12 – Roll Back
Chi Wanwan shook her head. “Grandpa Shen, I’m not afraid.”
“Mm, give Shen Yu a call and tell him to come back as soon as possible.” Elder Shen’s phone was still in the car, so he asked Chi Wanwan to make the call.
“Okay, I’ll call him right now.”
With Elder Shen present, Chi Wanwan couldn’t very well take the phone into another room to talk.
She had no choice but to dial Shen Yu’s number right in front of Elder Shen.
And she put it on speakerphone.
“Beep… beep… beep…”
After four or five rings, Shen Yu picked up.
“What is it? Speak.”
Before Chi Wanwan could say anything, Elder Shen grabbed her phone and barked into it, “Is that how you talk to your wife? Get your ass back here right now!”
“Grandpa?” Shen Yu’s voice immediately softened. “Where are you?”
“I’m at your place.”
“There’s a bit of traffic right now. I should be back in about twenty minutes.”
“Mm, got it.” Elder Shen hung up after saying that.
He handed the phone back to Chi Wanwan and asked, “Is this how he usually treats you?”
“Mm.” Chi Wanwan nodded gently.
Elder Shen had heard it with his own ears, so there was no need for her to cover for Shen Yu.
“Wanwan, don’t worry. Once he gets back, I’ll definitely straighten him out.”
“Grandpa Shen, please don’t use your hands… Getting hit with a cane really hurts.”
Chi Wanwan put on a demure look, but inwardly she was thinking: Hit him, hit him. Don’t hold back. Use that cane and hit him hard.
“No worries. That boy Shen Yu is tough. A few whacks with the cane won’t be a big deal.” Elder Shen’s gaze indeed settled on his cane. A cane not only hurt when it struck, but it was also handy.
“Also, since you and Shen Yu are already married, shouldn’t you start calling me by a different name?”
“Grandpa~” Chi Wanwan called out sweetly.
“Ah, ah. Good girl.”
Elder Shen’s gaze toward Chi Wanwan grew even more affectionate.
As expected of the granddaughter-in-law he had his eye on—the more he looked at her, the more pleased he was.
Chi Wanwan stood up and poured Elder Shen a glass of warm water. “Grandpa, have a seat for a bit. I’ll go to the kitchen and cook. Since you rarely visit, I want you to taste my cooking.”
“Alright then, I’ll be waiting to enjoy it.”
The older generation all favored gentle, obedient granddaughters-in-law.
Elder Shen was utterly delighted by Chi Wanwan’s repeated calls of “Grandpa,” his mouth curling up uncontrollably.
The smile on Elder Shen’s face vanished the moment Shen Yu opened the door and walked in.
“Grandpa.” Shen Yu changed his shoes and quickly walked over to Elder Shen.
“Hmph! Kneel down!”
With a thud, Shen Yu knelt on the cold tile floor.
Elder Shen raised his cane and struck Shen Yu’s back several heavy blows.
“Tell me, where did you go wrong?”
Shen Yu’s voice was cool and composed. “Getting married without discussing it with the family.”
“And?”
Shen Yu thought for a moment. “My tone just now wasn’t very good.”
“Get up.” Elder Shen steadied himself with his cane and sat back down on the sofa.
Shen Yu stood up and sat down as well.
“I think Wanwan is a good girl. You shouldn’t keep things from her.” Elder Shen advised.
“Grandpa, I know what I’m doing. I plan to observe for a while longer. I don’t want to tell her for now.”
Shen Yu’s concern was that if Chi Wanwan was someone worth devoting his life to, then he would lay everything the Shen family had before her.
Chi Wanwan would then be the president’s wife of Fuhai Group, with endless wealth and glory to enjoy.
But if he discovered that Chi Wanwan was the kind of woman who was hypocritical, vain, and ill-intentioned, then he would divorce her as soon as possible.
Divorcing under his current ordinary identity meant Chi Wanwan wouldn’t get half his assets.
