After seeing Shen Huaiyu off, Luo Qingqing hurried back to the room, locked the door tightly, and shouted, “Cell phone!”
The moment she got it, she was incredibly excited. She only had one hour, so she had to make good use of it. She first spent ten minutes browsing online gossip, which left her feeling immensely satisfied.
She opened an app and began searching for cooking tutorials. The restaurant couldn’t rely solely on hotpot and spicy mixed dishes; they needed to keep introducing new dishes.
She needed paper and a pen to take notes, so Luo Qingqing hurried to Gu Jing’an’s desk. Fortunately, she had joined a calligraphy club in college; otherwise, writing with a brush would have been quite difficult.
She wrote three full pages, covering all kinds of food—things to eat and drink, steamed dishes, boiled dishes, fried dishes, grilled dishes, and practically everything else.
Luo Qingqing loved eating delicious food, but she loved making it even more. There was an indescribable sense of satisfaction in watching ordinary ingredients transform into delicious dishes through cooking.
There were still eight minutes left. What should she do?
Oh right, Gu Jing’an’s cough!
She could try boiling apples and onions in water, steaming oranges with salt, roasting tangerines, boiling pears with Sichuan peppercorns…
Good heavens, there were actually quite a few methods.
She copied down seven different recipes. She could try them one by one. They had to be better than taking medicine. After all, every medicine had some degree of toxicity; if she could avoid taking it, all the better.
She finished writing just as the hour was up, and the cellphone disappeared.
A sound came from outside the room. Someone was coming in.
Luo Qingqing picked up her notes and opened the door.
Gu Jing’an had just been about to push the door open.
Their eyes met.
Luo Qingqing froze.
Shouldn’t he be attending classes at the academy right now?
What was going on?
After hesitating, she asked, “Did you skip school?”
The moment she said it, she wanted to slap herself.
Gu Jing’an was someone who would eventually achieve the rare distinction of placing first in all three imperial examinations. How could he possibly skip school?
“My teacher has gone out and hasn’t returned yet. He told me to come back in three days.”
Gu Jing’an’s teacher, Yan Mingzhi, would become one of the most important people helping him rise to the highest ranks of the court.
Luo Qingqing nodded and waved the papers in her hand.
“I couldn’t find any paper or brushes in Qiran’s room, so I used yours to write down some things.”
She added, “I didn’t touch anything else.”
Gu Jing’an’s eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at her obedient expression.
“You can use anything in the house.”
Why was she always so cautious around him?
There was something different about Gu Jing’an now.
She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
Luo Qingqing opened the sheet containing the remedies for coughs and handed it to him.
“Are all the ingredients on this list available in town? Your medicine doesn’t seem to be helping much with your cough. How about we try treating it through food instead?”
Gu Jing’an lowered his clear eyes.
Her handwriting was quite beautiful, written in delicate, elegant regular script that suited her perfectly.
So the things she had said she needed to write down were actually methods for treating his cough?
But his cough was caused by lingering cold poison in his body. His teacher had searched for countless medicines for him, yet none had been particularly effective.
Forget it.
She had already written them down, so he might as well let her try.
“The town has all of them. Do you want to go after lunch?”
“Let’s go now. Then we’ll pick up Qiran and Xuanning and have lunch together. The two children always eat at school at noon, and going back and forth is too troublesome.”
Gu Jing’an nodded.
Luo Qingqing told him about Shen Huaiyu and handed him the jade pendant.
He didn’t take it, merely telling her to put it away safely.
After returning to their room to get ready, the two of them left the house.
The morning sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, falling upon him as faint, gently swaying halos of light.
The sunlight rested on his long, thick eyelashes, casting a small shadow beneath them.
His features were as beautiful as a painting, his gaze cool and pure, without a trace of impurity.
He resembled a clear lake rippling beneath the spring sunshine, making it impossible not to become captivated.
A faint, cool fragrance reminiscent of green bamboo emanated from him, enveloping the two of them.
I can’t keep looking.
Luo Qingqing quickly averted her gaze and silently repeated to herself:
Beauty is emptiness. Beauty is emptiness. Beauty is emptiness.
