At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 84 Working Together Makes the Work Easier

The plump auntie clicked the beads on her abacus, muttering to herself: "Five pounds of pork belly, four pieces; three pounds of ribs, one yuan and eighty cents; two fish, one pound and two ounces, forty-eight cents; one pound of pig liver, two cents..."

Thirty eggs cost one yuan and fifty cents, vegetables totaled two yuan and thirty cents... tofu and vermicelli cost eight cents... a total of one yuan and ninety-one cents, grain coupons and meat coupons were charged separately.

Lin Weiwei readily took out her money and tickets, handing over a thick stack of them.

The plump auntie counted the items carefully and smiled as she gave them change: "Alright, there's a lot of stuff, I'll get you a basket to put it in."

She turned around and pulled an old wicker basket from under the counter, putting meat, vegetables, and eggs into it one by one until the basket was full.

Bai Rongbei bent down and lifted the basket, his arm muscles tensing, and the basket lifted off the ground.

He looked at Su Wanwan and said, "Go back and start the fire in the stove, and boil some water. I'll take the things back."

Su Wanwan nodded: "Okay."

Bai Si'an looked at Lin Weiwei: "Let's go and invite people. Brother Zhao's family, Chen Jianjun, Liu Aiguo, and Aunt Pang, Aunt Li, Aunt Zhang... let's go to each of them."

"Okay!" Lin Weiwei agreed readily, then turned to Su Wanwan and winked. "Wanwan, we're leaving now."

The four left the service center and parted ways at the fork in the road.

Bai Rongbei carried a heavy basket towards the family compound, with Su Wanwan following beside him, having to quicken her pace to keep up with his long strides.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them, which overlapped.

"What dishes are you making for dinner?" Su Wanwan asked.

"Braised pork belly, sweet and sour pork ribs, stewed fish, stir-fried pork liver, and a few vegetable dishes," Bai Rongbei said, his tone as casual as if he were reciting training exercises. "For staple food, steamed buns and a pot of millet porridge."

Su Wanwan felt reassured as she listened.

He always manages to organize things in a very orderly manner.

"I'll help you," she said.

"Mm." Bai Rongbei responded, glancing at her sideways. "You can rest if you want. You've been dancing all day, you must be tired."

"I'm not tired," Su Wanwan shook her head. "I'm quite happy."

Bai Rongbei's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything more.

Upon entering the courtyard, Bai Rongbei placed the basket at the kitchen door, took off his military jacket and hung it on a nail to the side, then rolled up his sleeves and began to get busy.

Su Wanwan quickly followed, first scooping water from the water tank to wash her hands, then squatting in front of the stove to prepare to start a fire.

Having learned her lesson last time, she was much more careful this time. First, she stuffed in dry grass, then added thin firewood, lit a match, and brought it close...

Flames leaped up, licking the dry grass and slowly igniting the firewood.

It worked!

Su Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of smugness on her face. She turned around to talk to Bai Rongbei, only to see him standing in front of the cutting board, holding a cleaver and deftly slicing pork belly.

The pieces of meat were uniform in size and of moderate thickness, and the knife made a rhythmic "thump-thump" sound as it struck the cutting board.

He was very focused on cutting, and the lines of his profile looked particularly strong in the gradually darkening light of the day.

Su Wanwan watched for a while before remembering that she should add firewood, so she quickly turned around and stuffed a few pieces of firewood into the stove.

The fire was burning brightly, so she got up to wash the vegetables.

The two worked together surprisingly well, one chopping vegetables and the other washing them, one cooking and the other tending the fire.

Occasionally, if Bai Rongbei needed something, Su Wanwan would hand it to him without him having to ask.

"Salt."

"Give."

"soy sauce."

"here."

"onion."

Su Wanwan handed over the washed scallions, which Bai Rongbei took and quickly chopped into scallion flowers.

His hands were large, with distinct knuckles, and he gripped the knife handle steadily and powerfully.

As Su Wanwan looked at him, she suddenly remembered the taut muscles and warm skin beneath her palms when she massaged him last night…

Her face flushed, and she quickly lowered her head, pretending to be focused on the fire in the stove.

A delicious aroma began to waft from the pot.

