Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

Feng Jie munched on her fried dough sticks, and even after eating most of a bowl, she still couldn't shut up.

Da Bao didn't like hearing people speak ill of Shu Yun, so he pouted unhappily and snatched the fried dough sticks into his arms. "Sister Shu Yun made these. You don't like them, yet she still eats them? I won't give you any."

Feng Jie sneered, "If you don't want to eat, then don't. Do you think I care that much? I'm not like you, easily bought off with a little favor."

Da Bao muttered softly, "I don't like it, yet I'm eating so much."

"Hey, if you put it that way, I'm going to eat it anyway." Feng Jie reached out to snatch the bowl from Da Bao's arms, but Da Bao wouldn't let her and held on tightly.

Fearing another family conflict might erupt and attract the attention of the neighbors, Yang Yuzhen rubbed her temples and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, Xiaojie, how old are you? Why are you still arguing with the child? Let's eat."

Yang Yuzhen took the fried dough sticks and placed them beside her, far away from Feng Jie, so that Feng Jie couldn't reach them even if she reached out. "I'll put the fried dough sticks here first. Da Bao said he wanted his dad to try them when he got back, so let's keep these."

Da Bao nodded seriously, "That's right, Dad should have a taste, we can't let Auntie eat it all."

Feng Jie rolled her eyes and didn't dwell on the matter. Feng Zhiwei had a mission at the military camp and would be back late. Yang Yuzhen had prepared his meal, fed Xiao Bao, and then took the child downstairs for a walk.

The child is still young, but is curious about the outside world. Just like a puppy that hasn't been taken for a walk, he will throw a tantrum if he doesn't go outside to see the world for a day, and he especially throws tantrums at night.

At home, Da Bao was doing his homework on the coffee table. Feng Jie became more and more unhappy. She moved closer to Da Bao and said, "Shu Yun, how long have you known her? Think about how I've been running around taking care of you. Think carefully, who is better, me or Shu Yun?"

Da Bao chewed on his pencil, thinking about how his mother and father often lost their temper since his aunt came to visit, and said honestly, "I think Sister Shu Yun is nice, but Aunt, you have a bad temper."

Feng Jie was so angry she almost fell over, and she poked Da Bao's forehead hard with her finger. "You really are my good nephew."

She took a breath, still unwilling to give up, and tried her best to keep smiling and soften her tone, "Dabao, think about it again. If you get it right, your aunt will make you potato pancakes tomorrow."

Da Bao didn't hesitate at all, "Sister Shu Yun is the best. She's so pretty, and she smiles at us and gives us delicious food. Even if you bribe me, Aunt, I won't change my answer."

"You little brat, you heartless ingrate!" Feng Jie cursed as she pulled at Da Bao's cheeks.

Da Bao cried out in pain, "Ouch, it hurts, let me go."

"What are you doing! Feng Jie, you're not young anymore. I asked you to come here to take care of your sister-in-law and child, not for you to bully them." Feng Zhiwei saw this scene as soon as he returned. He was already tired, and his temper flared up immediately.

Feng Jie awkwardly withdrew her hand, "Brother, you're back. I was just playing around with Da Bao."

Da Bao ran up behind his father, crying, "Ouch!"

Feng Zhiwei was furious. Last time, he had deliberately wasted a favor by finding a connection for Feng Jie to interview at the factory. In reality, the interview was just a formality to get acquainted with people, but she still managed to ruin it, leaving the person in charge standing him up for 2 hours, and the job was completely ruined.

"Feng Jie, you go find me a job tomorrow. If you can't find one, you should go home at the end of this month. Our family is too small to accommodate you."

Feng Jie was constantly being suppressed by Shu Yun, and even the children in the family didn't side with her. She was already unhappy, and then her older brother scolded her. Her nose stung, and she burst into tears. Why was she so unlucky? Everyone bullied her!

When Yang Yuzhen returned with her baby, she heard her sister-in-law crying from afar. Her brow twitched, and the winking and grimacing of her neighbor only added to her irritation.

With a small show every three days and a big show every five days, their family has become quite famous in the residential compound.

------------

The oil used for frying the dough balls wasn't thrown away; it was more than enough to make fried rice. Shu Yun poured the oil into the pan, added the cooled white rice, and stir-fried it. Then, she poured the beaten egg mixture evenly over the rice, added a suitable amount of salt, and continued to stir-fry until each grain of rice was distinct and coated with egg.

