After the frail beauty went to the countryside, she went crazy with scientific research.

Chapter 177, Episode 0184: Zhang Suo Returns
Hu Sumei wouldn't dare accept anything else.

If she dares to accept it, even if she does it during the day, Old Zhang will definitely leave her that night.

Medicated wine...

Hu Sumei hesitated.

Old Zhang had a piece of shrapnel stuck in his leg, which was unable to be removed due to limited hospital resources at the time, leading to his resignation from the military.

If the weather changes even slightly, Old Zhang will be in so much pain that he can't walk.

Don't let Lao Zhang's position as a station chief fool you; the station is always short-staffed. Lao Zhang's job is no different from that of an ordinary police officer, spending all year round on the road.

Sometimes when I come back in the middle of the night, I can't even climb up to the third floor.

Lin Yuexi seemed oblivious to her unease and simply shoved the things into her hands. "Aunt Chen, will Uncle Zhang be back early today? I have something I'd like to ask him."

Hu Sumei almost swallowed her emotions.

She said at first that it wasn't a gift, but then she said she wanted to ask for something. If she hadn't known the girl's identity from Old Zhang, she would have misunderstood everything.

"Old Zhang came back for lunch and will be back soon. You can sit and wait for him. You can also stay for lunch and try your aunt's cooking."

Lin Yuexi adapted well to the change in address, saying, "Okay, Auntie."

Zhang Suo and Hu Sumei have a son and a daughter. Their son works at a research institute, and their daughter followed in her father's footsteps and became a proud soldier.

They've both become successful, but the two old folks are lonely at home.

Hu Sumei, in particular, became a full-time housewife after her surgery last year. Since the other three family members could earn money and didn't spend it much, it was enough for her to be well-fed and clothed.

There's an old lady living across the street nearby, and she doesn't like to go out either.

Staying home alone all day is fine for a day or two, but after a while, it either feels like there are 'people' everywhere in the house, or it feels like you're the only person left in the whole world.

So Hu Sumei wasn't just politely inviting Lin Yuexi to stay for dinner; she genuinely hoped Lin Yuexi would stay so they could spend time together while she cooked, and that Lin Yuexi would come more often in the future.

What a beautiful girl! Not only is she so well-behaved and sensible, but she's also mute. Just looking at her makes me feel good.

Ugh, what is she thinking?

She hurriedly filled a large plate with peanuts and melon seeds and placed it in front of Lin Yuexi, saying, "These will help you pass the time. I'll go cook now; it'll be ready soon."

The apartments in the tenement building didn't have built-in kitchens; each person had to build their own in the hallway. Whenever someone cooked something delicious, everyone in the building would know.

Considering Zhang's identity and also to prevent anyone from having any unwarranted thoughts about Lin Yuexi, Hu Sumei was particularly careful to choose dishes with mild flavors.

Celery and carrot salad with cashews, kelp and pork bone soup, stir-fried eggs with chives and mung bean sprouts, braised meat platter, and spicy cold noodles.

Four dishes and a soup is already considered VIP treatment.

When Zhang returned, he smelled a strong aroma of chives as he walked to the stairwell leading from the second to the third floor, which made him even hungrier, even though he was already hungry.

He wondered whose food was so good today; he could smell not only eggs but also meat in the strong aroma of chives.

When I got to my front door, I saw that the door across the street was slightly ajar.

It's obvious without even thinking that the old lady across the street was sniffing and peeking.

Whenever someone cooks something delicious, this old lady has to put on this show.

As he opened the door and entered the house, Zhang exclaimed, "Wow, I knew I could smell the delicious aroma from afar. It turns out it's my wife's cooking!" He habitually turned around to change into slippers, not noticing that there were other people in the house.

Hu Sumei, who was arranging the bowls, anxiously came over and, without holding back, smacked Zhang Suo on the back. "Keep your voice down, Xi is reading a book, don't disturb her."

"Huh? Who?"

Which West?
Is it possible that his wife is trying to find a partner for their dim-witted son again?

Hu Sumei glanced cautiously at her daughter's room and whispered, "Your former boss's daughter is here. Your old boss is thinking of you and remembers your injury, so he brought you some medicinal wine."

He hung up his uniform jacket that he had taken off and said, “We don’t have a TV at home. I was worried that Xi would get bored while waiting. Didn’t you tell me before that Xi is also involved in science? So I gave her a few of our son’s books to read.”

He was reading, so he couldn't be disturbed. Zhang, a man over 1.8 meters tall, walked with the air of a young woman getting married.

She peeked into her daughter's room, her old boss often talking about her only daughter. His mannerisms and tone of voice clearly showed how much he cherished her.

Which of those soldiers under their old leader wasn't incredibly curious about his daughter?!
Lin Yuexi noticed Zhang Suo's slightly lewd appearance and almost slapped herself in annoyance. She had been so engrossed in her book that she had forgotten she was a guest in someone else's house, which was extremely rude.

Get busy! "Uncle Zhang is back!"

Director Zhang is not the stereotypical image of a domineering father. He is neither strict nor pretentious; on the contrary, he seems rather simple and honest.

He scratched his head sheepishly. "Daughter, did I disturb you? Since I did, let's wait and watch it later. Let's eat first."

"Man is made of iron, food is made of steel, anyway the books are all there, they can't run away."

Lin Yuexi: "..." That makes a lot of sense.

Hu Sumei was speechless, but this wasn't the first time she'd witnessed something so embarrassing, and she was already used to it.

Too lazy to pay attention to that fool, he smiled broadly at Lin Yuexi and called out, "Xi'er, come and eat."

"Okay, Uncle, Aunt, I'm coming."

The Zhang family didn't have many rules. After everyone sat down together, Zhang asked Zhang Zhi while eating his rice.

"How is our old leader doing? How has his health been these past few years? Is he adapting well after going to the Northwest? Are the soldiers there particularly difficult to lead?"

Towards the end, his tone shifted from concern to schadenfreude.

Only a truly close relationship would allow someone to act this way.

Lin Yuexi swallowed the food in her mouth and answered one by one, "My dad has always been fine and has no health problems. The climate in the Northwest is different, so it will definitely take some time to adapt. But my dad is alright. My mom said that apart from his skin being a little rough, he has no other problems."

As for whether soldiers are difficult to lead, her parents had never mentioned it, nor had she asked much about it, so she didn't know and therefore didn't answer.

Zhang was genuinely happy that his former leader's daughter came to visit him, which showed that his former leader had never forgotten him, his former soldier.

Throughout the meal, Zhang's mouth never stopped moving, and this refers to more than just eating.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but talk about his time in the army. More than a decade has passed, but he still remembers every single thing vividly.

As he finished speaking, Zhang's eyes reddened slightly, and he buried his head in his rice to hide his loss of composure.

Lin Yuexi pretended not to see anything, drinking her soup with her head down. Before her was a hero, worthy of her highest respect. He didn't want others to notice, so she temporarily went blind.

Zhang had served in the army for less than seven years, participating in defensive battles, slow wars, and more than thirty battles of varying sizes.

During the most turbulent times in the country, it was countless people like Zhang Suo who, through a lifetime of pain and even their lives, earned the backbone that is gradually becoming stronger today.