I’ll Go Make You a Bowl of Shrimp Fried Rice
Zhuang Fuyao lay on the bed, thinking of how Liang Huaixu had looked so proper just now, with the tips of his ears faintly red, and laughed out loud.
Truthfully, during this period, she had felt rather uncertain inside. In the past, Liang Huaixu had been restrained yet possessive. In front of people she knew, he would indirectly assert his status as her legitimate boyfriend.
But the current him could see her on a blind date and even calmly exchange pleasantries with her blind date partner.
For a time, she had even suspected that their love had died so thoroughly over these sixteen years that not even ashes remained.
But looking at it now, as long as she stoked this fire hard enough, even dead water could still be turned into living water.
…
In the room separated by just one wall, Liang Huaixu tossed and turned, her every smile and frown from just now looping endlessly in his mind.
Among them was the sentence she had said: “Then President Liang, don’t casually switch off the frosted glass in the future.”
He knew she was teasing him, but he was still unbearably embarrassed. Unable to fall asleep, he got up and opened the safe in the walk-in closet, taking out a stack of old plastic photographs. Inside were solo photos of Zhuang Fuyao, as well as photos of the two of them together.
After carefully wiping the dust off them with a dry cloth, he let out a sigh.
An accident like tonight absolutely could not happen again. The two of them were already divorced. He needed to understand how to maintain boundaries. He could not be abrupt with her, nor could he let her see him as a joke.
He had to constantly remind himself that the third floor was no longer occupied by him alone.
*
The weather grew unbearably hot, the ground like a dried, baked flatbread.
Zhuang Fuyao gave the workers a day off, and she herself rested at home.
When a person was idle, they started wanting to eat things.
She had to admit that takeout sixteen years later was truly fast and convenient.
She ordered several cups of refreshing fruit tea and had Aunt Yuan distribute them to the others.
Just as she was about to head back, the doorbell rang again. Outside stood a delivery courier wearing a blue vest.
“Hello, is this Shen Lian’s residence?”
“No, you’ve got the wrong place.”
“Huh?”
The courier double-checked. “Sorry to bother you again, but the delivery address here is indeed filled in as Boya Bay, North District, Building Three.”
Zhuang Fuyao found it strange and turned to ask the others, “Do any of you know Shen Lian?”
Aunt Yuan was just about to say she did not when she suddenly reacted. “—I do. She’s a colleague of Master.” She went over and signed for the package. “This is the place. Thank you.”
Zhuang Fuyao noticed that the brand logo on the box was a fairly well-known cosmetics brand. After the courier left, she casually asked, “Why would a colleague’s things be delivered here?”
Aunt Yuan said, “Miss Shen Lian often sends things to Master. Maybe when she bought something for herself, she accidentally mixed up the address.”
Zhuang Fuyao frowned almost imperceptibly.
What kind of colleague frequently sends things to someone’s home? And the household aunt even knew about it so clearly.
No matter how one listened, this did not sound like an ordinary colleague relationship.
Once this thought arose, Zhuang Fuyao began to notice other abnormalities.
For example, the throw pillows that were full of girlish charm, the tablecloth that did not match the overall style, the refrigerator magnets that were full of everyday warmth…
So many details in this house felt excessively feminine. There was definitely something wrong.
Even if the two of them were divorced now, the moment she thought that he might be involved with another woman, a nameless anger surged up.
That evening at dinner, she was in a restless mood and had little appetite. When she scooped soup, she accidentally knocked over the bowl, splashing soup all over the floor.
Aunt Yuan’s heart clenched.
As for Master’s taboo regarding water stains, even Young Master Chaoluo was not exempt. If water stains were accidentally left on the floor, Master would absolutely give a very severe reprimand.
Not to mention the servant who had previously been dismissed because of water stains.
Even though she still had not figured out the relationship between Miss Zhuang and Master, Aunt Yuan did not think that Miss Zhuang would be an exception.
She quietly worried on Miss Zhuang’s behalf.
“Are you hurt?” Liang Huaixu asked, his tone carrying a hint of urgency.
Zhuang Fuyao said stiffly, “No.”
Liang Huaixu let out a breath of relief and spoke gently. “What’s wrong? Was today’s food not to your taste?”
Zhuang Fuyao replied, “No.”
If he had not asked, it would have been fine. Once he did, that surge of anger flared up again. The feeling was exactly like seeing Liang Huaixu cheating on her.
Seeing that she was in a bad mood and had barely eaten a few bites in total, Liang Huaixu felt worried. “I’ll go make you a bowl of shrimp fried rice.”
While cleaning up at the side, Aunt Yuan quietly drew in a sharp breath. She had already been shocked several times in a row.
She was shocked that Miss Zhuang dared to show Master a cold face, and even more shocked that Master actually knew how to cook.
Relying entirely on her professional composure, she managed to remain calm and stay where she was.
Liang Huaixu washed his hands, put on an apron, and went into the kitchen.
In the past, whenever Zhuang Fuyao had no appetite or was feeling unwell, he would make her a bowl of shrimp fried rice paired with seaweed soup.
His cooking skills were average, but he had long since mastered these two dishes through repetition. From start to finish, the entire process took no more than twenty minutes.
Very soon, the steaming shrimp fried rice and seaweed soup were brought to the table.
Zhuang Fuyao was still angry, but when she saw these two dishes, her eyes suddenly turned sour. The heavy emotions she had been carrying instantly settled and fell away.