Where others lack, I possess; where others possess, I excel.

Even though the mountain town had developed its tourist attractions for seven or eight years, there were still no large restaurants—just a handful of Sichuan and specialty eateries, mostly serving local dishes like sour soup chicken and cured pork knuckle. Amazingly, Yisha, who had been selling local products in town with her sisters all this time, had never eaten at any of them. “I can’t bear to spend my own hard-earned money, and though I’ve been invited plenty of times, my mother always said, ‘If you eat for free, you’ll have to pay something in return. There’s always a reason why someone invites you to a meal, isn’t there?’”

Bai Haonan laughed: “So that’s why you invited me to eat free-range chicken?”

Yisha shook her head. “In our tribe, women are the earth and men are the sky. Managing the household is a woman’s responsibility. I can cook, farm, and do many things. Of course, I want you to taste my cooking—see if you like it, and then perhaps there will be more. Really, I learned all of it from my mother and grandmother. Only during festivals would my siblings and I cook together.”

Chen Sufen watched as Bai Haonan made endless trips, bringing over plates of pan-fried buns, spicy noodles, boiled fish, hand-pulled meat, salt-baked chicken, and spicy rabbit. Thankfully, they were in a food court of sorts; though the flavors weren’t particularly authentic, the variety was dazzling and impressive. Clearly, after her encounter with roast duck, Yisha no longer drooled like a waterfall, but she still ate steadily, sampling everything, always making sure to serve Bai Haonan first, then herself. This heartfelt wifely etiquette surprised Chen Sufen and made her reflect: had she gone too far down the path of indulging Bai Haonan’s roughness?

Bai Haonan himself was clearly enjoying this service. If it weren’t for the increasing number of glances from the dinner crowd curious about this trio—especially the two uniquely charming women—he might have ordered another couple of beers to relax in style.

Yisha was stunned when they left so much food behind. She even couldn’t help but scold Bai Haonan. Upon learning they could pack the leftovers, she immediately grabbed a stack of plastic bags and started packing everything, not even leaving behind the lotus leaves under the buns. Bai Haonan and Chen Sufen didn’t look down on her for this—they were simply too used to everyday waste. So, when they went downstairs, many in the shopping center noticed the beautiful girl in a light blue ethnic dress, arms full of takeout bags, and what’s more, this silly girl carefully checked for leaks along the way.

Back at the car, Bai Haonan and Chen Sufen both urged Yisha to change out of her ethnic dress. But where could she change?

No matter how bold an ethnic girl may be, she wasn’t about to change clothes in broad daylight in the car. Bai Haonan, more experienced in such matters than Chen Sufen, suggested a lingerie shop by the roadside. After all, the brand store in the shopping center only sold outerwear and shirts. Bai Haonan, with practiced ease, picked out a few sets of lingerie and nightgowns for both girls. Chen Sufen, in truth, didn’t have much to change into either.

Once again, Yisha defied Chen Sufen’s expectations. She refused to let Bai Haonan out of her sight, especially when about to enter the fitting room. So she simply dragged him in with her.

Yisha was clearly afraid of being abandoned, but knowing Bai Haonan’s character, when there were noises from the fitting room after a while, Chen Sufen, cheeks burning, had to make small talk with the middle-aged shop owner to distract her, though it was obvious from the woman's knowing look that she understood exactly what was going on inside.

It was mortifying for the sports academy girl!

Thankfully, the shop was quiet in the afternoon. By the time the rascally couple finally emerged, Chen Sufen was on the verge of losing her temper. But seeing Yisha come out glowing and refreshed, Chen Sufen couldn’t help but admit either she or, more accurately, Bai Haonan had good taste in clothes.

From the first moment she saw Yisha yesterday, she’d always been in her distinctive ethnic robe, looking like a mature woman in her twenties—perhaps even older than Chen Sufen herself. After learning Yisha’s real age, when picking out clothes earlier, Chen Sufen subconsciously chose differently based on their ages. Now, even in the simplest outfit—washed skinny jeans, a white shirt not tucked in, and a red-and-white baseball jacket—the girl with her mixed features bloomed like a radiant flower.

Chen Sufen began to realize she had a formidable rival!

Bai Haonan, on the other hand, lounged comfortably, giving Chen Sufen a look as if to ask whether she wanted to try on her new underwear as well, as if he were addicted to such excitement.

Absolutely not!

The ever-hygienic Chen Sufen gave him a sharp kick and dragged him outside. Yisha, meanwhile, carefully packed up her old clothes in a plastic bag and followed. So when they got back in the car, Yisha was surrounded by a pile of plastic bags, kneeling on the back seat to meticulously organize bags of soup and clothes as if she could create a garden even in that cramped space. The back of her jacket was unmistakably lifted by the short knife she always carried.

Chen Sufen could barely contain her emotions. Flipping through her phone, she quickly found a scenic spot just a few kilometers outside the city. “We’ll stay here! We need a few days to make things clear before deciding what to do next!”

Bai Haonan thought it was a good idea. He followed the navigation, but with Yisha’s local knowledge, they passed up several resort hotels—some were too busy and drew too much attention; others were too empty, making their group of three stand out. Eventually, Chen Sufen lost patience and, recalling her previous experience with Bai Haonan, found a villa-style guesthouse. It wasn’t as upscale as the Weston Resort, but it was quiet and secluded, with dozens of small mountain villas scattered along the slope. Each car could park right at the door; very convenient for a quick escape if necessary.

More importantly, perhaps because it was near the highway, business was good—more than half the villas were occupied, so the supporting supermarket and restaurant were well equipped, without the hermit-like isolation of their last trip.

Like a boss, Chen Sufen slammed the car door in annoyance, only to find she couldn’t open the sensor key right away. It took her over ten seconds before Bai Haonan, laughing and helping his new girlfriend with all her bags, came over and opened it with practiced ease. That only fueled Chen Sufen’s anger further. She strode inside, sitting on the arm of the sofa with her arms crossed, brow furrowed. “Sit down, both of you—we’re going to talk this through!”

Bai Haonan came over and sat by the sofa, but Yisha paid no heed. Fluttering about like a butterfly, she arranged all the plastic bags neatly on the dining table, brought in the bags of clothes and Bai Haonan’s messy luggage, organizing everything. It felt as if the tribal women’s age-old roles were playing out—the men idly strolling ahead, the women busy managing everything.

She even brought slippers and made tea.

Finally, she brought a towel and a basin of hot water for Bai Haonan to wash his hands and face.

For the first time in his twenty years of womanizing, Bai Haonan felt the heady pleasure of being a true master of the house.

Watching the man sprawled comfortably on the sofa, crossing his legs and sipping tea, the sports academy girl realized that when it came to being a wife, she was an amateur up against a professional.

She grew even more frustrated.