I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 26: Clearly the Same

Yuan Xiu rubbed her face, which was a little stiff from smiling. "A little."

"Then come inside and sit down, I'll go to the cafeteria to get my food."

The two of them have been busy until now, and apart from breakfast, they've only eaten one apple. While other guests can eat peanuts and candy and drink tea, the two of them haven't even had a sip of water.

Yuan Xiu went into the kitchen, found the lunchbox, handed it to him, and watched him leave with the money and tickets.

She wasn't idle either; she moved a stool and sat down to sort through the congratulatory gifts that everyone had brought in the living room.

Those who were close to Jiang Zhou, such as Battalion Commander Li and Sister-in-law Chunmei, gave him a pair of thermos flasks.

The neighbor, Sister Guilan, gave us a pair of enamel basins, and Sister Xiulan gave us a bed sheet with a festive pattern.

There are also pillowcases, towels, handkerchiefs, soap, mirrors, gloves, and tablecloths.

These are all very practical things.

Yuan Xiu took out paper and pen and wrote down which family sent each of the congratulatory gifts in a notebook.

Jiang Zhou returned quickly. He arrived a little late, and the canteen only had tofu, cabbage, and potatoes left. He ordered one of each.

Seeing Yuan Xiu on the registration list, he said, "Let's eat first, then we'll get on with the rest."

Yuan Xiu didn't even look up. "This is the last one."

The last item recorded in the notebook was the fabric that Zhou Lei had sent.

Yuan Xiu paused, then asked Jiang Zhou, "Commander Zhou is getting married in the next couple of days, right? What should we give as a return gift?"

Jiang Zhou and Zhou Lei were not in the same group, so they didn't usually have much contact, let alone go out together.

If he hadn't come over today to give a gift, Jiang Zhou definitely wouldn't have gone to his wedding.

Jiang Zhou looked at the fabrics on the table, then glanced at the congratulatory gifts that Yuan Xiu had neatly categorized. "Just pick one of similar price and send it over later."

These gifts were originally given to me and then passed from one person to another, some of them having passed through several hands.

Yuan Xiu then picked out two items of similar value and set them aside.

After putting the notebook and pen in the drawer and washing her hands outside, Yuan Xiu sat down, took the chopsticks Jiang Zhou handed her, and began to eat.

"I'll go to the market this afternoon to see if there are any vegetables left. Let's cook for ourselves tonight."

Eating at the cafeteria is certainly more convenient, but it also costs more money and tickets. Buying food and cooking it yourself saves a lot of money.

Jiang Zhou paused, picking up some vegetables with his chopsticks. "I'm afraid we won't be able to buy any vegetables this afternoon."

"I'll go check first; there are still some things that need to be bought in the kitchen."

"Then I'll go with you this afternoon..."

The two ate while discussing what else they should buy.

After finishing her meal, Yuan Xiu got up to pack her lunchbox and go wash it, but Jiang Zhou stopped her, saying, "You pack the gifts, I'll go wash them."

Yuan Xiu paused for a moment, then put the gifts on the sofa one by one into the drawers of the cabinet.

After tidying up, Yuan Xiu stood in front of the mirror and took the flowers off her hair.

The luggage that Chunmei's sister-in-law had brought over was still in the bedroom. Yuan Xiu opened the wardrobe and put her clothes in one by one.

She had very few clothes, so when they were put inside, they only took up a small space.

Jiang Zhou arrived at some point, arms crossed, leaning against the door watching her tidy up.

His gaze lingered on her head for a moment.

Yuan Xiu smiled at him, closed the cabinet door, unfolded the quilt she had brought, and placed it on the other side of the bed.

Jiang Zhou's gaze fell on the quilt again. There was now an extra quilt on the bed that originally only had one quilt.

Military green and floral print each occupy half the space, clearly distinguishing them.

Jiang Zhou stared at the floral quilt for a while, his brows slowly furrowing.

The two went out together in the afternoon, and as they walked down the street, many people greeted them.

"Congratulations, Battalion Commander Jiang."

"Where are you two headed?"

Yuan Xiu stood beside Jiang Zhou like a dutiful wife, giving a polite smile to those who greeted her.

When we arrived at the market, there was indeed no vegetables or meat left.

Eggs, wood ear mushrooms, and glass noodles are still available.

Rice, noodles, soy sauce, oil, ginger, garlic, and when I saw they were selling steamers, I bought two more.

Jiang Zhou followed behind Yuan Xiu. She bought one item, and he took it and carried it himself. Before he knew it, both his hands were full.

"When are you planning to invite Battalion Commander Li and the others to dinner?"

Seeing that he had more and more things in his hands, Yuan Xiu did not give him what she was holding.

"You decide," Jiang Zhou said. "Let me know when you've made your decision."

Yuan Xiu nodded, but didn't set a date immediately. When to host the dinner would depend on whether she could buy suitable ingredients in the next couple of days.

