Chapter 29
Seeing Chu Xihuan suddenly staring at the sugar painting without saying a word, with such an inscrutable expression, Mao Xiaoyun scratched her head, confused. “Sister-in-law, what are you looking at? Aren’t you going to eat it?”
Chu Xihuan’s eyes slid over to her, and she couldn’t help but marvel that these two were indeed a good match.
She didn’t speak, just took a bite of the tiger’s head with a blank expression. The sweet taste spread through her mouth, and her brow relaxed slightly.
She would settle the score with Lin Zhao when she got back.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long. Lin Zhao returned with a sugar painting in the shape of a small rabbit and handed it to Mao Xiaoyun.
Mao Xiaoyun happily took it. Unlike Chu Xihuan, who had almost bitten off the head, she licked it with satisfaction.
Her mother didn’t let her eat many sweets, and she hadn’t had a sugar painting in a while.
Chu Xihuan frowned at Lin Zhao’s empty hands and said in a low voice, “Didn’t I tell you to buy two?”
She and Mao Xiaoyun both had one, but Lin Zhao was just watching from the side, which made her look a little pitiful.
“I don’t need one. We’re about to eat dinner,” Lin Zhao also replied in a small voice.
Buying these two sugar paintings today had already cost twelve wen. If she bought another one, Lin Zhao’s heart would ache.
Chu Xihuan was speechless.
Having been with Lin Zhao for a few days, she had some idea of what she was thinking. She helplessly handed her own sugar painting to Lin Zhao. “Let’s eat it together.”
Lin Zhao looked at the sugar painting in front of her and shook her head repeatedly. “Xihuan, I bought it for you!”
Chu Xihuan smiled. “Then can you tell me why you bought this one?”
She waved the tiger with a bite taken out of its head.
Lin Zhao’s gaze moved to the sugar painting, confused. “What’s wrong? I chose it carefully!”
At this, Lin Zhao puffed out her chest, looking quite proud.
Chu Xihuan’s gaze grew even more dangerous. She had carefully chosen a tiger for her?
“So, what’s your reason for choosing a tiger?” Chu Xihuan said strangely.
“It’s majestic!” Lin Zhao’s eyes widened, and she said with certainty, “Xihuan is as majestic and powerful as this tiger!”
Especially yesterday, when she had stood up for her in front of the members of the Lin clan, she was especially majestic!
Chu Xihuan was speechless.
She observed Lin Zhao’s expression. It seemed that she really thought so, without any hint of guilt or evasion in her eyes.
She really thought so…
For a moment, Chu Xihuan didn’t know whether to be annoyed or helpless.
“Eat it. I can’t finish it all by myself,” Chu Xihuan said, handing the sugar painting directly to Lin Zhao. She herself was only so-so about sweets.
“Ah? Oh, okay.” Hearing her say this, Lin Zhao was willing to take it. Looking at the sugar painting that Chu Xihuan had bitten, her lips curved up uncontrollably.
Xihuan is willing to eat the same food as me~
Xihuan doesn’t dislike me!
However, before Lin Zhao could be happy for long, she heard Mao Xiaoyun’s mood-spoiling voice.
“Boss, are you going to work tomorrow?” Mao Xiaoyun asked, her words muffled by the sugar painting.
Lin Zhao’s face stiffened. She turned to look at Mao Xiaoyun with a complicated expression. Why was it that even after buying her a sugar painting, she still couldn’t shut her up?
“Of course I’m going,” Lin Zhao said, taking a bite of the sugar painting in frustration. She was so envious of Mao Xiaoyun, who had so much time to do what she wanted every day.
“Oh.” Hearing her say this, Mao Xiaoyun’s brow furrowed. “You’re working at the docks, but I can’t do that. I can’t just go there and watch you work, can I?”
She was closest to Lin Zhao and wanted to hang out with her, but now that Lin Zhao had to work, she had no time to play with her. She felt so lonely.
“You can also look for a job,” Lin Zhao suggested.
Mao Xiaoyun immediately shook her head. “No, looking for a job is so troublesome.”
Even the boss couldn’t find a good, easy job. Wouldn’t it be even harder for her?
Lin Zhao shrugged. “Then there’s nothing to be done. I’m a married person now. I can’t just loaf around with you like before.”
She was a person who had to support a family now!
Lin Zhao said proudly in her heart.
Mao Xiaoyun suddenly felt that the sugar in her mouth was no longer sweet. “Is sister-in-law that strict?” she pouted.
Chu Xihuan silently glanced at her, thinking that this friend of Lin Zhao’s was really daring, or perhaps just clueless.
Mao Xiaoyun’s words successfully made Lin Zhao choke. She instinctively sensed a hint of danger, then widened her eyes and glared at Mao Xiaoyun. “What nonsense are you talking about? How could Xihuan be strict with me? It’s just that I’m not the person I used to be. Since I’m married, I have to be responsible!”
Lin Zhao said this with great conviction. If you didn’t see her occasionally stealing glances at Chu Xihuan, it would have been very convincing.
Chu Xihuan, who was standing to the side, was speechless.
She smiled and met Lin Zhao’s stolen glance.
Lin Zhao was startled and quickly sat up straight, not daring to look at Chu Xihuan again.
Chu Xihuan glanced at her strangely and said lightly, “Xiaoyun, you can stay for dinner later.”
With that, she walked leisurely to the kitchen, planning to redeem herself.
