Feng Jin admired her own business acumen. If things continued like this, she would soon become the wealthiest person in the world.
To be rich and powerful, wasn't this the life everyone desired? She was about to reach the pinnacle of her life.
Thinking of this, Feng Jin couldn't contain her excitement.
"Young Madam, the Young General said for you to finish up and go to the front hall to dine. Young Madam, don't dawdle."
She had met the Young General on her way here and he had specifically instructed her to hurry and invite the Young Madam to the front hall for a meal.
Feng Jin's hand, which was applying makeup, paused slightly. Then, she indifferently replied, "Then let him wait. I'll go over once I'm done."
Feng Jin continued her work unhurriedly, but Cai Qing was becoming anxious. She was afraid that if they were late, the Young General would blame them. Not daring to trouble the Young Madam, she feared that all the blame would fall upon her, which would be terrible.
"Don't worry. If Ling Mohan finds fault with you for this, I'll back you up. Don't be afraid!"
Feng Jin noticed Cai Qing's worries and patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"Thank you, Young Madam. But can you please hurry?"
She was practically dying of worry. It had been almost an hour, and who knew how impatient the Young General must be.
If she dallied any longer, perhaps Lu Shi would have to come and invite them. Cai Qing, who deeply feared Ling Mohan, only dared to urge Feng Jin.
Seeing Cai Qing's pitiable state, Feng Jin couldn't bear it. She put down the makeup brush in her hand, stood up, and tidied her dress. "Let's go."
When Feng Jin arrived at the front hall, it was already empty. Ling Mohan was nowhere to be seen. The table was bare; not even a bowl of soup was left.
"Hmph! Ling Mohan, you're something else. Now you've learned to stand me up. I'll remember this."
"It must be that the Young General couldn't wait any longer and left first. Young Madam, please have a seat. I'll have the kitchen bring your meal."
Cai Qing busied herself defending Ling Mohan, and after calming Feng Jin's emotions, she hurried to urge the kitchen. After all, people said that being full would make one feel cheerful.
The most pressing matter was to ensure the Young Madam ate her fill first.
"Young Madam, look at these dishes. They're all your favorites from home. Although the taste might not compare to home-cooked meals, please make do with them for now."
Before the food was served, Cai Qing had already tasted it. Indeed, it couldn't compare to the meals from their small kitchen at home, but it was edible.
Feng Jin picked up a piece of豌豆黄 (pea cake), which was made in the simplest way, and took a bite. Her brow furrowed slightly. It wasn't just a little bit worse; it was vastly different.
The pea cake was dry and hard, and the sweetness made her gums ache. She then tried a few other dishes, all of which were a disaster.
After tasting everything, Feng Jin still felt that the plain white congee before her was the most delicious thing in the world.
"Cai Qing, please get another bowl of white congee."
She had thought life in Yun City would be better. Compared to now, Feng Jin somewhat missed the taste of rice cakes, which could be eaten with a bit of preserved vegetables. It was much better than only having white congee.
Cai Qing brought a bowl of white congee and placed it in front of Feng Jin. "Young Madam, didn't you dislike drinking white congee before? Why are you drinking two bowls today?"
She knew that Feng Jin used to lose her appetite at the sight of white congee, and at most, would only drink a couple of mouthfuls. Why was she so strange today?
"That's because, besides white congee, I have no other choice."
She would rather drink white congee than eat those unpalatable dishes. At least she could eat her fill.
She could make do with whatever, but the two children couldn't be treated this way.
"Cai Qing, have someone go out later and buy all the vegetables and meat in Yun City."
"Yes, Young Madam. I'll go right away."
After Cai Qing purchased all the necessary ingredients, Feng Jin rushed to the kitchen to cook. Finally, she could properly treat her stomach. The food she had been eating these past few days was simply too poor.
She had almost forgotten that food was meant to be enjoyed.
After a busy noon, the dishes were finally prepared. As Feng Jin was feeding the two children, Ling Mohan returned.
"What a feast today."
Ling Mohan looked at the table full of delicious food, his taste buds stimulated. He had smelled the aroma since entering the courtyard and was already hungry. He sat down and was about to start eating when Feng Jin snatched his chopsticks away.
"I didn't cook for the Young General. The Young General should go and eat the food prepared by the inn."
She was still angry about Ling Mohan leaving her this morning. And now, he had returned without a word of explanation and was about to eat what was already prepared. Was there such a thing?
"You're angry?"
From his understanding of Feng Jin, when she spoke with sarcasm and irony, it was definitely because she was angry.
Feng Jin shot him a fierce glare. Did this man have vision problems? Wasn't this stating the obvious? How could he not see something so simple?
"I know I was wrong." No matter what the matter was, admitting fault first was always the right thing to do.
"Then tell me, where were you wrong?"
Ling Mohan was instantly speechless. For a moment, he truly didn't know how to answer. He seemed to have made quite a few mistakes, and he wasn't sure what he was being blamed for today. After a pause, Ling Mohan offered a perfunctory answer: "No matter what, as long as my wife is unhappy, it's my fault. It's all because I didn't do well enough. I will reflect on myself properly in the future."
These words were taught to him by Gu Beichen. He even said that this was the standard answer: whenever Feng Jin was angry, he should say these words to her, and it was guaranteed to calm her down.
Feng Jin's mouth twitched uncontrollably. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes and heard it with her own ears, she would never have believed that these chuunibyo and nonsensical words could come from Ling Mohan. It was simply unbelievable.
She even suspected that the person before her was no longer Ling Mohan. "These words… where did you learn them from?"
"Aren't you satisfied?"
Feng Jin nodded firmly. "Not satisfied. I even find them a bit disgusting."
Disgusting… Ling Mohan's eyes widened abruptly. This reaction was not what Gu Beichen had predicted.
Instead of the expected感动 (being touched), it had made her feel disgusted.
Ling Mohan cursed Gu Beichen profusely in his heart. He couldn't do anything right, and he even messed up such simple things.
He truly wished he could return to the capital and bundle Gu Beichen up and throw him to Xiliang, preferably never to return to Dongchu, so that he wouldn't be annoyed by looking at him.
"These words of yours, Gu Beichen taught you, didn't he?"
After much thought, only Gu Beichen could possibly utter such nonsensical words.
"How did you know?"
"Anyone who isn't an idiot can see it. You're really…"