80 village women marry military officers; it was supposed to be a fake marriage.

Chang Jingxiang stayed in the kitchen for a long time, but seeing that Lin Yue didn't intend to pay attention to him, he slunk back to his room.

Seeing Lin Yue's handwriting on the kang (heated brick bed), crooked and illegible, barely recognizable as characters, like tiny insects crawling, he couldn't help but smile.

Lin Yue lingered in the kitchen for a long time, doing all the chores she could, but still didn't want to go back to her room or face Chang Jingxiang.

She felt that as long as she didn't look at him or care about him, she could control her heart.

So she took her flashlight and bamboo basket and went to the back hillside.

Chang Jingxiang waited for a long time, but Lin Yue didn't come into the house. He went to the kitchen and didn't see her either, so he guessed that she had gone out again.

She didn't actually need to go out today; she was clearly avoiding him. Realizing this, Chang Jingxiang went back to his room and lay down in a huff.

Unable to sleep, she tossed and turned, listening intently to the sounds outside, wondering if she was afraid to go out alone.

She was clearly a gentle and weak girl who would never fight back when bullied, yet she was surprisingly bold.

Chang Jingxiang just stared blankly and waited. When he heard the sound of the door opening outside, he thought it was a bit deliberate, so he simply pretended to be asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yue gently pushed open the door and entered the room. After a few rustling sounds, she carefully lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and soon her steady breathing could be heard.

She seemed exhausted, falling asleep so quickly. Chang Jingxiang gazed at Lin Yue's face in the moonlight, his eyes filled with tenderness without him even realizing it.

The next morning, when Chang Jingxiang woke up, there was no one beside him. His parents were still sleeping, and Lin Yue was cooking in the kitchen.

He chopped firewood and pulled weeds in the garden, thinking that Lin Yue would be happier if she saw it.

He didn't know that Lin Yue was secretly watching him through the kitchen glass. Seeing the man's tall figure busy in the morning light, she still felt a little reluctant to part with him.

She was very lucky yesterday and caught a pheasant on the hillside behind the house. It's stewing in a pot now, along with some mushrooms she picked a few days ago, which will be a good way to nourish Chang Jingxiang.

Thinking this, she put a few more eggs in her pocket. Next time she went to town, she would buy some chicks at the market so that she could collect more eggs when they grew up.

Just as he was about to push open the door to call Chang's parents for breakfast, he bumped right into Chang Jingxiang, who was walking in.

Lin Yue was startled and quickly stepped aside to let Chang Jingxiang in.

Chang Jingxiang scratched the back of his head. "Um, I... I'll get a basin and fetch some water." He was still a little nervous.

Lin Yue hummed in agreement, found him a basin, and then squatted down by the stove to add firewood.

Chang Jingxiang stared at the back of Lin Yue's head, wanting to say something, but then swallowed his words back.

When Chang's parents got up, the fragrant chicken was already cooked. Lin Yue ladled out a large bowl for Chang Jingxiang, but after thinking for a moment, she poured the contents of the bowl back into the pot.

I filled a large bowl and placed it in the center of the table. Then I used the remaining oil and broth in the pot to stew potatoes and green beans, and placed a few pieces of leavened flatbread around the pot.

When the potatoes in the pot were almost cooked, we called Mr. and Mrs. Chang to have breakfast.

Chang's mother looked at the large table of elaborate dishes with a complicated expression, wondering how she could possibly eat such light meals so early in the morning.

Although that's what she thought, she ate as much as Lin Yue put on her plate, and before she knew it, she had eaten a lot.

Chang Jingxiang deliberately ate only the potatoes and green beans in his bowl and didn't pick up any meat. Lin Yue couldn't resist and put a lot of meat in his bowl. Chang Jingxiang secretly smiled and happily ate it all.

Chang's mother couldn't help but think to herself, "Yesterday he was so righteous in saying it was a fake marriage, and now he's playing these petty tricks on people."

Mother Chang deliberately asked Lin Yue, "Little Yue, you usually eat quite light breakfasts, why are you eating so much today? It makes such a big difference whether Jinxiang is here or not."

The implication is that Xiaoyue deliberately made it for Chang Jingxiang to eat.

Lin Yue bit her lip, feigning composure, "Ah, I just caught a pheasant yesterday, and it's already cleaned, so I stewed it. It won't taste good if it's left out for too long."

Chang's mother winked at Chang's father, "Is that so? Next time you go to the back hillside, take me with you. I'm worried about you going alone so late. What if you run into bad people?"

Lin Yue smiled slightly, "It's okay, Mom. You should rest early. I'm not afraid. Usually, not many people go up the back slope, and if too many people go, they're more likely to be spotted."

They'll cause trouble for us again then, and they'll definitely say that those things belong to everyone, and we can't take them back to eat ourselves, but have to share them with them.

That's why I chose to go at night. The older folks always said there were wolves in the mountains, so people generally didn't dare go up.

As Lin Yue spoke, she naturally picked up a chicken leg and put it into Chang Jingxiang's bowl, and also put a hot steamed bun for him.

Before long, a lot of chicken bones were placed in front of Chang Jingxiang. The pheasant was quite big.

"Then how dare you go up alone?"

“I’m used to it. I used to go there by myself when I was a child, but I didn’t dare to catch these small animals back then. I just dug up some wild vegetables and herbs.”

"Go buy whatever you need, but don't go to the back hillside anymore, it's not a good thing."

Lin Yue opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything and just nodded slightly.

Chang's mother slapped Chang Jingxiang with a look of exasperation, "Xiaoyue, don't overthink it. Jingxiang is just worried about you and afraid something might happen to you if you're alone."

Lin Yue hummed in agreement, a warm feeling washing over her. It wasn't that she absolutely had to go up; she was just too idle and didn't want to keep eating and drinking for free.

After the meal, Chang Jingxiang insisted on clearing the dishes, and Lin Yue couldn't refuse, so she simply let him do as he pleased.

One person was clearing the dishes, while the other was boiling water and washing the pot.

Chang's mother happily shared her new discovery with Chang's father, "I think this brat is just stubborn. Didn't you see how grumpy he was when Xiaoyue didn't put food on his plate? But he's all smiles when she does."

I think they can make it work. I hope he realizes it soon and doesn't let my good wife be snatched away by someone else.

After returning to the pig farm, Chang Jingxiang felt like he had inexhaustible energy. He did the work of two people and cleaned the entire pigsty.

Then he went to pull up pig feed and filled the feed shed. The experienced workers at the pig farm could tell that Chang Jingxiang was in a very good mood today.

Thinking about what his old woman had said, he couldn't help but frown, puffing on his pipe as he watched Chang Jingxiang work.

During the meal, he couldn't hold back any longer and said to Chang Jingxiang, "Jinxiang, why don't you go back again today?"

Chang Jingxiang shoveled rice into his bowl, thinking that Xiaoyue's cooking was still the best. "It's okay, I've already settled in. I'll go back in a few days."

Something is going to happen at your house tonight.