Manager Fang was the first to come over and said to her: “What did I tell you? With such a bad attitude and now causing trouble at work because of your divorce, your job might not even last. I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly—tsk tsk.”
Lin Jingwen rolled her eyes at him and shot back directly: “Manager Fang, what good does it do you to kick someone when they’re down? Try to show a little kindness.”
Manager Fang glared, furious: “Hey! You’re lecturing me now? Do you even know your own worth?”
“Ninety‑eight jin. I weighed myself just a couple of days ago,” Lin Jingwen replied coolly.
Manager Fang: …
Who asked about your weight! Crazy woman—can’t even understand normal conversation.
Chef Cai came over, pulled Lin Jingwen away, and, before leaving, glared at Manager Fang: “Jingwen’s right. Show some kindness. Be careful—too much cruelty brings retribution.”
“Hey! Old Cai, how dare you curse me!” Manager Fang shouted unhappily.
Neither Lin Jingwen nor Chef Cai paid him any attention. They walked outside, where Chef Cai asked worriedly what was going on.
“Master, it’s nothing. I chose to leave on my own…” Lin Jingwen explained briefly what had happened.
“Master, please keep this a secret, don’t even tell your family. Since I’ve quit, they won’t be able to find me for a while, and I’ll have some peace.”
Tomorrow was Friday, and the housing allocation list was supposed to be announced in the afternoon. Once Li Anping saw that he didn’t get a house, he would definitely come looking for her, raging and demanding answers. Although she wasn’t afraid of Li Anping and his family, constantly facing those mad dogs and hearing them bark at her was exhausting. If she could hide away for a few days of peace, that would be a gain.
“Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing,” Chef Cai said, finally reassured.
“They might come to you asking about me. Just say you don’t know anything,” Lin Jingwen added.
“If Li Anping comes looking for me, I’ll kick him first! I didn’t get enough satisfaction last time!” Chef Cai muttered under his breath.
Lin Jingwen burst out laughing, but still reminded her master not to act recklessly—otherwise the scumbag might twist things and pin the blame on him.
Because if there was one thing Li Anping excelled at, it was shirking responsibility and dumping fault onto others.
Leaving an hour early, Lin Jingwen went to the market. Since she had plenty of time today, she bought extra pork belly to make dumplings. She also picked up several heads of cabbage, a few radishes and potatoes, and some scallions. In the dead of winter, there weren’t many other vegetables available.
Back home, she immediately began cutting the meat—reserving most of it for braised pork, while mincing some into filling for forty or fifty dumplings, enough for herself and her employer, Professor Qiu, to share for one meal.
The other two dishes would be stir‑fried cabbage strips and shredded potatoes.
By the time she finished preparing the dumpling filling, it was already five o’clock. She began kneading dough to wrap the dumplings.
Once the dough was ready, she set the braised pork to simmer.
Around six o’clock, Qiu Ze returned home. As he climbed to the fourth floor, he was greeted by a strong, mouthwatering aroma of meat. He couldn’t help swallowing hungrily, his stomach growling. He had eaten lunch at the university cafeteria, but the food there couldn’t compare in the slightest to the meals cooked by Ms. Lin.
At noon, he hadn’t eaten much, and he’d skipped breakfast entirely—because Ms. Lin had been on the early shift today. Now, his stomach was growling, and the smell of food was unbearable.
Instead of going straight home, Qiu Ze knocked on Lin Jingwen’s door first.
She opened it, smiling as she asked: “Mr. Qiu, you’re back. The braised pork is ready. Once I put the dumplings in the pot and stir‑fry two vegetable dishes, dinner will be served.”
“Great!” Qiu Ze nodded vigorously, then glanced at his watch. “How long will it take?”
“At most ten minutes.” Lin Jingwen looked at him, noticing his impatience, and asked curiously, “Mr. Qiu, are you very hungry?”
For someone as well‑off as him, it surprised her that he would go hungry.
“The cafeteria food at school is terrible,” Qiu Ze said flatly. “I don’t like it, so I didn’t eat much. And I skipped breakfast too.”
Lin Jingwen: “…”
So without her cooking, he’d rather starve?
She told Qiu Ze to go home first, change clothes, switch shoes, and wash his hands before dinner. Then she plated the braised pork, setting aside a portion for herself and serving the rest to him.
“Eat a few bites of meat first to tide you over—the dumplings will be ready soon.”
After saying this, Lin Jingwen hurried back to her kitchen, stirring the dumplings while simultaneously using another stove to stir‑fry shredded potatoes and cabbage.
Even though she was cooking dumplings and stir‑frying vegetables at the same time, she wasn’t flustered at all. Everything was orderly, smooth, and efficient.
Soon, the dumplings were ready, and her two quick stir‑fried dishes were finished as well.
When she carried the dumplings and vegetables over, she saw that half of the braised pork was already gone.
“Try some sour‑spicy shredded potatoes or cabbage strips—they’ll cut the greasiness,” she suggested.
She was genuinely worried he might get sick of eating so much braised pork.
“Thank you.” Qiu Ze picked up a chopstickful of potatoes. After tasting them, his face lit up with amazement. He gave her a big thumbs‑up and praised earnestly: “This is the best shredded potato I’ve ever eaten.”
“That’s because you especially needed something refreshing to balance the richness, so it tastes extra good,” Lin Jingwen replied with a laugh, offering a reasonable explanation.
Qiu Ze agreed that might be part of it, but he still thought her cooking skills were outstanding.
“Try the dumplings too,” Lin Jingwen said. “If you have any suggestions, just tell me—I’ll improve them.”
Qiu Ze immediately ate one dumpling. After finishing, he said again: “Absolutely delicious. I can’t even find words to praise it. I love it—no need for improvement.”
