Chapter 22

At this point in the conversation, Wang Mengyao naturally had thought of this as well.

Besides, they all lived in the same compound, neighbors to one another—it wouldn’t do to be too distant.

So she responded with a cheerful smile, “Then I won’t be polite with you. I’ve still got some food warming in the pot, so I’ll head back now.”

“Alright, come over whenever you’re free.”

“Will do!”

Watching Wang Mengyao hurry off, Lin Tingwan could only smile helplessly.

Back inside, she saw the little girl wobble out of the room. Lin Tingwan walked over and playfully tapped her nose, teasing, “You woke up right after I finished cooking. That little nose of yours is really something.”

“It smells so good, Auntie,” the little girl said in her baby voice, rubbing her sleepy eyes and sniffing the air.

Lin Tingwan glanced at the time. Lu Yunzheng hadn’t returned yet and likely wouldn’t for a while.

So she gently ruffled the little girl’s hair and said softly, “I made braised pork. You and your brother go play for a bit—we’ll eat soon.”

“Okay.”

Lin Tingwan first served a separate bowl of braised pork to save for Lu Yunzheng, then plated the rest.

When the table was set with the braised pork and crispy fried yellow croaker, Lu Zizhou and Lu Zihang looked like they were dreaming.

Was this really food they were allowed to eat?

Their uncle wasn’t even home!

But if he couldn’t eat such delicious-smelling braised pork, Lu Zihang felt like he might not be able to sleep that night.

When Lin Tingwan came out, she saw the three children staring at the food with sparkling eyes, but none had picked up their chopsticks.

She raised an eyebrow and teased, “What are you standing there for? Waiting for me to serve you myself?”

With that, she served a small bowl of rice to Xinxin—not to stop her from eating, but because too much food at night might upset her stomach.

Then she served herself a bowl and finally picked up her chopsticks to start eating.

The braised pork was melt-in-your-mouth tender and absolutely delicious—so good she nearly bit her tongue. It was that amazing!

Lu Zixin also ate with eyes half-closed in bliss, her little face glowing with happiness.

Seeing how much they enjoyed it, Lu Zihang bypassed his older brother, stood up, served himself a bowl of rice, and began wolfing down food.

The moment he tasted it, he felt like he might cry from happiness.

Because their uncle was always busy with work, their meals were usually brought in from the canteen. Even when they were in school, they’d come home for lunch, just to check on their little sister.

While the canteen food filled their stomachs, it was never as rich or flavorful as this—it practically made him dizzy from the aroma.

Still seeing that his older brother hadn’t moved, Lu Zihang quickly put down his chopsticks, served a bowl for him too, and added a piece of braised pork.

He whispered, “Big bro, it’s really good.”

Lu Zizhou looked at the shiny red pork in his bowl, and the string that had been taut in his mind suddenly snapped. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

Even if he ended up eating a little too much, he wasn’t going to be charmed by this woman.

It was just because he was hungry—not because her cooking was tempting.

As he ate, he kept repeating that to himself.

But bite after bite, it was hard to say whether the flavor muddled his brain or made him forget what he was trying to tell himself.

Seeing how much the two boys were enjoying the food, Lin Tingwan also picked up a piece for the little girl and then said, “Eat as much as you like, I’ve already saved your uncle’s share.”

With that reassurance, the boys truly dug in.

Meanwhile, when Wang Mengyao got home, she immediately heard her son Wen Jingyao shouting, “Mom! Where did you go? I’m starving!”

Putting the bowl down on the table, she glanced at her son—who was drenched in sweat from running—and said with some disdain, “You come back from a run looking like a mud monkey. Look at how well-behaved Zizhou and Zihang are.”

Wen Jingyao sniffed the air, looked at the bowl of meat behind his mom, and immediately dashed over. He swallowed hard. “Mom, where’d you buy this? Smells amazing!”

“It’s from the back courtyard—your Uncle Lu’s wife made it. Go wash your hands and try some of your Auntie Lin’s cooking.”

“I’m going now!”

He ran faster than usual, gave his hands a quick rinse, barely dried them—still had water on the backs—and rushed into the room, picking up chopsticks to grab a piece of braised pork.

His eyes went wide the moment he tasted it.

“So good!”

Watching him gobble it down, Wang Mengyao couldn’t help but complain, “You look like you haven’t eaten in 800 years. Are you saying my cooking doesn’t suit your taste?”

Wen Jingyao shook his head, barely able to swallow before saying, mouth full, “That’s just because I’ve never had food this good before.”

“You little rascal.” Wang Mengyao tapped his forehead, then reminded him, “Leave half a bowl for your dad. I want him to judge whose meat tastes better—mine or hers.”

Wen Jingyao nodded eagerly, even picked out a piece of meat for her, and shamelessly announced, “I vote for Auntie Lin!”

Wang Mengyao rolled her eyes. She felt like raising this son was a waste of effort.

But when she finally tasted the braised pork herself, she quietly cast a vote in Lin Tingwan’s favor too—it really was that delicious. No wonder the kid liked it so much.

That Lu commander sure was lucky.

Not only was his wife beautiful, but her cooking skills were out of this world!

Her own husband always joked that Lu Yunzheng would end up a bachelor, but look how things turned out—no one could compare to the wife he ended up marrying.

Some things are just fate.

By 7 p.m., most households had already turned off their lights and settled in for the night.

Seeing that the three kids were dozing off, Lin Tingwan sent Lu Zizhou and Lu Zihang off to bed and carried the little girl to another room to sleep.

But once the child was asleep, Lin Tingwan found she had no sleepiness at all.

It was just too early for her to go to bed, and with Lu Yunzheng not home yet, she felt wide awake.

She casually picked up a book and leaned against the bed to pass the time.

She read for who knows how long before her eyes started to droop. With a yawn, she set the book aside and finally drifted off.

When Lu Yunzheng came home that night, the first thing he saw when he stepped into the courtyard was the warm glow of light from the house. A wave of warmth swept through his chest.

He immediately softened his steps and quietly opened the door.

Inside, he saw two figures curled up on the bed—one big, one small. The little girl nestled in Lin Tingwan’s arms, sleeping soundly.

The lighting was dim, not too harsh. Lin Tingwan’s long hair flowed over the pillow, her skin pale and delicate, her features refined, and her sleeping face adorably sweet.

For a moment, it all felt unreal—such a beautiful girl, and she was really his wife?