My Wife, So Fierce! - Chapter 21

After speaking, she couldn’t help but sternly add, “But no taking a bath.”

Shen Baiyi appeared quite obedient at this moment her expression docile, her response equally so. “Okay, I’ll listen to you, sis.”

Zheng Yao couldn’t hold back a cold scoff.

Now she’s all about listening?

Why didn’t Shen Baiyi show the same compliance back at the hospital?

As a mature adult, Zheng Yao decided not to dwell on it. It was already late, and she had been staying up these past few days with too little rest. All she wanted now was a quick shower and sleep.

Just as she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something else and turned back with a stern warning. “I’m sleeping in tomorrow. Don’t disturb me before ten.”

Shen Baiyi hesitated. “Sis, won’t you eat breakfast?”

“None of your business,” Zheng Yao snapped.

With a sharp thud, she shut the door, hurried through a hot shower, and collapsed into bed. Just as she was about to drift off, Shen Baiyi’s gaunt face abruptly surfaced in her mind.

Tch!

Scowling, she grabbed her phone and haphazardly ordered a bunch of groceries for home delivery before tossing it aside and sinking into deep sleep.

She slept soundly.

Waking naturally, it wasn’t too late just before ten.

Stepping out of her room, she was momentarily blinded by the mirror-like shine of the floor. It had clearly been mopped again, some spots still slightly damp.

After scanning the living room and finding no one, Zheng Yao headed to the kitchen and sure enough, there was Shen Baiyi.

Shen Baiyi was wearing Zheng Yao’s old high school uniform, which had been too small for her but fit Shen Baiyi perfectly.

Despite the plain, outdated design, the uniform carried a certain charm on her. Standing with her back straight, the deep green fabric made her look like a slender sapling.

Noticing Shen Baiyi’s hands busily working away, Zheng Yao stepped closer. “What are you doing?”

Her gaze landed on the object in Shen Baiyi’s hands, and she froze.

Half a carrot rested in Shen Baiyi’s palm part of it already carved into the shape of a rabbit.

“…”

Since when did cooking involve arts and crafts?

“Sis.” Shen Baiyi brightened upon seeing Zheng Yao, offering a shy explanation. “The groceries arrived this morning. You’ve been running around for me these past few days, working so hard. I wanted to make you a few of my specialty dishes.”

She pointed to the hollowed-out center of the rabbit. “Later, I’ll stuff this with corn and minced pork, then steam it. It’ll be sweet and fragrant, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Just hearing the description made Zheng Yao’s mouth water.

“Always with the flashy stuff,” Zheng Yao muttered, though her tone had softened. “Do whatever you want.”

She then glanced at the other ingredients in the kitchen.

She had bought a lot of groceries the night before, haphazardly picking whatever came to mind. Now, everything was neatly organized by Shen Baiyi.

Some vegetables were set aside for lunch, some placed in a basket, others stored in the fridge, the once-empty refrigerator now packed full.

It felt strangely unfamiliar.

Zheng Yao sighed inwardly, then couldn’t resist asking, “How are you so good at this? Did you remember something?”

Shen Baiyi’s face flashed with a hint of confusion before she shook her head. “No, it just popped into my head out of nowhere.”

Muscle memory?

Zheng Yao suppressed her disappointment and didn’t press further. Though she desperately wanted Shen Baiyi to remember everything quickly so she could pack up and leave, the doctor had said forcing memories could backfire if they weren’t coming naturally.

This Shen Baiyi was like some fragile Lin Daiyu character – now that she’d latched onto Zheng Yao, any problems would ultimately become Zheng Yao’s responsibility.

At this thought, Zheng Yao suddenly turned to Shen Baiyi. “Has your fever gone down? And here you are fussing about with all this?”

“I woke up feeling fine this morning,” Shen Baiyi replied softly, suppressing her delight at Zheng Yao’s concern. “I’m actually quite healthy, sister. Don’t worry.”

Zheng Yao didn’t believe a word of it.

Pulling a thermometer from the first aid kit, she handed it to Shen Baiyi. “Take your temperature.”

A flicker of nervousness appeared in Shen Baiyi’s eyes. Truthfully, she still felt somewhat unwell. Setting down the carrot and knife, she avoided taking the thermometer and murmured, “That’s not necessary, is it? I don’t feel sick at all.”

Ignoring her protests, Zheng Yao placed the thermometer on the counter when Shen Baiyi refused to take it. Without pause, she commanded firmly, “Go sit on the couch and put this under your arm. I’ll collect it in ten minutes.”

It wasn’t a request.

Shen Baiyi bit her lip, lowering her eyes to hide the irritation surfacing in them. The commanding tone stirred unpleasant emotions that she struggled to suppress. “Fine,” she muttered sullenly.

–

After Shen Baiyi went to the couch, Zheng Yao rolled up her sleeves and picked up the nearly finished carrot rabbit from the basket. Watching Shen Baiyi’s deft knife work earlier, the lifelike vegetable bunny had taken shape effortlessly – it looked simple enough.

This particular rabbit only lacked its right leg and tail. Zheng Yao stole a glance outside, reassured when she saw Shen Baiyi’s back turned to the kitchen, then picked up the knife.

