It looked like she was making a chair for him, so he smiled and asked, “Are you making a chair for me?”
Jiang Zhu hummed in acknowledgment, drew a circle on the wooden board with a pencil, first chiseled out a small hole, then used a wire saw to start cutting.
Click, click, click—
Fu Shiwen was puzzled as to why she was sawing the wood. Wouldn’t it be simpler to just nail four legs onto it directly?
Could it be for looks?
Fu Shiwen could never have guessed that Jiang Zhu was sawing out a hole. He didn’t interrupt her work either, just watched quietly.
This should have been a boring task, but Fu Shiwen patiently watched on without a hint of annoyance.
By the time he snapped back to his senses, Jiang Zhu had almost finished making the chair.
It was then that he noticed the hole in the middle of the chair and asked in confusion, “Why did you saw a hole out?”
Jiang Zhu hammered in a nail and said, “For you, to use, when you go to the bathroom.”
Fu Shiwen: “!!”
This was something he truly hadn’t expected!
Going to the bathroom really was inconvenient for him, but with this chair, it would be much better.
He closed his eyes, placed his hand over them again, and said shyly in a low voice, “Thank you.”
“No need, to thank me.” Jiang Zhu was finishing up the final touches.
The chair was done, but the rough edges still needed sanding. Ideally, she would coat it with some tung oil, but Jiang Zhu didn’t have any at home, so this would have to do.
Jiang Zhu looked at the chair she had crafted with her own hands with satisfaction, placed it on the ground, and sat on it to test it out. It was sturdy, with good load-bearing capacity—qualified.
She set the chair aside, put the tools back in their place, swept the floor clean, checked the time, and saw it was time to make dinner.
She couldn’t rest for a moment. She went into the kitchen, washed her hands, and started cooking.
Fu Shiwen needed to supplement his nutrition and eat well, so Jiang Zhu decided to steam an egg custard for him and stir-fry some meat as well.
She was busy in the kitchen while Fu Shiwen remained bored outside, listening to the sounds coming from the kitchen, feeling an unusual sense of peace in his heart.
Here, time passed slowly. There were no endless tasks to handle, no scheming people—just three meals a day, simple fare.
In short, everything here looked so beautiful that it made one yearn for it.
A thought arose in Fu Shiwen’s mind: staying here forever wouldn’t be so bad after all.
But ideals are ideals, and reality is reality. He would eventually have to return to the capital. The Fu Group needed him, and his family needed him too.
He would savor as many peaceful days in the mountains as he could.
Jiang Zhu busied herself in the kitchen for over half an hour before finally finishing dinner for the two of them.
Just like last night, each person got one big bowl filled with rice and dishes.
Today, Fu Shiwen also had an extra small bowl containing the tempting egg custard.
The bold aroma of the food wafted into Jiang Zhu’s nose—the smell of meat and the smell of egg custard. Every scent was tempting her!
She looked at the slices of meat in Fu Shiwen’s big bowl and the pickled vegetables in her own, swallowing hard.
In the end, she couldn’t resist the temptation and picked a slice of meat into her own bowl, then scooped a small spoonful of the egg custard.
Fu Shiwen got to eat meat and eggs, so she shouldn’t shortchange herself either.
She carried Fu Shiwen’s meal out, set it on the small table by his bed, and carefully helped him sit up.
She said, “Time to eat.”
Fu Shiwen looked at his own meal, and then at the bowl of egg custard with one spoonful missing, and asked, “Where’s yours?”
“It’s… in the kitchen.” She walked into the kitchen, picked up her own bowl of food, and sat down by the stove to eat.
Fu Shiwen craned his neck to see what was in her bowl, and saw that it was all pickled vegetables, with barely any fresh greens. He asked, “Did you give all the meat to me?”
Jiang Zhu felt a bit guilty at being caught, and shook her head. “No, I have… meat.”
She picked up the only slice of meat in her bowl to show Fu Shiwen, then moved her bowl farther away, trying to block his view.
Fu Shiwen said, “I saw everything.”
Jiang Zhu opened her mouth, not knowing what to say, and let out a dry “Oh.”
Fu Shiwen was a little upset because of what she had done, and said, “Come here. I’ll share the meat and eggs with you.”
He couldn’t bear to eat all the good food by himself!
Jiang Zhu was so thin and frail, clearly malnourished, and she wasn’t even eating properly. Just looking at her made his heart ache!
Jiang Zhu shook her head. “You’re… injured. You need to eat well.”
Fu Shiwen said, “But I can’t eat alone either. You have to eat too. We’ll eat together.”
“No… no need. I can… eat my fill. You eat, you eat.”
“If you won’t eat, then I won’t eat either. I’d rather go hungry than eat alone!” His tone carried a hint of seriousness.
Jiang Zhu was afraid he really wouldn’t eat, and tried to persuade him. “You… need to eat. I don’t… need to. I can eat… this. It’s fine.”
Fu Shiwen stopped talking and turned his head away, using his actions to prove his resolve.
Jiang Zhu anxiously stood up, walked to the bedside, and said, “You… gave me money. You eat the meat. Eat quickly!”
Fu Shiwen said, “If you won’t eat with me, then I won’t eat.”
Jiang Zhu bit her lip and said, “I’ll eat, I’ll eat. Is that… alright?”
Fu Shiwen finally turned his head back and said, “Bring your bowl over.”
Jiang Zhu sighed and had no choice but to bring her bowl over, watching as Fu Shiwen picked meat and eggs into it.
He was very fair—the meat and eggs were split evenly, half and half, and even the vegetables were divided equally. Then he picked some of the pickled vegetables from Jiang Zhu’s bowl into his own.
“Let me try how these taste. I’ve never had pickled vegetables before.”
Jiang Zhu didn’t go back to the stove. Instead, she sat down on the chair and said, “Eat… eat then.”
She picked up a piece of meat, swallowed her saliva, and stuffed it into her mouth. Her taste buds were immensely satisfied!
Meat was so delicious! She sighed inwardly.
She treasured the precious slices of meat, chewing each one for a long time before she was willing to swallow it.
The egg custard was the same—she hadn’t had it in a long time, and it still tasted just as wonderful.
As she was eating, Fu Shiwen’s voice came from beside her again. “Last night, did you also give all the meat to me?”
Jiang Zhu wanted to say no, but when she met Fu Shiwen’s eyes, the word “no” caught in her throat.
She let out an “Mm” and told the truth.
Fu Shiwen said, “From now on, whatever you eat, I’ll eat. No need to make special arrangements. These pickled vegetables taste great too. I really like them. Did you make them?”
Jiang Zhu nodded. “Yes. I made… them. I’m glad… you like them.”
Fu Shiwen genuinely thought the pickled vegetables tasted good. He had never eaten pickled vegetables before—from birth, he had been clothed in silk and fed delicacies, eating nothing but the finest mountain and sea delicacies.
These dishes, full of the warmth of everyday life, could only be enjoyed on the days when his mother cooked.
But his father doted on his mother too much, rarely letting her step into the kitchen, so he seldom got the chance to taste them.