After returning from the market, Yuan Xiu took off her overcoat and changed into a more practical work jacket.

I changed my leather shoes and put on the cloth shoes I used to wear.

She carefully wiped the shoe surface with a rag, put it in the shoe box, and stuffed it under the bed.

After finishing these tasks, she went into the kitchen, scooped out the newly bought flour, and planned to make steamed buns.

The filling only contains eggs, wood ear mushrooms, and glass noodles that I bought today.

After kneading the dough and letting it rest, Yuan Xiu began preparing the filling.

Use only two eggs, and soak the wood ear mushrooms and glass noodles in hot water.

Eating only steamed buns wouldn't be enough, so Yuan Xiu slowly started cooking porridge in a small pot on the stove.

While she was busy in the kitchen, Jiang Zhou came over for a look, but seeing that there was no use for him, he left again.

Not long after it got dark, an enticing aroma wafted from the kitchen.

Jiang Zhou put down the book he was holding and went to the kitchen.

Yuan Xiu opened the steamer lid, and the rising steam, carrying a fragrant aroma, wafted out. She took a deep breath and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. It seemed that her first cooking experience in her new home had been a great success.

Seeing Jiang Zhou enter from the corner of her eye, she smiled and turned to look at him. "Your nose is really sharp. You arrived just in time. Grab your bowl and eat."

Yuan Xiu took the biggest plate and piled the plump white buns into it one by one, stacking them high.

She didn't make much; judging by Jiang Zhou's appetite, it was enough for tonight and tomorrow morning.

This thought vanished without a trace when he saw Jiang Zhou finish a plate of steamed buns and still seem unsatisfied.

She silently stood up, went into the kitchen, and brought out breakfast for tomorrow morning.

"How does it taste?" Yuan Xiu asked after eating half of the meal.

Jiang Zhou took a bite of steamed bun and a sip of porridge, saying, "It tastes better than what we get in the cafeteria."

This was Jiang Zhou's honest opinion; in his view, even the meat buns made in the cafeteria weren't as delicious as this.

He truly hadn't expected that Yuan Xiu possessed this skill.

Yuan Xiu smiled and said, "That's good. Just tell me what you want to eat in the future, and I'll make it for you. Don't let my southern background fool you; I can actually make a lot of different kinds of noodles. Today's buns are just because we had limited ingredients. If I could buy meat, I could also make soup dumplings. I can also make pancakes, steamed buns, chive boxes, spring rolls, knife-cut noodles, ramen, hand-pulled noodles, braised noodles, stir-fried noodles, and cold noodles."

Yuan Xiu's eyes lit up when she talked about what she was good at.

This was the first time she had ever spoken so much to him in one breath, and the first time even her words were filled with joy—Jiang Zhou thought.

"Then I'm in for a treat!"

Yuan Xiu was a little embarrassed, as if she had been bragging a bit. "Actually, it's just ordinary home-style cooking. Don't have too high expectations."

"Is it just everyday food?"

Jiang Zhou took a big bite of the steamed bun and then drank a mouthful of the soft, well-cooked white porridge. "I've never eaten such delicious steamed buns before, and this porridge too. How did you cook this porridge? Even a simple bowl of white porridge tastes so good."

Yuan Xiu couldn't suppress the smile on her face. "Just simmer it slowly over a low flame. Apart from taking a little time, there's no special technique involved."

She had heard countless compliments on her cooking in her past life, but never had she felt this happy.

In her married life with Jiang Zhou, she was still able to contribute to their little family.

Even though she saw her marriage contract with Jiang Zhou as a lifeline, her intentions weren't entirely pure; this family needed her too.

……

Not long after her joy, Yuan Xiu encountered an awkward situation.

Tonight, the two of them will share a bed.

Jiang Zhou carried half a bucket of hot water to the toilet to wash himself.

Yuan Xiu couldn't bring herself to sit on the bed and wait for him, or wait for him to fall asleep before lying down herself. So, taking advantage of Jiang Zhou's absence from the bedroom, she took off her clothes, changed into a long-sleeved shirt and trousers for sleeping, and then lifted the covers to get into bed.

Not long after, Jiang Zhou came in, the bedroom door was closed, and his footsteps slowly approached the bedside.

After a while, the other side of the bed sank slightly, and the wooden bed made a few creaking sounds.

Jiang Zhou lay down next to her.

With a "click," the light was turned off.

Even though they each had their own blankets, Yuan Xiu could almost feel the burning heat emanating from the man beside her.

Perhaps the quilt was too thick—Yuan Xiu thought.

Jiang Zhou rolled over beside her, and that one movement made Yuan Xiu's breathing quicken.

According to Yuan Juan in her previous life, Jiangzhou seemed to be no good. But what exactly was wrong with it? Yuan Xiu didn't quite understand.

Is it that I can't have children, or that I can't have sex?

Whether or not it could be done, Yuan Xiu didn't really care.

