Chapter 228

There was quite a bit of food waste, as there were many ingredients with shells; after a little tidying up, there was a whole sack.

When Lao Mo left with his apprentices, he took it along and brought it to the centralized processing bin near the pier.

Of course, with two apprentices there, he only had to use his mouth.

"Brother Mo, wait a moment. Take some of the sponge cake and cat ears I made back to taste. If they're good, I'll give you some more when I have time next time."

Shen Man enthusiastically called out to the three, handing over the pastries wrapped in oil paper.

Reciprocity is the basis of a lasting relationship.

"Thank you, sister-in-law, then I won't be polite."

Lao Mo laughed heartily, thanked her, took the oil paper package, and left the family quarters happily with his two little apprentices.

Next were the couple Zhou Yan and Ji Xianxian. Although Zhou Yan liked wine, he wasn't alone anymore; he was concerned about his wife and child, so he only drank two sips of fruit wine and spent the rest of the time eating.

At this time, it was time to say goodbye, so he helped his wife up and said goodbye to the couple.

"Jiang Ye, sister-in-law, we have to go too. We'll come to bother you again when we have time."

"Brother Zhou, you're too polite. Just come yourselves; don't spend money next time."

Shen Man quickly took out the wrapped sponge cake and cat ears as a gift, and also gave a portion to Ji Xianxian.

"Okay, okay, see you next time."

Zhou Yan didn't think too much, agreed to his sister-in-law's words, then waved to Section Commander Duan and Jiang Ye, and left.

After walking out of the family quarters, when there was no one on the road, he heard his wife say:

"Brother Zhou Yan, if only we could live in the family quarters."

Their current residence, although kept clean, had neighbors who were almost all from humble backgrounds.

In the future, their child, barring any accidents, would become childhood friends and playmates with the children of neighbors from humble backgrounds...

"Born equal"—such words were just to fool ghosts.

Ji Xianxian didn't believe it; she had always known that people were born into different ranks.

For example, Shen Man's child could grow up in the military family quarters from a young age, and their childhood friends would be the descendants of military officers.

More or less, the starting point was much better than a child growing up in her family's ordinary environment.

"Xianxian, you—"

Zhou Yan stopped, looking shocked at his wife; he suddenly felt she was a bit strange.

"It's nothing, I was just saying it casually. Look how I scared you."

Ji Xianxian shook her head, the disappointment on her face quickly hidden.

"Xianxian, don't worry, I will work hard to support you and the child, I won't let you two go hungry."

Zhou Yan was a little scared, scared that his wife would dislike him for having no ability.

His wife was young and beautiful, and an educated youth who had come to the countryside; marrying her was his good fortune.

No one thought well of him and his wife, but his wife had been very good to him after marriage and even conceived a child for him...

"Mm, I believe in you. Alright, it's getting late, let's go catch the boat quickly, maybe we'll run into Brother Mo."

Ji Xianxian smiled gently and changed the subject.

Her husband was very easy to deal with; as long as she coaxed him, he wouldn't suspect her at all.

She felt a little guilty, but more than that, she felt confused about her own future and was calculating a better way out for the child in her belly.

A blacksmith, no matter how hard he worked, was just a blacksmith.

Now that she had the advantage of being close to the water, and there was a group of people she could utilize in the future, why not utilize them?

That Section Commander Duan was the biggest commander on this island; as long as he spoke up, wouldn't it be easy to get Zhou Yan a decent job?

Why keep a distance and avoid suspicion?

Shouldn't such a relationship be maintained, with requests met?

Ji Xianxian admitted that she was a bit restless and opportunistic now.

But she wasn't doing it for herself; she was doing it for her husband and the future of the child in her belly...

Although Zhou Yan was carefree, he felt heavy after noticing his wife's duplicity.

Lao Mo had reminded him before: if the person sleeping beside him didn't choose to marry him because of so-called love, what would he do?

What would he do?

He didn't know.

At his age, talking about love was too fake.

In his view, responsibility and life came before everything else.

Even if his wife lied to him or hid things from him, he didn't want to care.

With so many people, why did his wife lie to him and hide things from him alone?

Wasn't this a kind of fate?

In Shen Man's small courtyard, it soon became empty.

The old men helped each other, carrying sponge cake and small snacks back to the retirement home for a nap.

Lu Xiu Bai and Jiang Ye went to return the tables and benches; for a while, the noisy courtyard was left with only the sister-in-law and sister.

"Sister, I don't know why, but I don't really like that Ji Xianxian. The way she looks at you has jealousy in it. Be careful in the future and don't get too close to her."

Pei Yan Ting's sense of smell was indeed sharp; after just a few hours of being together, she became wary of Ji Xianxian.

"Mm, I know, sister-in-law. I'll be careful in the future and won't get too close to her."

Shen Man naturally stood on the same front as her sister-in-law. As for Ji Xianxian, she only gave her a good face and maintained superficial friendliness for the sake of Brother Zhou Yan.

"That's good. People's hearts are separated by skin; it's better to be careful."

Especially a woman's jealousy; she could do anything.

The few times Ji Xianxian secretly sized up her sister made her feel uneasy.

She couldn't help but think of what her cousin's former colleague, Lu Manman, had done...

"Mm-hmm."

Shen Man knew what she was doing; she could distinguish between her own people and outsiders.

Ji Xianxian's situation was like "one thought to become a Buddha, one thought to become a demon"; she didn't dare to gamble on the other party's conscience.

This time, Brother Zhou only brought her along after hearing she had gotten into military medical school. Later, when her belly showed, presumably even if she wanted to come, Brother Zhou wouldn't bring her.

As for next year, the child's full-month celebration and so on, we'll see.

Soldiers will come to block, water will come to cover; there will always be a way.

"Meow."

Tangyuan was too full; everyone doted on it and fed it a lot of delicious food.

Hearing the sister-in-law remind the owner like that, it walked over unsteadily, very much agreeing with the sister-in-law's words, and rubbed against the owner's calf, indicating that it would also protect the owner well.

"Sister, has Tangyuan grown a lot in these few months?"

Pei Yan Ting also liked Tangyuan quite a bit; seeing this, she picked Tangyuan up into her arms and rubbed its little head in a good mood.

"Mm, it's grown a lot more than when I first came, but it's still in the kitten stage. By this time next year, it should be fully grown, so we can't spoil it too much. What if it eats itself into a big fat cat? What will we do then?"

"Indeed."

The sister-in-law and sister chatted happily. Poor Tangyuan exposed its belly, feeling life was meaningless, thinking it was becoming a "hunk" like the big boss...