But her first attempt went poorly – the initial cut was too deep, removing a large chunk of carrot. This miscalculation exposed the hollowed center, making further stuffing impossible.

Zheng Yao froze, her face involuntarily flushing. Though she wanted to salvage it, her clumsy hands only made things worse. What began as a rabbit ended up as just a head.

Zheng Yao: “…”

Infuriating!

What nonsense – no matter how fancy you decorated it, wasn’t it still just an ordinary carrot? The more she thought about it, the angrier she grew. Zheng Yao grabbed a cleaver and chopped the ruined carrot into cubes.

As for the other completed carvings well, she’d see what tricks Shen Baiyi had up her sleeve.

Leaving the diced carrots on the cutting board, Zheng Yao checked the time. Seeing it was nearly ten minutes, she headed out.

The chopping sounds had clearly caught Shen Baiyi’s attention. Before Zheng Yao reached her, Shen Baiyi asked anxiously, “Sister, don’t you like my carrot rabbits?”

Zheng Yao stiffened her expression. “What, can’t I dice some carrots in my own home without your permission?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Shen Baiyi immediately shook her head.

In reality, Zheng Yao still felt somewhat uneasy deep down. Seeing this, she didn’t continue the topic and instead reached out her hand: “Give me the thermometer.”

Shen Baiyi hesitated before taking it out and handing it to her.

After being held for so long, the thermometer was still warm to the touch.

Zheng Yao frowned slightly and examined it carefully.

38.1°C.

She was running a fever again!

Zheng Yao’s expression darkened.

The living room fell silent. Seeing Zheng Yao’s grim expression, Shen Baiyi clasped her hands tightly in front of her, her intense unease making her instinctively adopt a more pitiable demeanor. Her eyes glistened with tears as she tentatively spoke: “Sister?”

Zheng Yao snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Shen Baiyi’s fearful, anxious face, momentarily at a loss for words.

Getting sick wasn’t Shen Baiyi’s fault.

When Zheng Yao remained silent, Shen Baiyi’s heart sank, and panic set in: “Sister, don’t be angry. It’s okay that I have a fever, I don’t feel unwell. We don’t need to go to the hospital.”

“Just shut up,” Zheng Yao said, rubbing her temples.

Shen Baiyi looked as though she was afraid of being kicked out. During these past two days at Zheng Yao’s home, she had been constantly busy, doing one chore after another, never uttering a word even when she felt unwell, terrified of being a burden.

Even someone as hard-hearted as Zheng Yao couldn’t help but soften.

There was no need to be so harsh toward a child. Shen Baiyi wasn’t the one responsible for what happened back then. Shen Sanguang and Bai Yuanzhu had constantly been away from home hadn’t the Shen household been left empty too?

At least Zheng Yao had her father to take care of her, but Shen Baiyi had been sent to live with the Tan family.

And what kind of people were the Tans? Didn’t Zheng Yao know?

Besides, Shen Baiyi wasn’t staying here permanently just a few days. A young girl with no memory, nowhere to go, clinging to the only person she knew, already living on tenterhooks under someone else’s roof. There was really no need to treat her so poorly.

The more she thought about it, the heavier her guilt grew.

She rubbed her temples. “Let’s go to the hospital.”

The moment Zheng Yao’s tone softened, Shen Baiyi picked up on it immediately. She discreetly let out a sigh of relief but maintained a cautious expression. “How about after dinner? I’ve already prepared the ingredients.”

She was confident in her cooking skills.

Every meal Zheng Yao ate that she prepared increased her chances of staying a little longer.

Reading Zheng Yao’s mood, she added gently, “At this hour, the doctors and nurses will be getting off work soon. If we eat first, even if I need an IV later, at least I won’t be hungry.”

Zheng Yao was convinced.

Shen Baiyi’s reasoning was sound. They’d likely have to stay for an IV drip, which would take at least an hour or two. It was better to eat at home first rather than ordering takeout at the hospital.

The smell of disinfectant there wasn’t exactly appetizing.

She nodded. “Fine.”

No sooner had she spoken than Shen Baiyi started heading toward the kitchen. Zheng Yao reached out and grabbed the back of her collar. “What do you think you’re doing? Go rest.”

She didn’t want to face the doctor’s reproachful gaze again.

Zheng Yao firmly refused to let Shen Baiyi into the kitchen, leaving her with no choice but to wait idly on the sofa.

Watching Zheng Yao bustling about in the kitchen, Shen Baiyi couldn’t help but smile faintly. She had known all along her sister did care about her.

But within seconds, the smile slowly faded.

She lowered her gaze. But the sister didn’t like the real her.

What a headache.

Zheng Yao wasn’t skilled in cooking. Even though Shen Baiyi had prepared all the ingredients, Zheng Yao still managed to turn every dish into a culinary disaster.

The food was cooked, but the taste was oddly peculiar not exactly inedible, but far from delicious.

It was strange. Zheng Yao had eaten her own cooking before, but after tasting Shen Baiyi’s dishes, her own creations now seemed no better than pig slop.

Only the carrot rabbit dish was passable, sweet and somewhat edible.

Though she found it hard to swallow, Shen Baiyi seemed to think the food was decent.

Shen Baiyi didn’t say anything, but the half-bowl of rice she had initially served herself was quickly emptied, and she kept reaching for more dishes.

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