After getting off work, Wu Meixia asked her younger brother to take her to Xia Enruo's place.
The two first bought some fruit, pastries, and nutritional supplements along the way. These were the things people brought when visiting the sick or relatives in those days, given the scarcity of resources.
Wu Shaojun had driven Xia Enruo several times before. He had a good memory and knew the way well, so he took Wu Meixia to the family compound.
When the two entered the house, half of the dishes had already been served.
"Big sister, little brother, you've arrived."
Xia Enru came out of the kitchen to greet them.
"Sister Enruo, the dishes today are really plentiful. It was definitely worth the trip."
Wu Shaojun stared at the dishes on the table, swallowed hard, and really wanted to pick up his chopsticks.
"Look at you, so useless. All you do is eat. The main purpose of our visit today is to see your brother-in-law, Gu Shaoxuan. Where is he?"
Wu Meixia shook her head as she watched her younger brother enjoying the food.
"Shaojun is right, everyone needs to eat. He's in the bedroom, I'll take you there."
Xia Enruo pushed open the door and found Gu Shaoxuan reading a book.
He helped for a bit, but Xia Enruo chased him out of the kitchen. With nothing else to do, he could only go inside and take out a book to read.
"Stop reading, Sister Meixia and Brother Shaojun have come to visit you."
When Gu Shaoxuan saw someone enter the room, he put down his book. He had seen Wu Meixia before at the hospital, but he didn't recognize the man's face. How come Xia Enruo had recognized a younger brother? He looked quite old.
"Sister, thank you for coming to see me."
Gu Shaoxuan replied.
“We’re so happy to hear you’ve been discharged from the hospital. I told my god-sister a long time ago that she had to let us know. I didn’t buy much, just some fruit and pastries for you.”
Shao Jun placed the gifts on the ground, piling them up.
"Sister Meixia, you're too kind. You've helped Enruo so much lately, I'm so grateful. And who is this?"
Gu Shaoxuan glanced at Wu Shaojun.
“This is the first time you’ve met. This is my younger brother, and also your wife’s godbrother. The first two times I asked Xia Enruo to come to my house to help me cook, he was the one who dragged me to buy groceries.”
Wu Meixia said.
"That's right, having Shaojun with me saves a lot of time."
Xia Enruo also praised it.
"Brother-in-law, this is the first time we've met. My name is Wu Shaojun, you can just call me Shaojun. I'm so happy to see you've recovered."
Wu Shaojun stepped forward and extended his hand.
Gu Shaoxuan then realized that the young man Qiao Huizhen had told him about picking up Xia Enruo every day was him.
He shook Wu Shaojun's hand with all his might.
"Brother-in-law is really strong. It seems that my god-sister is taking good care of him."
Wu Shaojun felt the strength in Gu Shaoxuan's hand. He didn't expect him to be so strong. He was truly a soldier. He admired him greatly.
"Alright, the food is on the table. Let's go out to eat, big sister."
The large round table in the living room was full of people. This was only the second time it had been so lively. The first time was when Gu Shaoxuan's comrades came.
A large table was laden with more than 10 dishes, a dazzling array of styles.
Xia Enru brought out her fruit tea and poured a cup for everyone.
"Dear friends and family, before we drink, let me say a few words. Recently, Gu Shaoxuan has been hospitalized, and you have all helped my family a lot. Without your help, I don't think I would have had such a good life. It is because of your love and support that Gu Shaoxuan has been able to recover so quickly and well."
Today, we gather here to celebrate Gu Shaoxuan's discharge from the hospital, and even more so, to celebrate our future happiness. I, Xia Enruo, thank every friend present for your unwavering support of my family.
Xia Enruo delivered her heartfelt blessings, warming the hearts of everyone present.
"Well said. Let's raise a toast!"
Yuan Qiang shouted.
Everyone stood up and clinked glasses with each other, including Old Gu, who was in a wheelchair.
"This tastes so good! Sister Qiuqin was right. Enruo, you are truly a fairy descended from heaven. Your skills are excellent in every way. You should teach us sisters-in-law sometime."
Tian Xiuli sipped her fruit tea and praised it. It was the first time she had tasted this flavor; it was sweet and sour, and very thirst-quenching.
"No problem, sister-in-law. I'll teach everyone when I have time."
Wu Meixia took a bite and found it quite delicious. If she had known that Xia Enruo had this skill, she would have insisted on having her show off her cooking skills again when she invited her to dinner that day. But there's plenty of time in the future, and she wouldn't have to worry about having her sister cook at her house again.
"What did I say? My trip today was worthwhile; I got to drink such delicious tea."
Wu Shaojun chimed in, saying that he had been itching to eat and was the first to pick up his chopsticks.
As everyone ate and drank, they praised the food endlessly. The phrase Xia Enruo heard most often that night was, "It's so delicious."
After dinner, everyone gradually dispersed, and Ge Qiuqin helped Xia Enruo clean up the kitchen.
"Sister-in-law, wasn't your mother-in-law supposed to be coming? Why hasn't she shown up yet?"
"They sent another letter a couple of days ago, saying they're setting off. This time they're taking my sister-in-law with them."
Zhang Xin came back a couple of days ago with a letter and told Ge Qiuqin that his sister was also coming. He said that he only comes back occasionally and doesn't go home at all. He spends all his time with Chen Yan and told Ge Qiuqin that he was lying to her, saying that he had a lot of work in the army and was working overtime every day.
"Can your house accommodate so many people?"
"If there's not enough room, I'll sleep on the floor; there's always a solution. But if my spouse doesn't come back to stay, I can still find a place to sleep."
"Brother Zhang, have you been coming back very little lately?"
Xia Enru asked.
"Yes, he said there are a lot of military activities, and the Army Regiment doesn't want him to keep coming back."
Xia Enru thought to herself, "Pah! He's still with that vixen."
Today, Wu Shaojun came and secretly handed her the developed photos. Afraid that Ge Qiuqin would find out, she secretly stuffed them into the wardrobe, waiting to take them out when necessary.
"By the way, sister-in-law, can you teach me how to make a quilt? I want to make a new quilt for Gu Shaoxuan. It's still very hot now, and I'm afraid he'll feel stuffy under that thick quilt."
These days, it's rare to find quilts for sale; everyone makes their own. This is quite a challenge for her. In her previous life, Xia Enruo had never made any of these things. Her bedding was all custom-made from the foreign brand Hästens and shipped directly to her home—a mattress with more than ten layers of horsehair. Just thinking about it makes her nostalgic.
“What’s so difficult about that? Tomorrow, your sister-in-law will take you to the market to buy cotton and cloth. I need to make a quilt too. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are here this time, and we don’t have enough quilts at home.”
Xia Enruo laughed out loud after hearing this.
"Sister-in-law Qiuqin, haven't you torn down and renovated the house these past few days? You're the most filial daughter-in-law I've ever met."
"Xia, you always make fun of your sister-in-law. What can we do? After all, she is Zhang Xin's mother. He repeatedly told me to prepare well."
Xia Enru thought to herself, "Prepare well. You're not coming back to help; you're out flirting with other women every day."
“Sister-in-law Qiuqin, you’ve made progress. I thought you were going to talk to me about ‘womanly virtues’ again.”
"Isn't this what we women are all about..."
"Stop, sister-in-law. It's more important that you take me to the market to buy cotton tomorrow. I don't want to hear those two words. You're going to put me through hell again, saw me in half..."
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