Previously, Hou Yunliang had a leader's demeanor, but he showed no distance between himself and Zhang Shouyi, instead treating him as a casual old brother.

Then look at Zhang Shouyi. Not only was he not intimidated by his superiors, but he also retorted, "If you hadn't taken my military medal as a wager back then, would I have held a grudge against you for half my life?"

Lu Lin noticed her confusion and, taking advantage of their lively conversation, whispered an explanation: "I heard from the leaders that Uncle Zhang was Commander Hou's old squad leader back then. He saved his life when they were on the border. Later, Commander Hou was promoted, and the two still kept in touch because of their life-or-death friendship."

Gu Mingyue suddenly realized what was going on, and looking at the two people in the room who were teasing each other but their eyes were full of warmth, she couldn't help but laugh.

When Hou Yunliang heard Lu Lin recount how Gu Mingyue encountered Zhang Shouyi being bitten by a snake and immediately rushed him to the hospital, he nodded solemnly to Gu Mingyue.

"Comrade Gu, you not only saved Old Zhang, but you also did our troops a great favor. This old buddy is a treasure of our division. He made outstanding contributions on the border back then."

As he spoke, he turned to the guard behind him and instructed, "Go back and tell the cooks to set aside some of this month's special supply of eggs and milk and send it over to Comrade Gu to help her recover. Pregnant women need to take good care of themselves; this is a blessing for the families of our troops."

The guard quickly agreed and turned to make the arrangements.

The guard quickly agreed and turned to make the arrangements.

Upon hearing this, Gu Mingyue smiled sincerely and said, "Leader, we appreciate your kindness, but this special supply is a benefit provided by the military to our comrades, and I really can't accept it for nothing."

Seeing that Hou Yunliang was about to speak, she quickly added, "Please don't refuse. I'll accept this kindness for now. Later, I'll have Lu Lin secretly make up the difference in the amount from the logistics department. That way, we'll feel at ease accepting it, and you won't have to worry about people gossiping."

Hou Yunliang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded: "You comrade, you've got the sense of proportion so well. Okay, we'll do it your way, but I'll talk to the logistics department and ask them to calculate it at cost price."

Zhang Shouyi laughed along, "This girl is both reasonable and law-abiding. Xiao Lu is very lucky."

Gu Mingyue smiled upon hearing this, and her worries were relieved.

As the sun rose higher, Gu Mingyue smiled and gestured towards the kitchen, saying, "Commander Hou, Uncle Zhang, please don't be shy, just have a simple meal at home."

Hou Yunliang wanted to refuse, but Zhang Shouyi grabbed his arm and pressed him down: "Eat! You must eat, let me see Xiao Lu's cooking skills."

While the two were chatting, Lu Lin said that his cooking skills were good. Zhang Shouyi hadn't finished talking yet, so he shamelessly stayed to freeload a meal.

Lu Lin immediately rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen, and Gu Mingyue followed him in to help.

The two worked together seamlessly, washing vegetables and peeling garlic.

Lu Lin stir-fried the green peppers and shredded pork in the wok, which sizzled and smelled delicious. Gu Mingyue stood by and handed him seasonings, occasionally wiping the thin layer of sweat from his forehead.

Hou Yunliang instructed, "No need to make more, I'll have the guards go to the canteen to get some more food."

A short while later, the guards also brought back several hot dishes from the family compound canteen and laid them out on the table.

At the dinner table, Hou Yunliang watched Lu Lin occasionally serving food to Gu Mingyue, and then, recalling how busy the two of them had been in the kitchen earlier, he chuckled and teased her.

"Xiao Lu is great! He can handle both the training field and the kitchen. That's what it means to love your wife."

Zhang Shouyi nodded in agreement: "That's right. Back when I was in the army, I could even burn the pot when cooking porridge. I was far worse than Xiao Lu."

Lu Lin was a little embarrassed by the praise and poured them both a glass of wine: "It's only right, she's pregnant, we have to take good care of her."

