Chapter 88 I raised you when you were young, you will take care of me when I'm old.
Xu Jinnian silently took a comb and gently combed Sheng An's hair: "I'm fine."
Sheng An, with her long hair disheveled, glared at him with dead fish eyes: "Since there's nothing wrong, can't you go to the study and read a few more pages of a book? If you dare to sit on the edge of the bed and scare people again, don't come back to your room to sleep."
Xu Jinnian immediately rejected the punishment: "No way."
Sheng An: "..."
His answer was excellent and confident; shouldn't we applaud him?
Under Sheng An's resentful gaze, Xu Jinnian combed her hair straight, strand by strand, and asked, "Do you still want to sleep?"
Sheng An didn't want to talk to him, so she climbed to the edge of the bed, sat down, picked up the clothes hanging at the foot of the bed, and put them on.
A hint of regret flashed in Xu Jinnian's eyes, but he could only stand up and watch her get dressed, his gaze never leaving her.
Sheng An felt that he was acting strangely. After putting on her shoes, she stared at his face carefully: "You really have nothing to say to me?"
Xu Jinnian shook his head, cupped her face, and kissed her: "I haven't seen An'an all morning, and now I just want to stay by your side every step of the way."
Sheng An looked into his eyes, as if trying to see into his heart: "You surnamed Xu, did you do something to betray me?"
Xu Jinnian couldn't bring himself to kiss her anymore, looking helpless: "No."
Sheng An scratched his face: "So you were criticized by the teacher and wanted to find comfort in me?"
Xu Jinnian: "..."
When he was beaten by his father, he would be beaten so badly that he could only sleep on his stomach at night, but he never cried out in pain in order to seek comfort from his father.
So, in An An's heart, he was actually so fragile?
No, I have to change An'an's mind and let her know how powerful he is!
Sheng An couldn't guess the reason no matter how hard she tried. Seeing that Xu Jinnian refused to say, she was too lazy to continue guessing: "Fine, don't tell me then. I don't want to hear it anyway."
As she was about to go downstairs, her arms tightened, and she was pulled into a warm and broad embrace.
Immediately afterwards, a man's low, husky voice came from beside her: "An'an is also hiding something from me."
Sheng An thought there was something wrong with her ears, otherwise how could she hear the grievance in the other person's words?
"An'an, how about we switch?"
Xu Jinnian's lips landed on Sheng An's ear, and his breath gradually reddened the base of her ear.
Unable to resist the man's coaxing, Sheng An resolutely broke free from his embrace: "Tell me or not, I don't care!"
It's not time to be honest yet. Even if we were to be honest, there's nothing they could do. Telling them in advance might lead to uncontrollable changes.
Seeing that Sheng An still refused to speak, Xu Jinnian sighed inwardly, stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his arms again: "Then when An An is ready to speak, she can tell her husband first, okay?"
Sheng An elbowed him: "Stop babbling. There are still twenty chickens waiting for me to roast in the main kitchen."
Xu Jinnian regretfully let go of her, then took her hand instead: "I'll stay with you."
Sheng An did not refuse, and casually picked up the travelogue that was half-read from the bedside table: "Take it, read it to me in a bit."
Xu Jinnian chuckled and obediently took the travelogue, then went downstairs with her.
The three elderly people were used to seeing the couple holding hands through the window.
After they disappeared from sight, Grandpa Sheng whispered to Grandma Sheng, "An'an and Jin Nian have a good relationship. I'm afraid it won't be long before I have a great-grandson to hold."
Grandma Sheng smiled broadly, her dim eyes filled with anticipation: "Jin Nianjun, An Anqiao, their child, whether boy or girl, will definitely be extremely handsome!"
The old lady didn't lower her voice, and Xu Chenglin laughed out loud: "That's right, there's not a single ugly person in our Xu family!"
Despite Xu Laoda and his siblings' bad behavior, all six of them inherited their parents' good looks. Otherwise, with the family so poor, he wouldn't be the only old bachelor.
Well, that's not quite right. He's taken it all in stride, and with his son to support him in his old age, that's why he decided to stay single. It's not that no girls want him.
Back when he worked as a guard in a wealthy family, the young ladies and concubines in the back courtyard often sent him spinach. If he really had such intentions, he would have had a large family by now.
Xu Chenglin reminisced about the past and couldn't help but share his glorious deeds from his youth with the Sheng family elders.
Even though they had heard him talk about it several times, the two elders still listened with great interest.
For them, who had never traveled far from home and spent most of their lives tending the fields in the village, the outside world was full of mystery and a place they could never reach in their lifetime.
Xu Chenglin's experience opened a door to that mysterious world, allowing the two elders to "see" a different scene.
The four kids didn't take a nap. After lunch, they stayed in the big kitchen practicing their knife skills and cooking techniques, recalling the details and tips of making roast chicken that morning.
Seeing their two masters arrive hand in hand, the four children exchanged knowing glances.
Xu Jinnian rarely comes to the main kitchen. In the half month that the four children have been in Shengyuan, they have seen him no more than three times.
Although they were amazed by Xu Jinnian's appearance and held his scholar status in awe, the four treasures dared not discuss it in private, for fear that it would reach the ears of their two masters and displease them.
