“Yueyue, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Old Madam rushed over, set down the durian, and shot a glare at Fu Jingyan, who was standing there like a wooden post.
How could he remain so indifferent and detached when his wife was vomiting like that?
And what on earth had this brat said to upset her so much while she was away? Had he said something so disgusting that it made her sick?
In any case, Old Madam would never suspect that the durian she had brought was the problem. After all, ever since Yu Yue married into the family, she had noticed how much the girl loved durian.
Not just durian—Yu Yue also had a fondness for strong-flavored foods like snail rice noodles and stinky tofu.
Perhaps because she often brewed medicinal herbs, after eating these pungent foods, she never carried any lingering odors. Instead, she seemed to emit a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Old Madam didn’t understand traditional medicine, so she couldn’t tell whether the fragrance came from the herbs.
After all, most medicinal herbs taken orally had a somewhat pungent taste.
“I’m fine, Grandma. I’ve been trying to lose weight lately, so I’ve been eating less at meals. I’m just a little hungry,” Yu Yue lied casually to brush it off.
“Hungry? Then maybe you shouldn’t eat durian just yet. I’ll have someone prepare some food for you.” Without waiting for Yu Yue to respond, Old Madam gave Fu Jingyan a sharp kick. “You! Hurry up and get some food. Didn’t you hear your wife say she’s hungry?”
Fu Jingyan let out a puzzled “Oh,” then turned and left.
Yu Yue wanted to stop him, but Old Madam held her back, advising her not to diet:
“Yueyue, you’re not fat at all. Don’t follow those silly girls. We don’t need to diet. Eat and drink as you please. Your husband can earn money—as a man, it’s his duty to provide for his wife. If he can’t even support his wife, what’s the use of him, right?”
“…”
That made sense in theory, but times had changed. Yu Yue believed that both men and women should have the ability to support themselves.
No one should rely on anyone else; living authentically was what truly mattered.
However, Yu Yue knew that Old Madam’s point wasn’t to make her feel that relying on her husband was natural and without psychological burden.
Old Madam’s real point was that she didn’t approve of Yu Yue dieting.
Yu Yue glanced down at the excess weight on her body—all 216 pounds of it.
Old Madam was quite skilled at turning a blind eye. Could she really not see over two hundred pounds of extra weight?
Otherwise, how could she say something as blatantly untrue as “you’re not fat at all”?
If she had never seen Yu Yue at her slim and beautiful self, it might have been different. But she had seen it, and truthfully, Yu Yue wasn’t too fond of her current self.
It wasn’t just about appearance; more importantly, when she carried so much weight, she could only sleep on her side at night. Lying flat made it hard to breathe.
For a while, her heart palpitations had been particularly severe, and she feared she might suddenly pass away one day.
Soon, Fu Jingyan returned with a large bowl of seaweed wontons.
The cook, hearing that the eldest young mistress was hungry—and especially since the eldest young master had personally come to ask—didn’t dare slack off. She quickly prepared a simple yet delicious bowl of wontons.
Yu Yue wanted to say that she had just made it up on the spot—she wasn’t hungry at all; it had all been a lie.
Who would have thought that upon seeing such a steaming bowl of wontons, filled with the unique aroma of seaweed, she actually felt a bit hungry.
Alright, if she was hungry, she would eat.
As for losing weight, she could think about that after she was full.
“Thank you. Could I trouble you for some chili oil?” Yu Yue picked up her chopsticks and spoke very politely to Fu Jingyan.
After three years of marriage, it seemed she had never once ordered around her so-called husband.
Although they were about to divorce, it didn’t stop her from giving him a little task before the divorce was finalized.
After all, as long as the divorce papers weren’t signed, he was still her husband in the eyes of the law.
Later, after the divorce, if someone asked about her ex-husband, she could say he wasn’t entirely useless—at least he had helped her out, fetched her food when she was hungry.
And it was her favorite chili oil, too.
“Alright.” Fu Jingyan showed no impatience and turned back to the kitchen to fetch what she wanted.
