Chapter 40: You Ate My Potatoes, So You Have to Marry Me!

At the entrance, Yin Hanyu and Lin Qingyou arrived to find Zhang Lihua and Xiao Wu had seemingly ended their fight and were now just arguing verbally.

Both women had their hair messed up like bird nests, and their faces bore fresh scratch marks.

“What are you looking at?” Zhang Lihua raised her hand as if to slap Xiao Wu again. “Want another beating?”

Xiao Wu scoffed, “If I didn’t pity you, do you think you’d have beaten me?”

“Pity me? No matter what, I’m still the legal wife, not some homewrecker like you—cheap woman…”

“I’ll admit I’m cheap, but I’m no homewrecker. Your husband paid for my services—I didn’t go looking for him.”

“You…”

“You think your husband is some kind of prize? If I had a choice, why would I want to be with a disgusting old man? Only a fool like you would treat him like a treasure.”

“You… You’re shameless…”

“Shameless?” Xiao Wu chuckled, fixing her hair and makeup before standing up. “Shamelessness is nothing.”

“I just want to survive.”

After saying that, Xiao Wu grabbed her bag and walked away.

Once inside, Yin Hanyu and Lin Qingyou immediately questioned Zhang Lihua.

“We’ve done what we promised. Now it’s your turn to fulfill your end of the deal,” Lin Qingyou fired off four quick questions. “Are you close with Leng Yifeng’s mother? How did you meet her? Who exactly is she? Why is she so skilled in hypnosis?”

Zhang Lihua stood up but almost fell due to her injuries.

Lin Qingyou quickly helped her up.

“My mother and her mother were cousins.”

Lin Qingyou and Yin Hanyu exchanged glances. “You’re actually related? We never heard about that.”

“Our families weren’t close. Besides, after her daughter passed away, her husband took her traveling to help her recover. We barely saw each other for years, so it’s normal that you wouldn’t know.”

“What do you mean?” Lin Qingyou was confused. “What are you talking about?”

Zhang Lihua explained, “Leng Yifeng’s mother, Ruan Lan, wasn’t originally named Ruan. My mother’s cousin—my aunt—had a daughter, and her name was Ruan Lan.”

“But that daughter…” Zhang Lihua sighed and glanced at Lin Qingyou. “She died around the same age as you. My aunt couldn’t accept it—she cried herself to sleep every night, constantly trying to take her own life, completely losing her mind.”

“My uncle didn’t know what to do. Then, somehow, she appeared. After hypnotizing my aunt, she made my aunt believe she was her biological daughter.”

“From then on, she became Ruan Lan.”

“That’s how it happened?”

Lin Qingyou and Yin Hanyu were both shocked.

“Do you know where she originally came from?”

Zhang Lihua shook her head. “I once asked my uncle out of curiosity. He said he didn’t know and didn’t care.”

“He loved my aunt deeply. All he wanted was for her to live happily, so he accepted her as their daughter.”

“At first, I thought she had ulterior motives, but so many years have passed, and she’s always been kind and filial to my aunt and uncle. And after she married into the Leng family, my aunt and uncle actually benefited from her status.”

“So she’s living under the identity of Ruan Lan, but she’s not the real Ruan Lan.”

Zhang Lihua nodded. “That’s all I know.”

After saying that, she hobbled away on her injured leg.

“Wait…” Yin Hanyu called after her.

Zhang Lihua sighed in frustration. “I really don’t know anything else. She never appears in public, always acting mysterious. I once tried to befriend her since our sons were close, but she was distant and always avoided me. I’m not the type to force myself on people, so our relationship remained distant.”

Yin Hanyu asked, “Do you remember her original name?”

“Her original name?” Zhang Lihua fell into deep thought. “I think it was Pei… something.”

“No… wait… I can’t remember.”

Lin Qingyou urged, “Try to think harder.”

“It’s been decades. She’s used the name Ruan Lan for so long that I’ve forgotten. I only remember her last name was Pei.”

—

On the way back, Lin Qingyou noticed Yin Hanyu seemed lost in thought. She poked him. “Don’t look so worried! Cheer up!”

“Now that we know she used to be a Pei, we’re no longer stuck looking for records under Ruan Lan. That’s a huge step forward!” Lin Qingyou remained optimistic. “We’ll figure it out eventually.”

Yin Hanyu nodded.

As Lin Qingyou was about to get into the car, Yin Hanyu grabbed her hand.

“What’s wrong?” She turned to look at him.

“Our date got interrupted yesterday. Today, I’m taking you on one.”

“You?” Lin Qingyou looked skeptical. “Do you even know how to plan a date?”

This man was completely clueless when it came to romance.

Yin Hanyu flicked her forehead. “Who are you looking down on?”

“The place I’m taking you—you’re definitely going to love it.”

“Alright, I’ll be looking forward to it!” Lin Qingyou happily linked arms with him.

To her, as long as she was with him, anywhere would be a perfect date.

But she never expected that Yin Hanyu’s idea of a date location was… an elementary school street.

It was just past 6 PM—school had just ended.

As soon as the bell rang, swarms of kids dashed out of their classrooms, charging at the street vendors like starving wolves.

The entire street was lined with food stalls selling all sorts of snacks loved by kids—spicy noodles, cold noodles, fried noodles, crispy potato cakes, stinky tofu, crispy potatoes, spiced potatoes, sausages, grilled hot dogs, grilled gluten, grilled sweet potato wraps, fried chicken, fried chicken cutlets, and cheese sticks.

The whole street was a paradise of street food.

Lin Qingyou’s eyes sparkled.

She excitedly bought one of everything, her arms quickly piling up with food.

“Miss, you can eat some first before buying more,” a vendor suggested.

“No way! What if it’s all sold out later? Just stack it on top!”

“Oh no, it’s too much—I better eat first. Boss, can I pay after I finish eating? My hands are full, so I can’t scan to pay right now.” Lin Qingyou mumbled around a piece of grilled sweet potato wrap in her mouth.

Yin Hanyu, both amused and exasperated, paid for her and helped carry several small food boxes.

Since these snacks were mainly for kids, the portions were tiny, packed in little boxes.

So now, this tall, 6’2″ man was standing there holding several small boxes of fried potatoes, stinky tofu, and chicken skewers—an oddly comical sight.

But seeing Lin Qingyou so happy, stuffing her face with joy, his eyes and lips curled into an undeniable smile of affection.

Just like the school kids, Lin Qingyou walked and ate at the same time, happily munching on a skewer.

“Slow down, no one’s going to steal your food.”

Lin Qingyou grinned with satisfaction and fed Yin Hanyu a piece of crispy lotus root fritter. “Baby, try this—it’s amazing!”

Yin Hanyu took a bite without hesitation, then pointed at her box. “I want a potato.”

Lin Qingyou immediately fed him a fried potato.

Suddenly, she froze.

“You ate my potatoes, so now you have to marry me!”

“Marry you? Shouldn’t I be the one marrying you?”

“You ate my potatoes, so you owe me. Of course, you have to marry me to pay off your debt!”

“Hmm… okay then…”