Chapter 10: Why Are You Avoiding Me?

Lu Father took a bite of the lamb stew with Chinese yam and was immediately stunned.

He hadn’t expected this delicate-looking child to have such impressive cooking skills.

He guessed she must have endured a lot of hardship over the years

to have mastered such exquisite culinary techniques.

He had already sent people to investigate these past few days. Although Wen Jiancheng adopted her, he abandoned her in Shanghe Village for nineteen years without care or concern.

That she had survived living with a blind grandmother was already remarkable.

Lu Father felt a bittersweet pang in his heart.

“Little Wen, your cooking is quite good, but don’t overwork yourself. Just treat this place like your own home. If you need anything, tell Aunt Lin, and she’ll take you shopping.”

He paused and glanced at the stern-looking Lu Hanzheng.

“Also, Hanzheng is your brother from now on. If you need help, just ask him. No need to be distant.”

Wen Nian obediently nodded.

That’s right!

A brother is a brother.

She definitely wouldn’t keep her distance.

“Thank you, Uncle Lu.”

Lin Siyun smiled and chimed in.

“Yes, Little Wen, don’t be polite with us. If you want anything, just tell Auntie.”

Wen Nian nodded again.

“Thank you, Aunt Lin.”

Lu Hanzheng’s face remained as cold and distant as ever; he didn’t speak, only gave her a faint glance.

He lowered his head and continued eating on his own.

Wen Nian had added diluted spiritual nourishing lotion to the dishes. Even diluted a hundred times, the effect was still noticeable.

Whether the dishes or the soup, they were incredibly fresh and delicious.

Even the plain brown rice tasted fragrant and sweet, and she could eat three big bowls of it without side dishes.

Lin Siyun was quite satisfied.

Although she had some reservations about Wen Nian living with the Lu family, since Lu Father and son had no objections, she said nothing.

At least this girl was good at cooking.

No need to worry about hiring a nanny anymore.

Wen Nian looked at the little girl beside her, who kept her head down and only dared to eat the plate of brown sugar glutinous rice cakes in front of her.

She picked up the communal chopsticks and helped her pick some vegetables from every dish.

Then leaned close to whisper in her ear,

“Eating more greens will make you more beautiful!”

The little girl, like a startled rabbit, immediately widened her eyes, her cheeks flushing red.

She lowered her head and devoured all the greens in her bowl, leaving not a single stalk.

Wen Nian gave her an approving look.

Looking up, her smiling dark eyes met Lu Hanzheng’s deep gaze.

She returned him a sweet smile.

The man expressionlessly withdrew his probing look and continued eating.

Wen Nian pouted, half-heartedly picking at the rice in her bowl.

Since last time, there had been no follow-up.

Lu Hanzheng continued to reject her attempts to get close.

Whenever she delivered meals to the hospital, the awkward orderly blocked her outside the ward to leave the food.

Wen Nian still didn’t understand what this man’s intentions were.

Her anxious little heart was tossed around and unsettled.

It was so uncomfortable she couldn’t even say.

She also didn’t know how things were going with the Wen family.

The bride price had been received, and the position had been promoted.

But now, with no one showing up, would the Zheng family just let it go?

As for Wen Xue, no matter how much she liked Zheng Jiahe, it was useless.

Chen Qiuwei would absolutely never agree to let her precious daughter marry an abusive man.

Probably from being in the military, the Lu family ate very quickly.

Wen Nian stared at the pile of empty bowls and plates on the table and felt worried.

She hated washing dishes.

Right now, she especially missed the fully automatic dishwasher in her old big apartment.

She stared at the dirty dishes for a long time, and finally resigned herself to carrying them to the sink.

Washing them one by one.

Wen Nian rubbed her sore waist and grumbled in her heart.

She had grown up in luxury, with several maids in the house.

She had never done such tedious and tiring housework before.

It wasn’t easy to wash that entire pile of dishes clean.

After finishing, she almost broke down again in the bathroom.

She almost forgot—she still had to boil water and bathe herself.

Even though she had been in this book’s world for some time, it was still hard to adapt to this backwardness.

There was no bathtub in the bathroom, not even a shower.

She could only boil water herself, pour it into a basin, and wash slowly.

