My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 5

“Young Master, where were you last night? Guo’er was worried sick!” Guo’er ran to the base of the wall and crouched beside her young master, her face filled with urgency as she looked at him. “Please come home with me! The old madam was beside herself with worry when she found out you hadn’t returned all night.”

Lu Jiahe, who had been sitting in the shade by the wall, had originally planned to stay and keep Cheng Yi company until she finished selling her goods. Maybe even snag a few more bowls of mashed potatoes in the process. But upon hearing Guo’er’s words, he immediately felt the need to rush home and reassure his grandmother.

“Wait here, I’ll go back right away,” he said, setting down the half-eaten bowl of mashed potatoes before standing up and walking over to Cheng Yi, who was busy calling out to passersby to sample her wares. He lightly tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

Cheng Yi, fully engrossed in attracting customers, hadn’t expected Lu Jiahe to suddenly appear behind her. Startled by the touch on her shoulder, she whipped around and glared at him, her sharp eyes filled with displeasure. “What are you doing?! You scared me half to death!”

“I need to talk to you about something,” Lu Jiahe said, swallowing nervously at her fierce expression before pulling her aside to a quieter spot.

Cheng Yi frowned and shook her arm free, only managing to wrench her wrist out of his grasp once they came to a stop.

“What is it? Why so secretive? You’re wasting my time and my money,” she snapped, glancing around at the crowd she had painstakingly gathered, now slowly dispersing. Her irritation toward Lu Jiahe grew.

Seeing her furrowed brows, Lu Jiahe quickly explained that he needed to return home. “I have to go back. My grandmother is worried sick since I didn’t return last night.”

“Then go! Why are you reporting to me?” Cheng Yi arched an eyebrow, her expression indifferent.

“Well, I was helping you watch your stall. If I suddenly left and something went missing, you might blame me for it,” Lu Jiahe said seriously, as if she truly would do exactly as he imagined.

Cheng Yi’s expression darkened instantly. If not for the crowd around them, she would have gladly dumped the entire bowl of mashed potatoes on his thick skull!

“Go, go! And don’t let me see you again,” she said through gritted teeth, shoving him away with both hands.

Lu Jiahe stumbled backward but still managed to call out, “Can I take some mashed potatoes to go? I’d like my family to try them too.”

Cheng Yi felt her anger boiling over, but then a thought struck her. If Lu Jiahe’s grandmother also enjoyed her mashed potatoes, it might make it easier to secure some investment from him later.

“Wait here,” she said curtly before turning back to her cart, packing several bowls into a basket, and returning to thrust it into Lu Jiahe’s arms. “Remember to return the bowls. And if your grandmother likes it, let me know.”

“Guo’er,” Lu Jiahe called, glancing at the bowls before summoning his servant to hand Cheng Yi some silver.

Cheng Yi initially wanted to refuse, but Guo’er and Lu Jiahe were both stubborn, so she had no choice but to tuck the money into her pouch.

“If it’s good, don’t forget to tell me.”

Before transmigrating to this dynasty, Cheng Yi had already endured the harsh realities of society. Now, she smiled at Lu Jiahe, a stark contrast to the ferocious look she had just moments ago, as if she wanted to devour her.

The calm before the storm!

This was the only thought in Lu Jiahe’s mind at that moment. She glanced at Guo’er and Lu An, then turned and walked away without a backward glance, leaving Cheng Yi without so much as a word or a glance.

“Young master, young master! Slow down! why are you in such a hurry?” Guo’er called out, clutching a bamboo basket in one hand and lifting her skirt with the other as she trotted after Lu Jiahe.

Hearing this, Lu Jiahe slowed her steps and turned to look back. Only when Cheng Yi’s figure had completely disappeared from sight did she finally exhale in relief.

She glanced sideways at Guo’er and said, “Miss Cheng mentioned that this dish is best eaten while hot. I’m in a hurry to bring it back for Grandmother to taste.”

Lu Jiahe kept her eyes fixed on Guo’er, unwilling to let her see that the real reason for her haste was fear of Cheng Yi.

The simple-minded Guo’er sniffed the fragrant aroma wafting from the basket and suggested that Lu An take the food back first to avoid any mishaps while Lu Jiahe rushed through the streets.

“Fine, go ahead. Just remember to heat it up before serving it to Grandmother,” Lu Jiahe instructed as she handed the basket to Lu An.

“Understood, young master.”

Once Lu An had run off into the distance, Lu Jiahe no longer felt the need to flee like her life depended on it. Instead, she strolled leisurely back home with Guo’er.

Upon returning to the Lu residence, Lu An placed the food in the young master’s personal kitchen and ordered the servants to keep it warm over the fire. When Lu Jiahe finally arrived, she took the warmed mashed potatoes straight to the ancestral courtyard.