Marrying Chi Wanwan was only to give his grandfather an explanation and to repay the Chi family’s kindness.
Whether the marriage would last still depended on the days to come…
“Suit yourself. Just don’t regret it when the time comes.” Elder Shen shook his head. His grandson was too suspicious.
Chi Wanwan was a very good person. In the future, Shen Yu would come to know that.
Not long after sitting down, Shen Yu was shooed into the kitchen by Elder Shen, told to go help Chi Wanwan.
Standing outside the kitchen’s sliding door, Shen Yu heard Chi Wanwan humming a tune inside. She seemed to be in a good mood.
Shen Yu pushed open the glass door and walked in. “Seeing me get scolded by Grandpa, you’re in a pretty good mood, huh.”
“I wasn’t. You’re talking nonsense.”
Chi Wanwan denied it flatly, but the hidden smile in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
Shen Yu raised an eyebrow and didn’t press the issue. “Grandpa told me to come help. What do you need me to do?”
“Wash these vegetables for me.”
Chi Wanwan had never seen Shen Yu do housework at home, so she assumed he didn’t know how to cook. She gave him the simplest task.
A large pork knuckle was stewing in the pot. Shen Yu watched as Chi Wanwan tossed a bunch of tree bark and leaves into it.
If these things were eaten, would they cause food poisoning?
“What are these things you’re putting in?” For the sake of his own life, Shen Yu still voiced the doubt in his heart.
“No way? You don’t even recognize star anise, cinnamon bark, or bay leaves?”
“I rarely went into the kitchen before.”
Since birth, Shen Yu had lived a life of plenty.
The Shen family’s old residence had dozens of servants. The food he ate was always prepared and plated before being brought to him.
What cinnamon bark and bay leaves were, he had truly never known before.
Chi Wanwan picked up each spice and explained them to Shen Yu one by one: “Here, these bay leaves are the leaves of the laurel tree. This little angular thing is star anise. This is cinnamon bark, and this is clove…”
Shen Yu wasn’t impatient at all. Instead, he listened carefully as Chi Wanwan spoke.
So it turned out that even seemingly simple dishes had complex knowledge behind them.
Next, after Shen Yu finished washing the vegetables, he didn’t leave. Instead, he stood nearby like a backdrop, watching Chi Wanwan cook.
One simple ingredient after another, stir-fried by Chi Wanwan’s hands, transformed into dishes bursting with aroma.
“Shen Yu, help me grab a plate.”
Shen Yu asked, “Where are the plates?”
“In the cabinet behind you. Get a round one, a fairly deep plate.”
Chi Wanwan sighed silently. Shen Yu didn’t even know where things in his own home were kept.
Hah, men.
Shen Yu opened the cabinet and, as Chi Wanwan had said, took out a plate.
He put the stir-fried dish onto the plate and helped carry it out.
It was the first time the newlyweds had been like this—the two of them together in the kitchen cooking.
The scene looked a little warm and cozy.
Chi Wanwan had bought a lot of ingredients today and made six dishes in total, which was more than enough for the three of them.
Elder Shen sat at the head of the dining table, with Chi Wanwan and Shen Yu seated on either side of him.
“Wanwan, no wonder your grandfather always sings your praises in front of me. These dishes you’ve made—they look appetizing just by looking at them.”
Elder Shen chuckled as he picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork. After tasting it, he gave a thumbs-up: “Delicious! Even better than what a Michelin chef would make.”
“Not at all. I just threw it together casually. If it suits your taste, Grandpa, that’s my honor. Please, have some more…” Chi Wanwan picked up the serving chopsticks and placed other dishes onto Elder Shen’s plate.
The sweet and sour pork was too sugary—it was fine for the elderly man to have a few bites, but not too much.
Shen Yu watched the affectionate exchange between his grandfather and Chi Wanwan, his eyes narrowing slightly. Chi Wanwan had never served him food before…