Did My Ex-Wife Agree to Remarry Me Today? - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: So Fragrant

Li Zhou didn’t know how to make pancakes, so she went to the vegetable patch, pulled a handful of chives, and headed over to Grandma Wang’s house.

A-Mei hadn’t seen Biscuit’s mom all day, but since the car was still parked next to their house, she asked Li Zhou about her.

“She’s sick,” Li Zhou said.

“Can I go see her?” A-Mei asked.

A-Mei already knew that Biscuit’s mom had stayed at Li Zhou’s house last night. She heard it from Big Dr. Wang, who was the older sister of Little Dr. Wang.

Little Dr. Wang was the one who had gone to Li Zhou’s house to give Chi Yun her injections. By the time she returned from that single trip, the news that a Phoenix named Chi was staying at Li Zhou’s house—and lying in Li Zhou’s bed—had spread through the entire hospital. By the next morning, after the market closed, the news had traveled even further. Every soul in Shazhou knew.

Most people came for the gossip, but A-Mei was different; she was genuinely worried about Biscuit’s mom. So, Li Zhou agreed. Once the pancakes were fried and the porridge was cooked, she would bring A-Mei upstairs with her.

Biscuit, who had spent the day without anyone to walk or play with her, had also been under A-Mei’s care. Once the pancakes were done, Li Zhou cut a large piece for A-Mei first.

Through the window, Chi Yun could smell the aroma of chive pancakes wafting over from the neighboring yard. She pushed her IV stand to the window, propped her phone on the sill, and typed a message with one hand, her mouth watering: [I smell it! It’s so fragrant. How many can I have tonight?]

Li Zhou didn’t reply immediately. It wasn’t until there was noise in the yard below that Chi Yun received a message. Looking through the glass, she saw Li Zhou walking back while typing: Half of one. No more.

Chi Yun had expected one to be the minimum. Half? Was she just supposed to tease her taste buds?

Then she saw a little “tail” following behind Li Zhou. It was A-Mei. With an audience present, Chi Yun immediately slipped back into her dignified, composed persona. She dutifully set up the over-bed table and sat upright, waiting to be fed.

Li Zhou entered the second floor first. A-Mei mentioned that Biscuit had just stepped into the vegetable patch her grandmother had just watered, so she went to the tap to wash the mud off the puppy’s paws.

Li Zhou walked in carrying a vegetable basket borrowed from Grandma Wang. She set it on her workstation, then pulled out a bowl covered by a small plate and placed it before Chi Yun.

It felt like opening a prize. Chi Yun lifted the plate with great anticipation.

The first item was a blue-and-white porcelain bowl of steaming green vegetable porridge with a few shreds of meat. The second item was on a plate covered by another plate a setup that promised something good. Chi Yun’s nose twitched; she knew what it was.

She had been full of joy, but when she revealed the contents, her smile froze. She looked up at Li Zhou, her eyes instantly filling with grievance. Didn’t you say half?

Li Zhou said, “A half of a half is still a half. Be content, or I’ll take it away.”

This wasn’t a half of a half. It was barely an eighth.

Looking at the large plate holding such a tiny morsel of pancake, Chi Yun felt a massive sense of loss. She shielded the plate and glanced back at the basket on the workstation. “Is that it?”

Li Zhou glanced at the basket and quickly looked back. “That’s it.”

Chi Yun stared at the basket suspiciously, certain there was more.

“Grandma Wang has great skill,” Li Zhou said. “You’re lucky she was willing to make these for you so late.”

With the food settled, Li Zhou prepared to return to work. Grandma Wang made them? Chi Yun thought. She had assumed Li Zhou had made them herself.

Chi Yun picked up her chopsticks to grab the pancake.

“Drink the porridge first.” Li Zhou sat at her computer, but her body was angled so she could keep a sharp eye on Chi Yun. She knew this woman wouldn’t behave if she wasn’t watched.

Forced to comply, Chi Yun picked up her spoon.

A-Mei came in a few minutes later, having cleaned up Biscuit. Seeing Chi Yun only eating porridge, she spoke up: “Biscuit’s mom, why aren’t you eating the pancakes Sister Zhou made? They’re delicious! My grandma taught her, and she learned it instantly. I can never get it right.”

Chi Yun froze, her spoon halfway to her mouth. She stared at the plate. “A-Li made these?”

