The scene shifted abruptly.
It returned to the moment before her death, when she used her crow-black hair to cover half of her disfigured face.
She drank alone before Yan Junnuo’s spirit tablet.
“Junnuo, do you like this formal makeup?”
“Today is a good day.”
“Junnuo, only after losing you did Zhile realize how difficult it is to find contentment in simplicity.”
“Junnuo, I have already taken my revenge. May I come to you now?”
“Junnuo, can you give me another chance?”
“Junnuo…”
“Junnuo!!”
Xiang Zhile on the bed suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, her forehead drenched in cold sweat.
The surroundings remained exactly as they were before she fell asleep. Her slightly panting breath gradually steadied, and her anxious heart settled a little.
Looking up at the sky, she saw that dusk was approaching.
She immediately got out of bed, washed up briefly, deftly tied up her crow-black hair, and hurried toward the kitchen.
In the kitchen, the cooks were still busy with their tasks.
Xiang Zhile scanned the area but saw no lotus root, causing her to frown in frustration.
“Didn’t I come here personally at noon and ask you to buy some lotus root? Where is it?”
The cooks stopped what they were doing, lowered their heads, and exchanged furtive glances without speaking.
Two chefs acted as if they hadn’t noticed Xiang Zhile, mechanically and skillfully seasoning the dishes as usual, producing food that was still heavy and oily.
One of the tall, sturdy chefs, Xiang Zhile recognized, was named He Dazhuang.
In her previous life, after Yan Junnuo’s death, he claimed that Wangye loved his cooking and unhesitatingly followed his master in death.
Undeniably, Yan Junnuo had a sharp and discerning eye for people, except when it came to her, where he seemed blind.
Lost in memories, Xiang Zhile quickly pulled her thoughts back to the present.
Seeing that it was almost mealtime, she stepped forward to approach the chopping board but was stopped by the cook responsible for cleaning it.
“Wangfei, this won’t do.”
Xiang Zhile’s brows furrowed, and she narrowed her eyes.
“What? Am I, the nominal mistress of this household, not even allowed to touch a chopping board?”
The cook lowered her head.
Xiang Zhile had a strong suspicion that someone was deliberately making things difficult for her.
Without another word, she pushed the cook aside and strode directly up to He Dazhuang.
“Who are these dishes for?”
He Dazhuang hadn’t witnessed Xiang Zhile’s impressive skills at noon and assumed she was merely curious, so he replied respectfully, “Wangfei, they are for Wangye, of course.”
Xiang Zhile raised an eyebrow. No wonder Yan Junnuo’s stomach ailment never improved.
The food looked so greasy that she had no appetite for it, let alone him.
So she deliberately remarked, “This meat is overcooked, and the greens are so wilted. Is this how you are being perfunctory with the master?”
He Dazhuang glanced at the few exquisitely plated dishes and his honest brows instantly twisted into two fuzzy caterpillars.
Wangfei could call him old, but she absolutely could not say his meat was tough.
The stir-fried chicken thigh in this dish glistened with oil and looked tender and delicious at first glance.
Moreover, the item in the other plate wasn’t even greens—it was chives and yellow chives. This Wangfei was clearly nitpicking.
Did she not consider that if his cooking were unsatisfactory, the Wang residence would have replaced him long ago? Why would they have kept him for years?
With this thought, He Dazhuang’s confidence surged.
“Wangfei, this servant does not understand what you mean. This servant only knows that if Wangye did not like the taste of my cooking, he would have replaced me long ago. How could he have allowed me to serve in the manor for five or six years?”
“Oh—” Xiang Zhile suddenly understood, “So it’s been consistently unpalatable for five or six years.”
He Dazhuang refused to accept this. He slammed the spatula heavily onto the stove.
“Wangfei, you haven’t even tasted it and you’re saying my cooking is unpalatable. This servant is not convinced.”
“Oh, quite the temper,” Xiang Zhile chuckled. “Not convinced?”
The cook shook his head. “Not convinced.”
“Then let’s have a contest. If you win, you can be the cook at the Regent Manor for life. If you lose, the authority over this Kitchen belongs to me. How about that?” Xiang Zhile glanced at him disdainfully.
Upon hearing that he could be the cook at the Regent Manor for life, He Dazhuang agreed without a second thought.
“Alright, how do you propose we compete?”
“Let’s compete in cooking. Both of us will prepare dishes, and everyone in the Kitchen must keep it a secret. Then we’ll serve them to Wangye and see which dish he eats more of. Whoever’s dish he eats more wins.”
“Wangfei, that’s not fair. Everyone in the manor knows Wangye married you because he adores you. If he finds out it’s your dish, then this servant…”
Xiang Zhile interrupted, “You have nothing to lose, right?”
After all, the Regent Manor owed him a lifelong position.
Only then did He Dazhuang realize that this was indeed the case.
The kitchen maid who had been blocking the chopping board earlier, seeing the situation turning unfavorable, quickly stepped forward to remind He Dazhuang, “Don’t compete.”
“Why shouldn’t I compete?” He Dazhuang glanced at the kitchen maid with slight irritation.
The monthly salary at the Regent Manor was not low—one month’s pay was equivalent to three months’ pay outside. If he could be the cook at the Regent Manor for life, he would wake up laughing from his dreams.
The kitchen maid leaned close to him and whispered, “Lord Chu Shan instructed us not to let Wangfei near the stove, otherwise…”
At this point, the kitchen maid made a throat-slitting gesture.
He Dazhuang instantly felt a chill run down the back of his neck.
No matter how much money he had, he needed to be alive to spend it.
“Ahem… today’s dishes are already prepared, Wangfei. How about this servant competes with you tomorrow instead?”
Xiang Zhile overheard the entire conversation between the kitchen maid and He Dazhuang. Now she knew who was behind the mischief.