Old Madam watched from the side, extremely pleased.
This was how a married couple should be—helping each other out.
“By the way, Yueyue, men should be ordered around like this,” Old Madam said, standing nearby with a smile that crinkled her eyes.
“…”
Yu Yue didn’t dare respond.
When the chili oil arrived, Yu Yue scooped two heaping spoonfuls into her bowl.
The once clear broth instantly turned red, with a frightening layer of chili flakes floating on the surface.
Old Madam was horrified: “Goodness, eating so much spice—aren’t you afraid of hurting your stomach?”
Yu Yue shook her head, suddenly recalling the saying, ‘Sour for a son, spicy for a daughter.’
If she could eat this much spice, could it be that the little one in her belly was a cute little princess?
Seeing Yu Yue enjoy her meal, Old Madam said nothing more.
After finishing the bowl of wontons, Yu Yue remembered Fu Ruoxi, who loved to pick on her.
Even though Old Madam no longer managed household affairs, she was still the most senior member of the Fu family.
Could Fu Ruoxi really be so bold?
Did she come to the old residence just to catch a glimpse of Fu Jingyan?
Without even greeting Old Madam or anything?
What Yu Yue didn’t know was that while Old Madam had let the couple talk earlier, she had already gone out and sent Fu Ruoxi away.
After Yu Yue finished the wontons, Old Madam pushed the durian toward her again. “Yueyue, now you can eat your favorite durian. It’s very fresh, airlifted here this morning.”
“…”
What Yu Yue hadn’t expected was that earlier, when she hadn’t seen the durian, her sense of smell seemed to have automatically blocked out its odor. But now, seeing it, her sight triggered her sense of smell, and that nauseating feeling washed over her again.
To avoid letting Old Madam notice anything amiss, Yu Yue quickly pressed her Hegu acupoint. After a few seconds, the nausea subsided slightly.
But the yellow durian was truly unbearable to look at.
Yu Yue declined, “Grandma, I’m full. I can’t eat another bite. Let Fu Jingyan have it.”
Fu Jingyan: “…”
Could he say that his most hated fruit was this stinky durian?
Old Madam sighed silently. Ah, this couple really didn’t understand each other at all.
Fu Jingyan hated durian the most. If it weren’t for her bringing it in for Yu Yue, given his temperament, he would probably have had the servants take it away immediately.
“Grandma, you should eat it. Let’s not waste it.”
In the end, Old Madam ended up taking care of everything.
Old Madam was getting on in years and couldn’t even manage to eat one piece.
After having the remaining durian cleared away, Old Madam looked at the two of them. “How did your talk go just now?”
“Grandma, Yu Yue has agreed.”
“What? Agreed…” Old Madam was so overwhelmed with anger that her vision went dark, and she fainted instantly.
Fortunately, Fu Jingyan was right beside her and reached out to steady her firmly. He took out his phone and was about to dial 120 when Yu Yue stopped him. “Fu Jingyan, help Grandma to the bed. There’s no need to call 120 just yet.”
Fu Jingyan: “…”
Seeing him frozen in place, his expression utterly shocked.
Finally, she understood why Old Madam always said in front of her that Fu Jingyan was nothing but a blockhead.
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up!” Yu Yue rarely showed impatience.
“Oh.”
Fu Jingyan quickly laid Old Madam down gently on the bed.
Yu Yue immediately gave the next order. “You, go call Butler Lei.”
“Alright.” Fu Jingyan responded much faster this time.
Butler Lei came over and brought the medical kit Yu Yue had specially prepared for Old Madam. Yu Yue took out silver needles, sterilized them with alcohol, and inserted one into the philtrum acupoint. Then, she took out a small unlabeled bottle containing a green ointment.
Holding it under Old Madam’s nose, she removed the silver needle, and Old Madam woke up.
As soon as she regained consciousness, Old Madam grabbed the pillow beside her and angrily threw it at Fu Jingyan.
Yu Yue: …
Still got quite the strength, huh?!