The Beauty with Terrible Luck Falls in Love with a Ghost - Chapter 35

They had arrived at noon, and by the time the cleaning was mostly done, the sun had already set. Everyone was exhausted.

“How’s it going?” An He, slumped in a chair, nudged Yang Luoyu, who was similarly sprawled out. Her usually cheerful face was now expressionless, too tired to even smile.

Yang Luoyu pointed weakly toward the stairs. “The upper half isn’t done yet.”

Jiang Pingcheng didn’t even open his eyes. “It’s already cleaned, cleaner than my face.”

An He’s eyes lit up in pleasant surprise. “Brother Jiang, you’re full of surprises! Not bad at all!”

After an afternoon of working together, he had already dropped the formal “senior” address and started calling him “brother.”

“Ah,” Jiang Pingcheng waved a hand, though the motion was so weak it looked like he was fanning himself. “Lihua did the cleaning. I just supervised.”

Of course, “supervised” was just a joke, none of them had been idle.

Jiang Pingcheng gave a thumbs-up. “Sister Lihua, you’re amazing!”

An He raised his hand in agreement. “Amazing!”

Han Youyou pouted, clearly displeased.

She was exhausted too, her hands were red and sore! And yet no one praised her. These people were clearly biased, treating her this way just because she was a newcomer with little fame.

Zuo Lihua lay on a long bench, with Han Haier curled up on her chest. The fluffy ears brushed against her chin, tickling her.

“Come on, say it again,” she said, pulling out her phone. “I’m going to record this. Later, I’ll compile a… ‘Praise Zuo Lihua’ collection and look back on it at the end of the year to see who praised me.”

An He burst out laughing. “Haha, then I’ll definitely be number one! After all, Sister Lihua is kind, hardworking, smart, beautiful, and utterly delightful…”

Gurgle… Someone’s stomach rumbled.

An He’s cheeks flushed. “Talking about it made me hungry. What are we having for dinner? I can make tomato noodles.”

Jiang Pingcheng suggested, “Let’s divide the tasks: whoever cooks doesn’t wash dishes, and whoever washes dishes doesn’t cook. I’ll wash dishes.”

Yang Luoyu said, “I’m fine with either.”

Zuo Lihua added, “Me too. What about you, Youyou?”

Han Youyou pouted again. “I don’t know how to cook.”

Han Hai’er tugged at Zuo Lihua’s collar.

Zuo Lihua paused for a moment, then resignedly sat up. “I’ll handle it today. The ingredients are in the kitchen, right? Any dietary restrictions?”

An He scrambled to her feet. “I’ll help you.”

The ingredients had been delivered in one large bundle, still unopened.

Zuo Lihua stepped over and unpacked them, only to find they were all long-lasting root vegetables: sweet potatoes, potatoes, radishes, lettuce, and the like.

An He’s face fell. “No tomatoes?” She picked up a potato. “What do we do with this? I don’t know how to cook these.”

Zuo Lihua reassured her, “It’s fine, I know how. Can you make some congee?”

“Alright, I can help you out. What do you need me to do? I can wash vegetables and peel them.” As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves.

“How about shredded potatoes? And we’ll stir-fry some lettuce.”

Everyone was pretty easygoing, no one here avoided onions, garlic, or spicy food. You could say that in this entire house, the only picky eater was her cat.

Han Hai’er seemed to know what she was thinking, sitting on the counter and swishing her big tail.

An He leaned in mysteriously and asked, “Can I pet your cat?”

Zuo Lihua replied, “I don’t mind.”

“Little kitty, can this big sister pet you?” An He grinned like a mischievous villain.

Han Hai’er slowly blinked, then turned around, presenting her backside to her.

“…” An He drooped her little head in disappointment.

The meal was prepared quickly and soon served on the table.

In fact, as the aroma wafted out, everyone was already growing impatient. Jiang Pingcheng, in particular, had gone in and out of the kitchen several times, only to be accused by An He of “hindering the chef’s work” and stripped of his right to enter the kitchen before dinner.

