Chapter 84 From now on, our family will listen to you.

Wang Xueying never dreamed she would lose so badly. The braised pork on her plate was barely touched, while the dishes she and Xia Qianqian made were all snatched up.

Reluctantly, she carried the bowl to Peng Fei, almost pleading, "Peng Fei, please try some, it's really delicious, just one small bite..."

At this moment, she no longer expected to beat Xia Qianqian. In her heart, she cursed: It's all these people's fault. They were all sucking up to Lu Zheng, so they kept praising how delicious Xia Qianqian's dishes were. She just tasted them and they were nothing special!

Since there was no hope of gaining fame by stepping on Xia Qianqian, she could only take the initiative to find Peng Fei. As long as Peng Fei could recognize her skills and was willing to marry her, then she had not lost!

To everyone's surprise, Peng Fei didn't even lift his eyelids and said mercilessly, "You dare to compare your cooking to your sister-in-law's? And you brag about how virtuous you are, pshaw!"

Peng Fei wouldn't normally say such harsh things. But he had just heard how Wang Xueying had repeatedly provoked Xia Qianqian and how aggressively she had insisted on making a bet.

So he said that on purpose to help his sister-in-law vent her anger.

Wang Xueying turned pale at these words, and her hands holding the plate trembled slightly.

It's all over, it's all over!

Wang Xueying never expected to lose so miserably. She almost bit her lip to pieces, then slammed the plate on the ground and tried to run out of the yard, covering her face.

Before she could run two steps, Xia Qianqian grabbed her wrist.

"You're just leaving like that?" Xia Qianqian's eyes held a chilling glint that inexplicably made her feel a little scared.

"How many people are starving these days! You showed up uninvited, caused all this trouble, and even dared to smash plates and waste food? You're not leaving until you pay for this plate of meat!"

Wang Xueying tried to break free, but Xia Qianqian suddenly let go. She lost her balance and fell hard on her bottom with a thud.

A burst of barely suppressed laughter erupted around her. Wang Xueying was both ashamed and angry, and tears finally streamed down her face.

"You're bullying me!" she screamed, but no one there sympathized with her.

These days, meat is so precious! If it's cooked badly, that's one thing, you can just reheat it. But if you deliberately throw it on the ground and ruin it, that changes the nature of the matter. Who can tolerate that?

Just then, Lu Zheng stepped out from the crowd. His dark eyes, as if frozen in ice, stared coldly at Wang Xueying: "Pay up. Or pick up the meat on the ground and eat it."

When Lu Zheng gets angry, even Peng Fei's brothers who have gone through thick and thin with him are afraid, let alone Wang Xueying, a female educated youth.

Looking into Lu Zheng's dark eyes, she shrank back in fear. She no longer dared to plot against Xia Qianqian. Only one thought remained in her mind—please don't let Lu Zheng make a move, her small body would probably fall apart with one punch!

"I'll pay! I'll pay, okay?" Wang Xueying's voice trembled like a leaf as she shakily took off her watch, almost bursting into tears. "I'll use this watch as payment, alright?"

The villagers, including Lu Zheng, were somewhat surprised, not expecting her to be willing to offer such a valuable item as compensation.

He had initially intended to let it go after seeing her give in, but then Xia Qianqian's cold voice suddenly rang out:

"If you give them the watch as collateral, what about our bet?"

"The bet?" Lu Zheng was taken aback and looked at Xia Qianqian in confusion.

Xia Qianqian then slowly began to recount how Wang Xueying had provoked her and forced her to make a bet. Her voice was soft, but everyone present understood clearly.

"Pfft—" Someone chuckled first, and then the courtyard erupted in uproarious laughter.

"You dare compare your skills to your sister-in-law's?"

"What a fool! He's just making a fool of himself by going around in circles like this!"

The villagers' gossip pierced Wang Xueying's ears like needles, and she was so ashamed and indignant that she could hardly face anyone.

Xia Qianqian coldly watched as her face turned white, then red, then purple, then blue, truly resembling a color palette, quite "beautiful".

But she had no intention of letting her off so easily. With a slight smile, her red lips curved into a clear voice, she said, "Now tell me, what are you going to use to pay for our bet?"

Tears welled up in Wang Xueying's eyes, her voice choked with sobs as she said, "Qianqian, we're classmates, can't you just let me go? Do you have to push me to the brink, to force me to my death before you're satisfied?"

"That's not right." Xia Qianqian raised her voice: "Back then, you deliberately provoked me just to step on me and show off in front of Peng Fei, didn't you?"

Xia Qianqian had clearly seen through Wang Xueying's interaction with Peng Fei earlier, and she had long seen through Wang Xueying's little scheme. Now, seeing that Wang Xueying was still trying to play the victim and gain sympathy, Xia Qianqian did not hesitate to expose her pretense.

Even with her thick skin, Wang Xueying couldn't withstand the blatant ridicule from the crowd. She blushed deeply, tears welling up in her eyes.

With trembling hands, she took out the pen and gave it to Xia Qianqian as compensation.

Xia Qianqian reached out to take it, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "When you used Huang Zhaodi to scheme against me, did you ever think that this day would come?"

So she knew everything!

Today's competition was a trap she set up, deliberately waiting for me to fall into it!

Wang Xueying felt a sudden dizziness. It turned out that Xia Qianqian, who seemed gentle and innocent on ordinary days, was actually such a deep-thinking and vindictive person!

"I...I'm going to show everyone your true colors!"

Xia Qianqian scoffed, "Do you think anyone would still believe you now?"

She took the pen, toying with it between her fingers, and warned in an icy tone, "This is just a small punishment for you. If you dare to play any tricks again, don't blame me for being ruthless and making sure you can't stay in this village anymore."

Wang Xueying trembled at the coldness in her eyes and dared not say another word. She just bit her lip tightly and buried her head even lower.

Seeing her disheveled appearance, Xia Qianqian finally felt all the frustration in her chest disappear and felt completely refreshed.

After Wang Xueying left in a disheveled state, lunch was nearing its end. Only then did Lu Zheng belatedly realize that his wife not only knew how to cook, but her skills were also incredibly amazing!

Recalling the envious looks on his brothers' faces, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up higher and higher, and even the way he looked at Xia Qianqian seemed to be coated with honey.

“Qianqian,” Lu Zheng gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, rested his chin on the top of her head, and said in a voice full of admiration, “I really didn’t expect you to be such a good cook. I’m going to be in for a treat from now on.”

Xia Qianqian turned around and looked up at him. She saw that Lu Zheng's profile was well-defined, especially his sharply defined jawline, which exuded a rugged handsomeness.

She couldn't help but reach out and gently trace his outline with her fingertips.

Lu Zheng's throat bobbed involuntarily, his deep eyes seeming to hold two small flames, gazing at her intently.

Not only was Xia Qianqian not afraid, she tiptoed forward and kissed him on the lips: "Now that you're in for a treat, how are you going to repay me?"

Looking at her innocent yet alluring appearance, Lu Zheng felt a surge of lust rising from the bottom of his heart.

Having just tasted the pleasures of love, how could he possibly resist this!

He immediately stretched out his long arm, hoisted the person up, and strode into the house, his voice low and hoarse, filled with barely suppressed emotion: "Repayment? From now on, I'll listen to you on everything at home. If you say east, I'll never go west!"