Chapter 27: The Taste of Home

Chapter 27: The Taste of Home

Yu Huixin stared at his back for a while before Yan Guang asked, "What are you looking at?"

Yu Huixin pouted her lips, "See that? He’s carrying a bag of apples. We haven’t seen apples in the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives for ages. I wonder where he managed to get them from."

"Want some apples?" Yan Guang was always good to his wife, known as a model husband in the military. "I’ll check if there’s a car going into the city these days and ask someone to bring a few pounds back."

Yu Huixin didn’t refuse, "I just feel it’s a waste."

Yan Guang finally caught on, giving her an exasperated look, "Why do you keep bringing this up? Xiao Ye said not to mention it anymore."

Yu Huixin glared at him, "Can’t even mention it? Might as well sew my mouth shut!" She turned and walked into the house, "Everyone acts so deep in love. I think if it weren’t for the kids, Gu Heng might not have kept that country wife."

"You know better?" He chased after her, asking, "Why wouldn’t he want her? I’ve never met Laogu’s wife, but I know she’s a good woman. A good woman, any man with eyes wouldn’t let go of!"

This kind of thinking is dangerous and needs to be corrected!

Yu Huixin shot back, "Is the wife of the battalion commander from the Second Regiment a good woman? She served her in-laws for over ten years, but still got divorced because of an arranged marriage. The battalion commander then married a city girl. Haven’t you seen enough of such things? Don’t try to silence me with your ‘good’ or ‘bad’!"

"I’m not silencing you; you’re the one silencing me."

"Anyway, Laogu is different!"

That’s exactly why it’s more of a pity, how perfect for Shuxin.

If Su Zhaozhao knew there was such an enthusiastic matchmaker here, she would probably give her a good scolding.

She was cooking at home, using the eggplants that Sister Wang had brought over in the morning. There were still some left, and she planned to make a tofu and eggplant hot pot.

First, she fried the tofu in oil over low heat until both sides were golden brown, then removed the tofu. Next, she stir-fried the peeled eggplants until they were soft, and then set them aside to prepare the sauce. Since she didn’t have a clay pot, Su Zhaozhao made a simplified version, which still turned out quite well.

Su Zhaozhao bought two blocks of tofu. With no refrigerator in this weather, it was best not to leave it overnight, so she decided to make two tofu dishes, one being a very home-style braised tofu.

When Gu Heng returned home, she was frying the tofu. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he smelled the aroma of tofu, and his lips curved involuntarily.

His gaze swept across the yard, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw the sheets and bed covers drying. Why did she wash so much?

"Back already?" The coal stove was right outside the kitchen door, and Su Zhaozhao peeked out and saw him.

"Yes, back." A simple sentence, yet it made Gu Heng feel a bit dazed. How long... had it been since he heard those words?

"Why did you wash so much?"

Without lifting her head, Su Zhaozhao focused on the tofu in the pan, "The sun is good, and there’s nothing else to do, so I washed everything. You can start collecting the dry ones; we need to make the beds later."

Gu Heng went to the main room, where Gu Xiang and Gu Nian were studying old textbooks at the desk in the west room. School was about to start, and they were worried about falling behind. "Dad."

He responded, "I bought some apples. Remember to wash them before eating." After putting down the fruit, he washed his hands at the faucet, dried them, and began collecting the dry sheets and covers.

Gu Xiang and Gu Nian stopped reading their textbooks and ran over to help.

Being small, they helped Gu Heng by holding the collected items as he bundled them up and passed them over.

Su Zhaozhao peeked out several times.

In the evening, the sun was almost setting, casting a rosy glow over the courtyard. Under the clothesline, the tall man in military uniform reached up to take the sheets, with two children looking up at him, one holding a bundle of sheets, the other tiptoeing to reach out...

The scene was heartwarming.

Unfortunately, she was holding a spatula. If she had a camera, she would have captured this moment.

Before nightfall, Su Zhaozhao finished cooking.

"Wash your hands and come eat!"

"Coming!"

After collecting the sheets and covers, Gu Heng took the two children to sow seeds in the vegetable garden, planting some of the garlic and green onions Su Zhaozhao had bought at the market earlier. In no time, all the seeds were planted.

This was the first family dinner in their new home.

"We should have bought some wine," Su Zhaozhao said as soon as they sat down, realizing she had forgotten.

Gu Heng: "There’s some in my dormitory. I’ll bring it back tomorrow."

"Do you have other things in your dormitory that you haven’t brought back?" Like clothes and shoes.

"Yes, just some small items. I’ll bring them back tomorrow." He should have brought them today, but he was eager to get home and forgot.

The tofu Su Zhaozhao made was praised by the two children, and Gu Heng also found it delicious, feeling the warmth of home. No matter how good the food in the canteen was, it couldn’t compare to this.

"There’s no clay pot at home, and I haven’t seen any for sale in town. If there were, this tofu and eggplant hot pot would be even more flavorful."

"It’s already very delicious," Gu Heng complimented.

No one dislikes being praised. Su Zhaozhao proudly lifted her chin, her eyes shining.

Gu Heng glanced at her, finding her like a little girl at this moment.

When he left home, she was indeed a little girl.

Seeing the apples on the table, Su Zhaozhao asked, "Where did you buy them?"

At the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives and the market, she hadn’t seen any fresh fruits, only canned goods.

"Today, there was a car from the military going into the city. I asked someone to bring a few pounds. Eating one a day is good for health. I’ll ask again when they’re gone. Don’t forget to eat eggs too. If you can’t find them at the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, let me know."

"Okay." Su Zhaozhao increasingly felt that Gu Heng was a good man.

If only there was such a man chasing after her in her previous life, she would have been single no longer.

The dessert tonight was apples. After a full meal, each of them held half an apple and started munching.

This was the first time Gu Xiang and Gu Nian had tasted apples. Since finding their father, they had experienced many firsts.

The sweetness of the apples captivated the siblings, who nibbled on them delicately as if savoring rare delicacies, though they had no idea what those delicacies tasted like.

To Su Zhaozhao, the apples were a bit sour, after all, it wasn't the season for Fuji apples yet.

It was late at night, and it was time to sleep.

Standing by the bed, Su Zhaozhao was in a dilemma. There was only one mattress, already laid on the bed in the east room. The double bedsheet hadn't dried yet, but there were two single sheets that could be used here...

Should they go to the west room and sleep on the hard kang?

Or should they squeeze together on the bed in the east room?

Gu Heng picked up a quilt, "You take the children and sleep here. I'll sleep in the west room."

"The kang in the west room has no padding, it's too hard. Why don't you take this quilt over and use it as padding for now?"

Gu Heng declined, "No need. It would be a waste to put such a good quilt underneath. I've slept on the ground during military campaigns before. You all sleep first."

With that, he walked out.

Su Zhaozhao: ...Oh well, no more worries.