As he spoke, Shen Baogen pulled He Chaoyang toward the door.

He Chaoyang quickly stopped him and explained with a smile, "Uncle, I came back with Shuning, so I won't go over today. Shuning sprained her ankle and it's not convenient for her to work. Look, it's almost lunchtime. I need to hurry back and cook after I've rented the place."

"Oh, you came back with Chen Zhiqing. Then I won't keep you any longer. But you must come visit me when you have time. Your aunt always talks about you."

Although Shen Baogen didn't say it explicitly, He Chaoyang guessed from the old man's enthusiasm that the coal purchase was probably handled by that kid Qianjin.

Having already made up his mind, He Chaoyang readily agreed with a smile: "Okay, I'll definitely go later. Chunxi has always said that you have a good capacity for alcohol, so I'll have a drink with you then."

"That's great! I'll have your aunt stew meat for you then. Come on, let me get you the key first. No one has lived in that house for a while, so you'll have to make sure it's warm enough to burn, otherwise it'll be too damp to live in."

After taking the key, He Chaoyang headed straight for the educated youth settlement.

Most of the villagers have gone up the mountain by now, and those who haven't are busy at home pickling sauerkraut and other vegetables. There aren't many people on the road.

There was no one at the educated youth settlement at the moment. Everyone was very scared when they heard that there were enemy agents on the mountain, and those who were obedient went down the mountain directly.

They told the villagers they met on the way that they were going into the mountains, and soon the once bustling mountains became quiet.

However, they learned from the young soldier who came to the village to deliver the news that the enemy agents had all been captured, so they carried their bamboo baskets back into the mountains.

Because of the delay, the group that should have returned much earlier is still busy on the mountain.

This relieved Chen Shuning. If she still didn't understand He Chaoyang's feelings for her now, she would truly be a fool.

To be honest, if you were to describe her feelings for He Chaoyang, you could call it romantic love, but she really hadn't thought of it that way.

But to say there's nothing wrong with that, He Chaoyang's appearance alone is exactly what she's looking for, and through these few interactions, she's seen that He Chaoyang's character and temperament are also good.

It's impossible for her not to be tempted by a man like that.

However, in such an unfamiliar environment, Chen Shuning herself did not have enough sense of security, so how could she easily give her feelings away?

So when He Chaoyang mentioned coming to take care of her on the way to the hospital, Chen Shuning originally intended to refuse.

But looking at He Chaoyang's expectant expression, Chen Shuning couldn't bring herself to refuse.

Looking at the tall man walking towards her through the glass window, Chen Shuning suddenly thought that it would be nice to have a relationship with a man like that.

He Chaoyang had just turned the corner of the old house when he saw the little girl sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) smiling at him.

His heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally settled back into his stomach. He had clearly seen the resistance on the little girl's face at first.

So it was rare for him, the ruthless and cold-blooded living devil in other people's eyes, to show such a pitiful expression.

He successfully softened the girl's heart, and she didn't say no.

It has to be said that He Chaoyang abandoned all principles and ethics in his pursuit of his wife.

"Try my cooking tonight. Although I don't know how to cook much, I can still make a few simple home-style dishes."

The tall man, over 1.8 meters tall, smiled like a child and looked at Chen Shuning as soon as he entered the room.

"No need, Brother He. You can help me start the fire. It's just a sprained ankle, it won't stop me from cooking."

"By the way, Brother He, has the house been rented yet? If it has, go over there and heat up the kang (heated brick bed), otherwise it'll be damp and you'll easily get sick at night."

"Okay, I'll go and heat up the kang (heated brick bed) in that room first. You can wait for me to come back and cook dinner."

As he spoke, He Chaoyang picked up the bag in his hand and walked towards the small house where he had stayed last time.

A moment later, Chen Shuning saw He Chaoyang go to the woodshed next to her and carry two bundles of firewood. He put one bundle in her room first, and then went inside.

Chen Shuning's injured ankle has been treated with medicine and bandaged. When she came back, she secretly drank a cup of spiritual spring water. Now, as long as she doesn't exert herself, it doesn't hurt much anymore.

So Chen Shuning didn't listen to He Chaoyang's advice to wait for him to come back and cook. Instead, she got out of bed, washed her hands, and started preparing dinner.

Looking at the Chinese medicine placed in the kitchen, Chen Shuning weighed the options in his mind.

He went to the woodshed next door, took out a piece of pork belly, half a chicken, and a large cabbage from the woodshed's vat.

The chicken is prepared to be stewed with medicinal herbs to make chicken soup, the pork belly is made into braised pork, and a sweet and sour cabbage is stir-fried. A pot of rice will be enough for the two of them.

The chicken was cut and washed and placed in a woodshed vat. It only needed to be washed and blanched again before it could be stewed.

So when He Chaoyang returned, Chen Shuning was cutting pork belly, planning to blanch it with chicken later.

Hearing footsteps, he didn't even turn his head before ordering, "Brother He, you're busy. I'll light both stoves so the water will be hot enough to blanch the meat. I'll make braised pork for you tonight. You can try my braised pork skills."

As soon as He Chaoyang returned, he saw Chen Shuning standing on one leg. He quickly went into the house with a disapproving look and brought out a chair. He helped Chen Shuning sit down while saying something.

"Didn't I already say I'd cook when I got back? You're injured right now. I came here to take care of you, not to cause you any trouble."

Chen Shuning knew, of course, that He Chaoyang was feeling sorry for her. Ever since she decided to accept He Chaoyang's feelings, Chen Shuning felt that as long as the two of them were together, even just spacing out was sweet.

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