Chapter 74: As Long as She’s Not Embarrassed, Others Are

Chapter 74: If She’s Not Embarrassed, Then Others Will Be

The children watched the car curiously but were on their best behavior, not daring to touch or damage it.

Seeing they were still standing there observing the car, Su He worried they might end up messing with Xia Chengan’s vehicle, so she quickly shooed them into the kitchen.

Xia Chengan had been taken aback when he first saw the dilapidated mud house where Fu Tinghua lived.

The esteemed Dr. Fu, so respected and beloved in the military, lived in such a shabby place?

If Fu Tinghua wanted, many would’ve gladly funded a new house for him.

Upon entering, though the interior was also worn-out, it was neatly cleaned and organized, which eased some of Xia Chengan’s discomfort as a city-bred young master.

Once in the kitchen, he saw flour spread across the table along with a pile of misshapen... dumplings?

Only the ones on the other side were neatly wrapped and quite presentable, while the rest were a mess, clearly the handiwork of mischievous children.

But Su He, his sister-in-law, actually let the kids mess around like this?

"Dad, look! This is the little bunny I made!" Niu Niu told Fu Tinghua proudly, pointing at the rabbit-shaped dough on the table.

Noticing this, Su He quickly added, "Niu Niu, did you make this especially for Dad to eat?"

Niu Niu had originally intended it for her mother, but after a moment’s thought, she figured it didn’t matter who ate it, so she nodded in agreement.

At least Fu Tinghua’s return wasn’t entirely useless—he’d helped her deal with the mischievous little bunny Niu Niu had made.

"Thank you, Niu Niu."

Fu Tinghua, clueless about how terrible his daughter’s doughy, filling-free rabbit would taste, felt moved.

"Would you like your dumplings steamed or boiled?" Su He asked as she started the fire.

"I’ll have steamed ones," Xia Chengan replied.

Su He glanced at Fu Tinghua, who, under her gaze, fidgeted before muttering, "Whatever."

With their answers, Su He wasted no time and simply placed all the dumplings into the steamer.

Watching her move so efficiently, Xia Chengan thought to himself—she didn’t seem like someone who couldn’t handle chores at all.

Most likely, those rumors had been spread by women who had a crush on Dr. Fu.

At that moment, Xia Chengan felt sorry for Su He.

Her husband’s looks attracted too much attention—just look at the nonsense people had spread about her.

Fu Tinghua pitched in wrapping the dumplings, and surprisingly, he was quite skilled—probably from helping out at home as a child.

Xia Chengan, meanwhile, sat to the side and watched, not wanting to bungle things.

"Sister-in-law, why don’t you move to the city with Ting Hua?" Jumping in during the downtime, the chatterbox Xia Chengan began talking.

"My two kids prefer staying in the countryside. They’re not in school yet, so I’m just humoring them," Su He replied with a smile.

She would never admit that the real reason she didn’t go to the city was because she didn’t want to live with Fu Tinghua.

Life in the countryside was more freeing—just her and the two kids, with no fear of giving herself away.

"You know what? This guy, as soon as his shift ended, dragged me to drive him back to the countryside to see all of you," Xia Chengan teased.

Before Su He could respond, Fu Tinghua spoke up first.

"You're awfully chatty today."

"Oh? Getting shy now, are we? Hahaha... Fine, I'll stop. You two can chat on your own." Seeing the renowned Dr. Fu flustered for once in front of him, Xia Chengan was loving every second of it.

So the rumors about Dr. Fu having no affection for his wife weren’t entirely true, it seemed.

Su He, however, didn’t read into their banter at all. Fu Tinghua had returned for the kids—not for her. She knew better than to think otherwise.

The first batch of steamed dumplings was ready quickly. Since the steamer could hold two trays at once, Su He decided to serve Fu Tinghua and Xia Chengan first.

She set up a foldable table she had long ago gotten from her inventory and placed the freshly steamed dumplings on it.

Then, she brought out the prepared dipping sauces and said, "There are both spicy and mild sauces here. Take your pick. You can start eating now."

Turning to the children, she added gently, "Don’t worry, little ones. Your batch will be ready soon."

It was only a little past five, and the kids weren’t particularly hungry—most were just in it for the fun of wrapping dumplings.

So they obediently replied, "Okay~"

Both Xia Chengan and Fu Tinghua were surprised to see how Su He had these rowdy kids eating out of her hand.

Especially Xia Chengan, whose two nephews were also around five or six—would raise hell if you took your eyes off them for five minutes. Watching his sister-in-law constantly frustrated by the kids, Xia Chengan had given up on ever getting married himself.

Tsk, tsk. Compared to Su He’s well-mannered children, it's not even fair.

Xia Chengan had been dragged along last-minute by Fu Tinghua and still had to hurry back, so he plopped right down and started scarfing them.

Fu Tinghua, exhausted from a long day and having only had a rushed lunch, was already starving, so he joined at the neighboring table.

Initially, both men were just eating to get full, with no particular enthusiasm for the dumplings.

But the moment they took their first bites, they were blown away—the dumplings were unexpectedly delicious.

"Su He, these dumplings and dipping sauces are amazing," Xia Chengan raved when it came to good food.

After saying this, he started inhaling them.

Fu Tinghua already knew Su He’s cooking had improved, but he hadn’t expected her dumplings to be this good—they were nothing like the ones he remembered.

The silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture paired perfectly with the sauces, and soon, one tray was completely empty.

The two men shared a look. Now what? They both wanted another tray.

Xia Chengan gave him a pointed look, and Fu Tinghua, understanding his friend all too well, cleared his throat.

"Su He, could we have two more trays? The dumplings are really good."

Su He immediately realized they were still hungry and felt a little embarrassed—she had forgotten how big men's appetites are.

"Of course, the next tray is almost ready."

Su He had just finished speaking and was about to stand up when Fu Tinghua called out to her.

"Don’t worry, I’ve got this," Fu Tinghua said.

He stood up, lifted the lid of the steamer, took out two bamboo trays of dumplings, placed them on the table, and then went to wash his hands.

Returning to Su He’s side, he bent down and put the dumplings she’d wrapped into the steamer.

Su He hadn’t expected Fu Tinghua to suddenly get so close. The man’s pleasant scent threw her off balance, making her freeze up.

But with everyone watching, she couldn’t just pull away.

If she played it cool, someone else would feel awkward instead.