“I’ve never had lettuce this delicious!” Jiang Pingcheng exclaimed, shoveling a bite of lettuce and a mouthful of rice into his cheeks, which were stuffed so full he could barely speak. “The fragrance is just right, mixed with the savory meat flavor, rich but not greasy. The texture is perfect: any crisper and it’d be raw, any softer and it’d be overcooked. It’s seriously amazing! Even a five-star chef couldn’t make it this good. Coming to this show was totally worth it, so worth it!”

Yang Luoyu chimed in, “Brother Jiang, slow down! Save some for me! This shredded potato is incredible too, it tastes just like my mom’s cooking. It’s the taste of home! With this shredded potato, I could eat three big bowls of rice!”

An He asked, “What about the rice? Isn’t the rice delicious?”

Yang Luoyu replied obediently, “It’s delicious too!”

Jiang Pingcheng waved his hand dismissively, “Rice is rice, it all tastes the same.”

An He retorted, “Huh? Then why are you eating it so eagerly?”

Only Han Youyou, who had been quietly picking at her rice since earlier, seemed to have little appetite.

Although Zuo Lihua didn’t like her, Han Youyou was, after all, the Zuo family’s true daughter and, in name, the one she had brought to the show. She couldn’t just ignore her, so she asked, “Youyou, have some of the dishes. Look at them fighting over the food, if you don’t eat now, there’ll be nothing left.”

Han Youyou pouted pitifully and said, “I don’t eat scallions.”

As soon as she said this, everyone froze in surprise.

The atmosphere suddenly turned silent.

Han Youyou grew anxious, her lips drooping as she spoke in a tearful voice, “I’m allergic to scallions, I can’t eat them! Lihua, didn’t you know that?”

Her outburst shifted the blame squarely onto Zuo Lihua. Sure enough, everyone’s gaze converged on Lihua, and even the camera in the corner zoomed in for a close-up of her face.

Zuo Lihua was taken aback. “I didn’t know.”

Han Youyou raised her voice, “How could you not? Mom told you before we came! And it’s not just me, even the cat can’t eat them. But you forgot because you love them yourself!”

Her tone was undeniably aggressive.

But the focus had already shifted away from the scallions to the phrase “our mom.”

Although Zuo Lihua had introduced Han Youyou as her younger sister, one bore the surname Han and the other Zuo. Naturally, everyone assumed they were, at most, cousins and didn’t think further. Moreover, Zuo Lihua’s background had never been a secret, online sources clearly stated she was the only daughter of the Zuo family. Yet suddenly, a “sister” appeared, using such wording…

A hidden wealthy family scandal???

Everyone present was sharp-witted and immediately grasped the implications. They fell silent, their gazes toward Han Youyou suddenly turning keen and attentive.

Han Youyou subtly let out a sigh of relief. Such attention made her feel a long-lost sense of ease. As long as she revealed the truth, Zuo Lihua would surely become the target of public criticism, just as before.

Everything about Zuo Lihua, her dignified elegance, her poised and graceful demeanor, even the halo of stardom above her head, should have rightfully been hers. All she was doing now was reclaiming what was originally hers.

So, no one could blame her; everyone should pity her. No matter what mistakes she made, it was all Zuo Lihua’s fault for stealing her identity.

Han Youyou feigned composure, cleared her throat, stretched her neck slightly, and lifted her chin, looking down arrogantly at Zuo Lihua.

Zuo Lihua hadn’t expected her to choose to reveal this on the show. The words were already out, and no matter how she tried to backtrack, the fans would eventually find out. Excessive concealment would only backfire.

Zuo Lihua sighed helplessly. “I moved out the day you returned and haven’t been in touch since. I truly didn’t know about your dietary restrictions. If I had, I definitely wouldn’t have added scallions. Besides, before cooking, I specifically asked if anyone had allergies, and you didn’t say anything.”

The scene Han Youyou had imagined, Zuo Lihua panicking and flustered, didn’t materialize. Surprised, Han Youyou accused, “You’re lying! Mom called you before the show!”

Zuo Lihua spoke earnestly, “That call was to ask me to look after you, to make sure you adjusted to life here. It was just a general remark, and I could hear you were there with her on the phone.”

“Was that the only call? You hadn’t been in contact before?”

“No…”

Han Youyou glared, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

Zuo Lihua sighed and changed the subject. “Then how about you eat something else? Some egg noodles, without scallions? I’ll go cook them for you.” With that, she stood up to leave.