“Grandmother, I’m back,” Lu Jiahe said as soon as she entered, stepping forward to bow and apologize to the elderly lady. “Last night, I ran into an acquaintance on my way home, and since the city gates were already closed, I stayed at her place for the night.”

“An acquaintance outside the city?” The old matriarch, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened them at her granddaughter’s words and motioned for the elderly maid beside her to help her sit up.

“Whose child is this? And why do they live outside the city?” The old lady scrutinized Lu Jiahe, mentally reviewing all the acquaintances her granddaughter had in Bianjing. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall anyone who lived beyond the city walls.

Lu Jiahe straightened her slightly hunched posture and met her grandmother’s gaze. After a moment’s hesitation, she admitted, “It’s someone I met outside the city on the day I returned.”

The old lady’s brows instantly furrowed. “You met them that day? So just yesterday? You stayed at their house after knowing them for only a single day?”

Over the years, the old lady had always shielded Lu Jiahe, partly out of guilt toward her and her mother, but also out of fear that her true identity as a woman would be exposed.

“She… she doesn’t know my identity, and she’s not the kind of person who would threaten others,” Lu Jiahe said, recalling Cheng Yi’s carefree and straightforward demeanor during their interactions. She was certain Cheng Yi wasn’t the scheming type.

The elderly woman looked at her granddaughter’s expression, worried she might be deceived by the false affection the other party had shown. “You’ve only known each other for a day, and you already trust her so much?”

Lu Jiahe pursed her lips and stole a glance at her grandmother. Seeing the displeased expression on her face, she quickly called for Guo’er to bring over the mashed potatoes they had brought back.

“Grandma, she even specially brought something back for you to eat,” Lu Jiahe said, noticing her grandmother’s darkening expression. Afraid she might be told to cut ties with Cheng Yi, she immediately got up and sat beside her.

Seeing her granddaughter’s coquettish demeanor, the old woman’s anger dissipated instantly. “You say she doesn’t know your identity, but if she didn’t, how would she have asked you to bring something back for me?”

Lu Jiahe, who had been smiling with narrowed eyes, froze at these words. It was true! Cheng Yi didn’t know her, so how could she have known the mashed potatoes were meant for her grandmother?

“You’re my only family, Grandma. When she said it was for family, of course, she meant you.” Lu Jiahe’s smile returned, but she mentally noted this detail, planning to ask Cheng Yi about it once she had settled matters at home.

Guo’er brought the warm mashed potatoes to the old woman, but the moment she saw the steaming white lump in the bowl, her brows, which had just relaxed under Lu Jiahe’s coaxing, furrowed again. She hesitated, not picking up the spoon.

“Grandma, this is mashed potatoes; all made from potatoes. It’s really delicious. Try it,” Lu Jiahe urged. Seeing her grandmother still unmoving, she took the spoon herself and scooped a bite, bringing it to her grandmother’s lips. “I’ve already had several bowls myself.”

“You always know just what to say,” the old woman chuckled, her lips curling into a pleased smile as she finally took the spoon and tasted the food.

The smooth, velvety texture and the unfamiliar yet delightful flavor stunned her. A woman who had sampled countless delicacies in Bianjing.

From her grandmother’s expression, Lu Jiahe could tell she liked it. Leaning forward with her arms on the table, she asked eagerly, “Grandma, how is it? Do you like it?”

Having lived through decades of life, the matriarch wouldn’t let herself display any unbecoming excitement in front of her granddaughter. She dabbed her lips with a handkerchief and said, “The flavor is rather novel. Something I’ve never tasted in Bianjing before.”

“Where did you meet this friend of yours? How did she come by such skills?” The old woman, too embarrassed to admit she actually enjoyed the dish, tried to subtly probe for more information about Lu Jiahe’s new acquaintance.

At this, Lu Jiahe stiffened slightly. She couldn’t very well admit she and Cheng Yi had met after a brawl outside the city walls.

“Enough of that. It’s been so long since you’ve been back in Bianjing. You should catch up with your old friends when you have time. Invite them and your new friend over for a meal sometime.” The old woman, reading her granddaughter’s expression, tactfully changed the subject.

Relieved her grandmother wasn’t pressing further, Lu Jiahe grinned and replied cheerfully, “Got it, Grandma.”

Although Lu Jiahe appeared to have forgotten the earlier incident on the surface, she couldn’t stop thinking about whether Cheng Yi knew her true identity. After turning it over in her mind for a long time, she decided to wait until later and stake out the potato fields on the mountain outside the city to confront Cheng Yi directly and get to the bottom of it.