The Seductive Pretender: Sister-in-Law is Turning Gay - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Her Palate Had been Spoiled by Zhong Manjing.

Upon returning, Zhong Manjing spent some time tidying up her home before heading to the rooftop to check on her small vegetable garden. Fortunately, she had anticipated the rain and set up a sturdy shelter beforehand. The heavy downpour of the past two days hadn’t affected the garden; in fact, a new crop was ready for harvest.

She busied herself picking the vegetables and placing them in a woven basket. The bottom was filled with cowpeas, suggesting she’d likely be making another jar of pickled beans soon.

Fresh, homegrown cowpeas are sweet and crisp when stir-fried or used in soups. For those who like spice, they can be prepared with bold flavors, while a cold tossed salad is a refreshing choice for summer. However, while there were many ways to eat them, there was only so much room in their stomachs; even with Lin Yuqing, they couldn’t possibly eat them every single meal.

Thus, most would eventually end up in the bellies of her customers. Converting them into sour beans was naturally a convenient way to preserve them longer.

By the time she finished tidying the balcony, the rain hadn’t stopped. Feeling a bit damp, she took a shower. As she lay comfortably in bed, drowsiness naturally took hold, accompanied by a message from Lin Yuqing asking if she was about to take a nap.

You really are a master detective.

Zhong Manjing sent the message. Lin Yuqing replied quickly: Based on your previous schedule, it’s impressive you’ve stayed up until past one.

Even if you sleep now, don’t sleep past dusk it’ll be too late. Shall I come over to help you with your things before I head back at six?

Zhong Manjing: I take it back. You’re not just a detective; you’re my sleep schedule warden now, aren’t you? Just so we’re clear, I’m not paying you for this.

Lin Yuqing: It’s purely voluntary, no reward needed. You’ve given me more than I could ever repay anyway.

Since agreeing to move in together upon her return, the barrier between them had finally broken. After last night, the lingering, inexplicable awkwardness had vanished completely.

Lin Yuqing was replying to her messages significantly faster now. Zhong Manjing secretly whispered the word “dummy” in her heart.

She was the one who had meticulously engineered this outcome, yet the person being “won over” felt like they were the ones getting the better end of the deal.

Thinking about it, Zhong Manjing couldn’t help but chuckle.

Actually, there was one thing she had forgotten to say to Wu Liyuan she finally understood that Lin Yuqing was inherently a good person. It was her nature, not a byproduct of her memory loss.

It was only under the weight of accumulated painful memories that her true self had been buried, causing her to stop expressing her inner needs and appearing so cold and intimidating.

After learning about the life Lin Yuqing endured at the Lin household, Zhong Manjing had felt a surge of murderous intent while running through the rain. If she were in Lin Yuqing’s shoes, having escaped that place alive, what would a little ruthless retaliation matter?

Zhong Manjing sighed and replied with a simple Okay, focus on your work before closing her eyes.

Things could change. In this life, everything could change. She believed she would make it in time.

Zhong Manjing was woken up two hours later by a call from Lin Yuqing. She instinctively hung up, feeling completely dazed. Sleeping to the sound of rain had left her body feeling soft and heavy.

Lin Yuqing didn’t call back. Instead, she sent a series of “Get up now!” GIFs—primitive, slightly ugly stickers found from who-knows-where.

They were so hideous they actually startled Zhong Manjing awake. Why does she always give me these kinds of “surprises”?

She replied: Tell Meng Luo you’re leaving early. Come over at 5:30 for dinner, then we’ll go to the shop together. I cooked tonight.

Lin Yuqing: Okay, thank you for the hard work.

Zhong Manjing wanted to laugh again at that formal, “old cadre” tone. she got up quickly. She wanted to cook; after two or three days without her own food, she felt that restaurant meals just didn’t hit the spot quite as well.

As the saying goes: Dumplings when you leave, noodles when you return. Today, she would make cold noodles.

These were a bit different from the usual variety. Today, she was making Cold Sesame Noodles using thicker noodles for a chewier texture. She boiled them until they were eighty percent done and then plunged them into cold water; the residual heat would finish the cooking to a perfect al dente.

The secret sesame sauce, of course, would only be drizzled on once Lin Yuqing arrived.

Besides the noodles, there was the essential baking. This time, she didn’t make sweet buns but savory Cheese Beef Rolls. She had seen them at a supermarket in the city and had been thinking about recreating them ever since.

