A domineering country girl flirts with her son, and Commander Huo can't resist.

He was deeply traumatized today; the scene of his wife's frantic killing of a wild boar late at night kept replaying in his mind.

He finally managed to close his eyes around 3 a.m.

Qiao An got up early to cook, and while she was at it, she also burned the blood-stained clothes.

After a few days of rest, Huo Fang was almost fully recovered and could walk around.

Joan started to nourish her, serving her bone broth and braised beef brisket with tomatoes.

Qiao An was off work today, and Aunt Liu and Dongmei arrived at their house early in the morning.

Qiao An took out the prepared pork, and Aunt Liu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Where did you get such good pork?"

"My boss has family members who work at a meat processing plant, so they can buy meat without coupons, though it's a bit pricey," Qiao An made up a reason, since no one could verify it anyway.

"Mom, look! There's still white flour!" Dongmei exclaimed, pointing to the bowl of white flour.

"I traded the noodles for vegetables with Director Geng. I'm just a small business, so I have to save money wherever I can."

Aunt Liu nodded repeatedly, "That's right, we need to be more frugal."

After saying that, Aunt Liu told Dongmei to start chopping the filling and kneading the dough.

After working for a long time, the filling was all chopped. Qiao An took out the ingredients she had prepared in advance in her space and poured them in.

Aunt Liu sniffed, "This stuff smells really good."

"Hehe, it's an exclusive recipe," Joan laughed.

Aunt Liu and Dongmei didn't ask what was inside; everyone has their own tricks in business.

They just need to do their work and get paid; there's no need to ask so many questions.

When it was time to steam the buns, Qiao An discovered that her stove was not big enough.

It's too much trouble to steam things back and forth using only one stove.

"Aunt Liu, when you get home tonight, tell Uncle Tian that I'll pay for him to help me find someone to build two more stoves, otherwise the three of us will be exhausted."

"Okay, if you trust me, I'll have him find someone to build it tomorrow. I'll keep an eye on it, and I guarantee no one will dare to tamper with it."

Aunt Liu was an open and honest person, and besides her three children, she didn't have anything of value at home, so Qiao An readily agreed.

At noon, Qiao An cooked several dishes, all with meat, which made Aunt Liu and Dongmei very happy.

One person ate two large steamed buns.

After eating, we'll continue working in the afternoon.

It wasn't until after 5 p.m. that Director Xu Nuogeng finished preparing the steamed buns, pies, and dumplings.

That afternoon, the fragrance drifted westward on the wind, and half of Lianchi Village could smell it.

The Huo family drinks radish soup every night. Shen Xiufang couldn't be happier since Huo Jiyu's dream of owning a machine tool factory was shattered.

She's happy as long as the third wife is having a bad time.

"Ji Feng, judging by the days, I should go to the town's health center for a check-up."

Shen Xiufang was pregnant and was the only one in the family who could eat refined grains.

She drank her cornmeal porridge and looked at Huo Jifeng.

"Okay, I'll take you to town on my bike tomorrow."

Wang Shuyun rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. "It's just a pregnancy, what are you acting so precious about? When I was pregnant, I wasn't this dramatic."

"Can it be the same? How old were you then, and how old am I now? Besides, I've already consulted a master, and he said the baby in my belly is a boy, so I have to be careful." Shen Xiufang scoffed.

"Is it really a boy?" Liu Huying was overjoyed.

Shen Xiufang raised her chin. "My mom had someone check it for me, so it must be accurate."

"Ji Feng, be careful when you ride your bike to town tomorrow, don't bump Xiu Fang." Liu Huying thought about it but still felt it was unsafe.

"Put some clothes on the back seat so they don't get cold."

Hearing Liu Huying's concerned words, Wang Shuyun felt uneasy, especially when she thought about the bicycle that was locked in Wang Xiufang's room, which made her even more upset.

So he decided not to eat and went back to his room.

Huo Jiyu looked dejected and didn't listen to what they were saying at all.

