"Thanks to you, boss, for having a good heart and coming to help today. Otherwise, we might not have made it in time."

Yu Dong took a puff of his cigarette and sighed. Zhou Yueshen worked incredibly fast, doing the work of several people without seeming to get tired.

To be honest, the stamina and strength of someone who has served in the military are indeed different from an ordinary person. Even before he joined the army, he was always diligent and quick. Now, it's even more intense. As everyone says, he's a monster.

Zhou Yueshen wiped his hands and took the cigarette, holding it between his lips. Yu Dong tossed him a lighter.

Just as he was about to light the cigarette, he paused, then took it down. He grabbed his portion of soup dumplings and walked into the office. Yu Dong noticed this keenly while others missed it. The boss was going to eat alone. He quickly threw away his cigarette and followed him.

"Boss, what's that delicious thing you've got there? Let me try some."

In the office, Zhou Yueshen had his back to him, just taking off his sweaty vest, when Yu Dong's voice came in right behind him. As soon as Yu Dong's hand touched the food container, he was met with a cold glare from the man.

Zhou Yueshen grabbed the food container and set it aside, his voice cold and low, "None for you."

Yu Dong was practically drooling. In just those few seconds of being close, he had already caught a faint whiff of the meat's aroma. It smelled even better than the bun shop he passed by this morning. It had to be something good!

The boss hiding it like this meant it was doubly good!

He swallowed and said, "Just one bite."

Zhou Yueshen ignored him.

Unwilling to give up, Yu Dong pressed on, "Then let me have a look. Just one look, okay?"

Finally, Zhou Yueshen glanced up at him, his eyes cold, silently telling him to get lost.

Yu Dong muttered to himself, thinking how generous the boss's wife was, and yet she ended up with such a stingy husband. If he'd known she was making something delicious today, he would have gone to visit earlier! Maybe he could have caught it fresh and hot.

Ah, it was just his own fault for being too shy. Next time, he needed to be thicker-skinned.

Yu Dong walked out of the office, feeling deeply unsatisfied. Not far off, he saw Lin Xiao eating something with his back turned. The aroma wafted over from a distance, and Yu Dong's eyes lit up.

Of course! How could he forget? The stingy boss had also brought a portion for his brother-in-law!

What a betrayal, to remember the brother-in-law but not share even a bit with a good friend like him. It was just too cruel!

What happened to sharing good times and bad times with your brothers?

Lin Xiao hadn't been around for long and wasn't very talkative, so most people didn't interact much with him. He was sitting alone, eating, with no one talking to him. Yu Dong ran over with a sly smile. "Brother Lin, what are you eating? It smells so good."

Though Lin Xiao was actually younger than him, Yu Dong didn't dare to take liberties. After all, he was the big brother of his boss's wife. If even Boss Zhou called him "big brother," Yu Dong figured he should follow suit.

Lin Xiao glanced at him. It was Yu Dong, a good friend of Boss Zhou, who he'd heard grew up with Zhou Yueshen. Hearing Yu Dong's question, Lin Xiao quickly closed his food container and stood up, replying honestly, "I'm eating buns."

Yu Dong ground his teeth. He already knew he was eating buns; he'd seen it from afar. His stomach ached with hunger, and he put on a thick skin, "What kind of buns? They smell amazing. Let me have a taste. I haven't had breakfast."

He thought to himself that Lin Xiao, being so honest and seemingly easy to bully, surely wouldn't be as stingy as the boss. He didn't want much, just a bite would do. He was starving after starting work so early.

However, Lin Xiao showed a troubled expression. He hesitated for a long time, and under Yu Dong's hopeful gaze, he finally fished around in his pocket and pulled out a dry, hard flatbread. "If you haven't had breakfast, here you go."

With that, he held his precious soup buns close and got into the car.

He had only eaten two buns earlier, intending just to try them out, but they were so delicious that he couldn't help but eat a third. The remaining buns were too precious for Lin Xiao to eat; he wanted to take them home for his wife, parents, and younger brother to try. After all, his sister had made them herself, so he was reluctant to share them with anyone else.

Yu Dong, forcibly given a dry flatbread, was speechless: "......"

After Zhou Yueshen left, Si Nian taught Yaoyao to speak for a while, but feeling bored, she grabbed a hoe and started digging in the yard outside. Yaoyao also carried a smaller hoe and started digging enthusiastically. Soon, both were sweating but continued with enthusiasm.

The soil in the yard was hard-packed from being walked on so much. The little girl barely managed to dig up a few strands of grass after a long time, and Si Nian herself only made a small dent after quite some effort. Her palms were starting to feel numb. Standing in the yard, she rubbed her reddened hands, realizing that the dream of a vegetable and fruit garden was not as simple as she had imagined. At her current pace, it would take several days just to get the soil ready.

Steady footsteps approached from outside the gate. Si Nian instinctively turned around and saw that it was indeed Zhou Yueshen returning, carrying a slab of fresh pork belly. Ever since the incident with Li Mingjun, he preferred to make extra trips himself rather than have others deliver things.

Seeing Si Nian standing at the entrance, with her pants rolled up and sleeves pushed back, covered in sweat, Zhou Yueshen walked over and looked at the uneven holes dug in the ground. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Si Nian softened her voice unconsciously when she saw him, "I bought some vegetable seeds yesterday and thought it would be nice to grow our own vegetables. It's such a hassle to go buy them every time. Since our yard is so big, I thought we could cultivate it, but I didn't expect it to be this hard to dig." She then showed him her tender, red palms with a hint of grievance, "Look, my hands are hurting from all the digging."

Zhou Yueshen looked down at her reddened palms, took her hands in his large ones, and gently massaged them, his brows furrowing. "Silly girl, if you can't dig, you shouldn't force it." After massaging her palms for a moment, he picked up the hoe, his voice low, "I'll do it. You go rest."

Si Nian nodded in agreement and stepped aside.

After a while, Zhou Yueshen continued massaging her hands and then suddenly lifted one to kiss the back of her hand. The touch was quick, fleeting.

Si Nian's eyelashes fluttered slightly. She watched him for a moment before turning to look back at him. He held the hoe, his gaze focused straight ahead, his muscles moving powerfully with each stroke, digging deep and turning up large clumps of soil. His profile was stern and cold.

Si Nian watched him for a few seconds, feeling a mix of emotions.