To make up for the debt owed to Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Gu Juncheng entered, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Is it something very difficult?" There are very few things that can make Gu Juncheng frown, even in both his past and present lives. In the years he spent with Gu Juncheng in his previous life, no matter how difficult the matter was, Gu Juncheng could always resolve it quietly and without making a fuss.

Thinking about it, she remembered that around this time in her previous life, her brother had committed a serious crime by stealing and selling cattle from the neighboring village. He was caught and sent to the police station, where he was told he would go to jail.

This was a huge deal for a rural person. Her mother came to her crying and complaining. What could she do? She could only call Gu Juncheng and relentlessly demand that he find a solution. She even threatened that if he couldn't get her brother out, she would divorce him. She didn't want such a useless husband.

Later, her brother came out safe and sound.

That time, Gu Juncheng looked at her as he was leaving, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

But she turned and left.

She didn't say thank you, let alone "you've worked hard." She didn't even see him off when he left.

She didn't know how he got her brother out, nor did she care.

She never considered herself kind, and she knew she was being excessively willful, but at the time she thought, so what? They deserved it! Moreover, the more he indulged her, the more she took advantage of him and felt it was all justified.

But that one time, that one glance, that moment of unspoken words, was the only time she felt a little insecure when it was "of course" to her, and the only time she dared not meet his eyes.

Looking back now, he must have paid a hefty fine, essentially giving the cow back to the owner, before they would let her brother go.

What was he trying to say when he hesitated at that moment?

All she remembered was the weariness in his eyes and his desolate, lonely figure as he turned to leave.

That was the first time she threatened him with divorce. He could have agreed; wouldn't a divorce have freed him from his predicament? But he didn't.

After that, she kept bringing up divorce, threatening to divorce whenever she was unhappy.

It seems that a few days before his sacrifice, she was considering divorce again because of something...

As for what it was, she couldn't remember now, nor did she want to think about it, because her heart ached terribly, and the displeasure she felt from her mother-in-law's private conversation with her vanished in that instant...

Looking at the man she had lost and found again, her eyes welled up with tears, and she hugged his arm. "Tell me what's wrong, and we'll solve it together."

Gu Juncheng, I'm sorry. In this life, we've overcome countless mountains and rivers, countless hardships and dangers together...

Gu Juncheng hummed in agreement. "It is a bit of a dilemma."

"Does it... require money?" Lin Qingping had already started to make plans. If it required a large sum of money, she and Gu Juncheng had just bought a house and were indeed facing some difficulties. Otherwise, they could postpone the opening of the dessert shop, forgo the renovations, and use the money for the time being.

As a result, Gu Juncheng shook his head and said no.

"What could be so difficult?" Lin Qingping couldn't understand it.

"This matter can't be left to anyone but you. Would you be willing?" He looked down into her eyes.

Lin Qingping was suspicious. What could possibly be so indispensable to her? Besides making money, she didn't know anything else…

"Would you like to?" He leaned down, his face close to hers, and as he spoke, his warm breath enveloped her skin.

Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart inexplicably raced. "What is it you want to say first..." This strangeness made her uneasy.

"Hmm..." He gently raised his chin, his lips brushing against hers. "Mom asked us why we haven't had a child after all this time..."

Lin Qingping's face flushed instantly. "So what did you say?"

The pressure to have children is a constant topic for many parents, and even decades later, they remain quite persistent on this issue.

She doesn't oppose having children, but she doesn't want to have them while she's in school.

"What do you think I'll say?" he countered.

How did she know!

"I don't know how to say it either. Do any of the books you often read teach you how to say it?" he said, moving even closer to her.

Lin Qingping: ...

"What book...hehe...what book?" Why are we back to square one?

"No more books? Then you're self-taught, Lin Qingping, you're a master!" His voice became hoarse. "Teacher Lin Qingping, please teach me."

"What am I supposed to teach you...?"

Her voices faded between his lips, lingering in a tender, lingering embrace. Yet, every now and then, he would ask her, "What should we do next? Teach me..."

She was annoyed by the questions, especially when she couldn't get what she wanted at crucial moments; it was like they were toying with her!

She was so angry that she retorted without thinking, "How should I know! I'm just talking theory! I haven't even tried it with anyone!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized something was very wrong.

Sure enough, his voice changed. "Really? You want to try it with someone else?"

Lin Qingping: ...

Anyway, whether or not she was taught anything later was no longer important. When he asked her questions, she gave vague answers that she didn't even know what she was saying. The only thing she held onto was that she hadn't revealed that she was a reincarnated person...

From beginning to end, Lin Qingping had no idea how Gu Juncheng answered her mother-in-law's questions about urging her to have children, but she found out the next day.

The next day was the 28th, only two days away from New Year's Eve.

Mother-in-law Liu Fen suggested going grocery shopping. Actually, the family already had all the groceries, but since the family had nothing else to do, Lin Qingping took Gu Juncheng and Zhiyuan with her, treating it as a shopping trip.

My older sister and Xiaomai went too.

On the first day Xiaomai arrived, Zhiyuan took out the food he had stored to share with her. Today, while shopping at the market, Zhiyuan also took Xiaomai around to look at the various things that were not available in the South.

