Yu Yao quickly got up to answer, greeting her as she did so: "Hello, sister-in-law!"
Sun Yu didn't stand on ceremony with her, handing her the plate in her left hand and revealing a kind and gentle smile, "You must be Yu Yao, right? You're really beautiful, no wonder Commander Lu was so eager to marry you."
Yu Yao placed the dishes on the octagonal table, saying, "Sister-in-law, you flatter me."
Lu Ze, Qin Ye, and Aunt Ge each took a portion of the remaining dishes, filling the eight-immortal table to the brim.
There were eight dishes in total, including meat, chicken, and seafood, a well-balanced mix of meat and vegetables, which was quite generous.
Knowing that it was Yu Yao's first time visiting the island and that her mother hadn't been there for many years, Sun Yu started preparing a day in advance. When she didn't have enough meat tickets, she even exchanged them with the other women in the family compound, all to welcome the two of them.
After everyone was seated, Sun Yu invited them to eat: "I didn't know what kind of food you liked, so I made a little of everything, and also made a few local specialties. Try them and see if you like them?"
Yu Yao and Lu Ze exchanged a grateful glance, repeatedly saying, "Sister-in-law, you've gone to so much trouble. This is such a lavish spread!"
"You're being too polite. Old Qin and Commander Lu are brothers who have risked their lives for each other."
Sun Yu placed the chicken in the middle in front of Yu Yao, saying, "This is a local specialty, Wenchang chicken. I bought the chicken from a fellow villager in Wenchang yesterday, and it was freshly killed this morning. It's very tender. Try it."
Yu Yao picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of chicken.
Wenchang chicken has a bright yellow skin and white meat. When dipped in a carefully prepared sauce, the chicken skin is oily and fragrant, and the meat is tender and delicious.
It's clear that Sun Yu put a lot of effort into this dish. It looks light and delicious, but the chicken is actually marinated very well and tastes just right.
This was Yu Yao's first time eating Wenchang chicken, and she was amazed by its flavor.
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
Yu Yao gave Sun Yu a thumbs up, "Delicious! Your cooking skills are good enough to be a head chef in a state-run restaurant."
Hearing her praise, Sun Yu's smile grew even brighter. "I'm glad you like it, eat more. And this garlic clam and shrimp, and the spicy fish balls are all my specialties. Commander Lu, Yu Yao, Mom, Qin Ye, you should all try them."
The guests enjoyed the meal immensely.
After dinner, Aunt Ge took on all the dishwashing herself, kicking Yu Yao and Sun Yu out of the kitchen and telling them to go chat in the living room instead.
Sun Yu pulled Yu Yao, "Yu Yao, come, let's sit on the sofa."
Sun Yu already had a good impression of this woman, whom she had never met before, because Yu Yao had helped Aunt Ge before. Now that she had met her in person, she liked her even more.
Yu Yao also really likes Sun Yu, who is enthusiastic, cheerful, and speaks her mind.
The two were a little unfamiliar at first, but their enthusiasm quickly dispelled that awkwardness, and in the end they seemed to have endless things to talk about, getting along like sisters.
Seeing how quickly Yu Yao became friends with her sister-in-law, Lu Ze's worries about whether Yu Yao would adapt to life on the island were greatly relieved.
After dinner, Yu Yao and Lu Ze stayed at the Qin family's house for another half hour. Seeing that it was getting late and thinking that they still had to pack their things, they said goodbye to Political Commissar Qin and his family and went back.
The house that Lu Ze applied for was in the old residential area, which was a bit far from the family compound. Qin Ye drove them there.
Sun Yu remembered something and asked Lu Ze and Yu Yao to sit in the living room and wait for a while, then called Qin Ye to the bedroom.
"Comrade Xiaoyu, can't we wait until I get back to talk about this? Lu Ze and Yu Yao are waiting to go back and pack up."
Sun Yu peeked into the living room, then pulled Qin Ye aside and whispered, "After you take Lu Ze and Yu Yao back later, remember to tell Commander Lu about Dr. Mo. I reckon he doesn't know about the rumors circulating outside that he and Dr. Mo are a couple."
"What you said reminds me. It was fine before Lu Ze wasn't married, but now that he is, it's better to clarify this matter. I'll talk to Lu Ze about it in a bit."
It took less than fifteen minutes by jeep to get from the old residential area to the new residential building. When I got home, it wasn't even completely dark yet.
Lu Ze opened the car door and got out. "Yu Yao, we're here. This is our new home."
Yu Yao looked up.
Before me were two or three small courtyards in a row, each house enclosed by a wall more than a meter high, with three households in each row. These courtyards looked quite old, with thatched roofs and stone walls, giving them a rustic and charming old-fashioned feel.
Their house was in the middle, and the yards on the left and right were already inhabited, with clothes hanging on clotheslines in the yards.
The three households had similar courtyard layouts, but their houses appeared to be the most dilapidated.
However, this is only a temporary stay; they will move out once the family housing is repaired.
Qin Ye took out his key and opened the fence gate of the small courtyard: "The house was only applied for the day before yesterday. Time was too tight. Thanks to Tianji and Mihou for taking the initiative to help. If it weren't for their help in purchasing things, your sister-in-law wouldn't have been able to clean it so well on her own."
The courtyard has three rooms in total: the main room in the middle, the bedroom on the left, and the kitchen on the right.
Yu Yao and the others took their things into the bedroom first.
Upon entering the room, Yu Yao discovered that although the house appeared dilapidated, it was very clean. The firewood behind the stove was full, and even the water tank was full of water.
The walls and floors have been swept clean, there isn't even a cobweb, and the tables and chairs are spotless.
They don't need to tidy up at all; you can just move in with your bags.
And all of this was done by my sister-in-law and a few young soldiers after they finished their shift.
Yu Yao and Lu Ze exchanged a glance, both deeply moved.
Seeing that Yu Yao was packing her things, Qin Ye called Lu Ze out and told him about what had happened between him and Dr. Mo.
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