If Jiang Zhou is willing, she'd also like to experience something she never had in her previous life.

If not...

It's alright. Considering how good he's been to her, she'll definitely uphold Jiangzhou's reputation in public.

As she pondered, Yuan Xiu's eyelids began to droop, and slowly, she closed her eyes.

……

He can't.

Yuan Xiu put the soybean paste she bought yesterday into the oil pan and stir-fried it.

Jiang Zhou didn't react from the moment she got into bed until she fell asleep, and Yuan Xiu calmly accepted this reality.

It's alright, Yuan Xiu thinks it's fine this way, it makes her feel more comfortable when interacting with Jiang Zhou.

The aroma of the fermented soybean paste was fully released by the hot oil. Yuan Xiu bent down to take a bowl from the cupboard. When she touched the bowl, she turned a corner and took out the largest bowl in the house, the one she had bought to serve soup.

Yuan Xiu made a simplified version of fried sauce noodles this morning.

Jiang Zhou went out for morning exercises early in the morning. When he returned, Yuan Xiu started cooking noodles. By the time he finished washing his face, the noodles were ready.

"Time for breakfast."

Yuan Xiu poked her head out and called out to the man who was washing his face in the courtyard.

"Why are you using cold water? There's hot water, it's in that kettle." Yuan Xiu said, pointing to the kettle under the washstand, "It's right there, didn't you see it?"

Jiang Zhou noticed and said, "It's a bit hot. Use cold water to cool it down."

There was a kind of heat that only Jiangzhou could feel. Yuan Xiu was insensitive to it and naturally didn't understand it. She even advised him, "You should use hot water from now on. If you use cold water in this weather, you'll know how uncomfortable it is when you get old."

Jiang Zhou glanced at her and nodded, "Okay."

Jiangzhou praised the fried noodles with soybean paste this morning. Yuan Xiu made him more than six ounces of noodles. After finishing the noodles, he drank a bowl of noodle soup before putting down the bowl.

"Is there enough to eat?" Yuan Xiu asked.

That's enough.

Jiang Zhou has really had enough; he usually doesn't eat much in the morning.

Yuan Xiu hadn't finished eating when Jiang Zhou sat opposite her, watching her as she ate her noodles with her head down, and then turning his gaze elsewhere when she looked up.

After Yuan Xiu finished eating her noodles, Jiang Zhou stood up and said, "I'll wash up."

This time, Yuan Xiu disagreed. "No need, there are only two bowls, I'll wash them."

She smiled at him after she finished speaking.

Jiangzhou:......

His smile looked strange.

Yuan Xiu had just finished getting ready and came out of the market to buy groceries when her neighbor, Sister Guiying, knocked on the door. "Little Yuan, want to go grocery shopping? Want to come along?"

Yuan Xiu responded, took the vegetable basket off the wall, and said to Jiang Zhou, who was sitting at the desk, "I'm going out to buy groceries."

Before Jiang Zhou could react, she grabbed her shopping basket and ran out the door.

"Why didn't you make something delicious earlier? I can smell the aroma coming from your place even from inside the house."

"I didn't make much. We didn't have many ingredients at home, so I just made a bowl of noodles with soybean paste."

Yuan Xiu and Sister-in-law Guilan chatted as they walked.

"It does have a soybean paste flavor, but yours smells amazing! Where did you buy it?"

"I bought it at the market."

"Bought from the market? The market has only ever had one kind of sauce for so many years. I used the same sauce from the market, but why doesn't my sauce taste as good?"

It's probably a problem with the oil and the heat.

When Sister-in-law Guiying asked that question, Yuan Xiu also thought about it. She probably put more oil in than Sister-in-law Guiying, which was her subconscious action.

Even people with good family conditions nowadays are reluctant to use too much oil in this era of scarcity.

She lived more than twenty years longer than everyone else, and twenty years later, as long as she had money, there was no food she couldn't buy.

Even if they farm, they can still make enough oil for the whole family by pressing the peanuts and rapeseed they grow.

Yuan Xiu would never admit that she had used too much oil; if she did, Sister-in-law Guilan would probably think she was a spendthrift.

On the way, they ran into Sister Xiulan and her group again.

As soon as Sister Xiulan saw Yuan Xiu, she joked, "Little Yuan's complexion looks different from yesterday."

Yuan Xiu asked, puzzled, "What's different?"

Sister-in-law Xiulan laughed heartily.

Sister-in-law Chunmei said Yuan Xiu was silly, "She's teasing you, you silly girl, didn't you realize?"

Yuan Xiu: "...?"

Is making a face considered joking?

Sister-in-law Xiulan chuckled, "Look at her, she's still like a greenhorn, she doesn't know anything."

Chunmei's sister-in-law gave her a push, "Young Yuan just got married. Do you think he's like you, afraid people won't know how loving you and your husband are?"

Yuan Xiu understood now, and her face flushed red instantly.

What's different? They're clearly the same!