Chapter 167 Past Events

Although the Yin family was mysterious, she had heard a few things about them when she attended the banquet that night—Old Master Yin and his two wives were all arranged marriages. When he was young, he was handsome, rich, charming, and had many affairs, which is why he had Shi Yan's mother, an illegitimate daughter.

Now that I'm older, I've started to cultivate my character and I rarely see women around me anymore.

Rumor has it that the mysterious West Garden Villa of the Yin family once belonged to the white moonlight in the heart of the old master Yin. Unfortunately, that woman is dead, so the West Garden Villa has become a forbidden place for the Yin family.

But Su Youling didn't ask any more questions, and simply got up to start making dinner.

The elders' past is not something she should ask about.

Little did he know that in Old Master Yin's eyes, the way she washed her hands and cooked was serene and beautiful, and her demeanor was especially reminiscent of the old friend he had been thinking of for more than 20 years.

In a daze, he thought he had returned to more than 20 years ago, when the two of them were still inseparable.

"Niannian..." Old Master Yin leaned against the wall, trembling as he reached out his hand to Su Youling, his cloudy eyes reddening for a moment.

Su Youling turned around and was startled. She quickly supported his swaying body. "Grandpa Yin, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Old Master Yin came back to his senses, sighed deeply, and stopped disturbing Su Youling while she cooked. He returned to the living room alone, looking lost and forlorn.

Su Youling pursed her lips, suppressing the strange thoughts in her mind, and focused on preparing dinner.

She was wild as a child and didn't like cooking. However, she and her mother depended on each other for survival, so she was forced to learn some basic cooking skills from her mother. All her initial experimental dishes ended up in her master's stomach.

Later, as her mother's condition worsened and she began to lose her sight, Su Youling grew up overnight, taking the initiative to do housework, learning to cook from her mother, making her happy, and putting her mind at ease.

Therefore, her culinary skills are inherited from Su Hong, especially the methods and flavors of her home-style dishes, which all come from Su Hong's skills.

#Please do not use incognito mode whenever verification is required!

Later, when she was with Li Tingxi, he got used to delicacies and didn't like home-cooked meals. So Su Youling hid her cooking skills from those years and started learning to make Western pastries, Western food, and exquisite Chinese dishes from a master chef.

But now she does whatever makes her happy and doesn't bother making fancy meals anymore.

Half an hour later, six dishes and a soup were freshly served.

"Grandpa Yin, I was short on time, so I didn't make chicken soup. I just made a simple meatball soup, which is a local dish from my hometown." Su Youling served him a bowl. "Please try it. It's just home-style cooking, so please don't mind."

"I don't mind, this table..." Old Master Yin stared blankly at it, and after a long while, he sighed wistfully, "It's been so long since I've had this."

He took a sip of the meatball soup, his eyes changed slightly, and then he couldn't wait to pick up fish, green vegetables, cold dishes... He tasted every dish, and his expression became more and more strange.

Su Youling asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Does it taste wrong?"

She was just about to try it when Old Master Yin grabbed her fingers and asked urgently, "Who taught you to cook these dishes?"

Having known each other for so long, this was the first time Su Youling had heard Grandpa Yin speak to her in such a serious tone, and she was momentarily startled. "These are all hometown dishes! I learned them from my mother, is there a problem?"

"What's your mother's name?" Old Master Yin's hand was trembling as he gripped hers; he was extremely agitated.

This made Su Youling wary.

She recalled the few stories her mother had mentioned, but they offered glimpses into her past—she had once been a womanizer, and then betrayed by a mysterious nobleman.

She was burdened with debt and had also lost a child.

Could this person be Old Master Yin?

Su Youling looked shocked and subconsciously pulled her hand away, her fingertips icy cold.

Calculating his age, more than twenty years ago, Mr. Yin was in his forties, the prime of a man's life. Although he did not settle in China at that time, according to her understanding, he often traveled between China and abroad for business, so he did have opportunities to meet her mother.

She recalled the last time outside the hospital when her mother first saw Grandpa Yin and displayed unusual emotions in the car.

I had nightmares for several days after that.

At first, she thought her mother was uneasy because of her illness, but now she thinks it might be because of the man in front of her.

"...I'm sorry, I startled you." Grandpa Yin paused, noticing the look of rejection and hostility on Su Youling's face, then sighed deeply. "The first time I saw you, I felt your temperament was very similar to Nian Nian's—equally warm-hearted and kind, with a pure heart. However, you are stronger and more spirited than her. That silly girl is delicate and pitiful, always making people want to pity her..."

Nian Nian?

Could that be a pseudonym my mother used to use?

Su Youling twitched her lips, finally gaining a deeper understanding of the old man's inexplicable fondness for her, but she couldn't let her mother fall back into the nightmares of the past.

“Grandpa Yin has probably misunderstood. The dishes my mother taught me to make are all local specialties of Lingshui Town. Every family there loves to eat these simple home-style dishes. My mother learned her skills from the old chef in the village.” Su Youling said calmly, “My mother was frail and sickly from a young age and didn’t even finish school. She has never left Lingshui Town except for medical treatment. She probably doesn’t have the good luck of the girl you mentioned.”

Only at this moment did she think of being grateful to Li Tingxi for protecting her family, although

#Please do not use incognito mode whenever verification is required!

He erased his past as Su Hong simply to conceal his identity as Su Youling.

Even if someone wanted to investigate, Su Hong was just an ordinary village girl born in Lingshui Town, suffering from a serious illness and all alone, nothing more.

Otherwise, given Old Master Yin's abilities, if he could find out about her and Shen Xiyue's affair, he should also be able to trace her family members to the bottom.

"I see." Old Master Yin didn't ask any more questions. His smile was a little forced, and the vicissitudes on his face became even more pronounced. "I won't say anymore! When people get old, they just love to reminisce about the past. The girl I longed for is long dead. I was too presumptuous today."

Su Youling paused, not expecting him to think that way.

Has Niannian passed away?

Did she guess wrong?

However, Su Youling dared not let her guard down. She did not mention her family again throughout the meal and politely accompanied Grandpa Yin, but she was more wary of him.

Old Master Yin, on the other hand, smiled kindly and approachably, treating her even more intimately than before, but he also wisely refrained from probing further.

On the surface, the meal was a pleasant affair for both host and guests.

After the meal, Su Youling saw Grandpa Yin off.

The driver opened the car door, but he didn't get in. Instead, he pulled Su Youling a few steps to the side.

“Su girl, I have only sons and grandsons under my knees. I have never had a caring girl to be filial to me in my life, which has always been a great regret.” Grandpa Yin said sincerely, “Grandpa treats you like his own granddaughter. I have indeed investigated you. This is a habit I developed from doing business in the past. If you are angry, Grandpa apologizes to you.”

Su Youling thought to herself, "You've already investigated, what's the point of apologizing now?"

These high-ranking figures even express their apologies with an air of looking down on the masses.