Bai Qianluo’s reaction left Qiao Suluo stammering. "C-continue?"
What a wildly misleading word. Did he actually think she wanted to take advantage of him while he was unconscious?
Realizing this, her eyes widened again. "N-no need," she quickly explained. "I just wanted to see if you had a fever. I checked, and you don’t.
"Dinner is ready. Get up and eat first."
With that, she hurried out of his room, thoughtfully closing the door behind her to give him privacy while he changed.
She glanced toward the gate of their fenced yard. Que Hongjin had gone to the river to harvest rush grass and hadn’t returned yet.
As the sky darkened, she couldn’t help but worry. She prayed he hadn’t run into trouble like Bai Qianluo had. If something happened to him, her plans would be dead in the water before they even began. Feeling anxious, she walked to the gate and peered into the distance.
Carrying a bundle of freshly harvested rush grass, Que Hongjin walked into the village alley and immediately spotted Qiao Suluo standing at their gate. She was looking right in his direction.
The lingering glow of the setting sun cast a hazy, soft light over her. As a gentle breeze fluttered the hem of her clothes, the dappled light blurred her plump figure, blending her seamlessly with the pale purple clouds blooming on the horizon. It formed a remarkably warm painting, as if time itself had frozen in that very moment.
Que Hongjin paused, the light in his picturesque eyes coming to a momentary standstill. At that moment, it was as if an invisible hand had gently plucked his long-dormant heartstrings.
It felt as though, in this vast world, there was finally someone waiting for him to come home with true concern in her heart.
"Home." It was a word that had once been so ordinary, but now felt like an absolute luxury to him.
He resumed his slow pace toward the house. Watching him approach, Qiao Suluo couldn’t help but feel that even his coarse, common clothes couldn’t mask his innate elegance and nobility. He looked exactly like a young master raised with the profound heritage of an aristocratic family—picturesque features and a naturally refined aura.
Bathed in the warm light, his usual aloofness and coldness seemed to melt away.
When he finally reached the gate, she greeted him with a bright, sunny smile. "I’m glad you’re back. Dinner is ready. Wash your hands and let’s eat."
His picturesque eyes darkened like thick, spreading ink. "Was my wife waiting for my return?"
Qiao Suluo thought to herself that it was obvious. "Yes, it’s getting late. I was worried something might have happened to you."
He parted his lips, his voice taking on a clear, mellow tone. "So my wife cares about me?
"This is the first time you have ever shown concern for me."
Qiao Suluo wanted to argue that this didn’t even count as caring, but then he let out a soft sigh. "Ever since I was driven out of the family, no one has waited for me to come home."
Her heart suddenly constricted. Softening her tone, she said, "I made egg fried rice and Konjac for dinner tonight. Once our family’s living conditions improve, I’ll cook other things for you guys."
She firmly believed that good food could heal the soul. Eating a delicious meal brought a sense of satisfaction and warmth, and perhaps it could help Que Hongjin temporarily forget his sorrowful past.
As soon as he stepped into the yard, the tantalizing aroma of food hit him, instantly awakening his appetite. Recalling the taste of the green sticky rice balls from noon, an uncharacteristic sense of anticipation welled up inside him. Even back when he lived with the Peacock Family, he had never tasted anything quite like them. He had to admit, they were delicious.
Everyone believed that wild mushrooms were poisonous, but they had eaten the green sticky rice balls at noon and had been fine all afternoon. This proved Qiao Suluo’s claim: some mushrooms were non-toxic, and people simply didn’t know how to identify them. So, her assurance that the Konjac would be safe after proper processing was likely true as well.
After setting down the harvested rush grass, Que Hongjin washed his hands to prepare for the meal. Bai Qianluo was already up, dressed, and washed.
The three of them sat around the table and began to eat.
Neither Que Hongjin nor Bai Qianluo picked up their chopsticks immediately; they waited for Qiao Suluo to take the first bite. She picked up some stir-fried Konjac, placed it in her bowl, and ate it with the egg fried rice.
"It smells great," she said. "Don’t worry, the Konjac has been properly processed. It’s not poisonous.
"You two should try it and see how you like the texture."
Bai Qianluo picked up his chopsticks and began to eat with natural grace. After taking a single bite, a subtle change washed over his expression, though it was hard to read fully with the white cloth covering his eyes.
When Que Hongjin took a bite, an expression of sheer disbelief crossed his face. Coarse rice usually had a poor texture when steamed, but he never expected it to be this delicious when fried this way.
Qiao Suluo noticed how quiet they were. Their faces were impassive, both maintaining an air of elegant nobility that offered zero feedback on the meal. Unable to hold back, she asked, "Well? Is it good?"
"Yes. It’s delicious," Bai Qianluo replied.
"It’s certainly a dish I’ve never tasted before. It’s very good," Que Hongjin agreed. "I wonder how my wife knows about all this?"
She glanced at him, meeting his deep, ink-dark eyes. So he was suspicious and trying to test her?
She quickly fabricated a lie. "I learned to cook from an old master a long time ago." Afraid they would ask endless questions to get to the bottom of it, she immediately added, "But my master passed away many years ago."
That single sentence effectively shut down any further inquiry from Que Hongjin. Bai Qianluo, on the other hand, remained completely silent.
They finished every last bite of dinner, not leaving a single grain of rice behind. The stir-fried Konjac was completely wiped out, with no lingering fears of poison. Qiao Suluo guessed that they were finally starting to trust her, even if just a little.
After the meal, Que Hongjin and Bai Qianluo took charge of cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes. Qiao Suluo, meanwhile, set about making the Konjac.
She had purchased the chili peppers and other seasonings from the Space Mall using her points. Buying small amounts of spices cost very few points, so she happily used them to prepare the Konjac.
Once that was finished, she kept herself busy sewing stuffed toys and weaving the rush grass into a variety of delicate, beautiful crafts. The oil lamp stayed lit as she worked tirelessly into the middle of the night.
Que Hongjin was well aware that the oil lamp in Qiao Suluo’s room was still burning. Stepping out of his room and into the yard, he could see her busy silhouette through the window. The lamp didn’t go out until midnight, leaving him with a deeply thoughtful expression.
"Are you watching our wife?"
Hearing Bai Qianluo’s voice, Que Hongjin realized the other man had also come out into the yard at some point. "You’re not asleep either."
"She is busy preparing to set up a stall in the county town tomorrow," Bai Qianluo said, his tone faint and cold.
"This is entirely unprecedented," Que Hongjin noted. "She has never worked into the middle of the night before. She used to go to sleep as soon as it got dark."
Both of them were well acquainted with her past habits.
Bai Qianluo’s voice carried an ethereal quality as he asked, "So, what are you trying to say?"
"Don’t you think our wife is very different from before?" Que Hongjin asked slowly. "You willingly let her get close to you today. You were testing her too, weren’t you?"
Bai Qianluo naturally understood the underlying meaning. He neither confirmed nor denied it; instead, his tone turned icy as he issued a warning. "You cannot speak recklessly of such things. It will only bring trouble to our wife.
"There are many people who want her dead."
A subtle shift crossed Que Hongjin’s face, dark currents seemingly surging in the depths of his eyes. "Don’t worry, I’m only bringing this up with you.
"Truthfully, I hope our wife stays this way forever. I don’t want her to change back to how she used to be."