Despite their deepened relationship, the two ultimately couldn’t complete what married couples should do.
At the critical moment, Sheng An retreated.
Not giving Xu Jinnian any chance to misunderstand, she solemnly explained the reason:
“My body is too weak – so weak that my menstruation hasn’t come for several months. If we were to create a life, either the child would die, or both the child and I would die together.”
For some reason, Xu Jinnian suddenly felt an immense panic welling up in his heart. He instinctively reached out to cover Sheng An’s mouth, his voice more severe than ever before: “Don’t speak such nonsense!”
Sheng An was startled and immediately pushed his hand away: “Why are you shouting? Giving birth has always been like passing through the Gates of Hell for women. I’m not exaggerating.”
This body hadn’t fully developed yet and had long suffered from malnutrition. With irregular menstruation, the probability of pregnancy was very low, but one must always prepare for the unexpected.
If by chance she did get pregnant, at best it would result in a miscarriage, at worst both mother and child would die – either way, it would be fatal.
Sheng An wouldn’t risk her life for momentary pleasure.
“It won’t happen. I won’t touch you, An An. I won’t let you get pregnant…”
Xu Jinnian held Sheng An tightly, the overwhelming panic nearly consuming him: “An An, we won’t have children. Let’s just live like this for the rest of our lives.”
Sheng An hadn’t expected him to react so strongly. Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, she poked his tense body: “We sleep in the same bed every day. Even if you can restrain yourself, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to control myself.”
Platonic marital relationships are like bubbles – only maintaining physical intimacy can make them last.
Seeing the man hold her even tighter, his body growing more rigid, Sheng An sighed and comforted him: “Can you not be like this? You’re making it seem like I’m really going to die, and that’s putting a lot of pressure on me.”
Xu Jinnian couldn’t explain why he felt such fear either. Seeing that his behavior was affecting Sheng An, he slowly released her and calmed his abnormally rapid heartbeat:
“I was too nervous. From now on, let’s neither of us say such unlucky words again.”
Sheng An nodded: “Okay, I won’t say them anymore. I’ll focus on nourishing my body properly.”
In the future, she probably wouldn’t lack money and wouldn’t have to be strict with herself about food. At most, it would take a year to replenish the depleted qi and blood and allow her body to develop normally.
She was only sixteen – she still had several years of development ahead.
The room fell into silence, the two on the bed quietly leaning against each other.
Having moved past the heavy topic, Sheng An listened to Xu Jinnian’s strong heartbeat while her hands wandered restlessly: “There’s a question I’ve wanted to ask for a long time. You need to answer me honestly.”
“Okay, ask away.”
Xu Jinnian’s voice was somewhat hoarse, adding a captivating quality in the darkness.
Sheng An’s hand tried to pinch his abdominal muscles but found them too firm, so she decisively changed targets and explored his chest instead, finding the texture even better:
“There are many girls in the city who are your social equals. Before, Aunt said I was marrying above my station. Actually, with your qualifications, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a girl who could be helpful to you. Why did you choose me?”
Not only was she puzzled, but even her grandparents had been surprised, mixed with suspicions that he might have hidden health issues.
Based on their wedding night experience, the possibility of hidden health issues could be completely ruled out.
“Does An An really want to know?”
Xu Jinnian captured the mischievous hand on his chest, holding it tightly in his palm to prevent further teasing: “Whether you believe it or not, from the moment I first saw you, I knew it was you. You could say it was love at first sight.”
Ever since Aunt spread the word that he was seeking a marriage prospect, matchmakers had been visiting without interruption.
There were many girls from families of equal social standing, and even several from families of higher status than the Xu Family. After Fuzi learned of this, he even recommended suitable unmarried girls from their own clan.
Yet he always felt something was missing.
Until the matchmakers lost patience and casually mentioned An An a couple of times. Somehow, he became interested and, as if possessed, proposed wanting to meet her.
He still remembered the matchmaker’s look as if he were a fool.
The matchmaker quickly arranged the meeting. At the matchmaker’s home, he met Grandpa Sheng and Grandma Sheng, and also caught a glimpse of An An secretly hiding behind the curtain.
