After My Death, I Became a Heartless Madman - Chapter 31.1

Qingluan didn’t answer Song Shizhou’s question about the apples.

Qingluan was usually sparing with words. Not only did she not answer questions about apples, but she also wouldn’t respond to anything unless it concerned Song Shizhou’s personal safety.

Reducing communication minimized the chances of misunderstandings and lightened her workload as an assistant. Song Shizhou actually agreed with this approach, thinking that someone like Qingluan, who was so economical with words, was preferable at least better than someone who spoke in contradictions.

Saying one thing while meaning another, refusing to express one’s thoughts openly occasionally, it could be charming, but too often, it inevitably led to misunderstandings and unpleasantness between people.

Fortunately, she had a way to teach her to express herself.

Aside from not answering questions, Qingluan also didn’t interfere with Song Shizhou’s activities. The Snow Pavilion was practically a paradise, it had everything: a private theater, a swimming pool, a small shopping mall, an outdoor garden, and elegantly designed pavilions. Everything Song Shizhou could imagine was there.

After a while, she began to feel that escaping wasn’t even necessary anymore.

Song Shizhou truly had nothing to do.

After the previous farce, her daily meals no longer followed a fixed menu. She could tell Lin Sao in advance what she wanted to eat. Lin Sao, in her fifties, had once been a head chef at a high-end restaurant, so she had seen plenty of grand occasions. Even in the Snow Pavilion, surrounded by mutants, she never faltered.

She didn’t treat Song Shizhou as some distinguished lady but rather as a child after all, Song Shizhou looked barely in her twenties, about the same age as her own daughter.

“My daughter is so lazy. Whenever she’s on break, she just lounges around at home. She’s already in her twenties, but the only thing she can cook is scrambled eggs. One day, she said she’d make me a meal, and when I saw it.”

Lin Sao laughed so hard that crow’s feet wrinkled at the corners of her eyes.

“—it was an egg feast.”

Song Shizhou chuckled along.

“Actually, I’m not much of a cook either.”

Lin Sao glanced at her.

“Kids your age as long as you don’t starve yourselves, that’s good enough.”

Song Shizhou smiled faintly. At noon, she decided to show Lin Sao what she could do.

Lin Sao initially protested, saying, “Your family hired me to cook for you, how could I let you do it yourself?” But mostly, she doubted Song Shizhou’s skills. A seasoned chef like Lin Sao disliked amateurs messing around in the kitchen not only did they make a mess, but it was also frustrating to watch. Gradually, though, Lin Sao stopped trying to dissuade Song Shizhou.

Because Song Shizhou’s cooking was actually quite impressive.

For someone so young, barely in her twenties, her wok-tossing skills were surprisingly polished, and her knife work was solid, it was the kind of technique that took over a decade of kitchen experience to master. And yet, her hands were slender and beautiful, except for the calluses on her index fingers and thumbs.

Only someone who had worked hard for years would have calluses there.

Lin Sao had assumed Song Shizhou was a pampered young lady after all, Bai Ruowei’s apple banquet had left quite an impression. She had expected Song Shizhou’s cooking to be, at best, only slightly better than her own daughter’s egg feast. But the girl’s skillful technique left Lin Sao utterly stunned.

For lunch, Song Shizhou prepared four dishes and a soup. She didn’t pick anything too complicated, she wasn’t skilled enough for that. Her cooking had been honed in the Lu household, where the couple struggled financially and demanded that cheap ingredients be made both delicious and plentiful. Later, her culinary skills grew under Miss Bai’s discerning palate. Miss Bai had little interest in food, content to eat whatever was served unless it tasted bad, in which case she simply wouldn’t touch it. Thus, Song Shizhou had no choice but to constantly refine the flavors of her dishes.

She helped Lin Sao take a seat.

“I heard you were the head chef at Yuanyang Lou. Please give me your honest opinion, how’s my cooking?”

Lin Sao took a sip of the soup, and her eyes immediately lit up.

“The taste is excellent, even the mandarin ducks would fly away after trying it!”

