Chapter 58: Second Part

Gu Cheng’s words left Sister Zaohua with nothing more to say. The man was tall, with a cold expression and sharp eyes that sent a chill down her spine.

Previously, Sister Zaohua had found her family’s yard too small and lacking. If they could use the neighboring yard as well, they could grow a wider variety of vegetables, allowing her to offer more variety for her husband and children.

Now that Captain Gu and his family had moved in next door, it would be inconvenient for her to come over with him standing in the yard, staring coldly.

She feared he might say to her husband, Old Zhou, "Your wife should get more exercise."

She had no objection to other forms of exercise but feared being forced to practice "writing characters and memorizing poems." That would be the end of me.

Seeing Qin Yao’s innocent eyes, Sister Zaohua couldn’t help but give her a sympathetic look. When she had first accompanied the army to the compound, her husband had forced her to write "big characters" nightly.

Those months were pure torture. All the men in the army were the same.

After training men during the day, they wanted to "train" their women at night.

Once Sister Zaohua left, Qin Yao breathed a sigh of relief. She looked back at her own Captain Gu and realized how useful this "scapegoat hero" was.

Qin Yao pulled Gu Cheng back into the house, gave him a thumbs up, and said, "Captain Gu, well done! You have chivalrous spirit!"

Gu Cheng lightly raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "A man should shoulder everything and not shirk responsibility."

Qin Yao patted his shoulder and said while nodding, "I hereby appoint you as our family’s 'scapegoat hero,' helping to maintain harmony among the compound neighbors."

Gu Cheng: "..."

"Can’t you say something nicer?" Gu Cheng pinched her face. This little troublemaker had so many clever ideas and nicknames, even coming up with "scapegoat hero."

Qin Yao laughed and sincerely said, "Captain Gu, I just realized that marrying you is much better than marrying Lao Gao. Don’t be fooled by how he does everything at home, always revolving around Baozhen. Everyone says he’s great, but that’s not really the case."

"He cares about his reputation, loves to save face, and is good at smoothing things over. Baozhen’s bad reputation in the compound was partly due to him."

"What was done well, he takes credit for. What was done poorly, he blames on Baozhen."

Gao Jianguo was the epitome of a 'phoenix man,' the pride and hope of his family. He cared about his reputation and face, loved to compare himself to others, and wanted everyone to praise him, afraid that others would say anything bad about him. He would exaggerate his accomplishments, turning three parts of effort into seven.

Gu Cheng, on the other hand, was more proud, with no interest in pleasing others, and unafraid of gaining a fierce reputation. He didn’t care about others' praise or criticism, but his only flaw was his machismo, believing he could handle everything himself.

No gold is pure, and no man is perfect. Everyone has their own flaws, I suppose.

Speaking of Gao Jianguo as a "self-made man," he also has his good points. Chen Baozhen has the temperament of a spoiled rich girl and is arrogant. When they are alone, Gao Jianguo is particularly good at humbling himself to please her, acting obsequiously to make Chen Baozhen feel at ease.

Unlike Gu Cheng, his older brother Gu Xing isn’t good at saying humble words.

Gu Cheng, however, isn’t exactly well-behaved and refuses to play the role of the obedient younger brother.

As for Qin Yao herself, she's like a little coil spring, a very emotional person who acts according to her mood at the time. When she’s in a good mood, she handles things well, but when upset, she’s even harder to soothe than Chen Baozhen.

Qin Yao knows her personality can be trying, but she acknowledges that Gu Cheng has been very patient and good-tempered with her.

Captain Gu is very tolerant.

"Gu Cheng, I love how you spoil me, how you stand by my side in everything. Today, hearing what Gao Jianguo said, I was so angry. What he said made sense, but why should I be the one feeling wronged?"

"They were just minor issues, and I hope my beloved man would stand by me, rather than thinking I'm making a big deal out of nothing."

"It’s something that can be resolved, so why fear anything, letting him take all the credit while I’m seen as selfish?"

Gu Cheng smiled, pulling the woman into his arms, whispering into her ear, "You think a lot."

"Women have so many little thoughts in their minds."

As a military commander, over the years, Gu Cheng has received constant positive feedback, making him believe he's a man who "leaves nothing unplanned," thinking through everything that needs to be considered.

But just now, regarding Gao Jianguo and Zaohua Sisters' words, he really hadn’t thought that much.

All is fair in war.

To him, as long as the ultimate goal is achieved, the process doesn’t need to be overthought. Isn’t solving the problem enough?

He is a man of action. Just like when he wanted to pursue Qin Yao, despite knowing that Head Nurse Ge was introducing her to two other candidates, Gu Cheng found ways to create opportunities for himself, replacing Deputy Director Xiao to go on a blind date with Qin Yao.

When he acts, he doesn’t hesitate, knowing what’s more important to him.

