Chapter 57 - Heartache

“What about yours?” she asked.

Yue Jiaojiao stood by Zhao Zhan’s side and picked up a handkerchief to carefully wipe the sweat off his forehead. “You only know how to think about me. Why don’t you know how to make something for yourself to eat?”

Zhao Zhan only realized that he had really forgotten about it after she reminded him.

He had put all his thoughts on his lover throughout the journey. Now that he saw that her face was no longer pale, he finally realized he was a little hungry too.

“Zhao Zhan, you can’t treat yourself so lightly when you’re being this nice to me.” Yue Jiaojiao hugged Zhao Zhan and gently pressed her head against his chest. “I heard the noise downstairs. You must be very busy. Why would the manager be willing to lend you the kitchen?”

Yue Jiaojiao was afraid that he would suffer for her sake.

Zhao Zhan explained everything that had happened downstairs in a few sentences, then helped Yue Jiaojiao to a chair. He placed a pair of chopsticks in her hand in a rare overbearing manner. “You didn’t eat much this morning. Eat something to fill your stomach. Don’t starve.”

Yue Jiaojiao took a small bowl and scooped out some noodles. She also split the poached eggs into half for each of them. Then, she pushed the remaining noodles into the big bowl to Zhao Zhan. “You should eat too. I can’t finish all of it. I still want to go shopping and eat something else later.”

‘She’s really good to me.’

He had only done something simple for her, but her heart still ached for him.

Zhao Zhan felt his chest throb, and his eyes were a little sore. He picked up his chopsticks and ate with Yue Jiaojiao face-to-face.

The air was filled with an ambiguous atmosphere that could not be resolved. Being stared at by her watery eyes, Zhao Zhan felt as if his head was boiling.

“Zhao Zhan.”

Someone was knocking on the door. Zhao Zhan finished his noodles in a few gulps and walked over to open the door, blocking Yue Jiaojiao. “Manager Zhou?”

Manager Zhou did not dare to look into the room.

Zhao Zhan had just carried this girl into the inn, but that girl’s face was buried in front of Zhao Zhan, so the innkeeper could not see her face clearly.

However, to be pampered like this, her appearance must be astounding.

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The person in front of him could very well be his God of Fortune. The shopkeeper was careful not to offend him and quickly spoke in a low voice, afraid of startling Yue Jiaojiao, “Sir, the dish you just served was truly amazing. Shall we talk about it later?”

“Manager Zhou, please wait a moment.”

Zhao Zhan closed the door again and gave Yue Jiaojiao some instructions. Then, he prepared the warm water in the basin for her. Only then did he close the door and follow him to the backyard.

“Sir, I won’t hide it from you. The master chef in our kitchen has studied the dish you just made. The secret should be the seasoning you used to wrap the ribs. So, what’s your seasoning recipe?”

“I can’t sell the recipe. That’s my wife’s dowry.” Zhao Zhan’s face was serious, not allowing anyone to refute him. “However, you can have as many condiments as you want.”

“This seasoning can not only steam pork ribs, but also the streaky pork slices. You can use the same method to steam them with a layer of powder. The taste will be just as delicious.”

“Speaking of which, if I didn’t want to borrow your kitchen today, I would have wanted to cooperate with Kelai Xiang on this dish. After all, Kelai Xiang is a restaurant, and yours is just an inn after all.”

If Zhao Zhan, who had been discussing business with Manager Li at the start, could be said to be inexperienced, then in a short period of time, he had grown by a lot. He had even grasped the technique of negotiating the price.