Song Shizhou blinked in surprise.

“You silly child, back in my youth, I worked at Furong Jiulou. When did it become Yuanyang Lou in your mind?”

The two burst into laughter together.

In all her years, Song Shizhou had never experienced proper parental affection. The Lu couple didn’t count, Song Lanyi was far from a responsible figure, Feng Yu was more like a half-sister, and then there was Lan Chi but they hadn’t even spent much time together.

Though her relationship with Lin Sao was technically that of employer and employee, being around Lin Sao gave Song Shizhou a rare sense of happiness she had never known before.

After lunch, she drank a cup of tea and settled in the study to read. But within half an hour, her eyelids grew heavy.

Song Shizhou checked her watch and figured the time was about right.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a soft knock sounded at the study door.

Realizing it wasn’t locked, someone pushed it open and slipped inside.

Bai Ruoruo barged in like a bandit, arrogantly scanning every corner of the room with an accusatory air.

Unlike Bai Ruowei, whose mere presence commanded respect, Bai Ruoruo was far more unrestrained, fearless and bold by nature. Seeing Song Shizhou seemingly engrossed in her book, she immediately strode forward, eyeing her with ill intent.

Faced with this uninvited guest, Song Shizhou simply swiveled her chair around, turning her back to continue reading.

Bai Ruoruo: “…”

“Didn’t you ask me to come? Don’t you have anything to say?”

Bai Ruoruo plopped down onto a chair.

Song Shizhou finally lifted her face from the book.

“Who, me?”

“When did I ever invite you? Miss, I don’t even know you.”

Bai Ruoruo coughed twice.

“I’m Bai Ruoruo. Bai Ruowei is my sister.”

Most people would either be terrified or instantly deferential upon hearing Bai Ruowei’s name. Bai Ruoruo assumed that while this woman might hold the title of “Madam,” she was probably just a lover her sister had taken a fancy to. Surely, upon learning her sister’s identity, she’d show some respect?

To her surprise, Song Shizhou only smiled, neither speaking nor acknowledging her.

Bai Ruoruo found it odd and a little infuriating.

“Now that you know who I am, I still don’t know who you are.”

“Who are you? Which family are you from? What’s your relationship with my sister? How did you earn her favor?”

Song Shizhou shook her head.

“I’m nobody. I have no connections to the big shots in the Inner City. I’m from a small town in the Thirteenth District… and I have no relationship with your sister.”

“No relationship?”

Bai Ruoruo raised an eyebrow.

“If you really had nothing to do with her, would my sister have canceled her appointment with Miss Zhao just for you.”

“Miss Zhao?”

Song Shizhou finally set her book down.

“Do you mean Miss Zhao Yiqing?”

Bai Ruoruo felt she had been tricked into revealing information and grew even angrier.

“You still claim you’re not from the Inner City? If you weren’t, how would you know which Miss Zhao I was talking about?”

It wasn’t surprising that Bai Ruoruo didn’t recognize Song Shizhou. Song Shizhou’s social circle was pitifully small. Having lived in the Inner City for seven or eight years, she had only a few friends like Su Qing. She wasn’t the type to mingle freely and rarely appeared even at tea parties.

Though Bai Ruoruo was a social butterfly, she had only recently returned to the Inner City, so their paths hadn’t crossed yet. Naturally, she didn’t know Song Shizhou.

Song Shizhou replied,

“Perhaps because Miss Zhao’s reputation is so widespread that even I’ve heard of her.”

Zhao Yiqing, the very same Miss Zhao who had been engaged to Bai Ruowei in her past life.

She had relentlessly pursued Bai Ruowei for years. As Bai Ruowei’s lover, Song Shizhou was naturally aware of her.

“You’re really from the Thirteenth District? Aren’t you from the Song family? Those Song people have been pestering my sister nonstop these past few days, it’s beyond annoying…”

Shizhou paused.

The Song family… That likely referred to Feng Yu.

Seeing her reluctance to admit it, Bai Ruoruo took it as confirmation.

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