She recalled someone saying otherwise…

A-Mei said innocently, “Yeah! Are you afraid there isn’t enough? There’s more in the basket. Sister Zhou made a lot.”

Behind the computer, Li Zhou’s face darkened. Everything she had tried to gloss over, A-Mei had just exposed.

“How many did she make in total?” Chi Yun’s eyes lit up.

“Five,” A-Mei said.

“And how many are left in the basket?” Chi Yun asked excitedly.

“Half of one,” A-Mei replied.

“Then… where are the rest?” Chi Yun was confused. The math wasn’t adding up.

A-Mei patted her stomach with a look of pure satisfaction. “I ate the rest! Sister Zhou said you were sick and could only have half, but our pan is huge. She said it was a waste of oil to only make half a pancake, so she made five. My grandma doesn’t eat at night, so Sister Zhou gave them all to me.”

“My pancakes…” Chi Yun felt a phantom pain in her heart. First she was jealous of the dog, now she was jealous of A-Mei.

“The ones Sister Zhou made are so pretty too! My grandma just pinches them into random shapes, but Sister Zhou’s are perfectly round.” A-Mei continued to pour salt in the wound.

Chi Yun hadn’t even seen what a whole one looked like. She finished her eighth of a pancake and began eyeing the basket.

Li Zhou’s gaze swept over, expressionless but authoritative. “Porridge first.”

Chi Yun lowered her head and went back to her bowl.

A-Mei began chatting about her day, her voice turning a bit dejected. “Biscuit’s mom, we can’t go pick up trash on the beach together anymore. Three cleaning ladies came this morning. They said the street office provided funding, so they’ll be responsible for the whole beach from now on. I don’t have anything to do… I guess I’ll just go look for shells.”

For A-Mei, picking up trash was leisure. It was fun, it cleaned her home, and the recycled materials became new things. She truly loved it. Having professional cleaners wasn’t “bad”—they were faster and more thorough but A-Mei looked up to Li Zhou. She wanted to do something. Every day.

Having that heart made her a hundred times better than those who harmed the environment, even if she did nothing else. Li Zhou was a wonderful role model, a fact Chi Yun had come to realize deeply lately.

The more she learned about this field, the more Chi Yun wanted to contribute. Her lifelong dream was to be a successful businesswoman, but now, she felt she should stand beside A-Li. Not just out of love, but because she genuinely wanted to make an impact.

“A-Mei.” Li Zhou called her over and played a video. “Beyond the trash on the beach, there is countless waste that has drifted in the ocean for a long time. Some sinks to the floor; some is broken down by sunlight, waves, and salt into tiny microplastics.”

“These microplastics are toxic. Whether fish eat them or humans eat them, they cause irreversible harm. We must collect these as well. I have an unmanned recovery machine controlled by a computer—no need to go into the water. If you want to learn, I can teach you.”

A-Mei was instant: “I want to learn!”

In the corner, Chi Yun was listening intently. She wanted to learn too! she craned her neck, curiosity nearly pulling her out of bed.

Li Zhou caught her eye and said coolly, “Finish your dinner.”

The poor Phoenix was excluded. Li Zhou began explaining the operating system to A-Mei while Chi Yun pretended to drink porridge while straining her ears to listen.

Operating the machine wasn’t the hard part. The difficulty lay in understanding oceanography—tides, currents, and extreme weather. It was a lot for A-Mei to take in.

Chi Yun thought about it. For a Phoenix, who naturally feared water, the ocean was the ultimate hurdle. No one in her clan studied the sea. They stayed away from what they disliked.

But I really want to fight alongside A-Li.

Late at night, Li Zhou sent A-Mei home, promising to have Director Cao bring some introductory books the next day. Chi Yun sat on the bed, lost in thought.

“Let’s check for a fever.” Li Zhou approached with the thermometer.

Chi Yun looked up, staring straight at her.

Beep— A normal temperature.

“Any other discomfort?” Li Zhou asked.

Chi Yun shook her head. When she was quiet and thoughtful, she looked truly “well-behaved,” just as Grandma Wang had described. This version of Chi Yun, soft and pensive, stirred a tenderness in Li Zhou far more effectively than her usual pouting ever could.

After the IV was finished, Li Zhou removed the needle and said softly, “It’s late. Go to sleep.”

Chi Yun scooted over, leaving a space on the bed, and looked at her expectantly. “Are we sleeping together?”

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