The Seductive Pretender: Sister-in-Law is Turning Gay - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: “You Make It for Me Personally.”

“…” Lin Yuqing looked down at her insulated bag. The scent of brown sugar wafted out; this girl certainly knew how to work a situation to her advantage.

By the time she returned to the shop, it was already 10:00 AM, nearing closing time. Xiao Ying poked her head out of the kitchen: “Boss, you’re back. Did you deliver the medicine?”

Only then did Lin Yuqing remember she had bought a box of cold medicine that was still in the trunk of her scooter. She had been so busy talking to Zhong Manjing in the courtyard that she’d forgotten all about it.

Feeling a bit awkward, she asked, “Were all the flowers given out?”

“Yep, everyone who came by today took theirs home. For the few left over, I asked those who live nearby to drop them off. Only Xiao Zhong’s bouquet was left for you to deliver personally.”

Lin Yuqing said, “Good. Go ahead and rest once you’ve finished tidying up. I’m going upstairs for a bit.”

She went up to the second floor and unlocked the door.

The space was only about thirty square meters with almost no decoration. It had originally been bare concrete floors, but Lin Yuqing had leveled them herself and applied a layer of dirt-resistant grey water-based floor paint. She had also freshly plastered the white walls just last week. Even though the clutter had been cleared out, the entire room still looked dusty and old.

The only furniture consisted of a folding bed, a table, and a wardrobe. A small electric cooking pot sat on the table, and a hiking pack hung behind the door this was the sum total of Lin Yuqing’s belongings when she arrived.

Lin Yuqing walked to the bed and pulled open the black curtains with a whoosh.

Black curtains were the cheapest option; she’d stitched them together from scrap fabric the curtain shop owner didn’t want. This color provided the best light blocking. As she pulled them open, she squinted, her eyes unaccustomed to the brightness. She hadn’t opened them in a long time; sunlight poured in, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.

She hadn’t felt it while living alone, but now that she was actually expecting a guest, the place felt excessively shabby. The only decorative item was a dead gardenia plant on the windowsill.

She watched it quietly for a while, then took down her backpack. She unzipped an inner pocket and pulled out a low-profile black leather wallet. In it was an ID card; the woman in the photo looked exactly like her, but her gaze was entirely different.

It was as sharp as a blade, like a beast waiting to pounce—or more accurately, like a lunatic filled with malice.

The residential address on the ID was Yibei City, a bustling metropolis the complete opposite of this place.

She didn’t know why she had come here, just as she didn’t know who she was.

When she woke up that day, she had only been carrying this bag containing a stack of cash. She knew nothing else.

Only an instinct in her head kept repeating: Go. The further the better. Never come back.

A faint scent drifted up from downstairs, breaking Lin Yuqing’s train of thought it was the smell of brown sugar.

Aside from the small electric pot, she had nothing else in the rental room. Usually, she used it to steam a bit of rice or some eggs. The European bread and bagels Zhong Manjing gave her were currently stored in the fridge downstairs to be reheated when needed.

She decided to have them for lunch.

Lin Yuqing took a bagel out. After reheating, it was a bit hot to the touch. The rich sweetness of brown sugar filled the air. The brief exposure to high heat had given the bagel’s crust a beautiful caramel color, and a bit of reddish-brown syrup had seeped out from the seams, creating a molten center.

Delicious… Lin Yuqing took her first bite. Even though it was made with brown sugar and contained syrup, the sweetness was perfectly controlled. The rice cake (ciba) was tasteless on its own, but it was just right when soaked in the syrup. The bagel also contained raisins—the slight tartness elevated the texture to another level.

This was handmade by Zhong Manjing. Lin Yuqing gazed at the slightly curled, charred edges where the bagel had been pinched closed, and the “diamond” crackle pattern on the puffed-up crust.

It was both beautiful and delicious; her hands were truly skillful. Looking up from downstairs today, Lin Yuqing had seen that Zhong Manjing’s rooftop scallions were growing lushly, and those orange flowers cascaded down like a waterfall, full of life.

Everything about Zhong Manjing was vibrant, the complete opposite of herself.

She ate two in one go and drank half a bottle of water, feeling truly full. Usually, Lin Yuqing never had the habit of taking naps, but today she was so full she felt drowsy. She dozed for half an hour before preparing to chop vegetables.

At 1:30 PM, Lin Yuqing went to the market to buy some necessary vegetables. She specifically chose the largest and most beautiful tomatoes to take back for the soup base. On her way out, she ran into the pickle shop owner.

Li Sheng initiated the greeting, acting very enthusiastic: “Boss Lin, the pickles in your shop are selling like crazy! So many people have come to me talking about them. You’re becoming a serious competitor for the Eight Immortals Noodle Shop!”

Lin Yuqing nodded: “You flatter me. I didn’t make them.”

“I know, I know. Little Zhong made them, right? She supplies you with so much every day; she’s really good to you.” Li Sheng smiled, then remembered the bayberry drink Zhong Manjing had given him and swallowed greedily. “Is her pricing high?”

