Chapter 21

Three days later, Mu Wanwan and Ju Bairan signed the agreement, and she officially sold the braised food recipe to him.

To ensure that the chef at Kelaiju could master it, Mu Wanwan even taught it in person, only resting assured once she confirmed the dishes came out right.

Having sold the recipe, she would now be much more relaxed and could free up more time to study English.

Ju Bairan was even more delighted. “Wanwan, with this recipe of yours, our restaurant’s business will only get better and better. You can just wait to start counting money!”

When Mu Wanwan thought about counting money, she couldn’t help but feel a little pleased.

“By the way, those pastries you gave me the other day—did you make them yourself?”

“Yes,” Mu Wanwan nodded.

“Wanwan, I’d like to ask you a favor. My grandmother really liked your mung bean cakes and red date–walnut cakes. The day after tomorrow is her birthday.

I know you’re skilled in cooking. Could you come to our house and prepare a banquet for her? If you know how to make cake, please make one too. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you.”

Ju Bairan looked at her pleadingly. His grandmother was notoriously picky, but she had eaten quite a lot of the pastries he had brought home and even asked where he had bought them.

His grandmother was the one who doted on him the most. Ju Bairan wanted her to have a very happy birthday.

“Sure, no problem! Tell me what she likes to eat and what she avoids.”

Mu Wanwan agreed readily.

Now that she and Ju Bairan were not only business partners but also friends, she was quite willing to help him.

“That’s wonderful!”

Ju Bairan immediately told her about his grandmother’s preferences.

Mu Wanwan noted everything down and quickly drafted a menu, asking him to check if there was anything he wanted changed.

After reading the menu, Ju Bairan was even more impressed. Many of the dishes were famous regional specialties. Without knowledge and exposure, Mu Wanwan could not possibly have known them.

He even felt a little envious of her husband—being able to eat her cooking every day must be happiness itself.

“I think this menu is excellent. Let’s go with it. I’ll have the ingredients prepared in advance, and the day after tomorrow you can come directly to my house.”

“Alright.”

Mu Wanwan was also planning to find time in the next few days to check the house she had rented, tidy it up, and move in after her divorce from Wen Lin.

After their discussion at the restaurant, Mu Wanwan left.

Once Ju Bairan had also gone, a waitress cleaning the floor came up with an excuse to slip out.

She went straight to Lin Huiru’s home and reported everything she had overheard between Mu Wanwan and Ju Bairan.

“I see. You did well. Here’s five yuan. In the future, if Mu Wanwan comes to see your boss again, come and tell me.”

The waitress left happily with the money. It hadn’t taken any effort, and she had earned five yuan—it was like pie falling from the sky.

Lin Huiru’s expression was hard to read. Once she learned that the man close to Mu Wanwan was Kelaiju’s owner, she had bribed a waitress to dig up information and keep watch.

Whenever Mu Wanwan came, the waitress was to eavesdrop and repeat the conversations verbatim to her.

What Lin Huiru hadn’t expected was that the braised food business was a collaboration between Mu Wanwan and Ju Bairan. This filled her with jealousy.

Mu Wanwan was just a country bumpkin from a village—when had she become so capable?

She knew how profitable braised food sales were. Mu Wanwan must be making quite a lot of money. Lin Huiru ground her teeth.

Even if Mu Wanwan and Ju Bairan were only business partners for now, Lin Huiru would not let this opportunity slip.

Even if they weren’t romantically involved, she was determined to brand them as adulterers. Lin Huiru narrowed her eyes, her gaze filled with malice.

—

Back at home, Mu Wanwan saw that a military doctor in a white coat was present, there to remove Wen Lin’s stitches.

She couldn’t help but admire his remarkable ability to recover. His wounds had healed quickly over the past few days. After the stitches were removed, with a little rest, he would be almost fully recovered.

“Can I walk on my own now?” Wen Lin asked.

“Yes, but avoid strenuous activity,” the doctor instructed.

That was enough for Wen Lin. He had been stifled these days, forced to lie in bed. Normally he spent most of his time training, so staying still had been hard.

After sending the doctor off, Mu Wanwan began preparing dinner in the kitchen.

She had just bought two fish on her way back. She planned to make fish soup and fish ball noodles.

As a southerner, she preferred eating fish.

She cleaned the two fish, put one in a clay pot for soup, and deboned the other, pounding the flesh with a rolling pin.

Wen Lin slowly walked into the kitchen. Seeing her busy, he asked softly, “Is there anything I can help with?”

“No. You’d only get in the way.”

Her blunt words left him slightly indignant. But he truly didn’t know where to start in the kitchen. Seeing that she didn’t even spare him a glance, he felt oddly displeased.

In the past, Mu Wanwan had always liked looking at him. Now she seemed to find him bothersome.

After shaping the fish balls, she started chopping vegetables.

Suddenly, a loud noise sounded outside. Startled, her knife slipped and cut her finger, blood seeping out instantly.

She cried out in pain. Wen Lin, hearing it, rushed in and grabbed her bleeding hand, holding it under the faucet.

“How could you be so careless?” His eyes showed concern.

Mu Wanwan looked at his sharp profile, momentarily dazed.

In her past life, Wen Lin had never been so close to her, never cared for her like this.

When they had first married, they had gotten along decently, though he didn’t like her.

But after their conflict over Lin Huiru, she lost control. Wen Lin found her unreasonable, stopped communicating with her, and rarely came home.

Her heart ached slightly. She instinctively pulled her hand away.

“It’s just a shallow cut. I’m fine. You can go out.”

She repeated silently to herself: Mu Wanwan, you must stay clear-headed. Do not harbor any feelings for Wen Lin again.

Wen Lin, however, keenly sensed her resistance, which left him uncomfortable. He had once wanted nothing more than distance from her, yet now he disliked the gap between them.

Dinner was well received. Grandfather Wen especially enjoyed it, praising Mu Wanwan nonstop. If not for his dietary restrictions, he would have eaten even more.

After dinner, Wen Lin went to bathe. The past few days he had only wiped himself down. With the stitches gone, he could finally shower properly.

Normally, once he finished bathing, it was his grandfather who helped him apply medicine. But today, the old man had gone out for a walk, leaving the task to Mu Wanwan.

Mu Wanwan sighed helplessly, knowing full well that the elder was trying to bring her and Wen Lin closer.

But they were about to divorce.

When Wen Lin came out of the bathroom, she handed him the ointment.

“Grandfather went for a walk. You can apply it yourself.”

“You do it.”

With that, the man removed his shirt, tugged down his shorts a little, and stood there, water still dripping from his torso. Droplets slid along the ridges of his abs and the veins of his lower abdomen, exuding an indescribable sensuality.