Xu Jinnian nodded to the four treasures who came forward to greet him, then stood aside and watched Sheng An open the oven, add charcoal, check the temperature from time to time, and then put the marinated raw chickens in to roast.
After finishing all this, Sheng An washed his hands and sat down next to Xu Jinnian: "Now Shengyuan's business is on track, and it won't be a problem to support us all."
Xu Jinnian smiled and softly praised, "An'an is the best."
Sheng An stood with his hands on his hips, like a proud rooster: "Of course, I've always earned my living through my own abilities!"
In both her past and present lives, she has always obtained everything she wanted through her own hard work.
Of course, God was kind to her, bestowing upon her a super buff of culinary skills, making her entrepreneurial journey even smoother.
The only regret is that her life was too short in her previous life. She didn't get to enjoy the good days for long, and before she could spend all her money, she closed her eyes and came to this place.
If I don't find a way to avoid death in this life, I'll probably die young again.
Sometimes Sheng An even wondered if she had traded her lifespan for this amazing food-themed cheat code.
If that's the case, she doesn't care about this cheat code.
Looking at his wife's adorable appearance, Xu Jinnian's eyes were filled with tenderness. For a moment, he forgot that there were other people around and placed his large hand on Sheng An's head: "Yes, An An will support me with her own abilities."
Sheng An blurted out, "I'll take care of you when you're young, and you'll take care of me when I'm old."
Xu Jinnian: "..."
Where is he small?
Could it be... there?
Sheng An was so embarrassed that he scratched his toes on the ground. He glanced at Xu Jinnian's face and, seeing that he didn't seem to have noticed that he had taken advantage of him, immediately stood up and said emphatically:
"You said you would share my wealth and poverty, and now I have made it a reality. When you become successful in the future, you should share my prosperity as well."
Xu Jinnian's expression was solemn, and he replied without hesitation: "That's how it should be!"
Looking at his serious expression, Sheng An felt a mix of emotions.
She believed that at that moment, he was speaking from the heart.
The four treasures worked while secretly observing their two masters.
Seeing their affectionate and loving appearance, Bao Xiang's face flashed with a hint of envy: "The two masters have such a good relationship."
She had been a wife herself, but she had never felt any tenderness or love from her husband.
Bao Lan wholeheartedly agreed: "Yes, my parents have been married for decades, and to me it just feels like they're living together as a couple. I can't see any deep affection between them."
If her mother were to pass away one day, her father would definitely not wait until the mourning period was over before eagerly marrying a new wife.
Not only her parents, but most couples she had ever met were like her parents; it was extremely rare to see couples like the two masters.
The most loving couple she had ever met was one whose relationship was so opposed by their families that they were forced to commit suicide by jumping into a river.
Both families wept, and in the end, the two were buried together.
Sigh, two lives were lost just like that. I really don't know what they were after.
Baoxiu and Baoyun were too young to know what love was.
Seeing the two masters being affectionate didn't evoke any feelings in them; their minds were filled with all sorts of techniques for making roast chicken.
The afternoon wasn't too busy, probably because Xu Jinnian was with her, and Sheng An didn't feel tired at all.
At this moment, Shuqi rushed over, her face looking rather grim.
Sheng An asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Xu Jinnian also looked at Shuqi.
Shuqi felt the pressure and didn't dare to raise his head: "Reporting to Master, a guest wants to make a reservation. He said that there are many people and he needs to reserve three tables. The meal time is set for noon tomorrow."
Sheng An asked, "If you can cook for three tables, is it because the ingredients are hard to come by?"
Shuqi nodded, looking troubled: "That guest specifically asked for beef, but our Shengyuan simply can't get any, so this servant didn't dare to comply."
Sheng An sighed: "That shouldn't be the right thing to do. We should just tell the customer that Sheng Yuan doesn't have beef and we won't accept the order."
Shuqi didn't leave, his face growing increasingly grim: "The guest said that Shengyuan can't get beef, so it's all talk and no action and should close down."
As he said this, he lowered his head even further.
Xu Jinnian frowned: "They've come looking for trouble. I'll go check it out."
Sheng An stood up: "I'll go too."
After saying that, she comforted Shuqi, saying, "It's not your fault. Go do what you're doing."
Shuqi breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes."
The two walked towards the reception hall in the front yard, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. Before they even got close, they heard a man shouting from inside:
"Hmph, a run-down courtyard dares to call itself Shengyuan, thinking it's something special, but it turns out it can't even get beef! How can this shabby restaurant, all show and no substance, be compared to Zuixianlou!"
Sheng An raised an eyebrow slightly. Could it be that the people causing trouble inside were sent by Zuixianlou?
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Xu Jinnian held Sheng An's hand, his gentle voice carrying a deep sense of comfort.
"I'm not worried, we can just fire this kind of stuff out."
Sheng An wasn't worried at all. He quickened his pace and entered the hall, where he saw a man with a mustache and shifty eyes sitting with his legs crossed, spewing filth at the calligraphy, paintings, and inkstones with a face full of resentment.
Upon seeing Sheng An, Shuhua Shuyan rushed forward as if they had seen a savior, saying, "Master, this man is spouting nonsense and acting like a rogue; we can't get rid of him no matter what we do!"
The moment the man with the mustache saw Sheng An, his eyes widened and gleamed with a lewd light: "Oh, so this pretty young lady is the famous Boss Sheng!"
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