"You must be my sister-in-law. Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Li Mingcheng." Li Mingcheng smiled at Lin Tao, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Although there were countless people who called Lin Tao "sister-in-law" in the entire military region, Lin Tao immediately recognized that the "sister-in-law" that Li Mingcheng was talking about was different from the others.

In addition, Li Mingcheng also has the surname Li, so Lin Tao has already guessed in her mind that this Li Mingcheng is most likely Li Chengxi's half-brother.

It’s just that Li Mingcheng and Li Chengxi don’t look alike. Maybe they each look like each other’s mother, so Lin Tao didn’t realize the relationship between the two at first glance.

She had been married to Li Chengxi for more than a year, and Li Chengxi seldom mentioned anything about that matter to her, so she didn't ask.

Lin Tao knew that Li Chengxi had a bad relationship with that place because of his mother. They had no contact at all and had no feelings for each other.

Plus, Li Chengxi had never said much about Li Mingcheng in front of her before, so she always felt that the relationship between the two brothers would not be very good.

Therefore, Lin Tao never thought that Li Chengxi's younger brother would actually come to her on his own initiative and call her "sister-in-law" with such an eager look on his face.

Li Mingcheng's attitude made her a little confused. If she didn't know about the Li family, she would have thought that Li Chengxi and her younger brother Li Mingcheng loved each other and had a very good relationship.

After a while, Lin Tao thought a lot in her mind, and wondered what Li Mingcheng wanted to find them for.

Do you encounter problems and want to ask Li Chengxi for help?

It shouldn't be possible, after all, her so-called father-in-law is currently a leader-level figure. If Li Mingcheng really encounters something, it is much more convenient to ask his biological father for help than to ask Li Chengxi, his half-brother, for help.

So what was Li Mingcheng doing here? Did he really miss his brother Li Chengxi and come to see him?

Although Lin Tao couldn't figure it out, since the person was already at the door, she couldn't help but invite him in, so she took out the key, opened the gate, and invited Li Mingcheng in.

No matter what Li Mingcheng's intention was, no matter what the relationship between the two brothers was, she was now Li Chengxi's lover after all. If no one came from that side, it would be fine. But if someone came, she had to save face and not let the people from that side laugh at Li Chengxi.

Lin Tao poured him a glass of water and said, "Your brother is still in the group and won't be back until the evening. Have a drink of water to quench your thirst first."

Li Mingcheng didn't hesitate to take the cup and drank it down in one gulp.

After drinking the water, he looked at Lin Tao a few more times, or more precisely, at Lin Tao's bulging belly, and said, "Sister-in-law, I didn't expect you to be pregnant. It looks like you're about to give birth, right? I'm going to be an uncle soon."

He was quite happy, but said regretfully: "My elder brother is really something. He didn't even write to tell me, so I didn't even prepare anything for the child."

Lin Tao continued: "No need to prepare anything, we have already prepared everything that needs to be prepared."

Li Mingcheng said, "That won't work. You are yours and I am mine. I am the child's only uncle, so I can't not send him off. After all, it is my intention. It's okay. I will buy it and send it to you after I return to Shanghai in a few days."

Lin Tao was about to say something else when she saw Li Mingcheng stand up and say, "Sister-in-law, I'm going to go to the group to find my eldest brother first, and I'll come back with him in the evening."

Lin Tao: “…”

This Li Mingcheng is really outgoing, even as good as Chen Shuifen, and his personality is nothing like Li Chengxi's.

While Lin Tao was thinking about it, Li Mingcheng came back and said, "Sister-in-law, eat more of these fruits. They are good for the children. I just bought them outside the island. They are very fresh."

After saying this, he finally left.

Lin Tao looked at two large bags full of fruits. There were quite a few varieties, including apples, pears, bananas, grapes, and even something covered in thorns that Lin Tao did not recognize.

However, Lin Tao did not really eat it, but put the fruit aside.

Lin Tao took a nap, and after waking up she prepared for class for a while, and soon it was time to make dinner.

Today, the family cooked white rice. Some time ago, the food factory ran out of rice, and Lin Tao hadn't eaten rice for a long time. There was some rice just two days ago, and Li Chengxi bought thirty kilograms of it.

While cooking, Lin Tao thought about it and decided to cook a little more.

Recently, Lin Tao has fallen in love with eating fish. Every day at home, there are pickled fish, braised fish, steamed fish, fish head tofu soup...

This morning when Li Chengxi went to the food factory, he bought another fish. It had been kept in a bucket in the morning and was still very fresh.

The handful of mung beans that Lin Tao had casually scattered last time had now sprouted. Lin Tao picked a large handful and planned to put some bean sprouts in the boiled fish she was going to make later.

Last time, Chen Shuifen went to the sea again. After she came back, she said that this year's hairy clams were like free of charge. There were so many of them that you could pick up a whole bucket with just a few picks.

Lin Tao still remembers the scene of them going to the sea together before the Mid-Autumn Festival last year. It was delicious and interesting. If Lin Tao's belly wasn't too big now and she couldn't go, she would definitely go with them.

