Marrying My Bestie's Ferocious Brother - He Calls Me His Baby!-Chapter 13: A Bowl of Vegetable Porridge Makes Half the Family Courtyard Drool with Envy!
Night fell, deep into the evening.
The only wooden bed in the room appeared especially narrow under the dim kerosene lamp, as if just turning over could cause someone to fall off.
Gu Yanshen brought in a basin of water from outside. After washing up, his tall stature awkwardly stood still, his actions betraying a trace of unease.
Lin Wan Yi made the bed and patted the empty space next to her, nodding her chin towards him.
"What are you standing there for? Sleep."
Gu Yanshen’s tall frame tensed, his ears visibly turning red. He looked at the narrow bed, then at Lin Wan Yi, who occupied only a small corner, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
"You sleep, I’ll make a bed on the floor." He said, and was about to reach for the pile of old hay in the corner.
"Stop!" Lin Wan Yi’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable command.
She sat up, jumped off the bed with her bare, tender feet, and in a few steps stood in front of him, looking up at him.
"Gu Yanshen, you’re my lawful husband, and I’m your lawful wife. If I sleep in the bed and you on the straw, what will people think of me? That I’m mistreating a war hero?"
Gu Yanshen was lost for words.
Seeing his innocent expression, Lin Wan Yi’s mischievous intent was awakened. She extended a delicate finger and lazily drew a line down the middle of the narrow bed between them.
"Here, the 38th parallel." She said seriously, "You sleep on that side, I sleep on this side. No crossing the line allowed. If you dare sneak over in the night..."
She paused deliberately, leaned in closer, lowered her voice, her warm breath brushing his ear: "I’ll... cry assault."
His body instantly froze like a statue, turning crimson from neck to cheek. He awkwardly shuffled to his side of the bed, lying down stiffly and straightly, without even removing his military jacket, his arms obediently by his sides, resembling a piece of wood ready for burial.
Lin Wan Yi stifled a laugh and blew out the kerosene lamp.
In the dark, she could clearly hear the man beside her breathing heavily and restrainedly.
This man, what fun.
Not until the latter half of the night, when his breathing finally became long and steady, did Lin Wan Yi quietly open her eyes. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
With a mere thought, she was instantly transported from the rundown adobe house into a strange world filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.
In a space half the size of a basketball court, the fertile black soil seemed to ooze oil. In the center, the spiritual spring bubbled with white mist, the air filled with a sweet fragrance.
Time waits for no one.
Carefully, Lin Wan Yi emptied a few items from a small cloth bag she brought—some shriveled vegetable seeds, two cucumber seeds, and a small, red cloth-wrapped ginseng seed.
These were all she brought from her hometown; her hope and her support for settling in this unfamiliar place.
She imitated what she remembered of villagers, digging small pits in the black soil to bury the seeds one by one.
Then she approached the spiritual spring, using an enamel mug to scoop up a handful of the water. The water was crystal clear, with a peculiar life-giving aura.
She cautiously poured the spring water onto the soil where the seeds lay buried.
A miracle occurred.
The black soil, soaked by the spring water, seemed to come alive.
The vegetable seeds almost instantaneously broke through the soil, sprouting two green shoots, and then, defying natural growth rates, they rapidly grew and expanded. In the blink of an eye, they had become lush, verdant cabbages, their leaves thick and so green they seemed to drip with dew!
Nearby, the cucumber seeds weren’t to be outdone; their vines climbed rapidly as if animated, quickly blooming yellow flowers, which then withered and bore fruit. There hung succulent cucumbers, adorned at the tips with flowers, along the vines.
Lin Wan Yi covered her mouth in excitement, her eyes alight.
Her gaze finally fell on the patch of soil where the ginseng seed was buried. There, too, appeared a small patch of delightful green, though its growth was slower. Yet, the strong presence of spiritual energy foretold its extraordinary future.
This spiritual spring, truly a heavenly artifact!
Suppressing her exhilaration, she swiftly picked a handful of the tenderest cabbage leaves and two of the freshest cucumbers, satisfied as she exited the space.
Back in bed, the man beside her still slept soundly. Lin Wan Yi discreetly tucked the vegetables and cucumbers deep into her luggage, drifting into a peaceful sleep filled with dreams of the future.
The next morning, at the crack of dawn.
Most of the military wives in the family quarters were stirring, preparing breakfast, while the air was filled with the scent of coarse grain buns and salted vegetables.
Suddenly, a wondrously alluring fragrance wafted from the corner of that shabby house, snaring itself into everyone’s nostrils.
It was a pure rice fragrance mingled with the fresh scent of vegetables, boiled into a rich, creamy texture, tempting enough to make one salivate.
"Whose house is cooking something so delicious?"
"I’m drooling, this smells amazing!"
"Sounds like... it’s coming from Mr. Gu’s place?"
Sister in law Wang, holding a bowl of dark, coarse porridge, was about to eat when the aroma reached her, her expression turning unpleasant.
No way! That run-down house, bare as it was, what could that dainty city vixen cook up? It had to be something Mr. Gu brought back from the barracks mess hall!
The more she thought, the angrier she got. Putting down her bowl, she shoved her hands into her pockets and set off for Gu Yanshen’s house. She had to see what kind of show this newlywed couple was putting on!
She reached the shabby old door, half-closed, from which the entrancing aroma grew stronger.
Sister in law Wang pushed the door open, raising her voice: "Oh, what’s that delicious smell, turns out it’s Xiao Lin making breakfast? So, taking out the exotic delicacies brought from home to..."
Her words halted as she saw the scene inside.
The house was still the same shabby one, but tidied spotlessly clean.
Gu Yanshen was sitting upright at the table covered with an embroidered cloth, a clean enamel bowl in front of him, filled with steaming, fragrant white porridge, adorned with a few vibrant green cabbage leaves!
Gu Yanshen was just raising a spoon to drink the porridge.
And Lin Wan Yi, whom she considered a vixen, was wearing an apron, carrying a dish from the makeshift stove over to the table.
Her face wore a satisfied smile as she placed the dish on the table.
"Just porridge is bland, I made some salad for you to try."
In the dish were finely shredded cucumber strands, simply tossed with salt and minced garlic, delivering a refreshing aroma that instantly flooded Sister in law Wang’s nostrils.
In the North regions where not even a scallion was to be had cheaply, fresh vegetables, fresh cucumbers!
Sister in law Wang’s eyes went wide, fixed on the plate of vibrant cucumber strands, then at the few strikingly green leaves in Gu Yanshen’s bowl, then down at her own bowl of dark porridge and overly salty pickled veggies, swelling with immense, indescribable jealousy and frustration.
The sharp remarks she had prepared were swallowed back, lodged in her throat, almost choking her.
