"Will Battalion Commander Li Qingming mention this matter to you?" Shen Qiaoyue asked cautiously, trying to find out.

Xia Xiaoli shook her head; she had never mentioned it to her in recent days.

"No, he said he wouldn't mention Luo Miaomiao again after we got married. I've thought it through too. If we can continue living like this in the future, I don't mind. Although I've never liked anyone else, I can't stop Li Qingming from loving anyone or not loving anyone. He respects me, and I will treat him sincerely. That's enough."

There's nothing wrong with being together and living a good life.

Shen Qiaoyue smiled; it was clear that Xia Xiaoli spoke with genuine ease.

“It’s strange to like something. Love can’t last forever, but once it turns into family affection, the family becomes much more harmonious. Marriage should be about what suits you and whether you feel comfortable and happy. That’s enough.” Shen Qiaoyue was well aware of the thoughts of those around her; they all married because they felt it was a good match.

Li Qingming's thinking is very traditional; once he has contact with a girl, he must marry her.

Xia Xiaoli is an educated girl, and it will take her time to recover from what happened.

The marriage of the two was clever, but if it's suitable, it can be considered a beautiful thing.

Jiang Jinyao, however, had a different opinion.

“Battalion Commander Li Qingming seems like a good person, but his attitude towards Xiaoli is different; it seems like he’s dependent on her!” Jiang Jinyao pointed to the issue and said, “Men and women share a common characteristic: they tend to be dependent on their first experiences in life. For example, if you meet someone you like for the first time, you’ll still like them when you meet them again! Or, if someone helps you or shows you kindness, you’ll also feel dependent on them! Battalion Commander Li Qingming must be experiencing this for the first time, and since Xiaoli is pretty, he’s become dependent on her.”

Xia Xiaoli's face flushed red instantly, and she said to Jiang Jinyao in a sweet voice, "Sister-in-law Yao Yao!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinyao trembled as if a gentle warmth had swept over her entire body.

Shen Qiaoyue had a deep feeling about it. The wedding night between the previous generation and Lu Chen was indeed not very harmonious, but she still missed him when she didn't see him.

But as soon as she saw Lu Chen's face, she became unhappy; his expression was fierce.

"Xiaoli, you can wait until you finish your studies and come back, then speak to Battalion Commander Li Qingming in the same tone you just used. See if he can control himself. If he can, I'll admit defeat!" Jiang Jinyao teased again.

Shen Qiaoyue smiled without saying a word.

Women like to talk about these kinds of things when they get together.

In the past, when Shen Qiaoyue talked about this topic with her sisters-in-law in the family compound, she would blush like Xia Xiaoli. Now, she has begun to understand her sisters-in-law.

Xia Xiaoli chatted with Jiang Jinyao all morning. By noon, after coaxing the child to sleep, Shen Qiaoyue took the kettle to fill it with water. The child usually doesn't sleep for many hours, and by the time the child wakes up, the water temperature is just right for making formula.

Jiang Jinyao fell asleep on the top bunk.

Xia Xiaoli looked out the window. The journey had been quiet, and the scenery along the way was truly beautiful.

Xia Xiaoli couldn't help but smile when she thought of Li Qingming's appearance.

Or perhaps, it was Xia Xiaoli who developed a dependence on him, and she unknowingly developed feelings for Li Qingming.

Therefore, she cared even more about Li Qingming's attitude towards her.

Shen Qiaoyue stared at Xia Xiaoli's expression, suppressing her smile, but she could see through Xia Xiaoli's inner thoughts.

"Actually, during this period, many people married people they didn't like. They all built their own world with their own hands. You and Li Qingming are the same as most people, and I am similar. But we can still love each other very much after marriage. Li Qingming is willing to try to love you and you can also try to accept him. You have family and kinship, but having love will make this family even more happy and fulfilling."

Shen Qiaoyue felt that they could fall in love with each other, it just needed time.

Both of them were quiet, but Li Qingming chose to become the more outgoing one to accommodate Xia Xiaoli, and always cared about Xia Xiaoli's physical and mental health.

"Yes, sister-in-law, don't worry, I will get along well with Brother Qingming." Xia Xiaoli nodded.

"Would you like something to eat?" Shen Qiaoyue looked at the time and realized it was almost midnight; she wanted to eat something.

"I brought steamed buns, which my mother-in-law made, and roast chicken." Xia Xiaoli took out the food from her backpack; it was all wrapped in a bag.

Jiang Jinyao, who woke up to the smell, sat up and teased, "That's so nice, the person who is cared for is the happiest!"

"Sister-in-law Yao Yao, come down and eat with us!" Xia Xiaoli put the food down, stood up, and reached out to help Jiang Jinyao down.

Jiang Jinyao came down and smelled the roast chicken. She asked in surprise, "Where did this roast chicken come from? I haven't had meat in so long!"

Since the last time the meat rationing was discussed, Jiang Jinyao has only eaten meat once, and used the remaining meat coupons to buy fatty meat to render lard.

"This was done for me by my older brother Qingming. He got up very early to take care of it." Xia Xiaoli's eyes were full of happiness when she mentioned Li Qingming.

Shen Qiaoyue realized that Xia Xiaoli's marriage didn't need anyone's concern at all; Li Qingming genuinely cared for Xia Xiaoli.

"Looks like we're in for a treat today. We haven't had meat for days!" Shen Qiaoyue couldn't help but tease.

"Sit down and eat! This bun is also filled with meat, and it even has chopped pork cracklings wrapped in it." Xia Xiaoli generously shared with Shen Qiaoyue and Jiang Jinyao.

Holding a steamed bun, Xia Xiaoli tore off the part of the chicken with the wings and drumstick attached and handed it to Jiang Jinyao to eat, while giving the whole big chicken leg to Shen Qiaoyue.

"It's so delicious! Is this roast chicken from the wild?" Shen Qiaoyue could tell from the taste that the meat of this roast chicken was the same as the one Lu Chen brought back for her before, as well as the one Xu Qianli brought back for Liu Xinlan last time.

Shen Qiaoyue took a deep breath, feeling utterly satisfied.

Xia Xiaoli said, "I didn't ask about that. It's probably a wild pheasant from the mountains. My brother used to like to roast it for my sister-in-law. There's a hunter in the village who often goes into the mountains to hunt. If no one returns the 'meat coupon,' you can exchange it for other coupons."

"Yes, I'll have to try it when I get back. It's so delicious!" Jiang Jinyao ate heartily.

Shen Qiaoyue smiled and said with emotion, "Xiaoli, your mother-in-law is very good to you. This big bag of buns is all meat-filled. She clearly knew you couldn't finish them, so she must have brought them for us."

Ever since Zhang Hehua learned that Xia Xiaoli was coming to Beijing with Shen Qiaoyue and Jiang Jinyao, she got up at 3 a.m. to knead dough and went out early to ask Li Qingming to borrow a small piece of meat from the canteen's logistics department to make steamed buns for her.