0p0 After Chapter 114, if you want to go out to eat, you'll think of me first.
After Chapter 114, if you want to go out to eat, you'll think of me first.
Yan Zhuoyu never wears headphones at home, except when she stays up late.
She just stared blankly as Pei Weijin came looking for her as soon as he got home.
Naturally, he didn't miss Pei Weijin's puzzled and hesitant gaze.
"..."
Why does this person always seem to get home at these crucial moments?
Last time, she made a wild statement saying she had no attachment to this family; this time, Qin Zhuyue said, "We are the number one CP in the lesbian community."
Life is tough, Zhuoyu sighed.
She hung up the video call with Qin Zhuyue, moved over, and gestured for Pei Weijin to sit down and talk.
The rocking chair was big enough for two people, and they sat side by side, looking exceptionally harmonious.
Pei Weijin seemed to see through her thoughts and chuckled, "After marrying my wife, I almost never work overtime. I get home at 5:30 every day. So, did my wife deliberately time it so that I could hear her?"
He spoke casually, with a half-smile: "No wonder my wife always implied I was gay; she was reminding me that you want a marriage of convenience with me."
Yan Zhuoyu coughed lightly: "You're overthinking it. But why do I keep feeling like you're deliberately finding excuses to collect the debt?"
"So, does Madam acknowledge those three instances of illicit love between us?" Pei Weijin countered.
Yan Zhuoyu ignored him and lazily tried to lean against Pei Weijin.
Although the cushions on the rocking chair were comfortable, she still felt more comfortable leaning against Pei Weijin.
However, just as she approached, Pei Weijin turned aside to avoid her.
"Huh? What do you mean!"
Yan Zhuoyu stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, so close that she could almost touch his face, her dissatisfaction written all over her eyes.
"dislike me?"
Pei Weijin pursed his lips slightly.
Under Yan Zhuoyu's scrutinizing gaze, his aura as a debt collector and "creditor" crumbled in an instant after only three seconds.
He explained, "I just got off work and haven't changed my clothes yet. I was afraid of getting you dirty."
"fine."
Yan Zhuoyu didn't care at all. She still rested her head on his shoulder and gently pushed off the ground with her foot. The two of them stepped on the footrest, and the rocking chair swayed back and forth at a soothing speed.
After a long day, a hug from a loved one is the best way to recharge.
Soon, the butler came over to remind them, maintaining a perfectly respectful distance, "Sir, Madam, dinner is ready."
Pei Weijin nodded in response, and the two stood up together. Yan Zhuoyu had not yet let go of his strong arm.
She seems to be becoming more and more dependent on Pei Weijin, especially her hands. They're so helpless; as soon as she gets close to him, she automatically hugs him.
Habits have a tremendous impact on people.
Yan Zhuoyu took Pei Weijin's arm and walked towards the restaurant: "I want to eat something spicy tonight, so I asked the housekeeper to prepare hot pot. I guess you can't stand the smell, so maybe I should sit further away later?"
"No need, I can have hot pot with you."
Yan Zhuoyu raised an eyebrow: "Sure, but I prefer strong flavors. The beef tallow broth is very spicy. How about we switch to a half-and-half pot?"
Pei Weijin's starry eyes held a hint of spring warmth as he smiled slightly: "Won't this be troublesome? I remember you posted on your WeChat Moments about going out to eat with friends, and you've never had a hot pot with two broths before."
The butler quickly replied, "No trouble at all. The broth hasn't been added yet. We can just change the pot. The chef made his own mushroom soup base, which is very flavorful. It'll be perfect to eat with it."
Once the decision was made, the kitchen quickly adjusted the table layout.
One side of the hot pot is filled with boiling Sichuan peppercorn and beef tallow broth, and the strong, spicy aroma hits you right in the face.
The other half of the mushroom soup is filled with goji berries and red dates, making it look healthy and nourishing. The soup is milky in color and very sweet.
Yan Zhuoyu slid the freshly sliced lamb into the red soup. The chef's knife skills were superb; the extremely thinly sliced lamb turned brownish-red after being scalded in the pot for a few seconds.
She picked up a few slices, rolled them in her own condiment bowl, and then gave half to Pei Weijin, her eyes full of anticipation: "Want to try some?"
Pei Weijin narrowed his eyes slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then put the mutton into his mouth.
The spicy and savory flavor exploded in my mouth instantly, with a layer of rich sesame sauce on top that offset some of the spiciness of the chili oil, accompanied by the freshness of crushed peanuts and cilantro.
It's really fragrant.
It's just... a bit pungent.
"Cough cough, mmm, delicious, cough cough—"
Pei Weijin's fair profile was flushed red from the spiciness, and his light gray eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of cold mist, as if they had been soaked in ice.
Seeing this, Yan Zhuoyu laughed and said, "Never mind, if you can't eat it, then don't. Just enjoy your mushroom soup."
Pei Weijin shook his head and added some more beef rolls to the spicy broth: "I can eat it, it's just that I haven't had spicy food in a long time, so I need to get used to it slowly. Once I get used to it, I can eat the same broth as you, and if you want to go out to eat in the future, you can think of me first."
"Moreover, I still have 45 days of vacation left to take."
Yan Zhuoyu poured him a glass of chilled plum juice: "Drink this, it's sweet and helps with the spiciness."
She casually mentioned, "But I remember when I was little, my grandma loved to eat pickled chili peppers. You could handle spicy food really well back then, so how come you can't now..."
Before he could finish speaking, Pei Weijin's eyes dimmed slightly, his expression carrying a hint of melancholy that was hard to detect.
Yan Zhuoyu immediately realized that she might have touched on some unpleasant topics.
Before and after they recognized each other, Pei Weijin never mentioned her grandmother to her. She thought that something might have happened, so she never asked.
Yan Zhuoyu quickly changed the subject and poured him some more plum juice: "Drink more. This is cooked by the chef, not mixed. It's very healthy and good for your health."
Pei Weijin chuckled, breaking the silence: "What are you thinking? Grandma is fine."
“She developed a stomach ulcer because of these bad eating habits, which later developed into cancer. Fortunately, it was in the early stages, and she has been receiving treatment abroad for many years. I didn’t want you to worry, so I haven’t mentioned it.”
Yan Zhuoyu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
"It's good that you're alright. I haven't seen my grandma in so long, I wonder if she still remembers me."
Pei Weijin pulled a photo from his phone's album and handed it to her, his smile deepening as he spoke.
“How could Grandma forget you? She often mentions you, worrying about whether you’ve been bullied after you came home, what if you’ve been sold again, or what if you’ve encountered bad people.”
“When the village was being demolished and people were moving away, she even found a banknote that had been eaten by termites under the mattress. Last month, when she found out we were getting married, she scolded me.”
Yan Zhuoyu stared at the damaged wallet for a long time before she could recall how she had hidden the money.
He wondered to himself whether what he had done constituted the crime of damaging currency.
She asked curiously, "Why did Grandma scold you when you married me?"
Pei Weijin fell silent again, seemingly unwilling to speak.
This only made Yan Zhuoyu more and more curious, and she kept asking him the same question several times.
"Oh, come on, come on, what is it that I can't hear?"
Pei Weijin's voice lowered considerably: "She thinks I'm not good enough for you."
Yan Zhuoyu was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, I love listening to Grandma talk."
After laughing for a while, she straightened her expression and suggested:
“The elderly value traditional festivals very much, and she must be lonely spending the Lunar New Year alone abroad. Why don’t we go visit her abroad during the Lunar New Year?”
Pei Weijin nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking."