Chapter 53: Gao Ming "I won't eat the food she cooked."...

Wang Ying stood at the door, looking at Yanfen wearing her apron, and felt a little cold in the late autumn evening breeze.

"Yingzi is back, come in, dinner is ready." Yanfen smiled at Wang Ying as if she was the hostess of this house.

Wang Ying came to his senses, closed the courtyard door, and walked towards the main hall. Only Yanfen was there. There were three dishes and a soup on the table, which looked freshly cooked.

Yanfen said nothing, but set the table with a smile on her face.

Wang Ying put her bag down and was about to ask where her family had gone when Zhao Yunsheng emerged from Director Zhao's room. Seeing Wang Ying, he said, "Yingzi, you're back. Mom twisted her ankle at work today. Come and see her."

"Twisted your ankle? Have you been to the hospital?" Wang Ying didn't care about Yanfen and hurried to Chen Xiuqin and their room.

"I'm gone," Zhao Yunsheng said. "It's not a broken bone, just a contusion. The swelling will go away in a few days."

Wang Ying went to Chen Xiuqin's room. Director Zhao was serving Chen Xiuqin some water. When she saw Wang Ying coming back, Chen Xiuqin put the cup in Director Zhao's hand and said, "Yingzi is off work."

"Mom, where are you injured? Is it serious?" Wang Ying asked.

"It's okay. We went to the hospital. The orthopedic surgeon your elder sister consulted said it will be fine in a week," said Chen Xiuqin.

"You're such a grown-up, yet you're not careful." Director Zhao said.

"I didn't mean to twist it." Chen Xiuqin rolled her eyes at Director Zhao.

Yanfen came in at this time with a tray of food on it. She walked to the door and naturally handed the tray to Zhao Yunsheng, saying, "Yunsheng, you take it to Auntie, I'll go back."

Chen Xiuqin hurriedly said, "Please excuse me for being so busy until now. Please eat before you leave."

Yanfen smiled and said, "No, if I don't go back, my parents will be worried."

"Thank you today, Yanfen. You took me to the hospital, running around, and even cooked for us when you came back." Chen Xiuqin said.

"What's there to thank me for? Have a good rest. I'll come to see you tomorrow." Yanfen said as she smoothed the hair by her ears. "Then uncle and aunt, I'll go back first."

"Yunsheng, please see Yanfen off." Chen Xiuqin said.

"No need to see me off, no need to see me off." Yanfen said and turned to leave.

Zhao Yunsheng glanced at Chen Xiuqin, walked over and placed the tray on Chen Xiuqin's bedside table, and stood still. Chen Xiuqin suddenly realized that she was used to ordering her son around and was very familiar with Yanfen, so she temporarily ignored the presence of Wang Ying.

Yanfen took a few steps and cried out, then she stopped and took off her apron. She turned around and handed it to Wang Ying, saying, "I forgot my apron. Yingzi, I'm giving it back to you."

Yanfen smiled and turned away. Even as she walked, she was more charming than other women. This wasn't a pretense; it was natural. Just like the way she spoke and ate, she was always elegant in a way that didn't quite fit in with the times.

Wang Ying looked at the apron in her hand, walked out of Chen Xiuqin and their room without saying a word, and threw the apron on the sofa.

Wang Yingxia began to understand why Wang Hui in her previous life was always driven back to her parents' home by this young widow. This young widow said she wanted to be a widow for her deceased husband, but in her heart she was thinking about someone else's husband, and her thoughts were subtle and unspoken.

Zhao Yunsheng glared at his mother and chased after Wang Ying. Yanfen had just reached the gate of the courtyard. She looked back and called out to Zhao Yunsheng, "Yunsheng, I'm going back. Come and close the gate."

"Don't pay attention to her, she is sick." Zhao Yunsheng said to Wang Ying.

"They didn't call me, why should I care?" said Wang Ying.

Zhao Yunsheng felt that Wang Ying was angry, and in fact, he was angry too. He whispered, "Don't be angry. I ignored her and didn't say a word to her."

Wang Ying looked at Zhao Yunsheng, who said nervously, "I really didn't say a word to her. I just got home, and I don't know why she's here cooking and wearing your apron."

"I'm not angry." Wang Ying said, "Let's eat. They worked hard to cook this. Go and call Dad to come out and eat."

"I won't eat it," Zhao Yunsheng said. "I won't eat the food she cooks."

"Then you stay hungry and I'll eat." Wang Ying said as he walked towards the dining table.

Zhao Yunsheng pulled her back and said, "You are not allowed to eat either."

"You are not hungry, but I am. I have to write a work report in the evening and don't have time to cook." Wang Ying said.

Zhao Yunsheng was extremely anxious. He would rather Wang Ying had a fight with him, but she was unusually calm, so calm that it frightened him. He held Wang Ying's arm tightly and said, "I'll boil it for you again. Just wait."

"There's no need. Don't waste food." Wang Ying tried to pull Zhao Yunsheng's hands away, but couldn't.

Zhao Yunsheng pulled Wang Ying upstairs and said, "You go upstairs to work. I'll go make you a bowl of noodles and bring it up to you when it's ready."

