After returning from the supermarket, Shi Yuanxing was busy in the kitchen.
Qin Shuzhi wanted to help, but he stopped her.
In the end, she stood outside the kitchen door and secretly watched for a while.
The man in a white casual outfit, wearing the gray apron they had just bought, stood at the cutting board, skillfully slicing beef with practiced hands.
He had an air of one who “doesn’t touch the mundane world,” yet here he was, doing something utterly mundane.
Her phone buzzed. Qin Shuzhi looked down and saw a WeChat message from Qi Yishan asking what she was up to.
Qin Shuzhi casually snapped a photo of Shi Yuanxing and sent it over.
[Watching him cook.]
When a man is handsome, even a random shot of his back looks like an art photo. Qi Yishan immediately replied with a “shocked” emoji.
[Oh my god, he can cook too?]
Qin Shuzhi: [Yeah, I’m pretty surprised myself.]
Qi Yishan: [Tsk tsk, girl, your Mr. Shi has serious husband material vibes.]
Qin Shuzhi stared at the words “husband material vibes” and couldn’t help but lift her gaze toward the figure in the kitchen.
As she watched, the corners of her lips curved up unintentionally.
When she looked down again, Qi Yishan had sent: [Unlike my scumbag brother? He never cooked for you—it’s already a blessing he didn’t make you wait on him.]
The smile on Qin Shuzhi’s lips froze instantly.
Perhaps realizing she had brought up someone she shouldn’t have, the message was retracted the next second.
[Haha, what I meant was, you seem to have struck gold this time.]
Qin Shuzhi pretended not to have seen that inauspicious message and replied: [He really is a treasure.]
Highly educated, gentle and gentlemanly in temperament, meticulous and thoughtful in everything he does.
How could that surnamed Shen ever compare?
An hour later.
The dishes were served.
Qin Shuzhi looked at the fragrant dishes on the table and couldn’t help but praise, “Mr. Shi, with this cooking of yours, you’d get full marks on presentation alone.”
Shi Yuanxing smiled. “Food can’t rely on looks alone—it needs to be perfect in color, aroma, and taste to qualify.”
He picked up a piece of fish, removed the bones, and placed it in her bowl. “Mrs. Shi, taste it first before you give your verdict.”
Qin Shuzhi thanked him, picked up the fish, and put it in her mouth, savoring it carefully. Her eyes brightened.
“Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, sweet and sour perfection.”
She gave the man across from her a thumbs up and said sincerely, “Mr. Shi’s cooking rivals that of a hotel chef.”
Hearing the praise, Shi Yuanxing’s lips curved upward.
He thought to himself: How could this dish possibly be sweeter than Mrs. Shi’s words?
“Try this too.”
He picked up another piece of beef and placed it in her bowl.
Qin Shuzhi looked at the gentle man who kept serving her food, and suddenly remembered the message Qi Yishan had retracted, which brought back memories of the past.
Shen Yichen worked himself to the bone, often forgetting to eat and sleep. Worried he’d aggravate his stomach condition, she would cook for him and deliver it to his company whenever she had time. But many times, the carefully prepared meals would be set aside, untouched.
Back then, she thought he was just too devoted to work to spare any attention. Now she realized—he simply never cared about her feelings at all.
Noticing her expression dim slightly, Shi Yuanxing paused. “What’s wrong? Is the dish not to your liking?”
“No, it’s delicious.”
Qin Shuzhi pulled herself back from the past and looked up at the man before her, speaking seriously, “I can cook too. I’ll make you meals in the future.”
Make him meals?
Shi Yuanxing looked at her, a hint of an unreadable smile in his eyes. “Alright, when the time comes… I’ll be sure to savor Mrs. Shi’s flavor.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Qin Shuzhi, her eyes full of innocence, nodded emphatically.
After the meal, Qin Shuzhi moved to clear the dishes, but Shi Yuanxing stopped her again.
“Your hands are injured. Leave all the housework to me for the time being.”
Qin Shuzhi watched the man carry the dishes back into the kitchen, warmth flooding through her heart.
This kind of married life was truly comfortable.
As a partner, he was considerate, shared the household chores, and even accompanied her to the supermarket to pick out household necessities.
Even for something as trivial as choosing shampoo, when she asked for his opinion, he would respond seriously, analyzing and explaining which varieties had more natural and safe ingredients.
When she couldn’t decide which scent of body wash to get, he would also actively join in and offer useful suggestions.
Shi Yuanxing was the kind of person who responded to everything.
He was truly wonderful.
An hour later.
Qin Shuzhi was organizing clothes in the walk-in closet of the bedroom when a knock came at the door.
