Before long, the whole house was filled with the aroma of food.

Gu Qinglin came out of the kitchen, carrying the prepared meal.

He had a grey apron tied around his waist, which didn't quite match his cool and handsome face and tall and straight figure, but it also gave him a different kind of charm.

"It's time to eat, Xiaobei. Go across the street and call your grandma over to eat with you."

Gu Xiaobei nodded, turned around and ran away with his short legs.

Shen Man and Gu Qinglin were the only two people left in the room, and the atmosphere froze for a moment.

After watching the man put down the food in his pocket, he went into the kitchen to serve the food.

Shen Man always felt a little uncomfortable. Although she was in her own room, her husband obviously looked more like the owner than she did.

So she followed him up, "Let me help you."

Unexpectedly, there was a little water on the floor. Shen Man was thinking about something and didn't pay attention, so she stepped directly into the water.

My body slid forward uncontrollably.

Her face turned pale, and she thought she was going to fall hard.

At the critical moment, Gu Qinglin noticed something was wrong and quickly responded, stepping forward to hold her waist.

Out of inertia, Shen Man fell into the other's arms all of a sudden. Her heart tightened and she subconsciously stretched out her arms to cling to his shoulders.

The man's chest was broad, hot, strong and powerful, almost completely enveloping her.

In these few short seconds, the two were so close that they could hear each other's breathing clearly and even feel each other's body temperature.

Shen Man quickly responded and came out of Gu Qinglin's arms a little embarrassedly, "Thank you."

Gu Qinglin looked away, his tone somewhat unnatural, "It's okay."

The two of them brought the food from the kitchen to the table, and Gu Xiaobei ran in, "Dad, Grandma Yu has already eaten by herself. She said she won't come over."

The reason why Aunt Yu has a good reputation is that she knows her limits. No matter how good her employer is to her, she will never cross that line, so she will not sit at the table and eat with her employer.

Shen Man thought about it and didn't insist, so the group of people eating changed from four to three.

Just sat down to eat.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Shen Man thought that something happened to Aunt Yu, so she walked over and opened the door.

"Hey, sister, it's me. You all come eat. Xiaobei's father and Xiaobei are here too. It just so happens that I just made some kimchi, which is the most delicious when eaten with rice. I'll bring you a bowl to try."

"No need, Sister Osmanthus, I have everything I need."

"Hey, take it. I see you're cooking today, so there must be nothing to eat. We're all neighbors, so a bowl of kimchi is nothing."

After much refusals, Shen Man really couldn't refuse and had to accept it.

"Sister-in-law, we are having dinner. Why don't you come in and sit down to eat too?"

Wang Guihua hesitated, "No need, the rice is cooking on the stove at home, we won't disturb you from eating."

The person who came was Wang Guihua who lived next door. Next to her stood a young girl with a pretty face but a very voluptuous body.

The woman's gaze obviously passed Shen Man and fell on Gu Qinglin's profile, then she retracted her gaze and looked at Shen Man secretly.

Then she introduced herself to Shen Man with a smile, "My name is Wang Guilan. I brought my child here to stay with my sister for a while. We are about the same age. Can I come and talk to you when I'm free?"

Shen Man also noticed the girl's scrutiny of her. She became slightly alert in her heart, but showed nothing on her face.

"Of course you can, but I'm usually at work, so I don't think I'll have much time."

This is a polite refusal. People have to work during the day and rest at night. Any normal person will understand and will not disturb them.

However, Wang Guilan seemed not to understand at all, "Okay, then I'll come over at night next time."

Wang Guihua at the side tugged at her sleeve, glared at her, then turned to look at Shen Man.

"Sister, my sister's husband just died not long ago. I only have her as a mother in this world, so let her come to me."

"You guys eat, we'll leave first."

After saying that, he pulled Wang Guilan towards the front.

Shen Man glanced at Wang Guilan's leaving back and without thinking much, turned around, closed the door and continued eating.

…

"Wang Guilan, I warn you not to cause me any trouble. Comrade Gu is not someone you can get close to. His family is obviously interested in Shen Man. If you want to find a man, I think the butcher Wang who has been showing you goodwill recently is a good choice."

"Besides having a child at a certain age, your family has a city hukou and works in a meat processing factory. If you weren't your brother-in-law who knows your family well, you wouldn't have had this opportunity to meet your family."

Wang Guilan raised her head and touched her face, smiling meaningfully, "Sister, Shen Man next door to you is indeed pretty, but it's not enough for a girl to be pretty. Men just like that."

"I have observed Gu Qinglin for several days. He has no shortage of meat every meal and he is handsome. I heard that he is a military officer from Beijing. Butcher Wang can't compare with him at all."

"I have married the wrong man once, and this time, no matter what, I want to marry a good man who can give me a happy life."

Wang Guihua glared at her and poked her on the forehead, "Guilan, Guilan, who are you?"

"Don't you see that you are a country widow with a daughter? You have no education and no background. Comrade Gu would never look down on you."

"Just listen to me and live peacefully with Butcher Wang. If we work hard, our lives won't be that difficult."

Wang Guilan was unmoved, "Sister, I want to fight for my child."

She had had enough of the days when men would not fight for money and would beat her when drunk.

It's even harder than living in the countryside and having to go to work every day.

For herself and her children, she didn't want to go back to the countryside.

Besides, wasn't Shen Man just a divorced woman, even worse than her, a widow? Why could she do it and she couldn't?

After finishing the meal, Shen Man was just about to stand up to clear the dishes, but unexpectedly, the man got there first and cleaned up the dishes on the table.

"You accompany Xiaobei to walk in the yard to help him digest his food. I will clean up the dishes."

Shen Man was about to refuse, but was pulled to the side by Gu Xiaobei. "In the past, whenever Dad was at home, he would wash the dishes. Auntie, just let him do it. Can you play with me for a while?"

So she was dragged by the child to the yard, while Gu Qinglin began to clean the kitchen.

The nights in early autumn are a little chilly, but not very cold.