"Third brother, forget about the machine tool factory. We're not destined for that. Just go back to working in the fields." Huo Shoutian had resigned himself to his fate. These past few days, his family had become the laughing stock of Lianchi Village.

Even the children passing by said that the Huo family was dreaming of marrying a wife and only had good ideas.

"What do you mean by fate! How come Second Brother's life is so good? He just saves someone and becomes a high-ranking leader in the Northwest, and then suddenly he's a worker?"

Upon hearing this, Huo Shoutian and Liu Huying fell silent.

"Your second brother... he... he's different." Huo Shoutian couldn't continue.

"They were born to the same father and mother, so why are they treated differently? Why does he get all the good things?"

"He's a worker, and his wife is so capable."

Huo Shoutian remained silent, silently smoking.

Liu Huying cleared the dishes off the table and went into the kitchen.

Shen Xiufang, supporting her back, went to the outhouse. As she passed the gate, she saw Aunt Liu and Dongmei, who were carrying several lunchboxes with the lids not closed.

She immediately noticed that the lunchbox contained steamed buns made of white flour!

In the dead of winter, each household has less than a pound of wheat flour, and they save it for the New Year before eating it.

Where did they get the white flour?

Shen Xiufang rushed to the door, "Aunt Liu!"

Upon hearing her voice, Aunt Liu instinctively pressed down on the lunchbox lid, burying the steamed bun inside.

"what?"

Aunt Liu can't stand the Huo family now; she sees them as nothing but pigsty dung, utterly disgusting.

"Are you going home?"

"Hmm." Aunt Liu was too lazy to waste words with her and pulled Dongmei forward.

Shen Xiufang grabbed her arm. "Aunt Liu, I saw it! Your lunchbox is full of good stuff!"

"Your family isn't well-off either, where would you get flour? I'm pregnant now, and I don't have any oil in my belly. Aunt Liu, tell me, and I promise I won't tell anyone else."

Shen Xiufang stared intently at the lunchbox, unable to look away. Aunt Liu was so annoyed she wanted to curse, but she was afraid of upsetting Shen Xiufang and causing her to miscarry, and she couldn't explain herself.

"Where did you get this white powder? Do you think I'd tell you? Go away! If you're craving pigs, go find your own man. What kind of skill is it to come to me?"

Aunt Liu pulled her sleeve back and quickly left with Li Dongmei, afraid of being bothered by her again.

Shen Xiufang spat on the ground, "What kind of trash is she! Just because her husband is the village secretary, she thinks she can bully everyone else. Bah!"

After saying that, Shen Xiufang looked at the road they had come from, which seemed to lead to Qiao An's house.

Then, recalling the fragrance that permeated half of Lianchi Village, Shen Xiufang felt that something fishy must be going on at the Qiao family's place.

The thought of Huo Fang, that little brat, eating and drinking well at Qiao An's house made Shen Xiufang so angry that her stomach started to hurt, so she quickly went back to lie down on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Whether she can gain a foothold in the Huo family depends on whether this child is a boy or a girl; there can be absolutely no mistakes.

After seeing Aunt Liu and Li Dongmei off, Qiao An put the steaming buns and pies into her spatial storage.

She didn't cook the dumplings; instead, she neatly placed them on a bamboo mat, covered them with a cloth, and put them in the space.

I made some dumplings for the kids tonight.

Huo Ning looked at the pile of timber in the yard, her little mouth pouting, "Mommy, when is Daddy coming back? I miss him."

Huo Ning loves being held by her father and snuggling in his arms. Her father is tall and big; when he lifts her up, her head can touch the roof beam.

"Dad has something important to do. He said he'll be back in two weeks at most, so don't worry, okay?" Joanne comforted Huo Ning.

In fact, Qiao An was also a little worried. Jinshui Town had always been peaceful, and she hadn't heard of any major incidents recently.

What secret mission did Huo Jiyun go on?

These days she always deliberately passes by the armed forces department, but she has never run into Huo Jiyun.