The braised pork belly was put into the pot with a "sizzle" sound, and oil splattered up. Bai Rongbei stirred it with a spatula, his movements skillful.

The meat chunks slowly changed color in the pot, turning an enticing golden brown.

Su Wanwan sniffed; it smelled delicious.

She suddenly realized that this kind of evening, this kind of kitchen, this kind of lively atmosphere was actually quite nice.

Meanwhile, Bai Si'an and Lin Weiwei were going door-to-door inviting their neighbors.

The first house is Zhao Dayong's house.

Zhao Dayong's wife was collecting laundry in the yard when she saw them and greeted them with a smile, "Technician Bai, Comrade Lin, what brings you here?"

Lin smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, we're having dinner at our house tonight to celebrate Wanwan joining the performing arts troupe! You and Brother Zhao must come!"

"Oh my, this is wonderful news! I'll definitely go!" Zhao Dayong's wife readily agreed. "Do you need any help?"

"No need, no need, everything's ready! We're just waiting for everyone to come and join the fun!"

After leaving the Zhao family's house, the two headed towards Chen Jianjun's house.

The evening breeze on the Gobi Desert was a bit cool, and it felt very comfortable on my skin.

Lin Weiwei walked with a slightly bouncy gait, humming an off-key tune.

Baisian walked beside her, his limp on his right leg not very noticeable on the dirt road, but his pace was slower than usual.

"Slow down," he said.

"I'm so happy!" Lin Weiwei turned to look at him, her eyes shining. "Wanwan got chosen, and she's number one! How amazing!"

Looking at her bright smile, Bai Si'an's lips also curved into a smile: "Mm."

"Hey, how many people do you think will come tonight?" Lin Weiwei started counting on her fingers, "Brother Zhao's family, Chen Jianjun, Liu Aiguo, Aunt Pang, Aunt Li, Aunt Zhang... and who else?"

"There might be a few comrades from the neighboring compound as well," Bai Si'an said. "My brother is quite popular in the regiment."

"How many stools will we need to prepare..." Lin Weiwei pondered. "We'll have to borrow some more when we get back."

The two talked as they arrived at Zhao Dayong's house.

Chen Jianjun was repairing a bicycle in the yard, his hands covered in grease. Hearing the voice, he looked up and said, "Hey, Technician Bai, sister-in-law! What's up?"

Lin Weiwei repeated the story about treating everyone to a meal.

Chen Jianjun grinned: "I have to go! It's rare to see Commander Bai cooking in person! I'll be there as soon as I wash my hands!"

"Okay!"

Next, we visited Liu Aiguo's house, Aunt Pang's house, Aunt Li's house, and Aunt Zhang's house. By then, it was already dark.

On the way back, Lin Weiwei skipped around even more happily, not noticing a protruding stone under her feet, and tripped over it.

"Ouch!"

She swayed, a sharp pain shooting through her left ankle.

Bai Si'an reacted quickly, grabbing her arm and asking, "What's wrong?"

"My ankle... I think I twisted it a little." Lin frowned slightly, tried to move her ankle, and gasped in pain.

Bai Si'an released her arm, turned around, and squatted down: "Get on."

Lin Weiwei was taken aback for a moment: "Huh?"

"I'll carry you." Bai Si'an didn't even turn his head. "Don't move around too much if you sprain your ankle, it'll only make things worse."

Lin Weiwei looked at his back and felt a warmth in her heart. Without hesitation, she leaned over.

Bai Si'an stood up, supported her knees with both hands, and walked steadily forward.

He has a broad back; when you lie on it, you can feel the shape of his shoulder blades and the undulations of his back muscles.

The military uniform fabric was a bit rough, but it was washed very clean and smelled of soap and sunshine.

Lin Weiwei wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her chin on his shoulder, and whispered, "Bai Si'an, you're walking a little slowly."

Bai Si'an paused for a moment: "Too slow?"

"Mmm." Lin Weiwei teased him deliberately, patting his shoulder. "Hurry up, I'm hungry."

Bai Si'an didn't say anything, but quickened his pace slightly.

Lin Weiwei looked at the back of his head and suddenly had a mischievous idea. She moved her right hand down and lightly patted his butt.