Li Shen(Aunt Li’s Name) came over in the afternoon to apologize, saying she genuinely didn’t know they were coming and felt sorry for disturbing Qiao Wanqing.

Qiao Wanqing knew Li Shen wasn’t that kind of person and didn’t blame her for the misunderstanding.

Originally, the house was already lively with Gu Yanqing and Yuan Yuan visiting.

But at noon, Tang Yueyue also said she wanted to come over. ( Name: Tang Yueyue was named Tang Hei before but I’ll change it to Tang Yueyue )

Tang Yueyue’s mom constantly nagged her about finding a boyfriend and even pushed her to go on blind dates.

Fed up, Tang Yueyue decided to “run away from home” and since she really wanted to come to Qiao Wanqing’s place, she took the opportunity to come over.

What was originally a quiet home suddenly had three more people, instantly making it lively.

By the time Tang Yueyue arrived, it was already evening.

These past few days had been rainy with gloomy weather.

Though the sun was out today, the temperature hadn’t risen, and in the evening, a chilly wind blew.

Tang Yueyue only wore a fashionable mini skirt and fleece-lined stockings, shivering from the cold at her house.

“Gosh, it’s so cold here,” Tang Yueyue stomped her feet.

She was also wearing stylish small leather shoes.

“The temperature in the mountains is definitely a few degrees lower. Who told you to prioritize fashion over warmth?”

“How would I know it’s so cold here?”

Grandma Qiao stoked the stove a bit more and invited her to sit, saying, “Sit here, it’s warm.”

Tang Yueyue quickly sat down and exclaimed, “Thanks, Grandma… Gosh!!! What’s this?”

Seeing the chubby Huang Daxian warming and sleeping by the stove, Tang Yueyue was startled, “Is this the Huang Daxian you mentioned?”

Xu Han poured her a cup of hot tea and said, “Yes, since you hate getting married, make a wish to it. You’ll find your ideal husband this year.”

Tang Yueyue looked dubiously at the cute creature before her and said, “If it’s really that magical, then bless me to seduce my crush this year, hehehehe.”

Xu Han replied, “Wake up.”

Tang Yueyue clearly didn’t expect Gu Yanqing to show up here and bring this pretty little doll.

When they weren’t paying attention, she quietly asked Xu Han, “Are you really not having an affair? You’re not secretly together behind my back, right?”

Xu Han sighed helplessly, “It’s really not like that. He’s definitely here to see Kou Kou.”

“Huh, he’s really caring about Kou Kou.”

Tang Yueyue found it somewhat unbelievable.

Gu Yanqing’s character was just too good.

If it were any other wealthy person, they’d probably have tried to claim the child directly.

“That’s how it goes in TV dramas.”

Xu Han shrugged, “Who knows, maybe it’s because it’s his first time being a dad. It’s something new for him.”

“…I guess I can’t argue with that,” she admitted.

“Is that his son?” Tang Yueyue asked, looking at the handsome little boy. If that was true, she’d feel sorry for her friend.

“Nephew, but he’ll be like a son to him in the future.”

“Huh?” Tang Yueyue looked at her puzzled. “How do you know that? Did Gu Yanqing tell you?”

Uh, well, I’ve read this book, so I know the storyline.

You see, this little guy here is going to be quite a big shot in the future.

Of course, she couldn’t say anything.

If Tang Yueyue knew she was a character in a book who couldn’t even have a name, she’d probably be devastated.

“Well…” Xu Han said solemnly, “some things are better left mysterious.”

“Oh my god,” Tang Yueyue’s imagination ran wild. “Is Yuan Yuan his illegitimate child? Wow, Gu Yanqing looks so serious and aloof like an immortal, turns out he’s quite the player. Rich people, huh, their private lives are really messy.”

Xu Han: “…”

“Wait, no, don’t make assumptions,” Xu Han feared Tang Yueyue would spread rumors and cause trouble. “He really is just his nephew. There are reasons behind it, it’s complicated, and I don’t know all the details. But trust me, it’s not about him having an illegitimate child.”

“Okay, sure,” Tang Yueyue nodded thoughtfully.

In the evening, Xu Han thought Gu Yanqing and Yuan Yuan might find another reason to stay at her place again.

After all, if he didn’t stay at the hotel in town, there really weren’t any other options, except going back.

However, Xu Han was surprised when Gu Yanqing somehow became a major shareholder of that hotel in town.

He told her that starting from this year, the hotel would also buy vegetables from her.

“Wow, money really does let you do whatever you want,” Tang Yueyue exclaimed after Gu Yanqing left, hearing Xu Han’s account of what happened. “This is like straight out of those novels with the overbearing CEOs. It’s making my heart tremble.”