"Don't go crazy." Wang Ying struggled and refused to go up. "What will Mom think if you do this?"

Yanfen and Chen Xiuqin were colleagues, and it was obvious they had a good relationship; otherwise, Chen Xiuqin wouldn't have let Yanfen cook at home. If Yanfen and Zhao Yunsheng hadn't had that past, Yanfen would have been doing good things for the good people, and that was her genius.

"Go upstairs first. I'll talk to Mom later," Zhao Yunsheng said. "I'll tell her not to let that woman in anymore."

After a tug and a fight, Zhao Yunsheng finally managed to get Wang Ying upstairs.

Zhao Yunsheng pressed Wang Ying into the chair in front of the desk, turned on the desk lamp, and said, "You write your work report. I'll go downstairs and make dinner."

Wang Ying was about to stand up when Zhao Yunsheng held him down again: "Sit still."

Downstairs, in Chen Xiuqin's room, Director Zhao was also talking to Chen Xiuqin: "How could you let Yanfen cook at home?"

"I didn't ask her to cook it, she insisted on doing it, saying it would be perfect for you guys to eat when you get home from get off work," said Chen Xiuqin.

"You really have no brains at all," Director Zhao said. "And you even asked Yunsheng to send her off in front of Yingzi. Think about it yourself. Would you be happy if it were you?"

"I just said it casually," Chen Xiuqin said. "There's nothing wrong with Yunsheng and Yanfen. Yanfen is determined to stay with Weifeng. If she really wanted to have something with Yunsheng, she would have done it long ago. She and Yunsheng knew each other first. She just means well. I'm with her every day at work, and I don't know what kind of person she is."

"Don't talk so much nonsense," Director Zhao said. "Do you understand? You should know your limits, don't you?"

"I was just doing a good deed, and you said something like that to me," Chen Xiuqin said. "I won't be able to do good things anymore."

Chen Xiuqin now thought about it and felt that it was indeed not good, but she was not forgiving and refused to admit defeat.

Zhao Yunsheng came down from upstairs and came to Chen Xiuqin and their room.

"Where is Yingzi?" Chen Xiuqin asked.

"I'm writing a work report upstairs." Zhao Yunsheng said, "Mom, don't let Lu Yanfen come. If you need someone to take care of you, I'll take a leave of absence and stay home to take care of you."

Chen Xiuqin's face looked a little grim: "Is Yingzi angry? What did she say? You should explain it to her. There's nothing wrong between you and Yanfen."

"She's not angry, I'm the one who's angry," Zhao Yunsheng said. "Some things concern Weifeng. He's gone now, and Lu Yanfen hasn't been here in the past two years, so I didn't mention it. Now it seems necessary to clarify things with you."

"What's the matter?" Chen Xiuqin said.

Zhao Yunsheng told Director Zhao and Chen Xiuqin what happened between him, Gao Weifeng and Lu Yanfen. The more Chen Xiuqin listened, the tighter her brows furrowed.

"No, why did you hide such a big thing from us?" Chen Xiuqin said angrily, "If I knew that there was such a thing going on between you...does Yingzi know?"

"Yes, she knows." Zhao Yunsheng said.

"It's because of this incident." Chen Xiuqin felt a little regretful, "But Yanfen did tell me that she wanted to remain faithful to Weifeng. She probably didn't have this idea herself, it was Weifeng who thought so."

"I don't care. Mom, if you want to make friends with Yanfen, do it outside. Don't bring her home. I get annoyed just by seeing her." Zhao Yunsheng said, "I'm going to cook noodles for Yingzi. I won't eat the rice cooked by Lu Yanfen. You guys can enjoy it slowly."

Zhao Yunsheng ran to the kitchen angrily to cook noodles.

After hearing what Zhao Yunsheng said, Chen Xiuqin couldn't eat.

Wang Ying was upstairs, in no mood to write a work report. She felt it was not right to leave her injured mother-in-law alone. After all, her mother-in-law had always been kind to her, and she shouldn't be angry over such a small matter. But she felt very uncomfortable. She could only take her anger out on Zhao Yunsheng, but she felt an indescribable discomfort towards Chen Xiuqin, which was even stronger than her anger towards Zhao Yunsheng.

Wang Ying sat quietly at her desk and soon figured out why. She had been calling her mother-in-law "Mom" every day, subtly projecting her own need for maternal love onto her mother-in-law.

After a long sigh, Wang Ying collapsed on her desk. After living two lives, she still wanted a mother deep down. After Wang Ying figured it out, she felt even more sad. The mother she wanted was definitely not her biological mother, Li Fengju, or her mother-in-law, Chen Xiuqin. It was her ideal mother, someone who favored her and was tolerant. This mother didn't exist. She hadn't had one before, and she wouldn't have one again.

Zhao Yunsheng went upstairs with the bowl of noodles. Seeing Wang Ying lying on the desk, his heart tightened and he quickly put the noodles aside.

He called softly, "Yingzi?"

Wang Ying sat there without moving. Zhao Yunsheng thought Wang Ying was crying, so he went forward and held her in his arms.

"Okay, stop crying. It's my fault for not explaining what happened before to them clearly. This kind of thing will never happen again in the future." Zhao Yunsheng said softly.

