“You’re really handsome, you look like a celebrity, just like Old Mr. Shen, carved from the same mold. You’re so lucky to have such a handsome husband and such a handsome son.”

Xu Wan smiled.

Someone else asked, “That girl outside the car just now, is she the one who was said to have broken up with your son?”

Xu Wan nodded.

“Did they really break up?” The wealthy lady immediately laughed, “Oh, how coincidental, my brother’s daughter has liked Little Mr. Shen for a long time—”

Xu Wan shook her head. “No need to worry, it’s impossible.”

The lady seemed a little unwilling to accept this: “Well… you should at least take a look before saying anything, and moreover…”

For families like theirs, does it matter who you marry?

Yes, Xu Wan had thought the same way before. When her son suddenly got engaged, it was because it was time to marry, just as her husband had married her back then—choosing a suitable person step by step.

If not this one, then another.

But now it seemed that the “other one” might not even exist.

Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly said, “You guys go on, I want to get out and take a walk.”

---

On her way home from work, Jin Yaotiao caught sight of a pedestrian outside the window and froze, asking Uncle Huang to stop the car.

She lowered the window and called out, “Aunt Xu, what are you doing here?”

The winter in Linjiang was very cold.

Xu Wan, wrapped in her not-too-thick fur coat, had her hair bun slightly messy from the wind.

She turned to look at Jin Yaotiao in the car, her gaze gentle and complex. “Yaotiao, where are you going?”

“Home,” Jin Yaotiao asked, “Where are you going? Can I give you a ride?”

Xu Wan hesitated for a moment and shook her head. “No need.”

She didn’t have anywhere she wanted to go.

Jin Yaotiao furrowed her brow, sensing that Xu Wan seemed off, and not wanting to leave her alone, she opened the car door and said, “If you don’t mind, would you come to my house for dinner?”

The warmth from the car rushed out.

Xu Wan, almost in a daze, climbed in.

The Jin family’s house was warm from the underfloor heating, a stark contrast to the cold outside.

Luna often came over and knew the house well, greeting people sweetly as soon as she entered.

Aunt Cen, who recognized her, took the things from her hands and, seeing the wet snow melting outside, hurriedly urged, “Oh dear, you must have suffered! Come in, come in, take off your shoes.”

But she didn’t recognize Mrs. Shen and was taken aback by her elegant and noble aura. “Who is this?”

Jin Yaotiao introduced, “This is Mr. Shen’s mother. I invited her for dinner.”

“Mrs. Shen?” Aunt Cen was a bit surprised by her identity.

She wondered why the broken-off engagement family was still visiting, but she didn’t show it. 1

She called upstairs, “Mr. Jin! Mr. Jin! Yaotiao brought Mrs. Shen home!”

Mr. Jin came downstairs and was also a bit puzzled when he saw Mrs. Shen.

She, too, looked awkward.

This was the first time she had done something so impolite.

But Mr. Jin was skilled in handling such situations.

After a brief moment of confusion, he quickly adopted a diplomatic tone. “Mrs. Shen, it’s been a while.”

Jin Yaotiao asked, “Dad, where’s Mom?”

“Your mom went shopping. She’s still out, buying things and hasn’t come back yet,” Mr. Jin said. “Aunt Cen, can you give her a call?”

Mrs. Shen was familiar with the lifestyle of a shopping wife.

When she was at home with nothing to do, her husband would sometimes not come home for ten days or even half a month.

To pass the time, she often went out shopping all day or attended various social gatherings.

Though the two families had known each other before, it had mostly been in public settings. Mrs. Shen’s first impression of the Jin family was that it felt different from her own home.

In the Shen family’s house, whether in China or abroad, there were housemaids, but none of them spoke as loudly as Aunt Cen.

Her personality was cold, and those around her spoke to her politely.

It was hard to show closeness, especially towards her husband, the head of the family.

But her husband rarely stayed home.

However, whether he was there or not, the house always felt the same—lonely.

The Jin house was also large, but every room was filled with things.

When the door was closed, the sound of the TV news could be heard, along with Aunt Cen’s phone calls. It was noisy, but also lively.

Mrs. Shen sat a little awkwardly in the living room.

After Aunt Cen finished the call, she came over to greet her. “Mrs. Shen, it’s below freezing outside, why are you dressed so lightly? Come, come, have some tea. Yaotiao makes this fresh every morning for Mr. Jin.”

The fragrance of the tea filled the air.

Xu Wan, feeling the warmth in her palms, looked down at the white porcelain tea cup in her hands.

Inside were scattered herbs and something that resembled corn silk.

She took a sip, somewhat surprised.

A refreshing sweetness combined with a special fragrance spread on her tongue, sliding down her throat to her stomach. Her cold hands and feet began to warm up instantly, and her nostrils were filled with a warm scent.

It tasted like herbs, like tea, and yet had a rich, sweet fragrance.

She had drunk countless expensive teas and coffees, but none of them were as comforting as this cup of tea on a winter day.

She couldn’t help but praise it, “This tea is delicious, what kind of tea is it? How did you brew it?”

