40

Just barely escaping death, Yang Zhi originally told herself not to engage with a crazy person like Guan Rui. People like her should just face their own consequences, get a criminal record, and suffer the repercussions.

But when Guan Rui accused her of seducing her ^[1]“kappa” likely refers to an insult or derogatory term used to describe the boyfriend. A “kappa” is a mythical creature in Japanese folklore, often depicted as a humanoid being … Continue reading“kappa” boyfriend, Yang Zhi immediately lost it.

“Open your eyes and look at your boyfriend! A guy in his twenties with no job, who just lazes around all day, and who looks like—that—what makes you think I would seduce him? Do you really think all women are like you, obsessed with working two jobs to support a useless man? Damn it, how can someone like you, who eats shit and enjoys it, be so protective of your food! I have money, looks, a house, and a career—why would I bother stealing your trash?”

Yang Zhi cursed fiercely, and Guan Rui screamed back, “Don’t talk about him like that!”

Yang Zhi: “……I’m going to say it anyway. I even advised you to break up before, but now I think you two are made for each other! I’ve really had enough of you. I hope you and your ‘kappa’ last forever! Goodbye! No, actually, I hope I never see you again in this lifetime!”

Yang Zhi hung up the phone, completely ignoring Guan Rui, who was on the other end, nearly exploding with rage.

Soon, Guan Rui realized that her anger couldn’t change anything. Yang Zhi had really made up her mind, and that same day, she found the video of Guan Rui stealing things and reported it to the police.

By the time the police found her, Guan Rui’s boyfriend still hadn’t shown up.

Guan Rui’s mother was called to the police station, and Guan Rui, still not giving up, asked, “Where is my boyfriend?!”

“My money is with him! Why isn’t he here to help me?”

Guan Rui’s mother, furious and clutching her chest, replied, “Stop talking about him! He’s already run off! I went to your place earlier, and everything’s gone! The room is empty!”

Looking at her daughter, who was mumbling to herself, Guan Rui’s mother couldn’t help but shed tears.

“How could you be so out of your mind? What’s so good about someone like him?”

Guan Rui was still dazed, lost in her own world. Guan Rui’s mother sighed deeply. She had come from a relative’s house, Guan Rui’s cousin, who had suddenly fallen from the stairs and broken his teeth and legs. That side was busy sending him to the hospital for surgery, while her daughter was still making trouble here.

This daughter of hers seemed hopeless. Years after graduation, she still hadn’t planned anything for herself and just followed her boyfriend’s every word. If he had been a good guy, that would have been fine, but look at the guy she chose. As soon as something went wrong, he ran away. Just earlier, she had seen it with her own eyes—the room had nothing left, not even basic living supplies, let alone appliances.

“Look at you, such an adult, how could you make such a mistake. Your father and I will cover the stolen money, but the rest… we’ll just have to see what the court decides.”

When Guan Rui was arrested, Yang Zhi didn’t feel a sense of revenge, just a calm “Oh” and asked the police if she could avoid seeing Guan Rui.

The money for the stolen clothes and bags would be paid back, and since this was Guan Rui’s first offense and the value wasn’t too high, she’d probably only get a year or two of probation.

However, it would leave her with a criminal record, which would have a huge impact on her.

The police understood her feelings and assured her that unless it was a very important matter, they wouldn’t make her meet Guan Rui. They even sighed, “As for your friend, she’s a mystery. Since she came in, she’s always been hurt. At first, we thought someone beat her up, but after reviewing the footage, we saw she’s just constantly falling. Sometimes she even rants and yells at the air.”

Yang Zhi knew this was what the Taoist had called a backlash, and she felt no sympathy for her. After thanking the police, she planned to go to the Taoist temple to offer incense.

Since the Taoist had suggested she stay on the mountain for a while, she rented two rooms in Fangping Town, right behind her cousin Yao Hongxia’s delivery point.

It was said that the air in the mountains was fresh, and she had indeed felt better these past few days, with a clearer mind. She even found herself coming up with a lot of new ideas. She took advantage of the opportunity to ask her parents to move her art supplies to the mountain. She bought some paint boards, renovated the rented house a little, planted some flowers and greenery, and set up her easel in the center of the room. The place had a very artistic vibe.

A couple of days ago, her cousin even sent her a small jar of honey with a bittersweet expression, saying it had been hard to get it from her son: “Once it’s finished, it’s gone! You better make it last!”

The locust flower honey calms the mind and soothes the spirit, which should work wonders for people suffering from long-term insomnia.

Yang Zhi was a bit surprised. Both sides of her family kept bees in the mountains, so who hadn’t tasted some good honey? After eating it for a while, it seemed just the same.

“Don’t be silly, this honey was made from bees raised by Lin You! You’ll know as soon as you taste it—it’s completely different from the one from our hometown!”

When Yang Zhi heard that it was honey from Lin You’s bees, she nearly decided to save the jar for later. But her cousin insisted on having her drink a glass of honey water.

This really shocked Yang Zhi.

