Gu Jingheng recounted the events that had occurred in his mind over the past two days.

First, Xu Meng took a fancy to a woman and wanted to hire her as a cook, but Lian Yingtong accidentally invited Su Yun'er instead; Su Yun'er was Gai Xue's mistress and the woman he had bumped into last time.

The series of coincidences is a bit too much.

Thinking of how he had brushed past Su Yun'er on the street a few days ago, Gu Jingheng paused in his writing.

Is all of this really just a coincidence?

Su Yun'er stood at the door with a tray in her hand and saw Gu Jingheng deep in thought at his desk.

Not daring to disturb them, she quietly put down her plate and slipped out without a sound.

Gu Jingheng only came to his senses when he smelled the very strong aroma of food.

Upon seeing the food, Gu Jingheng hurried to the door, only to see Su Yun'er's retreating figure as she stepped out of the courtyard.

As is customary, the cook would leave once she had finished her work.

On the other side of the courtyard, through the doors and windows, Gu Jingheng saw that Lian Yingtong and Xu Meng had already started eating.

Back at the dining table inside, Gu Jingheng began to eat his lunch.

A large bowl of tomato and cabbage dumpling soup, a plate of stir-fried bean sprouts with vinegar, a bowl of braised chicken, and a dish of two-colored radish strips.

Gu Jingheng remembered that there were no radishes among the vegetables delivered today, so he guessed that Su Yun'er had brought them from her own home.

So he first tasted the two-colored radish strip.

The radish strips are sweet and sour, and refreshingly cool. They are quite appetizing. I had no appetite due to some things and the hot weather, but this sweet and sour radish strip made me feel better.

With his appetite awakened, the food tasted even better. Gu Jingheng picked up a spoon and scooped a small bowl of tomato and cabbage dumpling soup. In the thick soup, the pale yellow egg liquid, red tomatoes, bright green cabbage pieces and dumplings were all mixed together. He put a spoonful of it into his mouth, and it was fragrant, rich and smooth.

Stir-fried bean sprouts with vinegar are tangy and crisp, while braised chicken still has that familiar flavor.

Once his appetite was fully whetted, Gu Jingheng took a sip of dumpling soup, a piece of chicken, then a bite of bean sprouts, another sip of dumpling soup, and a bite of sweet and sour radish. Before he knew it, all the bowls and plates were empty.

After finishing the last bite of the dumpling soup, Gu Jingheng ended his lunch.

Somewhat satisfied.

The sound of a light knock on the door came, and Gu Jingheng's gentle gaze instantly vanished, replaced by a cold expression.

"Enter."

The bookshelf standing against the wall opened and closed, and a figure peeked out from behind it.

Meanwhile, Gu Jingheng had returned from the dining table to his desk, picked up a pen and wrote something down, then folded the paper and handed it to the other person.

"Investigate secretly, and do not let others know."

"yes!"

***

Since Su Yun'er became the cook, the quality of food prepared by Gu Jingheng and the others has improved dramatically. Xu Meng has also accepted this, but he still occasionally goes to the vicinity of Su's Kitchen to catch a glimpse of Lin Moniang from afar when he has free time.

On this day, it rained heavily.

Looking at the heavy rain outside, Old Mrs. Chen said worriedly, "With such heavy rain today, are you still going to your employer's house? I'm afraid the road will be difficult to travel."

Su Yun'er was checking the pickled cabbage when she heard what Old Mrs. Chen said. She smiled and said, "The employer paid for it. Besides, it's just raining, not hailing. The road is a little difficult to travel, but I'll be careful. The main problem is that the rain came suddenly. I didn't tell the employer in advance. It wouldn't be good if we just didn't go."

Hearing Su Yun'er say this, Old Mrs. Chen didn't say anything more. She just hurriedly rummaged through the house and found a raincoat and an umbrella. After thinking for a moment, she found a pair of clean shoes, wrapped them up for Su Yun'er, and put them aside.

By the time you get to your employer's house, your shoes will definitely be wet. Wearing wet shoes is uncomfortable, and if they get muddy, you'll dirty the employer's yard and house, which will inevitably lead to complaints. It's better to bring a pair of clean shoes.

Grandma Chen was very considerate of Su Yun'er, while Su Yun'er was focused on checking the sauerkraut.

The pickled cabbage was just soaked yesterday, to be served with the employer's fresh fish, and also so that my family could eat it too.

Pickled cabbage won't ferment properly in just one or two days; it needs at least a week. So, Su Yun'er used the fermentation device from her space. This time, Su Yun'er didn't use northern Chinese cabbage for pickling, but mustard greens. After washing them, she carefully rubbed each leaf with salt. When the color became greener and the leaves softened, she soaked them in rice water with a little high-proof liquor and waited for them to ferment.

The pickled cabbage was yellowish-green. Su Yun'er tasted a little and found the sourness to be just right.

After sorting the pickled cabbage she was going to take into a small earthenware jar, Su Yun'er was about to leave when Old Mrs. Chen poked her head out from the kitchen: "Remember to wear your raincoat before you go out, and don't forget to bring your shoes."

Su Yun'er responded with a soft "Ah," feeling a warmth in her heart. Seeing Su Yun'er about to leave, Xiao Cao quickly put down her book and came over to help her put on her raincoat.

Su Yun'er packed the sauerkraut jar and shoes into the basket before leaving.

Su Yun'er walked through the rain wearing a raincoat. By the time she arrived at her employer's house, her trousers were soaked and covered in mud.

The courtyard gate was locked, so it seemed that the three of them, master and servant, had all gone out. Su Yun'er took out the key given to her by Lian Yingtong, opened the gate herself, and entered the courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of rain pattering everywhere. Su Yun'er went straight to the kitchen. Her wet trousers were sticking to her skin uncomfortably, so she wanted to start a fire to dry them.

As the fire was lit, Su Yun'er dried her clothes in the oven while brewing herself a pot of tea.

The temperature was low due to the heavy rain. Su Yun'er had been walking in the rain for so long and her hands and feet felt icy cold. It was only after drinking several cups of hot tea that she felt her limbs gradually warm up.

Suddenly, a small black shadow jumped in front of Su Yun'er.

She looked closely and realized it was Gai Xue!

"Gai Xue, what brings you here?"

In such heavy rain, how did this cat manage to follow us?

The cat was completely soaked. He meowed once and then frantically shook off the water. Su Yun'er quickly reached out to cover her face, but she was still soaked.

"Gai Xue!" She was both angry and amused. Gai Xue realized she had caused trouble and turned to run away, but Su Yun'er had already grabbed her with lightning speed.

After closing all the doors and windows, leaving Gai Xue nowhere to escape, Su Yun'er began to wipe the water off him with a clean cloth. "Look at you, all four paws are covered in mud, you little dirty pig!"

Unable to escape after being pinned to the spot, Gai Xue struggled a few times but had no choice but to accept his fate, meowing as Su Yun'er did as she pleased. Finally, when the cleaning was almost finished, Su Yun'er released him.

Gai Xue jumped away immediately, squatted on a high place, and began to lick and groom herself.

Knowing that Gai Xue would behave for a while after she started licking her fur, Su Yun'er went back to doing her own thing.

After washing vegetables, cleaning fish, rinsing rice, and washing pots, I realized the rain had stopped and the sun was out.

The drainage in the courtyard was well done, so although the rain was quite heavy, there was no water accumulation.

After grooming her fur, Gai Xue stretched and then leaped out of the kitchen.