Wang Ying didn't cry. She wasn't one to cry. She was just feeling down and uncomfortable, unable to express it to anyone. She looked up at Zhao Yunsheng, who also looked down at her. Their eyes met, and Zhao Yunsheng, seeing that Wang Ying wasn't crying, became even more panicked.

"Yingzi?" Zhao Yunsheng called her.

Wang Ying gently pushed Zhao Yunsheng aside, turned around, grabbed the bowl, and began to eat. The Yangchun noodles, topped with chopped green onions and dried shrimp, and two eggs, tasted quite good.

"Is it delicious?" Zhao Yunsheng asked.

"Yeah." Wang Ying responded.

Zhao Yunsheng watched Wang Ying eat noodles and felt a melancholy emanating from her, a melancholy that distressed him more than tears, yet also captivated him, for he naturally had a fondness for "girls with sorrow and resentment."

Wang Ying finished a bowl of noodles in silence, while Zhao Yunsheng watched from the side. As soon as Wang Ying finished, Zhao Yunsheng took the bowl and chopsticks and said, "I'll take it away."

"Thank you." Wang Ying said.

Wang Ying's politeness made Zhao Yunsheng feel a little sad, but he actually liked this feeling a little bit. He felt that he was also a little sick.

Zhao Yunsheng went downstairs carrying the bowl, and Wang Ying followed him downstairs.

Wang Ying went to the main room to get her bag as she had to write a work report in the evening.

Director Zhao was sitting at the dinner table eating.

"It would be a waste if you don't eat it." Director Zhao seemed to be explaining to Wang Ying.

Neither Zhao Yunsheng nor Director Zhao truly understood why she was so sad. Of course, if she didn't say it, no one would understand. She wasn't going to say it either; she could just digest it slowly.

"I wanted to eat some too, but Yunsheng wouldn't let me." Wang Ying picked up her bag and thought about what happened in class today. She asked Director Zhao, "Dad, where do the recipes for the various pastries in our factory come from? For example, peach cakes."

Director Zhao put down his chopsticks and said, "What's the matter? Is there a problem?"

"I just want to know." said Wang Ying.

"The recipe for peach cakes was left by the old factory. It is said that it was a secret recipe learned in Shanghai during the Republic of China." Director Zhao said.

"Where is the original owner of the old factory?" Wang Ying asked.

Director Zhao took a minute to say, "□□, he was brutally beaten back then and couldn't handle it."

Wang Ying also fell silent. In that special era, such things were not uncommon.

"You ask this because you think the formula is wrong?" Director Zhao said.

"I went to the workshop today and saw with my own eyes the production process of peach cakes. I found that there are actually many tricks involved. Even if it is the same recipe, the order of adding auxiliary ingredients, the degree of kneading the dough, and the baking temperature may affect the finished product." Wang Ying said.

Director Zhao smiled with satisfaction: "Yes, that's exactly what happened."

"I think a secret recipe must involve more than just the main ingredients and the amount of auxiliary ingredients used. There must be more detailed operations involved," said Wang Ying. "The peach cakes produced in our factory are not very stable. Sometimes they break, and sometimes they are too hard."

"You're absolutely right," Director Zhao said. "That's why our peach cakes can only be sold in Beichong City. They're all peach cakes, but they taste different from those in Shanghai. Workshop Four has tried to change the formula several times, but to no avail."

"What about before?" Wang Ying asked again, "before the old factory was merged? What was the taste like?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that," Director Zhao said. "But some people have said it doesn't taste as good as it used to."

"I understand. Take your time eating. I'll go see mom," said Wang Ying.

When Wang Ying arrived at Chen Xiuqin's room, she felt a little embarrassed, but she still took the initiative to say, "Yunsheng, that jerk, hid such a big thing from me. We really didn't know anything about it."

"It's nothing serious. I trust Yunsheng," Wang Ying said. "Mom, how's your leg? Can you be home alone tomorrow?"

"It's okay. It's not like both legs are injured." Chen Xiuqin said, "You all go to work. I will take good care of myself. And your dad is here. He said he would bring me lunch from the cafeteria at noon. Mom knows you're in a critical period at work now. Don't worry, just go to work."

"Mom, if there's anything you need me for, just tell me," Wang Ying said.

"Oh, Mom knows." Chen Xiuqin was relieved to see that Wang Ying wasn't angry. Relationships between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are always difficult, and she didn't want to cause any unpleasantness with Wang Ying. She had indeed been a little inconsiderate today, but thankfully her daughter-in-law was magnanimous.

Wang Ying chatted with Chen Xiuqin and asked, "Mom, how did you hurt your leg?"

"Don't mention it. I don't know who the bastard was, but he spilled the kerosene and didn't even bother to wipe it up. I was walking by and I slipped and fell." Chen Xiuqin got angry when she mentioned this.

"Then why don't you check who spilled it?" Wang Ying said.

"No one is willing to admit it," Chen Xiuqin said. "We can only suffer in silence."

Wang Ying had a very mean thought in her mind, thinking that maybe it was the young widow who did it, but she could only keep it to herself.