Fang Anqian spotted the two bags of face cream at a glance, her heart racing as she spoke sweetly, “Ge Shen, how did you know I wanted to buy this face cream? Thanks so much.”
“No need to thank me. I didn’t know, and it’s not for you.”
This time, Zhou Yushen took the bags away directly, not even giving her a chance to touch them.
Fang Anqian awkwardly withdrew her hand hanging midair, biting her lip in humiliation, and subconsciously looked at Chen Shu.
Chen Shu also felt embarrassed and quickly lowered her head, pretending to be busy picking lint off her clothes. She had already hinted and reminded Fang Anqian that Zhou Yushen had gone on a blind date with Qi Yuanrong.
Two identical bags of face cream—one for Qi Yuanrong, and the other?
She couldn’t compare to Qi Yuanrong, but could she really not even compare to a widow with two children? Unwilling to accept it, Fang Anqian spoke to Zhou Yushen in a soft, coquettish tone.
“Ge Shen, can’t I just take a look? If it suits me, I’ll go buy one too.”
Zhou Yushen ignored her completely. Before going upstairs with the bags, he even gave an order to leave: “It’s getting late. You should head back to work.”
Chen Shu almost couldn’t hold it together, lowering her head even more. She had just lost her temper at her brother-in-law yesterday and didn’t have the courage to stir up trouble again.
That evening, Zhou Yuguo unusually came home for dinner. Lu Wanwan carried the food back to her room to eat with the two children.
Zhou Yuguo held his son, reluctant to put him down. Xiao Bao had just finished feeding and was full of energy, twisting his body, kicking his legs, and waving his arms.
Since Xiao Bao was born, this was the first time the father and son had so much interaction.
Zhou Yuguo bounced his son slightly in his arms and smiled as he spoke to Chen Shu, “Xiao Bao’s gained weight and gotten stronger.”
“Of course. He’s been eating well lately, and Comrade Lu has experience and takes good care of him. It’s all thanks to her.”
After talking about their son, Chen Shu steered the topic to something important: “Last time Qi Yuanrong came over for a blind date with Yushen, they had a bit of a disagreement. Think of a way to invite her again. You take charge personally—I’ve already had Yushen buy a gift for her.”
“Do you really think they’re a good match?”
When it came to his younger brother’s marriage, Zhou Yuguo also felt a headache coming on.
This younger brother of his had always been proud, never allowing girls near him since childhood. After growing up and joining the army, his personality became even more aloof. With his strong abilities, so many girls inside and outside the military liked him, yet not a single one had succeeded in getting close to him.
“Alright, I’ll arrange a time.”
With her husband’s support, Chen Shu quickly arranged another meeting.
When Qi Yuanrong arrived, it was already mealtime. A full table of dishes had been prepared. This time, the fish was steamed, and the dishes were mostly light and vegetarian.
For this meal, Lu Wanwan had put in great effort, using vegetarian cooking techniques, which impressed even Chen Shu.
Although Zhou Yuguo came from a good family, he had joined the army early and didn’t hold the idea that servants couldn’t sit at the table. He directly arranged for Lu Wanwan and the two children to eat together.
He liked Tuan Tuan very much and had already started imagining Xiao Bao becoming good brothers with her in the future.
This time, Qi Yuanrong didn’t say much. After going back last time and thinking it over, she realized that among the people she knew, Zhou Yushen had the best conditions and the strongest abilities.
Her father had hinted that Zhou Yushen’s future position would definitely be very high, earned through real military achievements.
“Eat, eat. I don’t know how Wanwan made this, but this tofu skin actually tastes like chicken to me.”
At the table, Chen Shu kept the conversation going and reminded Zhou Yushen, “Yushen, you’re sitting close to Yuanrong—serve her some food.”
Beside Zhou Yushen, there was a pair of serving chopsticks. His gaze shifted slightly as he picked them up, placing a portion of stir-fried greens into Qi Yuanrong’s bowl in a businesslike manner. “Comrade Qi, help yourself to whatever you like.”
“Alright.”
Qi Yuanrong was about to say something more when she saw Zhou Yushen’s chopsticks turn, picking up a piece of fish belly and placing it into Lu Wanwan’s bowl.
“This steamed fish is light. Tuan Tuan likes fish—remove the bones and feed her.”
Zhou Yushen’s tone was normal. Then he picked another piece of fish for Tuan Tuan, this time already removing the bones. Chen Shu felt something was off watching this, while Qi Yuanrong felt that the color of the greens in her bowl matched the color over her head.
Only Zhou Yuguo thought nothing was wrong and even joked, “Yushen is so attentive. When you have your own child in the future, you’ll definitely be a good father.”
After the meal, Lu Wanwan cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen to clean up.
Qi Yuanrong found an excuse to go to the kitchen. Looking at Lu Wanwan’s graceful figure, even just her back made her feel uneasy.
She walked over slowly, lifting her chin arrogantly and speaking in a commanding tone: “I’ll be marrying Yushen soon. I don’t want to see you in the Zhou household anymore. If you know what’s good for you, Comrade Lu, you should resign and leave on your own.”
“I was hired by Comrade Chen to take care of Xiao Bao and earn a salary. Whether you marry into the Zhou family has nothing to do with me.”
Lu Wanwan wasn’t exactly a hired servant. With Aunt Zhang not around and Chen Shu not very capable of cooking or housework, she helped out—but that didn’t mean Qi Yuanrong could humiliate her.
Unable to hold back, Qi Yuanrong cursed in English. She had done this before—others didn’t understand foreign languages and could only swallow the insult.
But unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Lu Wanwan immediately retorted in English, her pronunciation even more precise and her tone more fluent.
How was that possible? Qi Yuanrong stared at Lu Wanwan in shock as she continued washing dishes, even wondering if she had misheard. After standing there for a while, she left the kitchen in a daze.
Zhou Yushen was equally shocked. Seeing Qi Yuanrong head to the kitchen, he had gone over, worried she might trouble Lu Wanwan, only to overhear the brief exchange in a foreign language.
He recognized the first sentence as Qi Yuanrong’s—the second was Lu Wanwan’s.
She knew a foreign language, and it didn’t sound any worse than Qi Yuanrong’s. So why was she working as a wet nurse in the Zhou household?
Zhou Yushen felt conflicted. The doubts he had set aside resurfaced.
If it was to earn money for Yuan Yuan’s treatment, wouldn’t using her foreign language skills be faster? Many places were in need of people who knew foreign languages.
Qi Yuanrong soon took her leave, and Zhou Yushen offered to walk her back.
This pleased Chen Shu. Watching their departing figures, she said to her husband with satisfaction, “Should I start preparing their wedding gifts?”
“No need to rush. Wait until Yushen confirms things.”
Being personally escorted by Zhou Yushen, Qi Yuanrong was in a great mood. Sitting in the car, she talked freely about her preferences, telling him to remember them so he could treat her better in the future.
“I don’t like drinking plain water—it always smells unpleasant. For tea, I only drink Da Hong Pao. The dishes at lunch were just so-so—the greens weren’t tender enough, and for steamed fish, I prefer sea fish.”
“Oh, and everything I use is bought from the Friendship Store. That’s very important—you must remember it. I’m allergic to things from other places.”