“I don’t like repeating myself.”
Er Ya bit her lip, and ultimately obeyed, removing her clothes to reveal a back covered in bruises, some wounds still seeping blood.
She had no other choice. Even if it meant humiliation, she had to endure it.
Zhou Wanning’s hand holding the ointment paused. She had seen maidservants punished for their mistakes before, but never injuries this severe.
Scar upon scar, with scabbed-over wounds torn open again and bleeding freely—there was hardly anything human left about it.
This wasn’t how one treated one’s own child. This was how one treated an enemy.
The cold ointment spread across her skin sent a searing pain through Er Ya. Her body trembled uncontrollably, but she dared not flinch, dared not cry out loud.
“Turn around. Face me.”
Hearing Zhou Wanning’s command, Er Ya obediently turned, her face already streaked with tears.
When she saw what Zhou Wanning held in her hand, she froze completely. Medicine for her wounds?
“Th-this… this is too precious. I’m just a servant my sister bought to do chores. I don’t deserve medicine. I can just lie down for a couple of days and I’ll be fine.”
Er Ya’s words came out in a jumble, her eyes full of fear. Being able to leave home at all was already the best she could hope for. How could she dare to wish for such things?
“Don’t move.”
Zhou Wanning’s hands didn’t stop as she carefully applied the ointment over every wound on Er Ya’s body. “Rest and recover. Those days are behind you now. They can’t hurt you anymore.”
At these words, Er Ya’s emotions completely collapsed. She burst into wracking sobs, the heart-wrenching cries seeming to release over a decade of pent-up grievances.
Zhou Wanning arranged for Er Ya to stay in the west room. She pressed down on Er Ya, who tried to rise: “Rest until your wounds heal.”
Li Zhanye watched in disbelief as Zhou Wanning tied on an apron. “You can cook?”
She couldn’t be bothered with him. Thinking of the invalid and the child in the house, she figured she ought to make some meat dishes to nourish them.
Just as her hand was about to touch the pork, Li Zhanye scooped her up and set her aside. “Let me handle this.”
He felt that his wife’s jade-like hands shouldn’t be sullied by such mundane things.
Zhou Wanning didn’t refuse. Free labor was free labor, after all. Though it was summer, the well water was still icy cold, and she didn’t particularly enjoy touching it.
Seeing how eager Li Zhanye was, she simply directed him to wash all the vegetables she planned to stir-fry as well.
Despite being a scoundrel, Li Zhanye was meticulous in his work. In no time at all, everything was prepared, leaving Zhou Wanning only the cooking itself.
If he truly knew how to cook, he wouldn’t bear to let Zhou Wanning step into the kitchen. In his eyes, Zhou Wanning was a delicate young lady who only needed to exert herself for him in bed.
Watching her pour oil into the wok, his heart leaped with fear that the oil might splatter on her. “Wife, how about you just tell me what to do and I’ll do it? If that oil splashes on you, I’ll be the one who has to coax you afterward.”
“Shut up.”
If she didn’t want to avoid getting covered in soot from the stove, she wouldn’t have kept Li Zhanye in the kitchen at all. “Mind your fire.”
Li Zhanye curled his lips, his voice full of affection: “Look at that temper of yours. Only I could spoil you like this.”
Zhou Wanning didn’t want to acknowledge him at all. Watching the sugar cubes melt in the oil, she tossed in the pork chunks Li Zhanye had cut, along with the Sichuan peppercorns and star anise, stir-frying them together. Before long, a sweet aroma filled the air.
Li Zhanye took a deep breath. “Oh ho, braised pork! Wife’s amazing.”
Zhou Wanning had long since grown too lazy to argue with him over titles. As he’d said, they were bound to become husband and wife sooner or later—being called “wife” was just a matter of time.
Seeing the meat had taken on a caramel color, Zhou Wanning added water and let it simmer. She instructed, “Add less firewood.”
“Got it.”
Li Zhanye paused his movements, his gaze glued tightly to Zhou Wanning. “Only you would dare order me around like this.”
That burning stare was practically wolfish. If Li Zhannan hadn’t been squatting nearby, Zhou Wanning felt Li Zhanye would have pounced on her.
The braised pork grew more fragrant as it simmered. Li Zhannan, who had been playing, immediately tossed aside his twig and hugged Zhou Wanning’s leg, his little grape-like eyes blinking. “Wow~”
“Want some?”
Li Zhannan nodded.
The moment Zhou Wanning lifted the lid, the meaty aroma flooded the entire cabin. The savory soy sauce and sweet rock sugar fragrance, mingled with the rich pork scent, hit straight to the crown of one’s head, making Li Zhannan’s mouth water.
“Wife, your cooking smells amazing.”
Zhou Wanning ignored him, picking out the braised pork pieces one by one and stacking them into a pagoda shape. Then she scooped up a ladle of sauce from the pot and poured it from the top of the meat all the way down.
In an instant, it was perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
“Wash the pot, then stir-fry a vegetable dish, and we’ll eat.”
After instructing Li Zhanye, Zhou Wanning picked up a piece of braised pork and held it in front of Li Zhannan. “Say ‘want to eat,’ and this piece is yours right now.”
Zhou Wanning hadn’t forgotten Li Zhannan’s reaction during the day. She felt he wasn’t naturally autistic but rather something acquired, shaped by circumstances.
Since they were to become family, she should protect this child too.
“Ah ah ah~”
Though Li Zhannan was anxious, it was clear Li Zhanye had raised him well—he only waved his little hands without grabbing for the meat in Zhou Wanning’s grasp.
Zhou Wanning didn’t act condescending. She crouched down to Li Zhannan’s level. “If it’s hard, just say one word. It’s okay. We’ll take it slow.”
Li Zhannan opened his mouth, but still couldn’t get the words out.
Zhou Wanning didn’t rush him. After another five minutes, she heard a sound as faint as a mosquito’s buzz: “Eat.”
Though quiet, she heard it clearly—it was “eat.”
She wasn’t the only one who heard it. Li Zhanye heard it too. This was the first time Li Zhannan had spoken in all these years, and Li Zhanye’s eyes turned red.
“Our Xiaonan is so amazing.”
Zhou Wanning tore the meat into small pieces and fed them to Li Zhannan bit by bit. “Is it good?”
Li Zhannan nodded wildly, his eyes sparkling—clearly delighted by the taste.
Zhou Wanning smiled, about to say something, when she was suddenly spun around in Li Zhanye’s arms.
“Done washing the pot? …Mmph~”
Her response was Li Zhanye’s scorching kiss.
The child was still watching right there. What kind of madness had possessed him?
Zhou Wanning pounded desperately against Li Zhanye, but still couldn’t make him yield even half a step. As for Li Zhannan, his big eyes blinked rapidly yet he saw nothing—a second before the kiss landed, Li Zhanye’s large hand had already covered his eyes and brows.
When he’d had his fill of kissing, Li Zhanye pulled the gasping Zhou Wanning into his arms. “Don’t you ever think you’ll get me to let go of you in this lifetime.”