With just one glance, he heard his heart screaming wildly—it was her, it had to be her!
After that, everything fell into place naturally.
“Love at first sight? We really are kindred spirits—both drawn by appearances.”
Sheng An giggled gleefully, rolling excitedly into Xu Jinnian’s arms and planting a firm kiss on his lips. “It proves we’re destined to be together, meant to be husband and wife.”
Xu Jinnian wrapped one arm around his wife’s waist while the other cupped the back of her head, deepening the kiss. “An An is always right.”
Whether it was love at first sight or being captivated by appearances, he and An An were already married—wasn’t that the best outcome?
Sheng An grew breathless from the kiss and pushed against him, signaling him to stop.
Seeing the restraint in his eyes, she felt inexplicably guilty and asked, staring into his eyes, “Don’t you think I’ve changed since before we got married?”
Sheng An hadn’t forgotten she was an outsider; the person this man fell in love with at first sight wasn’t her. She felt like a shameless thief.
“Have you?”
Noticing Sheng An’s tension, Xu Jinnian thought she was worried that revealing more of her true self would make him dislike who she was now. He wiped the faint smile from his face and grew serious.
“Whether before or after marriage, it’s always been you. I love the complete you.”
The feeling An An gave him had never changed. Every time he saw her, his heart raced—that couldn’t be fake. An An was the one he wanted to spend his life with.
Sheng An’s heart trembled. “It’s always been me…”
Somehow, an absurd suspicion suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Perhaps she and the original host were actually the same person?
The same appearance, the same name, the same lack of parental bonds—everything was just too coincidental.
Sheng An’s heart pounded fiercely as she stubbornly searched for common ground between herself and the original host.
That night, Sheng An had another dream.
The scene in the dream overlapped with the one from her wedding night, yet it felt as real as if she had lived it herself.
The next day, Sheng An overslept and was woken by Grandma Sheng.
When she awoke, her head throbbed with pain. It took her a while to recover, but she didn’t show it in front of Xu Jinnian and Grandma Sheng.
The three of them worked busily and finally managed to set up the wonton stall just before sunrise.
To Sheng An’s surprise, Steward Yang’s son, Little Yang, had arrived even earlier than them and was briskly helping move things.
“Sheng Niang Zi, I’m here on my father’s orders to help. Just let me know if there’s anything you need.”
Little Yang wiped his sweat and cheerfully explained his purpose, clearly not minding this new assignment.
Hearing this, Sheng An smiled too. “Then I’ll trouble you with the work.”
Perhaps Master Ding was worried she’d be too busy and delay cooking for the Ding family, so he simply sent Xiao Yang over to assist.
This arrangement worked out well—it lightened Grandma Sheng’s workload, allowing the elderly lady to snatch some moments of rest.
Business today was as brisk as ever. Within less than two hours, all the wontons were sold out, and not a drop of broth remained.
Sheng An didn’t shortchange Xiao Yang either, having specially set aside a bowl of wontons for him.
Xiao Yang cradled the bowl, eating with utter contentment: “Sheng Niang Zi, your skill is truly unmatched. I’ve never tasted wontons this delicious in my life!”
Sheng An chuckled, “It’s just a bowl of wontons. You’ll have plenty of chances to taste delicious food in the future.”
Once her small eatery opened, which delicacy wouldn’t surpass wontons in flavor?
Xiao Yang didn’t catch Sheng An’s implied meaning. After finishing the last sip of broth, he sighed, “Nothing could be better than the wontons made by Sheng Niang Zi!”
Yesterday, when he didn’t bring wontons back for the old man, the latter nearly took a stick to him.
Hmph, he’d go back and tell the old man that he could score a bowl of wontons at the stall every day—let the old man die of envy.
After packing up, Xiao Yang pushed the cart back to the Xu Family with Grandma Sheng, while Sheng An boarded the Ding family’s carriage.
Master Ding had urgent matters to attend to and had left early in the morning. This time, it was Changfu who received Sheng An.
As Sheng An walked toward the kitchen, she asked Changfu, “Did Ding Shao Ye eat anything yesterday afternoon?”
