Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 268: The Enviable Young Couple

"Comrade Su, could you make a dress like the one you’re wearing for me? I have a piece of white cloth, and I’ll bring two pounds of pork belly in exchange," one of the aunties asked nervously.

Normally, she would offer money, but after hearing about Su Yijia’s altercation with Auntie Chen yesterday, no one dared to mention money anymore.

Fang Xuewei quickly added, "I’d like to have a dress made for each of my two daughters. My friend’s chickens are being slaughtered soon; I’ll bring one over as payment."

Typically, making clothes for others would cost around two or three yuan per piece. A chicken weighs four to five pounds, which would be roughly equivalent to the cost of two dresses.

"Actually, I don’t have a sewing machine. If any auntie could lend me one, that would be great," Su Yijia said. She didn’t mind the food exchange; it meant their family’s daily chicken and pork would not be coveted by others.

"Me! I have one! If you could make a dress for me, I’ll lend you my sewing machine for ten days," another auntie quickly offered.

The other aunties who hadn’t spoken up looked disappointed. Most of them were married to people in the team, and many households had sewing machines. Even if some hadn’t brought theirs to the team, a good number of households in the team had them.

At least half of the aunties present owned sewing machines.

"Alright," Su Yijia agreed. She wasn’t concerned. Sewing a few summer dresses, taking a day for each, or two if she worked quickly, wouldn’t be too tiring.

After the arrangements were made, two more aunties swapped pork for two dresses. Auntie Chen also wanted one, but having been rebuffed yesterday, she could only seethe with envy, nearly grinding her teeth.

As the group of aunties chatted, they noticed Qin Kaize hadn’t been seen for a while.

"Where’s Qin? Isn’t he home?" Fang Xuewei asked curiously, looking around.

"He’s in the kitchen preparing the dishes for later," Su Yijia replied, pointing toward the kitchen.

The aunties were stunned, then incredulously asked, "You mean he’s cooking today’s dishes?"

"Yes, he cooks better than I do," Su Yijia responded with a smile. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Her nonchalant attitude suggested she didn’t see anything unusual about this. However, the aunties looked at her with a mix of disbelief and disapproval.

Even Auntie Ju, who had a more maternal demeanor, gently took Su Yijia’s hand and patted it, "Miss Su, it’s not that Auntie wants to meddle, but from experience, it’s better for you if you don’t let your husband do too much housework. You wouldn’t want him thinking other women are better."

"It’s fine; he won’t," Su Yijia replied confidently.

The aunties exchanged sympathetic glances, thinking Su Yijia might be overly romantic and clueless.

But there was no way to argue with them about it. Su Yijia could only smile sweetly and appear happy despite their judgmental looks.

"Aunties, please sit down. I’ll get some snacks."

She went to the kitchen and brought out sunflower seeds, peanuts, and sugar from the dresser.

"I’ll get the soda," Qin Kaize said, placing several bottles of orange soda on the table.

At that time, soda was produced by the Jiangcheng Beverage Factory, costing twenty cents a bottle. Returning the bottle would get a five-cent refund. It wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t particularly inexpensive either. They prepared alcohol for the men, so they also provided soda for the women. Qin Kaize bought five full boxes, and any leftovers could be enjoyed by Su Yijia later.

The aunties immediately focused on his long legs when he emerged. It seemed he was completely recovered.

"Qin, you’re such a good husband. You’re not cooking all the dishes tonight, are you?" Fang Xuewei teased with a smile.

"No, my in-laws and Huabin are helping in the kitchen, and my wife has been working hard on the cooking too," Qin Kaize said, his gaze casually falling on Su Yijia, who immediately responded with a soft smile.

No one in the team had seen him act this way before. Indeed, after marriage, he was different with his wife compared to others.

The aunties remembered their own newlywed days and felt a pang of envy.

If Su Yijia knew what they were thinking, she’d understand they envied the unique relationship she had. There’s a significant difference between a man who is kind to everyone and one who is only kind to you.

"You’ve organized the banquet so well, with the whole family involved. It won’t be too tiring," Auntie Ju complimented sincerely.

Qin Kaize set the items on the coffee table and looked at Su Yijia, "Wife, I’ll go back to cooking. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

"Is there anything I could need? Go on, get back to work," Su Yijia playfully waved him off, urging him to leave.

Once Qin Kaize returned to the kitchen, the aunties gathered around Su Yijia again.

Women always talk about family matters and future children. However, given Su Yijia’s reputation, the aunties quickly shifted topics whenever she didn’t respond.

Su Yijia was treated like royalty. Of course, this was partly because, aside from Fang Xuewei, the others were relatives of Qin Kaize’s former team members.

As for higher-ups and their families, they would only arrive as the banquet was about to start.

One auntie kept glancing at Su Yijia, as if wanting to say something but hesitating.

Su Yijia noticed her but chose to ignore it, not giving her a chance to speak privately.

Finally, the auntie couldn’t hold back and asked, "Comrade Su, do you know the result of how Commander Xue’s wife’s reprimand was handled?"

Her voice was soft, but it immediately cooled the lively atmosphere, making the air feel tense.

While many aunties had heard rumors about the handling of the situation, they had the sense not to bring it up at such a time.

The auntie, facing the disapproving gazes of everyone, turned even more awkward.

But feeling she had to press on, she continued, "Comrade Su, I heard today that not only is Commander Xue’s wife required to publicly apologize to you, but she’s also lost her job at the Art Ensemble."

"So?" Su Yijia’s lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile that was more ambiguous than genuine.