After a few days, Shu Yun had a general understanding of Gu Jun's appetite, so this time she made a whole pot of fried rice. The amount was too big, and it was hard to stir-fry with the spatula. Shu Yun's hand got tired after waving the spatula for a while, and her forehead started to sweat.

Gu Jun moved the table and chairs to the yard, as it would be more comfortable to eat there in the evening.

He came to the kitchen and saw that Shu Yun was struggling. He took her hand from behind and guided her to wield the spatula. Shu Yun's hands were much easier to handle, but the warm male body pressed tightly against her back made her feel very awkward, and her hand movements unconsciously slowed down a lot.

"Concentrate, it's going to burn." The warm breath sprayed on her ear, making Shu Yun's ears feel hot. She simply broke free from Gu Jun's hand and handed him the spatula. "If you can cook it, you can do it. I'll check if the soup is ready."

Shu Yun quickly ran out of the kitchen, while Gu Jun silently counted 1, 2, 3 in his mind.

Sure enough, the girl's light footsteps came running back.

Gu Jun glanced at the tomato soup in the pot next to him and chuckled softly.

Shu Yun awkwardly opened the pot lid, glanced at the bubbling soup, scooped up a piece of tomato to check its consistency, then cracked an egg into it and stirred it quickly with chopsticks until the egg was set.

She caught a glimpse of Gu Jun's skillful cooking technique out of the corner of her eye, and only instructed him, "Don't overcook it, just cook it for another five minutes and it'll be ready to serve."

"Alright." Gu Jun rolled up his sleeves, his forearm muscles clearly defined as he tossed the wok. Shu Yun's gaze lingered on them for a few moments, then reluctantly looked away, only to be met with Gu Jun's teasing eyes again. "Have you seen enough?"

Shu Yun denied it, saying, "What did I see? You should just focus on making fried rice." She then turned and left, not giving Gu Jun a chance to speak.

Shu Yun stood in the courtyard, patting her slightly flushed cheeks. Her skin was too thin; anyone could see right through her. It was definitely the original owner's fault!

She stood in the cold wind for a while, and the smell of cooking gradually filled the kitchen—a real sense of home. She went back to the kitchen and took the pot of warm tomato and egg soup to the table in the yard.

At this moment, Gu Jun also took out the fried rice he had prepared, and the two of them ate their first formal meal in their new home with the rice and soup.

At the dinner table, Gu Jun talked about the children he had met during the day. “Tie Niu is the youngest son of our regimental commander Chen Tiejun. He’s very naughty and misbehaves every few days. He’s always trying to steal things.”

Considering they were still eating, Gu Jun didn't continue, only shaking his head helplessly and saying, "I bet this kid will get a beating from his sister-in-law when he gets back."

"You've been dragging your feet on doing your homework. Don't you know what time you get out of school and what time it is now? Hurry up and finish it. If you can't finish it, you won't get dinner."

"You ate my fried dough sticks and then you scolded me!" Gou Dan said, feeling wronged.

"So what if I ate it? Your things are my things." Tian Xiufen said matter-of-factly.

"Then, is my homework yours too? Mom, can you do it for me? I'll give it all to you." Gou Dan's silly voice sounded quite surprised.

Shu Yun and Gu Jun sat in the courtyard, able to hear the conversation next door clearly. They exchanged a glance and tacitly slowed down their eating.

"Oh! Mom, I can't do it." Gou Dan's voice was trembling with tears.

Tian Xiufen's voice became even more irritable, "What are you looking at me for? Do you think I have the answer on my face or something? Do you expect someone like me who has never been to school to teach you? Why would I bother sending you to school then! It's all your father's fault for passing on such a blockhead to you."

Dog Egg, oblivious to the danger, continued, "Then, then I won't read it."

Tian Xiufen gritted her teeth: "Don't make me slap you!"

Shu Yun couldn't help but chuckle. During the day, the child confidently declared that there was little homework and he would finish it quickly, but at night, his mother slapped him in the face.

"I've finished eating," Shu Yun said to Gu Jun in a low voice.

The voices from the other end were deafening, giving Shu Yun an inexplicable feeling that she was eavesdropping on someone's private affairs. The feeling was so strong that she didn't dare to speak loudly, for fear that the other party would find out about their presence.

Gu Jun got up to clear the dishes, while Shu Yun sat in the courtyard eavesdropping. In this day and age, without television or cell phones, this was a rare form of entertainment, which Shu Yun cherished. Unfortunately, she didn't have any melon seeds to crack open.

Once the neighbors quieted down, Shu Yun got up, stretched, and took a bucket to the hand pump to fill it with water. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Is Xiao Yun home? It's Aunt Tian."