"What's there to be afraid of when I'm holding my own wife?"
Zhan Zeye lifted Tang Qiyue's chin, making her look at him.
"Or is there some secret in this little box that I don't know about?"
Tang Qiyue was initially annoyed by his sudden reaction, but when she heard him suspect that something was hidden in the wooden box, she couldn't help but laugh.
She opened the box right in front of him.
Inside, there was nothing but a stack of money.
However, Zhan Zeye didn't relax after seeing it. Instead, he frowned even more.
"If there's no secret, then why are you afraid of me staying at home?"
Tang Qiyue pushed him away and closed the box.
"I'm not afraid of you being here. But aren't you leading training? Don't you need to deal with the injuries you suffered?"
Just because she didn't ask didn't mean she hadn't thought about it.
Zhan Zeye clicked his tongue, let go of her, and placed his hands behind his head.
"You really do understand me. Training will be more intense lately. Sometimes I won't be able to come home at night. I'm telling you in advance so you won't worry."
As a soldier, he had responsibilities. He couldn't come home every night just to sleep beside his wife.
Tang Qiyue nodded.
"I understand. I'm quite capable—I'll take care of things at home."
She didn't want him to notice anything unusual for now, and she felt more at ease when she was alone.
Zhan Zeye didn't linger. He lifted her chin again, leaned in, and kissed her.
"I'm leaving. Don't miss me too much, okay?"
Tang Qiyue: …
She had never met a man as shameless as Zhan Zeye.
To him, hugging and kissing seemed completely natural.
After he left, Tang Qiyue went to the kitchen, opened her portable system, and exchanged for a piece of pork belly and a bundle of garlic sprouts.
She quickly stir-fried a plate of twice-cooked pork, compressing the aroma into scent balls so that no smell would spread outside. She stepped out to check and confirmed that it worked just like it had during the apocalypse.
Relieved, she continued cooking and even exchanged more ingredients. If she hadn't grown tired, she could have made several more dishes.
She collected the scent balls, planning to throw them into the sea later while beachcombing. Even if the fish smelled them, they wouldn't be able to harm her.
Out of curiosity, she scanned the cooked dishes with the system and was surprised to discover they could be exchanged for points—and quite a generous amount at that.
Still, she chose not to exchange them. She cooked to improve her own life, not just to earn points.
For dinner, she ate only a plate of twice-cooked pork and two steamed buns. The rest she stored in her spatial pouch, where the food could stay warm.
Just as she finished cleaning up, someone called out to her.
The houses here all had fenced yards, but they didn't offer much privacy. Because of this, Tang Qiyue didn't dare use her system freely.
"Sister-in-law, I heard from Weimin that your chili sauce is amazing. Can you teach me how to make it? My husband, Hu Peng, has been craving it!"
Xu Qiuju pushed open the gate, looking eager.
Tang Qiyue knew that the key to chili sauce was the chili peppers themselves. There was nothing particularly secret about the process.
She explained everything honestly, except that she said the chili peppers came from her family and that she didn't have any extra right now.
"Can we use other types of chili peppers? When the supply team goes out, I'll ask them to bring some back."
Tang Qiyue nodded.
"That's fine. As long as they're fresh chili peppers, I can teach you."
With that reassurance, Xu Qiuju relaxed. After asking about the shrimp and learning they came from the fishing village, she understood how Tang Qiyue had obtained them.
After chatting for a while, Xu Qiuju suddenly noticed something.
"Sister-in-law, why don't you have any mosquitoes here? There are so many at my house! I don't even dare let the children go outside at night."
Tang Qiyue didn't reveal her advanced methods. She simply said she had made some mosquito repellent and buried it around the yard.
Seeing Xu Qiuju's hopeful expression, she went inside and brought some out for her.
"Bury some in your yard and some inside the house. It should last about half a month."
The packet mainly contained dried mugwort and other herbs. The real effect, however, came from the advanced additives Tang Qiyue had included.
Xu Qiuju thanked her repeatedly before leaving.
After she left, Tang Qiyue watched as the sky gradually darkened. She closed the gate and returned inside.
She planned to plant the chili seeds she had saved and also improve her lighting.
She disliked kerosene lamps—the smoke was unpleasant, and the light was too dim and yellow.
While browsing the system, she found a gas lamp.
Unlike ordinary lamps, it used a special gauze treated with chemicals. When heated, it emitted a bright white glow.
She remembered seeing one in her family home before.
Without hesitation, she exchanged for one and lit it.
The room instantly became as bright as daylight.
Although the light was excellent, it could easily be seen from outside. So she quickly found a dark cloth and made a curtain to cover the window.
Meanwhile, far away, her mother finally received the letter Tang Qiyue had sent before leaving for the island.
Before she could even open it, Tang Qiyue's father kicked open the gate.
"Did that girl write to you? Do you have her address? Give it to me—I need to send her a telegram!"
His furious voice filled the courtyard.