At the following dinner, Lu Anning had a rare good appetite and ate a lot more.

At the dinner table, Gu Zhiwei continued the previous topic as if nothing had happened. Lu Anning was very cooperative and was very open about Professor An's preferences.

There were some things he was unsure about, so he asked Tang Jingyuan for confirmation. Gu Zhiwei was in a good mood, and the atmosphere at the dinner table was harmonious.

Ding Wan asked curiously, "Don't you know? The professor treats An Ning and me like sisters in private."

Gu Zhiwei was stunned, and his eyes were filled with joy.

"I didn't expect you two to get along so well. If that's the case, then I'm relieved."

Ding Wan smiled slightly and picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork for Gu Yue. The five people laughed with their own thoughts.

Aunt Zhao carefully carried dinner upstairs and stood at the doorway, hesitating for a long time before finally mustering the courage to knock. In the room, Ji Yan was still sulking, unaware of the joy downstairs.

Hearing the noise, she glanced at it out of the corner of her eye, and when she saw it was Aunt Zhao, her face became even uglier.

"Only you?"

The door was closed and Aunt Zhao laid out the food.

"Madam, let's eat first!"

"Let me ask you, where are they?"

Aunt Zhao lowered her head, hesitating and not daring to say a word, which made Ji Yan even more annoyed.

"Take it away! I won't eat it. What is he doing downstairs?"

Aunt Zhao glanced at Ji Yan secretly, not daring to tell the truth.

"Madam, your body belongs to you, so you should eat something! If you anger the gentleman, you will be the one who suffers."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Yan raised her hand and slapped Aunt Zhao hard in the face.

"Who do you think you are? In the Gu family, when was it your turn to teach me how to do things? What? Now even you are laughing at my joke? If I'm not happy, none of you will have a good life."

Ji Yan felt as if the rage in her heart was about to melt her. Even the food on the table seemed to be mocking her...

She gritted her teeth and swept her hand...

Everyone was enjoying their meal when a loud noise came from upstairs. Gu Zhiwei's hand, which was picking up a dish, stopped mid-air, and the restaurant suddenly became quiet.

He raised his head and looked upstairs. After a while, Aunt Zhao came trotting downstairs. Both sides of her face were obviously red and swollen, as if she had just been beaten.

Gu Zhiwei frowned: "What's going on?"

Aunt Zhao lowered her head, not daring to be seen, and quickly replied, "Sir! I accidentally slipped and knocked over the food. I'll clean it up right away."

As if she was afraid of being questioned, as soon as she heard Gu Zhiwei's response, Aunt Zhao hurried to the kitchen to get tools and went upstairs to clean.

Everyone looked at Aunt Zhao busy coming and going, and probably guessed what was going on.

Lu Anning asked curiously, "How long has Aunt Zhao been working at the Gu family?"

"Aunt Zhao is from the Ji family. Before your mother and I got married, she took care of your mother's food, clothing, and daily life."

Lu Anning raised an eyebrow: "It's been so long, then...they must have a very good relationship."

Ding Wan muttered, "But from what I saw just now, Aunt Zhao seemed very scared!"

These seemingly unintentional words revealed the true relationship between the two of them over the years.

Lu An Ning tried to smooth things over: "Aunt Zhao is probably afraid of having her money deducted for something she did wrong!"

"Have a meal."

Gu Zhiwei was in no mood to pay attention to Ji Yan, so he changed the subject with two words.

Lu Anning ate slowly, occasionally looking at the movement upstairs, as if thinking about something.

She usually left in a hurry after dinner, but today, contrary to her usual behavior, she stayed at the Gu family for a long time until Aunt Zhao finished her work upstairs and came down.

Lu An Ning was thinking about something when Tang Jingyuan pulled her hand and a tube of ointment for reducing redness and swelling appeared in her palm.

Lu Anning was startled, and when he saw Tang Jingyuan smiling at him, he immediately understood something.

Tang Jingyuan found an excuse and took Gu Zhiwei to the tea table nearby with Gu Yue to drink tea and chat. Seeing this, Lu Anning walked towards the servants' room at the back.

Ding Wan followed and stopped in the aisle, just blocking Lu An Ning's figure.

Lu An Ning knocked on the door, and soon, Aunt Zhao came hurriedly to open the door.

When she saw Lu Anning, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"Miss, do you have any instructions?"

Lu An Ning knew gentleness, his eyes fell on her red and swollen face, and he sighed softly.

"I bought an ointment, but I'm not sure if it's effective, and I'm worried I might have an allergic reaction. How about you try it for me and tell me if it works for you."

Aunt Zhao was stunned for a moment, but before she could react, Lu An Ning had already stuffed the ointment into her arms.

"I won't delay your meal."

It was only two minutes, and Lu An Ning didn't even say a word. He waited for her to come out, smiled at Ding Wan, and went back to sit in the living room.

After a while, Lu Anning stood up naturally.

"Jingyuan, I'm a little tired."

Tang Jingyuan understood, kept the topic, stood up and took Lu Anning to say goodbye. From beginning to end, no one knew that she had had contact with Ji Yan's maid.

It was not until the black and white cars drove away from the Gu family that the pair of eyes behind the window in the servant's room on the first floor gradually withdrew their gaze.

Aunt Zhao stared at the ointment in her hand for a long time. She had seen this brand before. It was said to be very effective and could not be bought in China even if she had money. She was born to be a servant, so how could she use such a fine thing?

She opened it carefully and was attracted by a string of numbers inside the box. Her expression gradually became complicated.

After returning that night, Lin Tao delivered all the information about Aunt Zhao.

She has no children, and her husband, who suffers from uremia, is her biggest source of income. Over the years, she has lived a tight and difficult life. Fortunately, her job is stable, the Gu family's commission is high, and she is elderly, so she can barely make ends meet.

After seeing the information, Lu Anning became even more certain that she had a chance.

She smiled and looked at Tang Jingyuan: "You can find the address of Aunt Zhao's house, right?"

Tang Jingyuan smiled in agreement: "How about I help you contact the hospital and find a suitable kidney donor? You cured her husband, are you still worried that Aunt Zhao won't help you? Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Ji Yan didn't treat her well."