Lin Jingwen: “…”
With Mr. Qiu being such a master of praise, it was really hard not to feel happy cooking for him.
“Well then, you keep eating. I’ll go back and have my meal too. Mr. Qiu, you’ve already eaten so much meat—the dumplings might be a bit much. Don’t overstuff yourself. If there are leftovers, you can pan‑fry them later as a midnight snack,” Lin Jingwen said.
“Alright, thank you.” Qiu Ze nodded. But in the end, he still ate too much.
After dinner, feeling stuffed, Qiu Ze paced around his room to help digest. Looking around, he thought he should order a treadmill from abroad, and maybe a punching bag too, so he could exercise at home.
With Ms. Lin’s cooking being this good, he couldn’t help but overeat every time. Without strengthening his daily exercise routine, he figured he’d end up overweight within a year. Since he didn’t have a treadmill yet, he decided to go outside for a run.
When Lin Jingwen came over after finishing her own meal, she saw Qiu Ze putting on clothes and asked, “Mr. Qiu, heading out?”
“Stuffed myself—going for a run,” Qiu Ze explained.
Lin Jingwen: “…”
It seemed her cooking really did suit Mr. Qiu’s taste perfectly.
She had to admit, her cheerful acceptance of Supervisor Qin’s arrangement earlier today was largely influenced by Mr. Qiu’s unreserved praise of her cooking. It had boosted her confidence tremendously.
Of course, her confidence also had a lot to do with the salary Mr. Qiu paid her!
Without such a wealthy employer, she wouldn’t have so easily given up her “iron rice bowl.”
Meanwhile, back at home, Ma Xiaocui returned from the state‑run restaurant and immediately complained to Lin Dongliang: “Ugh, I’m furious! I told that wretched girl Jingwen to go back to her in‑laws, and guess what she said? She said she won’t go back, that she insists on divorcing, and even threatened that if we meddle again, she’ll cut ties with us completely!”
Lin Dongliang’s eyes widened in shock, hardly able to believe it: “Has she lost her mind? Is that really something Jingwen would say?”
“I called her crazy too! I was so angry I wanted to hit her, but she grabbed my hand hard, like she was about to devour me. I was absolutely livid!” Ma Xiaocui ranted.
Lin Dongliang’s brows furrowed tighter, and he snapped angrily: “If she won’t listen, then scold her until she has no choice but to obey. Make it impossible for her to keep working, so she’ll have to follow you back to her in‑laws. You can’t even manage that? How will you explain yourself to our son‑in‑law?”
Shamed into silence, Ma Xiaocui stammered for a while before muttering: “Then tomorrow I’ll go find her again. Even if I have to drag her by force and ruin her job, I’ll make sure she goes back to her in‑laws.”
Lin Dongliang finally nodded in satisfaction: “Good. Tomorrow, go to the restaurant and directly resign on her behalf. That way she’ll have no choice but to follow you back.”
“Alright, alright,” Ma Xiaocui agreed repeatedly.
“I’ll go outside and call our son‑in‑law, let him know so he won’t worry about it,” Lin Dongliang said.
“Go on then,” Ma Xiaocui waved him off.
After Lin Dongliang left, Ma Xiaocui went to the courtyard to use the toilet. There, she saw a basin of laundry and immediately began cursing in dissatisfaction: “Why are these clothes still piled up here! I’ve never seen such a lazy daughter‑in‑law! What’s the meaning of this—leaving them here for me, an old woman, to wash?”
Song Xiangqin, who had been lying in bed because of stomach pain, heard her mother‑in‑law’s words and had no choice but to get up.
“Mom, my stomach hurt just now, so I was resting for a bit.”
“You’ve already had three children—what makes you so precious? A stomachache and you stop working? If you’re carrying my precious grandson, then you have the right to rest. But if it’s another girl, when she’s born, I’ll strangle her myself!”
Ma Xiaocui cursed bitterly: “What’s the point of raising so many money‑losing girls? They only make me angry!”
Song Xiangqin’s eyes reddened from the scolding. “Mom, I’ll wash them right away.”
Only when she saw her daughter‑in‑law start washing did Ma Xiaocui return indoors.
A moment later, two‑year‑old Zhaodi ran out of the house: “Mama, I’ll wash!” She wanted to help her mother with the laundry.
Hearing her daughter’s words, Song Xiangqin could no longer hold back her tears.
“Zhaodi, my good girl, you don’t need to wash. The water is too cold. Go back inside—the outside air is cold too.”
“No.” Zhaodi shook her head. She was afraid of her grandparents—since they only ever scolded her—so she wanted to stay by her mother’s side.
Song Xiangqin knew her daughter feared her grandparents, and the thought made her want to cry again.
It was all because her womb hadn’t “produced” a son. If only she had given birth to a boy first, she and her daughters wouldn’t be constantly scolded at home.
At the mechanical factory’s family housing compound—
Li Anping received a call from his father‑in‑law. Hearing that even his mother‑in‑law had failed to bring Lin Jingwen back, he realized this wasn’t just a simple tantrum anymore.
Then he remembered that tomorrow evening the department head was coming to visit his home. His heart grew anxious, and he couldn’t focus on his textbooks at all. His mind was consumed with worry about how to handle the situation.
When he returned home, he saw the table and cupboards piled high with clutter, everything messy, and the floor dirty. His dissatisfaction grew.
With the department head visiting tomorrow, the house had to be spotless and bright—otherwise, he would lose face completely.
Back when Lin Jingwen was at home, everything had been fine. But now that she was gone, the house was in total disarray.
Lin Jingwen could manage things well—so why couldn’t his elder and second sisters‑in‑law do the same?