The moment Luo Qingqing looked away, Gu Jing’an turned his eyes toward her.
The young woman’s long black hair fell all the way to her waist. Her delicate brows curved gracefully, while her cheeks were like a peach just beginning to ripen, carrying an alluring flush.
Her misty almond-shaped eyes shimmered with a captivating glow, while tiny beads of sweat dotted the tip of her delicate nose, making her look both charming and adorable.
The warm sunlight was gentle, the breeze soft.
At that moment, it seemed as though the entire world contained only the two of them.
Luo Qingqing took Gu Jing’an to Zui Jiang Tower, the restaurant she had visited yesterday.
Today, the tables had turned.
The Ruiyue Tower across the street was practically empty, while Zui Jiang Tower was packed with customers.
Manager Li was smiling so broadly that his eyes had nearly disappeared.
When he saw Luo Qingqing, he hurried over with a hearty laugh.
“Madam Luo, you’ve finally come! I estimate that the chili peppers won’t last until this afternoon. I was just about to come looking for you.”
Luo Qingqing smiled back.
“Then the old lady should still be around the old street. Could you trouble yourself to find two people to come with me and bring back more?”
“No trouble at all. I’ll find two clever fellows in a moment.”
Manager Li glanced at the handsome man beside Luo Qingqing.
“Could this gentleman be Madam Luo’s husband?”
Caught off guard, Luo Qingqing could only nod.
She felt somewhat nervous saying it in front of Gu Jing’an.
He won’t be angry, will he?
After all, marrying her had never been his choice.
Gu Jing’an glanced at Luo Qingqing and gave Manager Li the formal salute of a scholar.
“I am Gu Jing’an.”
“Gu Jing’an?”
The name sounded familiar.
This year’s provincial examination top scholar seemed to be named Gu Jing’an.
Manager Li hurriedly helped him up.
“Master Gu, you honor this old man! I never imagined Madam Luo’s husband would be you.”
Luo Qingqing wanted to cry.
Please, stop reminding everyone over and over again!
Afraid Manager Li would continue, she quickly said, “Manager, please hurry and find those two people. It’s almost noon, and the old lady might have left by then.”
Manager Li nodded cheerfully and instructed the waiter to properly escort the two of them to a private room on the third floor.
It seemed that the old monk had been right.
He had indeed encountered a noble benefactor.
The restaurant had been brought back to life thanks to Luo Qingqing, and her husband was also an extraordinary man with a limitless future.
The private room now contained only Luo Qingqing and Gu Jing’an.
Luo Qingqing felt uneasy.
Was Gu Jing’an angry?
Should she say something to ease the atmosphere?
After much hesitation, she finally spoke.
“You’ll be going to the capital next year to take the metropolitan and palace examinations. That’s going to cost quite a bit of money, so I discussed opening the restaurant with Manager Li. I’ll provide the recipes, and he’ll provide the premises. I don’t have to come here every day. After you go to the capital, I’ll take good care of Qiran and Xuanning.”
Gu Jing’an frowned slightly before giving a faint smile.
“Luo Qingqing, why do you treat me this way?”
He genuinely wanted to know.
There was really nothing about him that she could possibly be after.
“My mother died when I was young. Shortly after the mourning period ended, my father brought his second wife into the household. My stepmother was very good at pretending to be kind while deceiving me. The better she treated me, the more my father disliked me. As time passed, I stopped hoping for even that little bit of affection between father and daughter.”
“After I married you, you were quiet and rarely spoke, and I became increasingly frustrated. That’s why my attitude toward you was so terrible during those two weeks.”
“Later, I thought things through. To you, I was also an unexpected disaster. I couldn’t blame you. Instead, I should thank you for pulling me out of the mud.”
Her words were half truth and half fabrication.
But what did it matter whether they were true or false?
She certainly couldn’t tell him the actual truth.
Gu Jing’an looked at the young woman before him.
Her almond-shaped eyes were calm and indifferent, as though she were recounting someone else’s story.
For some reason, his heart felt uncomfortable.
After all, she was still just a young girl who had not yet reached adulthood.