“…,” Xu Han thought to herself that he really was like those CEOs from novels.

“Hey, what exactly is your relationship now?” Tang Yueyue gossiped again about her and Gu Yanqing.

“I don’t know,” Xu Han replied truthfully.

She really couldn’t figure out her current relationship with Gu Yanqing.

They had agreed to keep their distance, but Gu Yanqing was like sticky candy that she couldn’t shake off, constantly appearing in her life.

“And people’s hearts are easily corrupted. The first and second times were extremely rejecting, the third time was rejecting, and after more contact and his help, it’s hard to treat him like before,”

Up until now, their relationship was no longer as tense as before.

When Gu Yanqing came over for a meal or something, she didn’t feel anything anymore.

Even when he came to see Kou Kou, she no longer had any feelings of resistance.

Since things had developed to this point, she decided to just go with the flow.

Maybe in the future, when she opens a vegetarian restaurant and sells dried vegetables, she might reach the peak of her life and become the mother of a rich second generation.

Xu Han comforted herself with these thoughts.

The next day was the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

The fourth day is a big day in Dongyang Village.

The villagers hold a vegetarian feast to honor their ancestors and pray for blessings and longevity for their families.

So, on this day, according to their customs, they could only eat vegetarian food in the morning and at noon to show their sincerity.

Xu Han planned to open a vegetarian restaurant and wanted to try a full vegetarian feast to see if it would be popular.

She knew that Gu Yanqing and Yuan Yuan would definitely come today.

Gu Yanqing and Tang Yueyue were both picky eaters:

Tang Yueyue was a pampered young lady, and Gu Yanqing was a spoiled young master.

They would be perfect for her “experiment.”

Ahem.

Xu Han got up early in the morning to prepare the ingredients.

She had already listed the menu the night before.

Today, she just needed to go to the field to pick vegetables.

Besides that, she needed to go to the village market to buy some mushrooms and tofu that she didn’t grow at home.

These days, with many young people returning from working outside, everyone needs to buy vegetables and meat.

Normally, the village market is held once every ten days, but recently, there have been many vendors selling their goods.

Tang Yueyue woke up yawning, and it was already past 10 in the morning.

She had thought she wouldn’t be able to get used to staying in the countryside, but to her surprise, the bed at her friend’s house was incredibly soft and comfortable.

The quilts at Qiao Wanqing’s house were made by buying cotton and having them processed at a local factory.

They were true cotton quilts, warm and soft from being sun-dried, and smelled faintly of lavender laundry detergent.

The pillows at Qiao Wanqing’s house were filled with dried mugwort, which made them soft and calming, perfect for a good night’s sleep.

Because of this, Tang Yueyue was reluctant to get out of bed and didn’t get up until 10.

“Wow, that smells so good! What are you making?” Tang Yueyue asked as she walked into the kitchen, drawn by the delicious aroma.

“Frying spring rolls. Try one,” Xu Han said, placing a plate of freshly fried spring rolls in front of her.

Tang Yueyue saw the crispy, golden spring rolls, still steaming hot.

She didn’t even bother with chopsticks and grabbed one with her hand, eagerly taking a bite.

The spring roll was crispy, making a distinct “crunch” sound. It was filled with a variety of ingredients like carrots, mung bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and cabbage, with a hint of bamboo shoots.

The combination of the crispy wrapper and the soft, flavorful filling was delicious.

The freshly fried spring roll was very hot, and Tang Yueyue had to blow on it while eating.

She gave a thumbs up and said, “This is so good! Is there no meat in this?”

“No, we can’t eat meat today due to our local customs,” Qiao Wanqing said, turning the spring rolls still frying in the pan. “If you like it, have some more.”

Tang Yueyue, still munching, said, “No wonder you love living here. The food alone is enough to make anyone want to stay.”

Yesterday, after eating at their house, Tang Yueyue found the food extraordinarily delicious.

After the New Year celebrations, she had grown tired of the constant feast of fish and meat, but yesterday, she was pleasantly surprised.

The fresh fish soup, the tender white-cut chicken, and the crispy golden roast goose made her mouth water and she ate to her heart’s content.

And today, just a small plate of fried vegetarian spring rolls left her equally impressed.

“Why don’t you say it’s because of my excellent cooking skills,” Xu Han said shamelessly.

“Although that’s true, I didn’t realize you were this good at bragging,” Tang Yueyue replied, having already eaten several spring rolls in one go.

She added, “Oh no, I’m going to break out tomorrow.”

