In her past life, when the young sister-in-law first arrived, none of the three younger ones paid her any attention. After she and their eldest brother moved into the same room, they spent the entire night strategizing ways to drive her away.
Now, thinking back, it really had broken her heart.
The younger siblings resolved not to let their sister-in-law’s grievances go unaddressed. This time around, they would take the initiative.
When it came to causing trouble, the younger siblings were experts.
They lined up in front of Ning Qiao like loyal attendants, speaking up for her.
“That room has been empty ever since we moved here!”
“There are plenty of rooms in the house—our sister-in-law can sleep in whichever one she wants!”
Since being reborn, Jiang Heng had rarely had a chance to be alone with Ning Qiao. The only time was when they went to get their marriage certificate.
He had sensed her slight resistance, but he still tried to spend more time with her.
But now, three roadblocks stood in his way.
“Mind your own business,” Jiang Heng said.
Jiang Yuan puffed out his chest: “Big brother! You told us to be good to our sister-in-law and not bully her!”
“Whatever our sister-in-law likes, we should let her do—that’s how you’re good to her!” Jiang Qi nodded emphatically.
Jiang Guoguo tilted her head and chimed in: “Right, right, right.”
Jiang Heng: …
Ning Qiao looked at the three little ones in front of her. So their big brother had reminded them in advance not to bully her.
Though they were kids, Jiang Yuan and Jiang Qi were both taller than her now—like two little men standing in front of her, defending her cause. As for Jiang Guoguo, she jumped up and down, trying to make her presence felt in front of Jiang Heng, determined to fight to the end.
She’d only said one sentence, and somehow she’d gained a whole string of spokespeople.
It was a strange feeling—different from the original storyline.
“That room…” Jiang Heng paused. “It leaks.”
Ning Qiao looked at him in surprise.
“That’s right, it leaks,” Jiang Heng said with a perfectly straight face. “I’ll find someone to fix it when I get the chance.”
The three kids were ready to argue further.
But Jiang Heng was already grabbing them and heading out: “Time to cook.”
As he passed the kitchen doorway, he glanced back at her.
For some reason, Ning Qiao thought she caught a hint of something in Battalion Commander Jiang’s eyes—
Guilt?
On the first day of their marriage, Jiang Heng was in charge of dinner, planning to make a big feast for Ning Qiao to celebrate properly.
They’d originally counted on the old man joining them, but he’d gone to the deputy commander’s house for dinner, saying that on such a joyous occasion, he had to have a good drink with an old friend—otherwise, back at the retirement home, no one could match his tolerance.
Old Master Jiang had wanted to take the grandchildren with him, but they were determined to be a third wheel and refused to leave.
The younger siblings, along with their big brother, were thinking about what their sister-in-law liked to eat.
Catching seafood on the beach was Jiang Yuan’s specialty. As for cooking it, Jiang Qi volunteered. Jiang Guoguo knew where to buy fresh meat. She grabbed a basket and ran off, disappearing in a flash.
Jiang Heng didn’t stop her. A few minutes later, the little girl came rushing back like a whirlwind.
“Big brother!”
Jiang Heng had already prepared the meat ration coupons and handed them to her.
Jiang Guoguo scratched her head: “Big brother, you’re amazing—you know everything.”
Ning Qiao watched this lively little girl and couldn’t help but smile, the corners of her lips curving upward.
She looked up and met Jiang Heng’s deep gaze.
“Besides seafood and braised pork, is there anything else you’d like to eat?” he asked.
Her first thought was coconut chicken soup.
After finishing that whole pot the other day, the sweet, refreshing taste still seemed to linger on her tongue.
But she didn’t say it out loud.
Even back at her own home, they didn’t have such good food every meal.
“Coconut chicken soup,” Jiang Heng said in a low voice. “Would that be okay?”
Ning Qiao was startled for a moment, then nodded.
Their big brother really was something else.
She discreetly swallowed.
Coconut chicken soup was the best!
Jiang Heng told Ning Qiao to rest at home while he and his younger siblings divided up the work.
One by one, their busy figures disappeared from sight.
Having just arrived, Ning Qiao hadn’t felt any hostility yet.