She went to open it and saw Shi Yuanxing standing outside with both hands behind his back.
“Did I disturb you?” he asked.
“No, I was just tidying up my clothes.”
Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Qin Shuzhi stepped aside. “Would you like to come in?”
“Sure.” Shi Yuanxing nodded and walked in.
“This is for you.” He handed her an exquisite jewelry box.
Qin Shuzhi was puzzled. “This is…”
“A necklace.” Shi Yuanxing smiled. “My mother left it to me, saying I should give it to my wife after we got married.”
Qin Shuzhi’s heart gave a sudden jolt. She hesitated for a moment before solemnly accepting it with both hands.
She opened it and found a teardrop-shaped jadeite pendant delicately encrusted with diamonds.
The jadeite was of superior quality, and the white diamonds surrounding it were exquisitely cut and finely crafted.
It was clearly an item of considerable value.
Qin Shuzhi looked up at Shi Yuanxing. “…This necklace is so precious, and you’re just giving it to me like this?”
They had married in haste—only a few days had passed from meeting to marriage—and he was entrusting something this important to her?
Shi Yuanxing gazed at her deeply. “It was always meant to belong to you.”
“Always… meant to belong to me?”
Meeting her bewildered expression, Shi Yuanxing’s eyes faltered for a moment, then he smiled casually. “You’re my rightful wife, so of course it belongs to you.”
“But… giving it to me so soon, aren’t you worried that…”
Shi Yuanxing looked at her. “Didn’t you say you were serious about marrying me?”
“I—of course I’m serious.” Qin Shuzhi said immediately.
“But I just feel… you don’t have to entrust something this important to me so soon…”
They had only just gotten their marriage certificate—hadn’t even done anything… intimate as husband and wife—and he was already giving her this precious heirloom from his mother. She felt somewhat…
Somewhat unworthy of it.
Shi Yuanxing looked at the necklace in her hands. “When my mother was alive, she said this jade pendant had great spiritual resonance. I never believed it before, but now… I do.”
He raised his eyes and gazed deeply into hers. “This pendant truly has a connection with you. It was destined to be yours eventually.”
“?”
How exactly was she connected to the jade pendant?
Qin Shuzhi didn’t quite understand his words, but before she could ask, she heard Shi Yuanxing say softly once more, “Me too.”
She stared at him, bewildered. “You’re what too?”
“Me too…”
Shi Yuanxing bent down, leaning close to her ear, and whispered with deep meaning, “I’ll belong to you sooner or later.”
His magnetic, pleasant voice carried warm breath from beside her ear, and Qin Shuzhi suddenly felt her heart tremble.
Shi Yuanxing straightened up, looked at her flushed cheeks and her wide, dazed beautiful eyes, and reached out to pat her head.
“Alright, rest early. Tomorrow morning I’ll accompany you to the hospital to get your dressing changed.”
Even after the man had left the room, Qin Shuzhi’s heartbeat was still somewhat unsteady.
She stood in place for a long while before raising her hand to touch her burning cheeks.
Belong to her sooner or later.
Was he hinting—that sooner or later, they would… engage in the intimate acts that husbands and wives should share?
At that thought, Qin Shuzhi’s cheeks grew even hotter, so she simply went into the bathroom to take a shower and calm herself down.
Embarking on a new journey in life, she had even switched to a different brand of body wash, because Shi Yuanxing had bought the same one as her, so she ultimately chose a mint-scented one instead.
After her shower, her whole body was steeped in a fresh, invigorating fragrance. She sat by the bedside and gently sniffed her arm—the mint’s base note carried a faint milky sweetness.
Fresh, yet with a hint of… something sweet.
Thinking that under the same roof, the man in the other room was using the same-scented body wash as her, a strange ripple of emotion quietly stirred in her heart.
Her gaze fell on the jewelry box on the vanity. Qin Shuzhi reached over, opened it, and took out the jade pendant.
He had given her his mother’s jade pendant—that was a form of recognition and trust in her.
His sincerity, she had received.
Courtesy demands reciprocity.
As a response, she ought to give him a gift in return, to express her own feelings.
What should she give him?
Qin Shuzhi leaned against the headboard, thinking seriously.
A gift too light wouldn’t show sincerity, but if she bought something too expensive, it might seem a bit deliberate.
What about—
Buying a pair of wedding rings?
They had just gotten married, so buying wedding rings was perfectly reasonable, and it would also show that she placed equal importance and seriousness on this marriage.
Yes, she would buy wedding rings.
She would find time in the next couple of days to pick them out.