Mr. Jin, pleased with her compliment, proudly explained, “Oh, it’s not a special kind. It’s boiled with sugarcane, corn, and some herbs. Yaotiao says I’m in poor health, so she’s been making this for me every day. Though it looks messy, it actually tastes quite good.”

In fact, he was being modest.

The taste was far beyond just “good.”

The combination of ingredients was just right, and sometimes he would even fish out the sugarcane and corn to chew on after drinking the liquid.

Jin Yaotiao glanced at the pot in the kitchen and saw that the braised ingredients from this morning were already cooked through.

She covered the pot and casually asked, “How about I take this tea to Hidden Feast and sell it? It’s getting colder, and many customers are asking if we can serve hot drinks.”

Mr. Jin didn’t care much. “Do whatever you like.”

Jin Yaotiao asked again, “Aunt Xu, do you like strong flavors? Today’s main dish is braised food.”

Xu Wan quickly responded, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll eat whatever.”

In truth, she had a poor appetite and, for the sake of her figure, rarely ate dinner.

Sometimes she only had a little salad.

Now, she regretted coming to Jin’s house.

If it weren’t for politeness, she would have left already.

She didn’t even care about the taste of the food.

Jin Yaotiao, reassured, focused on making a peppered pig stomach and old duck soup for her father.

As the saying goes, “Eat what you need to replenish,” Mr. Jin had a stomach issue, and though pig stomach wasn’t quite the right match, at least it shared the “stomach” character.

It’s all psychological comfort, the same meaning.

The soup had been simmering since early morning, along with some tea to drive away the chill.

The tall soup pot had been simmering all day, and the water level was now halfway, but the soup had turned a milky white, with a glossy layer of oil floating on top.

As soon as the lid was lifted, the aroma rushed to her face. Inside the pot, there were three old ducks simmering, their bones almost softened, and the skin and meat nearly melted.

Slices of pig’s stomach floated and sank with the bubbling soup, and the fragrance spread from the kitchen to the living room and out the small window, drifting into the broader world.

Neighbors in the nearby complex, even from a distance, could smell this delicious aroma and, without thinking, knew that the Jin family was cooking again.

Damn it.

In the neighboring house, at dinner time, the dieting housewife didn’t care about the dry heat and rushed to close the window. After closing it, she patted her chest.

Thankfully, she hadn’t resisted eating last night, but at least today she acted quickly.

Wuwuwu, truly a scourge of the complex.

In the Jin family’s living room, Xu Wan, who was right in front of this intoxicating aroma, was clearly more affected.

She had just had a full glass of sweet water, consuming more calories than usual, but her stomach, now accustomed to not eating dinner, suddenly stirred noticeably.

Then it fell into an endless void.

Hungry…

Xu Wan awkwardly shifted on the sofa.

Fortunately, just then, she heard the sound of the yard door opening, and Aunt Cen was chattering as she went to open the door. “It must be Madam coming home.”

Mr. Jin frowned. “Shopping all day, really.”

He looked strict, his face stern and cold, giving the impression that he was about to get angry.

Xu Wan was wondering whether to intervene when the next second, the door opened, and Mrs. Jin, carrying the cold air and snow, entered the house.

Her voice drifted over: “Oh, how is it snowing again outside? It had just stopped for the afternoon, and now my shoes are all wet.”

She was about to greet when she saw Mr. Jin walking toward the door, still frowning, but his hand naturally reached out to take the shopping bags from his wife.

Mrs. Jin also naturally handed the bags to him.

The ease between the old couple left Xu Wan momentarily stunned.

Mrs. Jin chattered on: “I saw some good winter caterpillars at the mall, so I bought you a box, and I also got a woolen waist protector for you to try on. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll exchange it next time…”

Mr. Jin grunted in response, “Hurry up and take off your shoes, we have a guest.”

“Who is it?” Mrs. Jin paused, craned her neck to look, and after a moment, she realized, “Ah… Mrs. Shen?”

Xu Wan had already stood up and, after a few seconds, nodded slightly. “Sorry for the disturbance.”

Mrs. Jin glanced at her husband, and Mr. Jin shook his head as if unsure of what was happening.

She immediately smiled and greeted, “Oh, it’s been so long since we last saw each other. Mrs. Shen, I was just thinking about you after your last call. We should invite you and your husband over for dinner sometime.”

At the entrance, Mr. Jin casually hung up his wife’s coat, then handed the bags to Aunt Cen.

Mrs. Jin wrinkled her nose and asked, “Smells good, oh right, we’re having the pig stomach and old duck soup today.”

Mr. Jin said, “Go change your socks and come eat.”

Mrs. Jin smiled apologetically, then asked, “How about some noodles tonight? Such good soup, it’d be a shame not to eat it with noodles. Mrs. Shen, would you like some noodles?”

Xu Wan nodded, a little slow to respond.

Mrs. Jin nudged her husband’s shoulder, “Yao Tiao’s been working all day, you should help her out. How can you let her cook alone? But you’re not in good health, don’t overexert yourself. I’ll go upstairs to wash up and come down to help.”

