The day after Xia Enruo returned home, she got up early to clean. She used to tease Ge Qiuqin, saying that she almost tore the house down and rebuilt it to welcome her mother-in-law.

Now the tables have turned, and it's her turn. At least Gu Shaoxuan didn't make her make new quilts or pillows.

It seems that a simple cleaning is enough now.

Anyway, the end of the year is just around the corner and Chinese New Year is almost here. This house cleaning can be considered a pre-New Year's deep cleaning.

Gu Shaoxuan took a day off and didn't go to the army. He stayed at home with his wife, busy with things and listening to Xia Enruo's instructions.

She directed Gu Shaoxuan to move all the heavy items in the house, while she did the cleaning herself.

"Shaoxuan, unplug the freezer and move it to the side. I need to clean the dust off the floor under the freezer."

"Shaoxuan, move the wardrobe around. I need to dust the walls with a feather duster."

...

When Gu Shaoxuan heard his wife call him "Shaoxuan," he worked even harder. The more she called him that, the happier he felt.

The two of them climbed up and down, cleaning the entire house inside and out.

Xia Enruo even washed all the curtains, sofa covers, and duvet covers. Gu Shaoxuan, meanwhile, stood on the windowsill wiping the glass.

The people in the compound watched the couple busy all day. Chief of Staff Gu was truly a good man, helping his wife with housework. His own wife, on the other hand, hadn't even mopped the floor.

"Xia, are you preparing for the New Year? Why are you cleaning the house so early?"

Liu Cuiyun walked to the door and called out.

“Sister-in-law Cuiyun, my mother-in-law is coming to visit us in a couple of days. Let’s tidy up the house, as a way of cleaning in advance for the New Year.”

"Xia, Chief of Staff Gu's mother is coming! This is the first time we've met her. You two have moved to the compound, and we haven't met your relatives yet!"

"Who says otherwise? This is the first time I've ever seen this either."

Xia Enruo wiped the windowsill and said something without thinking.

"Is this your first time seeing this too? Didn't you meet your parents when you married Chief of Staff Gu?"

Xia Enruo then realized that she had said the wrong thing. For some reason, she had been a little carried away these past few days and kept blurting things out.

“Sister-in-law, that’s not what I meant. Of course I met my mother-in-law when we got married. I was referring to the first time she came back to the compound after we moved here, the first time I saw her.”

"Oh, that's right. It's nice when relatives come over. It's lively and fun. It's much better than just the two of you at home every day."

"Yes, sister-in-law, come in and have some tea!"

Xia Enruo saw Liu Cuiyun standing in front of her window talking for a long time and greeted her.

"No, my child will be out of school soon, and I have to go back to cook for someone. I can't miss three meals a day."

Xia Enru put the cleaned duvet and sofa covers back on, and then directed Gu Shaoxuan to hang the curtains back up.

The house, inside and out, is now spotless, with even the windowpanes reflecting sunlight.

"By the way, when you come out to buy groceries with me later, tell me what Mom likes to eat?"

Xia Enruo didn't want her mother-in-law to find fault with her as soon as she arrived; she wanted to do things even better.

"Mom isn't picky about food, and besides, you're such a good cook, Mom will love whatever you make."

Gu Shaoxuan has complete confidence in his wife's cooking skills. Now he almost never eats in the regimental canteen. Unless he has to work overtime and can't come back, he eats at home or in a restaurant for every meal.

She rarely went to state-run restaurants, as the food there couldn't compare to Xia Enruo's cooking.

"If you don't tell me, I'll just buy whatever I see. I'll choose the vegetables myself, and you can help me carry the things. By the way, do you know what my little sister likes to eat?"

"My little sister likes sweets, but I don't really know anything else about her."

"You're such a bad older brother, you don't even remember what your sister likes to eat."

"After I went to military school, I rarely went home. Shaoying was still young then, and now that she's grown up, I'm not around anymore."

I have very little time to spend with my family. I originally planned to take you home for the Spring Festival this year, but I asked the regiment, and they said the army has a heavy workload this year and can't give me a long leave. I'll take you home another year.

"By the way, what do you like to eat? I've never asked you that before."

Xia Enruo suddenly realized that she had never asked Gu Shaoxuan what dishes he liked to eat since she came here.

He always eats the food I cook with gusto, showing no signs of being a picky eater. He's really easy to feed.

"I used to like eating fish and dumplings, but now I like eating... I like eating you."

Gu Shaoxuan whispered something in Xia Enruo's ear, and the warm breath made Xia Enruo feel a tickle on her neck.

Xia Enruo was speechless after hearing his words.

"I'm being serious with you, you sure know how to joke."

“I was very serious when I said this; these were my true feelings.”

Gu Shaoxuan muttered to himself as he looked at his wife.

Xia Enruo blushed upon hearing this and carried the basin into the water room.

Gu Shaoying had been looking forward to going to her brother's house in Yongning City for a long time, and finally the winter vacation had arrived.

I had been urging my mother to buy tickets at home for a while.

"When you get to your brother's house, listen to your mother and stop jumping around all day, or your sister-in-law will get annoyed with you."

Gu Zhiyuan gave instructions.

Xia Enruo's marriage to Gu Shaoxuan was entirely due to the support of her father, Gu Zhiyuan. At the time, Gu Shaoxuan's mother, Wang Meihua, was against the marriage no matter what.

They wouldn't let Xia Enruo marry into their family, not only because she was an orphan, but also because she didn't even have a job.

His son graduated from military academy and became an officer, but it's really hard to talk about how he married a girl who has no job and no parents.

Fortunately, Gu Zhiyuan was determined. He believed that the contract made by the older generation had to be fulfilled. His family did not want to be seen as ungrateful and materialistic, so he insisted on calling Gu Shaoxuan back to complete the marriage.

"She even complains when other people come to visit. We're just trying to be nice and go see them, and she still dares to complain that we're bothering her?"

Wang Meihua was furious when she saw Gu Zhiyuan; she was very dissatisfied with this daughter-in-law.

Although Xia Enruo entered the family, the few days that the newlyweds spent at home were filled with embarrassing moments.

Not only do they sleep until noon every day, but they also don't even make their beds.

Every day, the housekeeper cooks the meal, and all the elders sit down at the table, leaving her to wait alone. After the meal, she's the first to wipe her mouth and leave without saying a word.

She doesn't want to learn anything, even knitting, cooking, and housework. She leaves a whole bedroom full of fruit peels and candy wrappers after eating every day, which is really annoying.

In the end, apart from Gu Zhiyuan, no one in the family liked her. She was too ashamed to stay any longer, so she simply begged her son to join the army.

Wang Meihua had a headache just thinking about what her son had done. If she hadn't missed him so much after not seeing him for so long, she wouldn't have gone to Yongning.

Now that Xia Enruo has gone to Gu Shaoxuan's side with the army, given her slovenly and lazy appearance, it's hard to imagine how the two of them live every day.