Lin Yuqing gave a slight smile: “Pricing? Boss Li, she said merchants should remember to help each other out. She didn’t take any money from me.”

Li Sheng: “Then that bayberry juice, the one with osmanthus floating in it…”

Lin Yuqing said: “That’s a secret recipe. It’s not shared with outsiders.”

Li Sheng: “?”

Only after Lin Yuqing had walked far away carrying her vegetable bag did Li Sheng realize what had happened.

Was Boss Lin just here specifically to show off? Was she using my own words from before to tease me? It couldn’t be, right?

Lin Yuqing had a high workload and high energy consumption. Before going to the swimming pool for her shift, she brought another brown sugar rice cake bagel. She was a bit reluctant to eat it; there was only one European bread left at home, which she planned to slice and eat in the evening.

The afternoon was still filled with children learning to swim, and Lin Yuqing watched from the side. But when she took out that brown sugar bagel, Chenchen, who had been watching from the water for a long time, slowly swam over.

He had already learned the breaststroke. Lin Yuqing remembered him; he was the little boy who had bet on the breath-holding contest with Zhong Manjing a week ago. Every day she came to work this week, Chenchen hadn’t dared to look at her, appearing quite frightened.

Children don’t lie. From his behavior, Lin Yuqing reflected on herself again—she must have been very fierce to Zhong Manjing back then.

Chenchen was still in the water, staring at the bagel in her hand, but he didn’t dare speak. When Lin Yuqing raised her hand, his eyes followed it. When Lin Yuqing opened her mouth, he involuntarily swallowed his saliva.

Lin Yuqing took a bite. The warm brown sugar syrup wrapped around the soft, chewy rice cake inside. The crispy diamond-patterned crust made a light sound as she bit into it. She said, “It’s really good. Very fragrant.”

Chenchen made up his mind, bit his lower lip, swallowed his bitter saliva, and prepared to leave.

“Do you want some?” Lin Yuqing leaned over the edge of the pool.

Chenchen immediately climbed out, his eyes sparkling: “Thank you, Sister Yuqing!”

Lin Yuqing thought: Kid, I haven’t even said I’d give you any yet.

But since she had already lured him up, even though this was her last bagel, Lin Yuqing generously broke off half and gave it to him.

“This tastes like the way Sister Manjing bakes. It’s so delicious. Sister Yuqing, you two must have made up, right?” Chenchen’s mouth was covered in brown sugar. He was very satisfied, chewing the soft rice cake strips in large mouthfuls.

Lin Yuqing: “We weren’t fighting.”

“It’s okay, I understand. When I saw Mom and Dad fighting before, Dad would tell me the same thing.” Chenchen smiled with a wisdom beyond his years. He held onto the last bite of the bagel reluctantly and added, “Sister Yuqing, really, don’t be mad at Sister Manjing. She told Brother Xiaodong before that she can hold her breath for over four minutes underwater! She’s amazing!”

Lin Yuqing froze. …Four minutes?

It turned out she really had underestimated her and misjudged her.

Lin Yuqing returned to open for business in the evening. She took a moment to eat the last cocoa mochi bread, and her stomach felt warm and comforted. The temperature was very high today; every customer who entered the shop was drenched in sweat. Lin Yuqing took note of this.

Zhong Manjing didn’t show up at dinner time, nor did she contact her. Naturally, Lin Yuqing didn’t take the initiative to ask if she wanted her to cook noodles today. Once 9:00 PM passed, she hung up the “Closed” sign and sat at her usual spot to do the accounts.

The revenue this week was good… but after deducting labor and initial costs, she was still in a pre-profit state, not to mention she needed to set aside next month’s operating costs and Xiao Ying’s wages first.

She was poor. Every cent in the shop was already allocated and couldn’t be moved for personal use. Currently, the only money Lin Yuqing could spare was the daily wages she’d saved from the swimming pool, totaling four hundred and twenty yuan. She hadn’t touched this, and including the original three hundred for living expenses, the total amount she could freely use was seven hundred and twenty yuan.

After closing, the air conditioning was turned off. She only had the fan running; she sweated, the sweat was blown dry, and then she sweated again. Lin Yuqing thought about changing the curtains, but looked at her balance and decided against it.

She let out a barely audible sigh when the sound of wind chimes suddenly came from the door. Lin Yuqing looked up and saw Zhong Manjing walking in with a tan canvas bag. She was wearing an intricate, puffy red polka-dot dress, her side braid loosely tied with a lace ribbon.

Zhong Manjing still wore that medicinal perfume, but this time the woody notes were heavier, as if she had stepped into a forest.

Lin Yuqing was a bit dazed; she felt as though she were seeing a little girl who had gone into the woods under a starry night to pick mushrooms.

But what did Zhong Manjing want to “pick”? She didn’t have any mushrooms here.

“Boss Lin, I’d like to order.” The mushroom-picking girl leaned her hands on the table edge and leaned forward, the faint medicinal scent pressing closer. Her eyes were mischievous, and her long lashes blinked. “I want a late-night snack. You make it for me personally, can you?”

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