Wu Shaojun was quite obedient, meticulously watching the heat according to Xia Enruo's method, while Xia Enruo was making noodles.

Xia Enruo deliberately added less chili to the broth of the dan dan noodles, fearing that too much spice would upset the stomachs of diners. She chopped the pork into small pieces, fried it in oil, and then put it into the prepared broth. She also placed chopped green onions, minced garlic, and cilantro separately in small dishes for diners to add according to their preferences, showing that she paid attention to the details to the extreme.

Wu Shaojun brought the noodles up, and Director Zhang, upon hearing that the noodles had arrived, said:

"I really can't eat this big bowl of noodles, I'm full from all these dishes."

"That's right, Xia's cooking is delicious, and I ate almost all of it, but I really can't eat any more of the staple food."

Wu Shaojun saw that after several rounds of drinks, the dishes on the table had been almost completely devoured, and everyone's bellies were bulging.

"Uncle, this bowl looks big, but there isn't much noodles. Comrade Xia Enruo knows that everyone doesn't eat much staple food, so she only put three chopsticks of noodles in each bowl. If you don't eat staple food at a banquet, you'll get hungry quickly. Besides, Comrade Xia Enruo cooks good dishes, so the noodles must be good too. Please try them."

Everyone agreed with Wu Shaojun's words, and Wu Meixia got up and distributed the noodles one by one.

"Anyone who wants scallions, garlic, or cilantro can add them themselves; they're all in the dish."

Director Zhang added some scallions and minced garlic to his bowl of noodles. He has always disliked cilantro, and whenever he goes to a restaurant and sees cilantro in his noodles, he picks it out.

"This noodle dish is really good, sweet, sour, and slightly spicy, and the portion size is just right."

In no time, everyone finished the noodles and put down their chopsticks.

"Meixia, you've gone to so much trouble for me today. This is the most comfortable meal I've had since I came to Yongning."

Wu Meixia was naturally pleased to hear her former boss say that. She already knew her boss was picky, but she hadn't expected Xia Enruo to be such a great help.

After seeing the leaders off, Wu Meixia's comrades asked Xia Enruo to book three more banquets: one for her father's birthday, one for a gathering of comrades, and one for her child's 100th birthday. The wages were, of course, still 50 yuan.

Xia Enruo wrote down the address, arranged a time, and Wu Meixia saw everyone out. She then returned to the kitchen to tidy up.

"Enruo, don't bother cleaning. I invited you over to cook, not to clean the house for me."

"Sister Meixia, please don't be so polite with me. You've been drinking today, so it must be inconvenient for you to clean up. Your husband and Shaojun are both men and can't do this kind of delicate work. I'm just lending a hand."

"Enruo, you're not only beautiful and skilled, but you also have such a great personality. If you weren't married, I would really like to introduce you to my younger brother, Shaojun."

Xia Enruo chuckled after hearing this.

"Sister Meixia really thinks highly of me. Although I'm married, you can still recognize me as your god-sister, and we can become family."

"Are you serious, Enruo? Then let's become sworn sisters. I've always hoped that my parents would have a little sister so I could play with her, but unfortunately there are only my brother and me in the family. I'm even worried that you'll think I'm too old."

"Don't mention it, Sister Meixia. I'd be overjoyed to have a sister like you. It's settled then, I'll call you my god-sister from now on."

Wu Meixia jumped for joy, and under the influence of alcohol, she shed a few tears of excitement.

After Xia Enruo finished tidying up the house, Wu Meixia not only paid her but also gave her a large bag of freshly made pastries. She also told Wu Shaojun to take her home safely. Wu Shaojun was two years younger than Xia Enruo, so he became her godbrother.

Xia Enruo's efforts today were truly worthwhile; she not only earned money but also gained a new older sister and younger brother. Suddenly, she felt like she had a family back home in Yongning City.

Wu Shaojun drove Xia Enruo back home. She felt it was too stuffy in the car, so she rolled down the window and felt instantly refreshed by the cool breeze.

"Sister Enruo, don't let the cold wind blow on you, or you'll catch a cold."

"It's okay, the weather is really hot and humid today, it feels like it's going to rain. The sky looks gloomy."

“I heard on the radio that there might be heavy rain tonight. Oh, sis, I’m going to buy an ice pop so we can eat it on the way. I’m feeling really hot too.”

Wu Shaojun parked the car next to an ice cream stand by the roadside and got out.

Yuan Qiang was on his way back after dropping off the mechanic. The exercise had just ended two days ago, and his regiment had won a great victory. Today was the day to hold a celebration banquet. However, after the exercise, the vehicles in the unit broke down and wouldn't start. The auto repair team spent a long time trying to find the problem but couldn't, so they had to go out and call a mechanic to fix them.

"Stop the car!" he shouted at the driver.

"What's wrong, Director Yuan? Is there something you forgot to buy?"

Yuan Qiang waved his hand and poked his head out.

Isn't that Xia Enruo?

"Old Gu is still complaining that she wants a divorce, but Xia Enruo already has a handsome young man buying her ice cream. No way, I have to tell him."

"Let's go," Yuan Qiang called out.

As Xia Enru ate her popsicle, she immediately felt much cooler. At this time, ice cream was made from frozen ice cubes of food coloring and saccharin. Although it wasn't as delicious as Häagen-Dazs, it was still a great way to beat the heat.

After arriving home, she got out of the car, carrying large and small bags, and started walking home. Before she even entered the house, Ge Qiuqin ran out.

"Enruo, you're finally back. If you hadn't come back soon, we would have missed our train."

Xia Enruo looked completely bewildered by Ge Qiuqin's question.

"What's wrong, Sister-in-law Qiuqin?"

“Our regiment won a complete victory in this exercise, and we’re having a celebration banquet tonight. The regimental leaders want all the military spouses to come and help out at the unit. The bus will be here to pick us up soon. I saw you weren’t home, and I was so worried that you might miss it.”

Xia Enruo finally understood what this was about, but she didn't want to go. In the past, when the regiment had various activities that required notifying military families, Gu Shaoxuan never told the original owner. The original owner would often argue with him at home because of this. It was probably because the original owner was lazy, didn't know how to do anything, was dirty and slovenly, and only knew how to argue with her husband at home every day. The whole army probably knew about it.

"Sister-in-law, I'm not going. I'm quite tired today and want to rest at home."

"How can that be? This time, Commander Lu personally gave the order for all military dependents to go, because there are many people eating dinner tonight, and the cooks will be too busy. If you don't go, wouldn't that be like giving your husband Lu a hard time?"

Xia Enruo was at a loss. Although Gu Shaoxuan was definitely unwilling for her to go to the regiment to help, the two were not divorced after all. As his nominal wife, she could not disobey military orders. Going there could be considered as making up for the original owner's mistakes before they separated.

"Okay, sister-in-law, I'll go back to my room and pack up. We'll set off together in a bit."

Xia Enruo entered the house and rested on the sofa for a while. She got up and went to the stove to boil water to prepare to take a shower. After being busy all day and in the hot weather, she was covered in sweat and the smell of food. If she went to the army, she would be laughed at.

If I slap someone in the face, I don't want to see his cold and indifferent face again.