Hearing that she was being asked to stay for dinner, Mao Xiaoyun finally looked up. Realizing that it was getting late, she quickly stood up. “No, no, my mom has probably already made dinner and is waiting for me at home. I’ll go back now!”
With that, she hurried out, as if she were afraid of being late.
Lin Zhao watched her, took a bite of the sugar painting, and was not surprised by Mao Xiaoyun’s reaction. If Mao Xiaoyun was too late, her mother would come looking for her, and she would definitely get a scolding.
Lin Zhao went to the kitchen and saw Chu Xihuan preparing vegetables. She handed the sugar painting to her mouth. “Xihuan, you barely ate any.”
Chu Xihuan lowered her gaze to the sugar painting in front of her. She could smell the sweetness. She was silent for a moment, then turned her head slightly to avoid it. “You eat it. I’m not eating anymore.”
After Lin Zhao had eaten it, it would feel strange for her to eat it again.
“Huh?” Lin Zhao looked at the sugar painting, then at Chu Xihuan, and couldn’t help but pout. “Why? Don’t you like sugar paintings?”
Hearing the hint of a small grievance in her voice, Chu Xihuan took a deep breath, looked up at Lin Zhao, and said, “It’s alright. A little is enough.”
Lin Zhao stared at her blankly, then her spirits gradually fell. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I’ll buy you something you like in the future,” she said dejectedly.
Her words, on the contrary, made Chu Xihuan feel a little uncomfortable, as if she had let Lin Zhao down in some way.
“You don’t have to. It’s nice to have a taste once in a while,” Chu Xihuan said quietly.
“Oh.”
Although she agreed, her voice was still listless.
Chu Xihuan pressed her lips together, a hint of annoyance in her eyes. She wondered if she shouldn’t have been so direct. Lin Zhao had kindly thought of her and brought something back for her, but she had acted as if she didn’t appreciate it.
“Lin Zhao, I’m still very happy that you specially brought something back for me to eat,” Chu Xihuan said in a quiet voice.
Only Lin Zhao would put someone in her heart so sincerely and be good to them in such a foolish way.
Chu Xihuan’s heart inexplicably softened.
Lin Zhao’s spirits visibly lifted. “Then I’ll bring you more in the future,” she said softly.
But in the future, she would try to figure out Xihuan’s preferences more and bring back things she liked to eat.
“Mm,” Chu Xihuan hummed softly. She prepared the vegetables and washed them. When she was about to handle the meat Lin Zhao had bought, she saw Lin Zhao quickly finish the sugar painting in her hand and take the task from her. “I’ll do it.”
Vegetables were one thing, but meat would make her hands very dirty, and she figured Xihuan wouldn’t like that feeling. She had noticed this at noon today.
Seeing her like this, Chu Xihuan didn’t insist. She took the cookbook and, looking at the vegetables Lin Zhao had bought, found the corresponding recipes in the book to see what dishes they could make.
Although she wanted to redeem herself, Lin Zhao was not at all at ease with her doing it again and insisted that she read it to her and she would do it herself.
Chu Xihuan was speechless.
Lin Zhao no longer trusted her.
Chu Xihuan was a little frustrated. Since she was a child, she had always been good at whatever she did. Now, she had stumbled in the area of cooking. How could she accept that?
Lin Zhao listened to Xihuan read the recipe to her, and her lips couldn’t help but curve up.
Xihuan’s voice is so nice to listen to.
Perhaps with the help of the cookbook, Lin Zhao learned that a dish could have other seasonings besides salt. The dishes she made had a little more flavor than before. Although they were still not amazing, they were much better than before.
Seeing Lin Zhao’s cooking skills starting to improve, Chu Xihuan was relieved, but at the same time, a sense of unwillingness welled up in her. Why couldn’t she do it well?
Impossible. There was nothing she couldn’t do well!
Thinking that with Lin Zhao at home, who was not at ease with her cooking, and with her frugal nature, it would be difficult for her to practice, it seemed that she would have to practice when Lin Zhao was not at home in the future.
During dinner, Chu Xihuan thought for a moment and said, “Lin Zhao, you’re still young. Although you can work at the docks for a few more years while you’re young, it will inevitably affect your health. In the long run, you might develop some hidden illnesses.”
Chu Xihuan had never seen anyone who did heavy manual labor without any health problems.
Lin Zhao’s eating slowed down, and her shoulders slumped. “I know, but this is the only thing I can find now. I also want to earn money by copying books like you, but I haven’t even practiced my handwriting well…” she said in a muffled voice.
She was well aware of these problems, but she was currently unable to solve them.
Chu Xihuan was silent for a moment. She took the initiative to place a piece of vegetable in Lin Zhao’s bowl and observed her expression. “I have a job I can arrange for you, but it depends on whether you want to do it.”
Hearing her say this, Lin Zhao immediately looked up at her. “What job?”
Chu Xihuan took a deep breath. “First of all, this job is not easy either. You will need to start from scratch and learn.”
“Xihuan, I’m not afraid of being tired!” Lin Zhao said quickly. What she was most afraid of was that she couldn’t do anything and couldn’t bring any benefits to this family.
Seeing her reaction, Chu Xihuan let out a breath. It seemed that Lin Zhao was not opposed to her interfering in her affairs and didn’t think she was being nosy. This made her feel relieved, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of bitterness.
Right, everything I’m doing is for her. If she doesn’t appreciate it, how can it be my fault?
But in the past, I was so afraid of her finding out what I was doing.