Mr. Jin grunted, and sure enough, went to the kitchen.

Before long, Mrs. Jin also came down, and the family began making noodles in the kitchen, their voices occasionally drifting outside.

Xu Wan just sat quietly, listening.

The white pig stomach soup, with handmade fine noodles freshly cooked and neatly arranged in the bowl, was topped with a small handful of garlic and pepper powder roasted by Jin Yao Tiao herself.

The stewed old duck was served in a separate bowl.

Several seasonal vegetables, freshly stir-fried, were placed on the table, glistening with moisture.

Mr. Jin pushed his daughter aside. “Let me do it. I can still handle this little work.”

Mrs. Jin, who wanted to help, was teased, “With your knife skills, can you even cut vegetables? Just rest.”

He had just taken the braised meat out of the pot, black and shiny, with his favorite pork belly and trotters, as well as Mrs. Jin’s favorite bamboo shoots and king oyster mushrooms, all braised to a rich brown, with plenty of juice and a glossy sheen. He sliced them neatly and served them on different plates.

“Hey,” he said, smelling the aroma of the braised meat as he addressed his daughter. “Yao Tiao, this braising sauce is great. If we hang it up for a few months, it could become a special broth.”

Jin Yao Tiao politely said to Xu Wan, “Usually, we eat simpler food at home. I hope I haven’t neglected you, Aunt Xu.”

Xu Wan shook her head, then took a bite of the noodles.

The thin, chewy noodles wrapped in the rich pig stomach soup slid into her mouth.

It looked simple but was exceptionally delicious.

The braised pork belly and trotters looked fatty and greasy, swimming in oil. Normally, she barely ate pork to maintain her figure, but this time, she couldn’t resist.

The trotters were so soft they felt like pudding, and as soon as she put them in her mouth, they practically melted.

The salty, savory taste of the braising liquid made her want to take another bite of noodles, and she didn’t even notice the grease.

Mr. Jin loved his meat, and even with guests, he didn’t hide his love for braised meat, eating several pieces of trotters and pork belly before his arm was grabbed by his wife.

He had been controlling his fat intake post-surgery, but Mrs. Jin, considering the presence of guests, didn’t directly say anything.

She just coughed once.

The old couple froze for three seconds, then Jin Yaotiao gave her father some green lettuce, “Dad?”

Mr. Jin gave up, retracted his arm, and started eating vegetables with a stern face.

So fierce yet so obedient.

Xu Wan just lowered her head and drank the pig stomach soup, as if not noticing what was happening around her.

Slowly, she finished all the noodles mixed with the pig stomach soup.

---

That evening, in the Mingzhu Mountain villa, a rarely seen homeowner returned.

Shen Qiming came home late, almost at dawn.

The house was as cold and quiet as usual.

When Aunt Cen carefully helped him with his coat, she reminded, “Madam’s here.”

Shen Qiming froze for a moment.

Madam? The lady of the house had returned?

But when he turned around, he realized his mother was sitting on the sofa.

He immediately frowned.

His mother never stayed here even if she returned to the country.

He asked, “What are you doing here?”

Xu Wan looked back at her son.

When she saw he was alone, she seemed momentarily confused, asking, “Where’s your dad?”

They had stayed in Linjiang for longer than expected due to various matters.

Shen Qiming changed his shoes and headed upstairs, holding the documents he had brought home. “I don’t know. I wasn’t with him.”

As he ascended the stairs, he heard his mother on the phone: “Where are you?”

She had put it on speaker, and Shen Qiming’s father’s voice came through the phone, a bit noisy: “I’m busy.”

Xu Wan said, “Mingzhu Mountain, Qi Ming’s here. Come over.”

Background noise, both male and female voices, could be heard.

Shen Qiming’s father didn’t seem to mind, directly asking, “What’s the matter? I may not be able to leave tonight. Oh, by the way, prepare a few suitable outfits for the closing ceremony of the conference the day after tomorrow. There will be media, and I need you to attend with me.”

Xu Wan took a deep breath: “I have something urgent to discuss with you. If you don’t come over, I’ll go back to New York now. You can attend the closing ceremony alone.”

“What’s all this nonsense?” Shen Qiming’s father’s tone was a little harsh, but Xu Wan hung up the phone immediately.

An hour later, Shen Qiming’s father, looking a bit upset, opened the door to the Mingzhu Mountain villa, entering to find his wife sitting on the sofa, waiting for him.

He threw his coat down and didn’t enter the house, saying, “Hurry up and talk. Once you’re done, I need to go back. Did you manage to talk with the Jin family about the marriage?”

Xu Wan: “Sort of.”

Shen Qiming’s father: “Sort of? What does that mean?”

Xu Wan sniffed and smiled lowly, “It means I want a divorce. Let’s get divorced, and I’m done. You can leave now.”

Shen Qiming’s father: “?”

Wait, hold on.

This logic needs to be sorted out.

At this moment, Shen Qiming, who was coming downstairs from the study, was also like, “?”

Why does this sound so familiar?

Where have I heard this before?