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

“Take them out to everyone else, too, while they’re still crispy. Otherwise, they’ll get soft,” Xu Han instructed, seeing that Tang Yueyue had eaten enough.

Gu Yanqing and Yuan Yuan had arrived early and were playing with Kou Kou.

Tang Yueyue carried a plate of freshly fried spring rolls outside.

She returned shortly after, looking amazed.

“Guess what I just saw!” Tang Yueyue exclaimed, as if she had discovered the eighth wonder of the world. “Gu Yanqing was washing Kou Kou’s poopy butt. Kou Kou somehow managed to get poop all over himself, and Gu Yanqing was cleaning him up without batting an eye.”

Kou Kou’s poop not only smelled bad, but sometimes after he pooped, he wouldn’t cry or make a fuss, so no one would notice until it got all over him.

The visual experience during cleaning was sometimes so intense that even Xu Han could hardly bear to look.

Qiao Wanqing, however, thought it made sense.

Gu Yanqing had always doted on children. He treated Yuan Yuan, who wasn’t his biological child, like a treasure, so he was even more affectionate towards his own son, Kou Kou.

Imagining the scene made her laugh, but she kept a straight face and said, “Being a dad isn’t easy.”

“I thought someone like President Gu, so high and untouchable, would never do things like that.”

“…High and untouchable? You must have misunderstood that term. He’s more like shameless and thick-skinned.”

Though Gu Yanqing did come off as aloof and reserved to outsiders, with a naturally cold demeanor, making him seem high and untouchable at times.

By noon, Xu Han had finished preparing the all-vegetarian feast.

At first glance, an all-vegetarian meal might seem bland and unappetizing, like stir-fried greens and radishes.

However, that wasn’t the case.

A vegetarian feast could be incredibly flavorful with dishes like barbecued vegetables, spicy hotpot, and marinated dishes, some of which could taste even better than meat.

Due to time constraints, Xu Han kept it simple.

In addition to a few regular home-cooked dishes, she made grilled chives, garlic roasted eggplant, and foil-wrapped baby cabbage.

She also prepared a spicy vegetarian hotpot and a fresh vegetable soup in the center, perfect for dipping vegetables and noodles.

Even though it was all vegetarian, it looked sumptuous and abundant.

The taste was excellent too, especially the large spicy vegetarian hotpot.

The golden-brown potato slices were soft and savory, the cauliflower was sweet and flavorful, and the lotus root slices were crisp and refreshing.

Despite the absence of meat, the dish was spicy and satisfying.

Seeing everyone enjoying the meal, Xu Han smiled and asked, “If I open a vegetarian restaurant, what do you think? Would it attract customers?”

Yuan Yuan was the first to raise his hand. “It’s delicious! I like it!”

“A vegetarian restaurant?” Gu Yanqing paused while picking up some food. “Where do you plan to open it?”

“Near the Xishan Matchmaker Temple. I heard it will open this year and is known for its effectiveness in granting love wishes. I think a well-done vegetarian restaurant could be very popular there.”

Tang Yueyue said, “I think it’s a great idea! Your vegetables are so tasty. The restaurant would definitely be a hit. Plus, with so many single people looking for love, it’s bound to be busy. Wow, I think you’re going to be the future richest person in Dongyang Village.”

Xu Han: “…”

Something about this sounds a bit strange.

Gu Yanqing also nodded and said, “That sounds good.

Have you planned everything out?”

“Right now, it’s just a dream. But I plan to go check out some land tomorrow and rent a plot first.”

Xu Han knew there would be many challenges, the biggest being funding.

But if she didn’t take the first step due to fear, she’d never get to the second step.

This morning, her second uncle called and said that building next to the Matchmaker Temple wasn’t allowed as it could affect its feng shui.

She’d need to find a place a bit farther away.

So, she decided to find some time in the next few days to look at land plots, choose a suitable location, and determine the required area.

Once that was done, she’d sign the contract and pay the rent.

Once the farmhouse started operating, she’d have little time, so she asked her second uncle to confirm he’d be available. With his assurance, she decided to go tomorrow.

Gu Yanqing nodded and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Xu Han instinctively wanted to refuse but then thought Gu Yanqing might have good insights on choosing a location.

He could help her make a better decision, so she agreed.

Not only Gu Yanqing, but Tang Yueyue also expressed interest in going.

Yuan Yuan, who had visited twice without leaving the house, also wanted to come along.

Xu Han thought the plum blossoms on Meishan were still blooming, so it could be a nice outing for everyone to see the flowers, like a little vacation.

Otherwise, staying at home staring at each other wasn’t very interesting.