After washing herself clean, Wen Nian started rummaging through her small space.

The space was too small to hold much.

She didn’t really have a habit of stockpiling things.

Inside, she only kept some valuables, a few daily clothes, and some snacks.

Finally, she found a relatively modest nightgown.

It was a gift from a shopkeeper, but she had pushed it to the bottom of the trunk because she thought the style was outdated. Now, it came in handy.

The nightgown had a Peter Pan collar, covering all the right places.

The only downside was that it was a bit short—about the same length as a JK school uniform skirt.

Judging by how Lu Hanzheng avoided her like she was a venomous snake,

she hoped that wearing this wouldn’t stop her from even getting through his door.

After thinking it over, she decided to put on his military jacket.

Wen Nian, afraid of waking the Lu family downstairs, tiptoed to Lu Hanzheng’s door.

Just as she raised her hand to knock,

the door opened from the inside.

Their eyes met.

Wen Nian looked up with a bright, charming smile, gazing affectionately at him.

Lu Hanzheng held her gaze for just a second before looking away.

His eyes landed on the military jacket she wore.

He was momentarily stunned.

Taking advantage of the moment, Wen Nian pushed her way inside.

The man came to his senses, hesitated for a moment, then closed the door.

“It’s so late. What do you want?”

Lu Hanzheng deliberately kept some distance between them.

“Why are you keeping so far away from me?”

Wen Nian slowly stepped closer.

He refused to meet her eyes and directly issued a polite dismissal.

“It’s late. If there’s nothing important, you should go back.”

Wen Nian pointed at the military jacket she wore.

“Of course there is. I came to return the jacket.”

By the river last time, Lu Hanzheng had given her this jacket.

She thought they would never meet again.

Unexpectedly, after all these twists and turns, they met again.

Wen Nian slowly undid the buttons of the military jacket.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already washed it. I just wore it temporarily after my bath because it was a bit chilly.”

Before Lu Hanzheng could stop her, she quickly took off the jacket.

Her half-wet black hair fell down her back, water droplets darkening a section of it.

The white nightgown was semi-sheer, just barely covering her thighs.

Her legs were straight and fair; her skin emitted a fresh, dewy glow, and a familiar soft fragrance wafted toward him.

Lu Hanzheng’s throat tightened, a sudden warmth flared in his chest.

His brows furrowed tightly, and he quickly looked away.

Grabbing the jacket, he swiftly wrapped it around Wen Nian, bundling her up tightly.

Wen Nian took the opportunity to throw herself into his arms like a limp, soft creature, pressing her whole body against him.

Before he could say anything, she spoke first.

“I need an explanation. Why have you been avoiding me lately?”

Lu Hanzheng’s whole body stiffened; his hands didn’t know where to go.

His mind told him to push her away, but his body honestly accepted her.

For all these days, he had been investigating her.

From her birth to how she came to work as a nanny for the Lu family.

Every detail was clear.

He had met Wen Nian twice—once last summer, and once last month.

The first time was to visit a wounded comrade.

The second was to deliver compensation to his family.

And indeed, he had rescued her by the river.

The military jacket she wore was proof.

The time and place matched perfectly.

It was safe to say these two events were basically true.

As for whether they really confirmed a romantic relationship,

that couldn’t be verified.

After all, he had no memory of the past.

When he first got the news,

he even doubted his own past self.

Was he really so despicable?

Unexpectedly, she was still the daughter of his father’s old war buddy.

Could things get any worse?

Wen Qingguo could be called his father’s lifesaver.

And yet, he had abandoned the savior’s daughter so recklessly.

That was just too damn cruel.

The more Lu Hanzheng thought about it, the more headache he got.

Wen Nian lifted her moist dark eyes and questioned him.

“Why are you avoiding me? Or do you want to break up?”

Lu Hanzheng didn’t know how to respond.

His reflex was to push her away.

He wasn’t used to being this close to anyone.

But Wen Nian held tightly onto his strong waist, refusing to let go.

Only then did he realize how tall the man was; her head barely reached his jawline.

Lu Hanzheng looked down at the fragile-looking girl nestled in his arms.

He didn’t dare push hard, afraid he might hurt her.