A woman in her 70s marries a rough-looking man; her plump wife is too delicate and alluring.

The next morning, when He Zhaoyang woke up, Sheng Yuze had already gone to training.

There was a boxed lunch on the table, with a note underneath.

I have already spoken to Director Su about changing the person I am in contact with.

After reading the note, He Zhaoyang sat on the edge of the bed and went to wash up.

After having breakfast, I was opening the window to let in some fresh air when there was a knock on the door.

This time I was banging away frantically, bang bang bang.

He Zhaoyang opened the door, and Li Nan was standing outside.

She was wearing a floral blouse, her hair was tied up with a black rubber band, and she was smiling. In her hand, she was holding an enamel basin with several golden cornbreads stacked inside, still steaming.

"Zhaoyang! Have you eaten? I just made some pancakes, I'll bring you a few."

He Zhaoyang stepped aside and said, "Sister-in-law, come in and sit down."

Li Nan stepped in, placed the basin on the table, and without any ceremony, plopped down in a chair. She looked around and nodded in satisfaction.

"It's so clean. Yuze is such a neat kid, unlike ours, who always leaves socks everywhere."

He Zhaoyang poured her a glass of water and sat down opposite her. "Sister-in-law, I was just about to come find you."

"Me? What's up?"

"I'm new here and don't know anyone. I just wanted to ask what you usually do for leisure?"

Li Nan took a sip of water, put down the cup, and started talking, "There are so many ways to pass the time! In the morning, everyone chats in the open space downstairs and brings their kids to soak up the sun."

In the afternoons, I sometimes go to the logistics department to pick up things, or I go to the market in town. If you're free, come with me, I'll show you the way.

He Zhaoyang nodded. "Okay."

As Li Nan spoke, she suddenly lowered her voice slightly, "By the way, was Su Qinghe here yesterday?"

He Zhaoyang looked at her. "How did you know?"

"I ran into her dad downstairs this morning. Director Su didn't look too good. Later I heard that Yuze went to him and changed the contact person."

Li Nan pursed her lips. "If you ask me, it's a good thing they changed her. That Su Qinghe, relying on her father being a section chief, acts arrogantly in the logistics department. She ignores everyone but is very friendly to Yu Ze."

He Zhaoyang smiled but didn't reply.

Li Nan glanced at her and added, "But don't worry, I feel that Yu Ze also looks down on her because she's too cunning. Don't argue with him about this."

"I won't bother my sister-in-law," He Zhaoyang said with a smile. "If she knocks on the door again, I won't open it."

Li Nan paused for a moment, then slapped her thigh, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "Alright! I like your personality! If you ever need anything, just come to me. Don't be shy with your sister-in-law."

She sat for a while longer, chatted about everyday things, then stood up to leave.

As she reached the door, she glanced back at He Zhaoyang and said, "By the way, I'm going to town this afternoon. Are you coming?"

He Zhaoyang thought for a moment, then said, "Go."

"Okay, I'll call you at two o'clock."

After Li Nan left, He Zhaoyang closed the door, returned to the table, picked up a cornbread, took a bite, and found the outer crust to be crispy, the inside soft and fluffy, with a hint of sweetness.

She put the rest away and waited for Sheng Yuze to come back and eat.

When Sheng Yuze returned home for lunch, he saw the bowl of cornbread on the table and asked, "Did someone come over today?"

"Yes. Sister Li brought me some flatbread and asked me to go to town this afternoon."

Sheng Yuze took off his hat and hung it on the wall, then walked over and sat down. "Perfect, you can familiarize yourself with the way, so you can go wherever you want in the future."

He Zhaoyang handed him a pair of chopsticks. "Does Director Su not want you to change partners?"

Sheng Yuze lowered his head and ate his rice. "Ignore him, he has no say in our affairs."

He Zhaoyang nodded thoughtfully and lowered his head to eat.

At 2 p.m. sharp, Li Nan knocked on the door.

He Zhaoyang carried a cloth bag on his back and went out with her.

There were quite a few people at the market in town. Li Nan, familiar with the area, led her through the crowd to where the farmers were selling eggs.

"Zhaoyang, the eggs and vegetables here are the freshest, and they're cheap too. Old Liu, give me a pound."

While He Zhaoyang was squatting in front of the stall picking out vegetables, Li Nan was chatting with the owner next to him.

As He Zhaoyang was getting vegetables, he caught a glimpse of a thin man squeezing through the crowd, taking a cloth bag from an old woman's basket, and then turning to disappear into the throng.

The old woman looked down, then frantically slapped her thigh and cried out, "Oh! My bag! My bag! It contains my husband's life-saving money!"

He Zhaoyang put the vegetables on the stall and chased after them.

Hearing the commotion, Li Nan turned around and saw that He Zhaoyang had already run five or six steps away.

She quickly called out, "Zhaoyang!"

Then she followed, but there were too many people and she couldn't squeeze through, so she could only shout from behind.

He Zhaoyang ran fast. When the thief turned around and saw someone chasing him, he took off running into the alley.

He Zhaoyang followed her in. The alley was narrow, with clutter piled up on both sides. She jumped over a bamboo pole without stopping.

The thief ran to the end of the road and, finding no way out, turned around, panting heavily, and glared at her.

"Why are you chasing after me!"

He Zhaoyang stood at the alley entrance, blocking the way, and said, "Give the bag back to them."

The thief tried to rush past her, but He Zhaoyang dodged to the side and kicked him hard in the back.

The thief stumbled forward, and the cloth bag slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

He Zhaoyang stomped hard on his back, and the thief couldn't break free.

At this moment, the militia patrol also arrived.

The militia captain, surnamed Zhou, was in his thirties and stood upright. When he ran over, he first glanced at the thief on the ground, then at He Zhaoyang, who was stepping on someone, and paused for a moment.

"you."

He Zhaoyang pulled his foot off the thief's back, dusted off his hands, and said, "He stole an old lady's bag in front of me, and I chased after him."

Captain Zhou squatted down, pulled the thief up, twisted his hands behind his back, and the thief grimaced in pain.

Team Leader Zhou looked her up and down.

"You subdued him all by yourself?"

"Um."

Captain Zhou couldn't hide his admiration. "Whose are you? I'll definitely commend you publicly!"

He Zhaoyang was about to say that it wasn't necessary.

Li Nan ran over, panting, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the thief being subdued. "Finally caught up! Zhaoyang, you've exhausted me!"

Captain Zhou glanced at Li Nan, "Sister-in-law, where are you from? I must commend this comrade!"

Li Nan took a couple of breaths, patted her chest, and said, "We're from the western residential compound. This is Yuze's wife; she just moved here a few days ago."

Upon hearing the name "Yuze," Captain Zhou seemed to recall something: "Sheng Yuze?"

"Yes, yes, that's his wife."

Captain Zhou glanced at He Zhaoyang again and smiled, "That kid Sheng Yuze, he married a pretty impressive wife."

He took out a notebook and pen from his pocket, made a note, and said, "I'm going to report this. You helped the townspeople recover their life-saving money; you deserve praise."

He Zhaoyang waved his hand, "No need, no need, I just happened to see it."

Captain Zhou closed his notebook, his tone quite serious, "Doing good deeds deserves praise, especially since you brought back the people's life-saving money!"

Li Nan nodded vigorously beside him, "Yes, yes, yes, he deserves praise!"

He Zhaoyang's ears burned from Li Nan's call, and he pulled her outside, saying, "Sister-in-law, stop talking, let's go."