find out who they were. When it came to enemies, he’d never hold back—it was a soldier’s instinct.
Nan Sheng told him not to overreact. She always knew how to handle things without leaving room for others to exploit.
"I wrote to you before—Mingli’s just doing odd jobs at the government office. Even if they report us to the county or the city, it won’t matter."
She wrinkled her nose at her husband’s smell and shooed him off to wash up—and cool down. His icy expression was downright terrifying.
Lin Han’s rage gradually dissipated after a bath, followed by slaughtering a chicken, plucking it, chopping it, and bathing again.
(Seriously, couldn’t he have killed the chicken before bathing?)
But he only dared think that in his head, keeping his face neutral as he asked, "Sweetheart, the fire’s ready. Want to try my cooking?"
Nan Sheng refused. Lin Han’s culinary skills were mediocre at best. Besides, she hadn’t planned to stew the chicken for lunch—she’d just wanted him to vent his anger through work.
If he was still fuming, her next move would’ve been sending him to chop firewood.
She started by adding rice to the pot—she preferred boiled rice over steamed, finding it more fragrant—then directed Lin Han to retrieve meat from the pickling jar and cut it into chunks. She planned to make braised pork and a spicy sour soup.
The couple enjoyed a private feast at noon, followed by an energetic "battle" in bed. By the time they woke again, it was past three in the afternoon.
Nan Sheng’s eyes landed on a pale yellow dress draped over the kang—perfect for the season. She held it up, checking the fit. Aside from being slightly loose at the waist, it was just right.
Without hesitation, she changed into it. Happiness came first; if the dress got dirty, she could always wash it.
When Lin Han returned from the main house, he found his wife bustling around the kitchen in her new dress, first frying the pork belly for its oil, then stir-frying the chicken to remove excess moisture.
The thought that he’d get to see this cozy scene every day from now on filled him with quiet joy.
If his wife loved his cooking, he and the kids would handle all other chores. The military canteen’s food wasn’t bad either—he could wake up early to fetch meals for the family.
Nan Sheng had noticed Lin Han’s return but was surprised to find him lost in thought by the time she finished cooking.
She deliberately called his name and twirled in front of him. "Well? How do I look in this dress? Just smells a bit like kitchen smoke now."
Lin Han’s ears reddened as he snapped out of his daze. Gazing at her earnestly, he said,
"You look beautiful!"
"Take it off tonight—I’ll wash it for you."
The kids came home from school ecstatic—Dad was taking them away soon!
This time, Lin Han hadn’t brought meat, only fruit and canned goods. The cans went to Father Lin and Mother Lin, while the fruit was for Nan Sheng and the children.
The military academy’s meals were decent, but nothing compared to Nan Sheng’s cooking. The chicken was tender yet chewy, and the pork belly, fried to render out the fat, wasn’t greasy at all.
The best part was the sweet potato noodles soaked in the rich sauce—the kids fought over them!
Lin Han devoured two heaping bowls of rice. Sensing he might still be hungry, Nan Sheng gave him another, which he polished off with the remaining meat and gravy.
During her last trip to town, Nan Sheng had bought white floral-patterned fabric and asked Zhong Yanyan to make undershirts and shorts—three sets each for her and her daughter.
Before bed, Nan Sheng changed into one of the undershirts while Lin Han dutifully took the dress out to wash. By the time he returned, she was already fast asleep.
Smiling silently, he pulled her into his arms and closed his eyes.
The next morning, Nan Sheng woke early—only to be pestered by her system, demanding she use her accumulated prize draws.
Lin Han carefully extracted his arm from under her and got up to light the stove. The kids still had school today.
"Dear Host, favorability has reached 91! You’ve also saved up six prize draws. This system has never seen such an indifferent host before—I’m so bored!"
Nan Sheng: "..."
If my life’s going smoothly, what do I need you for?
She missed the old, emotionless robotic voice.
The system whined pitifully, "But you can't ignore me for months like this! No way—today you absolutely have to draw a prize. I promise there’s something amazing this time, okay?"
Desperate to prove its worth, the system went all out!
It swore to Nan Sheng that this reward would be nothing less than SSS-tier!
