Bai Chen rolled his eyes at her, not wanting to pay her any attention. What's wrong with her? She was just telling him to go cool off somewhere else, but now she thinks he's useful and keeps calling him "brother." Does she really think he's a pushover?

"What's this?"

Unable to get any information from him, Bai Na rolled her eyes, looking around. Finally, she focused her attention on the papers on the table. Taking advantage of Bai Chen's inattention, she snatched them.

It must be said that the characters on this piece are written with great strength and vigor, and it is clearly not the work of his cousin.

"I promise I will never do it again..."

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Chen snatched the words away, saying irritably:

"Don't get involved in things you shouldn't. My comrade-in-arms is not only married, but his wife is also pregnant with their third child."

Bai Chen was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. Shen Ying and his wife didn't get along to begin with, and she often nagged him about getting a divorce. How could she be pregnant with their third child now? Men's words are truly deceitful.

Hearing about the man's glorious deeds in the army and learning that he married a shrewish countrywoman, Bai Na felt a pang of regret. How come she hadn't met such an outstanding man?

......

Jiang Yu went to the backyard to find tools, with Shen Niannian following behind. Every step she took, the little rascal followed, getting in her way. Jiang Yu looked at him, both amused and annoyed, and pointed to the bricks in the cellar, saying:

"Niannian, I'll make you something delicious later. Go open that door and we'll pick out some vegetables, okay?"

"good."

Shen Niannian readily agreed and turned to go to the vegetable cellar. Her sister said she was going to Dongdong's house to look at his first-grade textbooks, and that she wanted him to stay home and listen to his mother, which is why she stayed by his side all the time.

Jiang Yu wanted to give him some more instructions, but suddenly heard someone speaking at the door:

"Is Brother Shen Ying at home?"

The childhood friends all knew that Shen Ying's wife was unreasonable, and they were worried that if they went in rashly they would be kicked out, so they hesitated at the door for a long time before speaking.

Jiang Yu went into the yard and saw three people carrying tools, looking completely bewildered.

"He went to the city, what are you doing here...?"

While the group was still hesitating, Shen Jianguo, who came out from next door, pushed them into the yard. Xiao Hei wanted to bark, but seeing that the group together didn't seem brave enough to muster any courage, it simply lay down in its den and closed its eyes.

"They're all young men in their late twenties, why are they acting so coy? They're not even as natural and graceful as a woman."

Shen Jianguo put down the hoe from his shoulder and explained his purpose to Jiang Yu. They had all come to help because they heard that Shen Ying was going to build a house.

It's normal that the original owner focused all her attention on Lu Yi and didn't have much information about other people.

Jiang Yu looked helpless. It was so embarrassing that someone had to come and help her when she was just tearing down a house.

“Jiang Yu, don’t overthink it. When we had family troubles back then, Brother Shen Ying helped us in the same way. It’s just a matter of reciprocity, so don’t feel embarrassed.”

Realizing her discomfort, Shen Jianguo quickly came out to explain. The young men nodded, readily agreeing with his explanation. Jiang Yu didn't stand on ceremony any longer, smiling as she took Shen Niannian's hand:

"Then I'll make some tea for everyone."

"Why."

Seeing that Jiang Yu wasn't as unreasonable as everyone had said, the men guessed that the rumors were just stirred up by jealous people, and started rolling up their sleeves to get to work.

The sun is shining brightly today, but the weather is still a bit dry. Simply brewing tea might not be enough to quench your thirst.

Jiang Yu thought for a moment, put down the tea in her hand, took out rock sugar and dried plums, and prepared to make rock sugar and dried plum tea.

Shen Niannian peered through the shop window, watching her mother take out a bag of dark-colored things, and curiously pointed at it, asking:

"What is this, Mommy?"

"The dried plums are sour, but they're delicious."

Jiang Yu loves all kinds of plums. She saw some at the supply and marketing cooperative last time and bought some. She was so busy with things during the New Year that she forgot about them. If she hadn't remembered to make tea today, she probably would have forgotten about them by the time they were ready.

He took one out and put it in Shen Niannian's mouth. Watching him chew it carefully, he couldn't help but put one in his own mouth as well.

She found a match, lit it, and put the plums and rock sugar into the pot in the correct proportions. It was cooked in no time. She found some cups, washed them, filled them one by one, and invited everyone inside to have some tea and rest.

At first, everyone was a little embarrassed, but seeing that Jiang Yu insisted, they gulped down a large glass of wine.

"Sister-in-law, what kind of tea is this? It's sweet and sour, and it tastes so good."

Shen Daniu stared at the empty cup, still wanting more, and couldn't help but lick his lips. Seeing this, Jiang Yu quickly said that she had cooked a big pot and that they should drink to their hearts' content.

After a short rest, everyone rushed back to work. Jiang Yu looked at the house, which was half demolished, and thought about having a few people stay for dinner, so she started preparing the ingredients.

......

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, most people were still visiting relatives and friends to exchange New Year's greetings, and few were out doing business. Shen Ying strolled around the building materials market and finally decided to go home first to finish demolishing his old house, and then come back to check on it in a couple of days.

Upon returning home, Chen Ying found the courtyard gate wide open, dust swirling inside, and people chatting and laughing. His heart skipped a beat. Peeking in warily, he spotted several familiar figures busy at work on the dilapidated house to the east, wielding hoes and shovels.

Most of the partially collapsed ruins have been dealt with, but the last one is still being worked on, and it will probably take a few more pushes.

"Da Niu, Zeng Lin, Gan Tang, and Brother Jianguo, what brings you all here?"

Shen Ying was somewhat shocked, but everyone else seemed completely unfazed.

“Gan Tang said you were going to build a house, so we rushed over to see if there was anything we could do to help.”

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!