She set the kneaded dough aside and focused on the filling. Using teriyaki sauce with a hint of black pepper, she seared the beef slices, then added sautéed red and yellow bell peppers, a bit of fried “tiger skin” green peppers, onions, and white mushrooms. Once mixed and cooled, she spread the filling onto the proofed dough.

Homemade was always better. She stuffed each one generously; the meat juices soaked into the dough, and the residual heat slightly melted the cheese on top into an inviting pale gold.

When she pressed down gently with her finger, the white dough proved elastic, quickly springing back. A bit of glistening, fragrant meat juice leaked from the edges.

Zhong Manjing shaped them into plump little rolls and gave them a satisfied pat before putting them into the steam oven for a second proofing of thirty minutes before baking.

This would be breakfast for her and Lin Yuqing for the next few days. With meat, flour, and vegetables, one was enough to keep you full; any more and you’d be guaranteed to fall right back into bed.

Of course, given her habit of over-preparing, she also made finger mochi in two flavors cheese and purple sweet potato—because she noticed Lin Yuqing hadn’t eaten much at the cafeteria lunch. Since time was short, she used a pre-mix.

Not wanting to waste the leftover ingredients, she fired up another oven for “Dinosaur Eggs” (large mochi balls) and Margaret bear cookies for snacking. The “Dinosaur Eggs” were essentially a variant of mochi buns, usually larger than an egg, but Zhong Manjing made them even bigger for convenience three of them, each the size of a palm.

For drinks, she kept it simple: handmade lemon tea. She had made this recipe many times; she could practically do it with her eyes closed. With a black tea base and enough rock sugar, a quick pulse in the blender and a strain resulted in a bottle of lemon tea better than anything sold outside.

She simply loved black tea. She had noticed the coffee Lin Yuqing bought for Wu Liyuan was also tea-based; she guessed Wu Liyuan shared that preference.

When Lin Yuqing got off work, she brought Meng Luo with her. The moment they entered the courtyard, the aroma was already detectable on the first floor, causing them to quicken their pace in unison.

They arrived just as the Cheese Beef Rolls came out of the oven—twelve plump rolls that made Meng Luo’s mouth water. Simultaneously, the oven “dinged.” Meng Luo lunged forward. “I’ll do it, I’ll do it! You focus on your stuff.”

The freeloading friend was quite perceptive. Zhong Manjing was currently finishing the final dish: Green Peppers Stuffed with Meat. As she placed the stuffed peppers into the frying pan, she finally locked eyes with Lin Yuqing. “I invited you for dinner, yet you brought a tail along.”

Lin Yuqing was efficiently tidying up the leftover scraps on the counter. She smiled. “I couldn’t stop her.”

Meng Luo was already sneaking a Margaret cookie, grinning widely. “What are you talking about? I’m here because I missed you, you know? It’s been like three years since I saw you. Every day I was asking Lin Yuqing when she was going to bring you back. Ask her if you don’t believe me.”

“Is that so?”

Lin Yuqing said, “Yes. She asked every day when she could have her staff benefits again. Xiao Zhang was asking, too.”

“Tomorrow I’ll give you all the last of the lemon tea. The weather is going to turn cold after this rain.”

Now that everyone was back, Zhong Manjing could finish the final step of the sesame cold noodles. She put the thick noodles into bowls, added chili oil, sesame paste, shredded seaweed, and crushed peanuts. The sauce was a mix of oyster sauce, seasoned soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, with fragrant Sichuan peppercorn oil and a splash of water. Topped with cucumber silk and pickles, the bowls were ready.

The portions were generous enough for three.

When they brought the food out to the balcony, the sky was gloomy, and raindrops still dripped from the eaves. But this didn’t dampen Lin Yuqing’s good mood in the slightest.

Meng Luo took a huge slurp of noodles and blurted out a satisfied expletive. After another mouthful, she said to Lin Yuqing, “No wonder you were so motivated at work today. If I had food like this waiting for me every day, I’d work until I owned the place.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t know how good Zhong Manjing’s cooking was, but every time felt like the first time. She simply didn’t have enough superlatives. The noodles were so chewy that her tongue and teeth were practically fighting over them.

She enthusiastically recommended to Lin Yuqing: “Try a bite of the cheese beef roll, then a bite of noodles, then a gulp of ice lemon tea. I swear, it’ll send you to heaven.”

Zhong Manjing slowly swirled her noodles in the sesame sauce. “Luo Luo, remember not to be crude.”

Good food is meant to be savored, especially Zhong Manjing’s creations. That’s why Lin Yuqing didn’t bolt her food down. She might eat slowly, but she could eat a lot.

