Gu Zi found it endearing to see him, his hand awkwardly suspended in mid-air, his mouth agape, unsure of what to say or do.
He claimed to have been reading parenting books, but it was clear to her that theory and practice needed to be combined to gain real experience.
However, she was still upset, and so her face remained expressionless.
After drying her hands with a dishcloth, Gu Zi picked up their daughter and left the kitchen, leaving the rest to Su Shen.
Lunch was a quiet affair, each of them eating their own meals in silence.
Their little daughter, Lele, was the only one who seemed to be enjoying her fried rice, occasionally uttering strange combinations of words and sentences.
Gu Zi would respond to her briefly before returning to her meal, not initiating any conversation with Su Shen.
Su Shen, too, seemed preoccupied with something. He ate his meal without speaking to Gu Zi, lost in his own thoughts.
Gu Zi decided that as long as she didn't know what he was thinking about, she would assume he was thinking about that woman named Hu Jie.
Hmph, until she understood what was going on, she would continue to be difficult!
Lunch was late that day. After they finished eating, Gu Zi was still cleaning up the kitchen when Li Hua came over to learn some cooking skills. Su Shen didn't rush to leave, instead, he picked up the tools he had prepared and went to the yard to build a canopy.
Although Gu Zi was in the kitchen, she noticed that Su Shen was keeping his promise to her and was currently fulfilling it.
But then Gu Zi quickly remembered that this was a promise he had made to his son. Gu Zi, don't let yourself be moved by this!
Li Hua found it strange to see Gu Zi occasionally pinching her own face and then staring blankly out of the kitchen. Trusting her woman's intuition, she asked, "Are you upset?"
While guiding her sister-in-law on how to knead the dough, Gu Zi replied coldly, "Not yet, but if the charges are proven, I can officially start a fight."
She said this, but in truth, Gu Zi didn't know if she would make a fuss if Hu Jie really was the woman Su Shen loved but couldn't have.
After all, she hadn't opened her heart to love Su Shen. But now, she felt uncomfortable, as if a stone was lodged in her chest, unable to move up or down.
Li Hua was at a loss as to how to console her sister-in -law. She and Lin Cheng had known each other since childhood, and they understood each other deeply. They had committed to each other early on, so she never had such worries, and she didn't know what to say at this moment.
Seeing her sister-in-law's dilemma, Gu Zi said, "It's not a big deal. You don't need to worry about it. Let's focus on what we have at hand. Life has to go on." Li Hua nodded, thinking that her sister was truly intelligent and thoughtful.
In fact, if she hadn't married and moved to the countryside, she would probably be shining brightly on a campus. However, it was fortunate that she had met Su Shen, her brother-in-law, who was quite good.
After a busy time in the kitchen, Gu Zi and Li Hua came out to sit in the living room, watch some television, and enjoy some fruit.
Li Hua looked at a fruit platter shaped like a swan, expressing her surprise and praising, "You're so skilled, sister. I almost don't want to eat it."
She only found out when she came in that her sister had built two clay ovens yesterday, claiming that they could bake bread without a stove, which she found quite amazing.
Now, looking at this fruit platter, she felt as if she was living in a television drama.
Gu Zi said, "The purpose of making it is to increase our appetite. Let's eat this swan and continue working! We aim to make our hot and spicy soup bigger and stronger, and create glory!"
"Yes, let's make it bigger and stronger!" Li Hua picked up a piece of apple to eat.
The apple was bought by Gu Zi from a large supermarket. Thanks to Gu Zi, their family could now enjoy such high-quality fruit. Li Hua's mother-in-law even told her to go to the city to buy fruit once a week, so that Gu Zi could eat them when she returned home.
After finishing the fruit, the two sisters-in-law prepared to get back to work.
Li Hua noticed that Su Shen had finished the canopy outside and said to Gu Zi, "You should bring some fruit to Brother-in-law. He must be thirsty. I'll go in and start cooking."
Gu Zi had also noticed the situation outside. She cut an apple and a pear into bite-sized pieces and brought them out to him.
Under such circumstances, she wouldn't make a heart-shaped fruit platter!
"Is your work done, husband? Have some fruit." Gu Zi was upset inside, but she didn't show it in her voice, which seemed as usual.
Su Shen wasn't an experienced lover, so he definitely couldn't tell the difference.
But what did it matter whether he could tell or not? After putting down the fruit, she went back inside. When people are angry, they can't be reasoned with, and she was being unreasonable now.
...