Lin Qingping was afraid they would get lost, so she followed the two children and unknowingly got separated from her mother-in-law and the others.

Fortunately, her mother-in-law and eldest sister knew to meet at the entrance of the vegetable market. Lin Qingping led her two children to wait for Liu Fen, and then they met three men.

This market visit actually split into three groups...

Lin Qingping thought they had gotten separated by accident, but little did she know, it was her mother-in-law who had done it on purpose...

When it was time to cook dinner that day, my mother-in-law and Gu Youlian volunteered to come over.

“Pingzi, you’ve been busy for two days. How can we let you do all the work while we just eat? Today, it’s just me and Mom cooking!” Gu Youlian pressed Lin Qingping down onto the sofa.

Liu Fen said the same thing, "Pingzi, I've already learned how to use those things in your kitchen, your sister and I can handle it."

Since that's how it's been said, Lin Qingping was happy to relax and sat at the coffee table to watch TV with everyone, while Gu Juncheng peeled peanuts and chestnuts on the side.

When her father-in-law saw him peeling peanuts and chestnuts and habitually pushing them in front of Lin Qingping, he frowned, wanted to say something, but held back and kept quiet.

A meal was prepared, consisting of six dishes, five of which were vegetarian.

Besides one stir-fried pork dish, there are two other ways to cook potatoes and two ways to cook radishes.

Gu Juncheng looked at her and said, "Mom, didn't we buy a lot of groceries?"

“Life in the capital is tough for you, expenses are huge! I went to the market today, and even cabbages were selling for several cents! We could just pick them from the ground! Everything costs money in the city, so we can’t let our visit give us the opportunity to eat and drink extravagantly!” Liu Fen, who had always been frugal, went to the market today to check on prices, showing her concern for her son and daughter-in-law.

Lin Qingping knew her mother-in-law meant well, so she didn't say much. After all, her in-laws were only coming for a few days, and how they lived their lives afterwards was their own business.

Just when everyone thought they were about to start eating, Liu Fen turned around and went to the kitchen, brought out a bowl of soup, and specially placed it in front of Gu Juncheng for him to drink.

Gu Juncheng thought it was his mother giving him special treatment, so he picked up the bowl and was about to share some with his older sister.

Liu Fen hurriedly covered the bowls of her and her husband's, saying, "We won't drink it, you drink it, it's for you!"

“Mom, it’s not like our family can’t afford a single drop of soup. Pingzi and I live a fairly comfortable life in the capital. It’s really not like this. If you don’t believe me, ask my older sister and brother-in-law.” Gu Juncheng was pampered by his mother since he was a child. As the youngest son in the family, he always got the best food and things first. He only matured after he joined the army.

Upon hearing this, Gu Youlian quickly lowered her head, covered her bowl tightly, and made up her mind not to be a witness.

Gu Juncheng: ...

"Big sister..." Is this some kind of shameful affair? She wouldn't speak to him.

Gu Juncheng glanced at these people. Du Gen, being an experienced person, vaguely guessed what was going on and chuckled inwardly. However, he also held his bowl tightly and said, "Chengzi, just drink what's offered to you. We don't need it."

Gu Juncheng, who is usually perceptive, was surprisingly slow to notice this. He perceived Du Gen's attitude as mere politeness, and Du Gen felt embarrassed to accept the soup that his mother had specially prepared for him.

Gu Juncheng was somewhat helpless and gave the soup to Lin Qingping.

Lin Qingping had no idea what was going on behind the scenes!

This greatly worried Liu Fen. "You can't drink from the bottle!"

“What’s wrong with drinking it? As long as I have a bite of rice, I’ll have a sip of soup in the bottle!” Gu Juncheng was unhappy that his mother treated him and his wife differently. After saying that, he tried to give the soup to Zhiyuan and Xiaomai.

The two children didn't know anything; they sat up straight, ready to receive the soup, but Liu Fen became really anxious, "This soup is really not for the children to drink, this is..."

"What is this?" Gu Juncheng asked suspiciously.

Dugan couldn't stand it anymore and reminded him, "It's for men!"

"Pfft—" Lin Qingping, who was drinking soup from her bowl, spat out the soup.

Gu Juncheng: ...

"Mom, what are you doing?!" Gu Juncheng exclaimed helplessly.

Even more frustrating things were yet to come.

After the meal, Lin Qingping, Liu Fen, and her eldest sister cleaned up the dishes together. Liu Fen handed her a piece of paper in the kitchen and whispered to her, "Pingzi, follow this recipe to make soup for Chengzi. You must stick to it."

Lin Qingping looked completely bewildered.

Gu Youlian also said, "Pingzi, this is no small matter. Don't be shy. Chengzi's problem is indeed a hardship for you, but as long as you take good care of yourself, I guarantee you'll be fine."

"Rejuvenation?" Lin Qingping now knew that the soup was probably related to a man's virility. She thought to herself, "He's already like that even without drinking the soup, how could she survive if he drank it?"

"No, no, no, big sister, I'm not wronged at all," she quickly said. This was the truth; she really wasn't wronged.