Reluctantly, Mu Yuqing reached out and slowly pushed open the slightly weathered wooden door. The courtyard was quiet, leaving only the two of them there together. The thought of being alone with Lu Jincheng made a trace of resistance rise in her heart.
After all, ever since they had become acquainted, they had only met around a dozen times, and every encounter had been strictly business, always with other people present.
What troubled her even more was that this man had been acting increasingly strange lately. He would tease her at every turn, sometimes even openly flirting with her, and she truly had no idea how to deal with such a change.
While she was still lost in thought, Lu Jincheng strode inside with light, confident steps. The moment he noticed the displeased look on her face, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
“Oh? Judging from that expression, it seems you are quite unhappy to see me. What is it? Are you afraid I might eat you alive?”
For some reason, whenever he was alone with this woman, an uncontrollable urge to tease her would arise in his heart. Especially when he saw her puffing up in anger like a little pufferfish, he found it strangely amusing.
Faced with his shameless teasing, Mu Yuqing naturally refused to back down. Her brows furrowed as she shot back without courtesy.
“If you already know you are not welcome, you still dare to come here? Your skin is thicker than a city wall. Truly shameless, hmph!”
Even though her words were sharp, her heartbeat had already quickened unconsciously, and the blush on her face deepened by several shades.
Lu Jincheng showed no sign of anger after being scolded. Instead, the smile on his face grew even wider.
“Haha, I remember someone personally promised to cook for me. Yet ten whole days have passed, and I have not even gotten half a meal. Are you planning to go back on your word and become an untrustworthy person?”
As he spoke, his deep gaze fixed firmly on her, clearly waiting to see how she would answer.
“You are the untrustworthy one, your whole family is untrustworthy!”
Mu Yuqing turned around angrily after snapping back, only to accidentally slam straight into Lu Jincheng’s chest.
She froze instantly.
Looking at the woman who had practically thrown herself into his arms, Lu Jincheng felt his heart tremble slightly, as though something soft had brushed gently against it.
When Mu Yuqing finally came back to her senses, she hurriedly broke free from his embrace and rushed into the kitchen.
Lu Jincheng lowered his eyes to his hands, recalling the feeling from moments ago. There was only one phrase that could describe it properly, warm fragrance and soft jade.
In her previous life, Mu Yuqing had been a gynecologist. Yet because of her demanding profession, she had never once been in a relationship. After transmigrating into this world, the original owner’s husband had already died in battle, meaning she had never been close to another man here either.
As for remarrying, she had no intention of doing so.
First, she only wanted to earn enough silver to raise Chen’er and Yue’er properly. Once the children grew up, she planned to retire peacefully and travel the world freely.
Second, she simply could not accept the local custom of men keeping multiple wives and concubines. Sharing a man with other women was something she could never tolerate.
After calming herself down, she called toward the outside.
“Master Lu, if you want to eat sooner, come help light the fire.”
Hearing her call, Lu Jincheng immediately entered the kitchen and sat down in front of the stove.
“I only bought chicken today. How would Master Lu like it prepared?” Mu Yuqing asked politely with a smile. Since she was cooking for someone else, naturally she wanted to make something suited to his taste.
Lu Jincheng thought for a moment, and the unforgettable flavor of the Sliced Cold Chicken he had eaten before instantly surfaced in his mind.
“Then let us have Sliced Cold Chicken again. I still cannot forget that tender, juicy texture.”
“No problem.”
Mu Yuqing answered readily before instructing him again.
“Master Lu, help me start the fire first.”
After saying that, she quickly began preparing the ingredients and seasonings.
Sliced Cold Chicken was relatively simple and quick to make. Once the water in the pot came to a boil, she carefully lowered the cleaned whole chicken into the pot and let it simmer slowly.
Using the cooking time efficiently, she immediately began preparing the other dishes without stopping for even a moment.
After glancing over the ingredients on the cutting board, a menu quickly formed in her mind. Aside from the main dish, she planned to stir-fry the chicken giblets into a spicy and sour dish that paired perfectly with rice. Finally, she would make a fresh bowl of seaweed meatball soup.
Two dishes and one soup should be more than enough for the two of them.
Mu Yuqing moved busily around the kitchen, never pausing for rest. After about the time it took to burn an incense stick, the kitchen became filled with heat and the rich fragrance of food.
At last, every dish was complete, each one excellent in color, aroma, and taste.
Lu Jincheng quickly rose to wash his hands before helping carry the dishes to the table. The excitement and anticipation in his heart were impossible to hide.
The table was soon covered with steaming dishes full of enticing fragrance. The bright red spicy and sour chicken giblets looked especially appetizing, making him swallow unconsciously.
Just then, Mu Yuqing walked over carrying two bowls of crystal white rice, one large and one small.
She gently placed the larger bowl in front of Lu Jincheng while keeping the smaller one for herself.
“Master Lu, stop staring already. Your drool is about to drip into the food. Let us eat.”
“Alright.”
With that, he picked up his chopsticks and immediately began eating.
His hand moved swiftly toward the plate of Sliced Cold Chicken, smooth and natural as flowing water. In the blink of an eye, he had already picked up the plumpest drumstick.
He carefully dipped it into the small bowl of sauce, coating it thoroughly with the rich flavors before smiling faintly and placing it into Mu Yuqing’s bowl.
The simple action seemed to carry an indescribable gentleness and care.
Only after doing that did he finally begin enjoying his own meal with satisfaction.
Looking at the drumstick in her bowl, warmth quietly spread through Mu Yuqing’s heart.
It would be a lie to say she was not moved.
She had not expected Lu Jincheng to be so attentive, deliberately leaving the best piece for her first. This unintentional act of care caused her opinion of him to improve slightly.
Just slightly.
Meanwhile, Lu Jincheng ate happily while praising her nonstop.
“This is unbelievably delicious! It is practically food fit for immortals! I truly want to know how your clever little head works to come up with dishes this amazing. Whoever marries a capable woman like you in the future must have accumulated countless blessings in their previous life to earn such fortune!”
Mu Yuqing ignored his endless stream of compliments and silently gnawed on the large drumstick without saying a word, pretending she had not heard him at all.
However, the slight upward curve at the corners of her lips and the faint blush quietly spreading across her cheeks betrayed her true feelings.