Wen Xinya bid Du Ruo farewell at 4:30 pm. Du Ruo felt weird about her leaving 30 minutes earlier. Usually, Wen Xinya would stay till 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
Du Ruo casually asked if everything was alright, but did not ask further when Wen Xinya replied and assured her that there wasn't any problem.
The real reason for Wen Xinya leaving the Du Mansion earlier was because of Si Yiyan. He told her that morning he would come to fetch her. In her previous life, she was deeply hurt by that man. But in this life, she did not wish to be embroiled in sexual relations with him. However, she could not bring herself to reject Si Yiyan and knew that he was someone who would not take "no" for an answer. Therefore, avoiding him was the only thing she could do for now.
Wen Xinya left the Du Mansion and walked along the little stone path leading to the main road. She saw a black car—The Lucifer—stopped by the roadside. Si Yiyan was standing beside the car, leaning on the door. His vision was locked on her as if he could see through her soul.
Wen Xinya frowned. She felt uncomfortable with him staring at her. It made her feel she had nowhere to hide. "Didn't you say you would pick me up at 5 o'clock? Why are you so early?"
Si Yiyan had guessed her intention of avoiding him. He came earlier on purpose so that he would not miss her. "I have nothing on, so I came early. I didn't expect your class to end before 5 o'clock. I was lucky to arrive before you left."
Wen Xinya felt a sense of guilt. "Didn't you say you would send me back? Let's get moving! Ruo Ruo gave me a few recipes for medicinal cuisines that are good for Grampy. I need to return earlier to prepare and cook them for him."
She used cooking for Grampy as an excuse to leave early. Her eagerness to explain made it even more obvious to him that she was trying to avoid him.
Si Yiyan smiled and replied, "Even if you leave at 5 o'clock, it won't make any difference. You don't need to be impatient. There's a lot of time."
Wen Xinya was embarrassed for her intentions being exposed. "Are you going to drive? Otherwise, I will just hail a taxi," she said angrily while walking to the other side of the car and opening the door.
"You are behaving like a furious cute little wildcat." Si Yiyan looked at her and said in a flirtatious tone. He then started the engine.
As soon as the car reached the Mo's bungalow, Wen Xinya got out of the car panickedly and dashed into the house. She bumped into Mother He.
"Ai yo! My Young Mistress, why are you in such a hurry?" Mother He held her carefully while trying to balance herself. She was shocked by Missus Wen's recklessness.
Wen Xinya was extremely apologetic. "I'm sorry for bumping into you, Mother He."
"What happened, my dear? You were in such a rush as if you were on fire! Luckily you bumped into me and not somewhere else. Otherwise, it would be disastrous!" Mother He said.
"I got a few recipes for medicinal cuisines from Ruo Ruo. I was in a rush to prepare the ingredients so that I can cook for Grampy," replied Wen Xinya with a slight sense of guilt.
Si Yiyan walked into the house calmly. He was holding a bag in his hand. "You are in a rush to make medicine for Grampy, but you've left the raw medicinal ingredients you took from Old Du's place in my car."
Wen Xinya was furious that her excuses were being exposed.
Mother He looked at her from head to toe. She had never seen the rational Young Mistress behaving like this. She was shocked to see her so angry. "Young Mistress, why is your face red?"
Si Yiyan peeped at Wen Xinya from the corner of his eye.
Wen Xinya gave a fierce stare at Mother He and stamped her feet. "Mother He, you are irritating!" She turned around and left immediately.
Mother He did not understand what had happened. She was still confused and looked at Si Yiyan. "Young Master Si, what happened to Young Mistress? Her face was red. Is she unwell?"
Si Yiyan replied with a smile, "Nothing, she was just being shy."
Shy? Why was Young Mistress shy? Mother He saw a flirtatious smile on Si Yiyan's face and suddenly realized what had happened. She bursted into laughter and said, "Yes, Young Mistress was just being shy."
Wen Xinya came into the kitchen. She finally calmed down and sighed over her childish behavior earlier. She irked at the thought of the unforgettable love from her previous life. It was not how deep she loved that made it unforgettable, but how it was not worth her love.
Mother Jiang walked into the kitchen and saw Young Mistress standing there in a daze. Mother Jiang thought she did not have any culinary skills. "Young Mistress, I have prepared and cleaned the raw cooking ingredients as you've requested. Are you sure you want to do it yourself? Do you need my help?"
Wen Xinya took a deep breath and quickly recovered from her thoughts. "Thank you for your offer, Mother Jiang. I'll do it myself."
After leading a wandering life for 15 years, how could she not acquire any culinary skills? Moreover, after knowing him, she took up exquisite cuisine courses in order to please him. Her culinary skills were comparable to a chef from any five-star restaurant.
"Alright, I'll be right here, Young Mistress. Please let me know if you need any help," said Mother Jiang while looking at her delicate hands. It did not seem she was someone who worked in the kitchen a lot. Mother Jiang stayed in the kitchen, suspicious. In case Young Mistress hurt herself or needed any help, she would be there for her.
From heating the oil, adding ingredients, frying and brewing a pot of soup, Young Mistress was able to perform all these tasks with ease. Mother Jiang was surprised to see that. Then she remembered Young Mistress had led a wandering life for 15 years and must have gone through many sufferings. She felt sorry for her.
Wen Xinya made a dish of white eel cooked with ginseng and wolfberries. It could help in detoxification and strengthening of the heart and was very suitable for Grampy's condition. This was quite different from what was found on the internet.
It was dinner time at 6 o'clock. Old Master Mo could detect a smell of strong Chinese medicine from the dish of white eel on the dinner table. He raised his eyebrow, asking, "Is this a medicinal cuisine?"
Mother Jiang replied, "Yes! This is white-eel, cooked with ginseng and wolfberries. It can help to detoxify and strengthen one's heart. Young Mistress got the recipe from Missus Ruo Ruo and specially cooked this dish for you. I have never expected Young Mistress to have such good culinary skills."
Wen Xinya started scooping some soup into Grampy's bowl. "Grampy, please try some and see how it tastes!"
Old Master Mo was feeling surprised and happy that his granddaughter had cooked for him. "Good, good, good! That's very nice of you to cook for Grampy."
Mother He laughed and said, "Nowadays there isn't many girls who can cook. Young Mistress is a virtuous girl and a filial granddaughter."
This made Old Master Mo extremely satisfied. He took a sip of the soup. It had a strong taste of Chinese medicine. The texture of the white-eel was nice and fresh. It tasted blend with the Chinese medicinal ingredients. "Very nice, I like it."
Wen Xinya was glad and smiled. "Grampy, please eat more if you like it. I specially cooked this for you. I shall be in charge of arranging your diet from now on. You must take note and start having a healthy diet to strengthen your health," she said.
Old Master Mo was happy to have such a filial granddaughter. Naturally, he would agree to listen to her. "Yes, ok! You'll be in charge."
Si Yiyan bowed his head while secretly peeping at her. She was busy filling Grampy's bowl with food. He remained silent and smiled from deep within. He had a sense of satisfaction and started to imagine her in an apron, cooking meals for him in the kitchen. He was elated by this thought.