Xu Yuting had to stay at home to look after her children and couldn't go there either.

Chen Shuifen gave each of their families a small bucket of hairy clams, which Lin Tao had kept in the bucket for two days. The sand inside had probably been spit out, and the water had been changed several times by Li Chengxi. Today, they could be fried and eaten.

Lin Tao cut another piece of blood intestine and planned to stir-fry it.

Lin Tao had just finished picking the bean sprouts when Li Chengxi came back, followed by Li Mingcheng.

As soon as they entered the yard, Li Mingcheng said quickly: "Sister-in-law, go sit down and have a rest. I will help you choose vegetables."

Lin Tao didn't say anything when someone took over her job. Li Chengxi said to her, "A Tao, come with me to kill fish."

"Yeah." Lin Tao knew that Li Chengxi had something to say to her. It just so happened that she was not clear about the relationship between the two brothers Li Chengxi and Li Mingcheng, and was not sure how to deal with Li Mingcheng. It was a good opportunity to listen to what Li Chengxi had to say.

The two walked into the kitchen, Li Chengxi took off his white military jacket, and Lin Tao took it and helped hang it on the hanger.

Li Chengxi rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong arms, grabbed the fish in the bucket, and started killing the fish with clean and neat movements.

While killing the fish, he said, "Li Mingcheng is my half brother."

Lin Tao nodded: "I see, but I don't know what the relationship between you two brothers is like."

"He is different from his mother. He has always been attached to me since he was little. He always likes to run behind me. He was not afraid of being beaten by me when he was little. He always follows me and calls me 'big brother'. It annoys me to death. This kid has been annoying since he was little. He is still annoying now. When he was in the group just now, he said he wanted to shoot. In the end, he shot three times, but only one shot hit the seven rings, and one shot missed the target. Ah Tao, I will let him go as soon as possible. He is here for the next two days. You can do whatever you want and ignore him."

Li Chengxi seemed to be really annoyed with Li Mingcheng. When he talked about what happened back then, his brows couldn't help but frown.

But Lin Taobi was his bedmate after all. It was obvious that although Li Chengxi said so, in his heart, he still regarded Li Mingcheng as his younger brother.

Lin Tao didn’t know much about these things, but Li Chengxi’s attitude determined her attitude.

Since Li Chengxi recognized Li Mingcheng as his younger brother, Lin Tao knew what to do.

Lin Tao smiled and said, "You two brothers have very different personalities."

Li Chengxi's knife skills are getting better and better. The fish fillets he cuts are neither too thin nor too thick, just the right thickness. While Li Chengxi was slicing the fish fillets, Li Mingcheng had already selected the bean sprouts. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw his brother Li Chengxi slicing the fish fillets.

He immediately stared with wide eyes, handed the bean sprouts to Lin Tao, and said, "Sister-in-law, you are amazing. You have really transformed my brother. Your knife skills are so good."

Lin Tao was peeling garlic, and the next moment the garlic in her hand was taken away by Li Chengxi, who handed it to Li Mingcheng: "Talk less and do more."

After arranging Li Mingcheng, Li Chengxi said to Lin Tao, "Tao, go sit down and have a rest. If you need anything else, just arrange for him to do it."

Li Mingcheng quickly took the garlic, stood at attention, saluted Li Chengxi, and said, "Okay, sir, I promise to complete the task."

It didn't take long for Lin Tao to understand how the two men got along with each other. She felt helpless and amused. She thought to herself, no wonder Li Mingcheng was able to make Li Chengxi accept him. It seemed that it was really because of his perseverance and thick-skinnedness that he succeeded.

A strong woman is afraid of being entangled by a strong man, and the same is true for a strong man.

Since all the work was taken away from her, Lin Tao just went to rest for a while.

After the two brothers had prepared everything, Lin Tao came out. Li Chengxi helped her tie the apron and Lin Tao started cooking.

The boiled fish was topped with bean sprouts and tofu, which was light and nutritious. Lin Tao specially fried the whole fish bones that Li Chengxi had removed with a little oil, and the resulting fish soup was white and smelled particularly fragrant.

Lin Tao and Li Chengxi both love spicy fried clams. They have made this dish a lot at home over the past year.

Not to mention blood sausage. Lin Tao has liked eating blood sausage since she was a child, so the last time Lin Changhai came to the island to celebrate the New Year, he specially brought a lot of blood sausage, and he hasn’t finished it yet.

However, after Lin Tao became pregnant, she had to pay attention to her diet. It’s not that she can’t eat dishes like blood sausage, bacon, and bacon, but it’s best not to eat them often. That’s why she has been able to persist until now.

Li Chengxi said that Lin Tao's fried blood intestines were delicious after just one try.

After the three dishes were cooked, Li Mingcheng consciously went to help serve the dishes, while Li Chengxi took out the bowls and chopsticks and served rice to himself and Lin Tao.

As for Li Mingcheng? Doesn't he have arms and legs?