If he hadn’t been thick-skinned and decisive, how could he have won her heart?

His way of thinking seems quite different from Yaoyao’s.

"Captain Gu, you men have a lot of little tricks too." Qin Yao pushed against his chest. "I wonder which man, at night, coaxed me into all sorts of things with clever pretexts and all kinds of tricks."

Gu Cheng nodded seriously. "The goal is achieved."

How mean.

Qin Yao stood on her tiptoes and bit his neck gently.

Gu Cheng laughed, scooped her up in his arms, his peach blossom eyes gentle and full of affection. When he smiled, his laughter lines were prominent. "You say I'm inventing pretexts, so I'll invent one for you to see, my dear. Wife, since we're talking about rewards, how should you reward me for what just happened?"

"Very capable." Qin Yao clapped her hands and said with a laugh, "What can you do now, huh?"

Gu Cheng, unabashed, said, "Reward me by joining me in the bath tonight."

"Don't soldiers usually bathe in just ten minutes? If it takes more than fifteen minutes, it's considered a failure."

Gu Cheng: "You can scrub my back."

Qin Yao: "..."

Qin Yao couldn't help but blush. He spoke so bluntly and seriously, as if she were thinking dirty thoughts.

"Did you marry me just to scrub your back? Little Cheng."

Gu Cheng, with a grim expression: "Don't call me Little Cheng."

Qin Yao covered her mouth and giggled.

"Would you rather I call you 'brother' or 'Little Cheng'?"

Gu Cheng, coldly: "Call me Captain Gu."

"Let's go bathe and strip away your cold, indifferent facade."

*

The next day, Qin Yao picked all the vegetables from the yard, divided them into several portions, and found the cured meat her father had prepared. She had Gu Cheng cut everything into portions and, along with the fresh vegetables, delivered them to several neighboring families.

Neighbor Sister Zaohua looked at the basket of vegetables and a beautifully marbled piece of cured meat, unable to help but swallow. The piece of cured meat Qin Yao brought was particularly fine, its aroma wafting enticingly from afar. The meat was much more valuable than the vegetables.

At this moment, her feelings toward Qin Yao were filled not only with sympathy but also with empathy. "Xiao Qin, after marriage, men tend to behave this way at first."

Qin Yao: "???"

"When I first followed the army, Old Zhou often pushed me to learn reading and writing, saying it was training for me."

"City girls like us need more training, indeed."

Qin Yao twitched the corner of her mouth: "..."

So… it turns out… such things really happen?

As someone born after the 2000s, Qin Yao, having lived into her twenties, had benefited from many years of compulsory education, which has been in place for many years, resulting in a low illiteracy rate. Even elderly people in rural areas watch live streams and edit short videos. This generation faces intense academic pressure, often due to 'helicopter parenting.' She truly couldn't imagine a husband teaching his wife to read after marriage.

After receiving Sister Zaohua's sympathy and care, she went on to give Qin Yao a basket of boiled peanuts.

Qin Yao carried the basket of peanuts back, feeling a strange sensation in her heart. She found it hard to understand Sister Zaohua's thoughts, or rather, she couldn't even imagine her life.

If she had been born into a life where she was unable to read or study, what would she think about all day? What would she do all day?

Reflecting on her life, from preschool to grade six, then three years of middle school, three years of high school, four years of university, and three years for her master's degree, she had already spent nearly twenty years in school.

Studying for so many years was somewhat daunting.

Despite her lack of boundaries, Sister Zaohua was actually a decent person. Perhaps she wanted to gain an advantage, but she wasn't malicious.

As a former editor, Qin Yao was curious about this different lifestyle and thought they could get to know each other better.

In the evening, when Political Commissar Zhou returned home, he noticed the vegetables in the neighbor’s yard had been pulled up. He was puzzled, "Has Captain Gu returned? What has happened with his family?"

*

"What a waste to pull up all those well-grown vegetables."

Sister Zaohua said, "He’s just following your example."

"He’s developing his wife’s skills," Sister Zaohua commented with a sigh. "The girls from our village learn about culture, while the city girls learn about farming."

Political Commissar Zhou was baffled. After finishing dinner, he went upstairs to check and saw that the neighbors' yard was lit up. Gu Cheng was in the yard, wearing a white shirt, hoeing the soil.

Qin Yao was crouching beside him, preparing to plant seeds.

Political Commissar Zhou was puzzled. "Who exactly is being trained here?"

"Why don't you go down and help them?" Sister Zaohua said enthusiastically.

Political Commissar Zhou was speechless.

"Gu is working; shouldn't you join in?"

Sister Zaohua picked up a shovel and handed it to him, encouraging him to help with the digging and soil preparation.

She felt rather pleased. While she might not excel in other areas, when it came to gardening and vegetable planting, she felt she could offer some useful tips.

"Today, I'll also put your skills to the test," she thought.