After dinner, Hou Yunliang glanced at the sky, stood up, and patted Zhang Shouyi on the shoulder: "It's getting late. We should go back and let Lao Zhang rest. We shouldn't keep the young couple from working too long."

Zhang Shouyi nodded in agreement, and before leaving, he put his hand on Gu Mingyue's hand and said, "If you need anything, just let me know. I'm at the guesthouse, and I'll be staying for a few more days."

Lu Lin and Gu Mingyue escorted the two to the gate of the compound. They watched as Hou Yunliang helped Zhang Shouyi into the car. The guard waved through the car window, and the car slowly drove away from the family compound.

Only after the car was out of sight did the two turn around and return to the courtyard.

Gu Mingyue was tidying up the dining table when she noticed the gifts on it, which Zhang Shouyi had brought. She then touched the peace lock in her pocket, her fingertips still feeling its warm touch.

Lu Lin carefully put away the nutritional supplements that Commander Hou had instructed him to give her, and then turned to her and said, "Let's go see Uncle Zhang again when we're not busy this weekend."

Gu Mingyue nodded with a smile.

That afternoon, the young guard called Lu Lin to pick up a package, saying it was from Beijing.

Lu Lin ran quickly and carried back a heavy canvas bag.

Gu Mingyue came over to help unpack it, and as soon as she unzipped it, all sorts of tonics were revealed.

The contents included a block of donkey-hide gelatin wrapped in red cloth, black sesame powder in a ceramic jar, dried red dates and goji berries, with a letter at the very bottom.

Lu Lin read it to her, and between the lines were his parents' instructions: "Knowing you're pregnant, they specially asked someone to buy donkey-hide gelatin for me to stew for you, and to drink red date infusion. Don't neglect your health."

Gu Mingyue touched the fine sesame powder in the jar, her eyes slightly warming.

These things were clearly prepared with care. Her parents-in-law must have put in a lot of effort to gather these things in order to nourish her body, and then sent them over in a hurry.

Lu Lin put everything away and patted her hair with a smile: "Mom called specifically to tell you that the donkey-hide gelatin needs to be double-boiled and you need to add two red dates. I'll make it for you tonight."

He picked up the bag of red dates, chose a plump one, and held it to her lips.

After dinner, Lu Lin locked himself in the kitchen and prepared donkey-hide gelatin stew for Gu Mingyue according to the method in the letter.

He first chopped the donkey-hide gelatin into small pieces and soaked it in warm water. He also washed a few red dates and removed their pits. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

But when the donkey-hide gelatin started bubbling, he panicked. He had been worried that it wouldn't cook through, so he had turned the heat up too high, and soon the pot smelled burnt.

Gu Mingyue rushed into the kitchen after smelling the aroma, only to see Lu Lin holding a spatula in one hand and frantically turning down the heat with the other.

Several drops of brown glue were splattered on the stove, and there was some flour-like powder on his face, making him look like a complete mess.

"Are you stewing donkey-hide gelatin or charcoal-frying it?" Gu Mingyue asked, both amused and annoyed, as she reached out to wipe his face.

Lu Lin scratched his head and chuckled, "It was my first time making this, so I had no experience. I thought that simmering it a little longer would make it more flavorful, but I almost burned it."

The two of them worked together, picking out the burnt parts, adding some warm water and simmering slowly, finally managing to make a bowl of not-so-perfect but heartfelt gelatinous soup.

Gu Mingyue took a spoonful and tasted it. It was sweet and glutinous with a faint caramelized aroma, but at least it was edible.

Lu Lin leaned closer and asked, "How was it? I'm sure I can stew it even better next time."

"It's alright, the taste is good."

This was his first time making donkey-hide gelatin, and Gu Mingyue didn't want to discourage him.

Lu Lin smiled upon hearing this, but he knew his wife was just trying to comfort him, so he said frankly, "I'll make it for you next time, and it will definitely be better."