This was always the way the two brothers got along with each other. Li Mingcheng didn't think there was anything wrong at all. He went to get the rice himself, and as soon as he took a bite of the dish, he gave Lin Tao a thumbs up.

After a meal:

"Sister-in-law, you are such a great cook."

"Brother, you are so lucky to marry my sister-in-law. You can eat such delicious meals every day."

"Sister-in-law, I'm not bragging. This is the most delicious meal I've ever had since I was a child. It's true. Brother, can I stay here longer this time? I want to have a few more meals."

Facing Li Mingcheng's plea, Li Chengxi was much more straightforward: "No."

"..." After being rejected outright, Li Mingcheng looked at Lin Tao, trying to ask his sister-in-law to say a few words for him.

To be honest, Lin Tao had some prejudice against Li Mingcheng because he was Zhang Sufen's son.

Now that she has no prejudice, Lin Tao has a generally good impression of Li Mingcheng.

Imagine that when Li Chengxi was a child in such a family, at least he would not encounter all indifference and malice. This way, Lin Tao would feel better.

but--

Lin Tao pursed her lips and smiled, explaining, "Mingcheng, it's not that your elder brother doesn't want you to stay longer, it's just that I wrote a letter to my family in advance to ask my relatives to come and take care of me during my confinement. They will be here in the next few days, and when they come, there may not be enough room for them at home."

Li Mingcheng said pitifully: "There is a guesthouse on the island. I can stay there."

Li Chengxi glanced at him and said, "Even if you are staying at the guesthouse, you have to return to me after two days."

****************************

Li Mingcheng took the train for dozens of hours and did not rest after arriving on the island. He went to the group to find Li Chengxi for target practice. He must have been tired, so he took a shower and went to bed.

Lin Tao and Li Chengxi took a walk near their home to help digest their food, and returned home before dark.

Li Chengxi noticed the two large bags of fruit in the house and knew that they were brought by Li Mingcheng. He took a pear, washed it and gave it to Lin Tao to eat.

Lin Tao was willing to eat these fruits only now. When she took a bite of the pear, she found it was very juicy.

I have to say, this pear is quite delicious, juicy, sweet and fresh.

The most lacking thing on the island is fruit. It is thoughtful of Li Mingcheng to come here and bring so many fruits.

After eating the pears, the couple returned to their room. Lin Tao sat on the edge of the bed, and Li Chengxi took off her shoes.

Ever since her belly got bigger, it has become difficult for her to bend over, so Li Chengxi helps her put on shoes and slippers.

After her belly grew bigger, it became difficult to wear pants, and she couldn't wear her old skirts. Fortunately, there was cloth at home, so Lin Tao made herself two looser skirts two months ago.

In order to avoid not being able to wear it after giving birth, she made a drawstring at the waist of the skirt. Now she doesn't need to tie the drawstring because she is pregnant. When she wears it again after giving birth, she can just tie the drawstring.

When Chen Shuifen saw it, she couldn't help but praise her for her cleverness and dexterity.

Lin Tao sat on the bed with her back against the pillow. Li Chengxi took out a book from the bookcase and handed it to Lin Tao.

It was the book that Lin Manman sent her last time, and she has been reading it for a while.

But this time, Lin Tao took the book and did not read it immediately. Instead, she went to Li Chengxi and asked him, "Tell me about what happened between you and Mingcheng."

Li Chengxi put his arm around her shoulders, let her lean on his arms, and told her about his childhood.

Because of his mother's affairs, Li Chengxi hated his father Li Guodong since he was a child, and he hated his stepmother Zhang Sufen and the son she gave birth to even more.

But Li Mingcheng liked playing with his brother Li Chengxi since he was a child. No matter how fierce Li Chengxi was to him or told him to get out, he would just go over with a silly smile. He was pushed down by Li Chengxi, but when Zhang Sufen asked Li Mingcheng how he did it, Li Mingcheng would always say that he fell down by himself.

He does not allow anyone to say bad things about Li Chengxi and thinks that Li Chengxi is the best brother.

Once, when Li Mingcheng was five years old, he got lost. It turned out that he had used the New Year's gift money he had saved for a long time to buy Li Chengxi a birthday present, which was a warship model. He was so brave that he took a bus across most of Shanghai and changed several buses to find Li Chengxi at his boarding school.

However, Li Chengxi became angry with Li Mingcheng because of Li Guodong's questioning, and threw the warship model he gave him to the ground and stepped on it, breaking it into pieces.

Li Mingcheng cried at that time. It was the first time that Li Mingcheng cried in front of Li Chengxi. After crying, he wiped his tears with his sleeves and said, "Big brother doesn't like this. I will buy big brother another birthday present when I save enough money."

To be honest, Li Chengxi himself couldn't tell when he began to silently accept Li Mingcheng as his younger brother.

This incident may very well be a breakthrough.

Although Li Chengxi's attitude towards Li Mingcheng did not change after this incident, he still kept him away from him.

In Li Chengxi's memory, Li Mingcheng was like a dog-skin plaster that could not be gotten rid of.