She had brought a lot of luggage—suitcases lined up in the living room, taking up quite a bit of space.
She opened the cases to unpack and set aside the empty ones, then found the storage room and tucked them away inside.
Chang Fangze had packed a pile of clothes for her, folded so neatly that the space in each suitcase was maximized, with barely any gaps between garments. As Ning Qiao took them out, she wandered around the room, unsure where to put them.
She was married now, but she hadn’t mentally prepared herself to share a room with Jiang Heng. She’d just have to take things one step at a time and hold out as long as possible.
She was more or less settled in.
What Ning Qiao was most looking forward to now was riding her shiny new bicycle.
“Is Comrade Ning there?”
“Little Jiang’s wife!”
“Do you need a hand with anything?”
Voices came from outside the courtyard.
Ning Qiao put back the bike keys she’d just taken out and hurried to open the door.
It was Luo Shulan and some of the aunties from the compound.
Luo Shulan explained that with a new bride in the family quarters, the aunties had come to see if she needed any help, and they’d brought some food along as well.
“These are sweet potato sticks sun-dried in our village. My husband brought some back when he visited home a while ago,” said an auntie with a simple, honest smile. Then she added apologetically, “They’re a bit tough, though—I’m not sure if a city girl like you can get used to them.”
Ning Qiao was about to politely decline, but hearing this, she took one and bit into it.
“So fragrant!” Ning Qiao’s eyes lit up as she chewed with relish, smiling. “My mom used to buy these for me as a snack, but they weren’t as chewy as yours.”
The auntie, who had been worried she might turn her nose up at it, immediately beamed: “Store-bought ones are definitely different. These are sun-dried for our own family—we pick the best sweet potatoes, specially sweet, and we dry them for a long time, turning them over in the sun every day.”
“If you like them, eat as many as you want. Don’t be shy with me. In our compound, that’s how it is—whenever anyone comes back from visiting family, they bring back food to share.”
In no time, a few more sweet potato sticks were pressed into Ning Qiao’s hands, and the auntie even set down the whole bag.
“Eat up—I have more at home when you run out.”
“Little Jiang’s wife, these are dumplings I made myself. Fry up a plate for dinner tonight,” another auntie said, handing her a plate and pointing to a nearby house. “I’m Wang Xiulan, and I live right over there—Tao Yongshou’s wife.”
“Thank you, Sister Xiulan.” Ning Qiao accepted the plate. “This is too much.”
“There are so many people in your house, and all the kids are growing—I was afraid it wouldn’t be enough!” Wang Xiulan said cheerfully. “Little Yuan from your family is especially picky. Let me teach you how to make a dipping sauce—it’s really fragrant.”
The young girl’s smile was sweet and open. The aunties took an instant liking to her and chattered away, eager to pass on all their years of cooking experience.
These aunties knew how to make the most of life—they studied how to use the least oil to make the tastiest dishes. Ning Qiao listened attentively, practically ready to take notes.
Gradually, the aunties began to notice something.
She really didn’t seem to know anything about cooking.
“You don’t know how to cook?”
Ning Qiao shook her head shyly.
“You can’t cook? Then what are you having for dinner tonight?”
“You should learn. I’ve never heard of a married woman eating at the mess hall all the time.”
“When the men and kids come home, they look forward to a hot home-cooked meal. No matter how good the mess hall food is, you’ll get tired of it after a while. You need to come up with new dishes.”
“Cooking is like that—after a few days, you’ll pick it up in no time.”
The aunties felt a bit sorry for the young girl. Freshly married, she’d have to take care of so many children. And those kids were unruly—they didn’t even listen to their eldest brother, let alone a young sister-in-law. Life ahead wouldn’t be easy. Offering her some guidance might help her adjust to her new role sooner.
As they were still advising her, hurried footsteps pattered from outside.
Jiang Guoguo came running in with a slab of meat in hand: “Little sister-in-law! The best pork belly!”
“Second brother and third brother are on their way too—they caught a ton of seafood. I’m going to pick some coconuts now, and when big brother buys the old hen, we can make the chicken soup.”
On the island, seafood was the least scarce thing.
Everyone was lacking in oil and fat, so fresh seafood from the beach wasn’t in high demand.