Changfu replied respectfully, “The young master ate another half bowl of Millet Pumpkin Porridge. This morning, he woke up calling out that he was hungry.”
This was the first time since falling ill that the young master had expressed hunger, moving Master Ding to tears once more.
The cook had tried to imitate Sheng Niang Zi by preparing a pot of Millet Pumpkin Porridge, but the young master had no appetite for it and didn’t eat a single bite.
“I wonder if Ding Shao Ye has any other cravings. As long as it’s something he can digest, I can prepare it to give him a change of taste.”
Sheng An knew how to make more than just Millet Pumpkin Porridge. Dishes like Yam and Millet Porridge, Lotus Seed and Millet Porridge, and Red Date and Goji Berry Porridge were no less flavorful.
Changfu said, “The young master hasn’t mentioned anything. Please continue making Millet Pumpkin Porridge, Sheng Niang Zi. Yesterday, Master Ding just ordered a fresh batch of millet and pumpkins to be purchased.”
Sheng An nodded and entered the kitchen to repeat the previous day’s process.
The day before, the kitchen staff had watched coldly, viewing Sheng An as a swindler trying to take advantage of the Ding family.
Now, however, she was surrounded by observers craning their necks to watch her handle ingredients and control the heat, hoping to learn the secret to her Millet Pumpkin Porridge.
Every move Sheng An made was laid bare before everyone’s eyes, with no discernible secret to be found.
The cook who had tried to replicate Sheng An’s method once was incredulous. Gathering courage, she voiced her confusion:
“Sheng Niang Zi, I followed the same steps. Why does the taste differ so much from yours?”
Sheng An thought to herself, It’s because you lack the Golden Finger that stacks super buffs on food and unlocks all the ingredients’ potential.
Of course, she couldn’t reveal the real reason. Instead, she tossed the question back: “Even with the same ingredients and method, the flavors created by different chefs can vary.”
The cook, disheartened, retreated silently.
The others grasped Sheng An’s meaning and stopped questioning whether she was holding back tricks.
Without the diamond drill, one shouldn’t take on porcelain work—it was only fitting that Sheng Niang Zi had caught the master’s eye.
After preparing the millet pumpkin porridge, Sheng An went to Ding Tianci’s courtyard as she had done the day before, waiting for his feedback on the meal.
Today, Ding Tianci seemed more spirited, with a gleam in his eyes, no longer appearing as lifeless as before.
When he saw Sheng An, he even managed a smile, his voice raspy as if scraped by sandpaper: “Sheng Niang Zi, you’ve worked hard.”
Sheng An shook her head: “It’s my duty.”
It was just cooking porridge, and besides, Master Ding had given her generous compensation—she truly didn’t feel it was hard work.
Ding Tianci still only finished half a bowl of porridge; the remainder would be kept warm in the kitchen for him to eat when he felt hungry again.
“Given Ding Shao Ye’s current health condition, I recommend sticking to plain porridge for five days. If there are no adverse reactions during this period, I will then consider preparing other foods for Ding Shao Ye accordingly.”
No matter how delicious millet pumpkin porridge might be, eating it every day would eventually become monotonous. Sheng An felt it necessary to remind Ding Shao Ye to avoid him rushing to try other foods prematurely.
“Alright, I’ll follow Sheng Niang Zi’s arrangements entirely.”
Two years of illness had long worn away any willfulness in Ding Tianci, and he had no objections to Sheng An’s plans.
On her way back, Sheng An once again rode in the Ding family’s luxurious carriage.
The grand carriage naturally attracted attention, and along the way, Sheng An received many envious glances.
She decided that someday she would acquire an equally impressive carriage for her own use.
As soon as the carriage entered the alley where the Xu Family resided, Sheng An heard sharp, piercing shouts from ahead:
“You shameless slut who flirts around every day! How dare you use my tofu to feed your secret lover? I’ll beat you to death, you disgraceful whore!”
Sheng An pricked up her ears to listen carefully and immediately recognized the voice as that of the vicious woman from the Sun Family.
Using tofu to feed a secret lover? Whose man was so worthless?