The big jar of locust flower honey from Yao Hongxia tasted delicious, and the biggest effect she noticed was that her sleep had improved slightly. But for Yang Zhi, drinking honey water every day made her feel much more energized!

That very night after drinking the honey water, she slept soundly from ten o’clock in the evening to seven o’clock in the morning, waking up refreshed without the usual fatigue.

Her cousin had mentioned the quality of the milk, vegetables, and honey that Lin You had produced on the mountain, even generously sharing a pack of milk cookies she had bought from a newly opened store.

Yang Zhi pondered over this. As an art student, her imagination ran wild, and after connecting the dots, she suddenly thought Lin You might be connected to that Taoist Master in some way.

With such mysterious happenings, no wonder she was feeling more energized the longer she stayed in the mountains.

However, there were still things that bothered her, like…

“How could the packaging of this cookie be so ugly!”

It wasn’t just Yang Zhi complaining, the other mothers who had recently received the cookies were also criticizing the packaging.

If this wasn’t a special offer from Lin You’s live stream, they wouldn’t even have glanced at it if it were sold in a snack shop!

The packaging was a large blue bag with red letters, and aside from the logo, there was no artwork at all!

It was hideously ugly, like a typical piece created under the aesthetic direction of a leader.

Du Xun saw the recent feedback and, while he was happy about the flood of five-star reviews, he was also puzzled by why everyone was criticizing the packaging.

He complained to his wife, “You know how rushed we are—who had time to hire someone for packaging? It’s fine as it is.”

Surprisingly, his wife tossed the packaging at him with disdain, saying, “It really is ugly.”

“…Fine, I’ll find a designer.”

However, good designers were hard to find. Du Xun, as a businessman, was very satisfied with the sales but not so much with the profit margins.

The five times the profit that Lin You had set was not enough without expanding the raw material supply, making the profit sheet look very tight.

To find a good designer, the first requirement was that they were expensive, but at their small scale, even if he was willing to foot the bill, many top designers wouldn’t take the job.

Just as he was worrying about this, Lin You, like a messenger of good news, delivered a message. She told him not to worry about the packaging—she had found a friend to do it for free.

Du Xun was overjoyed but still a bit worried. “Is your friend reliable? They’re not a scammer, are they?”

Lin You didn’t answer, instead sending a screenshot.

The screenshot showed an account. Du Xun quickly searched it up and down, then fell to his knees in admiration.

“Boss! Where did you find this big boss from?!”

The long list of awards was eye-catching. Although Du Xun wasn’t involved in the art industry, he had friends who liked to collect and often bought works from emerging artists, hoping they would appreciate in value. He clearly remembered seeing this name in his friend’s collection!

Lin You typed back with a smile: “Came falling from the sky.”

And indeed, it had fallen from the sky! After Yang Zhi ate the cookies, she came to Lin You with one request: she hoped Lin You could give her a jar of honey and unlimited cookies, and in return, she would offer her own artwork as compensation.

Lin You, of course, agreed on the spot.

Yang Zhi got a two-kilogram jar of honey and was overjoyed.

When she saw Lin You cleaning the beehive, she asked what she was doing.

Lin You replied, “This is the leftover beehive after harvesting the honey. I’m thinking of how to make use of it.”

Such good beehives seemed too good to waste.

At this point, Lin You didn’t know that her five jars of honey, which she had raffled off, had already caused quite a stir elsewhere.

“I’m making a dish of braised noodles at noon. Are you going to eat?”

Yang Zhi, still pondering what to do with the beehive, was quick to answer without thinking.

“Yes!”

She didn’t know how good Lin You’s cooking skills were, but just the thought of eating a dish made by her idol…

Mmm, she could probably brag about it in the fan group for the rest of her life!

Lin You washed her hands and went into the kitchen. The weather was getting warmer, and she didn’t like staying too long in the kitchen, so she often preferred to make something simple.

Like the braised noodles she was making today. There were many variations of this dish across different regions. The traditional version from the capital used soaked shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, yellow flowers, and black fungus, with eggs and pork belly stewed to make the braising sauce. Before serving, the sauce was thickened and mixed with noodles, making it salty and aromatic.

In a nearby municipality, people liked to add gluten to the braised noodles and often replaced the pork belly with shrimp. The shrimp added sweetness, while the gluten was slightly sweet, creating a more integrated flavor compared to the noodles from the capital.

But Lin You’s favorite version was from a provincial capital in the northwest.

It still used yellow flowers, eggs, black fungus, and shiitake mushrooms, with the addition of dried tofu. The pork belly was cooked until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sliced thin, and mixed with the other ingredients. Some vinegar was added to the pan to enhance the freshness and stimulate the appetite dulled by the summer heat. A little chili was added to the braise, giving it a fragrant, spicy, and sour flavor that paired perfectly with the noodles. A sprinkling of dried shrimp and chives on top made the dish colorful and full of variety.

With new guests, Yao Jiu was just surprised and didn’t say anything more.

When Lin You brought the dish to the table, she heard her muttering.

“Anyway, it’s not the first time. No matter who comes, I’m always the first!”