Sure enough, Meng Luo, who started by eating like a maniac, finished her whole bowl of noodles but couldn’t finish more than half of the cheese beef roll.

“I’m packing this to heat up for breakfast tomorrow,” she declared, refusing to give up. “And the cookies—I’ve already taken a bite of several, so I’m taking them all.”

“As long as you can eat them,” Zhong Manjing laughed, picking up the pre-prepared takeout boxes. She felt like she was feeding a piglet. She had finished her own noodles and was too full for anything else.

“The beef rolls are too big; I’ll skip them for now so they don’t go to waste.” Aside from the beef rolls, Lin Yuqing polished off the rest of the dishes. A light sweat broke out on her nose. Zhong Manjing stared at Lin Yuqing while sipping through a straw, feeling happy.

Watching her eat with such gusto made her own heart feel light.

When did this feeling start? It seemed that ever since Lin Yuqing first ate her pickles, she had felt this way. Since then, she had cooked for Lin Yuqing many times, and the feedback was always excellent—at the very least, every bowl she sent in came back empty.

Even if Lin Yuqing was just pretending for the sake of her “plan,” Zhong Manjing accepted it. If Lin Yuqing could keep up the act for a lifetime, she would accept anything.

Lin Yuqing put down her chopsticks. “What are you staring at me for?”

“Can you eat any more?” Zhong Manjing picked up a still-warm beef roll. “These are best right out of the oven. How about we share one? I haven’t tried it yet either.”

“These are quite filling. If you really can’t finish it, just have a few bites and we’ll heat the rest tomorrow.”

She had baked enough for several days. Lin Yuqing was busy and woke up early, so she needed plenty of protein and carbs.

As expected, Lin Yuqing nodded. Zhong Manjing took two bites and handed it over. Meng Luo watched Lin Yuqing take it and eat, suddenly feeling like a third wheel.

She immediately stood up. “I’m full! I’ll clear the dishes and head out in a bit.”

Zhong Manjing: “Don’t rush off. Help me take some things to the shop; I’m sleeping there tonight.”

Meng Luo: “…”

The residential area was close to the shop. Zhong Manjing had prepared some handy kitchenware, along with various decorations she’d had at home for a while. Everything was loaded into the trunk, and she made Meng Luo help carry them up.

Lin Yuqing was truly stuffed now and welcomed the movement. She worked efficiently, assuming these were just large packages Zhong Manjing had ordered.

But Zhong Manjing noticed the changes in Lin Yuqing’s small rental room.

The old folding bed was gone, replaced by a proper double bed. The folding bed was tucked away to the side. A rug covered the floor, and a shoe rack stood nearby. The table was wider and larger, with a dedicated area for the sprouting gardenia. There were new paintings on the walls and behind the door.

The space wasn’t large, but these small touches made it feel much warmer.

Zhong Manjing asked with a smile, “Did you do all this specifically to welcome me?”

Lin Yuqing looked a bit embarrassed but nodded. “…I’m not very good at this. I also bought a new wardrobe and some other small things; they’re on the way.”

Fearing Zhong Manjing wouldn’t be comfortable with random items, she had researched online to find mid-range, quality brands.

Zhong Manjing opened several large boxes in front of Lin Yuqing. “Look!” They were filled with decorations she had bought. “Let’s decorate together later. After all, I’ll be living here, and I spend a lot of time indoors.”

Looking at the boxes… had she planned to move in all along? Otherwise, how could she have brought them out the moment the topic came up? Lin Yuqing realized the truth, but she simply nodded, a smile playing on her lips.

Fuelled by that extra beef roll, Lin Yuqing worked with high energy all night. Zhang Xiaohua stopped by mid-shift, saying Zhang Xiaolei had just returned from fishing with two crates of the best crabs, all for Lin Yuqing’s shop.

“From now on, just have your brother deliver to my shop whenever he has stock. I need to prepare a batch of fresh-frozen crabs.” Winter was coming, and she needed to prepare early. Zhang Xiaohua agreed.

Xiao Ying brought her own food today stir-fried squab and specifically brought two legs for Lin Yuqing. Feeling unable to refuse such kindness, Lin Yuqing ate them. This time, she ate like Meng Luo—gulping it down but afterward, she realized she hadn’t really tasted anything.

She wasn’t sure if it was because she was already stuffed, or if her palate had truly changed. She realized that now, she only seemed to enjoy the food made by Zhong Manjing.

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