But a big cut of meat and an old hen were a different story. Even military families with decent allowances couldn’t afford to eat like that every day—they’d all been through hard times and had to budget carefully.
The aunties inwardly sighed—Battalion Commander Jiang and his three young siblings really didn’t know how to run a household. Luckily, the family finally had a mistress.
“Little Jiang’s wife, you just said you don’t know how to cook.” The middle-aged woman who had stayed quiet until now smiled. “If you can’t cook, why buy an old hen and pork?”
This woman was Liu Liwei, the wife of Deputy Commander Qian in the compound, well-known for her tendency to lecture others.
She’d found it odd earlier—she herself had come from the city back in the day, and even city girls did chores at home.
This new bride was putting on airs of being too delicate for housework. Who was she trying to impress?
“See? You’re contradicting yourself. We all live in the same compound—let’s keep it real,” Liu Liwei said meaningfully.
“It’s not our sister-in-law cooking,” Jiang Guoguo said seriously. “We are!”
Liu Liwei frowned.
This little girl was the most irritating.
The compound aunties exchanged glances.
Really?
Luo Shulan watched Jiang Guoguo’s instinctive reaction with interest.
She’d never seen her defend anyone like that before.
The little girl stared at Liu Liwei and, mimicking her meaningful tone, threw her words right back: “You’re smiling while saying mean things. See? You’re contradicting yourself.”
Ning Qiao was surprised by how quick-witted the youngest was.
At nine years old, this little thorn had been a force to be reckoned with in the original storyline too—biting back at anyone and everyone.
She feared nothing, having won some battles and lost others.
Snapped at by Jiang Guoguo, Liu Liwei’s face soured. She scolded, “Adults are talking—why are you butting in, child?”
The other aunties knew the deputy commander’s wife’s temper and quickly tried to smooth things over.
“Alright, alright—don’t bother with a child.”
“Let’s all say less.”
“Why don’t we head back? Little Jiang’s wife just arrived, and I see her clothes still need unpacking—she’s got a lot to do.”
Liu Liwei couldn’t save face and held back her anger.
Luo Shulan tried to make peace, coaxing Jiang Guoguo inside: “The child didn’t mean it like that.”
But the girl was still going to pick coconuts.
She craned her neck: “That’s exactly what I meant!”
Liu Liwei was furious.
She turned and saw that her sister-in-law had been standing there silently the whole time—clearly someone who avoided trouble.
She shot Ning Qiao a look, then said to Jiang Guoguo, “If my daughter ever talked like that at home, I’d put her in her place. Now that your eldest brother’s new wife is here, the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother—she should teach you properly. Otherwise, when you go out, people will laugh at you for having no manners.”
That was no longer a veiled jab—it was openly mocking the Jiang children for being motherless.
Jiang Guoguo clenched her jaw, her hands balled into fists, her eyes red with fury.
Not having a mother had always been a sore spot.
Hearing Liu Liwei’s hurtful words, Luo Shulan’s expression turned grim.
Seeing that one was young and the other gentle, Deputy Commander Qian’s wife had come to bully them?
Luo Shulan couldn’t stand by and decided to speak up.
But suddenly, a voice rang out.
Ning Qiao’s tone was soft: “Guoguo is in her own home—she can say whatever she wants.”
The aunties all turned to look at her.
The young girl still seemed calm and unhurried. She probably wasn’t going to argue—just reason with her.
Liu Liwei’s face darkened even more.
The new Jiang wife was hitting back, since she’d just scolded the child for interrupting.
Jiang Guoguo’s clenched fists slowly relaxed.
So a soft-spoken girl could handle her?
Liu Liwei sneered: “You—”
“Comrade,” Ning Qiao’s bright eyes met hers directly, her tone curious, “with such good breeding as yours, why are you coming to someone else’s house to make veiled insults?”
Liu Liwei thought she’d misheard.
She was stunned, as if struck by thunder, frozen speechless.
Luo Shulan wanted to laugh but held it in.
The new Jiang wife was an educated woman—she fought without using a single curse word.
Jiang Guoguo: !!!
Her little sister-in-law had called her “Guoguo” again—warm and affectionate!
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